nintendo ds

It's Mario Kart for f**k's sake! Why the insistence that it HAS to make use of the touch-screen/microphone? We know exactly what to expect and we love it - if Nintendo get's it right it will be awesome. And besides, what about wireless multiplayer and game-sharing?

Well hopefully Nintendo will have had the forethought and that clause will have related to 'hand-held' devices and not just specifically Game Boy.

I'm sure there are rumours knocking around about Rare DS development... I don't think it's out of the question.

Let's face it, the company rushed SFA out of the door so it wave goodbye to Nintendo and jump into bed with Microsoft. The game was interesting at the beginning, but a piece of s**t from about a third of the way through right up to the end.

I didn't finish it. I go so bored I gave up.

I thought the game was beautiful @ e3, and I enjoyed playing it. Honestly, compared to most of the crap that gets shovled onto the shelves at your local shop SFA was more than decent.

RARE has made A LOT of games, look at their timeline. Look at their Mickey's Speedway franchise that extends all the way back to GBC or the version of "Hollywood Squares" they developed. Even back when they were supurb, not every game they made was a classic. But I can bet they were all fun.

Their game development started even further back in time, in the form of Ultimate Play The Game, who IMO made the best speccy games.

I don't know, maybe it's 12 years since the launch of Super Mario Kart and I'd like to see them try something different with the series? With a system that has such radical ideas about changing the way we play, there's never been a better time for it. I'm not contemplating buying a DS so that I can play the same games I played on the other Nintendo systems, I'm interested because it's got the potential for new and unique gaming experiences. If we get another "ordinary" Mario Kart, we'll know exactly what to expect and we'll get it. It'll have few marked differences from the others in the series, because the formula has changed so little over the years. As far as I can tell, this is exactly the kind of title Nintendo designed the DS to get away from.

On the DS, there will be innovative games and there will be traditional games. Nintendo needs to lead the way in providing these innovative games and setting examples for the other developers. At the moment, Nintendo appears half-hearted about it - the main mode of Super Mario 64 DS was very traditional, and this is seemingly just another sequel. If the DS becomes flooded with remakes and sequels that don't fully utilise the potential of the system, it'll come off unfavourably when compared with the PSP, and remembered as an underpowered folly with too much "what could have been". Nintendo needs to go down that different road Reggie mentioned at E3, rather than the "same road but faster" approach.

Nintendo has built it's reputation on exceeding expectations and has built a system that has the potential to defy them. I want to see it live up to that.

*end impassioned rant*

Yeah, this is exactly the problem with Nintendo at the moment. They've created an interesting system but aren't creating any games using it's features! Just look at Hunters - the second screen's a map, Mario 64 - map, Mario Kart - Map. I REALLY don't understand it.

Frankly, I think Mario Kart's gone downhill since the original Super Nintendo version. It needs unique features in the DS version to restore the series.

I was just thinking about Ultimate Play the Game's history and their isometric masterpieces.

I couldn't agree with you guys more, but the DS is fully capable of traditional gaming concepts as well, and Nintendo would be shooting itself in the foot if it was to ignore this side of things. You're right, it would be nice to see more first-party stuff in the works that fully exploits the machine's features but I see no problem with continued support for old favourites. And besides, there's no real scope for a touch-screen/stylus in a racing game. Unless you have any suggestions...?

Whilst it's nothing that couldn't be done on a larger screen with a boxout, a rear-view mirror on the second screen would probably be more useful than a map.

A traditional racing game would likely only use the touch screen for analogue control. However, Mario Kart's system of weapons could lead to all kinds of fun if the map system does remain. For example, rather than automatically going for the driver in first place, why not touch the icon of the character you want a spiked blue shell to hit? It wouldn't be overpowered, as the latest version has a limited range map. It's not the most exciting idea of what could be done, but it would be an innovative targeting system that's impossible on other systems, as well as being a weapon that is functionally impractical on other systems.

Yeh, good one. And I suppose, if they put their minds to it, they could come up with a fair few new touch-screen-based elements to the weapons system - like using the stylus on the map to take out bridges, or draw in walls, or something.

I don't see what you hate about Mario Kart 64 and DD.
There not different than the original. There improvements on it from the jumping and 3D levels to the cornering boosts and character switching.

Not every game needs to be blown, whistled at, or touched. It's a racing game where you use the control pad to move and a button to shoot. If you want a racing game where you use the stylus, you're gonna have to build one from the ground up. I don't see any practicality from using the touch screen. It'd feel gimmicky and not nescessary.

And if the machine's defining feature is feeling gimmicky and unnecessary, that's never a good thing. Seems to me like Nintendo designed some quirky hardware and now needs to fit games around it. Build hardware around the games, that's a sensible approach.

WTF!!!!!!!??????????!?

Reason? REASON??? RE... did he just... REASON????????????? Pardon me but since when do people have to give a reason for their opinion? If he likes RARE then he doesn't need to explain why unless he feels the need to do so! How you plan on challenging someone's opinion is beyond me.

For the person that said that the DS has crushed the PSP, again that is an opinion and not a fact. I have been in and read/saw a few DS VS PSP arguements and ,most of the time, had to defend the DS from loads of stupid comments. Same with home consoles. What I'm trying to point out is that you can state your opinions, just don't bash others or other games consoles/handhelds/games/etc. Because no matter what you do, you can never change an opinion.

It's funny how he is currently playing only Nintendo games.