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A gaming masterpiece

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Gamecube, 2003.) The fourth game in the Mario Kart series.

When the original Super Mario Kart hit the Super Nintendo in 1992, it started a gaming revolution. There had been racing games before, but none like it. Four years later in 1996, Mario Kart 64 arrived on the Nintendo 64, bringing the series up to date. It has stood the test of time as that system's finest game. In 2001, the series arrived on Game Boy Advance, giving players a portable version of the classic at long last. And now, in 2003, the series has arrived on the Gamecube. How does the fourth installment in the Mario Kart series, Double Dash!!, measure up? Read on for my review.

PROS:
-Let me start by saying that the graphics are excellent. Nintendo is really beginning to push the Gamecube hardware to its limits.
-There are a number of characters and vehiches to choose from.
-The game is very unique due to its "two people on one kart" system. One person drives, while the other uses weapons. This makes for some very interesting gameplay.
-The game supports LAN (local area network) capabilities, meaning if you have enough systems and television sets, you can do a game of more than four players!
-There are a number of characters and new karts that you can unlock.
-The game uses the same power slide/mini turbo system that Mario Kart 64 did - I was glad to see it back!
-There are a number of new weapons you can use against your enemies - including fireballs! All your old favorite weapons, like shells and fake item boxes, are also back.
-It's got a multiplayer mode. If you played Mario Kart 64, you know that's a good thing. There are a number of multiplayer modes, as well, depending on the number of players.
-Some editions of the game include a bonus disc of demos/previews/etc.

CONS:
-The steering controls here are considerably less responsive than they were in previous Mario Kart games (this was probably done to up the challenge level.) Because of this, you'll often find yourself crashing in to the very obstacle you were trying to avoid.
-The two man system takes some serious getting used to, especially if two players are on a single kart.
-To use the LAN connection feature, you're gonna need MULTIPLE TVs and cables. And as you know, TVs are pricey.

OVERALL:
I'm glad to finally see Mario Kart on the Gamecube. I had long been waiting for this day to come, and I must say, I'm not disappointed. If you've got a Gamecube, this is a highly recommended release.

Nintendo gets this one right! Mario Kart a must buy!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I recommend this game highly for every GameCube owner. The game is easily one of the best racing (and for that matter, any game) ever. If you don't know by reading other reviews, websites, etc., the basic premise is simple. Race a variety of Nintendo game inspired courses with a slew of old nintendo characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Birdo, Yoshi, Toad, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Piranha Pete, King Book, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Daisy (easily the most annoying character...), Bowser, and Baby Bowser.

The game is amazing (NO LOAD TIMES, which is great), but is best enjoyed as a multiplayer game. Racing, battle mode (3 different versions), and time trials round out the majority of the options.

BOTTOM LINE:
(9.3 out of 10)
This game is fun, but the true challenge lies in multiplayer. It won't take long to unlock everything (which requires beating everything). The computer A.I. is decent, but not overly challenging once you get used to the controls (roughly 30 min - 2 hour learning curve.) I highly recommend this game to all.

Greatest Gamecube Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is so much fun. I'm a 35 year old guy. My wife is 29 and hates video games. Everyone in our family has a ball playing this game. My mother-in-law even loves it. I'm telling you, this is a deserted island game. Any game you can have on a deserted island? Pick this one.

A Ton of Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is probably one of the best, most fun games I own. You can play from a variety of players, even Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. What makes this game fun and different from all the other Mario Kart's is that each character has their own special item. For example: Mario and Luigi have fireballs, Baby Mario and Luigi have Chain Chomps. You can also play as two charecters, while in the other Mario Karts, you could only play as one. Double the fun! This game takes a while to "beat" or get all the levels on. Even after you get all the levels, it is still fun to play, even more since their would be more levels! This game may be hard at first, but after awhile it is fun and an exiting game to play. If you are thinking about getting a Mario game, or some form of a Mario Kart game, I suggest you get Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

I was not disappointed....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: January 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

....but this game does have a few flaws that put it a little below Mario Kart 64.

