More:Mario Kart DS: Hints
From GameWinners
Skip credits
Press Select + Start to skip the credits
to the congratulations screen.
Inflate balloons faster
- Instead of holding Select, blow into the microphone.
- If you stop or go very slow in balloon battle, you can blow up your kart's balloons. However, there is a limit on the top right. If you hold Select it will fill your balloon, but if you blow into the mic it works better. If you whistle into the mic it works even faster.
- When playing in Balloon Battle mode, on the top screen you may see four yellow balloons in the top right corner. Everyone starts out with one balloon on their Mario Kart. After the "3, 2, 1, Start!" countdown ends, instead of going towards the mystery boxes, stay in place and hold the Select button to fill up a balloon. Note: You may only have up to three balloons at a time on your kart.
Stealing balloons
When playing in Balloon Battle mode you can steal balloons
from another Mario Kart by getting a Speed-Up Mushroom from a
mystery box and ramming another player. Note: You may only have
up to three balloons at a time on your kart.
Balloon Battle: Turning
Hold A + B and your kart will turn without
pressing A or falling off bridges. This is useful on bridges
in Block Fort and Pipe Plaza.
Balloon Battle: Stealing balloons
If you have a Mushroom, Triple-Shroom, or Golden Mushroom,
and only one balloon remaining, you can switch balloons to get
a different color balloon on the farthest right balloon place
by ramming another player or CPU with the mushroom to steal his
balloon. However he may try to do the same thing to you.
Pipe Plaza Battle: Easy victory
When you start, keep getting items until you get a banana. Go into any pipe. When you come out of the pipe, reverse back into it. Do not go too far or you will go back through the pipe. When someone comes at you, they will disappear before they get you, as will everything else. When there is one character remaining, come out and drop the banana about 1.5 seconds after you start driving. When the enemy goes through a pipe, if they come out the correct pipe, they will land on the banana and lose their most-likely last balloon. You will win the game.
Throw a banana peel forward
Press Up while throwing a banana peel.
Holding items behind you
While having a throwable item in your inventory, hold
either X or L. You will hold any throwable item
behind you. This can protect you from oncoming opponent attacks
from items that hit you from behind, such as red and green shells.
Also, you are able to store another item in your inventory while
holding your throwable item behind you.
Extra boost while driving
Use R to hop while turning or when making a
turn. While you are sliding, or immediately beforehand, keep pressing
Left then Right (or vice versa) to acquire a blue
flame behind your kart. Release it to give you a slight boost.
If you keep pressing Left then Right (or vice versa)
some more while you have the blue flame, you will get a red/orange
flame for an even better boost. You may or may not notice the
blue flame when getting the red/orange flame.
Recovery boost
If you fall off the stage (for example, fall or roll
off the course in DK Pass, Desert Hills, etc.), Lakitu will pick
you up. He will drop you. As soon as your kart hits the ground,
press A. You will get a boost. This is a good way to make
up some time.
Drafting
If you are in second place or worse, follow the opponent
ahead of you very closely. You will see lines on the sides of
your kart. Follow close for long enough, and a large air wave
will appear in front of you. This increases your car's top speed
momentarily and allows you to push aside other karts, even if
you are light. When the wave vanishes, your speed will return
to normal.
Higher jump
To jump higher when you are going over a jump, press
R. This requires some practice and precise timing.
Snaking
Snaking is the art of getting boosts on straightaways by turbo sliding. First, get to one side of the track. Then, turbo slide to the other side of the track. Before you get to the other side of the track, begin holding the opposite direction. For example, if you were turbo sliding to the right, hold Left. Once you are turbo sliding roughly in a straight line, begin tapping Left and Right until gold sparks begin shooting from your tires. Then, stop turbo sliding. If done correctly, you will get a quick boost. Although this sounds long, you need to be able to do it very quickly, or you will reach the end of the straightaway before you get the boost. Also, make sure you stop turbo sliding when the gold sparks shoot from your tires, and not blue ones.
