Gaming Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

[Semjaza]

The powerslide. It's still in the game in some fashion.

I hope Shinmaru was being sarcastic with his Game Informer comment lol

Anyway, this review means nothing to me. Why they had Fran do it, I have no idea. Fran is historically very whiny and if he doesn't get exactly what he expects, he complains and judges the game soley based on that. This seems like another one of those situations.

Should I trust every review thus far, or the only bad from from a rather average site like IGNCube? The place has gone downhill, I'd say. I think I'll go with EGMs review, personally.

[James]

[color=#707875]To give you an example of the differing opinions...here are excerpts from the 1UP.com impressions of the Japanese version.

You can find the full article here: [url]http://www.1up.com/article2/0,4364,1371346,00.asp[/url]

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[quote]The doubling-up of characters adds a nice layer of strategy to the game, because it dictates your choice of vehicle (two small characters can't control Bowser's kart while Donkey Kong can't fit into Baby Mario's kart) and what special attacks you'll have access to. Each character now has their very own special attack that they can randomly receive through the familiar question blocks. Some attacks are pretty standard -- the Princesses have a set of hearts that protect them (similar to how a trio of shells used to rotate around karts in Mario Kart 64) and Yoshi has a homing egg attack -- while others are far more over-the-top. Take Bowser's giant shell or the Chain Chomp that drags Baby Mario along the track before detaching to attack anyone in the vicinity. With two characters, you can mix and match your special attacks?or just pick two similar characters to maximize your chances of getting that one special you want (that Chain Chomp is incredibly useful).
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[quote]That aforementioned defensive manoeuvre comes in the form of a little indicator that pops up whenever a homing weapon (be it a shell or an egg) closes in on the back of a kart. Unlike Mario Kart 64, you cannot "hold" a weapon behind your kart to block, and so you have to time the release of a weapon that can be laid behind you (like a green shell or a banana) to intercept the incoming homing weapon. It's not exactly difficult, but it's not an automatic defense like in Mario Kart 64 and can catch you if you don't time things right.[/quote]

[color=#707875]As if these comments were not interesting enough, read the following about Mario Kart's tracks. It's the polar opposite to what Fran wrote:[/color]

[quote]However, the real star of the show here are the tracks. Taking a cue from Super Mario Kart, there are shortcuts everywhere. Some involve the use of a mushroom, but all require absolute concentration and skill to spot and use. One of my favorites from the early tracks is the shortcut across the beach in the Super Mario Sunshine -inspired town, which is easy to spot but should only be attempted when you see the tide going out. Given that you have about a second or two to watch the tide and then pick a direction (shortcut or safe route), it can get hairy. There are a lot of other great shortcuts throughout the game though, and most are far more cleverly hidden (hmm, are those boost pads on the arch of the Mushroom Bridge?). And Rainbow Road needs to be seen to be believed.
There's also a lot more interaction on the tracks. Goombas roam free. Piranha Plants and Chain Chomps snap away at cars that wander too close to the edge. One track even has a little pick-up truck with a stack of mushrooms in the rear racing along with normal traffic, and if you hit the truck you loosen the pile of mushrooms enough to put them all over the road. Run over one, and you've got an instant boost.
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[color=#707875]I particularly like the comments abou how the tracks are so interactive, like with the mushroom truck.

Again...I'm not sure who is more reliable here. But I suspect that 1UP.com will get a bit more respect from me, considering the jaded nature of IGNcube.[/color]

[Shinmaru]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i]
[B]I hope Shinmaru was being sarcastic with his Game Informer comment lol[/B][/QUOTE]

Well, you know that I can't avoid the sarcasm sometimes, but that was Charles who said that, not me lol. Silly Tony :p

Anyway, as everyone has said, IGN's opinion of the game is a bit ridiculous at best. I mean, the addition of more than one person who can ride a kart is a more than noteworthy addition to the gameplay. It makes you wonder how much IGN really experimented with this facet of the game. I'm guessing very little.

And IGN's complaints about the lack of shortcuts is a bit unfounded, as well. I only use shortcuts in Time Trial mode and that's it. To get the full enjoyment out of Mario Kart, it's best to stay with the pack and let the fun fly; it's always been that way.

Also, considering that 1-Up found quite a bit more shortcuts than IGN did, that makes me further believe that IGN did not spend enough time with the game.

But I rarely go online when for reviews, anyway, to be honest. EGM has always been my number one source for reviews because they're honest and I usually end up agreeing with them. So that's that, heh.