First, the good: The track design is *amazing* and greatly improved from Kart 64. The track in Wario Coliseum is impossibly twisted, and DK Mountain, the best track, has a cannon to shoot you to the top of the mountain, and you fly back down. I also liked Baby Park for its simplicity - it's just an oval, but it's so small that you're constantly switching places with your friends, and there are weapons ricocheting everywhere during the seven (!) laps.

Some of the other tracks have interesting premises (Daisy Cruiser, which is set on a cruise ship), but they're not quite as fun as they should be. Other tracks are blatant rip-offs of the previous games... we get yet another rainbow track, Bowser's castle, a dirt-bike track, a jungle, a beach, a desert, etc. How about switching things up a little? How about a track on the moon, or a roller coaster, or a funhouse, or in a level from another Mario game? See how easy that is, Nintendo?

One thing about the tracks I do appreciate is that many of them have "zippers" that give you a boost of speed. Only a couple of tracks in the last version had these.

The two-characters-to-a-cart aspect works well... you can hold two weapons and switch depending on which one you need. Although it's quite hard to reach the Z-button to switch characters while you're playing. I also think the slide technique is not as effective in this game as it was last time. Neither are some of the weapons. The new bomb would be an excellent weapon; unfortunately, when you toss it forward, it always explodes when you're right next to it. You should be immune to your own bombs.

The new special, character-specific weapons are great, and the giant banana peel is hilarious. I find it very annoying that you can't tap the brake after you hit a banana peel to stop from spinning out, as you could in the last game. I like having a choice of many cars, as well.

Some players will be angry that they cannot access four of the tracks until they pass the final level on the medium difficulty. This is not an easy thing to do; I'm a veteran Nintendo player and it took me about a dozen tries before I could do it. Although I do like the new point system for the tournaments that gives even the 7th-place finisher a point.

The battle modes, which some people consider the heart of the Kart games, did disappoint me. They aren't the slightest bit creative or interesting like the main tracks, and the variations are kinda stupid. Amazing that the battle mode keeps getting less fun the more advance the graphics get in these games... or is it that it's just played out? Nah, I don't think so.

Overall, this is a great game, with outstanding graphics, fun sound effects and music and great replayability, especially with multiple players. But when you're making a sequel to some of the most popular video games of all time, you've gotta be perfect.... at least to get my five-star rating. ;)

