This page serves to sum up my thoughts about the Mario Kart games I've played thoroughly enough to judge.
This section is currently under construction.
While admittedly it's not the best in some regards, Mario Kart DS has been my personal favourite for a long while. Its focus on singleplayer content that it and other DS games prominently featured makes it feel much more personal than any other game in the series.
Firstly, the character and kart roster in this game is great for how little it contains. Series newcomers Dry Bones and R.O.B. are welcome additions to the roster to make it feel fresh and exciting despite only 13 racers being in the game (no, alternative Shy Guy colours don't count as unique racers). The karts are especially unique here; from light tanks to excavators, this one's got it all.
Gameplay-wise, I dig this one. Instead of waiting to build up a mini-turbo like in other installments, you're able to control it by steering left and right in a drift. This alone makes the game have a unique technical flair you don't get anywhere else. This game's controls hold up quite well for being the first ever 3D handheld Mario Kart. Controls aside, the game offers a good selection of items to shake up races and the various modes have no shortage of interesting content to experience.
This game is the first in the series to introduce retro grand prix, doubling the game's number of courses with some fan favourites. However, the nitro grand prix tracks certainly take up most of the spotlight here. They introduce innovative new concepts for racing circuits, from the interior of a clock to a flashy pinball machine. Hardware limitations watered down a good chunk of the retro selection, especially those from GCN. Otherwise, they're good improvements over their original counterparts and offer decent variety.
In my opinion, Mario Kart DS's battle mode is the best it's ever been. Being the last game to have elimination balloon battle and including singleplayer battle mode for the first time, it was only downhill from here. There are 4 all-new stages to play on, along with the returning GCN Pipe Plaza and N64 Block Fort. It's a solid selection of basic yet effective battle courses, but I only wish there were a couple more to keep them from getting too stale.
The big thing people like about this game is mission mode. Here, you clear 8 objectives ranging from driving through gates, driving backward, racing CPUs on an altered stage and more. Once they're cleared, you face off against bosses from SM64DS (excluding Bowser and Whomp King) in battles. These either take place in a unique arena in which you fight them with items, or in the case of Goomboss and Wiggler, racing on existing tracks against a powerful enemy. The game greatly benefits from singleplayer content like this, and beyond the limited time tournaments in Wii and Tour, there's never been anything quite like this mode.