Mario Kart Double Dash

[ukplumber]

There are some spoilers doing the rounds on secret characters and hidden tracks - But I can't use the spoiler tags properly. Oh Well!

learn man learn ft:

[Moodmon]

Waaaah! I want console owning friends, rather than tatty PC owners. No point getting it for my lonesome.

I can but hope there is a Sonic/Tails combo, with Sonic running and Tails flying. If only...

[SharkAttack]

Ok right so 2 secret characters have been unveiled - Toad and Toadette. There is a hidden Battle Arena - Luigi's Mansion!

[ukplumber]

That's what i like a quick learner.
Cheers for the info. The last bit sounds intruiging.

[Max M]

Ok right so 2 secret characters have been unveiled - Toad and Toadette. There is a hidden Battle Arena - Luigi's Mansion!

Is Toadette a new character? Or is she from Paper Mario or something?

[SharkAttack]

Not sure but she is wearing pink and appears to have cute little pigtails

[Max M]

Just saw the screen. Very cute, it looks like they ride a traditional Mario Kart too. Nintendo must know he's a fan favourite.

[sam1981]

Oh no, don't do spoilers

Now I'm sorely tempted to find out, but I know I musn't...

[ukplumber]

Just saw the screen. Very cute, it looks like they ride a traditional Mario Kart too. Nintendo must know he's a fan favourite.

where did you see?

[Max M]

Just saw the screen. Very cute, it looks like they ride a traditional Mario Kart too. Nintendo must know he's a fan favourite.

where did you see?

http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/291320031021_145913_1_big.jpg

[Bomberman UK]

Haha, Toad's girlfriend is cute.

I'd hit it.

[Max M]

CVG has an article on it. They say it's closer to the Snes version.

20:02 On November 14, 2003 one of the most important titles Nintendo has ever released storms Europe, with the rest of the world following a few days later. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is Nintendo's big Christmas game, its success utterly crucial if GameCube is to remain competitive in the run-up to the end of the year and beyond.
But somewhat astonishingly for a title of such magnitude, the vultures have been circling since MKD's unveiling at this year's E3 back in May. First, a shock pre-E3 media release took the world by surprise - what happened to the karts? - then the first hands-on experience led to a nascent sense of disappointment due to a worrying lack of pace and powersliding.

But rather than keep you in a Gordian knot of suspense any longer, there's something you need to know: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, in it's completed form, is completely amazing. And over the course of this in-depth look at the title, we will endeavour to explain exactly why.

We've been quivering wrecks ever since Nintendo swooped on our offices with the final PAL build of Mario Kart GC. Terrified to the point of sickness we wouldn't like the game, the waves of relief which swept over us after extended play were an even greater thrill than when we saw the original line-up of Bananarama reform for one night only last year. Yes, that good.

Although there's a tendency to have a rose-tinted view of it, the original Super Mario Kart on SNES was a masterpiece of game design, which is one of the few titles from that era which still genuinely holds its own against today's titles. For the first time, platform gaming icons were squeezed into karts for single- and multiplayer racing - and it worked better than anyone could've hoped.

But the controversial N64 sequel split the fanbase right down the middle. While still a good title, we're very much in the camp which thinks much that was great on SNES was changed for the worse in the sequel, with much of the suspense and the character of the original lost.

It is with no small amount of pleasure, therefore, that we tell you Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has far more in common with the glorious 16-bit version, with most of the faults which dogged the sequel checked back.

Courses, for instance, are shorter, but more enjoyable as a result. As in the SNES version, you start to learn the layouts far more quickly and this allows you to begin planning the best routes around each circuit, while also sniffing out shortcuts which will shave seconds off your times.

Indeed, out of the initial 12 circuits on offer, we've found major shortcuts in at least eight of them. And these are proper shortcuts; not the glitchy "hop over the wall" kind you find on occasion in the SNES version. And the great thing about the shortcuts is they add that element of heart-pumping danger so absent from the N64 version.

Many people have already complained that MKD just isn't exciting enough; with the big, wide courses making for an altogether more sedate, safe experience. When you first play the game this, to an extent, is true. But once you discover the potential for risk and danger - with the reward of drastically improved race times - the love affair begins.

The myriad jumps and shortcuts dotted around to the sides of the main raceway present more skilled players with an opportunity for edge-of-seat risk. Mushroom Bridge circuit illustrates perfectly what we're getting at: the course seems quite dull at first, but after a few plays you may notice speed boosts tucked into the sides of the bridge. Now, access to these boosts are only slightly wider than the width of a kart, so it's a big risk to go for it, but ultimately of huge benefit.

Go for it and you'll screw up more often than not at first, but with practice, success will become more and more frequent and in a tense race between experts, such adrenaline-pumping risk-taking could make all the difference. In this way the game is perfectly balanced so there's thrills to be had for players of all levels.

The powerslide further underlines this. A feature absent in early builds, leading to the game being roundly criticised, its flawless implementation into Double Dash!! brings with it amazing scope. Remember when you used to play the SNES original to death? When even on the very first - ostensibly bland - Mario Circuit, you'd spend countless hours shaving hundredths of seconds off your times as you fought to find exactly the right moment to slide round corners? We believe MKD will offer a similarly compelling experience, with breathes incalculable life into courses as straightforward as Baby Park - essentially just an oval.

