Most people will look at this game and think "Wow! 2 people racing on one kart? That's Insane!" Sadly, 2 racers changes very little in terms of gameplay. But Mario Kart: Double Dash delivers amazingly well on just having plain and simple fun. It doesn't match with Super Mario Kart, but it's as close as you can get.
Surprisingly, Nintendo didn't realize the graphics when they released the game. They aren't bad, but far from perfect. Jagginess and block graphics dot the charector models, which is most noticable on Waluigi. The player holding the items looks a bit stiff. And the fishing boo that appears before the start-up screen looks like something they pooled out of Dreamcast. The rest of the game isn't nearly this ugly, but I couldn't help passing these details up.
The music is pretty boring actually. It doesn't draw you into a massive surreal illusion while playing the game as one would hope. Instead, it gives you the feeling that you'd rather pop in a CD and turn on mute. Sound effects are nice though, with all the shwoosh and zooms of shells racing by you and lighting bolts striking all of your opponents. Skidding the karts actually sounds like skidding karts.
And for the rest of the bad: Swithching charectors is actually pretty useless. Sure people say "But you can hold two items at once", but Nintendo could have done that with just one charecter. When both players have an item and the one in back uses his, they automatically switch, leaving the Z button feeling pretty lonely. The last flaw is the cheap computer. Countless times have I found myself in first when I get struck by lightning, losing my items, then hit by a blue shell, causing me to fall to second, when the player in pole position uses a banana peel with out giving me a chance to recoup. I'll lose my balnce then a heavy kart rams me into a boiling pit of lava, dropping me down to sixth, all with in 10 seconds. This will happen to you a lot. And if you can't handle, I'd suggest not picking it up.
Now onto all the good! Gameplay is a blast. Unlike Mario Kart 64, you have more than one reason to play through all of the cups to get Gold. Not only are personal records kept, but with dozens of unlockables, you'll find yourself hooked for weeks. Finally a Mario Kart that has more than 8 charecters. Double Dash has a host of 20 mascots to choose from. And plenty of rides each with their own unique stats keep things fresh.
The level design is grand. You'll find that, even after months of playing, you will find a shortcut you just haven't come across yet. And they are all cleverly placed in spots that you will miss if you blink. There are crazy obstacles dotting every course (save for Baby Park, which is just an oval) that will give you kart a beating if your not careful. After racing in Wario Stadium, you'll understand what I mean by great level design.
And then there is Battle Modes. You've got Balloon Battle, which has gotten old because of playing it on Mario Kart 64; Shine Theif, which lasts about 90 seconds and isn't very fun; and Bomb Battle. This is what you came here for. These battles can last up to 10 minutes and will provide you with fun no matter what course you ride at. Sadly, however, only two course are designed well. Block City, Cookie Land, Tilt-a-kart, and the Gamecube are so lame, you'll never want to race there again. The other two, Luigi's Mansion and Pipe Plaza, are clever and unique. These are the places you'll want to battle at for ages.
While it does contain some flaws, the secrets, shortcuts, level design, and anything else that would be considered a pro heavily outweighs them. Do your self a favor and add Double Dash to your library if your a fan of racing games.
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