Game of the Year: 2003

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: February 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Utter the words "Mario Kart" in a group of gamers, and you are likely to receive a reaction that can best be described as "awe." Why not? Mario Kart made appearances on three Nintendo since 1992, and each time they had been among the premiere games of their respective consoles. In 2003, Nintendo finally comes out with the Gamecube version of the legendary kart-racing series: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! And once again, Nintendo has a winner on their hands.
Veterans of the Mario Kart series would feel right at home with the new Mario Kart game. The controls are generally the same. Even those new to Mario Kart would have no problems adapting to them. The biggest change to the Mario Kart formula is the appearance of what I call the "buddy system." Now, instead of one racer controlling the driving, you've got one person manning the wheel and another dropping the items. However, there's no difference whom you have driving and whom you have dropping. Unless you're playing Co-Op (more on that later), all you have to do is press Z and the characters would switch places. The only advantage this new system has is that it allows you to store items for later use.
Another important addition to the game with the addition of the extra racer is the appearance of a new Co-Op mode. Now two players can combine to control one kart. One player drives while the other takes care of the items. One person Drifts while the other person does the Turbo. It may seem difficult to coordinate between two players, but the execution is quite excellent.
All the various driving techniques make their reappearances in Double Dash!! Mini-Turbo Boosts are back and easier to perform. Boosts off the starting line are also back. The jump is gone, but seriously. Can you jump on a go-kart? The options in Double Dash contain old classics and new features. As was expected, Grand Prix, Versus, and Battle are back and better than ever.
Unlike Mario Kart 64, which is easy to jump right into 150cc Grand Prix and capture first, or Mario Kart: Super Circuit, which has an astonishing jump in difficulty between 100cc and 150cc, Double Dash eases you into the Grand Prix. Gone are the days where the AI catches up almost immediately after you take care of them. Now you can easily build up a 10-second lead, or find yourself 10 seconds behind the computer. The former is the case in 50cc, which is easier than a walk in the park. The latter describes 150cc, which often become bitter battles for first place.
For the first time ever, Double Dash features an All Cup Tour, which is an intense, 16-course marathon Grand Prix with all of the courses. This is just one of many unlockables present in the game. Other important unlockables include Special Cup, Mirror Mode, and two secret Battle stages.
Of course, the most important aspect of Mario Kart is the courses. A kart racing game with bad courses are no fun to play. Thankfully, we don't have anything to worry about. The geniuses have supplied us with some of the most enjoyable courses ever to hit a racing game. Sure, there are some duds, but courses like D.K. Mountain are just pure delight.
The problem comes with the Battle courses, which are excellent in their own right, but just seems like of lacking when compared to the courses of the past. (Tilt-a-Kart is cool, though.) The addition of two new battle modes makes up for the state of the courses. Shine Thief is like Oddball in Halo. There is a Shine on the course, and one player must take control of it for a combined 60 seconds. Bob-Omb Blast is just insane. Players chuck Bob-Ombs at each other for points. You gain a point if you hit somebody, and you lose a point if you get blown up. And for the traditionalists, there¡¦s the Balloon Match.
While Nintendo refused to supply Mario Kart with online play, it does make use of the broadband adapter in LAN mode. It may be rather costly to connect to LAN, as two Gamecubes, two broadband adapters, and two copies of the game are needed in addition to a standard network cable. However, nothing can top the joys of 8-player Mario Kart, even the lack of a player-select.
Graphically, the game is very similar to Super Mario Sunshine. The character models are detailed, and everything seems to have a sort of glossy, cel-shaded look. The game certainly is no Metroid Prime or even The Wind Waker in terms of graphics, but the visuals are definitely no slouch.
The music of this game doesn't seem to be as good as the music in Mario Kart 64. However, they do fit the racing mood very well, and some of them are rather catchy. And it¡¦s always great to hear the Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road theme pop up in Double Dash. Sound Effects is where the game excels. There are 22 characters, and each of them has their own distinct voice samples. Even Daisy's "Hi! I'm Daisy!" line has its charms. The screeches of the karts are present but virtually unnoticeable in the heat of the race.
All in all, Mario Kart: Double Dash may not be an epic to the scale of The Wind Waker or Prince of Persia, but with the best replay value in gaming since Super Smash Bros. Melee in 2001, Double Dash may very well be the best Gamecube game of 2003. It's never fun to fall from first to fourth following a cavalcade of shells, but you'll still find yourself wanting to play some more. Now that's power.

A Great Addition to the Mario Kart Family

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Known for its elegance in go-kart racing, the Mario Kart video game line has a new addition that will not disappoint gamers. Picking up in the 3D racing world, where Mario Kart 64 left off, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! takes the Nintendo-related racing world to a new level. The beauties of this game come on several different levels.

Primarily, the action in this game is much faster paced. With the addition of queued items, player-dependent item bias, and a few new items/item ideas, the opponent-verses-opponent aspect of this game is more intense than in previous Mario Kart games. Additionally, allowing players to assist each other by splitting the responsibilities of driver and item user makes multiplayer more interesting and alive, creating a very friendly team-oriented race. Finally, as with the previous Mario Kart games, Double Dash is friendly overall and isn't anything more than cartoonishly violent, making it a nice family gaming experience!

