Customer Reviews

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with Bonus Disc

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Mario Kart: Double Dash is a game for up to 16 players. The karts you ride in can hold 2 players! Here are some secrets I found out! These are new secrets that I updated since December 19 on www.amazon.com. Also, these are ALL the secrets I currently know. Here they are:

Get golds in Mushroom Cup: 50cc- unlocks Green Fire Kart, 100cc- unlocks Rattle Buggy Kart, 150cc- unlocks Luigi's Mansion Arena, Mirrored- unlocks Toadette's Kart

Get golds in Flower Cup: 50cc- unlocks Bloom Coach Kart, 100cc- unlocks Waluigi Racer Kart, 150cc- unlocks Turbo Birdo Kart, Mirrored- unlocks Tilt-a-Kart Arena

Get golds in Star Cup: 50cc- unlocks Para Wing Kart, 100cc- unlocks "Special Cup", 150cc- unlocks Barrel Train Kart, Mirrored- unlocks King Boo, Petey Pirahna, and Pirahna Pipes Kart

Get golds in Special Cup: 50cc- unlocks Bullet Blaster Kart, 100cc- unlocks Toad, Toadette, and Toad's Kart, 150cc- unlocks "All Cup Tour", Mirrored- unlocks Boo Pipes Kart

Get golds in All Cup Tour: 50cc- unlocks nothing, 100cc- unlocks nothing, 150cc- unlocks Mirror Mode, Mirrored- unlocks Parade Kart

*To unlock an Alternative Start Screen, get all golds in all cups!!!

**To unlocks an Alternative "Thanks for Playing" Screen, get ALL golds in all cups and beat a cup again or get the last gold you need!!!

***Here are all the characters special items:
Mario & Luigi=Fireball, Peach & Daisy=Heart, Bowser & Bowser Jr.=Giant Shell, Baby Mario & Baby Luigi=Chain Chomp, Yoshi & Birdo=Egg, Koopa & Paratroopa=Triple Shells, DK & Diddy Kong= Giant Banana, Wario & Waluigi=Bom-omb, Toad & Toadette=Super Mushroom, and Boo & Petey Pirahna="random"

****(tip)On Rainbow Road's turns in the very beginning, start a turn or mini-turbo boost early!

*****Here's how to UNLOCK the staff ghosts:
Luigi's Circuit: Beat 1:26:277
Peach Beach: Beat 1:20:404
Baby Park: Beat 1:11: 108
Dry Dry Desert: Beat 1:50:755
Mushroom Bridge: 1:31:458
Mario Circuit: 1:41:384
Daisy Cruiser: Beat 1:52:207
Waluigi Stadium: Beat 1:59:658
Sherbet Land: 1:25:904
Mushroom City: 1:50:663
Yoshi Circuit: 1:59:886
DK Mountain: 2:12:639
Wario Colosseum: 2:21:106
Dino Dino Jungle: 2:00:908
Bowser's Castle: 2:44:690
Rainbow Road: 3:16:476

******Stats of Karts:
Red Fire- 2/5 speed, 3/5 acceleration, 3/5 weight
Heart Coach- 2/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 3/5 weight
Turbo Yoshi- 2/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 3/5 weight
Goo-Goo Buggy- 1/5 speed, 5/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Koopa Dasher- 2/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
DK Jumbo- 4/5 speed, 2/5 acceleration, 4/5 weight
Koopa King- 5/5 speed, 1/5 acceleration, 5/5 weight
Wario Car- 4/5 speed, 2/5 acceleration, 4/5 weight
Green Fire- 4/5 speed, 2/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Rattle Buggy- 2/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Bloom Coach- 3/5 speed, 3/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Waluigi Racer- 3/5 speed, 3/5 acceleration, 3/5 weight
Turbo Birdo- 3/5 speed, 3/5 acceleration, 4/5 weight
Para Wing- 1/5 speed, 5/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Barrel Train- 4/5 speed, 2/5 acceleration, 3/5 weight
Bullet Blaster- 4/5 speed, 3/5 acceleration, 1/5 weight
Toad Kart- 2/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Toadette Kart- 1/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 2/5 weight
Piranha Pipes- 4/5 speed, 2/5 acceleration, 5/5 weight
Boo Pipes- 2/5 speed, 4/5 acceleration, 5/5 weight
PARADE KART- 4/5 speed, 3/5 acceleration, 4/5 weight

---Please rate my review below. I will update it again if more people like my review. Thank you!---

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is a great addition to the kart racing genre, as the sequel to one of the best selling racing games. Nintendo isn't letting us down, with 16 different tracks, 20 characters, and 21 different karts to drive. Although Double Dash is different from all the other Mario Kart games, allowing 2 characters to be in a kart at the same time, and to switch which one is driving and throwing items, any fan of the series will feel at home. You can use switching characters to your advantage as each character can hold a different item. But at its core, Double Dash is a great racing game that anyone in the family can enjoy.

