GamesRadar - Mario Kart DS

Nintendo DS: The first five years (Feature)

20 Nov 2009

Whoa, hang a second. The DS has been around for five years? Strange as it sounds, it’s true – the DS launched in the US on November 21, 2004 to almost immediate success, and is well on its way to outselling every other major gaming platform in history. Current numbers put the DS (and its various incarnations) at nearly 115 million units sold worldwide, a runaway lead over Sony’s estimated 60 million PSPs ...

Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer Wins a Trip to Nintendo Japan (News)

5 Nov 2009

After battling it out against hundreds of hopefuls from across the country, today 19 year old Josh Stevens from Berkshire is crowned Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer. The final of the first ever Nintendo tournament saw the Berkshire teenager outstrip the competition to take home the prestigious title of Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer, together with a trip for five to the home of Nintendo in Japan, worth £10,000.

Nintendo Searches for Britain's Best Gamer (News)

25 Sep 2009

Get your Wii Remotes and Nintendo DS stylus' ready and join Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer tournament where, to celebrate the launch of New Super Mario Bros Wii, Nintendo is challenging the nation to fight it out for the prestigious title and the chance to win a trip for five to the home of Nintendo in Japan, worth £10,000.

Nintendo Owns All Format Top Ten in Australia (News)

31 Jul 2009

Koku Gamer writes: 'The Wii and the DS are outright winners in Australia this week as they cover the whole of the Australian All Format Full Priced Games for the week ending 26th July.'

The secretly sinister storylines of your favourite games (Feature)

12 Jun 2009

You never knew they were so wrong... ...

Nintendo's worst-case scenario for E3 2009 (Feature)

26 May 2009

Don’t get us wrong – we’re big time Nintendo fans. But you have to admit, the past year has been rather trying for longtime followers. Last year’s “surprise” reveal of Wii Music at E3 just about made our heads explode, and the continued domination of Wii Play and Wii Fit have us preemptively bracing for the worst possible outcome at next week’s massive trade show in Los Angeles (which we’ll be updating from every six seconds). ...

Blizzard Ousts Nintendo As Most Successful Developer (News)

12 May 2009

This year's Develop 100 list has been published by Issuu and Blizzard Entertainment have ousted Nintendo be the most bankable studio in their 2009 list.

The Top 7... Games where you play as food (Feature)

27 Apr 2009

Be careful what you eat, you might be digesting the saviour of the universe ...

Which version of Mario is the best version of Mario? (Feature)

3 Apr 2009

Earlier in the week, we published an article showing some 50 versions of Sonic the Hedgehog to see which one is the 'best' to play as. But you can't do one without the other, so here are nearly 70 versions of Mario for your eyes to boggle at. ...

The Exploding Barrel: OC ReMix Spreads Holiday Cheer with Christmas Mario Kart Song (News)

27 Dec 2008

There's nothing better on a cold winter's day than to spend it huddled in your living room, wrapped in a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, and listening to some of your favorite gaming tunes. Or at least that's how gaming dorks like me spend the holidays (all alone…in a dark…cold…lonely room) Fortunately, Larry Oji, Brian Arnold (Tweek), and the team at OC ReMix are here with a fresh, Christmas-themed Mario Kart 64 track to help spread some holiday cheer.

Nintendo Unveil Celebrity Line-Up (News)

20 Oct 2008

Nintendo has today unveiled stars of music, sport and TV alongside their families as the latest celebrities to pick up their NintendoDS and wave their Wii remotes, showcasing the latest range of software only available for Nintendo's smash hit home and handheld consoles...

The ever-changing sizes of Mario and Bowser (Feature)

8 Oct 2008

It’s no surprise Nintendo would alter Mario and Bowser as time wears on, especially when their first appearances are crude sprites that barely convey what they’re supposed to be. If you study the duo’s evolution over the course of 23 years, it’s just plain funny how much Bowser has shifted sizes, from roughly comparable to Mario to Godzilla-sized beast of fury. ...

Meet Charles Martinet at Nintendo World for Mario Super Sluggers Launch (News)

16 Aug 2008

To celebrate the launch of Mario Super Sluggers, Charles Martinet, the voice actor for Mario, Luigi, Wario, and more will be in attendance at the Nintendo World Store in Manhattan on August 24th, signing autographs and giving out a mysterious special gift from Nintendo to those who purchase the new Mario sports title.

