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Mario Kart: Double Dash Review
Chris Leyton
11/11/2003
The workload at TVG takes a severe turn for the worse thanks to the latest Mario Kart...
If you had to pick one franchise that was absolutely critical to Nintendo then it would have to be âMario Kartâ, whilst the popularity of Mario has declined in recent years with the lukewarm reception to âSuper Mario Sunshineâ, interest still remains high in âMario Kartâ with the latest version deemed crucial to the future success of the GameCube.
Thankfully âMario Kart: Double Dashâ doesnât disappoint, but equally it doesnât grab you in the same way that we were hoping. Perhaps the biggest compliment that can be paid to âMK: DDâ is that playing it brings back all the fun-fuelled memories of previous versions â“ the hectic races, the charm, the weapons, itâs all here and guaranteed to provide many a GameCube owner a happy time over Christmas.
Itâs been six years since we last took Mario and Co for a spin in âMario Kart 64â, time enough you would have thought for Miyamoto and his team to work their magic and deliver the ultimate Mario Kart. The major new addition comes in the way of two characters per kart; players are free to choose any combination of the 16 available characters (Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Birdo, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Koopa, Paratroopa, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Bowser, Baby Bowser, Wario & Waluigi) each of which are split up into eight pairs based on their size and weight. Itâs entirely possible to pick a heavyweight such as Bowser or Donkey Kong alongside a lightweight such as Baby Mario or Diddy Kong, however this limits the amount of karts available for you to choose from â“ small karts are only available to the smaller characters whilst any character can get into the larger karts.
âMario Kart: Double Dashâ changes the gameplay balance quite considerably compared to previous versions. Whereas the likes of âMario Kart: 64â based attributes on each individual character, âMario Kart: Double Dashâ places the emphasis on the actual kart. Whilst we were slightly concerned at first that any tactical edges would be eradicated by this, itâs pleasing to know that matching the right character to the kart results in a slightly improved performance i.e. putting Donkey Kong in his barrel kart will yield a better result then sticking him in Bowserâs monster truck. Overall weâre slightly let down by this aspect, beforehand we believed that switching characters would be crucial to getting different performance out of the kart, i.e. switching to heavier characters on the straight for maximum speed and then back to a lighter character for the twisty turns; as it stands it feels like a small opportunity missed to add a substantial new layer of depth to the series.
Fortunately the dual character aspect plays more importance in the weapon stakes. Now each character has a Special weapon unique to them, which can be collected randomly on the track by driving over the Weapon boxes. These range dramatically from DKâs oversized banana to Baby Marioâs excellent Chomp Chomp, which pulls the kart along the track devouring any opponents in his way. Itâs finding the combination that suits your play that provides the depth sadly missing from the lack of specific character attributes. Other Special weapons include Yoshi and Birdoâs gigantic egg that homes in on another racer and drops three items when it connects; Daisy and Peach can make use of a Heart shield which protects them from attacks and grants them any weapon that was used on them in a similar manner to the âBooâ power-up from âMario Kart 64â; Bowser and Baby Bowser fire off a gigantic spiked shell that causes total havoc; Mario and Luigi can fire Fireballs as if theyâve just picked up a Fire Flower; Koopa and Paratroopa can send out three homing shells whilst finally Waluigi and Wario chuck out a huge bomb sending anyone near spinning out of control.
Itâs fair to say that âMario Kart: 64â placed more emphasis on combat then actual racing when compared to the original SNES title, âMario Kart: Double Dashâ certainly continues this trend â“ if you want to get anywhere in the game or be the best at multiplayer then youâre going to have to get used to all the different weapons on offer. The full repertoire of shells, mushrooms, lightning bolts and stars return from previous versions; only the character on the back of the kart is allowed to pick up weapons so itâs important to switch between characters in order to store two different weapons or alternatively drive over the special weapon boxes that grant each character a weapon.
Another major change for the series is changing the hop manoeuvre to something more similar to a tilt. Itâs still possible and indeed crucial to perform the speed boost around corners by hitting the shoulder button and waggling the control stick, but on a personal note we donât like the tilt as much as the hop from previous versions - it feels right but just doesnât look quite right.
