I have a feeling it's not going to be a trendy point of view, and that there are people just itching to give it a kicking, but I reckon that Mario Kart Double Dash is, in fact, excellent.

After all the scared thoughts of whether it would be a bit naff, it's like the superb (and underrated) Mario Kart 64 with a couple of knobs on. And even better, the battle mode is back to its SNES level of goodness. So it's the best of both worlds. Multiplayer Mario Kart should never be underestimated.

Hurrah!

IGN gave Mario Kart an average review and a 7.9 which by IGN's scoring standards, is crap.

I should be receiving my copy any day now. £29.99 from Amazon :D


giant_frying_pan

Apart from IGN's uncharacteristic review, I haven't seen a negative one so far. Check out Eurogamer's review for example.

I've preordered it but I'm not sure I will pick it up tomorrow... I should get on and write my dissertation really.

Check out Gamespot too (7.9).

Since IGN and Gamespot are the two biggest internet reviewers out there their opinions must be right.

I am sure IGN are adament that Dr Muto, Hulk and FIFA 2004 are all better than Mario Kart :lol:

Anyhow, I am expecting my copy to arrive any day now, and from most of the complaints I have heard about it, I am expecting it to be excellent indeed.

I heard a few bad things from "gamers", so I'm a little concerned. Like why I have they ditched the "hold stuff behind you" thing? Are you completely open to attack unless you have the invicibility power up? Seems a bit weird to get rid of that, when it worked so well in MK64 (and MK? I can't remember).

They might have ditched that but I was under the impression it was because the whole 'two per cart' thing had replaced it - the character/player at the back of the cart can hold extra item(s?) and defend against other carts.

I'm not sure about the holdiing thing, I couldn't get it either.

But yes: it is superb. I fail to see how anyone could dislike it. Unless, of course, you hate Nintendo games anyway.

The Mario Kart series has always received varied reviews anyhow.

I remember being put off the SNES version by TOTALs review which scored it somewhere in the eighties.

MK64 received very varied reviews too.

I dont think us MK fans have too much to worry about.

I just hope the time trialling offers more life than the F-Zero version which was ruined by the snaking technique.

I loved time trialling in the SNES version, but the shortcuts of the N64 one put me off - I think this has been rectified in the GC version so I am happy indeed.

Not another 'snake technique' moaner... I don't get how that could ruin F-Zero. I love it. I haven't learnt the snake technique, I haven't read about how to do it, as far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist - and if/when I do eventually learn it, it'll be rewarding.

Seems it's a bit too colourful and happy for IGN. They like big guns, and lots of 'em.

Um. I think I like the new mario kart, but I'm not entirely sure that the changes that have been made are for the better. Like, where's the hop before you powerslide, man? Still, I've only played single-player so far, which I've always found to be something of an empty experience in mario kart, so I'll reserve my judgement until I've played the parts I bought the game for.

The multiplayer modes are a right old treat.

I'd agree that getting rid of the hop wasn't the wisest move in the world. And I'm not sure how the tracks will play for long-term time-trial thrills - because they're more novelty based they may not prove too good for serious record-setting attempts. But for grand prix and multiplayer larks they can't be beat.

I wrote this somewhere else, I'll reprint it here:

Right then, I've been playing this all afternoon with my brother.

Racing is lots of fun, but doesn't feel quite 'tight' enough for one reason or another. This said, I'm just beginning to get a feel for the handling (the drifts feel more like the SNES version and in a smilar way there's a real feeling of acheivement sliding round a corner in the shortest line possible). Also! Rainbow Road isn't a ten minute behemoth like before and the music for it seems to be a remixed version of the SNES music. Excellent!

However, I think the new battle mode exceeds the heights of SNES excellence and is brilliantly anarchic in a way that the rather sparse MK64 isn't. Both Shine Thief and Bomb-Omb blast are excellent additions to balloon mode, and Shine Thief in particular is a Stop-The-Pidgeonesque laugh riot. AND! You can nick people's balloons if you're very good.