I got Mario Kart: Double Dash!! the other day, and it's the best kart game up to date! The two other competitors, Crash Nitro Kart and Furious Kart Racing (An awkward game for Xbox), can't live up to the graphics, game play, etc. I'm here writing this review to clear up the garbage that many other people have posted about this game (Xbox fanatics trying to mess-up Nintendo's name in quality).

The new installment in the Mario Kart series has really lived up to its expectations. The game play and the item using feature has remained the same, which is excellent. The backrounds are very detailed and the graphics are excellent! There are 4 cups with four levels each for Grand Prix. The newest feature in the game is the "two people in one kart" feature. You have one person driving and one person at shotgun. This feature makes the game look a lot different from the other Mario Kart games. You select two characters and depending on how much they weigh, etc., you get to pick certain karts. There is a huge selection of characters in this game, about 16 (18 if you unlock the secret characters). By beating the different cups at different levels (50cc, 100cc, 150cc), you can unlock secret characters, karts, battle levels, and cups.

All of the Mario Kart games have had excellent multi-player options. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, there are new battle options like "Shine Thief" and "Bomb-omb Blast", which are just as good as the classic "Balloon Battle". There is also a LAN option which ables you to connect two to four Gamecubes for 1-16 player madness! There are four battle levels, which I admit weren't worked on that much. You can also unlock two other battle levels, which are way better.

Here's my over-all review:

Graphics: 5/5
The graphics are very colorful and the backrounds in levels are immensely detailed. This game clearly deserves a 5/5 in graphics.

Sound: 4.5/5
The sound is great, including sounds from previous Mario Kart games. I was disappointed in the soundtracks, they were way to "kiddish". Despite this, the game itself is still excellent.

Control: 5/5
The controls are very responsive, just like previous Mario Kart games.

Presentation: 5/5
When you fire up the game, you hear Mario shout "Niiiin-tendo! Wahoo!" so on, so forth. If you are patient enough to watch the intro, it displays the game in action. The menu back rounds are detailed, which is not a big deal at all. Overall, the presentation is great.

Value: 4/5
This is a short game. It mainly challenges you with the different levels of speed, which proves to be very hard. I would still get this game for the battle options. This game is great to play with friends.

Fun Factor: 5/5
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is a very fun game, end of story.

Overall: 5/5
The Mario Kart series has always proven to be a crowd favorite. As I have said, this game has lived up to its expectations. This game is the most addictive and funnest game made in 2003 (And 2004, 2005, 2006.....). If you are an adult or kid, the experience will always be the same. So if you're not paying bills, doing homework, or anything you do on a daily basis, go to the store (Not the local Blockbuster) and buy this game, it will lighten up your day and days to come.

I am a long-time Nintendo user. Over the years, the only platform I haven't bought of Nintendo is the Nintendo 64. I fell in love with the original Mario Kart back when I was about 17. I still remember playing that game untill 2 or 3 in the morning, and then trying to fall asleep with these visions of the game still in my head.
Since then no other game has captured my attention (or addictive personality) quite like the original Mario Kart. Until now. My husband reserved this game for me several months ago, and we just bought it a couple of weeks ago. I was a little leery about this game since so many of the updated games now are a disappointment to me. This was no disappointment! The game is remniscient enough of the original MK for it to be familiar territory for me, but different enough to not be boring. And the levels are harder now too. You really have to fight to win the cups.
Double Dash has also added a battle mode. My husband really loves this mode. I'm not as fond of it but it is a good change of pace, and it's especially fun if you have three or more players.
I really like the fact that there are so many characters to choose from. For every player, you choose two characters and one vehicle. The vehicles show statistics, ie the max speed, acceleration, and weight of the vehicle is rated from 1 to 5 stars. As you get medals in each circuit, new vehicles and new levels are unlocked. It's fun to play around with the different characters and vehicles to see which vehicles and special weapons are most effective in a particular circuit. I still haven't unlocked everything, and it's a fun struggle to try to get to the next level.
For me, I usually prefer waiting to buy a video game until I can find it used. I find it hard to justify paying full price for a video game that I'm going to be able to find used for half price in a couple of months. But this is worth every penny to buy new. I have a feeling it's going to be a while before people are willing to part with this game; it really is hours and hours of fun!

First things first, the graphics in this game are absoultely amazing. The colors are worth the buy, period.

