Mario Kart DS
For the DS
FAQ/Walkthrough
By Ryan Harrison
rharrisonfaqs(at)gmail.com
Last Revised: 12 December 2005
Version 0.5
This document is Copyright (c)2005 Ryan Harrison
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Table of Contents
1. Guide Opening
1.01  -  Version History
1.02  -  Introduction
2. Game Overview
2.01  -  Controls
2.02  -  Driving Techniques
2.03  -  Characters
2.04  -  Game Modes
2.05  -  Screen Information
3. Kart List
4. Track Guide
4.01  -  Nitro Grand Prix Tracks
4.02  -  Retro Grand Prix Tracks
5. Missions Guide
6. Items
7. Secrets
8. Guide Closing
8.01  -  Credits
8.02  -  Legal Disclaimer
8.03  -  Contacting Me
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1. Guide Opening
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The opening and notes to my Mario Kart DS FAQ.
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1.01  -  Version History
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Version 0.5  -  12 December 2005  -  Sorry it took me a while to get my next
update done, but because of personal
problems that leave me without a computer
and access to the Internet most of the
time, updates could be few and far between
with this guide - but don't worry, I will
have it done at some point. I have now
completed all missions up to the end of
Level 3, and I'm still working hard to
unlock new karts and tracks, and they'll
be put in here some time sooner or later,
so keep all eyes peeled!
Version 0.4  -  03 December 2005  -  This is the first version of this FAQ.
Most of the stuff is here, however I am
lacking half the courses and have covered
only the first few missions and stuff I
have obtained in the game so far. More
will be to come in the following days.
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1.02  -  Introduction
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At last, the latest installment in the hugely popular Mario Kart series has
arrived! After Mario Kart: Double Dash!! hit the shelves two years ago, the
Mario Kart series makes its debut on the DS. With lots of new tracks, modes and
fun things to do and discover in this game, if you're a racing or Mario Kart
fan, it is well worth getting this game if you have a DS - it's the most
exciting one yet! This game not only has some racing tracks to test your mettle
on, but also some missions to play through as well, to add to the replay value
of this title. It has combined all the elements of the previous Mario Kart
games to make this one as exciting as possible, and for a handheld console, it
certainly isn't bad. There is a lot of stuff to be said about this game and a
ton of stuff to get through, so you'll have to purchase it for yourself and
see!
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2. Game Overview
===============================================================================
This section looks over the basics and most things you'll need to know before
you begin playing. Any newcomers to the game should definitely read through
this section to understand how to play before you dig into the actual game
itself.
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2.01  -  Controls
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Menu Screen Controls
--------------------
D-Pad  -  Make selections in the menu
B      -  Cancel your selections; return to the previous (sub)screen
A      -  Confirm menu selections
Racing Controls
---------------
D-Pad             -  Steer your kart (using Left and Right)
Start Button      -  Bring up the Pause Menu
B                 -  Brake while moving; reverse when stationary
A                 -  Accelerate
L / X             -  Use an item you are currently holding
R                 -  Low jump
Touch Screen / Y  -  Switch map views shown on the touch screen
Up/Down + L/X     -  Throw item forwards/backwards (Up throws forward, Down
throws backward)
A + R + D-Pad     -  "Drift" your kart (refer to Section 2.02 for more info)
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2.02  -  Driving Techniques
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(Technique names acquired from the game's instruction manual)
Drift
-----
This technique is helpful for getting around sharp corners, yet requires quick
judgment and the use of three buttons on your DS controller. While steering in
the direction you want your kart to turn in the drift and whilst accelerating,
hit the R shoulder button (so you are holding A, the D-Pad and the R Button all
at once) and the kart will make a sideways spin. You will get round tough
corners whilst retaining your momentum, so it's preferable to simply steering
and braking, as you could lose speed and get hit or overtaken by other kart
drivers. In the tougher tracks will lots of sharp corners, you'll have to get
used to practising this technique!
