Mario Kart DS + Paddle Controller Video!

Previously I wrote a post on how to enable Mario Kart DS to accept the new Taito Paddle Controller as an input device. Now I've successfully shot a video of me playing Mario Kart DS with the Paddle Controller and actually finishing a race (in second place, no less)!



Do take note of the minute movements on the Paddle Controller which are necessary in order to control the kart properly. Turn too much and you'll be going left, or right, all the time.

Click here to read the previous post on how to use the Paddle Controller with Mario Kart DS.

How To Use the Paddle Controller with Mario Kart DS?

For more homebrew guides for your Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

This article could have been titled "How to Add Cheat Codes to Your R4DS?" as what am I about to describe to you is essentially that, but hey, I figured the title is eye-catching, so do bear with it :).


Produced by Taito to go along with its release of Arkanoid DS, the Paddle Controller does seem a little limited in application. However, did you know that you can actually play Mario Kart DS using the same Paddle Controller?

It does require some "cheating" on your part since the Paddle Controller is not officially supported by the game, having been released some two years before this odd-looking controller hit the market. Support for the Paddle Controller can be implemented by means of Action Replay or any flashcart with a built-in cheat function.

Since I don't have an Action Replay, here's a guide on how to add Paddle Controller support for your Mario Kart DS on the R4DS.

There are some prerequisites. You'll need a couple of things:

• The cheat string (available at http://yasu.rank.nu/yasu/count.cgi?n=paddle&l=http://home.usay.jp/pc/etc/nds/paddle.xml)
• R4 Cheat Code Editor (available at http://yasu.rank.nu/yasu/count.cgi?n=r4cce&l=http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA013928/bin/r4cce08.zip)

Once you have downloaded the R4 Cheat Code Editor, remember to uncompress it to somewhere easily accessible. You'll be using the Cheat Code Editor for most part of the guide.

1. Start the Cheat Editor by clicking on the r4cce.exe file.
   
   
   
2. Once in, select File -> Open
   
   
3. Look for the CHEAT.DAT file located in the _system_ folder of your R4DS MicroSD card, and click on the Open button
   
   
   
4. This will cause all the Cheat Codes stored in the CHEAT.DAT file to be listed out, by game, on the left pane. Look for Mario Kart DS.
   
   
   
5. Click on the Add Code button in order to enter one of the two cheat strings to enable Paddle Controller support for Mario Kart DS.
   Enter the following information (obtained from prerequisite 1.) in the corresponding text boxes:
   
   
   • Code Title: Virtual D-Pad Patch
   • Comment: Press SELECT+START to patch
   • Code List: 94000130 FFF30000 023FE074 012FFF11 E0000000 00000030 E92D003F E3A04301 E2844E13 E3A01402 E3A02402 E4920004 E1500004 05021004 E3520623 1AFFFFFA E8BD003F E12FFF1E 023FE074 E3520003 D2000000 00000000
   
   
   
6. Click on the Add Code button again to enter the second cheat string. Enter the following information (obtained from prerequisite 1.) into the corresponding text boxes:
   
   
   • Code Title: Paddle Controller Handler
   • Comment: by Yasu software (usay.jp)
     
   • Code List: A4000136 00000000 023FE074 012FFF11 E0000000 000000A0 E92D003F E3A04301 E2844C02 E1D400B4 E3800023 E1C400B4 E3A0140A E5D13000 E5D10001 E1833400 E1A03A03 E1A03A43 E59F5060 E3550A0F 01A05003 E2444C01 E1D413B0 E2010030 E3500030 11A05003 E58F5040 E0433005 E59F203C E3730008 B0822003 E3530008 C0822003 E3720C01 B3C11020 B3A02000 E3520C01 C3C11010 C3A02000 E58F2010 E3A04402 E1C410B0 E8BD003F E12FFF1E 0000F000 00000000 023FE074 E3520003 D2000000 00000000
   
   
   
7. Once this is done, it's time to save the changes that you have done to the CHEAT.DAT file. Click on File->Save to do so.
   
   
   

Now, replace the MicroSD card back into the R4DS flashcart. Before starting the Mario Kart DS ROM on the R4DS, be sure to enable the cheat codes by visiting the Cheat Menu via highlighting the ROM and pressing Y.

