Red shells, porous sponges and blue blurs – Nintendo Australia’s tour de force is imminent.

Source: PALGN

If the cross site tournament wasn’t enough to get your motor running, then brace yourself as Nintendo’s DS Tour is making it’s way down under.

Nintendo of Australia are giving you the chance to be crowned the Mario Kart Championand win a year’s worth of Nintendo DS products by competing against opponents at the Connection Tour. Simply register and compete on the day tosee if you have what it takes to be the Mario Kart Champion. Be sure to arrive early to register, as places are limited.

There will be a stack of playable games, including: Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sonic Rush, SpongeBob Squarepants: The Yellow Avenger, Burnout Legends and Tony Hawk American Sk8land. As well as playable demos of the upcoming titles Nintendo Touch Golf: Birdie Challenge, Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and the Japanese hit Brain Training.

There will also be heaps of downloads for your DS including Nintendo Touch Golf: Birdie Challenge, Mario Kart DS and many more.

The Nintendo DS Connection Tour ’06 will be arriving near you on the following dates and times:

QLD
Westfield Carindale - Sat 7 Jan, 9:30am – 4pm
Westfield Garden City - Sun 8 Jan, 10:30am – 4pm

NSW
Westfield Miranda - Sat 14 Jan, 9:30am – 4pm
Westfield Eastgardens - Sun 15 Jan, 10:30am – 4pm

VIC
Westfield Southland - Sat 21 Jan, 9:30am – 4pm
Westfield Fountain Gate - Sun 22 Jan, 10:30am – 4pm

SA
Westfield Marion - Sat 28 Jan, 9:30am – 4pm
Westfield Marion – Sun 29 Jan, 9:30am – 4pm

Location: Centre Court

It's not clear whether or not you are to bring your DS and Mario Kart cartridge with you in order to compete - so to be on the safe side: B.Y.O. DS + games.

If you live in WA, NT, ACT or TAS, let's hope Santa leaves a plane ticket in your stocking.

Source: IGN

November 21, 2005 - According to Nintendo, in one week more than 45% of the people who have purchased Mario Kart DS have taken their game online via the free Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.

In just one week, more than 112,000 copies of Mario Kart DS have been sold in the US. Of that number more than 52,000 unique system/game pairs have connected to the online service for Wi-Fi multiplayer gaming.

"We are ecstatic with the results, and this definitely sets the standard for future Wi-Fi online gaming," said Beth Lewellyn, Nintendo's senior director of public relations. "Mario Kart should easily be a million seller in its life cycle, and we'd love for everyone with the game to touch the Wi-Fi experience. We've got Animal Crossing just around the corner, and Metroid Prime Hunters next year, with more to come."

Comparatively, Microsoft reported last year that after three weeks on store shelves, just 18 percent of Halo 2 owners had played that game on Xbox Live.

Interested in this game? Add it to your wishlist. If you already own it, be sure to add it to your collection. You can keep track of the games you've got, check personalized stats, get tips and cheats by email, and more.

Source: Miami.com

Mario is getting Wi-Fi treatment

Mario Kart DS brings back the warm, fuzzy feelings of yesteryear Nintendo while allowing gamers to get competitive in online head-to-head battles with its free Wi-Fi service.

Finally, Nintendo has recognized that players value online gaming. Of those who bought Mario Kart DS, 45 percent tried the Wi-Fi service in its first week, according to Nintendo. It became the first game to use Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection, soon to be followed by Animal Crossing: Wild Word and Metroid Prime Hunters.

If you already have a home wireless connection, the DS connects directly to it. If you don't, you'll need a wireless router or Nintendo's Wi-Fi USB connector. The connector is available at www.Nintendo.com and retails for $34.99.

But you aren't limited to just playing at home. Nintendo has struck a deal with Wayport, a provider of public high-speed Internet access, to allow gamers to play at 6,000 McDonald's across the country. Once inside the fast-food chain, players only need to launch the game in Wi-Fi connection mode. To find a list of participating hotspots, go to www.nintendowifi.com.