Mini-Turbo
----------
This technique allows you to temporarily pick up a bit of speed, yet it can be
a little tricky to pull off unless there's a good, long stretch of track to do
it on. If you need a good speed boost, whilst performing a drift (see above),
start pressing Left and Right on the D-Pad alternately and rapidly to build up
some sparks from your tyres, and when this happens, let go of the R Button that
you were holding whilst drifting and your kart will shoot off in a burst of
speed! This is handy to get back in front of drivers who try to overtake you
round corners!
Rocket Start
------------
Kind of like a "burnout", this technique is familiar with most other Mario Kart
games, but it requires good timing. It is performed at the lights when the
countdown for the beginning of the race starts. If you press the A Button at
the right moment (usually about a couple of seconds before the race starts or
so), when the START message appears, you will begin the race with a great burst
of speed! Keep practising to see if you can get the timing right.
Throwing Items
--------------
When you get an item, you can use it by pressing either L or X. If you hold Up
or Down while using an item, you can throw it forwards or backwards to try to
knock out your opponents. Items like bananas or shells work a treat with this
technique - if you can see whereabouts on the track an opponent is in front of
or behind you, try it out! For a list of items, please refer to Section 6 of
this guide.
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2.03  -  Characters
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Remember that, like in Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, the kart drivers are
divided into "weight" categories for light-weights, medium-weights and
heavy-weights, and each of these weight categories can determine how a kart
driver will fare in both speed and power. Light-weights will drive a lot faster
but are more likely to get knocked out if they are involved in a collision with
a medium or heavy-weight driver's kart.
A medium-weight will be more well-rounded in each category of kart driving.
They will drive faster than a heavy-weight but slower than a light-weight, they
have a decent acceleration and handling rate but can fare against light and
heavy-weights in the respective categories. Finally, heavy-weights are terrible
with accelerating (taking a lot of time to build up speed), but have a good top
speed, yet their karts are harder to control in terms of steering. Here is a
list of stats for each weight category as according to the game's instruction
manual:
Light-Weight
Acceleration  -  3/3
Speed         -  1/3
Handling      -  3/3
Medium-Weight
Acceleration  -  2/3
Speed         -  2/3
Handling      -  2/3
Heavy-Weight
Acceleration  -  1/3
Speed         -  3/3
Handling      -  1/3
Finally, a list of each of the characters themselves:
Mario / Medium
--------------
Everybody's favourite plumber, dressed in the usual red and blue. Like any
other Mario Kart game, he's the most well-rounded and great for beginners or
experts alike. Good for the earlier tracks but in the later ones he may
struggle a bit.
Luigi / Medium
--------------
Mario's brother who wears a green cap and overalls. Like Mario, Luigi is quite
well-rounded and good for beginners and experts. His handling is his special
technique.
Peach / Light
-------------
Usually she's being kidnapped by Bowser and saved by Mario, but here she's a
selectable racer, and no push-over on the track. As a light-weight, Peach has
good handling and control, and she has a good drift, but a low top speed. For
twisty or short tracks, she'll make a good choice.
Yoshi / Light
-------------
Mario's green dinosaur pal. His acceleration is good, and his handling, as
ever, is superb. A good choice for most tracks, but he will fare less well
against the heavier opponents and tracks that need more speed than judgment and
control.
Toad / Light
------------
One of my favourite characters to use in any Mario Kart game. Toad is a superb
light-weight as he has a good speed and acceleration rate and he can fare well
in most situations.
Donkey Kong / Heavy
-------------------
Once Mario's original villain in the first game he starred in (aptly named
Donkey Kong), DK is now opposing Mario on the tracks. Although he's a
heavy-weight and his control is bad, he has a good drift and if you can take
advantage over his speciality, he can make a good Mini-Turbo as well.
Bowser / Heavy
--------------
Mario's arch-enemy, who's always creating havoc around the Mushroom Kingdom,
and also on the racetrack too. Bowser has a great top speed and his Mini-Turbo
is good, too. His acceleration and handling are his weak points.
Wario / Heavy
-------------
Mario's evil "twin" - Wario is an obese guy wearing yellow and purple, has a
zig-zag moustache and a big, pink nose. He's well-balanced like Mario, but has
a terrible speed and acceleration rate.