The selction of karts is awesome, over 18 to choose from as some need to be unlocked. There are 16 characters to choose from,where the weight of your character determines the karts you choose from. There are far more characters to choose from than the 8 the N64 version had to offer.

Luigi's Mansion and Mirror Mode can be unlocked to, which is an awesome feature.

Secondly, the game play is another great feature, although there have been some deletions from Mario Kart 64 that I don't quite agree with. The removing of the jump when taking tight corners sucks. Instead, it's been replaced by a slide attack, which does do a good job of slowing you down, but that's exactly what it does, is slows you down around corners. The jump was better. Who wants to slow down? It does make for lots of fun on straight-aways, however, slamming in to other players and stealing their items.

I do like the Driving School which teaches a begginner, as most of us would be on this specific game, how to properly control your kart.

In this game, a new feature is the doubling up of players in one kart (hence the title: Double Dash!) which is real innovative feature new to this game.

Overall, I like the fact that Nintendo decided to try something new with this one. And it was well worth the wait. The course selections are great, the variety plentiful.

All in all I give it four out of five.

Mario Kart has become one of the most well known franchises out there today. Since the first game Super Mario Kart, the series has been a phenomenon. Banana peels, turtle shells, item blocks, mushrooms, and more wacky things could only have come from the geniuses at Nintendo. The series continued with Mario Kart 64 which brought the 3D change to the loveable kart game. Some loved it and some hated it, but again it was a successful classic that was very enjoyable. Now after 6 years Mario Kart: Double Dash arrives on the scene; is it as good as everyone hoped for? Read on to find out!

First a look at the graphics in general in Mario Kart: Double Dash. As always they are colorful and vibrant, and the design of each level is very unique. However, if you were looking for graphics that take advantage of the Gamecube's power, then you will be somewhat disappointed. The background animation and level design is very simple and colorful, with no real graphical detail. The characters also don't look as well rounded as in Super Mario Sunshine. You see some pointy polygons here and there. Overall, the game's graphical output is average, just like the Mario Party games, yet not a real distraction that will limit your fun in the game.

Next is a look at the sound and music department, and again it falls below expectations. I was expecting musical quality that rivaled Mario Kart 64, instead I get some lackluster and somewhat cheesy background music. Just listen to the music when you finish a race and you will see my point. However, I do commend Nintendo on the good sound effects. The voice acting for each character is fine, as is the engine running in the karts, the clash of the different items, and the different environmental sounds. As with the graphics, the sound is nothing that will distract you from the game, but I do suggest turning on some more upbeat music to help you get more into the competition.

Finally, we come to the gameplay, now while most reviewers were disappointed with the game, I found the gameplay to be a original and refreshing change to the series. The newest thing brought to the series is the addition of teams. You now can choose 2 characters, and based on the combined weight, you can pick from a variety of cars. Basically cars are measured by weight, acceleration, and overall speed. How items work is another essential part to this new addition. Basically there is a driver, and the item holder. You can press the Z button to have your character switch positions during the race. Whoever has the current item, say a shell or mushroom will be in the back, while the character without a item drives the car. I found this tag-team style system to be very innovative and a lot of fun. Now on to the different modes of play...

There are 3 different styles of gameplay in Mario Kart: Double Dash, which include, Battle Mode for multiplayer, and Grand Prix and Time Trial for single player. Grand Prix has 3 modes of difficulty which include 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc, each being more harder than the first. I found the difficulty for each cc to be equally balanced, so you won't feel overwhelmed in going to the next difficulty level. There is also 4 different cups each with 5 unique stages to take part in, each being unique in their own way. What I also found interesting was the number of laps you will have to go, depends on the length of the course. The miniature Baby Park requires 7 laps around it; while the much longer Luigi Circuit only has 3 laps. Basically at the end of every race you get points depending on how well you scored, and if your team has the most points at the end of the cup, you win. Time Trials is basically what you would expect, you race around the course trying to get the best time possible. To help you, you get 2 mushrooms to help with some extra boosting power, and you can even save your ghosts, to help you get better times by racing your previous self.

Battle Mode is the multiplayer style of play that can be done with 2-4 players. There are 3 different battle types: Balloon Fight, Bob-omb Battle, and Shine Snatch. In Balloon Fight each team is given three balloons, and for every time you are hit with an item or fall off the stage, you lose 1. Lose all 3 and you are out, those who played Mario Kart 64 will be familiar with this. Bob-omb Battle is basically as the title describes, as bombs are the main weapon of choice. Shine Snatch is kind of like capture the flag, but with a time limit. Whoever gets the shine and can hold on to it for a certain amount of time wins. All 3 battle modes are a lot of fun, and can provide plenty of action for parties or get togethers.

