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Want some re-hash? Step right up.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: September 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Everyone loved Mario Kart for the SNES back in the early/mid 90s. It was one of those rare games that was fun for everyone, regardless of age or favored gaming genre, yet challenging enough to get some decent replay out of the single player mode. Then came Mario Kart 64 in the late 90s, and it didn't do quite as good. Sure, it sold millions, but it was basically a 3D version of Mario Kart with little improvements. There was power sliding and extra items, but I could never get into it as much as I did the original. I don't know what it was, but something didn't click. And here we are with the latest version: Double Dash. Sadly, the franchise doesn't look like it's advancing any time soon, and we're left with a better-looking version of Mario Kart 64 with a useless two-person system, and more of the same. I'll say it right here- unless you absolutely need an upgrade from the original Mario Kart, or haven't paid respects for one of the best Mario Kart clones out there- Crash Team Racing, then I -guess- you should settle for this. Or at least wait until the price drop.

If you haven't played games in 10 years, Mario Kart is a highly popular racing game that includes the use of weapons/power-ups found in the Super Mario Bros. series. Koopa shells can be launched at opposing racers to knock them out for a second while you get the lead, mushrooms give you a short burst of speed, starmen grant you the usual invincibility, etc. This makes for some pretty chaotic races. Everyone can pick up these items as well, and almost always use them on you right away. At times, it doesn't seem fair, but you have to realize, that it's part of the surprisingly decent AI. But all the game is, is you race around a few tracks from 3 levels of difficulty under 3 subcategories, and that's all. There's no plot here, which is good, and it's all just a matter of fun. You can play alone, or with 3 friends. While the single player mode is nice, and does take a few retries before you can get everything, the real fun is in multiplayer. You can play the main racing portion with friends, or the infamous Battle Mode. Unfortunately, I don't know 3 people that wanted to play this game at the same time with me, so I was stuck just playing against one person. It was still fun. There's the usual battle modes, even the classic balloon ones. Granted, the matches this time around are a lot shorter because of how cheap you can be, getting items like the tri-koopa shell (ie- 3 red koopa shells that you can use whenever you want. This is basically an instant win). That's all there is to the gameplay in the main game, and the same applies here. No matter what way you cut it though, Battle Mode is as fun as ever. In fact, the only other battle mode as successful and fun as Mario Kart's, that I know of, is Bomberman. They're timeless.

The only real update to the main game mode is the new two-characters per cart gimmick. And let me tell you, this is not an update. There's NO NEED for two characters per kart. One drives, the other uses an item/weapon. They didn't have this in the first two games, and it wasn't needed this time around. Hitting the 'z' button allows you to swap driver with item user, and supposedly changes the acceleration and everything else with how your kart drives. When you select your characters, it changes what vehicle you drive. Let's say you pick Diddy Kong and Birdo. They'll be able to use a decent variety of karts off the bat. But if you pick Bowser or Wario, and Diddy Kong, the huge weight difference between the two isn't going to give you much selection. While this looks like a cool mechanic at first, it doesn't make much of a difference. In fact, I've yet to get different results when picking two heavy characters vs two light characters in races. It's all based on skill from what I've seen. Hardcore players would argue with me here, but the truth is, you can win the game just as easy with Donkey Kong and Bowser as you could with Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. And with any vehicle.

Visually, the game looks decent. Everything runs smoothly, and I didn't notice any slowdown, but some of the character graphics are an embarrassment. Remember how great the characters looked in Smash Bros. Melee, but then when the Mario Party games came along, everything looked bad? That's what we get. Mario and Luigi almost look like they were ripped from the 64 version, their baby versions don't have too much going on visually, so I can't really comment, Donkey kong has the least amount of detail, and Bowser made me whimper...with sadness. Where he looked dominant in Smash Bros., here...he's slender and less menacing. At least Diddy Kong, Birdo and the princesses look alright. The level design doesn't have much going for it either- it's simple, so that explains the lack of slowdown in the frame rate. It runs at a constant 60 fps. Unfortunately, the audio suffers the same fate as some of the character designs. While the music is great- some tracks taken from the games they're from (Mario Sunshine), the character voices get old quick. Like, from the second you select them quick. Princess Peach says her name when you select her, and she says it like she's talking to 5 year olds with down's syndrome: "PEEEEEEEACH!". I mute the tv whenever I select her, just so no one thinks this is going to be a kiddy game. It's that bad. But if you have a good entertainment system, the game supports progressive scan and Dolby Pro Logic II, so you have something to look pretty, despite it not looking that good in the first place. This is a very contradictory category here.