Mario Kart's multiplayer option allows four players to compete against each other. There are more than 30 courses for racing, including familiar tracks from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64. Your favorite Nintendo cast of characters are available: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, Bowser and Toad.

Each character comes with a choice of two karts: Some are faster or have better drifting abilities around corners. The usual arsenal of weapons is also available -- shells, bananas bombs and lightning. New items to the game include Bullet Bill, which speeds you ahead of your opponents, and Blooper, a squid that squirts oil on your opponent's top screen.

The game handles extremely easy. But there are tricks to make it more interesting. Timing your start just right will give you a rocket boost and performing a drift move will allow you to take corners without decreasing your speed.

But the novelty of the game lies in sharing a Nintendo favorite with players around the world thanks to the online gameplay. This is just a preview of what Nintendo plans to roll out with their next-generation console, the Nintendo Revolution, slated for release in 2006.

In its first week of availability, a whopping 45 percent of people who bought the new Mario Kart DS racing game for Nintendo DS already have test driven its free Wi-Fi capabilities, setting a new industry standard. This remarkable play rate of Mario Kart DS demonstrates both the easy setup and access of Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's new wireless gaming service, as well as the fun game play that has always characterized the Mario Kart series.

On Nov. 14, Mario Kart DS became the first game to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Through the end of Sunday, more than 112,000 people in the United States had purchased the game. In the same time frame, nearly 52,000 unique users had logged onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to play against people from all over the country.

Video game fans have high praise for the addictive fun of Mario Kart DS and the simplicity of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Many report that they can't stop playing.

"From the user-end, this is the easiest way to get online in video games," writes popular video game blog Kotaku.com. "The Wi-Fi integration is seamless. It's as easy as clicking multiplayer on the menu and joining the game."

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection lets users easily connect to the service at no additional charge using both home wireless networks and select Wi-Fi hotspots, without any complicated setup procedures.

Upcoming titles that use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection include Animal Crossing: Wild World on Dec. 5 and Metroid Prime Hunters on March 20.

The buzz for Animal Crossing: Wild World already has reached a fevered pitch. Four notoriously difficult game raters at Weekly Famitsu, Japan's leading video game magazine, scored it 37 out of a possible 40 points.

Nintendo is teaming up with London's Metro magazine to provide free taxi rides in London! To celebrate the launch of Mario Kart: DS, Londoners will be able to get free cab rides in Zone One this Friday, in ten Mario Kart branded black cabs which will be in service for one day only!

The way it works is simple: just check Friday's edition of Metro magazine for an exclusive voucher then hail any one of the branded cabs for a free ride in Zone One!

In its first week of availability, a whopping 45 percent of people who bought the new Mario Kart DS racing game for Nintendo DSTM already have test driven its free Wi-Fi capabilities, setting a new industry standard. This remarkable play rate of Mario Kart DS demonstrates both the easy setup and access of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's new wireless gaming service, as well as the fun game play that has always characterized the Mario Kart series.

On Nov. 14, Mario Kart DS became the first game to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Through the end of Sunday, more than 112,000 people in the United States had purchased the game. In the same time frame, nearly 52,000 unique users had logged onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to play against people from all over the country.

Video game fans have high praise for the addictive fun of Mario Kart DS and the simplicity of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Many report that they can't stop playing.

"From the user-end, this is the easiest way to get online in video games," writes popular video game blog Kotaku.com. "The Wi-Fi integration is seamless. It's as easy as clicking multiplayer on the menu and joining the game."

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection lets users easily connect to the service at no additional charge using both home wireless networks and select Wi-Fi hotspots, without any complicated setup procedures.

Upcoming titles that use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection include Animal Crossing®: Wild World on Dec. 5 and Metroid® Prime Hunters on March 20. The buzz for Animal Crossing: Wild World already has reached a fevered pitch. Four notoriously difficult game raters at Weekly Famitsu, Japan's leading video game magazine, scored it 37 out of a possible 40 points.

