Video Games : Mario Kart: Double Dash! (GameCube)

Rating: - Too slow, too boring and too rubbish.
Mario kart double dash has got to be one of the worst racing games in the history of the world. I must admit that 2 player is slightly amusing but thats as far as it goes. The one player is soo slow and even if you get near the finish line you mysteriously get shot several times.

Now i am not a great fan of F-zero GX but it is alot more fun.

I definitely prefer the SNES and the N64 version compared to the new mario kart. You would think that with such a rubbish racer game they would at least give it good graphics, but NO! The graphics are edgy, slow, and jumpy.

You would also think that with a title like 'mario kart' you would be able to explore a bit, but once more NO! The tracks are practically railed.

P.s. i am a strong game cube fan so i'm not just saying this just to put the gamecube down.

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Rating: - The best cube game so far.
As with all the Mario games. This is fun fun fun. There's loads to do. Plenty of carts, characters and new courses to unlock. Many hours of enjoyment to be had here.

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Rating: - It keeps getting better!
Ah, finally the long awaited and highly anticipated Mario Kart: Double Dash is released! Nintendo has worked hard at delivering this sequel and I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with it.

Gameplay (10/10): The gameplay has been changed from the previous versions of Mario Kart and it doesn't necessary mean it's bad news. In fact the new system works quite well. Instead of having a single karter, you can pick two now. One being the driver and one being the Item Manager. There are also several different karts to choose from, one for each character. This is good change, since you are no longer stuck to driving the kart that is assigned to your karter. Besides from the usual items that we have all known to love, there are also special ''Character Specific'' items. These items are exclusive to the characters you have chosen and have special effects as well. For instance, if you choose Mario, his special item is a fireball and if you choose DK, his item is a giant banana. These new items are a good addition to the game. For reason Nintendo has decided to remove the jump feature from this version of Mario Kart, but it doesn't really affect the gameplay that much.

As usual, the game has several cups for you to choose from being Mushroom, Flower, Star and Special. There are also two secret cups which I won't spoil for anyone :P The racing system remains the same, which is a points system. Each time you come in the top 4 places you'll be awarded with points. For example, if you come first you'll get 10 points and if you come second you'll get 8 points etc. Whoever gets the most points at the end of the cup wins. A cup has 4 tracks and usually you'll have to do 3 laps around each track, although there are a few exceptions.

Surprisingly this version of Mario Kart has unlockables! There are secret characters, karts, cups and tracks to unlock which is a great improvement from the previous versions, since they were a bit lacking in the extras area.

Multiplayer has been improved as well. This is most notable in Battle mode. Each map has been improved and they are easy to navigate, but at the same time rather complex. They well much improved from the Mario Kart 64 battle maps.

Story (NA/10} : I can't really give a mark for the story since there isn't one :P

Graphics/Sound (9/10): the graphics are much improved from it's previous counterparts. Each character model is done nicely and each track is very colorful and the themes involved are quite varied. You won't really see the same track theme more than once. The sound and music in this game is done quite well, but it isn't outstanding either. The usual sound effects return and the music is done quite well. Each track suits it's corresponding track theme.

Replayability (8/10): Mario Kart was never intended for single player racing. In order to fully enjoy the Mario Kart experience, multiplayer is the way to go. You'll have so much more fun in multiplayer racing and especially Battle mode. You can even connect have a LAN session of MK and increase the fun to eight players! Overall, this game is enjoyed best in it's multiplayer form.

Overall, this is extremely fun game and I highly recommened it to anyone who has Gamecube. Single Player can get boring, but multiplayer never seems to get old.

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Rating: - return of a classic!
mario kart double dash is a very pleasing return of the classic! For people who loved the original mario kart this may seem strange at first because of the way your kart handles but when you actually buckle down into the game you relise that "magic" mario kart fell is still there (and even bigger than before). The game has a much bigger selection of mario characters for you to choose ,including some new ones(but i wont spoil it for you). So overall this game iz a must buy for all nintendo or racing fans and excells in multiplayer. But beware because even though it has cutesy graphics its still a mean game and things WILL get pretty hot if ur playing with friends, but thats what mario karts are all about! I strongly recommend this brilliant version of a classic game.

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Rating: - Mario Kart
Mario Kart has had its fair share of versions. Its been on the SNES, N64, GBA & now the GCN.

Graphics

Smooth with no pop-up that run at 60FPS. Feels like your playing an arcade game.

Sound

DPL2 supported but the music somewhat falls short, chirpy tunes that will have you whistling when your waiting for a bus, but barely do the job.

Gameplay

If you owned MK64 this should keep you interested, just don't expect it to feel really different. It has enough innovation to grant the £30 price tag (from Amazon) and a multiplayer that even your Nan will enjoy.

Replay value

Plenty to unlock and the multiplayer never gets old.

Overall

A decent game that only just misses the mark because it feels so much like the last.