See, there's no way I can go on about Mario Kart without mentioning some bad things. The good things are the usual: fun, easy pick-up-and-go gameplay for anyone of any age, and it never gets old. The cons = kiddy voices and sound effects, one-sided weapons (a banana peel is easy to dodge, but then there's the red koopa shell...), and the two-character gameplay mechanic is pointless. But, it's fun, and that's all that matters. Unless you've never played a Mario Kart game before, only then can I recommend you to pick up Double Dash. If you still have Mario Kart 64, ignore this version and wait for the next upgrade. Better luck next time Nintendo.

Get the hell outta my way!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Playing Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo was great. Mario Kart 64 was hella better. Mario Kart Double Dash takes the game to a whole new level.

This game is somewhat in the vein of Super Smash Bros. Melee in the sense that there is plenty to unlock this time around. Also, the adding of a passenger is a nice touch, since it gives the game a deeper feel. You actually have to really consider who you pick, because everyone has their own strengths, and special items.

IGN originally trashed the game because they thought the demo was too slow. That's not the case here. All of the courses are really tight, but I remind you that this is not just a single-player game. This was made with multiplayer purposes in mind, case in point, the LAN support. It never gets dull with at least one other person around.

Overall, I loved it. It manages to retain the feel of the previous games without sacrificing too much. It may take a little time to get used to this new feel, but I assure you, this game just plain rocks!

Great Game but Nothing Revolutionary

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First off...there's almost no way you can compare Double Dash to N64 Version of Mariokart. Many people on my floor suddenly complained that N64 version is better for various reasons...probably because the graphics weren't real or that there was 160 tracks like they think the Cube can process...

I played both a lot...and since this is a Double Dash review...I'll tell my experience there. First, the concept of two riders per kart opens up many options, and yes it does make a pretty big difference gameplay wise UNLESS you're playing by yourself. Having 2 riders per kart allows 4 players to play Grand Prix, which is a very good thing...and I think throwing items at enemies is really fun as is power sliding...which is the responsibility of the rider riding shotgun. Also, the life span of this game can last a long time, esp. with multiplayer and the tough task of unlocking the 4 extra riders and so many karts also. Another aspect of the game I really liked was the fact that each riders have their own specials (or group persay). Mario, Luigi get fireballs that only they can use, Baby Mario/Baby Luigi gets the cheapest item in the game the Chain Chomp, and so on. Finally...they improved the vs. mode. The music stays on! Plus 4 people playing does not chug the system. Very smooth and competetive. Same for Battle, although arenas are smaller. This is one of those games where the more players...the better...which is why they have the LAN connection where you can play with up to 16 players. Sweet, eh?

There are some downfalls I can name though. First, the game can get frustrating in its difficulty. It almost took me a week to beat 150cc Special Cup because the computers were garbagely cheap...everytime I was in first...I'd be blown off by a blue shell, fall off a bridge, and start cursing out my Cube. Then the All Cups Tour is very time consuming also...which could be good in the fact that it expands the length of the game. I wished for a bit more tracks than 20. I mean all of them were enjoyable but they were a bit short. 30 would've been nice but it's not a big complaint. At least they cut down the length of Rainbow Road and made it REALLY REALLY challenging. Remember SNES? Yea...similar to that...ALMOST NO RAILINGS :-O.

To me, it was definitely worth the preorder. It's fun in its own ways...and to those comparing it to the 64...that's a mistake. Enjoy what's given here and adjust to it.

Highly Recommended.

VERY VERY VERY COOL

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the ultimate game!!!! I'm getting a gamecube just to play this game!

Play
as Mario,Luigi,Peach,Daisy,Yoshi,Birdo,Baby Mario,
Baby Luigi,Koopa,Paratroopa,Donkey Kong,Diddy Kong,Bowser,Bowser JR,Wario, or Waluigi.

For the first time two players are in the same kart. So you will be picking two players at the player selection screen. (Thats why there are so many players to choose from.)

Now each player has his/her special item that only they can use.

Mario and Luigi: Fire Balls (5 fireballs go fowrards or backwards and act the same as a green shell bouncing around 'till they hit something.)

Peach and Daisy: Hearts (a heart will spin around the kart and say a green shell hits them, it won't hurt them. In fact you get to keep the green shell that hit you and you get to use it.)

Thats an idea of each special item for you.

Battle Mode has returned!!!!!! Only this time instead of just the balloon battle there are two new modes to play.

Balloon Battle: Classic game where each team has 3 balloons and if you get hit by an item you lose a balloon. Last one with balloons wins.

Shine Thief: There is a shine sprite somewhere in the arena and you have to run into it. Once you run into it you have to keep it for 60 seconds, but if you get hit by an item you drop the shine.

