Double Dash.
Remember how I've said in my Mario Kart DS Review that this game is apart of the top 5? Becsuse it really is. Somewhat. You may have seen me review this game previously with the wording being different, but I'm gonna be straight up and tell you right now to pretend that it doesn't... Actually no. That's not the right thing to do. My original thoughts in this game were as incorrect as cooking an insect for breakfast, with almost everything being false. So this review of Double Dash, I'm going to give my thoughts about the game after just playing through the game.
As a Mario Kart after Shitty Super Circuit, the game is a huge step up from that, although the controls of the game as a whole is as chaotic as the game wants it to be. You'll be crashing into people, getting hit by red and green shells, and the stages obstacles a whole lot if you don't know what you're doing. What's worse is that for some reason, you don't hop to make a mini turbo, but what's great about this game is like DS, you're able to move left and right quickly to get the best dash (a blue one this time). However, pulling snake movement i don't believe that it's reccomended due to the slippery controls.
As far as the game design goes, it's absolutely incredible, reflecting the nature of the game and the Mario games that came out during the time.. Mario Mario Sunshine with Peach Beach, Toadsworth riding the golden vehicle, Piantas Cheering you on, Petey Piharana as a playable character, and Luigi's Mansion with.... Not that much? The only one that i can spot is King Boo but that's about it on my end. But then again, this is a Mario game and not a Luigi one. Thankfully it took until Mario Kart DS for the mansion to get justice as the biggest console mario game during the time was Mario Sunshine (the latest hit mario game was Mario 64 DS, hence why I've said console)
The only problem that I have with this game is how barebones it really is. I know this came after Super Circuit in tbe middle of the Gamecubes lifespan but still, for it being a new Mario Kart on a brand new console, all it provided was a stepping stone for future Mario Karts to take inspiration of, especially Mario Kart DS. this game also has a habit of reusing s whole lot of the games soundtrack which isn't really bad considering that all of them are bangers, but it does leave a good amount of stages to feel copy and pasted a little.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the new revised review of the game. I'll leave my original opinions on the game to reflect how I originally thought of the game for keeps sake:
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Double Dash.
I'm sorry to say this, but you could've been a lot better than what you are now. Seriously. I'm not giving any Double Dash fans some disrespect, but Mario Kart Double Dash was a fantastic Mario kart, but I have a feeling that it needed a bit more time to shine. Many would consider this to be the most underrated one of them all, but nah that spotlight goes to Super Circuit (and that's for a good reason). Double Dash does have it's merits though.
Double Dash has Mushroom Bridge/City, Sherbet Land (not the n64 one but one that has a motif of Donkey Kong 3), Luigi Circuit, Baby Park, Peach Beach, and Wario Colloseum. You see, the problem with this game is not the tracks, but the soundtrack. This game reuses a bunch of songs for the tracks, and honestly, it's missed potential. Why doesn't this game feature a track from Luigi's Mansion but Mario Kart DS does? This game was on the GameCube, they could've put that one there and made the one on the DS a perfect Retro Track. There's also barely any Sunshine references in this game either. You get what I mean by how I believe that Double Dash should've had more potential, right?
I sadly don't remember the multiplayer modes other than the name Tart Top and the Nintendo Gamecube. I believe this game's multiplayer is also forgettable other than the fact that you can have a bunch of GameCubes, Bunch of controllers, and a bunch of TVs with a ton of extra copies of this game for the ultimate experience of playing this game with LAN. I don't know why the fuck they had to do that for a game as simple as Double Dash but hey! If you manage to find a bunch of people who support and like this game, then go ahead, have a life long session of this game with those said amount of people. Saying this, i am now curious to know people who had used the LAN feature of the GameCube. (don't mention Dolphin Emulator)
15 Comments
@KatietheSqurge I get what you mean. I just find this to be the most apparent. The only songs with music not shared in Double Dash is 3 while the ones reused in Double Dash are 5. Compare this to DS where the ratio is 12:2 (didn't even have to mention the Retro Tracks)
ah, i didn't realise it was so apparent but you can't blame them entirely for it because they were still limited by it both being on a tiny disc and being an early entry, so retro tracks were less reasonable to do, and therefore making the ratio much more apparent. I didn't notice the reuse of tracks as much as others though (or that I didn't mind as much because i think DD's song selection is probably one of my favourites from the franchise) so there's a little bias on my end lol
@KatietheSqurge It's fine to have a little bias for a game you'd like, lol. But you do got a point. It is an early (or Mid? I forgot the release date) GameCube game and they hoenstly didn't have a ton of ideas to put on there.
it released in 2003, and at the time only Super Circuit toyed with the idea of having retro tracks in it, but only as a bonus, not an entire reason to play the game so i still consider it to be in that early era of MK before retro tracks took off.