Overall then: fun.

Wouldn't it be nice if they did some sort of Mario Kart All-Stars where they reversioned the original MArio Kart and Mario Kart 64 so they both looked ace and ran at 60 FPS and you could play the new battle modes on them and things?

Not in the original. Whilst you can't hold something out behind you in defense as before, you are given a warning as to whether there is something on the way so you can chuck something behind you and destroy it.

Daisy and Peach have a special forcefield-esque power-up where they can take two hits before spinning out.

I ended up getting MK today.

I take it everyone here watches Neighbours. Go on, you do.

You know how Lynn is somehow estranged from her baby? She knows she should love it, but just can't, so she steals things from shops.

Well, I stole Mario Kart from- no, wait.

You know how Lynn is somehow estranged from her baby? Well that's a fair comparison between me and the new Mario Kart. I love the dual-racer thing, the carts handle in an enjoyable way and the powerups are as fun as ever, but there's something not quite right about the tracks.

In every other Mario Kart each track has seemed distinctive - even challenging. None of the tracks I have played in the first three cups have seemed very inspiring. They lack a certain special-ness.

However all is not lost. In time I think I will grow to love the new Mario Kart as I have loved the others - even Mario Kart 64, which I always thought was a fine sequel. Dunno why it was cussed so much.

Super Circuit is the best in the series so far I reckon, apart from the original itself that is.

I think they 'click' after a little while - there were a few tracks I wasn't sure of to start with, but now there's only one I don't particularly like and that's Dry Dry Desert. There are some real classics in there. Baby Park is brilliant on a fast grand prix or in multiplayer. Peach Beach, Daisy Cruiser, Waluigi Stadium, Yoshi Circuit, DK Mountain, Wario Colosseum and Bowser's Castle are all super.

And Brig Bother's right about the battle mode. After the sheer dullness of the MK64 battles these are a breath of fresh air.

Yes, I had a go on the battle modes earlier today and they are great - especially Shine Thief, which I had my doubts about.

Yes! Vrrrooooom!

I love Dk Mountain and Yoshi Circuit. I agree that they dont seem to click to begin with, but once you play them on 150cc and actually have to go someway towards learning them to win you appreciate them all the more.

Just to harp back a little - the snake technique ruined time trial for me because the whole point in time trial is to try to compete with others. There is no point competing with others if the others are breaking their pads snaking around in half the time I managed.

This is actually the same reason why I hated time trialling in Mario Kart 64 - I hated the glitchy shortcuts you were forced to use to get good times.

Luckily it seems none of this is in DD :D.

I have managed to get gold on all the cups apart from 150cc special cup, but am still enjoying it immensely. Everyone really needs to try it in co-op mode, it is great fun.

Personally I havent thought much of the battle mode games - especially the shine get, but then I never enjoyed the battle modes in the previous games either. I am more of a racer :).

I've always preferred the racing but the battle modes in MKDD are really very, very good indeed. Especially a normal balloon battle on Cookie Land - absolutely brilliant.

I bet that Stuart Campbell thinks it's the worst game ever made, or something.

I played it in a shop, and I'm sure as sugar that Wario did a "("HOKEY COKEY" - Ed)ing" hand motion.

Or was it just me?

They all make gestures of some sort... but yes, some of them look downright offensive. Considering all the swearing that goes on during the average Mario Kart multiplayer session it's only right that the characters should join in as well.

I think this game wipes the floor with MK64.

Track design is universally better, handling is better, it doesn't have borders, it's a solid 60fps...

...("HERTZ VAN RENTAL" - Ed) though are preparing to give it a so-so review, after obviously looking at IGN, Gamespot and that leaked Edge score.

Why do people like MK64 so much?


giant_frying_pan

Because they are big fat idiots.