Overall, I must give Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 5 stars for its overall appeal to all players and its fast-paced action. I definitely recommend it to any old-school Mario Kart players as well anyone interested in racing with your favorite Nintendo Characters.

Best Racing Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Mario Kart: Double Dash is an extraodinary game. It is is full of secrets to be unlocked as the game proceeds, along with the amzing characters.

One of the best features of the game is that you can cooperate with a friend/ sibling, and attempt to win the race together. There are also many new shortcuts to be found and a new array of race tracks. There is also a large assortment of items, including special items that can only be recieved through the character that you are currently playing.

Mario Kart:Double Dash is a must have for all Mario lovers. It brings back many of the old characters like Luigi and Peach along with newer ones, like Daisy and Waluigi. It is the best game for people who enjoy the thrill of racing.

The second-best multiplayer Game Cube game (after Smash Bros Melee)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the best racing game, ever. The entire Mario Kart series has never failed to impress me.

Other racing games (Need for Speed, for example) involve driving around circuits, maybe trying to find shortcuts (that's not all to them, but bare with me). Mario Kart involves strategically trying to stay ahead of your opponents with weaponry and power-ups, as well as the traditional short-cuts and drifts. Lay traps with banana-peels and fake item-boxes, knock-out foes with red or green shells, etc.

The newest feature of this game, if you didn't know already, is the ability to use 2 characters at once. You can pair up the default pairs: Mario & Luigi, Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong, etc.; or you can mix and match: Mario & Koopa Troopa, Princess Peach & Baby Bowser, whatever!

The other new feature is the unique character items. Each pair of characters has their own unique item. For example, Mario & Luigi have a fireball item, Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong have a giant banana peel, Bowser and Baby Bowser have a giant spiked shell, etc. etc. etc. Find your favourite 2 items and use 2 characters that have them! I personally like Koopa Troopa's & Koopa Paratroopa's triple-shell item.

There is no storyline to this game - just great gaming.

Secrets? You bet. Secret characters, courses (racing and battle-mode), racing modes, etc. Not to mention the shortcuts - many of which require the use of items to pass through.

Single player or multiplayer? Either way, you're going to race with up to 8 opponents (well, in multiplayer the maximum is 4 players). Single player is great and challenging, depending on the mode you use: 50CC is easy, 100CC is medium, 150CC is hard, and Mirror is 150CC with the courses reversed; very hard.

Multiplayer is great; the item system allows for a fairly even game: players coming last will get the best items, while players coming first will get poorer items that can be used for defense--shoot a green shell behind you to block an incoming red shell!

Graphics: 10/10 (the first full-3d Mario Kart game; Mario Kart 64 used 2D sprites for the characters)
Sound: 10/10 (the music is excellent and addictive)
Gameplay: 10/10 (single player and multiplayer will both keep you addicted)
Replay value: 11/10 (I don't think I will ever get sick of this game)
Overall: 10/10

Mario Kart is an essential addition to any Game Cube owner's collection, even if you don't like conventional racing games (I don't like them but I love Mario Kart!)

Bonus feature: you can link up 2 Game Cubes and play a LAN game of Mario Kart! I've never done this, myself.

I can't wait until the Mario Kart DS comes out.

It was the bom dog

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

ThIs GaMe WaS tHe OnE.I love how u can get to pick out your own chracters instead of them just picking it for you.Each charecter has different stuff like if you double dash with peach and daisy they throw hearts at the other players to win , yoshi and birdo throw eggs,Ditty kong and donkey kong throw bannah peals which is realy annoying cause it slows me down exept for donkey and ditty kong and theres like so many more charecters but i hate typeing. BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT....To be truthful this is a kids game for like 16 or under otherwise if your older it may be a little to easy but i am 10 and it is so hard to beat star cup.Any ways i hope u read my other report on mario party 6.Oh another thing about this game is the charecter you pick you also get to pick a car also.And if u win one of the races u win a trophy and a new car sometimes and more places to race.

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