Introduction:

The third installment in the famous Mario Kart Series. (This is excluding Mario Kart Super Circuit for the GBA.) People had extremely high hopes for this game, Mario Kart games are very anticipated, as I'm sure the next one will be. Mario Karts are fun for all ages, with their incredible racing style, and their different skill levels, this game can be enjoyed by everyone.

Story:

Same story as the previous Mario Karts, Nintendo Characters are just getting together for some racing and battling fun.

Gameplay:

The gameplay keeps the great Mario Kart Style, but brings it to a newer level. You will have the same style as racing around fun and unique tracks, and using the great Mario Kart Items, such as, Red Shells, Mushrooms, Banana Peels and more. But the game has been tweaked, now there is 2 racers in each kart. This was a crazy concept when it was first told, people didn't know what to expect, maybe this would ruin the game. Well, it didn't ruin the game, it just gave it a new fun twist. In Mario Kart Double Dash you can play with up to 12 People!!! WHA!!! 12 people, that's crazy. Well, you can play up to 12 people if you have multiple Gamecubes. Like me, you will probably never get to try it with 12 people, but it's still a cool option. I think when the Gamecube has been discontinued, I will buy a few used, as well as a few Mario Kart Double Dash's, and adaptors to connect all of them, then I will have some 12 player Mario Kart action! Well, getting back to the game, you can play up to 4 people on 1 Gamecube. There is the same great modes as before, Grand Prix, VS, Battle, and Time Trials. Of course this game is still a lot of fun with 1 player. In Grand Prix Mode you will select your 2 characters, this is very different than the regular 1 character. There is wide variety of characters, a lot more than just 8. (YES! Koopa Troopa is back, after being out for a game, he's back, with his buddy Paratroopa.) You can mix and match characters as you want, maybe Yoshi and Mario? Maybe Bowser and Princess? After you select your characters you will then select your kart, thats right, you get to select your kart, of course Bowser won't be able to fit in little Diddy's kart. After you select you characters and kart you will select your Cup. Like before there will be Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special. (There might be more but you will have to play and unlock to see.) So, after you select your Cup you will race. The racing style will be like in previous Mario Kart's, but slightly different. You will see some classic items, such as shells, stars, mushrooms, banana peels, but you will also see new items. Each character has his or her own special item. Well. . ., two characters will share an item. For Example; Mario and Luigi will each have fireballs as their special item, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi will each have a Chain Chomp as their special item. I don't really want to reveal more of the special items, they are fun to find out on your own. Getting back to the Grand Prix Races, you will race around these 4 tracks in each cup and try to get 1st. This is where 2 racers in one kart come into play, one racer will drive and the other will use the items.  With a simple click of a button you can switch your characters, so one second Mario is driving and D.K is the item dude, the next second D.K is driving and Mario is the item guy. Switching characters is key in this game. You will also be able to hold 2 items!!! This is a nice little addition. The point system is different then in previous Mario Karts, this is the point system. 1st=10 Points, 2nd=8 Points, 3rd=6 Points, 4th=4 Points, 5th=3 Points, 6th=2 Points, 7th=1 Point, and 8 equals NO points. Personally I like this point system better. Before, it didn't matter if you got 5th or 8th, so why try if your in 6th, now you will try even if 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th has already been won. As in the previous Mario Karts, whoever has the most points at the end of each cup will win. There are loads of unlockables in this game, Characters, Karts, and others. Grand Prix Mode can be played with all 4 players on one Gamecube! Well, don't get very excited, all it is, 2 Players will ride in one kart and the other 2 people will ride in the other kart. The TV screen will still be split into 2 parts, one player will be driving, and the other will be the item person. I don't use this option when I play with 3 or 4 players, its just not fun for the item guy. It is still good that Nintendo added this option. Any option is better than none. Well, beside Grand Prix mode their is VS Mode. This is for 2, 3, or 4 players. It is just like in previous Mario Karts, you will pick you Characters and Karts,( That part is different.) Then select the track you want to race on. There is a cool new feature, a random feature. If you can't decide on a track, the game can randomly select your track. (Once it randomly selected me D.K Mountain 3 Times! But hey, its all good, a gladly played it 3 times and had fun every time.) There is also Time Trials for 1 Player, this is the same as in previous Mario Karts, pick your characters and kart, and then select your track, and try for a fast time. There is 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc, just as before. The higher the number, the harder the race. (There might also be another to add to that, but you will have to play and unlock to see.) There is the loved Battle Mode. There is 4 Battle arenas to choose from. There might be more, but again, you will have to play and unlock to see.( Wouldn't it be sad if there wasn't another Battle Arena, and I was just getting your hopes up, well then again, maybe there's not.) Well, Battle Mode is for 2, 3, or 4 players. You select your characters, kart, and then your Battle Arena. You will start in each arena with 3 balloons, just as in previous Mario Karts, if you lose all 3 balloons, you lose. You will race around these arenas, and try and make the other player(s) lose their balloons with a variety of items. Nintendo has added variations on the classic Battle Style, such as one where you race around and throw bombs at each other. Sadly, I didn't like the battle mode in this Mario Kart, the stages were small and it was harder to maneuver around with these karts. But don't let that this turn you off the game, the races are what this game is intended for. The races are fun and as exciting as in previous Mario Karts. The gameplay keeps the same familiar style as other Mario Karts, but with a cool new twist.