Here's another brilliant example a short cut, which shows the fastidious levels the game designers have gone to when refining the experience. On Mushroom Bridge again, you'll spot a kart full of mushrooms. There's no explanation as to what it is, but you naturally assume that you'll get a mushroom if you nudge it.

Which is exactly the case; but nudge just right, and clip the mushroom just right, and you'll be granted a speed boost just in time to make use of the jump shortcut. Doubtless punching the air with delight when you pull it off. With no mushroom, you just won't make the jump.

As we touched upon earlier, one of the main criticisms levelled at MKD from certain quarters was that the characters no longer inhabit karts, rather Wacky Races-style vehicles. "What the hell is Nintendo playing at, man?" chorused the globe.

Well in hindsight, the detractors may well wish they remembered the lesson of The Wind Waker, savaged for its presentation, but ultimately proving one of the finest gaming experiences ever created.

We love the vehicles in MKD - people may still moan, but ultimately things move on. Isn't Nintendo allowed to try something new? In terms of presentation, the vehicles certainly add a huge amount of character to the game: Baby Mario and Luigi are fascinating to watch in the pram; and the addition of the character on the back allows power-ups to be seen for the very first time.

Instead of disappearing until a button is pressed, you see the rider hanging on to power-ups, juggling them until they're required.

There are so many beautiful visual touches: use an invincibility star and the rider slams it into the ground where it explodes with a flash; powerslide round corners and the rider leans round with you, Moto GP-style. Small touches, for sure, but the level of detail is wonderful making for an infinitely more immersive, characterful game.

And the visuals run at a rock solid 60fps, creating a vivid, clean, smooth look which again takes us back to the SNES, where you could see characters ahead of you sweeping round corners, whereas on N64 your view was greatly limited.

And you'll be amazed how often a new detail will catch your eye, like an animated flower or suchlike - yes, it sounds sickeningly twee on paper, but in the context of the game it works perfectly.

As for the swapping of characters on the karts, it doesn't have quite the impact you might expect; more, whereas as in previous versions, the character's proportions would determine handling, the karts now determine this - although only correctly proportioned racers will fit in certain karts.

Each character has his or her own special attack of course, but Nintendo has very deliberately steered away (ouch!) from over-complicating matters and endangering the purity of the experience.

One of Mario Kart's major strengths has always been multiplayer, and Double Dash!! pleasingly delivers in every department. The standard battle modes are as brilliant as ever thanks to inspired arena design, whereas the new additions are equally spectacular. Bob-omb Blast in particuar is a frenzied masterpiece, with players racing around hurling scores of bombs at each other, creating a trippy experience which has more in common with Tempest 2000 and is tremendous fun. And Shine Thief - essentially a game of tag - is also great to play thanks to brilliant implementation.

Some people have already begun complaining about the co-op mode - where one player drives and the other controls the guy on the back - calling it pointless as they fail to see where the fun is in being stuck at the back of a kart chucking power-ups.

But this is to miss the point: Nintendo makes games for everyone - it has always been the all-inclusive software company, and co-op mode exemplifies this perfectly. If you're really good at games, your five-year-old brother isn't likely to challenge you in a race, but in co-op he has a vital purpose all of a sudden and everyone can share in the fun; and this could equally go for if your non-gaming girlfriend fancies a bash but doesn't want to be humiliated in a race.

All of this is tied in to what we were saying about course design allowing for players of all levels to share in the fun. And that is a perfect example of plain great game design.

If you hadn't realised already, yes, we love Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Indeed, we're struggling to find negative things to say about it, but on this note, the speed still isn't quite up to that of the SNES, but we really didn't find that inhibited our experiences in any way.

In fact, the greatest problem of all for us is that such a great game is releasing exclusively onto a console which is at a critical point in its lifespan, struggling to keep up with the competition. If this hit PS2, say, in one form or other, it would make a much bigger splash.

Which is why we're telling you now: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! rocks. The original Super Mario Kart was grossly underrated when it first appeared, since it took time for its genius to become apparent. But we've all been playing and reviewing games for a long time since then and we all ought to be able to spot a winner much earlier on these days.

But how does it rate against the very best Nintendo titles produced? With the game hitting European shelves on November 14, you'll have to check back for our definitive, powersliding review in the coming weeks to find out for sure.

[Geoff D]

and this could equally go for if your non-gaming girlfriend fancies a bash but doesn't want to be humiliated in a race.

My non-gaming Mrs watched the vid & the first thing she said was that she'd like to play, preferably as the weapon thrower; brought a tear to my eye it did...

[james]

and this could equally go for if your non-gaming girlfriend fancies a bash but doesn't want to be humiliated in a race.

My non-gaming Mrs watched the vid & the first thing she said was that she'd like to play, preferably as the weapon thrower; brought a tear to my eye it did...

Unfortunately my non-gaming Mrs could kick my arse at MK64, so I welcome the co-operative play development too.

[Oh! My Car!]

don't go too far bomberman, Toad might sue for harassment