Shyguy / Light
--------------
Kind of like the Koopa Troopa who appeared in the SNES version of Super Mario
Kart, Shyguy is a good racer as a light-weight with good speed and handling,
but the twist is you need to have access to DS Download Play in order to be
able to play as him.
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2.04  -  Game Modes
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SINGLE PLAYER
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When you access this mode, you will be asked for your nickname (the default is
the nickname you supplied into your DS's hardware). Once you confirm your
nickname to use in the game (which will appear in races on-screen), you are
asked if you would like to create a custom emblem (this is what appears on the
front of a kart used by a character. Use the touch-screen and your supplied
stylus to design one if you wish. Once you've done so, you can then pick the
mode you wish to play in.
Grand Prix
----------
Like in any racing game, this is the main game mode to play through. Like any
other basic racing game, you select one driver and compete against all the
others in a string of championship races, in a certain championship (there are
4 cup championships to begin with, but later on there are more to play through
as you unlock each of them). Depending on how well you perform in the race
(i.e. what position you finish in) you will be awarded a certain amount of
points (if you finish in too low a position in a certain race you won't get any
points). At the end of the championship the racer who finishes in third place
in the points league will be awarded a bronze medal, the racer in second place
win silver, and the top racer gets the gold. You can also get rankings, too.
Time Trials
-----------
This mode is where just one person (that is, you) are on a track that you have
selected to play on, and you are timed on how fast you go around each lap. This
is great for practise, or if you want to break your record on this track. You
can also play against a "ghost" car (a car that takes the exact same route as
you did in the last race) to try and improve. You can only play on the tracks
that are available in the game as far as you have progressed.
VS
--
In this mode, you can play an exhibition race against 7 other racers, but
there's nothing on the line; it's basically just a test to see how well you do
in a race. Again, this is good for practise and if you have the time and
patience, you can test out every character on a certain race to see who fares
the best so you know who to select in those certain tracks or who does the best
in most certain situations. You can also select your kart type and difficulty
in this mode as well.
Battle
------
This mode is familiar, as it was introduced in the SNES Super Mario Kart game,
and there are two battle types available in Mario Kart DS. They are as follows:
Balloon Battle
--------------
The famous balloon battle from the original SMK is here, too! The objective
of this game is to burst all of the three balloons attached to your
opponents' karts, and the last racer who still has an inflated balloon
attached to their kart is declared the winner. However, new to this game is
the ability to reinflate a balloon! At the start of this battle you'll only
have one balloon, but if you stay stationary and blow into the DS's mic (the
little hole just below and a little to the left of the touch screen), you can
reinflate the balloons! The harder you ram your opponents' karts, the more
likely you are to burst or steal their balloons.
Shine Runners
-------------
A new battle game to Mario Kart DS, this is for the more competitive players.
Basically, in the arena there are several shines spread around, and a clock
will count down. The objective is to collect as many of the shines as you can
before the countdown is finished. When the timer stops at 0, the racer who
has collected the least amount of shines is eliminated, and the timer will
begin again and you can resume collecting shines until everyone is eliminated
and the racer who has got the most shines will be the winner. You can hit
your opponents or hurl items at them to take shines from them if you're a
little low yourself, but make sure they all don't come for your shines!
Missions
--------
The 'other' main mode of Mario Kart DS, in this mode there are a number of
missions to play through, and you complete them by achieving the stated
obhjective. There are 7 'sets' of missions, and in each set are 8 missions and
a boss to beat after beating each set of missions. Beating the set's boss will
open the next set of missions. This is a pretty fun feature of Mario Kart DS
and gives it a good replay value and challenge factor. For information and help
with the missions of the game, look at Section 5 - the Missions section of this
guide.
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MULTIPLAYER
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You will need to link up with other DS users to access this mode. Whether your
friends have Mario Kart DS or not does not prevent you from playing - however
it can determine the game type. These are:
Normal
------
You can play against other DS users who have a copy of Mario Kart DS. Up to 8
players can play at once.