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]I tend to use IGN just for news now, but if my expectations of a game are low, then there's a greater chance I'll enjoy it more, heh. Mind you, if there's a game I really really want I tend to ignore what the reviews say and get the game regardless, such as I did with Starfox Adventures and Bloody Roar: Primal Fury.

I like the reviews in my NGC Magazine, though. They give a really fair and honest review in my opinion. They've not gotten round to doing Double Dash yet, though.

And it's out [i]TOMORROW![/i] I just hope the store I preordered it from will deliver it on the day as opposed to next Monday. I don't want to have to wait three extra days, as little as that may seem ^_^;[/COLOR]

[James]

[color=#707875]Okay...I've just bought Mario Kart today. So far, I've played through the 50cc Mushroom Cup.

Right now, it's a bit too early for me to form some kind of definitive opinion. So I'll just tell you my feelings at this point.

First and foremost, Double Dash feels different to Mario Kart 64. It's a lot more like Diddy Kong Racing, in terms of how the vehicles handle; it feels more "slippery" when you turn.

But this isn't a bad thing. In particular, I noticed that there's a much greater emphasis on power sliding -- power slides are much easier to perform and you can do them again and again. In fact, it's quite easy to turn [i]every[/i] corner with a slide.

It's a lot of fun just getting that part of it right, because it really increases your times a great deal.

In terms of the two character thing, I think that it's something I still have to get used to. If you use both characters carefully, you will find that it changes the game a great deal; you can use one character to block an incoming attack from behind, and then switch and attack someone in front, for example. It's a lot harder to block though, because you get very little warning of an incoming attack. But it seems pretty balanced, as your opponents won't always hit you. Sometimes they accidentally miss.

I noticed that Double Dash can be just as hectic as previous games in the series. Even though Baby Park is probably the most simple track, I also found it to be pretty hectic; everything is closer together and there's a lot of action on screen.

It's a lot of fun; shells fly around everywhere, explosions go off, giant bananas get laid down and all sorts of awesome things go on in the background. Baby Park has rollercoasters zipping past, just above the track, for example. It's pretty cool.

Visually, I'd say that Double Dash is about on par with Super Mario Sunshine...but it's nicer again. Everything is very smooth, animation is gorgeous (as you'd expect from an NCL game) and textures are, on the whole, very smooth. It's nice; everything runs very well, there's no slowdown at all.

I am also really enjoying the weapons in the game. Not only do they work beautifully and seem very balanced against each other, but they do some pretty fantastic things. Mario and Luigi's fireball, for instance, looks very cool when you use it. It splashes out in front of them and splits up everywhere -- hitting everything in sight. It has a very "whispy" look...again, very smooth.

But, again, this is all that I've tried. So I guess there's not a whole lot more to say at this point, until I play some more.

Nonetheless, I'm pretty happy with the game. Track design is pretty strong (about the same size as the tracks on the SNES version), control and movement is nice and easy and weapons are varied and effective.

EDIT: I forgot to mention speed. The game [i]does[/i] feel appropriately fast; it's probably speedier than Mario Kart 64. I think it could do with a little more speed, to be honest. But...I don't know how there can be any complaints about this, given that this is probably the fastest Mario Kart yet.

Also, the interactive track elements are really great. The Peach Beach track has those enemies from Super Mario Sunshine running around everywhere (you know, the ones that bounce you up into the air). It's pretty hectic when you're trying to weave through them [i]and[/i] attack opponents. Fun. ^_^

EDIT 2: I've played some more (including all the battle modes, cooperative and all cups).

Some of the tracks in this game are really impressive; I don't know what IGN is talking about. The DK Mountain track is [i]insanely[/i] good fun. I was really surprised by how good it turned out to be.

Battle modes are all fantastic. The balloon mode is good, but it's really the same as what you've seen before; there isn't any significant change or difference here.

However, the other two modes are wonderful. Shine Thief is surprisingly good fun; I really enjoyed it. It feels very fast and frantic. And Bob-Omb Battle is really insane. lol

I've only played Bob-Omb Battle with two players, and already it was really nutty. I can't imagine it with four.

The beauty of that mode is that you don't just pick up one bomb per player on the kart. Instead, each character can pick up maybe a dozen or so; they literally try to balance the whole dozen on one hand. It's pretty funny. And it works to great effect, because you can lay a trail of bombs out behind you if you're being pursued -- either the other guy will run into them and blow himself up, or they'll blow up in a couple of seconds and he'll be caught in the blast radius.

