Silicon Fusion >> Reviews >> Mario Kart Double Dash!!

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Review:

17th November 2003:
Mario Kart Double Dash!!
A Mario Kart title on the GameCube was inevitable, but have Nintendo been able to improve upon the formula with Double Dash, or is it simply more of the same? We reveal all in this in-depth review!
Posted by Marc Hull - GameCube - UK and Europe

Although having the enviable position of owning some of the greatest franchises in videogaming history, Nintendo have a very tough time when it comes to updating their big series'. They are almost in a no-win situation, since simply using the same formula will prompt cries of unoriginality from games critics, while taking a series in a completely new direction can alienate fans. The only solution is to strike a balance between the two, but as the latest Zelda game demonstrated clearly, you can't please everyone. The same argument applies to Mario Kart - the series has already seen incarnations on SNES, N64 and Game Boy Advance that have all had their similarities, and Nintendo had to find a way of adding new features to the proven formula while still keeping it as simple to play and addictive as its predecessors.

As you probably know already, this version's originality stems from the fact that there are two characters in each kart; one controlling the driving and another handling the weapons. Initially, this seems to be merely an aesthetic difference, since you can pretty much play the game like you would in the N64 version and notice hardly any difference. A quick browse though the game's manual, however, reveals a wealth of subtle differences for experts to master. Firstly, each character and kart has different properties, whether it be speed, height or weight, and it's up to you to find the character-kart combination that suits you best. While newcomers can select the standard pairs and their usual kart (i.e. Mario and Luigi in Mario's kart) and get an average combination, there are plenty of good and bad combinations for experts to discover that help you gain slight speed or handling advantages over your adversaries.

Another interesting feature is the ability to swap your two characters in-game with a simple tap of the Z-button. Although at first this doesn't seem much use, it can actually affect the speed and handling of the kart, as well as let you stock-pile good items. For instance, say your back character has picked up a red shell, but you're currently in first place and want to save it until later, you can tap the Z-button and shift him into the driving position, where he'll retain the red shell while your other character picks up new items. Then, if you're overtaken by something, you can tap Z again to swap back and press X to fire the weapon. In addition to normal item boxes, there are also double-item boxes which, when hit, give both your characters weapons. In this case, firing the first weapon will cause your characters to swap automatically so that you can use the second, although sometimes this can be annoying if you forget to swap them back.

However, possibly the best bit of Double Dash are the special weapons which depend on your character choice. Each pair of characters has a different special weapon, which range from simply shooting fireballs if you're Mario or Luigi to enormous spiky shells that bounce around the track if you're Bowser or Baby Bowser, or even a Chain Chomp that pulls your kart around the track if you're Baby Mario or Baby Luigi. Fortunately these weapons are balanced so that the more devastating ones such as the Chain Chomp only appear if you're quite far back down the field, whereas less effective ones like the fireballs can still appear when you're in second or third place.

Mario Kart veterans will feel at home with Double Dash's play modes; as usual there's the Grand Prix option where you can participate in three initially-selectable cups, each with four tracks, and aim to come first overall out of eight competitors. There's also a Time Attack option for practicing each of the courses individually, as well as a great multiplayer mode. This time, multiplayer is split into Grand Prix, Versus and Battle modes, with the Battle option split into three sub-categories: Balloon Battle, Shine Thief and Bob-omb Blast. As you might expect, Grand Prix is much the same just with multiple players, and completing it in the multiplayer mode even unlocks things like in the single-player mode, while Versus is merely you and your friends on the track. Battle mode, however, has to be where the most fun is to be found, with three unique gameplay modes to sink your teeth into. Balloon Battle is similar to the battle mode found in previous Mario Kart games, where each player starts with three balloons and each is popped when they are hit by a weapon; however Double Dash has a little extra: you can now steal your opponents' balloons! In Shine Thief there's a single shine on the level which, when collected, starts a countdown, and who-ever holds the shine when the countdown reaches zero wins. Finally, there's Bob-omb Blast where the only power-ups are bombs which you can use to blow up your opponent. My only real gripe with this mode is with the battle arenas themselves, which mostly take place only on one level and aren't as interesting as those in Mario Kart 64.

Another interesting twist that Double Dash offers is cooperative play, where one player controls the driver of the kart and the other controls the weapons. In this mode, a wealth of new gameplay options open up, such as the ability for the back player to barge into opponents using the L and R buttons and steal their weapons. Meanwhile, the driving player controls turning and powersliding, but also has to remember to pass any weapons to the back player by tapping X so they can be used. However, the best bits of this gameplay mode are from working together, such as executing a special boost at the start of the race when both players tap A as soon as the light goes green, or swapping positions which can only be done if both players tap Z at the same time!

Graphically, this game isn't exactly a tour de force of the GameCube's powers, since a lot of the tracks have been kept simple-but-colourful, however the character models are quite detailed, and the amount of action going on at any one time keeps things visually pleasing. What really matters, though, is the speed at which things run, which I'm pleased to say is pretty fast. Often there can be loads of shells and other items careering about the place, as well as seven opponents on-screen, and the game won't drop a single frame! In terms of sound, Double Dash contains many familiar sound effects from the previous Mario Kart games with some new ones and mostly new music tracks, although I didn't find them quite as memorable as in the N64 game.

However, the most important part of any Mario Kart game has to be the gameplay, and while Double Dash comes pretty close to retaining the style of the older games, it does seem to have a problem with being a bit too random. You can be happily driving along in first place, having not been challenged much for two whole laps, only to be hit by not one, not two but three weapons in a row and fall right back to eighth place. Although this occasionally happened in the N64 game, it seems to be a much more regular occurrence now, and can be immensely frustrating especially in the more difficult races or at the end of a Grand Prix.

Despite this flaw, though, Double Dash is still one of the most entertaining single-player and multi-player games to hit the GameCube yet, and with a little perseverance there's plenty of fun to be found and secrets to be unlocked. The two-character idea works really well and adds an extra level of depth to the traditional Mario Kart gameplay, and the special weapons system allows for some absolutely insane races with giant shells flying about the place and Chain Chomps tearing up the track. However, even if you're a Mario Kart expert, don't expect to complete this game with ease. The randomness of the weapons will mean that even accomplished players can still end up near the back of the grid, and your Wavebird may end up flying!

Marc Hull

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Review Summary:

Mario Kart is back, this time with a twist! Two characters now inhabit each kart, with one controlling weapons and the other driving. Your character and kart choice makes a big difference on the handling and speed of your team, and also affects which special weapons you can pick up, adding a whole new layer of depth to the game. However, being hit randomly by many weapons at a time now seems to be a regular occurrence, and has the ability to send you from first to eighth in a few seconds, with little you can do to avoid it, making this also one of the most frustrating Mario Karts yet. This is still well worth buying, but don't expect to complete it in a day!

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Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
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