The Tuesday 10s - Kart Racers

We've sure missed a LOT of Tuesdays since being on hiatus here at SuperPhillip Central. Let's make up for it, if just for one post with a brand-new installment of The Tuesday 10s! In case anyone has forgotten what the deal with The Tuesday 10s is, this is where I list ten relatively unordered things (usually games) within a set category.

This time around, I've got the need--the need for speed! (How topical with Top Gun: Maverick setting the box office ablaze and aglow with its dominance, right?!) On this edition of The Tuesday 10s I'm entering the driver's seat and regaling memories of some of my favorite kart racers of all time, one of my FAVORITE genres in general. From mainstays like Mario Kart to more obscure racing titles, these ten are some of the best to ever take to the track! 

After you've read my picks for top kart racers, let the SPC community know some of your favorites by posting them in the comment section below!

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (NSW)

We begin this list of ten of my favorite kart racers with the granddaddy of them all, the Mario Kart series. What better way to begin than with one of the best--if not the best--entry in the series with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! This entry in the Mario Kart franchise may be a port from the Wii U, but it brought more than enough freshness to the formula to be worthy of its "Deluxe" moniker. First and foremost: all of the DLC tracks from the Wii U game were included in the vanilla game: from Dragon Driftway and Wild Woods, to new takes on familiar tracks like Cheese Land and Ribbon Road. The updated and upgraded Battle Mode brought new arenas to it instead of simply battling on retrofitted tracks from the base game. New accessibility features like steer assist to protect beginning players from easily falling off the track, and auto acceleration meant that anyone could have some fun with this new Mario Kart.

No doubt Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a juggernaut in the kart racing genre, as it continues to move copies five years after launch. Nintendo obviously took notice of fans of the game starving for new content, as the Booster Course Pass brings with it 32 new tracks until next year's end. Speaking of, we should be expecting the second wave soon! 

Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

It's difficult to deliver a list of ten of my favorite kart racers without including at least a few from my favorite series in the genre. It's even more difficult to determine which three to actually include! Mario Kart 7 may not be the greatest entry in the series, but it definitely delivered a lot of delightful fun and hijinks for me as a player. The character roster isn't the best, eschewing Waluigi, Bowser Jr., and Diddy Kong as inclusions, but newcomers like Metal Mario, Wiggler, and Lakitu were fun enough additions all the same. Mario Kart 7 has a great variety of tracks both new and retro--the latter including some of my faves in the franchise, such as Dino Dino Jungle, Airship Fortress, and Waluigi Pinball. The addition of kart customization remains a feature in all Mario Kart games after, and the online of the game still wages on with intense races and hard-hitting hijinks in Battle Mode. It might not be the most beloved Mario Kart for many, but it's quite loved by me!

Mario Kart DS (DS)

As a single-player experience, Mario Kart DS is without question for me the leader of the pack in the long-running (or is it "long-riding"?) franchise. This is due to the addition of Mission Mode, a full-fledged series of challenged-centered missions ranging from coin-collecting to superb boss battles. While Mario Kart DS's follow-up, Mario Kart Wii would incorporate missions into its package, these would be limited-time only affairs. A bit of a bummer. Further, Mario Kart DS brought with it blasts from the past in the form of Retro Cups. Unlike Mario Kart: Super Circuit before it, these weren't limited to just Super Mario Kart. Instead, these 16 retro tracks were picked from all of the previous games in the series. Throw in the franchise's first foray with online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (of course, the online that was present is no longer in service), and you had one wild handheld ride.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Multi)

SEGA and Sumo Digital turned up the action and intensity dial to 11 with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Launching on virtually every platform under the sun at the time of its release, the game boasted an impressive roster of characters... and for whatever reason Wreck-It-Ralph and Danica Patrick. Regardless, being able to race as oft-forgotten SEGA all-stars like Gillius Thunderhead from Golden Axe and Vyse from Skies of Arcadia was a pure privilege and joy. Those are also the words I'd use to describe the track design, literally transforming between laps to change up the races dynamically in a glorious, action-packed way. That's not all the transformations included in the game: as Sonic and friends would see their vehicles transform as they hit the waves, soared into the sky, and of course, met the pavement. Although the game does suffer more than its fair share of "interesting" bugs and glitches, these don't prevent Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed from zooming across the finish line in style.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (Multi)

