I loved Mario Kart 64, or I should say I LOVE Mario Kart 64. Ever since 1997, I've probably played the game at least once every two weeks with a good friend of mine. Now, six years later, a sequel is out. Does it expand the game series as it should? Or does it remain six years in the past?
The graphics definitely show Mario's world, as it should - everything is bright, colorful, and well animated. The environments are detailed and still hold the cartoon-feel they should have. The vehicles players can select from are varied in appearance and just flat-out cool. However, the character models need a bit of work in the geometry area. Overall, the graphics certainly meet standards and are simply great.
The audio corner of this outing is also done well. The character's voices are done well and aren't at all annoying – 'tis fun to hear their comments while racing. The music is composed brilliantly and fits all of the surroundings, and the sound effects are top-notch; no complaints here.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'s main gimmick is the new feature of two characters per vehicle. The person in front handles the driving, and the person in back handles item use, item stealing, and drifting. Characters can be put into any pair, and most characters can ride in any of the vehicles. This adds a little bit of strategy to the game. Each character has their own special item, so how could the two of the characters use their items to create a devastating combo? Should you get both people items (you can switch their location in the vehicle by pressing Z mid-race) and go crazy at once? These are some things you'll have to think about.
You have many options in multiplayer. You can go head-to-head in versus, go into a Grand Prix, have two humans in the same cart, or hook-up GameCubes with LAN. All of these are tons of fun, like in Mario Kart 64. Overall, multiplayer is just as much fun as the past games, if not more. However, the Battle Mode maps are too small and simple.
The single player modes are the same as usual – Grand Prix and Time Trial. Time Trial is what you expect – and so is Grand Prix. In Grand Prix, you have to race through four tracks and try to earn the most points by ranking high. All of the tracks are fun, especially the later courses. One course may have you driving near a beach, while others have you in the city, while another may have you on a colorful road high in the sky (hint). The item boxes now have two types: Single and Double. Singles give the passenger an item, while Doubles give both characters an item. There are no new basic items, but most of the character's special items are new. You can switch character locations at anytime to get more items. There's not much new, which is good and bad. On one hand, it remains true to the older games. On the other hand, it is not up to par as a single-player game. And why, oh WHY isn't there an abort button that puts you back on track? There are many places in these courses that can get you stuck. But that doesn't prevent this game from being great.
Like Mario Kart 64, this game can last a very long time as a multiplayer game. However, this game is relatively weak for a soloist gamer. The One-Player dishes out way too obvious of awards, and has no creativity beyond the days of 1997. Even in Multiplayer, the Battle Mode is kind of weak due to the lackluster courses, but Bob-omb Blast Mode rules! Though this game is really good, Mario Kart 64 just seemed to have no age and be fun forever, but this game will not last forever like it did.
Though it's not perfect, this is a great game. The tracks are designed well, the new vehicle ideas are interesting, and it's cool to see character-exclusive items. A very fun game if you stick to multiplayer, and an okay one for a loner.
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