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Mario Kart Double Dash - GameCube Savior Or Rehash?
Thanks to GamesDomain for its review of Mario Kart: Double Dash for GameCube, as the reviewer rates Nintendo's latest kart update very highly, but comments that "...more seasoned gamers may grumble a tad at the general lack of progress", a view occasionally echoed by the overwhelmingly glowing reception from other sites, reminiscent of the (cynically?) subdued positivity regarding Soul Calibur II's release. However, IGN Cube is more critical still, suggesting the game "doesn't progress far beyond the N64 version other than in the visual department... [and] introduces new imbalances to the item system", plus "has axed a few trusted control mechanics like the hop." As for the title's reception outside the U.S., EuroGamer rectifies IGN's downer angle, and C+VG reports significant sales in Japan, with a knock-on effect for GameCube hardware, and a similar effect in the UK for a Mario Kart-including hardware bundle.
It's MARIO KART. It's GOING to be good
When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
The Mario Kart Double Dash that I played for the first time yesterday was a huge leap in progress compared to the SNES and N64 games.
First of all, the multiplayer co-op mode! Hello? Did you reviewers just not notice it? Or do you not know anyone else you can play it with? Lemme explain the co-op mode: One person steers, the other mans the weapons and does the power slides. And you can swap places! I'd file this one under "progress" people.
The reviews sound like this is Mario64 in GC graphics. It's not. This is a new Mario Kart game that represents the most progress in the series to date.
So slashdotters: Don't believe the reviews, they're mostly wrong. If you liked Mario Kart on SNES or N64, you'll love what they've done with it on the GC. It's that simple. If you don't like Mario Kart games, it's worth renting as the co-op mode might win you over.
End rant. Heh.
"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit." -Stephen Hawking
I thought that Mario Kart 64 was alright. A cute little racing game staring Nintendo mascot characters that was fun for a bit. After a few times playing it, you could see a couple flaws.
1. Multiplayer is where it's at. If you don't have 2 or 3 friends that will squint at their own corner of the screen, don't bother. Single player suffers from cheating computer opponents that are always a few mishaps away. It doesn't matter if your driving is average or perfect, once they are behind you, they will pass you the moment you make a mistake. Not fun at all.
2. Items are overpowering. Once you find out which items do what, you'll always go for the god-like lightning bolt. The items that require some skill to use are shoved to the side.
Mario Kart: Double Dash is supposed to support LAN play. that would be nice for people that already have Gamecubes and BBAs so it's a step in the right direction. I'll give it a chance before condemning it. Sure it's more of the same, but there are so many knock-offs that want to be.
You have the drift control, it's basically hop without the hop. Using it effectively still helps your speed out a ton, just doesn't look as fun, I suppose.
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PS - Please don't bring up third-party Internet hacks/workarounds. Nice as such solutions might be, they don't measure up to building the capability into the game from the ground up.
Lemme get this straight.. out of ALL the things in the game that could be complained about, IGN goes and complains about the removal of the HOP?! Wtf? What are they going to give Half-Life 2 a bad rating if the crowbar is not in the game? Will they shun the Metal Gear series if they don't use boxes anymore? Jeez, talk about nitpicking.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I never owned a Nintendo 64. I know I can't be the only one.
Why, exactly, would "it's too much like Mario Kart 64" be a problem to me?
I basically view the Gamecube and its games as the N64 if the N64 had been done right, anyway.
I do think it's too bad you cannot jump, though, furiously hopping around was my favorite part of Super Mario Kart.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Well as a certified mario Kart god, having logged millions of hours and having missed millions of classes during my undergrad due to both Mariokart and Marioklart64, I can say its good, the races themselves are a bit more exciting than 64's tracks but there isn't all that much new here. And it is definately harder than MK64 was though not as tough as some of the 150cc tracks in the original.
The two characters per cart is good idea though, and while the intial selection of carts is a little thin, there are a lot of aditional carts to unlock and even 4 hidden characters. The hop? no real loss there. With it's omission the steering becomes a bit more responsive since you can enter a power slide that much quicker. Not being able to hold an item behind the cart elminates some of my old cheese tricks (like lag back, get an invulnerable spinny shell and then hold it behind you for a indestructable rear shield and a melee attack) 2 of the default battle arenas are a bit lame, but the Luigi's Mansion arena is sweet. So all in all i think things balance out pretty good.
If you liked the other MK's you are going to like this one about as much so just go buy it already.
On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
My first impression of the game was, oh great, they dropped the ball. After another 10 hours into the game, I think it's right on par with MK64. I belong to the camp that MK64 was better than the original.
There is a lot of talk that MKDD didn't push the game as far as it could have gone. That there were no significant updates to the game. And that it is nothing more than a rehash. My comment to that is, what did you expect? It's Mario Kart. It follows the Mario Kart formula. If it didn't, it wouldn't be Mario Kart. I even read one review that claimed it captured they magic of the previous MK titles, but then bashed it for being the same as the previous MK titles.
My friends and I played MK64 for 3 years in college. And even to this day, when I see those friends, we pull out the MK64. I've never played a game that had such a lasting value. I personally applaud Nintendo for making the changes they made while still sticking to the formula.
So if you are going to complain about it not being a big leap over the MK titles of the past, the least you could do is suggest what you would have liked put into the game. Complaining that it's just the same game is redundant at this point.
the cosmos in 20 words or less: thumbuki.com
You're looney tunes, my man.
You're pulling some kind of weird theory out your ass, but you are not actually saying anything. Facts? What facts?
It seems like you're throwing a fit, cuz nintendo games aren't marketed directly to you. (They market toward a child-friendly GENERAL audience)
If you don't like MK:DD, then say so, but lets keep this about the GAMES and not some lame consipracy theory.
FUNK!