The explosions also look pretty darn cool. And I don't know what IGN is saying about it being too slow in battle...it's literally about the same. Any difference is very marginal and not even worth mentioning.

For me, Cooperative play was the biggest surprise. I thought that it'd be somewhat boring...and that it would just be a token throw-in effort. I mean, how much fun can the second person have if they're only throwing items?

At least, IGN gave me this impression. They either didn't try the mode very much, or they're just stupid. lol

Firstly, the use of two players on one kart works very well and becomes strategically important to the game. The pair of you can switch at any time, to take advantage of your individual weapons. And the driver can quickly pass weapons to the passenger.

This is useful for a variety of reasons. For example, as the driver, you might want to keep a green shell in your posession the whole time. Your passenger can continue to use various items regardless. But, if they happen to have no item and you're being chased by a red shell, you can quickly pass your item to your passenger...and they can block the incoming shell. It's very quick and it relies on both players being able to coordinate their skills well.

In addition, your passenger is vital to your ability to boost around corners. I'm not sure if you can boost up on your own in cooperative mode, but, when your passenger moves their stick while you're charging up, your boost comes into effect [i]very[/i] quickly. Within a split second.

So, if you're on a windy course and you boost on every corner, both players have to work together frequently in order to time things correctly. It's a great deal of fun.

Not to mention that your passenger can punch other players from the back of the kart. When they do this, your kart slides one way or the other a little -- this is useful, because if you just miss an item box, the passenger can kind of reach out and grab it as you pass. It also means that if you're being chased by a homing shell, your passenger can quickly pull the kart across slightly to avoid being hit. It works surprisingly well.

So, I'm enjoying the game far more now that I've begun to really explore it in multiplayer. I can see this game lasting me a long time; and if you can set up LAN, I imagine that you'll get even more time out of it.

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[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]In terms of speed... isn't 50cc the slowest/easiest level to start off with in MK games? It's possible the other cc levels have a greater deal of speed and power behind the karts.

Anyway, I'm glad it's fun. I await its arrival at my house with great anticipation, then ^_^ Although my copy wasn't delivered to me today, so I have to wait until Monday *sulks* At least it gives me time to learn those lines...[/COLOR]

[James]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Solo Tremaine [/i]
[B][COLOR=#503F86]In terms of speed... isn't 50cc the slowest/easiest level to start off with in MK games? It's possible the other cc levels have a greater deal of speed and power behind the karts.

[/COLOR] [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=#707875]Yep, that's true. I played both 50cc and 100cc. 100cc is marginally faster, though there isn't a huge difference. But that could be because other players are also faster and thus, you feel slower in relation to them.

Still, good fun. I really have no problems whatsoever with the game's speed. [/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Whee, I just got Double Dash!! It's lots of fun -- I can already tell it's much better than Mario Kart 64. The level of speed and activity is much, much higher than MK64. MKDD feels a lot more like the original in that regard.

As for the speed, I noticed a decent difference between 50cc and 100cc. My total times for 100cc Mushroom Cup were about two minutes less than on 50cc, though that's also because I was getting better. And it's harder, too, not just faster. The CPU players in DD are vicious with their items. I can't wait to see what 150cc is like.

I haven't gotten to try out the multiplayer modes yet, except for a Grand Prix cup with my brother. I suggested we try out the cooperative mode, but since it was the first time either of us had played, he didn't go for it. I really want to play four-player battle mode, though. The Bomb Omb mode sounds like a blast. (Okay, bad pun, lol).

As far as unlockables go, I've only unlocked three new carts so far. It seems like you get something new every time you get a gold trophy in a cup that you haven't gotten one on before, but I'm wondering if there are other ways to unlock stuff. Maybe getting good enough times in Time Trial? I remember in MK64 you could unlock three staff ghosts in Time Trial.

Heh, I'm getting the urge to play it some more, now that I start talking about it. Maybe I'll see if I can't earn a gold on 50cc Star Cup. ^_^[/color]



[b]Edit:[/b]

[color=seagreen]Well, I've played Double Dash!! more. Me and my brother have done all the cups on 50cc and 100cc now (getting golds that is), plus Mushroom Cup on 150cc. I think I may have been wrong about the difficulty being higher than previous games in the series, though. It may just be that it took me a while to adjust to the different controls, after being used to Super Circuit, since I seem to be doing quite well now that I've played for a while.

