Mario Kart DS

This is going to sound like an odd contradiction, but I'm going to say it anyway: Mario Kart DS is the best Mario Kart to date, but it's also so damn boring! I think this stems from the porting of old tracks into this new game. Because half of the courses are so very familiar, the game only feels half-new. And even though these are some of the best tracks from the four previous Mario Kart titles, I doubt they'll sustain the hardcore MK player's interest past the 50cc circuit.

That said, the handling is smooth, the weapons are as dangerous as ever, the characters are rendered in a smoother (but still somewhat blocky) N64-like way, the challenge increases nice and sharply as one moves from circuit to circuit, the new courses have that Mario Kart flair, and, though the stylus isn't needed, the use of the DS screen to show two different types of maps and the weapons of other players is a great addition to the franchise.

Besides the aforementioned familiar / half-new feel, my only other real gripe is that the buttons are way too small. Though it isn't the fault of the game, the tiny buttons actually hinder gameplay and can cramp larger hands.

The DS was clearly made for younger gamers — the button design is proof of this — and it's a damn shame that great, all-ages games have to suffer because of it.

Hopefully a full review will hit Earth-2 before the weekend.