Developer: Nintendo EAD Publisher: Nintendo Release: 11/17/03 Genre: Kart Racer
Mario Kart Double Dash has one of the biggest mixed receptions of all time. Either you love it or hate it. Trying to bring new ideas to the racing genre is hard, especially for kart racers. You are driving around in a circle, how much more do you need? Nintendo brought some interesting ideas to the genre they helped popularize but they were not all fully embraced by fans. That being said the core is still great and that is what matters.
One of the first big changes is the expanded roster. Double Dash more than doubles its cast from eight to twenty. Fan favorite Lakitu returns and is joined by Diddy Kong, Waluigi, Bowser Jr, Daisy and Toadette. Unfortunately they also introduced baby versions of Mario and Luigi which is redundant and a waste. More choices is always welcome and it ties in to the game’s biggest new feature.
Mario Kart Double Dash’s biggest hook is the dual character setup. This is no longer a solo affair as you ride in a two-man team. In addition there are multiple selectable karts with different stats. Your character choices affect which kart you can use and offer some strategic depth. Each kart is rated in speed, acceleration, and weight. I say some depth because there isn’t much to it. The karts fall into three categories; balanced, high speed but slow acceleration and fast acceleration but lower high end. It would have been cool to match up, say Bowser or Donkey Kong with Baby Mario to balance their weaknesses but alas.
The more interesting feature of character selection is weapon usage. The list of power-ups has nearly tripled, with character specific items thrown in. Almost all of these are extremely cool. Bowser tosses a giant spiked turtle shell that bounces all around the track. The Mario Brothers have special triple fireballs that bounce along the entire track and hit everyone in its path. Peach and Daisy have probably the coolest item, the heart. This allows them to absorb impacts from items and steal it for their use. Only the person riding in the back can pick up items which necessitate switching characters to be the most effective. As cool as it is in single player it really shines in multiplayer. This is the coolest element in the game and carries forward in subsequent titles for a reason. It’s awesome.
The track design has seen a significant overhaul and for the better. There are both new tracks and unique spins on returning favorites. Mushroom City and Mushroom Bridge are both reminiscent of Toad’s Turnpike. But now there are different paths through the city and varying traffic rather than a straight circle. Speaking of which, Baby Park is one of my favorite new courses. It’s a simple circle that comprises seven laps with a heavy emphasis on weapons. A close runner up is Daisy Cruiser, a fast paced race through the tight confines of a luxury liner. I could not imagine this on the N64. As impressed as I am Double Dash has its share of duds like Dry Dry Desert and Yoshi’s Circuit. But I will say the good outweighs the bad.
My biggest issue with Mario Kart 64 was its awful rubberband AI. It has been toned down significantly, making the single player campaign more enjoyable. The computer always being a step behind no matter what ruined that game in my eyes and thankfully that isn’t much of an issue. Items still heavily favor those in lower positions but even with that if you run a perfect race it won’t matter. The improved framerate and handling also assist in that. I won’t lie; I fully expected Nintendo to double down on the AI but I’m glad they didn’t and the game is better for it.
There is a wealth of unlockable content for those that want more. Earning gold in the three standard cups will unlock the Special Cup, home to some of the hardest courses in the game. The racing standard Mirror Mode awaits if you that is your thing. The All-Cup Tour is the biggest addition. This grueling Cup features all sixteen tracks in a randomized order outside the first and last. I love this stuff and glad it is here even if it is difficult to unlock. Beyond that there are some hidden characters, tracks, and battle courses. It sounds like a lot but they unlock in a roundabout manner. There are no real surprises and compared to Smash Melee it feels light.
The Battle Mode for many is Mario Kart’s reason for existing. Double Dash excels in this area to an extent. There are three battle modes this time and each is insanely fun. Balloon Battle returns unchanged. Shine Thief is a hectic game of hot potato as you try to keep the Shine sprite as long as possible. Bomb Om Blast is a mad dash to blow each other up with nothing but bombs. Admittedly I have little experience with that mode but what I played I liked. The four battle courses are expertly designed with more unlockable. What is here is solid but that is the problem. Mario Kart Double Dash released when the industry had fully embraced online play. Nintendo’s stubbornness hurt the game with its lack of online play. What is here is solid but Double Dash could have been over the top with full online play.
In Closing
Mario Kart Double Dash is a great entry in a classic series that could have been more. Solid production values and great gameplay are only let down by an average amount of content. Other than that you’ll still have a blast with what it has to offer.