I have been loving DD too - great fun, especially if you have someone on hand to co-op with :D.

IMO it rights everything that was so wrong about MK64.

I think a lot of people like Mario Kart 64 so much because it's a truly great game. It split opinion almost as much as Double Dash seems to be doing, but surely anyone with half a brain could see that for multiplayer larks MK64 was the best thing available at the time?

I liked it.

Indeed, other than the aggravating speedy catch-up-of-cheaty-doom. Although MK64 was only really fun in multiplayer doing proper races, the battle tracks being rather large and rather dull.

DD takes what MK64 did and extends it.

Yeah - I have always had a problem with this kind of AI.

It ruined single player MK64, and the single player Wave Race: BS for me.

I was jumping for joy when I found out DD had real AI.

The revange of the disseminator.

("HERTZ VAN RENTAL" - Ed) have indeed given mkdd a so so review. Saying that it "ultimatly diapionts" and it's "half-hearted" it scored seven out of ten.

That review in full:

"DD is lots of fun, but this is the wrong reason to like games and it's not ostenably cool. The boring, bland track design (Baby Park is just an oval!) misses the point of racing games entirely. However, you just think we're trying to be pointlessly controversial by awarding it an average mark, aaaaah, but we're going to point out that you think that's what we're doing so as to counter it aaaaaaaah. 7/10"

Me? I think it deserves 7.1 at the very least.

7/10 is possibly what I would give the game, maybe an 8 after I play multiplayer with people other than my sister.

The track design in MK64 was atrocious, barring Wario Stadium. Most Double Dash stages are very good or better.


giant_frying_pan

Seems to sum it up quite well, tragically.

When I saw that DD had a seven-lap track in Baby Park, I cheered. Audibly.

I'm glad that a couple of tracks weren't the MK64-standard 3 laps. I wish there were a few five-lappers though.


giant_frying_pan

I wish I liked it more. Why don't I like it more? I don't want to go around agreeing with ("HERTZ VAN RENTAL" - Ed).

Overall, then, is this ACTUALLY better, or worse than Mario Kart 64?

I mean, I loved the original Mario Kart to the max, and everyone said that MK64 didn't compare, and it was poo, etc. But I also love MK64, and was playing it just last week.

I have the old SNES version, albeit on an emulator.
Nowadays, though, I wouldn't dream of playing the original MK, when I could just as easily play MK64.

Is this just another case of it being "different", and in 4 or 5 years time, will everyone be "loving up" MK Double Dash!!, and "dissing" MK Triple Dash!!!, or whatever?

I have a CameCube, because I'm a poor-ass student, and it was cheap. Would you all advise me to buy it - keeping in mind that I have a poor-ass?

You do understand me, don't you??? I'm very drunk, see.

I am also a poor-ass student. But I have just found more part-time employment! Woo!

I'm not so sure I should have got MK:DD so close to F-Zero. When I was playing Mario Kart I was THINKING about F-Zero...

It seems to be hard to really tell someone whether to get this game or not.

For every person (like me) who is loving it, there is another who is disapointed.

See if you can try it out or something before you buy, but I would certainly say it was a better game than MK64.

Also make sure you have some friends before buying because it really is multiplayer at heart.

If you are after a single player racer F-Zero is your man.

This does seem to be the case. I wonder what they were expecting?

DD is the first game in ages I'm actually *enjoying* (other than Texas Hold Em, but that's another story). F Zero is lovely and speedy and exhilarating, but I haven't really played it much in the last fortnight and I have to really be bothered to put it on. I can quite happily put on Mario Kart for a quick play. Also: I'd say DD was much more accessable to 'dabblers' such as the majority of my chums.

I enjoyed MK64, but for me DD takes 64 and improves upon it.

You're spot on, for if you convert '64' and 'DD' to hexidecimal, you get '100' and '221' respectivly and I believe that is conclusive proof.

500 posts-me-do!!!


giant_frying_pan