Top 7… Sports Games Nerds Actually Like (Feature)

30 Jun 2008

If there’s one thing us gamers love to do, it’s sit on our asses. And rarely are we ever tempted away from blowing the crap out of zombies and Nazis to partake in the sportsman-like area of gaming. Hell, anything involving increased blood flow, stretching or rapid movement is a waste of time if there’s no cutscene for our rewards. Even sports games can be our kryptonite (your older brother who buys nothing but Madden and ...

The Top 7... Worst Parts of Best Games (Feature)

16 Jun 2008

Nothing's perfect. Stare closely enough at anything - even a masterpiece - and you're bound to find flaws sooner or later. They might be small. They might be insignificant. They might not detract from the overall quality of the piece at all...

Except when they really, really do. With these seven games, in fact, you don't need to stare. Their flaws are so huge, so obvious, so frustrating and so effing obnoxious that you can't help but ...

The games they couldn't kill (Feature)

20 Mar 2008

Whether it's by timeless game design, rabidly loyal community, or a fat slice of both, some videogames just keep coming back for more. Meet the games that will be around longer than you will. ...

Console Cameos - Real-world systems hidden in your games (Video)

21 Feb 2008

The online experience is limited, but it can't bring down what may be the greatest victory lap for the Kart series

Console Cameos (Feature)

20 Feb 2008

Most of us play games to escape reality. For a few brief moments, the trials of the material world trickle away and your only concern is how many goddamn gold coins you can collect in an hour. Then, out of nowhere, a friggin' Xbox 360 console shows up in the actual game and all your suspended disbelief goes right out the window. And it happens more often than you'd think. So often, in fact, that we had little trouble in amassing a large ...

Core Group relaunches Nintendo DS Lite in South Africa along with new Wii titles (News)

3 Feb 2008

Core Gaming Group, Nintendo's representative company in South Africa, launched two popular Wii titles at a press event held this past Friday in Johannesburg. In addition, after roughly a year of the world's best selling handheld console being absent from the South African market, Core Group relaunched the Nintendo DS Lite.

The media briefing was presented by RJ van Spaandonk, the executive director of Core Group. RJ outlined the upcoming Wii releases, detailed the Nintendo DS Lite relaunch information and discussed the success that the Nintendo Wii has enjoyed in South Africa since its launch here in October 2007.

The Nintendo DS Lite was relaunched in South Africa and will soon be available in stores. It will retail at R1 799 and is available in four colours: black, white, silver and pink.

Kotaku:Nintendo Million Sellers Revealed (News)

29 Jan 2008

Wii

Wii Sports - 17,850,000
Wii Play - 9,230,000
Super Mario Galaxy - 5,190,000
Mario Party 8 - 4,350,000
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 4,300,000
Super Paper Mario - 2,160,000
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree - 2,000,000
Mario Strikers Charged - 1,650,000
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - 1,140,000
Link's Crossbow Training - 1,070,000
Wii Fit - 1,050,000

Nintendo DS

Nintendogs - 17,790,000
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl - 14,170,000
New Super Mario Bros. - 13,140,000
Brain Age - 11,710,000
Brain Age 2 - 9,840,000
Mario Kart DS - 9,670,000
Animal Crossing Wild World - 9,200,000
Super Mario 64 DS - 5,780,000
Big Brain Academy - 4,610,000
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 3,820,000
Pokemon Ranger - 2,610,000
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness - 1,540,000

The Sexual Politics Of The Mushroom Kingdom (Feature)

9 Jan 2008

9th Dec, 2008 Just what in the hell is going on with Mario and Peach? It was so simple back in the old NES days of Super Mario Bros. She got herself kidnapped, he went after her with the help of Luigi, and all ended happily ever after. Or so we thought. The thing is that it didn't really. It's become ever more apparent that since that first rescue things have only ever got messier, dirtier and more manipulative in their relationship. Far from the innocent damsel and hero set-up that appeared ...

Current Japanese Best Sellers (News)

15 Nov 2007

Mario Party DS sold almost a quarter of a million copies in its debut week to top the Japanese software chart.

Another new entry, Shin Sangoku Musou 5 for PS3, or Dynasty Warriors 6 as it will be known in North America, entered at No2 after shifting almost 200,000 copies, while the Xbox 360 version debuted at No5.

Mario Galaxy, last week's best seller, dropped to No3 following second week sales of 75,000 copies, down from 251,000 sold the previous week.

PS3 exclusive Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction entered at No10, while just one PS2 game, NBA Live 08, made the top 30.