According to WiTendoFi.com, 180,000 players were online today with Mario Kart DS. Today was the official launch of the game and the service, and we can assume that at least 150,00 of those units were sales. Not bad for the first day of sales, then again, we did not expect anything less from Nintendo.

That sound you hear is the thunder of video gamers worldwide revving their engines for the launch of Mario Kart DS and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. For the first time ever, the online gaming service for Nintendo DS lets users connect wirelessly to race. From the very start, users can log on easily to shoot shells and burn rubber against opponents from all around the world.

"Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection removes the barriers that have prevented many mainstream players from going online," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "We have made the service incredibly simple to use and free at select hotspot locations – but this is just the beginning."

The Mario Kart franchise has sold more than 11.1 million games in the United States alone. Mario Kart DS offers racers more than 30 courses, including classic tracks from Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! . Favorite Nintendo characters cruise in dozens of classic and custom karts as they use weapons like bananas, bombs, lightning and squid ink to gain a competitive advantage.

When racing using a wireless local area connection, up to eight players can play, even if only one of them has a Mario Kart DS game card. When using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, up to four players across the world can join a race. Friends share their DS Friend Code to find one another online using their friend roster.

Whether users are at home or out and about, they have a variety of uncomplicated ways to connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

In honor of the upcoming Nintendo DS racer, Mario Kart DS, Nintendo and McDonald's will be sponsoring a launch event on November 14.

McDonald's hosts the launch event for Mario Kart® DS and the revolutionary Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. Experience the video game as the legendary franchise hits the Nintendo DS™ on its first day in the hands of the public at the Mario Kart DS “Pit-Stop.”

No setup is required as gamers simply launch the game in the proper mode on this ground-breaking day – made possible by Nintendo's latest agreement with Wayport. The union brings free access, via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, to millions of Nintendo DS users in more than 6,000 McDonald's restaurants across the United States.

Players will be avoiding banana peels, homing Red Shells and Chain Chomps as they are some of the first to become part of Nintendo's worldwide online community.

So what are you waiting for? If you'll have Mario Kart DS in your hands on November 14, and if you live in the Chicago, Illinois area, head on over to 600 N. Clark Street to stop by your local McDonald's to play versus your fellow Nintendo DS gamers in the game that can be best described as spectacular.

Another chance to sample the pleasures of Mario Kart DS, away from the clamour of E3's showfloor, ought to have presented an opportunity for a more reflective, studied examination of the game's handling nuances and track design.

It did, but in practice it was much more important that there was no one else waiting to jostle you off the demo pod, giving you the freedom to have another race... and another. And another. And then a few more.

Double Dash may have been the first instalment in the knockabout racing series to support more than four players, but this latest version brings eight together in heated competition in a style much more likely to please franchise purists.

It's best described as a halfway house between the game's 16 and 64bit incarnations, boasting the taut digital handling of Super Mario Kart - although the trademark hop-induced slide doesn't bite the tarmac quite as hard - and the broader, longer, more eventful but less technically challenging track design of Mario Kart 64.

Even though some of the original game's circuits make a very welcome comeback (along with other series favourites, Mario Kart DS following the current vogue for racing game greatest hits), they seem to have been widened to accommodate and encourage multiplied multiplayer chaos.

A shame for time-trial addicts, perhaps, but the moment you take out three rivals racing abreast with the new wide-blast bomb pick-up, you'll mind the track's girth a great deal less.

The races are brief and the track crowded enough to guarantee close finishes, even with the magnificently irritating AI drivers filling most of the slots, and revenge is never more than a button-press and a minute's wait away.

As a single-player game, Mario Kart DS is unlikely to outshine its brilliant SNES ancestor, and its success online depends on how well Nintendo's infrastructure comes together, but all the signs are that this will be fixture when DSes come together for years to come.