Bob-om Blast: Maybe the most fun game in multiplayer, bob-om blast is where you collect bob-oms and throw them at opponents. Say you hit someone, you gain a star, but if you get hit you lose a star. Firt one with 3 or 4 stars wins.

If you want a very fun game unlike any other. GET THIS GAME!!!!

P.S. Please tell me if this was helpful. I want to know.

Mario's back, and he's brought some freinds.......

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Mario Kart Double Dash is essentially Mario Kart 64 and then some. The game brings alot of new cards to the table, which I will review below.

Mario Kart Double Dash has improved on the last game immensely, and that is saying alot, because Mario Kart 64 was one of the most fun games available for the N64. The first way it improved on the previous game was allowing players to choose 2 characters to race with instead of 1. This makes for a bit more of a complex control scheme, but otherwise doubles the fun.

The game also features tons of available characters to play as:

Mario
Luigi
Peach
Daisy
Wario
Walluigi
Bowser
Baby Bowser
Koopa
Paratroopa
Baby Mario
Baby Luigi
Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong
Yoshi, and
Birdo

The game has the ol' Grand Prix mode and the Time Trials, but it also has some new unlockable features, such as:

New carts
New characters
A new circuit
New battle mode stages...

and more, but I don't want to spoil anything.

Mario Kart Double Dash's multiplayer modes are better than ever, too. Not only are battle and versus modes once again available, but there are new types of battles: shine theif and babomb blast.

All in all, Mario Kart Double Dash is extremely fun and replayable, and has enough features and unlockables to keep you occupied and entertained for a while. I enjoy it, and I think any Gamecube owner should pick this game up. I reccomend renting it first to see if you like it, and then making your decision.

Thanks for reading, bubba"samus"

Game Owns You

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is simply amazing. The one and only thing i didnt like was the jump being taken out of the game, but the power slide is just as good/useful if not better.

The graphics are superb, but the greatest attribute of this game is the fun factor. 2 players per kart rocks. If you have a serious amount of friends you can buy the broadband adaptor and have 16 players on two TV's.(2 players per kart)

And to the person that said the 2nd person is useless.....try playing the game before you write a review. 2 players per kart adds so much to this game it is ridiculous. Especially if it is another human player, you have to communicate back and forth on what the both of you are doing, as far as who drives and who has what weapon and which one is needed at the given time, resulting in having to switch to use the other persons weapon.

This game is great for younger kids as well as older people that still remember super mario kart on SNES.

Rock on Nintendo.

The best racing game ever!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME IS AMAZING! If you have a Gamecube and you don't have this game you are missing out on something. I don't care how old or young you are, you'll love this game (unless you're like 80 or something, then you probably won't). I'm not a big fan of racing games, I am a big fan of Mario games though. Just because this is a racing game and you don't like racing games doesn't mean you won't like it. There are only a few games ever released on any system that I like better than this (probably less than 10). One thing I noticed about my 2 favorite games though is that they were both made before the year 2000. They are Starcraft (the best strategy game ever, actually the best game ever) and Super Mario World (this game was made in 1993, it's kind of pathetic of Nintendo that with all the technology we have now they can't come out with anything better). You can probably tell from above that I'm not a big graphics person. I barely care about graphics. Anyway, this game does have pretty good graphics. If you have a Gamecube get this now!

I'm 13, and I LOVED THIS GAME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It was really fun!!! It was actually fairer than it's previous game. In Mario Kart 64, the CPU players got items w/o even running into the box. In this one, though, if the CPU players miss the box, they don't get an item!! Thats fair enough for me!! There's more choice of characters, courses, and every character has a special item that they can use. And when you play on the courses, they can either be easy, and calm or deadly, and energetic due to the characters fierceness on the course, which I found enjoyable!! 2 courses have an odd number of laps so that's a good change!! The music is very good and I purposely have the volume up high to hear it. I love Dry, Dry Desert, Baby Park, and Rainbow Road's music. I'd recommend this game to any1 who likes racing games and Nintendo's systems and games!!

GREAT FAMILY FUN FOR KIDS AND ADULTS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best video games I have ever played with my children. Even thought it's a video game, me and my husband play it all the time! I recommend this video game without a doubt! My kids enjoy it so much and so do we. Please, do your whole family a favor and get this game!!!

Best Kart Racing Game Ever To Be Made!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Harder then the older game for Nintendo 64, but if you liked the older one, I guarantee you will LOVE this one!! Prepare to be disappointed with the multiplayer battle mode though, I personaly think it went down hill. All and all it is still an excellent game, it is worth every penny, so take no hesitation in buying it! Happy Gameing

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