Of course, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed wouldn't have been what it was without having a sturdy and stellar foundation to build off of. The original Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing was that foundation, and it remains an excellent kart racer to this day, even with an arguably superior sequel alongside it now. Taking a wide range of SEGA all-stars and putting them in colorful race courses to speed through was a genius idea, and Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is fantastic in that regard. It's also fantastic in its racing controls, handling, and pure sense of speed. While Transformed would indeed raise the dial of insanity and intensity up to 11, the original Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is still worth taking a look at, as it's a really remarkable racer.

Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (Multi)

From one mascot to another, we move on from Sonic to Crash Bandicoot in one of the greatest, most content-rich kart racers around: Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled. Remaking all of the tracks from the original Crash Team Racing as well as Crash Nitro Kart, introducing several "seasons" featuring brand-new tracks that fit right in quality-wise with the originals, and presenting a multitude of characters, karts, cosmetics, and more to unlock, Crash Bandicoot's original kart-racing outing was definitely given as much tender, loving care as possible. Sure, the high skill ceiling may put off some players, especially if they hop online and get decimated by racers who have mastered the "Blue Fire" technique, but the game can be enjoyed by pretty much everyone.

Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

Speaking of Crash Team Racing, how about we go back a little further in the past to the game that CTR was no doubt inspired by especially with its Adventure Mode? Diddy Kong Racing brought a collect-a-thon angle to its kart racing goodness, offering Gold Balloons to collect in its Adventure Mode, opening doors to new levels and areas, races to win, bosses to beat, and mini-games to win. Diddy Kong Racing was developed and published when Rare was firing on all cylinders, creating banger after banger on the Nintendo 64, and DKR remains one of my favorite kart racing games, period. Even after two decades and some change, the Adventure Mode as a single-player or co-op experience is unmatched in a kart racer, and I hope to goodness we see Diddy in the future take the wheel of a kart once again without having to share the road with Mario and friends.

Kirby Air Ride (GCN)

An untraditional kart racer where you play with an analog stick and one button? Madness! But when the game design guru behind Super Smash Bros. and Kid Icarus: Uprising, Masahiro Sakurai, is at the helm, the team under his leadership somehow made it work and wonderfully so! Featuring three main modes: a standard racer, a top-down racer mode, and the "get ready to lose a good portion of your free time in" City Trial mode, Kirby Air Ride delivered abundant fun to go along with its extensive amounts of charm. The controls may have been simple to learn, but as the cliche goes, they were indeed tough to master. A myriad of unlockables meant that players who were engaged enough with this delightful racer would stick with the game for a long time, and the local multiplayer was absolutely amazing in its entertainment value. Kirby Air Ride is a shining star in the GameCube's lineup.

Chocobo GP (NSW)

The most recent game on this list is from Square Enix, and truthfully, a month ago, I would have been hard-pressed to recommend this game. However, ever since Square dropped the trashy, scummy, and aggressive business practices from Chocobo GP, and have since added multiple improvements to the game as well, I can wholeheartedly recommend this racer. A follow-up to the PlayStation's Chocobo Racing, Chocobo GP might not boast a massive amount of track locales (though most locales feature multiple track arrangements), the game more than makes up for that with its pure unadulterated fun. Its cast of unlockable characters is large, its titular Chocobo GP mode is ingenious, and controlling Chocobo and friends feels wonderful. There is some Mario Kart madness to be found with using the game's version of items (Magicite), but overall, Chocobo GP shows that this bird truly is the word when it comes to complementary racers on Switch to play alongside Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip (Vita)

ModNation Racers is pretty much on the backburner if not completely dead as a PlayStation franchise. That said, the third and final release in the franchise was the PlayStation Vita launch title, ModNation Racers: Road Trip. Part of the thrill of this game was the racing shenanigans and full-fledged single player mode. However, the main event here was Road Trip and ModNation Racers as a series as a whole's ability to create your own drivers (Mods), karts, and yes, courses. All of this was quite intuitive and easy enough to do with a little practice and patience. While LittleBigPlanet Karting would take the course creation to a whole new level entirely (maybe to a too intimidating level), ModNation Racers: Road Trip offered a more simplistic, accessible approach that anyone could pick up, design, and play around with. The base game is enjoyable, the content creation is enviable, it's just too bad that there wasn't any online play to make this ModNation Racers installment even better than it was already.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Anniversary Antics" Edition

