Sure, people were playing Mario Kart over the internet a decade ago using X-band, but they had to put up with a superflous split-screen. And sure, the lack of an internet battle mode is glaring. And sure, the skillset of those online during the game’s christening nights is laughable. And SURE, I know nothing about these players besides the fact that they suck since there’s no other way of interacting with them (i.e., no chat ability), but I just played Mario Kart on a portable, handheld system with people across the country while ON THE TOILET (not joking).
So anyway, AFAIK, this is the first online game from Nintendo ever - I’m surprised its not causing more of a stir. For a first effort, it’s a pretty good execution.
Oh yeah, I did kind of forget to mention which of the jillions of Mario Karts I was talking about. It’s Mario Kart DS for the DS. Not only is it being heralded as the best of the Mario Karts on its own, but it’s even got nostalgia factor in that in features restored tracks from all previous Mario Kart games.
I bought a DS early on, and have been eagerly awaiting the wi-fi rollout, but I just have very little interest in the Mario Kart franchise; I just don’t think those games, or racing games in general, are that fun, nor are they suited to the DS’s unique interface. Oh, well - I’ll wait for Animal Crossing Wi-Fi.