@KatietheSqurge After Super Circuit and in the middle of the GameCube's lifespan. Yeah you got a point 🤣
Think you meant reuses not refuses in the second paragraph.
Really confused by this review - you took off 2.5 stars just b/c it reused music and didn't have references to Super Mario Sunshine lol?
You then criticize the multiplayer, only to immediately say after that you don't even remember the multiplayer modes, like what? Did you even replay the game or are you writing purely out of memory? If the latter, at least give readers a disclaimer that things may not be accurate accordingly.
I think, for gamers, what they care most about a racer is how it controls, the level of the rubberbanding, and how good the courses are.
Really confused by this review - you took off 2.5 stars just b/c it reused music and didn't have references to Super Mario Sunshine lol?
You then criticize the multiplayer, only to immediately say after that you don't even remember the multiplayer modes, like what? Did you even replay the game or are you writing purely out of memory? If the latter, at least give readers a disclaimer that things may not be accurate accordingly.
I think, for gamers, what they care most about a racer is how it controls, the level of the rubberbanding, and how good the courses are.
@RedBackLoggd Thanks for the grammar correction, didn't notice that on my end.
2.5 Stars? I meant to give the game a 3 LMFAO I was sleeping when I made this. But the reason I gave it the low rating (or average rating now that I think about it) is for those reasons alone. While the game didn't have to reference Mario Sunshine, It would've been a perfect idea to do it nonetheless because Mario Sunshine iirc was the latest mainline Mario game and considering that some Mario karst like Super Mario Kart had references to the Mario game of the year (Super Mario Kart had Super Mario World references), it would've been perfect for the game to had something like that. But then again, this can be different depending on the perspective of things.
"You then criticize the multiplayer, only to immediately say after that you don't even remember the multiplayer modes, like what? Did you even replay the game or are you writing purely out of memory? If the latter, at least give readers a disclaimer that things may not be accurate accordingly."
That is my fault. I do have a tendency to review things that I don't really experiment with or touch, and that I can fix on my end. Then again, another reason is that I don't have people to honestly review the multiplayer with other than testing it out with my family and such. Double Dash really wasn't a game that I played a heck of a lot of back then, and we mostly just played the VS mode out of all things. I will take your recommendation that a disclaimer should be put, as that is crucial to writing reviews that you don't cover much with.
2.5 Stars? I meant to give the game a 3 LMFAO I was sleeping when I made this. But the reason I gave it the low rating (or average rating now that I think about it) is for those reasons alone. While the game didn't have to reference Mario Sunshine, It would've been a perfect idea to do it nonetheless because Mario Sunshine iirc was the latest mainline Mario game and considering that some Mario karst like Super Mario Kart had references to the Mario game of the year (Super Mario Kart had Super Mario World references), it would've been perfect for the game to had something like that. But then again, this can be different depending on the perspective of things.
"You then criticize the multiplayer, only to immediately say after that you don't even remember the multiplayer modes, like what? Did you even replay the game or are you writing purely out of memory? If the latter, at least give readers a disclaimer that things may not be accurate accordingly."
That is my fault. I do have a tendency to review things that I don't really experiment with or touch, and that I can fix on my end. Then again, another reason is that I don't have people to honestly review the multiplayer with other than testing it out with my family and such. Double Dash really wasn't a game that I played a heck of a lot of back then, and we mostly just played the VS mode out of all things. I will take your recommendation that a disclaimer should be put, as that is crucial to writing reviews that you don't cover much with.
@RedBackLoggd Oh yes, regarding the reuse of assets, I criticize games for this practice. It's something that I find disappointing in gaming especially if you find repeated use of it in different entries. Although Katie's explanation was valid, I still deduct points for its presence. From my perspective, the game could have been more original. However, I'm uncertain.
I honestly began to critique asset reuse when I played The Legend of Dark Witch, which had been recycling assets even before its release, which is quite amusing.
