Snaking- Good Strategy, or Just Plain Low?

With Mario Kart DS and the NWC having been launched nearly two months ago, head to head multiplayer gaming has never been so intense. Mario Kart provides an amazing experience, online and off. Yet, I’m sure all of you who have play online have experience or used one of the most controversial techniques multiplayer gaming has seen in a long time: snaking.

For those of you who don’t know what snaking is, SHADOWLINK19 of Nintendo’s NSider Forums explains:

“Snaking makes use of the power slide technique in Mario Kart DS. Power sliding, or drifting (another word for it) is when you make your kart slide in a certain direction, and after rotating the control pad a few times, get a small speed boost. Snaking is when you power slide from one side of the track to the other side of the track. If performed successfully, you’ll get the speed boost each time you’re done power sliding to the opposite side of the track.

Now, you’re probably wondering how this technique got its name. When snakes slither, they usually move their bodies from left to right. When you’re snaking in the game, you’ll be moving your kart from left to right. If this is pulled off right, you’ll be able to get ahead of your opponents easily with the speed boosts that you would be getting each time you drifted. “

A full explanation and directions can be found in his post. As a result of this technique, races often end up being won by a minute or sometimes more. This has caused a major clash of opinions in the Mario Kart community. Though snaking is not a glitch, it’s in the game on purpose, many feel it’s a low way to win races. Others claim its simply part of the game, including Nintendo of America’s own Andy Hartpence.

So Infendo readers, let the debating begin: What are your opinions on snaking?