As stated in an earlier post today, June 5, 2017 is SuperPhillip Central's nine-year anniversary! Let's continue the celebration with the Favorite VGMs! Every week around this day I post five new video game themes, sometimes themed, most of the time not so much.

This week we have a varied selection of games, as we usually are wont to have. Beginning with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't due to hype of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite), we hear an electric character selection theme. Moving on from there is a tense flight track from the Wii U game Star Fox Zero. Two PlayStation 2 classics then follow: Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and Gran Turismo 4. Finally, we round this celebratory edition of the Favorite VGMs out with another racing game, Mario Kart DS.

Just click on the VGM volume name to hear that song in YouTube form. Finally, click on the VGM Database link here to see all past VGMs featured on this weekly segment of SuperPhillip Central. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1411. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Multi) - Character Select

Using the main theme of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as the base for the character select theme, this is certainly much different and, at least for me, more exciting than hearing "Gonna Take You for A Ride" for the umpteenth time in a Marvel vs. Capcom game. The composer behind Ultimate and the base Marvel vs. Capcom 3 game before it, Hideyuki Fukasawa, also did the music for Street Fighter IV, its many bonus versions, and Street Fighter V.

v1412. Star Fox Zero (Wii U) - Sector Omega

Sector Omega is the penultimate mission in the quite polarizing Star Fox Zero. Its blistering fast speeds through space debris and enemy ships is an exhilarating ride all to itself. Coupled with the exciting theme, Sector Omega is one wild trip through the stars. It all concludes with an updated take on Star Fox 64's alternate Corneria path boss, this time in full 3D.

v1413. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2) - Majestic Castle ~ Gavotte de Chateau

Unfortunately, with all of its improvements and upgrades from the original PlayStation 2 version, the Nintendo 3DS port of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King lacks the orchestrated goodness found in the PS2 game. Regardless, we've previously come across two great VGM volumes based on the PS2 base game, and that continues with this third for Gavotte de Chateau, a majestic theme for a majestic castle.

v1414. Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) - Green Monster

The Bad performed this track, an updated version of a theme from the very first Gran Turismo. It feels much more fitting for our current millennium. Green Monster is one of just a small fraction of wholly original themes that can be played while racing in the ultimate driving simulator. Everything else is mostly commercial music. Still, tracks like Green Monster certainly hold their own compared to all else on the Gran Turismo 4 soundtrack.

v1415. Mario Kart DS (DS) - Circuit

For our last VGM volume of our edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, celebrating nine years of SPC, we move from a realistic driving and racing game to a completely arcade and cartoon one with Mario Kart DS. This entry remains one of my favorites with its fun tracks and most of all, its Mission Mode. I could very much do without pulling off continuous mini-turbos to perform a "snaking" mechanic, but overall, I really enjoyed Mario Kart DS.

Top Ten Best Fifth Entries

It's the day after America's Independence Day, so that means it's July 5th. What better time and excuse to use today's date as the inspiration for a top ten list! This time, we'll be checking out the ten best fifth entries in some of gaming's most prolific franchises. From Halo to Final Fantasy, this list should name some of your favorites! After you've read SuperPhillip Central's list, feel free to shout out any games that are missing from this top ten. For now, let's get on to the list!

10) Halo 5: Guardians (XB1)

After Halo 4's online community seemingly evaporated into nothing, 343 Industries had to step it up with Halo 5: Guardians. The developer did just that, offering a Halo game that features some of the most satisfying combat the series has ever seen, as well as a story that sees Master Chief going AWOL while being pursued by Spartan Locke and his team to bring him back. The multiplayer saw the removal of Halo 4's unlocking of weapons, and instead went back to a weapon loadout at the start of each match, then allowing players to pick up other weapons that spawn on the various maps. While not the best Halo game to ever be created, Halo 5: Guardians was overall a step in the right direction for the franchise.

