Mario Kart: Double Dash
by Nintendo
Our Price: $85.95
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: NintendoRelease Date: 2003-11-18
Platform: GameCube
Model: 45496961282
Publisher: Nintendo
Product features:
- Choose two of your favorite Mario characters and hit the strip - Mario, Waluigi, Peach, Bowser, Wario, and many more
- Compete in two-seater racing karts, and choose a team to drive -- one handles the wheel, the other hands out damage to competing karts
- Race through wild courses as you compete in tough circuits and duke it out with power-ups in battle arenas
- Go into a racing frenzy in super-fast four-player action -- or link up to broadband for 8-person multiplayer action!
- Supports Logitech steering wheel controllers, for better control and gameplay
Video Game Reviews of Mario Kart: Double Dash
Customer Review: Game of the Year: 2003
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Description of Mario Kart: Double Dash
Originally released as a flagship game for the Famicom Disc System, "Hyrule Destiny" was later renamed to "The Legend of Zelda" and released again for the Nintendo Entertainment System for international release. It became such a huge success that since then, it has been released multiple times for various console and handheld systems.All Games
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