I dusted off my old teal DS and slid in my Mario Kart DS cart. Then, for testing, I also used a legal backup of my own USA copy. Same game, same chaos. You know what? It still pops. Even with that little hinge squeak and my R button sticking now and then, the game runs smooth and fast. I even brushed up on a more comprehensive hands-on overview that echoed my own blue-shell highs and wipeout lows over on PDV Racing. For a quick refresher on how the critics felt back in 2005, the game still sits at an impressive score on Metacritic.
Let me explain how it felt, what worked, and where it punched me in the gut (blue shell, I’m looking at you).
The feel in my hands
It’s the D-pad era, so drifting uses the shoulder and little zigzag taps. After 30 minutes, my left thumb had a dent. I could still hear the click-click-click of snaking down a straight line. I’m not proud, but I did it. My kid heard me mutter, “One more lap,” like twenty times.
- R to hop and drift felt sharp.
- Steering is tight, but the D-pad can feel stiff.
- Mini-turbo sparks come quick if you wiggle just right.
One night I tried to snake through Figure-8 Circuit. I nailed five boosts in a row, then hit a stray banana at the finish. I laughed, then I groaned, then I laughed again. That’s Mario Kart.
Tracks that still sing
The USA version gives you all the same courses. The text is in English, and nothing feels cut or weird. And wow, some tracks still hit hard:
- Waluigi Pinball: Bright lights, casino bounce, and a pinball that scares me every time.
- Delfino Square: Tight streets and a sneaky shortcut over the crates.
- Airship Fortress: Cannons, rocky walls, and windy ramps that feel brave and dumb.
- Luigi’s Mansion: Moody turns and wet dirt that slides just a bit.
If you want to see how real kart racers tackle tight corners and hunt for speed boosts, PDV Racing keeps an excellent library of track breakdowns that lines up surprisingly well with Mario’s more chaotic circuits.
And the Retro Cups? Nostalgia lane. You get old tracks from the SNES, N64, GBA, and GameCube. I took my nephew to Moo Moo Farm (N64), and he said, “Why is it so bumpy?” I said, “Respect your elders.” For further old-school kicks, I also revisited some SNES-era mayhem by testing a pile of cheat codes in Rock 'n Roll Racing—turns out a few still work wonders when you need extra nitro (full results here).
Mission Mode is the secret sauce
Here’s the thing: the missions make this game feel fresh. It’s not just racing laps. You:
- Drift through gates in order.
- Burst item boxes under a time limit.
- Race a rival one-on-one.
- Gather coins and keep them safe.
- Face a big foe in a “boss” run at the end of a set.
I chased a star rank on a drift mission and kept missing the last gate. Three tries later, I finally slid through with a squeak of the R button and a happy yelp. Quick, bite-size, and oddly tough.
Items and tiny heartbreaks
If you’ve ever stared at a puzzle trying to remember the exact phrase for a “Mario racing vehicle” in a crossword, someone finally broke it down in a fun little explainer over on PDV Racing. Now, back to the bruises and boosts:
- Blue shell: still a mood. I got hit right before the line on Desert Hills. My heart sank.
- Triple red shells: saved me in Peach Gardens, where the paths twist past those hedges.
- Banana peel: the best friend I ignore until a red shell is coming. Then I love it.
- Lightning: great when you’re behind, but it always zaps me mid-jump on DK Pass. Mean.
A small win: I once dodged a red shell by dragging a banana and then cut the corner on Delfino Square. Felt like a magic trick. Probably looked messy. Don’t care.
Local play, big smiles
Online is gone now, which is a bummer. But local play still rocks. We set up four DS systems in my living room. My cousin didn’t own the game, so he joined through Download Play and raced as Shy Guy (that’s the default for guests). He whooped me on Yoshi Circuit. Then we did Balloon Battle and had to blow into the DS mic to inflate balloons. Yes, blowing into the mic looks silly. Yes, someone laughed so hard they fell off the couch.
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Performance notes without the fluff
- It runs smooth in single player. Never felt choppy.
- Sound is thin but catchy. The Waluigi Pinball music lives in my head now.
- Load times are short. I reset races a lot, and it didn’t bug me.
- The kart stats screen is clear. Speed, handling, and drift feel honest.
Back in the day, GameSpot’s review zeroed in on the same silky frame rate and addicting multiplayer, so it’s nice to see those strengths still shine nearly two decades later.
Real moments that stuck
- I used Toad with the Mushmellow on Cheep Cheep Beach. Light, twitchy, and perfect for tight cuts by the water. Won by half a second.
- I tried Bowser’s heavy setup on Tick-Tock Clock. Bad plan. I scraped every wall and ended third. Switched to a mid-weight kart and felt way better.
- I chased my Time Trial ghost on Wario Stadium. Missed a boost pad, lost by 0.22 seconds, and yelled “Nooooo” loud enough to scare my cat. She blinked and left. Fair.
Good, less good, and what I wish was different
What I like
- The tracks are clever, and they teach you better driving without shouting.
- Mission Mode gives quick goals when you don’t want a full cup.
- Local play is easy and wild. Shy Guy guests make it simple.
- Snaking is there if you want depth. Or ignore it. Your call.
What bugged me
- Blue shells pile up. It’s part of the fun, but also… not fun.
- D-pad fatigue is real. My thumb needed a break.
- Some tracks feel narrow, so one mistake can wreck a lap.
- Online is gone, so you need friends nearby for big chaos.
About the “USA ROM” thing
I tested with my own USA cart and a legal backup. That gave me English menus and the same full set of content. DS systems aren’t picky about regions, so it all felt standard. I won’t tell you how to get a file, but I’ll say this: my backup matched my cart, and it played smooth and clean.
Who will love it most
- Kids who like bright tracks and silly items.
- Families who want four DS systems screaming on the floor.
- Speed fans who want to master drift timing and maybe snake a little.
- Anyone who misses older tracks and wants a tight, clean kart game.
My verdict, plain and simple
Mario Kart DS (USA) still slaps. It’s fast, bright, and fair enough, even when it isn’t. I got mad at a blue shell, blew into a mic like a dork, and cheered on a perfect drift line. I felt ten years younger for a minute. That’s worth a sore thumb.
If you’ve got a DS and a little time, grab your cart, pick Waluigi Pinball, and let it roll. And hey, if you lose on the last turn, same here. Wanna race again? I already pressed Start.