9) Resident Evil 5 (Multi)

Excluding the social commentary on how racist Resident Evil 5 was or wasn't, the game featured new improvements such as cooperative play either locally or online, the ability to upgrade weapons from the inventory menu rather than heading to a shopkeeper like in Resident Evil 4, and speaking of an inventory menu, Resident Evil 5's had nine slots for each character, and it didn't matter what the size of a given item or weapon was. Throw in a story that saw protagonist Chris Redfield confronting his past and the always fun Mercenaries side-mode, and you had a Resident Evil game that was an exciting third-person shooter.

8) Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

The gaming world's ultimate driving simulator returned with Gran Turismo 5, the greatest selling PlayStation 3 exclusive to date. Those sales weren't just because of the pedigree of the series. The fifth installment actually had lots to celebrate and enjoy, including online races for up to 16 players, more than 1,000 cars, over 25 locales and locations, over 70 unique raceways, night racing, vehicle damage, and for a first in the series, the licenses of NASCAR, Super GT, and the World Rally Championship were included. There was so much content to be found in Gran Turismo 5, and quality content at that, that it would not be surprising if most players haven't even seen most of it multiple years after its initial release.

7) Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Multi)

Past Metal Gear Solid games saw a good deal of open-ended-ness as to how the player could tackle getting through a given room or corridor. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain blew the door off in terms of open-ended-ness, offering an open world to explore, to sneak through, and to complete missions in. This open nature of the game also allowed players to choose the order of their missions, making it so they could play the game in the order that best suited them while still being able to understand the story. The seemingly endless amount of ways one could tackle a mission was and still is astonishingly impressive. Even with its obvious shortcomings, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain remains a wonderful entry in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, and a nice sendoff from the real life Big Boss, Hideo Kojima.

6) Mega Man 5 (NES)

By the fifth game in a series, especially when they are all released on the same platform, things can feel a little bit like the series is going through the motions. Certainly, it could be said that the NES games of the Mega Man series felt just like that. However, while the freshness of the franchise wasn't still there by the fifth installment, Mega Man 5 was still a highly rewarding and entertaining game. The formula remained the same: defeat eight Robot Masters, take their weapons, and use them to defeat normal enemies and bosses alike. Returning to completed levels was possible in order to collect the letters "M-E-G-A-M-A-N-V" which would unlock Mega Man's new bird buddy Beat to be used in battle. With impressive level design, tight controls, and more enemies to blast than you can shake Proto Man's shield at, Mega Man 5 on the NES remains a fantastic entry in the long-running series of the Blue Bomber.

5) Final Fantasy V (SNES)

The fifth entry in the Final Fantasy franchise didn't hit the west until much later after its initial release. It wasn't until its arrival as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology for the PlayStation that us westerners finally got a chance to play this remarkable entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy V introduced a much loved and cherished system into the series, the job system, allowing party members to assume different jobs allowing them to learn specific skills and abilities. Mastering jobs was incredibly rewarding, and it granted lots of replay value and longevity for players. All that goodness was great for tackling the worldwide threat that was the sinister Exdeath. Final Fantasy V wasn't the strongest 16-bit entry in the series, but it is still very much worth playing.

4) Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (Multi)

The first entry in the Dragon Quest series to hit the Super Famicom (also the first to not reach western shores immediately), Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride was a remarkable entry in the Dragon Quest series and a great step forward for JRPGs in general. The basic combat of the franchise was prevalent, but what was interesting was the ability to recruit monsters to your hero's cause, a gameplay mechanic that would spread into future installments and spin-offs of the series, as well as inspiring other franchises like a little known series called Pokemon. Dragon Quest V also sported an intriguing take on its plot, having the player join the hero from his birth all the way to him getting married-- a 30+ year ride. Dragon Quest V wasn't just an amazing fifth installment of the series, it was also simply one of the best Dragon Quest games ever created.

