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.

Comments

Lack of Progress = Bullshit

[mraymer]

Sorry, but I read this and see this everywhere, and what I think is happening is one reviewer said it and none of the others have the balls to say it's not true.

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.

Re:Lack of Progress = Bullshit

[mraymer]

They didn't introduce any new behaviors, they just added another way to map existing behaviors onto two controllers. Innovative idea, I'll grant, but I don't see this earn MK the title of "huge progress" on its own.

Well, not exactly. The driver has to start the power slide, the gunner has to push the right direction to get it going. So they kind of split a behavior in half, which we might as well call a new behavior.

And besides, the technical aspect of how it was done is not important: it's the end result. Does it feel like progress? Yes. To me, it felt like an advancement of astronomical proportions. That's what matters, and that's what reviewers should focus on. Perhaps everyone is thinking as left-brained as you are, denouncing the progress because it wasn't an astounding technical achivement but rather a gameplay enhancement. An enhancement that improved the gameplay dramatically. Hence, progress. ;)

Re:Lack of Progress = Bullshit

[Hedonist123]

It does have some new behavior. Nothing's more fun than being the back player and being Bowser or DK and power sliding into other players on purpose, smacking them off the road. Plus having a person on the back makes those green turtle shells way more lethal. Just the cooperation and general yelling at each other when you get a bunch of people going in co-op mode makes it a ton of fun.

hed.

Re:Lack of Progress = Bullshit

[zonker]

some folks won't be happy until nintendo is out of the hardware business and makes mario games on the xbox where the princess wears skimpy outfits and has accurately modeled bouncing boobs and all of the folks in the mushroom kingdom carry bfg's and can perform bullet time.

btw, egm says on their frontpage "Could this be the most fun game of this year? Probably."

here's, their complete review (10, 10, 9.5).

Seven Years?

[Babbster]

This long between games and they couldn't put online play into a first-party, guaranteed popular game that features robust multiplayer? Big-time missed opportunity on Nintendo's part. This game - along with other popular multiplayer Nintendo games like Mario Party and Super Smash Bros. - is the kind that could make Nintendo an online force.

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.

MKDD is Great!

[clu76]

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.