Either way, though, Star Cup and Special Cup are both awesome. I think my favorite track right now is Sherbet Land, with Rainbow Road and Wario Stadium close behind. I really look forward to Star Cup and Special Cup on 150cc, especially if my brother can play too. We've made a temporary agreement to work together until we get better at the game (probably until we beat Special Cup on 150cc), so it's nice to have someone watching your back when you're trying to hold on to that first place position. Bowser/Bowser Jr.'s giant shells are perfect for clearing the road.

We also tried out Battle Mode. Both of us found the first four arenas to be somewhat lacking in size and complexity, but the [spoiler]Luigi's Mansion[/spoiler] arena that we unlocked is a lot of fun. It reminds me of the Double Deck arena from MK64. I'm still hoping for an arena reminiscent of the Sky Scraper one in MK64, though. While it wasn't always my favorite, it became my favorite once I got to the point where I wouldn't fall off on accident. ^_^;

We also tried out cooperative racing for one cup. In the words of my brother, it was "interesting." I found it to be fun; when you're the driver, you have to pick up the items, but you have to rely on the "gunner," as I call the back seat position, to use them; when you're the gunner, you have to try and use items at the right times to help the driver, while doing Mini Turbos at the same time. We didn't even try switching mid-race, either -- we just stuck to our positions throughout the whole race. It must be really hectic trying to switch back and forth during races to really take advantage of the characters' special weapons and whatnot, but with enough practice, I imagine a pair of people could become as good as if only one person were controlling both characters. I'm really looking forward to playing cooperative more with my friends.[/color]

[Semjaza]

The Special Cup rocks really. I wish the rest of the cups had more tracks as twisty as these are. I actually do better on these than I do on the Mushroom and Flower cups for some reason. I'm not a fan of the wide tracks.

I've only played like 3+ hours total, I'd say... but I've finished 50cc, 100cc and 3 of the cups on 150cc. I am having fun though.

Game isn't too challenging, but 150cc can get really, really annoying. The AI for racing seems fine enough, but it always seems like I'm doing fine and then suddenly hit by 3 red shell in a row and a lightning bolt. Lame.

[James]

[color=#707875]I love the AI in Double Dash. It's so much better than the old games. You do get hit by a lot when you're in first place...but that's to be expected. Really, no matter where you are in the field (in 150cc anyway), you're getting attacked quite a lot. It's nice, because you don't get a free ride even when you pull away from the pack. But at the same time, they don't catch up with you in five seconds.[/color]

[Semjaza]

The AI is fine in general... but especially in 150cc, I find the weapons unfair. Sometimes this doesn't even happen when I'm in first... but to have 3 red shells perfectly timed so they hit me one after another, and then when I finally can go again I get hit by lighting? That doesn't seem right to me lol

[James]

[color=#707875]Hasn't that happened to you in multiplayer though? I mean, you know...with those kind of weapons and so many players, it's going to happen.

I see your point, in the sense that it's frustrating. But I don't know if it's really unfair or not. I never really felt that way about it myself.[/color]

[Semjaza]

It still strikes me as unfair considering how [i]often[/i] it happens. You're very unlikely to be hit by 3 red shells since they automatically home in on whoever is directly ahead of the one who shot him. I got passed up after being hit each time too... so basically three karts all had a red shell and the shot me as soon as the other one's effect wore off.

I played the 150cc All Cup Grand Prix tonight and the characters in front of me just kept getting their special items over and over and over again. Through all 16 tracks, I didn't even get mine once. That doesn't seem right, honestly. I came in first anyway, but some of the methods that are used to keep you from winning just strike me as overly cheap. At least the rubberband AI seems to be disposed of.

In any case, I unlocked mirror mode and finished the Mushroom Cup in it. I was rather annoyed that only one of the All Cup modes even gave you a prize for completing them.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Played more today, and me and my brother got golds in all four cups on 150cc. We also did the one where you go through all four cups in a row, on 50cc, and got a gold. Both Star Cup and Special Cup took several tries for us to get gold on, but still not not as many as it took to get gold on 150cc Special Cup in the original Super Mario Kart. Double Dash!! is easier, but a lot more hectic than the original. You have to be a lot better at using items in DD; you can't get by with good racing skills alone, it seems like.