3) Mario Kart DS (DS)

Mario Kart is a colossal kart racing franchise, and it seldom fails to deliver high octane racing action with items to mess over the competition with and delightful tracks. Mario Kart DS was a big step forward for Nintendo, as it was one of the company's first online offerings. While not all of the tracks were available for online play, the fun of racing randoms as well as friends online in speedy spectacles was a total blast. Mario Kart DS also saw the first official inclusion of sixteen retro tracks from past Mario Kart games along with its collection of sixteen new tracks. Alongside this was a mode that boggles the mind why it wasn't included in future Mario Kart games: Mission Mode. It all equaled a Mario Kart entry that was packed with content for both single player and multiplayer mayhem.

2) Grand Theft Auto V (Multi)

Containing one of the most enjoyable open world sandboxes in gaming history, Grand Theft Auto V continues to sell even multiple years after its original release. The newest installment of the Grand Theft Auto series saw notable improvements to the gunplay, controls, and driving of the franchise, things that fans and critics alike had harped on in past entries. The three character system opened up the story to be seen in different perspectives, and how these three characters' tales did interweave and complement one another was well done. Los Santos itself was absolutely a dream to explore, filled to the brim with stunning detail. The other half of the GTA V package, GTA Online, offered sandbox exploration for dozens of strangers and friends to enjoy, as well as heists and other fun modes. Grand Theft Auto V is a deep, involved game that no doubt deserves all of the sales it has and continues to get.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 3DS)

While not having a number five attached to its name, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the fifth mainline installment of The Legend of Zelda series. I wondered if I really needed to explain myself for choosing Ocarina of Time as the best fifth entry ever created in gaming due to the fact that it's a game that a lot of people have as their favorite game of all time. With its memorable characters, exciting story, well designed dungeons and puzzles, amazing and revolutionary gameplay, and masterful music, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remains a fabulous Zelda game and not only that, but it remains one of the best made and most cherished games of all time. And this is most definitely for very good reasons.

Top Ten Nintendo DS Games

Last month marked the tenth anniversary of the Nintendo DS system's launch. It feels only right to celebrate with a top ten list making note of my favorite games for Nintendo's dual-screened sales juggernaut. As you can see with this list of quality games, plus ones that couldn't make it on this list, the sales of the Nintendo DS were certainly well deserved thanks to the incredible library. After I've listed mine favorites, why not chime in with your own, or feel free to agree/disagree with my picks!

10) The World Ends With You

A nice experiment from Square Enix that paid off immensely, The World Ends With You takes a modern day approach in Shibuya, Tokyo. You played as Neku Sakuraba, journeying through the city streets and initiating touch-based combats, using swipes, taps, and more to defeat creatures of all shapes and sizes. Collectible pins enabled different abilities and benefits to make battles more manageable, especially for those who have problems adjusting to the high learning curve of the battle system. The World Ends With You was just a novel RPG to play when I originally did in 2008, and I'm happy that Square Enix took a risk with a new IP.

9) Pokemon: HeartGold/SoulSilver

The first of two remakes on Nintendo DS enters the fray with Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, remakes of the Game Boy Color classics, Gold and Silver. As someone who never played the originals, this batch of remakes was an eye-opening experience. It was almost overwhelming in how much there was to do, Pokemon to catch, battles to wage, gym leaders to beat, badges to earn, areas to explore, and collectibles to attain. Now, both Pokemon games are the highlight of the series for me, and I can only imagine how much I'd love these remakes and appreciate them had I played the originals.

8) Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

The third entry in the Professor Layton franchise, as well as the most recent in the series' timeline, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future was the near-perfect Professor Layton experience. It had the most heartfelt, touching story in the series, it had a plethora of incredible, brain-wrecking puzzles to solve, a lovable cast, clever plot twists and mysteries, and enjoyable mini-games on top of everything. While later Layton games fixed issues of the Nintendo DS entries, I still love the Unwound Future installment for being the height of the series, and looking around the Internet, I don't seem to be alone on this assessment.