Once the game isstarted, press the Start and Select buttons simultaneously. After that, pressing left or right on the direction pad will calibrate the Paddle Controller's centre point to its present position.

Use the Paddle Controller to move left or right (but not up and down) when it comes to menu options and during the race. Be warned though that the Paddle Controller can be quite sensitive, which would lead to some over-steering action :).

The Paddle Controller for the Nintendo DS is available at Play-Asia with the price tag of USD 19.90. Lets just hope that other developers would take advantage of this new controller in order to justify the price tag.

Mario Made Me Do It...Speeding That Is...Eating is under my own compulsion

If a traffic policeman were to cite me for speeding down the coastal highway from Sitiawan to Klang, I would lay the blame on Mario Kart DS. I had a little too much of that game during my holiday back in Sitiawan but at least it is now almost at the same level before the save file got corrupted (oh the tragedy of it all....cheh)

Besides loitering around in the old house, I took my paternal grandfather for an eating tour of Sitiawan and Teluk Intan... and probably freaked him out in the process with my capacity for food. In anycase, here's a general guide to what to take note of:

• For breakfast, there's Aunty Jenny's noodles in Manjung. This friendly middle-aged lady serves her own version of mee kicap from her stall in the compound of her single-storey home.
  
  
• For lunch, you can try out the restaurants at the Kampung Cina stretch of road, although they are now look like decrepit versions of their former selves..the food is still OK and cheap. Six dishes for Rm 75...try having that in KL.
  
  
• A couple of months ago, I was introduced to Restaurant Mei Hock located at Jalan Simpang Dua, which is off the shortcut to Ayer Tawar. Not a bad place for dinner, or lunch for that matter as the business hours are: 11.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m to 11.00 p.m. What to order? Balitong...hehe.
  
  
• Don't fancy seafood restaurants that much? Try the hawker centres. Blue and Yellow is one of the newer ones located in the same stretch as The Store..and is pretty hard to miss. What to order? The satay kambing is to die for (literally...as each stick comes with some fat), the grilled stingray is very fresh and cheap, and the grilled chicken wings (which are staple in any hawker centre you visit in Sitiawan)
  
  Other than that, you can try out the hawker centre located pass the KFC in the town center. If you are coming from Lumut/Manjung, just go straight pass the KFC at the cross junction, and then turn left on the first turning you meet. If you coming from Kampung Koh, turn right at the cross junction, and then turn left on the first turning you meet.
  
  You should be able to see the famous Char Koay Teow guy who still uses charcoal to cook, on the left hand side of the road. The lady nearby serves nice porridge and the other lady in the adjoining hawker center serves up Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun!
  
  But here's a word to those who are squirmish bout dirty eateries. Yes..this particular place isn't really hygenic, and the hawkers don't seem to have changed anything for the past 15+ years...so.... caveat emptor?
  
  
• Teluk Intan... hmm... there's Glutton Square with lots of hawker stalls, and pretty good laksa. I'm not a fan of laksa..but my mum seems to think it's the best in TI. There's also the popular rojak stall nearby Convent and St Anthony.
  
  Don't forget to try out the steamed fresh water prawns and the Hakka noodles at the Lau Fong (locals call it Liu Fang) Restaurant near the old cinema. Just look out for the restaurant with the blue shutters and blue western bar-styled doors right next to a Sports Toto outlet.
  
  For western dining, there's Al-Fresco at Jalan Changkat Jong...stuff that you find at fine-dining establishments in KL are available at low TI prices and there are no compromises on food quality here. If you are clamouring for more seafood, Tai Chong (next door to Al-Fresco) should satisfy your craving...if it's not fully booked for a wedding dinner.
  
  And what's a visit to Teluk Intan without having some of those Heong Peah, biscuits with sticky centres...the Tiger brand is pretty popular here, and it's not that difficult to find the confectionary.
  

State of The Mario Kart

My fellow MKDS fans,

Things are progressing a little faster than expected with Mario Kart DS. As some of you might have read, my entire save file went ga-ga and somehow managed to reset itself. Therefore I'm playing the entire game again to at least have a decent chance when it comes to online/local WiFi matches.

