gamer_extreme_101 wrote:
I was over at a friend's place last night, and he had rented Mario Kart - Double Dash for his Gamecube. I'm a big fan of the Mario Kart series, but I was worried that the co-operative driving would make the game more complicated.
Hoo-boy. I was wrong. Very wrong.
Agreed. The multiplayer functionality is very cool indeed, and really does make sure you're cooperating properly.
This game has no other words to describe it than "perfect". The battle courses are well thought out and enjoyable, the races always leave you standing up hoping you can make it to the finish line first, and the prospect of teaming up in battle mode where one person drives and the other launches weapons is utterly amazing. This is the sole reason to get a Gamecube. Now I just need to find a way to play it again...
I like most of the courses on offer, my favourite being the Rainbow Road remake, which is awesome, although there are one or two more annoying courses, like Bowser's Castle, in which it's frustratingly easy to fall off the track if you happen to be going at quite a speed around a corner.
One thing I think it suffers from, however, is the fact that if you're first, drivers behind you can seemingly keep up with you, no matter how fast you go. Even if you overtake the person in second place, with a star and three mushrooms, seconds after the effects of the boosts have gone, they've caught up with you and overtake you. Of course, this is what adds to the challenge, but I find it a little annoying all the same.
The battle arenas are okay, but I feel they somehow lack something from Mario Kart on the N64, but the new power-ups and weapons are very cool. Sadly, they removed the old ghost powerup that steals someone else's items as well as the 5 banana skin trail, which is a pity.
Still, I recommend it very highly, although I wouldn't quite say it's the only reason to buy a Gamecube.
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Resident Medic/Mycologist
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