All in all, Mario Kart: Double Dash isn't the best or fastest racing game out there, but it certainly is just as fun. If you liked the previous Mario Kart games, or are looking for a great party game then be sure to check this one out. Also, as you have noticed a Bonus Disk comes with the game, with a lot of cool stuff on it. Sonic Heroes, Rogue Squadron III, F-Zero GX, Mario Party 5, and more all appear on the disc in demo playable form, and they are all great games. So, be sure to pick this one up for the holiday season, you won't be disappointed!!!

...Our son received this as a gift for his 9th birthday. It was an instant success. Our 5 year old is even into it. He is learning to drive the courses.

There is enough variety and action with this game to give it staying power, at least in our home. Based upon our boys reactions everytime they play, we are sure it is one of those games we will be taking along with us.

Enough entertainment and challenges for everyone of all ages.

Yet another hit for Mario and his friends!

First off, I would like to say that this is one of the best games for game cube. Single player mode has great replay value, actually the game itself has the best replay value out of any game i've ever played. The game itself is improved - more stuff to unlock -> karts, players, battle stages. And the game is much more intense. I find it a lot harder to catch up from 8th place - The 150CC mode is so much harder than the old mario kart, and I find it more fun (yet sometimes frusterating). The power sliding with L and R is so amazingly good that I can't stop using it.

OVERVIEW:
PROS: Everything - more intense, amazing graphics, more characters, modes, battles. Play with TWO players on a kart. Work as a team - have fun for hours - great replay value

CONS: OK, I am absolutely serious that the ONLY con i find in this game is the BLOCK FORT level in battle mode. I must say the old one had so much excitement - you could have your own bases, and travel up on the 1st or 2nd tier. The battle in the new mario kart lacks this presence - you will agree if you have played both games. It is something you just can't explain.
(even that was long it was only one con)

I must say though, that there is a new "bomb-omb" battle that is very addictive.

BREAKDOWN: Get the game- you will have fun with until gamecube is long outdated.

At first I was a little worried as I played the mushroom cup. Everything seemed a bit too "happy" and cartoony. But as I tried higher speeds and more tracks, it becamse obvious this will be a challenging game - and there are a lot of tracks with very different scenarios. The graphics are amazing in the first ice track. Plus there are many unique obstacles that make every track interesting. On one of the ice tracks there are some shyguys ice skating that you have to avoid - but they also do twirls and flips like real figure skaters. It was funny driving by them. In Wario Stadium you have to jump through hoops of fire and dodge huge pipes with fire spitting vines coming out. And through all the other Mario Karts I was always thinking, why didn't each character have their own special item that they can use? They finally did that in this game and the new special items are great! The fireballs that Mario and Luigi can throw are awesome! Not to mention the huge ball and chains baby Mario and Luigi can hurl. And not all the tracks have a bright cartoon feel to them - on the star cup there is a track where you race at night through a city. There are many routes you can take. Also, the volcano track where you get shot through a cannon and go careening down the side of a mountain is a welcome change of pace. Can't wait to keep playing it!

In my opinion Mario Kart are one of the better racers, besides Need for Speed. I like the hyper-realism of something like Gran Turismo or Midnight Club 3 but it's kind of boring cause you just race period. Mario Kart has gameplay elements that actually make you interested in the race. It feels slightly slower than the 64 version but it still looks great.

Story: No story literally. Basically you have racers that want that gold cup and go through different race sets to do it. Old favorites return like Rainbow Road which looks more stunning than the old one and some new ones.

Graphics: Very nicely detailed. Areas like Rainbow Road are simply great to watch but then you have to actually watch the road. Others look rather bland like souped up 64 versions instead of complete overhauls.

Sound/Music: Traditional voice one-liners like "let's-a go!" or "Yoshi!". The music has that nice bubbly catchy music but it's not catchy. What the?

Gameplay: The big change from 64 to Double Dash is right in the name: you have 2 racers per kart now. So Mario is teamed with Luigi, Peach is with Daisy(Luigi's chick I guess), and Baby Mario with Baby Luigi and others.

If you get a red homing shell but don't wanna use it, move your guy to the back and get something else until you need it. The specials are roughly the same with the backwards ? which derails you, homing red shells, ever-travelling green shells, awesome-but-inexplicable blue ones(I have no idea how they work, I just fire them).

Courses in a way are a little complicated than in the past. You'll be bumping into walls a lot and even falling into pits/water which is incredibly frustrating especially when it's such a sharp curve with very little turning room.

There's plenty of secrets to be found and shortcuts that you can explore but this game as usual best works with multiplayer which you'll get your fun's worth in bucket loads.