Quick start
- During the initial countdown, hold down the gas (A) about a half of a second to a second after the number "2" appears. You will gain a huge boost when the race starts. You may have to practice to get the correct timing.
- When the race starts, do not hold the gas (A) until the number "2" disappears. However, this technique requires lots of practice. You can try holding A just before the "2" disappears, but that requires more practice.
Better items
Karts that are losing (for example in seventh or eighth
place) will get better items than the ones in first, second, and
third place. Examples of these better items include golden mushrooms
(or a triple mushrooms), stars, or lightning bolts.
Dodging turtle shells
- To dodge red and green shells, drop another item trap behind you just as it is about to hit you. To dodge blue shells, turbo boost just before it lands. It will hover and spin above your head; this is when you boost. It is difficult to do, but it works.
- Use the following trick to dodge blue shells. Occasionally, look at the small bottom boxes with the character and their item on it. If you see a blue shell, pull back very quickly before they shoot it and let the person in second go to first. Move away so you do not get hit by the explosion. This may take practice, but it is very useful.
- After you see another player launch a blue shell, try a power slide. Do not get a boost; just stay with the power slide. At the time that the blue shell appears and is above you, release the power slide to get a boost and it will miss its target.
- To dodge blue shells, keep close to the second kart while you are in first place. When a blue shell appears, slow down and keep a distance away from first. The moment the explosion ends, go back to first place.
Protecting without dodging
When you get triple turtle shells, each one will deflect an item. Note: This does not work with the Bullet Bill.
Easy wins
It is almost possible to win a race by holding a banana, turtle shell, or fake item box behind you when an enemy sends a green or red shell your way. The item that you hold will take effect as a shield when the opponent's shell comes to you.
Win 150cc cups easily
Get Gold Cups on all the other cups in the 100 and 50cc classes. The game seems to know that you did not, and will make you lose.
Easy Staff Ghost wins
Learn how to use SSMTS (Snaking). It will improve your
time if done well enough, but it is difficult to master.
Bowser's Castle: Shortcut
When you get to the rotating floor, go around it all
the way until you see the small entrance. This will get you a
little ahead on the track.
Bowser's Castle 2: Shortcut
At the part where you choose one side or the other
to jump, jump on the left slightly to the right so that you will
land on the rail. Then, jump or use a speed boost to get across
the lava. This saves time.
Delfino Square: Shortcuts
- Near the halfway point of the course, use a mushroom to cross the water and land on a dock. This is tricky, but saves a lot of time.
- After the track is on again after it splits, go over the bridge and follow the course as usual. Slightly before you make the right turn to go across the bridge, make a right turn to go in an alleyway and cut the corner. This puts you ahead on the track slightly. It is recommended that this be done with mushrooms or some or other speed boost item.
DK Pass: Item box
Get a good item while in first on DK Pass before you
get to the part where you start going downhill and before and
after the item boxes. Cut off the track and go up the steep hill.
At the peak of the hill there should be an item box. Even when
you are in first you should get Mushrooms or a Star. This is useful
because Stars repel Blue Shells.
Donut Plains: Shortcut
Shortly after the turn after the bridge there will
be a wall of blocks with a road going to the right. If you look
closely at the wall, you will notice that a block is missing.
If you have a mushroom of any sort, you can go through the grass,
through the wall, and get back on the course. This will save one
to three seconds, depending on the kart and character.
Frappe Snowland
You will see a hill with three snowmen. On the next
lap, jump that hill. This saves time.
Mario Circuit: Shortcut
- In Mario Circuit 1, get two mushrooms. On the third turn there are two pipes. Use the mushrooms in the dirt part. This will save five seconds. The second part is in desert hills. In the part with the big "pyramid", there is a small gap. Use a mushrom to go through a good shortcut.