I've finished the 50cc class with 4 3-stars and 4 2-stars, I'm certain that some of you (the other Jason of not the Smash variety and Cooking Oil Boy) would be laughing and sniggering but OI, thats the best I can do so far :P. Thats just left the 100cc and 150cc class and unlocking the mirror mode...again.

We, I mean I, since you guys are not in the same predicament as me, shall prevail!!

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mario Kart Racing? Relax Dulu Bang..

I found out today that my game data on my Mario Kart DS cartridge was missing. I don't know how that happened and normally this would be considered a disaster for most Mario Kart DS fanatics (omg! my race times! my records! my triple star achiements!...the sheer horror of it all).

However, since I'm not one, the prospect of re-doing everything again seems to be a very challenging and exciting one. Besides, I'll get to practice a lot. Now, the only problem is time. This is gonna take a long while.

"What?!" you exclaim. Let me introduce to you the obscure category of "easy going gamer", gamers who are an epitome of Malaysian values of the "Tidak apa, lepak dulu...relak la" kind...in other words, have a complete lack of urgency. Gamers under this category don't usually blitz through games, even if they do the difficulty setting must be set at easy...or something milder.

If they get stuck at a particular level, the game is left alone for a while (for hours, days, weeks and sometimes even months) before another attempt is made. It took me almost an entire year to unlock the mirror mode in Mario Kart DS.

Procrastination aside (there's totally no excuse for that, but whattodo), the good thing about this category of gamers, they are not affected much by the release of new games, and probably have their heads screwed on properly when it comes to purchases. The last part of the previous sentence doesn't apply to "easy going gamers" who solely depend on flashcarts or R4 but even then they'll probably get someone to download ROMs for them.

So cheers to you July 2008! If there's anyone to blame for this...blame the plumber racing on a lawnmower. The fat chap is too slow.

MKDS - Malaysia Boleh!

Tonight's result? Malaysia 3 - Japan 2. We won! Altogether there were 5 rounds with 4 races each resulting in a total of 20 races raced earlier tonight.

For the previous MKDS session, look over here.

Today's MKDS Session, Brought to You by the Letters W, F and C.

I've been playing alot of Mario Kart DS lately, among friends and it has become some sort of Malaysia vs. Japan match-up, courtesy of Nintendo's WFC. Cooking Oil Boy and yours truly are in Malaysia while Aaron and Bruce are both in Japan. If there are two things to be learnt from these sessions: I need more practice, and the rest of the guys are getting way better :P.

Stuff for Sale

I just ordered an entire set of Mario Kart DS Racing Collection Part 2 Gashapon from Play-Asia for USD 14.94 earlier today (details here). Some of you may have recalled that I've ordered the same set from eBay on behalf of a friend for double that price several weeks back. I guess the wait finally pulled off.

This new set consists of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Bowser and Donkey Kong. This purchase, however, will leave me with duplicates of Mario, Luigi and Bowser, as they already exist in Collection Part 1. I'm putting up Mario and Luigi for sale at RM 8 each and I would preferably sell them off as a pair. Afterall, they are brothers, aren't they?

Since I've already got the ball rolling, I'm also putting up my duplicate set from my Animal Crossing Houses collection for sale. The items for this duplicate set are still under wraps but which set am I refering to? Answer: The set on the lower left corner boxed in Red (otherwise known as the PMS Mole, I mean, Resetti set):

This set is going for RM 10, but please note that all prices quoted here are do not include the shipping price. Or maybe I should sell these guys on eBay...hmm.

Video Game Hijinks

This post is inspired by a friend of mine, his Winning Eleven DS hijinks never fail to amaze me. Today he managed to utilise the goalkeeper to score a goal and he left my DS in hibernation mode just to show me the replay, which was really very cool.

Come to think of it, there are other games that allow you the opportunity to do some pretty crazy stuff. Animal Crossing Wild World lets you plant pitfall seeds into the ground. Watch and laugh as visitors and townfolk fall into holes when they step over these seeds.

In Mario Kart DS, you'll need to be a little lucky to get two Blue Shells in a row in the time where you hit one power-up followed by hitting the immediate power-up down the track. But if you are lucky, you can torment the race leader with two successive Blue Shells hits; which would probably make him/her pretty pissed at you if you are doing it in a WFC match (but its worth it for a good chuckle).