Simple
------
You can play against other DS users who do not have a copy of Mario Kart DS,
but it won't be as fun as Normal Mode - so get the others to buy a copy!! Up to
8 players can play in this mode.
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NINTENDO WFC
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If you have the Wi-Fi technology that allows you to play online on your DS, you
can play in this mode against other users around the globe. To set up Wi-Fi on
the DS, you will need to have a broadband account to your PC that is active and
a connection. I myself have never played in this mode as of writing, so I will
not be able to provide much of a detailed explanation here, but this is how it
goes according to the instruction manual on Wi-Fi that comes with the Mario
Kart DS game:
Have a Nintendo WFC Compatible game inserted into your DS, then switch the DS's
power on. Then, select this WFC game to play. On the Game Menu Options Screen,
select the game play modes for your WFC game, then select the choice for WFC
settings, and you can customise the setup for your DS's Wi-Fi connection and
playing online.
Nintendo WFC Match
------------------
As obvious as it is, this lets you play online against others. When you are
connected to the Wi-Fi network you can play against other opponents depending
on who you want to play against - Friends (others on your Friends list who are
also online - you can identify them via the Friend Code), Rivals (those who are
amongst the same potential as you), Regional (other players online in the same
country as you) or Worldwide (other players anywhere in the world). Up to 4
players can play in one Nintendo WFC match, but it can vary depending on the
amount of people in a given area online and looking for a match.
Friend Code
-----------
A Friend Code is a 12-digit code used to identify other users you know
personally who have provided you with their code, or people who have given you
their code that you have met online who you can identify when you wish to play
against them. With the Friend Code mode, you can add new users and their codes
so that you can identify them via their nickname when you play online.
Nintendo WFC Settings
---------------------
You can use this to connect to the Nintendo WFC Network when online and there
is a hotpoint available that can allow you to do so. It must also be of a
reasonable signal strength so that the connection can manage to allow you and
all other users to play online via your DS's. When your PC is set up with
Broadband and your DS is connected via the adapter (sold seperately to the
console and hardware), you can access and edit your settings. This is available
on any Nintendo WFC-compatible titles for the DS, not just this game.
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RECORDS
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In this mode, you can look at any and all records set in other particular game
modes on lap times, points, rankings and so on. Your total results are also
displayed in the top screen above the sub-modes where you can also view your
other records. The table looks like this:
+-----------------------------------------+
|            R E C O R D S                |
|-----------------------------------------|
|                                         |
|             ____________________________|
|            /        TOTAL RESULTS       |
|            -----------------------------|
|                        _________________|
|                       / WINS  /  LOSSES |
| +---------------------------------------|
| | VS                  /     - /       - |
| +---------------------------------------|
| | BATTLE              /     - /       - |
| +---------------------------------------|
| | Nintendo WFC Match  /     - /       - |
| +---------------------------------------|
|                                         |
+-----------------------------------------+
Grand Prix
----------
Here, you can look at records for 50cc, 100cc and 150cc times, points and ranks
in the Mushroom, Flower, Shell and Banana Cups.
Time Trials
-----------
In this sub-menu, you can look at records set for best times for each position
as well as the best lap for each course. Pressing the X Button erases the data
in this sub-menu.
Friends
-------
View all your records for playing against friends.
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OPTIONS
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Here you can basically play around with the settings of the game, as well as
your Nintendo WFC settings if you play online. The setup of each sub-menu is as
described below:
Settings
--------
Sound
-----
Change your settings for sound in the game. The three types are:
Surround    -  Play with surrounding sound.
Stereo      -  Play with stereo sound.
Headphones  -  Best suited if you have headphones plugged into your DS.
Locate Friend
-------------
If you have a friend logged into your Friends network via their Friend Code,
when this is knocked "ON" you will be notified when they log onto the network
so that you can play against them online if you wish.
Edit
----
Nickname
--------
Change the nickname you have provided to the game. The default is the
nickname you have supplied to your DS hardware.
Emblem
------
Change or design a logo on the front of a kart (this logo is known as the
'Emblem').
Erase Data
----------
Erase all game data you have collected.
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2.05  -  Screen Information
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This is the on-screen information.
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| |    |