- On Mario Circuit 1, when you reach the turn that looks like a "V" or slightly after the third turn (after the two pipes), activate your speed-mushroom to cross that patch of desert. This is easy to do and saves a few seconds.
Mario Circuit: Mushroom
Hit a Goomba with a shell and he will drop a mushroom.
Peach Garden Circuit: Shortcut
Look to the right when you are at the flowerbeds (2).
It is faster if you go to the right instead of going all around
it by going left.
Rainbow Road: Shortcut
At the last speed pad before the next lap, instead of driving through powerslide. It helps get you by faster.
Rainbow Road: Falling karts
On the parts where you are upside down, use items. Upside-down karts will fall off if they get hit.
Shine Runners: Easy wins
To win Shine Runners you need Bowser. Select the Normal or Easy difficulty setting. Try to get the first mystery box and get the first three Shines. If you do not do this, it will not be easy.
Sky Garden: Shortcut
When you get to the second green bridge, look to the left and see a cloud that goes across to the other track. Hop over it to get to it then hop back off to avoid falling off. Note: This may require some practice.
Tick-Tock Clock: Extra speed
- Just before you get to the finish line, there are two big wheels spinning. Go on the one that is spinning towards the finish line (on the first lap go on the right one; on the second lap go on the left one; and on the third lap go back on the right again). This will allow you to race slightly faster.
- On the Tick Tock Clock course, there are two spinning gears just before the finish line. If you have a Mushroom, use it on the wheel that is rotating towards the finish line. You will fly for a short time. While flying, press Up to fall fast. This saves time and literally allows you to fly ahead of your competition. Note: This requires precise timing; you may want to practice in Time Trial mode.
Waluigi Pinball: Shortcut
After you shoot up the slot at the beginning of the
race, get a mushroom and wait until you see the first ramp on
the track. As you are coming toward it, use the mushroom to ramp
off and go over your opponents on the track. This should get you
ahead a few places.
Yoshi's Circuit: Shortcuts
- Just after the first two turns, go straight and you will see a gap in the wall. Hop over it to get ahead.
- Drive forward until you see the two cloud signs that read "Nintendo" in red. Once you just pass the second sign, you should see a hole in the wall. You may need to use a Mushroom or any other speed items to get across.
- Start the race and make the first turn. Keep going and you will see an archway. Drive towards it as fast as possible and press R. You should make it over. It is better if you have a speed burst mushroom.
- In online play, multi-player, vs. and Grand Prix 150 cc or Mirror mode, you can still make the jump in the gap without a Mushroom or other source. Go through the first two turns, then turbo slide at it. Be close enough to the inward side of it as possible, or you will fall. Release R at the beginning of the grass, then jump. You should make it over and save a few seconds.
Save time with sandy pits
On any sandy pit on a curve that would normally slow
you down, use a mushroom to cross over it.
Using the "?" boxes correctly
Use the following trick to help your chance of winning
in almost every mode of play. When getting a "?" box,
wait until you see another item box one before planting mine.
If timed correctly, the "?" box that was laid down will
be directly on top of where the original one was. If anyone tries
to get it, they will not be able to tell it is a fake until they
hit it.
Trap placement
Always use your items strategically. Use them to block
others and place them where players do not have enough time to
react, such as in a turn or at the bottom of a hill.
Easy item boxes
Choose a kart that is longer then it is wider (for
example, the Banisher). When racing, drift before the item boxes
appear. You should hit the item box with the left or right instead
of the front side. This works best with tracks that have boxes
on the turn, such as Luigi Circuit. If you choose a kart that
is wide, like the Hurricane, drifting is unnecessary.
Triple banana chain
When you get triple bananas, throw or drop them in quick succession. They should form a short line. If an enemy kart hits the first banana in the line, he will spin out and move slowly
forward, hitting the next banana and the one after that. This should cause him to lose whatever position he originally held.