About the AI, I really haven't noticed too much that seemed overly cheap. Sure, I've gotten hit several times in a row, but really, me and my brother were also doing that to the CPU players. Heck, with three Red Shells as Koopa's special, I've done that to CPU characters on my own, lol. I will agree that the Thunderbolt item is a little over the top in DD, though. I've gotten it all of twice during my entire time playing so far, yet the CPUs seem to get it quite often in 150cc. That, and I absolutely [i]hate[/i] how it takes your items in addition to shrinking you. *cries over all the special items I've lost because of that*

Still, the AI in DD isn't [i]nearly[/i] as bad as it was in MK64. If you pull ahead, you can actually maintain that lead, instead of having the CPUs suddenly pop up out of nowhere right behind you with a Spiny Shell. That pissed me off more than anything else in MK64. I mean, when you hit someone with a Red Shell and then blast past them with a Star, they should not still be right behind you in 2nd place. That's the sort of thing that gets you dropped down to at least 3rd, on 150cc, yet seems to have no effect on the CPU.

But enough ranting for now... And on a different subject entirely, is it just me, or are some characters' special items a lot more rare than others? I barely ever get the princess' heart shield thing, or the babies' Chain Chomp, yet I can get Bowser Shells and Super Mushrooms all the time. I'd probably use Daisy more often, except that I almost never get her special item. Has anyone else noticed this?[/color]

[Semjaza]

Well, for the shell thing... as I said, three different characters all hitting me with one right after another? It wasn't Koopa Troopa with his specials, I can tell you that. I got to watch each one of them speed past me. I don't know how you could get the same CPU character with red shells three times in a row in a normal situation though. Most of the time you'll get past the character with the first one, and maybe the second would seal the deal. But not three perfectly timed to hit you as soon as you start driving again.

Then follow that by lightning... something characters seem to get an awful lot. You know, I've gotten that [i]once[/i] in the entire game? I'm done talking about it lol. Just doesn't sound normal to me. Almost all I get in 150cc are bananas and green shells. Most any other item is a rarity.

Anyway, it really seems to depend with the items. I noticed that in higher cc settings you just get those items less and less anyway. Like I said, I didn't get my special once in the 150cc All Cup Grand Prix... and for the characters I used, both of their specials were Golden Mushrooms.

Oh well.

[terra]

So, whee!!! I finally gave in to my intense cravings and bought myself a GameCube, and Double Dash. (And SSX3. Haven't decided what else to get yet.) So I played today.

I didn't find it as easy as the 64 version, which was somewhere between refreshing and annoying :p. But it's definitely fun. I'm waiting for my brother to get home so I can play some cooperative, because I think that'll be more fun.

I love the look of the game, it's all so freakin' 3D cute. (Though I suppose the 64 version was 3D cute too ...) I don't know, during the opening scenes I was practically cooing at the screen.

[Brasil]

Double Dash = insanely fun.

OK, I'll review it later, but I've got an odd little happening in it.

I was racing in Luigi Circuit (I forget the precise name), boosting along the gray ramp area with the boost strips, and was in the process of switching characters...literally in the process...my characters were on the sides of the kart. A lightning bolt goes off, and I'm not sure, but I don't think I got shrunken.

Did I inadvertently discover a way to cheat the lightning bolt? The timing would have to be bordering on precognition.

[terra]

That happened to me once or twice as well, completely out of blind luck (or whatever you might term it as). I'm of the opinion it was probably a glitch in the game, but perhaps somebody else knows better.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]I think it's either it's a glitch, or you got hit by something else at the exact same moment as the lightning hit you, and you didn't notice. If you're getting hit by something else, such as a Spiny Shell (argh, personal experience), the lightning won't affect you. Other than that, though, I don't think there's any other way that it's supposed to not affect you.

For a little update, I've now gotten a gold trophy on all the grand prix cups, on every speed, except for the All Cup Tour on Mirror Mode. That, I expect, is going to be a pain in the butt since I'm used to normal 150cc. I only just barely won gold on Star Cup and Special Cup on Mirrior Mode by getting a tie with second place.

And by the way, I'm really disappointed with battle mode in this one. I was expecting some big, extravagant arenas that really took advantage of the game being in 3D, like Mario Kart 64 did on a couple of its arenas. (How I miss thee, Block Fort). But no, it turns out that only one of the arenas in Double Dash is like that. And only one other besides that is even as good as the ones in the original Super Mario Kart. (Those being Luigi's Mansion and the one with the warp pipes along one wall).

