GameCube

Mario Kart: Double Dash

Control is responsive, although the handling depends on your character combination and vehicle. All the characters and most of the tracks are available from the start (thankfully), and the new Mario, Luigi, and Bowser "baby" characters are absolutely hilarious. The races are extremely fun and unpredictable, and the "Battle Modes" are also worth checking out. Double Dash is a must-have for GameCube owners, and for you non-GameCube owners, this may be the excuse you've been looking for.

Mario Kart: Double Dash lets you take a friend along for the ride for double the fun. The high concept of placing classic Mario World characters behind the wheels of little go-kart racers worked magic in Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, so placing two characters into little go-kart racers should be a winner, “too right” Right! With Mario Kart: Double Dash, the plumber and pals ride into town to remind us all why we should play GameCube games.

Double Dash!! is the first Mario Kart game to take the genre to a whole new level. It's both exciting and interesting to see Nintendo look to the past for so many of their best titles. They reinvented Zelda, and now they've reinvented one of the most popular racing games of the 16-bit era. Its replay value is impervious to boredom – you will never, ever want to part with this game. It is a classic that will go down in gaming history as one of Nintendo's best offerings. It is another reason to buy a GameCube, and has given us all a reason to lug our 'Cubes to a friend's house for a LAN party.

Every Mario Kart release has been a hotly anticipated event. I’ll go out on a limb and say I’ve liked this series more than the Mario platformer series in the past 10 years (remakes not included). They’ve never disappointed with elevating the imitator-filled genre, and providing some of the best vehicle-based thrills in all of video games.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is about as good as kart racing gets on any console, and fans of the Mario Kart series will not be disappointed when they pick up this game. Anyone looking for a good game to play with friends or family should definitely pick up this game, as it is an instant classic. If you're in need of a game to relieve you of that extra cash that has been building in your wallet, look no further than Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

It goes without saying that Double Dash should be bought purely for the multiplayer. If you don't have friends over a lot or don't have anybody else to play with, your interest in this game will plummet. Online play would have skyrocketed the value of this title, but... we'll just have to wait until GameCube 2 hopefully. The current projects for online play through PC software look promising, but they're a hassle to set up and are still in the testing stages. But for multiplayer action at home with one system or even with multiple GameCubes connected through LAN, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! can't be beat. It does justice to the Mario Kart name and is certainly one of the most fun multiplayer experiences on the GameCube.

Rating Mario Kart: Double Dash is one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do, because I know that for me personally this is the one game I've always wanted to write about. A proper follow-up to Super Mario Kart - the most played game in my entire collection. The wrong score will probably haunt me for years, long after the comments thread stops kicking dirt in my face and my inbox is cleansed of vitriol. And that's why there's only one digit sat underneath this paragraph and not two. I could give it a 10 - I feel sure I could justify it to anybody stupid enough to tap me on the shoulder at a trade show or press junket and argue the point - but ultimately I'm resigned to the fact that it's not as monumental as it could be, and I know that though I may feel that way, others won't. And significantly they'll have to pay for it.

Wahnsinn! Mario Kart: Double Dash!! ist einfach nur fantastisch. Ich kenne kein Spiel, das im Mehrspieler-Modus so viel Spaß macht wie dieser Titel. Aber auch der Einzelspieler-Modus hält dank der andauernden Jagd auf Bestzeiten und der vielen Geheimnisse lange bei Laune. Dazu tragen auch die genialen Strecken bei, insbesondere im Spezial-Cup. Und hier liegt wohl auch die größte Schwäche (wenn man davon überhaupt sprechen kann) des Spiels: der Umfang! „Nur“ 16 Strecken und etwas mehr als vier Mehrspieler-Arenen. Da hätte man sich etwas mehr gewünscht. Aber trotzdem: Mir sind wenige hervorragend designte Strecken immer noch lieber, als 50 katastrophal gestaltete.

Mario Kart: Double Dash is a hit. No doubt about that. The game will definitely keep you busy in the cold and boring winter nights and when you invite some of your friends you’ll have one hell of a time with the incredible multiplayer mode. The graphics and sound effects are also top-notch. Too bad the music gets annoying after a while. The single player mode also isn’t too lenghty, but the replay-value is excellent. A must-have for every GC-owner!

Whilst it could be argued that Double Dash doesn’t offer anything new much from previous versions, is this really such a bad thing? Why change a winning formula? If Nintendo had gone in a radical new direction, the game would still have drawn comparison with its prequels and no doubt people would still find fault. But, for me Nintendo have added enough new dynamics in the two drivers per kart mechanics as well as the new weapons and character specific powerups to make the game still feel fresh and new. If you expect MK- -DD to be something new and completely different then you will be disappointed, but if like me, you lusted for Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart 64 but with improved graphics, sound and new tracks then you’ll be in Mario Kart heaven.

As mentioned, the unlockables really make this a sound purchase and any fan of the series would be pleased with this release. However, many will probably over-criticize the game because they still want the same feeling they received from the originals. Well, it’s not going to happen. No matter where you are in your gaming life, however, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is a solid, well thought out title for the whole family. If you have another person to play with, that makes it an even better purchase.

Hein ? Quoi ? Seulement 17/20 ? Et oui mes amis. Tout aussi marrant et fun qu'il soit, Mario Kart n'est pas non plus une grande révolution dans la série, le mode coopératif est plus un gadget qu'autre chose. Alors, oui c'est un bon jeu, mais on aurait aussi aimé en avoir plus. Plus de circuits par exemple, et pourquoi pas un mode online ! Ah mais, j'oubliais, Nintendo ne fait pas dans le online... Il avait pourtant une belle occasion de s'y mettre, là.

