Nintendo Natter : Mariokart Ds .Vs. Wii

Today sees the introduction of our final guest writer. welcome to Hegi's Nintendo Natter.

I've always been a fan of Mario, that pixelated Italian Plumber has been like a friend to me. It was fantastic helping him rescue a princess by climbing ladders and avoiding barrels, or jumping on blocks and kicking turtles all with the aim of , yes, rescuing that princess. Then shooting across the stars to, YES, rescue that damn princess (who spent more time in the arms of an over-muscular, possibly steroid abusing ape, or tied up by the Godzilla-esque Bowser, than she did in her own castle). But by far the most entertaining of the lot, was Mario Kart.

First released in 1992 Mario Kart is a blend of opponent destroying fun and heart pounding racing. The two most recent incarnations are Mario Kart DS (2005, Nintendo DS) and Mario Kart Wii (2008, Nintendo Wii). Both games have hours of fun and more unlockables than a security-mad corrupt banker. But whereas MKDS was created as a multi-player engine, with this single-player mode glued on with pritt-stick as an afterthought, MKWii is finely balanced between multi- and solo-play.

MKDS has a truck-load of new maps and 3 karts, with differing stats, per character, but on solo mode, even on level three difficulty (150cc), the AI is predictable, and appear to be being controlled by by children under a heavy dose of tranquilizers. All 7 of them take the same lines in the corners, and once you work out the fastest way round each map, you can beat the AI whilst barely having to use any of the multitude of items available throughout the race. However, MKDS has one major trump card, it IS one of the best multi-player games released on the DS, with just one copy of the game, eight, yes EIGHT, of you can play on the multi-player mode, if you have enough DS's. It is only a restricted number of maps, but its enough to make any long journey fun, THIS is the reason to get Mario Kart DS, long car trips, international air flights, transcontinental train journeys, all spent firing various objects at your friends and family, but most importantly, entertained.

MKWii takes the multi-player of MKDS and builds on it, adding a plethora of the greatest maps from all previous games (enhanced for the Wii) advanced AI that turns level one difficulty (or 50cc) into a challenge and a scattering of new maps and items. OH! And I cant forget the best addition to the game – bikes. Harder to turn, easier to crash, but faster and smaller than karts, they add a whole new dimension to both multi- and single-player modes and, combined with the Wii's signature motion-sensitive controllers (with a new, Mario Kart exclusive steering wheel casing) makes Mario Kart Wii not only one of the best Mario games, but one of the greatest games ever.

So, for Mobile Multi-player Madness, take Mario Kart DS, and for Party Playtimes in the living room, you need Mario Kart Wii, but whichever game you have, there's no greater feeling than steeling a win by knocking out your mate with a turtle.