My biggest complaint is that two of the arenas are [i]completely open.[/i] Sure, one of them tilts and has no edges, but other than making the items move around, it doesn't do much. I mean really, if you're so bad that you're actually going to fall off the edge of an arena that big, you shouldn't be playing battle mode. And the complete openness makes Red Shells an almost automatic hit, unless you're an absolutely horrible shot or the other player can muster a counter-item [i]and[/i] time its release just right in order to block the Red.

Next up, is it just me, or do Green Shells seem to have a bit of auto-aim in battle mode? In the scant couple hours that I've played battle mode in DD, I've pulled off more amazing shots than I ever did in MK64. A couple times, my brother has been almost halfway across the Tilt-a-Kart arena, we're both in tight power slide turns, and I hit him dead on with a Green Shell. That's something I would [i]never[/i] have been able to pull off in MK64, let alone the original. (And that's after having months and months of experience at the game, compared to a week of playing DD). I've gotten so a Green Shell is almost as good as a Red, and I'm not egotistical enough to believe that I can aim [i]that[/i] good.

I think the only thing that Double Dash's battle mode has going for it is the two extra scenarios, in addition to Balloon Battle. Only problem is, they're not that great with only two people. I haven't even bothered playing Shine Thief yet, because unless there's four people playing, I can't imagine it being much fun. And with only two, you'd just be chasing after one person, or alternately, running from one person -- why don't I just play versus mode?

Bomb-omb Blast is fun with three people, but if you time it right, it can be really easy to win. (Especially on the aforementioned completely open arenas). Basically, since a player can't be hit again for a few seconds after they've been hit, it can be really hard to get points sometimes. You can be right in the middle of a big battle and not get a single point because the people you launch Bomb-ombs at end up getting hit by someone else just before they get hit by your Bomb-omb. So if you can get in the first hit in one of the more open arenas, and keep timing your throws right, you can win before the other players even have a chance. Maybe this would be less the case if there were a bunch of people playing over a LAN, but when I played with two of my friends on three-player, it ended up like that for almost every match.

So yeah, battle mode is not as great as I thought it would be. I think the most entertaining multi-player mode, at least for me, is cooperative in grand prix. That I've had lots of fun with, and it's fully lived up to my expectations. Maybe if I could play cooperative in battle mode, that'd be more fun, but for it to really work, you'd need it going over a LAN. Otherwise there'd only be two opponents in the battle. And to play it over a LAN, I'd need to get a Broadband Adapter, someone else with a GCN, the game, and a broadband adapter, in addition to a cable to hook the GCNs together...[/color]

[Brasil]

Yeah, Des, I'm going to have to try to test that lightning bolt thing again. Haha, but what are the chances of being able to test it in a controlled environment, with the insanely random item selection? :) So, looks like I'm just chalking it up to me not paying attention, hehe.

Oh, dude, Spiny Shells...the blue ones, right? I was racing against my friends at the last party on Rainbow Road. I was in the lead...got hit by [i]three[/i] Spiny Shells in a row. My friends each got one within 2 minutes of each other. That pissed me off so much, lol.

About Battle Mode,

Yeah, the arenas are kinda small, but Block Fort doesn't bother me anymore. The 64 BF was too huge, and it was too easy for someone to camp up on top...plus, I found my friends and I would run into eachother purely by chance, as we were always moving. I actually prefer the new Block Fort, simply because it lends itself to better playability.

I think my favorite arena in DD is Pipe Maze (jeeze, the precise names escape me again, lol). It's got so many neat little spots to set devious traps...traps that can help you or injure you. :D

And the Cookie stage is surprisingly fun, especially powersliding all the way around it, loaded up with 3 red shells and a star. Very cool stuff.

The only arena I'm kind of disappointed with is Luigi's Mansion...it's just so basic and bland compared to the other arenas. Even the Tilt-A-Kart arena is exciting, because you can drive on Mario's crotch, lol. The Cube arena is OK, but is more exciting than Luigi's Mansion, at least.

The shell accuracy pissed me off at first, but I don't think it's a matter of auto-aim in battle mode. Seems more like the shells are just bigger than before, kind of like a baseball to a bowling ball--ooh...a Mario Dodgeball game...that'd be fun. I've been itching to peg Toad in the head, lately, muahehe.