Using triple shells correctly
When you have triple green or red shells, do not use them all at once because it does not work. If you use all three shells at once, the first two will hit and slow down the enemy, but the third will not do anything. Instead, use the first two at once then use the last one when he stops spinning. Use one shell on the person in front of you and the other two on the next person;, or use one shell on the person in front of you, the next shell on the next person, and the last shell on the next person.
Blue shockwave
When a Blue Shell hits first, try to get a Blue Shell
slipstream to first and shoot it. If the Blue Shells hit at the
same time, it will create a shockwave that lasts three to five
seconds.
Lighting bolt
On the Wario Stadium, Royal Raceway or DK Jungle Parkway
tracks, use a lightning bolt just before someone reaches the jump.
They should fall off the jump, costing them time. Do not use it
when they are on the turbo pads because it will not affect them.
Character effects
Characters only affect weight. You can tell roughly
how much weight they add by their appearance. For example, Bowser
is heavy while Dry Bones is light.
Getting coins back
In the unlockable mission of level 4, you must collect
50 coins while staying away from King Boo (ghost). Sometimes he
will come up to you and take some of your coins. To get them back,
go up behind him and run into him.
Getting items faster when still shuffling
To get items faster when you get an item box, while
your still shuffling it keep pressing X or L. It
will get slower until it stops. This is usually faster than waiting
for it to stop normally.
Recommended player and kart combination
- Use R.O.B. and R.O.B. LGS. The heavy weight will help knock people off the track while their high speed will help you get past your opponents and gain the lead at the last stretch of the race.
- Use Dry Bones for the Lightning Cup on 150cc mode. He has a low weight. Use The Banisher for surprisingly high speed.
- Before you select your kart, look at the stats of the karts. Heavy characters are highly not recommended on 100 cc and up because they take a long time to accelerate. Even though they have plenty of speed, you cannot use it because if you get hit you must start accelerating all over again. Light karts however have low speed and high acceleration. Medium karts are the best, such as Standard LG, because they have good acceleration and good speed. The following is a list of characters on each of the groups. Light: Dry Bones and Toad. Medium: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Waluigi. Heavy: D.K. Wario, Bowser, and R.O.B. Note: Yoshi may be light.
- Play as Dry Bones use the Dry Bomber. If you get hit, the top acceleration will have moving faster.
Retro mode levels
- Shell Cup
- Mario Circuit 1: SNES
- Moo Moo Farm: Nintendo 64
- Peach Circuit: Game Boy Advance
- Luigi Circuit: Gamecube
- Banana Cup
- Donut Plains 1: SNES
- Frappe Snowland: Nintendo 64
- Bowser Castle 2: Game Boy Advance
- Baby Park: Gamecube
- Leaf Cup
- Koopa Beach 2: SNES
- Choco Mountain: Nintendo 64
- Luigi Circuit: Game Boy Advance
- Mushroom Bridge: Gamecube
- Lightning Cup
- Choco Island 2: SNES
- Banshee Boardwalk: Nintendo 64
- Sky Garden: Game Boy Advance
- Yoshi Circuit: Gamecube
Enemy attacks
To know if you are about to be attacked by an enemy (such as by a Green Shell), look on your bottom screen. The following are the symbols for the various enemy attacks.
- Green Shell: A green turtle shell rushing towards you.
- Red Shell: A red turtle shell homing in on you.
- Blue Shell: A blue turtle shell rushing at you or a blue dot following you until it hits you.
- Mystery Box: A red checkered box on the ground.
- Banana Peels: A yellow banana peel on the ground.
- Turbo Missile: A black missile homing in on every player from seventh to first. Note: This is another player that was in eighth place.
Alternate Mario dialogue
When you first start and the screen is black with a
red Nintendo logo on it, Mario says "Yahoo!" on the
original Nintendo DS. However, on the DS Lite he says "Here
we go!"
Email
Myspace
Facebook
Twitter
del.icio.us
digg
Yahoo
Google
Windows Live