Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)

Grouvee please introduce a half star rating scale. I need to give this game 4.5 stars because in my mind. It's unparalleled! Can you remember the rush of playing through all cup the morning after a sleepover, your mom waiting in the car outside while you beg her to let you finish rainbow road??? No??? Then you would probably have some complaints about this game and that would be fair.

I love the double up mechanic and I love throwing items. I have tried many times to get friends who have played other Mariokart titles to play this one with me and it never goes quite how I want. The double ride was a fun twist! I will not back down from this opinion!

Additionally, I think the course design and driving mechanics hit a nice medium here, and hold up surprisingly well.

This is a frustrating game. At the higher difficulties the items coming at you are relentless. That was one of the big reasons I put this game down after playing it only a few hours back fifteen years ago when I first bought it. My frustration at not being able to play the newer kart games though eventually brought me back to this title, the first "modern" Mario Kart game. After earning gold in every cup here are my impressions:

--The Good--

For me no other game feels quite as good as a Mario Kart game. I drift in other games, but it never quite feels as buttery smooth as a Mario Kart drift. I shoot weapons in other games, but every single time I use an item or weapon in this game it feels like a tactical decision. I play racing games on all kinds of tracks, but none have the variety and precision of the sorts of tracks found in a game like this one. It all comes together with Nintendo's classic polish to create a game experience that is refreshing and fun.

--The Bad--

If you have played most any other Mario Kart game though you know how brutal a game like this can be. We've all seen the videos and gifs of Mario Kart racers being relentlessly pounded by all kinds of items. The Blue Shell is a meme all by itself. At higher levels of difficulty in this game it sometimes felt like I couldn't get a hundred feet without being hit over and over again by every conceivable type of shell. Add to this the frustrating reality that the game cheats to bolster your "rivals" and there were times where I had to shut the system off for the night because I was just getting too worked up over it. And unlike Mario Kart 64 which allowed you to retry a race if you placed below 4th, in this game there are no do-overs.

--The Verdict--

When approaching this game there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give it a fair try and spend some real time playing at lower difficulty/speed levels. Let the feel of the game sink in. If things just feel good then you might be a Mario Kart fan in the making. Second, this is one of those games where you have to practice and improve if you want to succeed at the higher difficulty/speed levels. If you are more casual (as I usually am) it may just be more fun to stay at 50cc and not worry about anything else. Finally, get comfortable with frustration. You will get hit with a blue shell just before you finish in first place and you will end up finishing in fourth place. You will get bounced off the track into lava or outer space the moment before you launch your special. This happens much less often at 50cc though, so again if you want an easier time it may be more fun to just stay at that level.

Overall if you come at this game with the right mindset I don't think you will regret your time with the first truly 3D Mario Kart game.