01. Mario Party DS (DS) - 235,000 / New
02. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (PS3) - 188,000 / New
03. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 74,000 / 325,000
04. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (DS) - 23,000 / 215,000
05. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (Xbox 360) - 22,000 / New
06. Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles (PSP) - 19,000 / New
07. Wii Sports (Wii) - 15,000 / 2,197,000
08. DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense Shin Tantei Series: Kyoto Atami Zekkai no Kotou - Satsui no Wana (DS) - 13,000 / 129,000
09. Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (DS) - 13,000 / 690,000
10. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) - 12,000 / New

US Chart for Week Ending 28th July 2007 (News)

2 Aug 2007

Software and hardware sales in the US from VGchartz. Guitar Hero II takes the number one spot for software sales while the Nintendo DS was the best-seller for hardwares.

Hardware: Console Weekly Total
DS - 140,151 (-4%) 13,730,938
Wii - 95,171 (-3%) 3,974,505
PSP - 59,483 (-9%) 8,864,934
PS2 - 54,701 (-10%) 44,524,847
PS3 - 43,498 (-4%) 1,738,147
X360 - 34,174 (+5%) 6,607,403
GBA - 23,725 (-0%) 40,768,173
GC - 1,656 (-2%) 12,697,057
Xbox - 11 (-58%) 15,933,106
Total 452,570

Cheating on Nintendo (Feature)

25 Jul 2007

There are hardly any barriers in place for Nintendo's online gaming strategy. Were not talking about players injecting reaction-improving drugs up their nostrils - rather, were talking about the trend of repeatedly exploiting glitches and gameplay imbalances to score an easy win over potentially more skilful opponents. But like the steroid poser, the morality of this issue is a moodylicous shade of gray. After all, these people arent cheating per se, are they? Theyre not breaking the game ...

DS reaches 7 million sales across Europe (News)

21 Nov 2006

Nintendo has revealed that the DS has sold over seven million units across Europe, with six titles breaking the one million units sales mark.

Pet simulation Nintendogs has sold over four million units in Europe, while Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training and Animal Crossing: Wild World have both racked up one million sales apiece.

Nintendo's mascot continues to appeal, with Super Mario 64, Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. all enjoying sales of over 1.5 million units in the region.

Mario Kart DS (Review)

4 Apr 2006

Ever since multiplayer gaming left the living room and launched itself onto the internet, there have been people hoping to take Mario Kart, one of the greatest party series of all time, along for the ride. It's been a long wait, but the mustachioed plumber is finally playing with millions of others in cyberspace. We've come to expect the dirt-spitting, powered-up racing and heavily themed courses with each version, so this time it's the online perks that will force your hard-earned money into ...

Win at Mario Kart DS (Feature)

24 Feb 2006

Beautiful boost It really goes without saying, but corner boost whenever you can. The corner boost is perfect for the twistier, narrower courses like DK Pass. However, some chicanes - such as the final twisty bit of road leading up from the beach to the finish line on Cheep Cheep Beach - are better navigated by finding the straightest line through. Slipstreaming This is where the lower screen comes in useful. Getting a speed boost from slipstreaming can be a game-winning clincher, but it's ...

Mario Kart DS (Screenshots)

17 Jan 2006

Mario Kart DS (Review)

23 Nov 2005

There really is a lot of love here. Wire-free online play aside, Mario Kart DS gets so much right it's untrue. So much in fact that it's easy to forgive the fact that many of those irritating classic Mario Kart quirks have reared their ugly heads on to DS.Let's start with these quirks to get them out of the way. 50cc mode is still painfully slow and dull as ditchwater - it was true in Double Dash and the same applies here. It feels like your karts are driving through soup; every straight on ...

Mario Kart DS screen frenzy (News)

11 Nov 2005

A fresh set of Mario Kart DS screenshots have just screeched into view, so point your eyespheres to the right and take a peek. As reveals, the game makes excellent use of the twin-screened DS, providing an overview of the course as well as the main action. Mario Kart DS ought to be a great addition to the always-enjoyable series, especially with the inclusion of an eight-player wireless mode for the handheld machine.Mario Kart DS will be released for DS on 25 ...

Mario Kart DS makes a date (News)

17 Aug 2005

Nintendo has today revealed that Mario Kart DS will be released in Europe on 11 November and will jump-start the handheld's multiplayer wireless gaming service. The company made the announcements during a press conference at Germany's Leipzig Games Convention and it assured the gathered audience that its DS wireless service would be easy to access and use: wireless hotspots will be established in shops and no passwords or URLs will be required to connect. After yesterday's depressing news ...

Mario Kart DS (Preview)

21 Jul 2005

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 ...

