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Mario Kart: Double Dash - Hands On Preview
TVG Staff
28/08/2003
We check out the enhancements and the Battle Mode in the ECTS build...
Nintendo rolled back to ECTS in a 40 tonne truck equipped with GameCube and GameBoy Advance pods to display their latest titles. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo chose not to make any special announcements, most titles showed little enhancement over their appearance at E3 whilst some were conspicuous by their absence.
Still the chance to play the updated version of Mario Kart: Double Dash was enough to coax us to the âawesome monster truckâ and keep us glued to the screens for longer then we suspected.
The latest build includes the modifications that were first featured at last weekâs Games Convention in Germany and itâs believed that the game is virtually complete, with minor alterations currently being undertaken. To recap; the game is running nearly twice as fast as the E3 build, particularly evident in the 150cc mode, whilst the series trademark âpower-hopâ has replaced the tilt manoeuvre featured in the E3 build.
The demo allowed us to check out the Mushroom Cup in detail, whilst also allowing us to check out the games âBattle Modeâ for the first time. For the first time the game offers at least two different types of âBattle Modeâ. Firstly the traditional âBalloon Fightâ mode, which sees three balloons on the top of each kart and players having to destroy each otherâs balloon. However more exciting was the new âBob-omb Blastâ mode that replaces the items with bombs, you can collect up to 10 of these which your secondary character juggles with in a humorous animation at the back of your kart. Naturally these arenât just to show off Yoshiâs bomb juggling skills and with the press of a button, your character will chuck them at an opponent gaining you a star â“ win three of these and youâve won.
The demo offered two Battle Mode maps; âPipe Plazaâ is essentially a reworking of the two-level Mario Kart64 stage, with ramps, bridges and pipes that warp you from one area to another. However the second stage provided the most interesting experience; entitled the âGameCube Stageâ, players have to battle it out on the top of a GameCube, free of obstacles or any objects.
Our playtest also revealed some items that were new to us, presumably coming in the way of the character-specific items that were previously announced. One instance saw a âPink Heartâ that we suspect comes from Princess Peach, whilst the fireballs from Mario and Luigi were increasingly evident.
In addition to the gameplay changes, Nintendo have been hard at work making subtle visual enhancements. The game looks crisper then before, whilst thereâs a nice depth-filtering technique used to good effect.