About the LAN mode, it's limited. Needed a bit more development time, IMO. The physical set-up is uber-easy, but the in-game set-up is...time-consuming. You need to have a very patient group of gamers to enjoy LAN mode fully. From how it looked on Saturday, you can't get co-op in battle mode, but I'm not sure. I need to explore it a bit more. But yeah, LAN mode leaves a bit to be desired, which is really disappointing, because it had [i]so much[/i] potential to totally rock Cube gaming during the Holiday season, the season that you figure many gamers will be picking up Double Dash.

EDIT: Oh, yeah, lol. LAN mode cost me and my friend around 90 bucks total just for the LAN equipment...two broadband adapters at 40 bucks a pop, a special link cable that ran around 10 (CompUSA...don't go to Best Buy...cable was like, 30 bucks at Best Buy...best prices my ***, lol). On top of that, the necessary amount of controllers, luckily we had overkill on them. I have 8 (4 Wavebirds, 4 corded...I know, I know...geekboy :D), Matt brought two. It's best to go into the LAN stuff with someone...lessens the burden.

[Semjaza]

LAN mode is VS only. You can't co-op it. It shouldn't be that hard to get going if everyone is set up right. The only real flaw I can come up with for it is that you aren't allowed to pick your characters. However, this makes sense if you have 16 people playing at once... people would be on the character selection screen forever lol.

The Battle Modes are fun, but I am also disappointed with how limited they are. There isn't even a feature to adjust how long they last or anything like that. I was hoping to get options like in SSBM so I could adjust what items appeared and such. Oh well.

Luigi's Mansion is bland, I agree. Block Fort is okay, but the blocks themselves are useless. It's basically just the GC stage with some small towers in it... towers you can't really do much with. The game would have benefited MASSIVELY from even a small bit more battle maps. Considering how small they are, how hard would it have been to make 8 more? Even 4 more?

In any case, I think the actual racing mode is my favorite thus far. Some of the tracks aren't as great as ones in the past... but the game is definitely the most frantic of all Mario Karts so far. Not much tops the kickass quality of DK Mountain, I'd say. The Star and Special Cups rock... and All Cup Mode is freaking awesome if you have the time.

I unlocked everything in the game a while back and I must say that I'm rather happy overall. Starts off slow, but it really gets a lot better. Especially the 150cc and Mirror modes.

[Brasil]

Tony (or George, not sure which name you go by, lol), I do agree that Block Fort in DD could have been improved upon. However, I was recently playing against/with RPCrazy yesterday, and found a very diabolical Block Fort situation with Bomb-omb Blast.

I think Block Fort's essence relies heavily on what mode you're playing in, who you're playing with, and the relative skill levels of the participants.

Bomb-omb Blast, as I recently found out, lends itself to pure insanity, as each player gets two riders, and each rider is able to carry up to 5 bomb-ombs.

Doing the math, 5 bomb-ombs x 2 riders = 10 bomb-ombs per kart, then if we figure a non-LAN mode party, 10 bomb-ombs per player x 4 players = 40 bomb-ombs, all going at the same time. :devil:

Now, as we re-evaluate Block Fort with these newly realized parameters, BF becomes a haven for an electric orgy of explosive excitement.

BF doesn't seem very exciting at first, granted, but once the players notice the strategical ("strategical" is that a word?) differences of the individual blocks, noting:

How the red block lends itself for the player being able to launch bomb-ombs over it, into the cross-way in the center, which is often frequented by players attempting to short-cut through the arena

The yellow block possessing a devious little short-cut in which a player can shave off precious seconds in their escape from a bomb-omb, or use it to get the drop on campers in the corner

Or noticing a cut-off point after a player drops down off of the corner ledge, and being able to trap that player there for a few seconds in order to bomb-omb them back to the stone age, or to steal back a kill count.

Bomb-omb Blast also is insane in Pipe Maze; the sheer explosive potential of the arena is multiplied ten-fold. There are traps, rebound shot capabilities...I tell ya, not many things more satisfying than launching a bomb-omb from one of the ramps, bouncing it off of the main wall, and have it careening into the opposite side's ramp area, then watching your opponent fly into the sky from the resulting Watermelon Red explosion...tis very sweet.

Combine that potential with the pipe strategy, as knowing which pipe to drive into as to escape a bomb-omb blast, re-appearing on the ledge and launching a bomb-omb down onto your opponent, turning a would-be killer into a potential kill.

And Luigi's Mansion actually becomes exciting in Bomb-omb Blast. I couldn't believe it at first, but yeah. Actually became exciting.