7) Super Mario 64 DS

Like with the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo DS saw Super Mario 64 at its launch. This time it was in the form of a remake, Super Mario 64 DS, offering four playable characters, updated visuals, and 30 extra power stars to collect to make for a total of 150. As a lover of the original, I did miss having pure analog controls, though the thumb pad to move around the touch screen was a somewhat serviceable substitution. Although the controls weren't as smooth as the N64 original, the bonus content in the form of the aforementioned 30 extra power stars, extra areas specially created for the game, and the myriad of engaging touch-based mini-games made for a Nintendo DS launch title that I was able to enjoy into the subsequent months of no new games to play until Kirby the following summer.

6) Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

The Castlevania series is one of gaming's most storied franchises. While the series recently hasn't been as exciting due to moving development to a Western studio, we always have the classic and Metroid-styled Castlevania games to look back on and play. Dawn of Sorrow was the first of three Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS, and it was my first ever introduction to the Castlevania series. Everything from the level design of journeying inside and outside a sprawling castle, to the presentation and whip and sword-slashing action was high quality. Sure, there's some thrown-together touch inputs here and there, but it doesn't stop Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow from remaining one of my favorite DS games and one of my favorite Castlevania games.

5) Kirby Canvas Curse

This next game on my list was the first Nintendo DS game that really cemented the idea that touch controls weren't just some gimmick best left for mini-games. Kirby Canvas Curse was not just the first great example of touch screen gaming, having players draw lines to guide Kirby and friends around the game's many levels, but it was also the first wholly original Nintendo DS game that I truly loved. With an unexpected but very welcomed sequel appearing on Wii U in February of next year, I'm glad Nintendo is returning to this highly innovative and enjoyable concept.

4) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

While I am not in the camp that detested The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the first Nintendo DS Zelda game, I don't find it a top-tier game in the series. I actually find it to be a weak game in some regards, particularly the repeated trips to the Temple of the Ocean King. That said, the second Nintendo DS Zelda entry was The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Going along the lines of Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks was purely touch-based, using swipes for sword slashes and guiding Link around with movements of the stylus. It was a clever control scheme that I found myself enamored with, though nothing beats traditional controls for more complex and challenging Zelda games. Anyhow, Spirit Tracks fixed many issues that plagued Phantom Hourglass, such as tedious backtracking, poor music, an overly boring overworld, among many others. It's not the quintessential Zelda, but Spirit Tracks delivers on most aspects regardless.

3) Animal Crossing: Wild World

The biggest draw to Animal Crossing: Wild Word, online play, might not be a part of the package any longer due to the Nintendo's DS online services being offline for good, but the offline portion of Wild World is great still. Of course, my best memories are inviting friends from across the country and the world to visit my town, see the sights, humble me with their kind words, and have us play games like hide and seek or hit-each-other-with-nets. What Wild World was was a total upgrade to the GameCube original Animal Crossing, translating gloriously to a handheld device. You indeed had the whole world in your hands with Animal Crossing: Wild World.

2) New Super Mario Bros.

There was once a time when gamers craved for a brand-new Mario and it didn't seem so commonplace. That time was around 2005, and Nintendo delivered unto fans the first 2D Mario side-scroller in approximately a decade. With a wide array of horizontal and vertical scrolling levels, creative boss encounters that weren't as simplistic as the various Koopaling battles of later NSMB games, and gold star coins to find in each stage, New Super Mario Bros. was a fresh experience. While newer NSMB games are still top-tier platformers, the original remains an important game in Nintendo's history and the Nintendo DS' library. Just don't expect great music without "BAH, BAHS."

1) Mario Kart DS

To me, this number one pick of mine for top Nintendo DS game, Mario Kart DS, was the pinnacle of Mario Kart in terms of content. You had 32 tracks to sink your teeth into, half new, half returning from past Mario Kart games. There was a favorite feature of mine, Mission Mode, which beefed up the single-player content of the game significantly, even having you face familiar foes and bosses outside of doing in-game tasks like collecting a certain amount of coins or driving through series of flags. Let's not forget that Mario Kart DS was one of the first Nintendo games with online, albeit simplistic even for that era's standards. Oh, and did I mention that the racing, an important factor of a racing game, was immensely well done? Just in case I hadn't, there it is! What it all boils down to is a fantastic kart racer for anyone who loves wacky, whimsical fun.

What Nintendo DS games are your favorites? Feel free to list as many games as you'd like-- no need to just cut it down to ten like I did!