Bref, Mario Kart : Double Dash !! se contente un peu du minimum syndical, mais s’en contente bien. Pas une révolution, mais pas dénué de nouveautés, ce nouvel épisode d’un de jeux les plus funs au monde s’impose sans conteste comme la nouvelle référence du multijoueur. Les amateurs de Mario Kart 64 apprécieront sans aucun doute. Quant aux joueurs qui idolâtrent la version Super Nintendo, ils n’ont qu’à rebrancher leur console fétiche. Point.

Many of you are reading this, wondering if this is the "Game of the Year" title that it has been anticipated as. While I can't give it that much credit, Double Dash has proven to be extremely solid, fun, and enjoyable for both long and short periods of time. Is Double Dash worth buying a GCN for? Probably not, but with its $79.99 price at Wal-Mart and large line-up of quality titles, including Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and more, GCN is the system to purchase this holiday season and Double Dash is the GCN game to own.

All in all, this is one hell of a fun racer, and it is even more fun the more people you have. The racing is an improvement from 64 but the battle is a major step down. Bring back the old go-karts and the same intense, fun battle, and this game will be back into its prime.

Sure, the ultra-realism of cars in Gran Turismo 4 make the karts in Double Dash -- from tree trunks to baby carriages -- seem pretty goofy, but that's the whole point. The animated series has always been about the things the other racing romps don't care about: wacky courses, zany characters, and at the heart of the game, a huge emphasis on no-holds-barred, high-speed combat.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is a great game. It delivers fun and challenging gameplay in both single-player and multiplayer modes, although the real test of time will show that multiplayer -- and, in particular, the co-op mode -- racing is the way forward. Once you've beaten the single-player game inside out, there's little incentive to go back and replay those harder tracks. MK:DD!! is a great- looking, great-playing game that most gamers will instantly warm to. We've all seen this kind of gameplay before, but the new additions make it worth checking out for sure. It's not the most original game this year, but it's one of the best you'll play on GameCube, and that's a fact.

Fellow GameCube and Mario Kart fans, I know what you're thinking. That we've taken too harsh a look at this beloved franchise, which has always been about good, simple fun. But Nintendo itself has said it is a company that innovates and is a company that does not want to deliver cookie-cutter sequels. Unfortunately, that's just what Double Dash!! is. It's good, clean multiplayer fun but it doesn't progress far beyond the N64 version other than in the visual department. In fact, it introduces new imbalances to the item system and has axed a few trusted control mechanics like the hop.

Despite the fact that it's still essentially the same game as Super Mario Kart, there is no denying the innate quality of the production of Double Dash. The game looks and moves great, the controls are responsive, and there's a nice variety of gameplay modes available. Still, considering the seven-year gap since Mario Kart 64 was released, it's hard not to be a little disappointed with the limited scope of the game. All of the items on the "things you need to make a Mario Kart game" checklist have been marked off, but the envelope hasn't been pushed, and in some respects, it feels as though Nintendo is just going through the motions. While this might trigger a nice little fit of nostalgia for players who had a blast playing Super Mario Kart in its heyday, it probably won't do much to seduce newer generations of gamers who have more exciting, inventive racing fare to choose from.

Mario Kart: Double Dash recaptures the simple magic that made the original a hit, but doesn’t make much of an effort beyond that. The inclusion of two-seater karts is a nice touch and the multiplayer game continues to shine, but the single-player lacks substance and the track design is generally pretty bland. After such a long wait, it's a bit disappointing that so little has changed. Still, the elusive fun factor checks in long enough to keep this game from getting a flat tire.

Det största felet med Mario Kart: Double Dash är varken bandesignen eller det mycket omdiskuterade tempot. Problemet är snarare att allting har sin tid och plats, och att det som var vansinnigt roligt 1996 inte känns fullt så angeläget år 2003. Har man tillgång till åtta TV-apparater och lika många Gamecube är det möjligt att upplevelsen blir unik. Under alla andra omständigheter markerar Mario Kart: Double Dash slutet på en alldeles fantastisk epok.

Double Dash!! offers the same gameplay we’ve seen and loved, or loved to hate from generations back on the SNES, and later on the N64. You’re given a cast of characters straight from the pages of Mario lore to use in no-holds-barred, pedal-to-the-medal…go-kart racing. All right, the premise doesn’t sound too gripping but it’s a formula that has been addicting for over a decade and continues to succeed even in today’s day and age. As it stands Double Dash!! is an honorable addition to the Mario Kart family, if not the strongest of the bunch. A must have for any GameCube owner with a few friends…not a hard concept at all in this day and age.

DD's graphics are nice and colourful, but everything seems less impressive and pleasing than I was expecting it to be. The drivers, passengers and karts all have lots of detail but the tracks and scenery lack definition. This means that everything moves smoothly, but there's little sensation of speed even in the 150cc class - certainly less than the original game managed to convey with its glitchy Mode 7 graphics. A karting game with no feeling of speed? - Oh dear… There are of course also moments of gaming magic, but again they are few and far between. DD is pleasant and easy to play up to a point, but never approaches the expected quality or fun levels of a Mario Kart game - which is obviously "double disappointing"!!

"Mario Kart: Double Dash" não desaponta fãs da série que esperavam se aventurar mais uma vez na opção multiplayer. E apesar das pistas serem perfeitas para quebradores de recordes, a opção Grand Prix sofre demais com os novos itens super-poderosos. Se você conseguir ignorar esse elemento que coloca sorte acima da habilidade, "Mario Kart" não decepcionará.