Worms: Open Warfare is pratically a large sandbox for performing crazy stunts. Take one of the fearless worms of your team on a ninja rope and drop a land mine on top of a previously inaccessible opponent or shoot a rocket against the wind and see where it lands. It's a pity though that the game has sub-par graphics.

What Came Karting Through the Mail?

I like Mario Kart DS just as the next Nintendo DS owner does. I may not race as well as WFC regulars but I sure love the game for its amazing racing experience and replayability. So when I bumped into Mario Kart gashapon on sale at Play-Asia, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to own the whole set.

The "Nintendo BOX Figure Collection Part 6: Mario Kart DS Racing Collection", as it is called, is produced by Yujin and consists of 4 different characters which are Bowser, Peach, Mario and Luigi. I managed to get the complete set and having seen the figurines up close, I must say I am pretty impressed with the attention to detail with Bowser and his thorny shell being an excellent testament to their quality.


These figurines come on wind-up karts with rubber wheels; push them backwards to make them go forward.

Each figurine costs USD 2.90 and it tooked a week to arrive at my place via free shipment. Ordering four figures does not gurantee a full set, unlike my case, as figurines are random. Get your very own set at Play-Asia.com (here)

Merry Christmas and Gift Recommendations!

Christmas time is probably an exciting time for gamers, not only they might get games underneath the Christmas tree, but other stuff as well such as consoles and LCD TVs and stuff. On the other hand, Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ (least you forget), and what matters is the giving, not the receiving. So don't forget to spread the cheer all around you!

Should you feel yourself in a pinch, and you have not bought a gift for someone, here are some suggestions (abeit casual gaming style)...some of the items below were previously reviewed on this blog, for games, take a look at the links on the left:

1. Nintendo DS Lite
   Probably the best handheld video game console you can get for your money and have change for several great games! Available in several colours at Play-Asia.com (here)
   
   
2. New Super Mario Bros
   For the old-school gamer who likes his games in new digs, New Super Mario Bros combines the excellent gameplay of its predecessors with totally new graphics for some real fun! Available at Play-Asia.com (here)
   
   
3. Winning Eleven DS
   Your friend a football (or soccer, so they say in America) nut? This will keep him/her happy for days and with WFC/local WiFi play, that person will be a happy camper. Available at a super low price of USD 19.90 at Play-Asia.com (here)
   
   
4. Mario Kart DS
   Like Winning Eleven, this is a personal favourite of mine. Featuring tight gameplay, a host of characters and game modes (Grand Prix, Battle, Time Trial, etc) as well as WFC/local WiFi play, this games delivers in more ways than one. With excellent replayability, it's available at Play-Asia.com (here)
   
   
5. Tetris DS
   Tetris is probably one of the more well known casual experiences on handheld consoles and this is an update for the timeless classic. Recommended by a friend, it's available on Play-Asia.com albeit the Japanese version, but who need to take note of the language in a game about moving blocks? (here)

There are alot more games and stuff that you can look for your gamer pals, the Play-Asia bargain bin (here) is a good start but one does not really need to venture online for a good bargain. Go to your local game shop, stuff like controllers, memory cards or even CD/DVD racks (you might not find these in a game-shop but IKEA does help) make thoughtful gifts for your gamer friend.

Driving in a Kart with Friends

I got the chance to race on the WFC using the Friend Code system on Mario Kart DS earlier this evening and it was pretty ok, except for the later part where it got abit wonky with four or even three people trying to get a game going.

It was maybe a busy night for the service and this might happen to anyone attempting to play a game with friend(s) over the WFC, so patience is the keyword here.

You Don't Wanna Race With Strangers?

Getting on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC) service for some Mario Kart action is quite easy, provided you have the right wireless Access Point/Router/Hot spot to deal with. Once connected, it is just a matter of looking for opponents to race with.

Since Mario Kart DS does not have a lobby system, you would have to contend with the service selecting your opponents for you. There is an alternative however if you don't feel like racing with strangers: Friend Codes!

The closest thing I can use as an analogy for Friend Codes would be your instant messaging contact list. Basically by prompting the game to search for "Friends" for a multiplayer match, it will basically go through the friend codes stored in your copy of the game. Simply obtain your friend's Friend Code and enter it into the game for future reference.

