Mario Kart DS....... ONLINE

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E3 2005: Mario Kart Online at E3
What's been rumored now seems to be fact: Mario Kart will go online at the show.
by Craig Harris
May 16, 2005 - As Nintendo's booth at Electronic Entertainment Expo slowly comes to completion, small details on the company's plans during this week are coming to light. At one of the demo kiosks in the Nintendo DS section of the show floor, the company will have a Nintendo DS Online demonstration setup. Listed on the sign marking the demo stations: Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing DS



Animal Crossing DS has been previously announced as an online Nintendo DS title. Mario Kart DS, however, had not been revealed to be an online game, until now.

The online demo station appears to have several slots for Nintendo DS systems, at least eight will be used to show off the online support of the system.
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IGN

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Now officially confirmed.

Mario Kart DS will be online.

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"The acclaimed Mario Kart series has gone wireless! Race and battle with up to eight karts at once, regardless of whether or not everyone has a Game Card. The all–star cast includes Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, Bowser, and Toad. "
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Nintendo's Official Site

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One-on-One with Mario Kart DS Developer Hideki Konno

May 19, 2005


Communication is Key in Mario Kart DS

by NOA_George

Anyone who’s played a multiplayer session of Mario Kart knows that communication between players is as fun as the game itself. Hideki Konno, Nintendo’s development manager in charge of Mario Kart DS says, “It’s not just about the race. Not just about first, second, third. Of course that is important but it is more how people can interact with each other and have a good time doing it.”

Mario Kart DS accommodates eight players at a time -- more than any other game in the series -- and the game’s Wi-Fi capabilities make it easy to gather a full compliment of players. “We realize that it’s going to be hard to get eight people in the same room. We’re using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection to extend that out. Make it possible for people to play against their friends across the country or someone who’s at about the same level as they are. It’s about the person-to-person play, the human-to-human connection.”
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Nintendo's Official Site

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E3 2005: Mario Kart DS Interview
We chat with Hideki Konno, producer on the upcoming Nintendo Mario Kart game.
by Craig Harris
May 19, 2005 - At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, we had the opportunity to chat with Nintendo Co. LTD game producer Hideki Konno, the man who's worked on both Nintendogs and Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS platform.



With the focus on Mario Kart DS at this year's show, we threw a few questions his way regarding the new dual screen, online version coming to the system later this year.



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IGN: Which of the past Mario Kart titles have been most influential in the design of Mario Kart DS?

Hideki Konno: All of them are. We've put in "nostalgia" courses from every Mario Kart game, and each of those games were equally influential in the Nintendo DS version.

IGN: How long have you wanted to produce a Mario Kart game that officially plays over the internet?

Hideki Konno: I love online games, and I want as many people to enjoy my games as possible. I'm very excited for the online support on the Nintendo DS. Up until now there have been many obstacles on getting online. And like Halo, they've sold many copies of that game, but only a small portion plays it online...and most of those people are hardcore gamers. With Mario Kart I want everyone to go online, and the technology and time is right for that to happen.

IGN: Every time a new Mario Kart game hits the scene, the game adds a significant gameplay mechanic to the design. Anything new to the design in Mario Kart DS?

Hideki Konno: Yes, with each version of Mario Kart, the gameplay evolves, and that's the same for Mario Kart DS. Super Mario Kart offered two player racing, and Mario Kart 64 had four players. So with the WiFi we can not only get eight players into the race, but with the game sharing function of the system, eight players can get into the race with only one copy of the cartridge.

IGN: We've seen the racing aspect of Mario Kart DS, but nothing on the battle mode. What kind of things can we expect in this mode on the Nintendo DS?

Hideki Konno: Unfortunately we were unable to have battle mode ready for E3, but there will be a battle mode in the final Nintendo DS game. In the past, battle mode has been multiplayer only, but in Mario Kart DS we will have a battle mode that single players will be able to enjoy.

IGN: Did the touch screen function ever come into play during the development of Mario Kart DS beyond the basic map abilities?

Hideki Konno: It could have been possible to put more functions onto the touch screen, but because Mario Kart is a very busy game, it would get too confusing to require players to focus on that screen. But instead of being preoccupied on the best way of doing touch screen, we instead focused on the wireless aspect of the gameplay. We had an idea to let players place their bananas anywhere on the track instead of just behind the kart, and when we put that idea in and tried it out, it was too confusing because the game is already busy enough.

IGN: What aspect of Mario Kart DS are you most proud of?

Hideki Konno: Even though the GameCube game could do eight player using the broadband adapter, the Nintendo DS game is eight player compatible right from the start, it's all ready to go. And not only this, but with four player WiFi, you can play with friends or strangers, and it opens things up for other people.
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IGN