Mario Kart: Double Dash! (Gamecube)
Developed and Published by: Nintendo

Nintendo really only had one major title prepped for holiday shoppers this year, that being Mario Kart Double Dash. Many gamers are quick to criticize Nintendo for releasing the same predictable franchise sequels on every system, and often times I feel like whining about this fact as well. How quickly we forget though, the big N is just so damn good at making games that are both familiar and fresh at the same time that we really have no reason to complain at all.

I think that is the key to the success of this new Mario Kart installment. It has the same addictive feel and simple controls as the original SNES game, but yet it also has all kinds of new enhancements that make it a completely different experience. I was worried that it would be a rehash of past titles (especially after reading some reviews that implied exactly that) but after spending some time with it I have found that there’s a lot to be excited about here. Once again I must say that Nintendo does not disappoint… at least not very often.

The biggest change in the gameplay is that racers now compete in teams of 2: one driver and one “item thrower guy”. It’s a subtle difference that does not affect the main controls of the game, but it makes for some pretty interesting team multiplayer sessions. Even for single player controls it adds some new strategies, because you can swap positions of your driver and item manager in order to carry more items at once. Oh, and I should mention that there are a bunch of new items to use as well. In fact, each racer has his or her own special attack item, such as Yoshi’s surprise egg, Princess Peach’s heart shield, and my personal favourite: Baby Mario’s chain chomp.

Other new gameplay additions include the ability to perform a “double dash” (a quick speed boost when coming out of a power slide), and when teaming up with a friend, the ability to reach out and bitch slap an opposing team’s driver as you pass them.

As you might expect, when playing Grand Prix mode there are 3 cups you can initially compete in at 3 speed classes. Each cup has 4 tracks, and although they draw more from the Mario Kart 64 designs than the SNES or GBA versions (kind of a disappointment in my eyes), there are some really fun courses including the “Daisy Cruiser” track which runs laps around the deck of a cruise ship, and “DK Mountain” which features a barrel cannon that blasts you up the side of a volcano.

Now as any Mario Kart fan will tell you, multiplayer action is the key to this game… in particular the battle mode. In addition to the standard Balloon Battle mode, Double Dash introduces 2 new types of battles: Shine Thief and Bob-omb Blast. Shine Thief is a keep-away type game where the objective is to grab the “shine” and hold onto it until a counter reaches zero. It bares some resemblance to “Tag” mode in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. Bob-omb Blast on the other hand is a chaotic, frenzied variation on the Balloon Battle. The only items you can pick up are bombs, and it’s a race to see who can score 4 bomb hits on their opponents the quickest. The catch is that every time you get hit by an opponent, you lose one of your own tallies. Both of these new battle modes are welcome enhancements to the game that add even more replay value, but in the end I think the good ol’ Balloon Battle is still tops in my book.

My biggest worry about this game was the controls, as I never felt that the N64’s analog controller did the game justice and I wasn’t convinced the Gamecube would handle any better. Thankfully, on the Gamecube the controls are as tight and responsive as ever. The only unanswered question for me is why they decided to eliminate the feather from the game. The ability to jump over an opponent’s turtle shell was always very valuable, particularly in battle mode. The least they could have done is to bring back the little hop that was once part of the power slide. Those cruel bastards.

I guess the most important aspect of the Mario Kart games is the fact that they appeal to just about anyone. They provide good, clean fun and a control scheme that is simple to learn but hard to master. That’s also probably why it’s one of the few games that seems to attract casual female gamers, and with the new dual rider mechanic and co-operative play mode, you can actually team up with your significant other and play this game together into the wee hours of the morning. Now if that’s not a solution for marital difficulties then I don’t know what is.

Early copies of Mario Kart Double Dash also came bundled with a bonus disc that included playable demos of Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, F-Zero GX, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mario Party 5 and Sonic Heroes. While none of these games are particularly groundbreaking, you have to admit that free goodies are where it’s at! — Sean