15 new tracks set for Ninty's Mario Kart DS (News)

14 Jul 2005

Mario Kart DS looks set to nick a leaf from by offering the chance to draw your own stickers and slap them on to your souped-up vehicle. Hideki Konno, the producer of Mario Kart DS, revealed the detail in a recent interview promising that the touch-screen and stylus will be used to design the decals, which will then be used to personalise the racers. Players will also be able to change the colour of their character's clothes to avoid mid-race confusion, which could be vital when you need to ...

Mario Kart to hit the arcades (News)

18 Feb 2005

The All Nippon Amusement Machine Operator's Union might send visions of blue-collar pinkos, griping about the working conditions in palaces, shuffling through your heads but, really, it's far more exciting than that. In fact, the AOU show is actually the Japanese arcade equivalent of E3 and, this year, the game that has had every union member dropping their roll-up in shock has been the Namco and Nintendo-developed Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix.Promising to be more than just Double Dash!! with ...

Mario Kart DS - first movie! (News)

14 May 2004

We have the first movie of Mario Kart DS and it shows the kartsters whizzing around a ported version of Yoshi's Circuit from Gamecube's Mario Kart: Double Dash!!The quality and speed of the game is bang on and everything you would have hoped for. However, the touch-screen isn't used to any great effect. You get a very predictable map and position roster. While this does clear up the playing screen by reducing necessary game furniture, we can't help but be disappointed that it doesn't enhance ...

Mario Kart DS FAQ (FAQ)

29 Jul 2008

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Mario Kart DS FAQ (FAQ)

29 Jul 2008

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Misleading Short-cut At Bowser Castle (Hint)

21 May 2008

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Mario Kart DS FAQ 2 (FAQ)

12 Oct 2007

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Shortcut on Cheep Cheep Beach (Hint)

29 Jun 2007

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Spinning Gears (Hint)

13 Jun 2007

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Avoiding Boo (Hint)

24 May 2007

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Balloon Battle Sniper (Hint)

16 Apr 2007

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Mario Circuit - Goomba Mushroom (Hint)

19 Mar 2007

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Backwards Bananza(or forwards) (Hint)

19 Mar 2007

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Shortcut : Bowser Castle (Hint)

6 Mar 2007

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Game Freeze (Glitch)

6 Mar 2007

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How to get Waluigi (Unlockable)

6 Mar 2007

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Special Item Box (Hint)

9 Nov 2006

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Glitch in Bowser's Castle (Glitch)

20 Oct 2006

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Clockworks Shortcut (Hint)

31 Aug 2006

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Ink Be Gone (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Using Mushrooms (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Emblems (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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special box (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Clockworks Shortcut (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Secret Mushroom in Delfino Square (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Battle Parm Island (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Get Two Different Weapons (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Tip for Shortcut in Delfino Square 2 (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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36 Karts (Unlockable)

27 Jul 2006

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Player Colors (Hint)

27 Jul 2006

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Shortcut in Mushroom Bridge (Hint)

27 Jun 2006

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Faster way through Tick-Tock Clock (Hint)

27 Jun 2006

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Avoiding Red and Blue Shells (Hint)

23 May 2006

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Magic Turbo (Hint)

23 May 2006

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Mario Kart DS FAQ (FAQ)

23 May 2006

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Boost Start (Hint)

30 Mar 2006

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Slight Speed Boost (Hint)

30 Mar 2006

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Jump Higher (Hint)

30 Mar 2006

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Booby Trap (Hint)

30 Mar 2006

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Turbo Boost on Drift (Hint)

30 Mar 2006

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Secret Item Box (Hint)

30 Mar 2006

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Glitch in Bowser's Castle (Glitch)

30 Mar 2006

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Unlock New Kart (Unlockable)

28 Feb 2006

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Unlockables (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Unlock Starry Names (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Destroying Blue Shells (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut in Yoshi's Valleys (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Retro Mode Courses (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Drift (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Alternate Main Menu (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Star Cup (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Using "?" Boxes (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Lighting Bolt (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut in Bowser's Castle (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut in Delfino Square (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut 2 in Delphino Square (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut in Sky Garden (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut in Wario Stadium (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Shortcut in Yoshi's Circuit (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Inflate Balloons Faster (Cheat)

23 Feb 2006

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Sand Pits (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Skip Credits (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Quick Start (Hint)

23 Feb 2006

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Unlock "Mission 7" in Mission Mode (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Unlock R.O.B. as a Racer (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Development Team Ghost Times (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Unlock 150cc Mirror Mode (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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Unlock Character - Daisy (Unlockable)

23 Feb 2006

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