I give the gameplay: 8.5/10

Graphics:

Mario Kart Games have always been known for their great graphics. Just look at the extraordinary graphics in Super Mario Kart. The graphics in this game are spectacular, all the characters and karts and items look fantastic. The tracks look amazing, they just look incredible, they have very good detail. Like when your driving through Peach Beach, you will see nice houses and great water and sand.

I give the graphics: 8.5/10

Sound:

The sound is of course great. The Sound FX are great, like when you get hit by a shell. The Sounds of the characters are great too, gotta love that Mario Voice. The Background sound is great, it has a wide range of sounds, you will hear many as you go through the game.

I give the sound: 8.5/10

Replayability:

The replayability is fantastic. You will be able to replay this game forever, I play the other Mario Karts all the time, and now I play this all the time. It will have even higher replayability if you play it with someone, that makes this game truly playable FOREVER!

I give the replayability: 8/10 if you play with 1 player, I give the replayability 9/10 if you play with someone.

Challenge:

The challenge is great, this game of course has 3 degrees of hardness. You will have a nice challenging time with this game. Of course if you know someone who is one the same skill level as you, this game will always be challenging, because you will progress together.

I give the challenge: 8/10

Value:

The value of this game is great. I managed to get it the week it came out, Sadly I didn't get to pre-order this game and get the bonus disc, but whatever, this game is definitely worth every penny new or used. If you have a Gamecube this is a MUST HAVE!

Overall:

Overall this game is fantastic. It keeps the great Mario Kart Style, but mixes it up a bit. I do think the Battle Mode was lacking a bit, but I don't really care, I play this for its races, and I always have Mario Kart 64 for Battles. The graphics are amazing, everything in this game looks great. The sound is incredible, everything sounds very nice The replayability is great, you can play this game for years, and basically forever if you play with someone. The game also has a good challenge. The value is extraordinary, it is worth every penny new or used.

I give Mario Kart Double Dash: 8.5/10

Conclusion:

I couldn't wait for this game to come out. Over a year before its release when I heard of it, I was excited. Weeks before its arrival I played Mario Kart 64. over and over, I just wanted to play this game. When I finally got it I was so excited and happy. I have loved to play Mario Kart Games for years. I stayed up all night playing this game. I still play it, and have lots of fun. This is another great Mario Kart addition. But I do find people that say its a bad Mario Kart, maybe its not as good as the others, but its still A LOT of fun, well, expect for Battle Mode. Now I'm all excited about the next Mario Kart, even though I've heard nothing about a new one, I'm sure that with the great sales it always gets, that I will see a new one.

Written By: Joey Anderson

Date Written: April 20th, 2004