The next game in this Mario Kart marathon, Mario Kart DS, is actually the first one I had played beforehand and isn't brand new to me. I don't think I ever owned it back in the day, and apparently I still don't seeing as I had to emulate this one, but I remember playing it all the time with friends on the bus. Though, since I never owned it, I always had to use Shy Guy and also never really played the mission mode. That changes now as I got gold on every 150cc cup and did every mission, including the secret one you unlock.

I'm gonna start with my gripes I have. First, I think in terms of how the characters look, this is the weakest in the series. Some of them just look so off and blocky. Mario Kart 64 didn't have this issue obviously because they weren't actual models but this one really does. Some are better than others but, I guess I can cut it a little slack since it's the first portable title in 3D, a chunk of them just look kinda ugly. While the new courses have some really solid picks, some of them are just really forgettable. There are some absolute bangers like Waluigi Pinball, Tik Tok Clock and Airship Fortress. But then there's courses I find to be super bland like Figure 8 Circuit, Yoshi Falls or Desert Hills. Overall, I'd say it's a decent new track line-up but it's hit or miss. The retro track selection though, I found really weak. Half of the courses are from Super Mario Kart and Super Circuit so I just found them boring and then some of the picks from 64 and Double Dash are meh. The last cup does have Banshee Boardwalk and Yoshi Circuit so it was probably my favorite cup, but then it also has an awful course in Choco Island 2 so it's a bit conflicting. Overall, not a great selection of courses between both new and old but again there are some bangers here and there.

In terms of how the game controls, it controls leagues better than the last portable title Super Circuit. Instead of feeling super slippery, it feels way more similar to the newer titles. Only thing is, it has the old speed boost where its dependent on you going left and right on the d-pad rather than holding your drift for as long as possible. If you're used to Wii and beyond, it takes a little getting used to, but once you got it down it's pretty fun.

That's all fine and dandy, racing is fun but not that great in this game. What I remember the most was the battle mode and while I barely played it this time around, I remember absolutely loving it. Considering what Wii and 7 does with their battle modes, this is one of the better ones in the series. The maps are mostly all great and both balloon battle and shine runners were a ton of fun. Again, I'm mostly going off memory but this truly was the most fun aspect of this game at least when I played it as a young lad.

As I said before, I never played missions as a kid, but I can tell you I would've enjoyed them a lot back then. This along with the battle mode really saves DS from it's faults I listed before. None of the other games have something like this so you have a reason to come back to this one for sure. With so many missions, there's bound to be some that aren't the best but most of them were really cool. The fact there were bosses at the end of each level, and almost all of them are really fun, is just icing on the cake when it comes to mission mode. They should really bring this back for Mario Kart 9, would love to see what stuff they could come up with nowadays.

Of the 4 Mario Kart games I've played thus far, this is my favorite. While I didn't think the actual racing aspect was the best due to the course quality, the battle mode and missions make up for it and are THE reason to come back to this one. Been a long while since I played DS, had a ton of nostalgia when playing the battle mode specifically, so I'm very glad I was able to play this one again. Next in the series is the fan favorite Wii, I always liked DS more than Wii but that may change cuz I forgot how good that game's tracks were. Either way, look out for a Mario Kart Wii review coming soon!

The developers removed some content among art and animations that deemed questionable. This includes some nazi-like insignas, panty shots, a sovet announcer and the redesign of an oversexualized female combatant.

While for many this could look harmless or necessary, the issue is that the players paid for said content when the game was released (and funded). Even more, the devs made the oversexualized characters their main selling point for the game and everyone that decided to chip in and buy did it because they liked that aspect.

Now, ten years after its release, the developing team decided to remove and cover some of the promised, advertised and sold content, and the players are complaining because it's simply not the game they paid for. Not anymore.

Another excessively mediocre neptunia entry. I had some hope for this one since I greatly prefer the candidates to the goddesses that have been played-out for years, but it's really just another disappointment. I find it especially baffling that after they finally managed to make a decent JRPG with Neptunia VII, they continue to do everything in their power to avoid iterating on it and instead insist on making subpar action games that don't even hold up to 4GO. Also hearing the same music for like the 15th game is insanely grating.

Definition of GOAT: Greatest Of All Time: used to refer to or describe the person who has performed better than anyone else ever, especially in a sport.

Definition of GOAT (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn): Brom.

Above all else, Brom is the GOAT. There is no questioning this fact. No one else in this game is Brom. Every character in this game wishes they were Brom, but they will never be. They wish they could be even half of who he is, but they never will be. Brom is a soldier, a champion, and a family man. The strongest generals and even the mightiest gods tremble when they see him approaching. It's not a matter of if Brom can triumph, it's a matter of how fast he will. He is the Greatest Of All Time.

i've spent hundreds of hours on this game. ive played this on the PS4, PC, and switch. all with separate accounts and currently making my PC account catch up to go to endgame.

its kinda just my comfort game at this point, lets me just turn off my brain and forget that things in life are happening. has helped me coped with a bunch of terrible dogshit in my life too.

the ost is pretty good, the gameplay is super super super fun. i just wish that to gain access to things like the end game didn't require having to scour the internet to look for some old ass gamefaq forum that explains it. cause otherwise, its great. The information learning curve is tough. but so fucking satisficing once i did finally cracked the game and just got it.

the story is obviously terrible, especially in comparison to the other games in the series. but despite the terrible story, i found the characters themselves to still be sorta charming in their own weird ironic way, its still disgaea so character designs and quirks are still really annoyingly loveable. don't get me wrong. the story is actually bad, but i felt it didn't detract from the game itself since i was able to basically all of it for the times i just didn't give a shit.

idk.

i just really really really like this game. it makes me happy.