The Cookie arena is awesome with bomb-ombs, too. Total excitement playing chicken with bomb-ombs. :D

The arenas that pretty much suck no matter what mode, though, the totally open arenas. Bomb-omb Blast isn't great in it, as all you're doing is powersliding in giant circles...that's about it. With the right players, it would probably rock, as the players might be...ah...[i]vocal[/i].

But, yeah, kind of lost my train of thought here. I agree with you that the racing aspect is the highlight of the game, as Mario Kart is about racing, and the deathmatching aspect is brought in as supplementary material. Not to say the deathmatching sucks, of course, but Double Dash would have benefitted from a longer multiplayer development time, methinks. Working out the kinks in LAN mode set-up and some more arenas (Hell yeah, I know where you're coming from. Give us 8 next time, Nintendo. :)).

DK Mountain is pretty cool, I'm a Bowser's Castle kinda guy. There's something endearing about Baby Park, too...can't quite put my finger on it, though. Rainbow Road is a game in itself, in my opinion. It's massive, and Wario Stadium is like buttah.

I'm very, very impressed with Double Dash. The racing aspect is top-notch, and the racing levels are intelligently designed. Though, I would have liked to see some more original short-cuts. The dirt path thing in Mushroom Highway...Toadstool Bridge...the bridge track...name escapes me...just doesn't feel right.

I really would have loved some insane but dangerous short-cuts in Double Dash, the kind that boost you ahead a lot, but will screw you over should you miss. It's that kind of danger that's missing, I think. There's no risk involved in many of Double Dash's short-cuts. They're like, guaranteed time-shavers. I dunno, that just seems "eh" in my gaming tendencies.

[Semjaza]

This game has quite a few shortcuts in pretty much every track. There are a few I've found out about way after the fact. I didn't even know they were there.

There are several that require a Mushroom to use... and if you mess up, you're screwed. Yoshi's Island and Dino Whatever are good examples.

The bridge track is Mushroom Bridge... and yeah, you have the dirt path. There's also one right at the start of the race that sends you down some stairs into a pipe (which is only good if you blast through it lol) and you can also drive up the sides of the bridge itself (if you fall off that, there's a good chance of landing on the traffic). There's some more little time savers in there too.

I guess they aren't true shortcuts, but they do shave off some time.

[Shinmaru]

Finally, Shinmaru has come back to the Double Dash thread!

Sorry, I couldn't resist :p

Anyway, I finally got Double Dash yesterday (after weeks of immense anticipaton) and it is just as awesome, if not moreso, than everyone in here thinks it is.

First of all, the controls are great. I've had next to no problems at all with the controls (the only problem was with my index finger, which was sore after a while, heh). Everything controls flawlessly and smoothly and I find myself not even missing the hop that was taken away from the game. Powersliding in this game is just as easy as it was in Mario Kart 64.

The tracks are extremely fun to race through. Even the simple tracks in the game are fun and hectic due to the CPU racers, since they fight tooth and nail to keep up, instead of blatantly cheating like in MK64. I love the inventive nature of the tracks and all the different details that have gone into them - I'm sure I haven't sampled anywhere near what these tracks have to offer.

Multiplayer is insanely fun, as well. My brother and I were fighting each other for bragging rights (I am the Double Dash champion of the house :p), which always leads to a great time. The battle fun is great fun, as well, especially Bob-Omb Blast. I felt like I was in D-Day while playing Bob-Omb Blast and it was fantastically amusing (Cookie Land rules for Bob-Omb Blast battles). I found Shine Steal to be insanely fun, as well. Several times, my brother and I stole the shine from each other, as the timer wound down to about three or four seconds left. Crazy stuff. The regular battle mode from Mario Kart 64 (with the balloons) is fun, too, but I had more fun with Bob-Omb Blast and Shine Steal.

I've only sampled a tiny bit of what the game has to offer, as I've only gone through 50cc so far. Today, I'm going to go for 100cc and 150cc (if I have time, which I probably will lol). I shall post (or edit if nobody replies to this :() with my thoughts tomorrow.

Awesome, awesome game. Definitely one of the best for the GameCube.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Hey Shin, do you have broadband? If so, check out [url]www.warppipe.com[/url]. I've decided I'm going to get a GCN broadband adapter with some of the money I get for Christmas so I'll be able to play Double Dash online with people. It'd be awesome to be able to play together, if you've got broadband.[/color]