To know your own friend code (so that your friends can add you as well), go over to the Friend Code option in Mario Kart DS' Nintendo WFC screen and select the Confirm Friend Code option.

You can find my Friend Code and my nickname in Mario Kart DS on the side bar of this blog.

Adventures in WiFi

Setting up the WIFI LINK Adapter on the PC or laptop is pretty straightforward stuff; just install the drivers, plug in the device and then set it up as an access point using the software that came with the driver installation. Despite how complicated it may sound, access point setup is actually quite easy in practice; just don't forget to select a bridge adapter to a current network connection which hooks up to the Internet.

Things get a bit harder when it comes to connecting the Nintendo DS to the access point. I came up with the following settings for Mario Kart DS' WFC setup through some trial and error. My network is set-up as such that my laptop is connected to my router modem via network cable while the WIFI LINK adapter is connected to the laptop via the USB port.

1. Set Auto-obtain IP Address to No.
2. Set IP Address to something along the lines of the IP addresses in your network, but of course choose a unique address. In my case, my laptop's IP address is 192.168.1.4 and I set the Nintendo DS's IP address to 192.168.1.9
3. Set the Subnet Mask, which I set to 255.255.255.0.
   
4. Set the Gateway, which I set to the router's IP address which in this case is 192.168.1.1
5. Set Auto-obtain DNS to No
6. Set the Primary and Secondary DNS to Streamyx's (or your particular ISP of choice) DNS which are 202.188.1.5 and 202.188.0.133

Once these settings were entered, I got Mario Kart DS connected to the WFC, and the rest, they say, is history. The Mayflash WIFI LINK actually works!

Letting Strangers Drive Your Kart

I was at the bookstore cafe again today (refer to this post) getting some Mario Kart DS WFC action when a 7-year old decided to approach and ask me what I was playing.

Seeing that I was playing a racing game, he no longer needed an answer but instead proceeded to give comments on my racing style, the opponents and the kart that I was using. The interesting part came when he asked whether he can give it a go.

As with the previous casual gaming experiment, the kid just wanted to know how to get the kart moving. He proceeded to play for more than an hour while I had coffee with the proprietor of the shop.

Casual Gaming Experiment

I did some sort of casual gaming experiment last Friday night at a birthday party. The total number of people attending the party was 9 and I left my Nintendo DS loaded with Mario Kart on a table which was located a distance away from me but where everyone could see it.

Sure enough, with humans being curious beings, some of the attendees began to take notice of the device without any compulsion from me. Out of the 3, only one had held a Nintendo DS before but all three have never played Mario Kart.

2 out of 3 of them managed to get 1st place position in a race within a few minutes of play each and with very little instruction needed; I can tell you that they were pretty much engrossed as well. It just goes to show that great pick-me-up games are central to the whole casual gaming experience.

Games that fit in this kind of category definately warrant a write-up in this blog.

Jumping into a Kart with Strangers

I recently had the opportunity to play Mario Kart DS on Nintendo's WFC service. I managed to get connected at a bookstore managed by a friend of mine who had installed a Belkin wireless router in the premise to provide free WiFi to customers.

Having no Friend Codes with me, I jumped into a match with a total stranger but not before waiting for the game to look for opponents. The guy that I played against was very fast and I only managed to beat him on my favourite snow covered track.

Overall, the whole Nintendo WFC experience is great and having games against real opponents over the Internet via WiFi provides a real challenge even to seasoned single-player mode gamers.

Mario Kart DS

I've never played any previous iterations of Mario Kart but one thing is for sure, this game rocks. In Mario Kart DS, you get to race Mario and other characters from the Mario video games both in single player and multi-player modes.

There are a plethora of game modes, such as 8 different Grand Prix (32 track where you can race in three different classes, time trials, VS, battle and mission modes. This game has a very good "pick-me-up" factor with non of the races lasting more than several minutes. For an even exciting experience, challenge a friend over Nintendo's WFC service.

Gameplay wise, the game presents a fine example of racing mixed with the quirky elements from other Mario video games such as power-ups (and power-downs) and crazy maps. From winning races to getting better lap times or simply succeeding in battle or mission modes, Mario Kart DS guarantees great replay value.

Get Your Copy of Mario Kart DS at Play-Asia.com!