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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.
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 got Mario Kart yesterday. I'm very happy with it. I've never played the original Mario Kart, but I do own Mario Kart 64.
In MK64, I've never been able to consistently manage to avoid slipping on a bananna peel. It was frustrating when I played against someone who could, as it made the peels useless. So I'm glad they took that out.
Item management is much more interesting now. You can now lose items by getting hit. If you hit people the right way, you can steal their items. Dropped items fall onto the course, and become live. Really sucks to get a turtle shell knocked out of your hand, then have it land right in front of you and hit you as soon as you start moving again.
The two characters adds to the handling of the cart as well. Weight distribution affects turning.
I greatly disagree with IGN's comments that the courses are uninspired. Although they seem to draw a lot from MK64's ideas, I find the new courses more interesting. I especially liked the cruise ship course; I thought it was an interesting new course.
Although I liked Mario Kart 64, I never got into it as much as a game like say Smash Bros. I'm really liking Double Dash so far, I definately think it's a much better game than the previous one.
Quite honestly, I don't see how people can trash Double Dash but give Wind Waker high scores. Wind Waker was a step backwards compared to the previous game (lots of flaws in the game compared to past Zeldas...), but Double Dash doesn't seem to have any steps backward, unless you're mad that they've taken away the ability for experts to totally destroy newbies.
First of all, the levels are a little repetitive of the 64 version yes, but that doesn't mean that they aren't fun. The Cruise Ship level is a blast, as is the DK race. Wario's track is amazing too, so much chaos all at once.
The single player mode still suffers a little bit from cheating AI. They'll really nail you when you get out in front, especially 150 cc. I still haven't gotten the gold in all of them yet, after several hours of play (read, stayed up all damn night). But who cares, it's all about the multiplayer anyway.
Multiplayer quite simply rocks. The challenge of the races with friends on your tail is an absolute blast. So are the baloon and bomb modes, though the Shine mode of play leaves something to be desired.
Coop mode on multiplayer is definitely revolutionary in the Mario Kart world. Having eight guys play on two cubes is a blast and a half. The cooperation with your partner keeps the game fun practically forever. I love the fact that you can play on 8 cubes with 8 people, though I have yet to experience it, I'm sure we will.
All in all, a great buy, well worth the money. As a college student, nothing better on the weekends than getting hammed and playing great party games like this one.
hed.
http://goldysmom.blogspot.com
You know, I can see somebody spending 5 minutes with the game and complaining that it's not much different from Mario Kart 64. Play it a little longer than that, and a bunch of things come to light:
- The GCN version uses 3D models instead of the pre-rendered sprites like the 64-bit version did. The difference? Now you can choose your vehicle. Different character combinations result in different behaviour from the karts. Result? You can have your own individual style while you drive. Play a few races against a friend, and the difference slowly seeps in.
- The GCN version is much higher res, plus much smoother frame rate. That alone makes the multiplayer so much easier to play.
- The GCN version has the broadband adapter support. Presumably this means you can have two GCs in different rooms playing against each other. I'd *love* to play the battle modes without being able to see the otehr person's screen.
- The 2 driver addition adds some interesting subtleties to the game. For example, if you get bumped hard, the occupant gets dragged across the ground for a while before he hops back on. You notice this when you find yourself unable to swap drivers for a bit. Managing two items (one per occupant) really deepens the strategy to the game. My gf was a littler perterbed at me last night because I held on to a fire flower until the end of the race. I blasted her just long enough to cross the finish line first. To put it another way, strategy in this version of the game has a broader meaning than it did in the 64 version,
- The maps are far more imaginitive. As mentioned before by another poster here, the DK level is a blast. (no pun intended.) Much more challenging, and entertaining to boot. It's hard to describe with words, but I can tell you that the map upgrades have been quite noticable.
- There are two more battle modes to this game than in the 64 version, and they are far more entertaining. Not only do they require more skill than luck, but at times they are quite suspenseful. When you play the star battle mode (the name escapes me) when you score, it takes a point from the other person. The goal is to reach 3 points. My gf and I had a lot of fun with that one last night.
This is just the stuff off the top of my tired mind. There's more to it, though lots of it is subtle. Take any of these features on their own, and it doesn't sound so exciting. Take the way everything wraps up together in one big package, and you'll find the game to be much more entertaining than the 64 version. It really is a cool game. Revolutionary? Eh, maybe not. But it's been years since a Mario Kart game was made, and the work put into this one shows.
Sometimes I wonder if reviewers are just jaded. I mean, if it was just a re-release of MK64 with high res 60fps graphics, I'd understand. There's a lot more here. The only real complaint I guess they could have is that, on a fundamental level, it's still the same formula.
"Derp de derp."
I hope you naysayers will be just critical when Crash Nitro Kart comes out and doesn't present a massive leap forward in kart game technology. OMG teh tracks are uninspired! Coco has the same voice sample! why more crates again!