âMario Kart: Double Dashâ features the traditional set-up of modes, allowing players to compete in âGrand Prixâ events, âTime Trialâ, âVSâ and finally the all-important âBattle Modeâ. The âGrand Prixâ mode initially offers three different cups (Mushroom, Flower, Star) each of which contain four different stages. The actual level designs are without doubt the games strongest feature, perfectly capturing the essence of Mario far more then the recent Mario games have been able to do â“ mountains have eyes in them, chomp chomps are tied near to the roadside, Shyguys skate around on the ice tracks and piranha plants snap at you from the side. Whilst certain tracks take the likes of âSuper Mario Sunshineâ for inspiration, a large number of them reminded us of the tracks featured on the SNES original. Weâve been concerned that recent Mario titles have begun to loose the spirit that made Mario what he was, so itâs a pleasant surprise to find all the memories come flooding back in âMario Kart: Double Dashâ.
Whilst Nintendo fans will love racing around the tracks taking in all the little details, they also provide scope for some of the most exhilarating races weâve ever had the fortune of playing. Like good memories, everything comes flooding back the first moment you set foot on the circuit and pick up that first weapon.
With only 12 stages on offer to begin with and four multiplayer maps it may initially seem quite disappointing, however âMario Kart: Double Dashâ features a wide selection of goodies to unlock as you progress through the âGrand Prixâ mode. Those who were left disillusioned by the lack of Toad in the starting line-up will be happy to know heâs there alongside his girlfriend, whilst the likes of Wario Stadium and Rainbow Road return in the hidden Special Cup. We donât want to ruin any surprises, safe to say thereâs more to unlock that will pleasantly surprise all the Mario fans out there.
Thereâs only so long that you can talk about a Mario Kart game though without mentioning multiplayer, to this extent the game both amazes and disappoints. Without shadow of a doubt âMario Kart: Double Dashâ offers one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences since well 1997 to be exact, but unfortunately the âBattle Modeâ is a massive disappointment. To begin with everything looks promising with the option of three different modes: âBom-omb Challengeâ, âBalloon Burstâ and âShine Thiefâ; however, whereas races are fun and enjoyable because of the excellent level designs, the âBattle Modeâ maps are plain boring. Thereâs very little variety to them with most being built upon a single ground plane with very little use of height; the map based on the top of a GameCube is pathetic and just involves players driving around in circles trying to get a weapon and a straight shot at the opponent. Thereâs also simply not enough, anybody who played âMario Kart 64â enough will have complained at the lack of Battle Mode maps, certainly with the first Mario Kart game to appear on a disc we were hoping for dozens of these to ensure âMario Kart: Double Dashâ rightfully became the ultimate multiplayer game in existence â“ as it stands itâs certainly up there, but only because the races are so much fun.
Itâs possible to race in multiplayer in a number of different configurations; up to four players can play in a split-screen mode, whilst itâs also possible to race in a co-op mode with one player racing and the other responsible for weapons. Those lucky enough to own a GameCube broadband adapter can also take advantage of linking up to 8 machines together for the ultimate Mario Kart experience, once again playing this in co-op allows a mighty 16 players to participate in the experience. It should be noted that certain parties are attempting to bring the GameCube online; whilst such an act is highly admired, we canât help but feel that this is going to be the sole domain of technical minded individuals and not the multiplayer extravaganza that Mario Kart deserves. Being honest weâre not too worried about âMario Kart: Double Dashâ being online or not, part of the fun for us is knowing who weâve just beaten into the ground and seeing their face afterwards â“ weâre backing Nintendo on this, if you want to play with your mates just get them to come around, itâs not that hard.
Whilst the visuals arenât the most striking weâve ever seen, they perfectly recreate that Mario feeling and exude a level of charm sadly missing in most videogames. The character and kart models are nicely detailed and animated â“ itâs hard not to smile every time you see Diddy Kong attempt to scramble back on the kart after being chucked off. The environments as weâve previously said display more of a likeness to traditional Mario games then any Mario game in recent years; put simply if youâre a Nintendo fan youâll love the look of âMario Kart: Double Dashâ. To top things off the game features a rock-steady framerate despite how frantic things get on screen, whilst the game moves at a fair old pace particularly if you select the higher engine sizes.
Youâll also find yourself smiling at the sheer amount of one-liners chucked in your face as youâre racing around the circuit. Every character has a few lines which they have no trouble in spouting out whenever you draw near, which along with the traditional Mario tunes makes for an entertaining acoustic experience.