I honestly began to critique asset reuse when I played The Legend of Dark Witch, which had been recycling assets even before its release, which is quite amusing.
Re-read my comment and want to apologize for how dickish it came across as. That wasn't my intention, but you know how intent is hard to convey online.
A 3/5 is fine, but you still haven't corrected it?
Firstly, a game should be reviewed for what it is, not what you want it to be. Secondly, it did have a Sunshine-themed course via Peach Beach.
IIRC, neither Mario Kart Wii nor Mario Kart 8 had references to SMG, SMG2, or Odyssey.
There's nothing wrong with doing that, I did it with a couple of games myself (recently with Gone Home), but yeah, putting a disclaimer alongside the revised rating would definitely elevate the review significantly. A big part of the Mario Kart appeal is of course the multiplayer aspect, so it's not something that can be skimmed on unfortunately without proper context.
Honestly, maybe it's cause I'm getting into game design, but I think it's wrong to criticize asset reuse between entries if the vast majority of the game is otherwise changed. They had to re-record the tracks on new hardware anyway because of the different sound chip, so it's not like it was purely ported.
A 3/5 is fine, but you still haven't corrected it?
Firstly, a game should be reviewed for what it is, not what you want it to be. Secondly, it did have a Sunshine-themed course via Peach Beach.
IIRC, neither Mario Kart Wii nor Mario Kart 8 had references to SMG, SMG2, or Odyssey.
There's nothing wrong with doing that, I did it with a couple of games myself (recently with Gone Home), but yeah, putting a disclaimer alongside the revised rating would definitely elevate the review significantly. A big part of the Mario Kart appeal is of course the multiplayer aspect, so it's not something that can be skimmed on unfortunately without proper context.
Honestly, maybe it's cause I'm getting into game design, but I think it's wrong to criticize asset reuse between entries if the vast majority of the game is otherwise changed. They had to re-record the tracks on new hardware anyway because of the different sound chip, so it's not like it was purely ported.
@RedBackLoggd Just corrected it as of reading this. :D
"Re-read my comment and want to apologize for how dickish it came across as. That wasn't my intention, but you know how intent is hard to convey online.
"
You didn't come across as dickish. You were just stating your thoughts about my review and wanted to correct things and such. I take constructive criticism seriously, even if some of my reviews are joke-ish ones.
" a game should be reviewed for what it is, not what you want it to be."
I see your point, and indeed, for most of my reviews, I adopt this approach. However, with games such as Legend of Dark Witch, I diverged by evaluating the game both for what it is and for what I wish it could be, beacuse for those type of games, I strongly believe that the game could've been better with the potential that I can seek (see my Dark Witch 2 review, but more specifically when I mention Rudymical and the beginning for my Dark Witch 3 review).
"IIRC, neither Mario Kart Wii nor Mario Kart 8 had references to SMG, SMG2, or Odyssey."
Mario Kart Wii's Rainbow Road has Good Egg Galaxy Motif inside of the song, and now that I think about it, Double Dash did have some Sunshine references inside of it. Toadsworth riding the golden kart, with Piantas cheering you on, and Petey Piranha as a playable character. Maybe I just need to touch up on this review more, cause speaking about the corrections with you did help me find out a good amount of things I forgotten about the game.
"I think it's wrong to criticize asset reuse between entries if the vast majority of the game is otherwise changed. They had to re-record the tracks on new hardware anyway because of the different sound chip, so it's not like it was purely ported."
As I mentioned, although I am open to considering some games, I generally blacklist reused assets because I just think it's just lazy game design. However, this issue can be viewed from various perspectives since asset reuse can maintain a consistent quality of the IP. Nonetheless, it would be preferable if things could be improved without resorting to asset reuse.
"Re-read my comment and want to apologize for how dickish it came across as. That wasn't my intention, but you know how intent is hard to convey online.
"
You didn't come across as dickish. You were just stating your thoughts about my review and wanted to correct things and such. I take constructive criticism seriously, even if some of my reviews are joke-ish ones.
" a game should be reviewed for what it is, not what you want it to be."
I see your point, and indeed, for most of my reviews, I adopt this approach. However, with games such as Legend of Dark Witch, I diverged by evaluating the game both for what it is and for what I wish it could be, beacuse for those type of games, I strongly believe that the game could've been better with the potential that I can seek (see my Dark Witch 2 review, but more specifically when I mention Rudymical and the beginning for my Dark Witch 3 review).
