Mario Kart DS is a blast to play online if you don’t mind cheating or losing. The reason for this is largely that a simple exploit in the game, commonly called snaking, allows anyone who puts their mind to it to spend most of each race in a boosted state. How do you know someone’s snaking in Mario Kart DS? Well, for one thing, they’re winning by at least half a lap, and for another, they’re constantly zipping left and right on the track.

Online play is a tricky business that needs constant revision and adjustment. Nintendo’s unwillingness to adhere to this proven business model means when a cheat appears for their games, the game is broken for good. Luckily, Mario Kart DS has a great single-player experience, and if you choose to play over local wireless, or even online with friends who agree not to snake, it’s loads of fun. That’s what friend codes are all about: make sure you give your code to people who won’t cheat, and you’re set.

One of the few selling points for Mario Kart Wii for me is the removal of snaking. In fact, aside from that, I don’t see anything that makes me want the game. Recent buzz out of Europe, where the game’s already out, seems to indicate that Mario Kart Wii might be suffering the same fate as Mario Kart DS. It appears the top few slots on the worldwide leaderboards are occupied by a couple of players whose race times are improbable, if not impossible. This is particularly troublesome when comparing the race times to the standard 30-seconds-per-lap formula Mario Kart is known for. Also, the fact that all three of these drivers have the exact same time is a little bizarre.

Mind you, this may be a glitch in the accounting system for the game, rather than someone intentionally exploiting the system, but we’ll see what happens as the game becomes more widespread. In the mean time, if you’re planning to play it online with strangers, I’d hang onto your charge card.

Source: N-Europe via N-Philes.