It's been a long time since the days of MK64. I assumed that when the GameCube came out that we'd get a new Mario Kart at some point, but I never imagined it would take them this long. They spent all that precious time cranking out numerous crappy games instead, it seems. Flawed logic in my opinion but, eh...I don't work for Nintendo.
I almost hate to say it, but they probably should've spent more time on this disc and created an even better game. Don't get me wrong: there are a lot of great things about this new Mario Kart. However, it's basically a slightly souped-up version of MK64. There aren't a lot of new features added to the formula, and there aren't even a gross number of new tracks to brag about. To put it simply, what they gave us is good, but it could easily be better.
Double Dash gets its name from the fact that you have two characters to a kart now instead of just one. The weight of your characters determines what kind of vehicle you're allowed to drive--everything from flyweight to heavyweight. Choosing your kart is a lot of fun, and they have some pretty wacky designs. And there are a lot more characters to pick from, including Princess Daisy and Waluigi (doubtless that some of you don't even know who he is). One of your selected characters is the driver while the other hangs onto the back and throws items. You can switch between them at any time, meaning it is possible to carry two items at once. That's probably the nicest new feature. All the characters have specific soundbites that they repeat endlessly. These get annoying after awhile, but they aren't too bad. Daisy's "Brutal" remark if you come in fourth or below is amusing, at least.
The new courses are interesting, ranging from the basic "circuit" loops we've seen since the SNES days of MK, to drives through the city, beach, and even a cruise ship. There's plenty of eye-candy too, and everything is bright, colorful and cheerful--the style we'd expect for an addition to Mario's whimsical universe. The background soundtracks all fit their specific tracks nicely without being invasive to your concentration, but there's not much variety. Much of the music is recycled amongst courses with similar themes, so that's a bit of a dissappointment. The music you get is quite nice and "hummable"--it'd be better to have more of it.
So overall, this is a good game with some room for improvement. It sticks to the tried and true Mario Kart forumla, but doesn't take it in any grand new directions. But if it's more of the same that you want, then by all means, this is the perfect addition to your library.
Midnight's Grade: B
Written January 2004
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