I'll be honest, the whole kart duo gimmick - interesting of a spin on the formula as it is - does almost nothing for me here. It very rarely ever feels fun to use solo, and in multiplayer one player is always going to be relegated to the less-fun position of item holder. That being said, while it's definitely not my favorite it's still a fantastic kart racer in its own right - that crisp GameCube aesthetic has aged wonderfully, and its got a real murders' row of outstanding tracks (Dino Dino Jungle, Daisy Cruiser, Wario Colosseum, Mushroom Bridge, Yoshi Circuit, Peach Beach, and this game's marvelous rendition of Rainbow Road among others). Though its too-short length can't go unnoticed, you can crank out all these courses and a few games of battle mode in less than an hour. A handful of hot takes that I have no idea why they're hot takes: Dry Dry Desert is elite, DK Mountain is one of the weaker DK courses, GCN Sherbet Land >>>> N64 Sherbet Land, Waluigi Stadium feels kind of awkward to race on, and Baby Park is a top 10 course of the entire franchise - even its defenders love to admit how chaotic it gets before dropping the confusing "buh.. it's just an oval!!1!" line.... yeah and that's the point?? Why do you think there are 7 laps on it?