"IIRC, neither Mario Kart Wii nor Mario Kart 8 had references to SMG, SMG2, or Odyssey."
Mario Kart Wii's Rainbow Road has Good Egg Galaxy Motif inside of the song, and now that I think about it, Double Dash did have some Sunshine references inside of it. Toadsworth riding the golden kart, with Piantas cheering you on, and Petey Piranha as a playable character. Maybe I just need to touch up on this review more, cause speaking about the corrections with you did help me find out a good amount of things I forgotten about the game.
"I think it's wrong to criticize asset reuse between entries if the vast majority of the game is otherwise changed. They had to re-record the tracks on new hardware anyway because of the different sound chip, so it's not like it was purely ported."
As I mentioned, although I am open to considering some games, I generally blacklist reused assets because I just think it's just lazy game design. However, this issue can be viewed from various perspectives since asset reuse can maintain a consistent quality of the IP. Nonetheless, it would be preferable if things could be improved without resorting to asset reuse.
@RedBackLoggd hooooly shit, you got me replaying this game to check if things in my review are incorrect, and I almost want to rereveiw this game due to how many inconsistencies there are LMFAO
Ty sir
Aww, I appreciate that man. Unfortunately, there are a slew of terminally online users on this site that have taken issue with any comments I post, so I try and be a little apologetic as far as approach haha.
No, I agree it's actually very natural for us to want to do that because there are games that botch their potential for sure. I guess the counterargument I've come to realize is that we ultimately don't know what went into a game's production cycle: there could've been mandates or last minute changes or budget cuts that resulted in lost features, and so it's always important to keep that in mind when evaluating products.
Apologies by references I meant like courses designed around them, not music beats which you're right existed. And yeah, there were smaller references to Sunshine for sure via Peach Beach and what you said. It's not as explicit as a Isle Delfino course, but it's a far cry from nothing.
Yeah, the asset reuse argument will ultimately have to be a philosophical disagreement as long as you're consistent - i.e., I take it you disliked Majora's Mask then because of its blatant asset reusage?
And LOL, that's a hallmark of maturity - recognizing you made mistakes and acting to correct them.
Aww, I appreciate that man. Unfortunately, there are a slew of terminally online users on this site that have taken issue with any comments I post, so I try and be a little apologetic as far as approach haha.
No, I agree it's actually very natural for us to want to do that because there are games that botch their potential for sure. I guess the counterargument I've come to realize is that we ultimately don't know what went into a game's production cycle: there could've been mandates or last minute changes or budget cuts that resulted in lost features, and so it's always important to keep that in mind when evaluating products.
Apologies by references I meant like courses designed around them, not music beats which you're right existed. And yeah, there were smaller references to Sunshine for sure via Peach Beach and what you said. It's not as explicit as a Isle Delfino course, but it's a far cry from nothing.
Yeah, the asset reuse argument will ultimately have to be a philosophical disagreement as long as you're consistent - i.e., I take it you disliked Majora's Mask then because of its blatant asset reusage?
And LOL, that's a hallmark of maturity - recognizing you made mistakes and acting to correct them.
@RedBackLoggd
"Aww, I appreciate that man. Unfortunately, there are a slew of terminally online users on this site that have taken issue with any comments I post, so I try and be a little apologetic as far as approach haha."
While I hesitate to make broad assumptions, it seems that many people struggle with your style of constructive criticism, interpreting your responses more harshly. I have seen it throughout some of your reviews (and reviews that you make a comment on) and some of them really caught my mind in the form of a "come on, seriously"? But then again, it's all about the matter of how people deal with it and such. Most would see your response to then act negatively which is pretty standard amongst people, but my stances even with those who are intentionally doing it are more neutral because it's the best way to maturely deal with a conflict. Just having negative responses of both sides isn't going to make things better, and worst of all, can result in a block from either side. I honestly believe it's simply your approach that may cause others to become upset, and if anything, I suggest that you take into account on what you're about to say in terms of giving your criticism towards other people's responses.
"guess the counterargument I've come to realize is that we ultimately don't know what went into a game's production cycle: there could've been mandates or last minute changes or budget cuts that resulted in lost features, and so it's always important to keep that in mind when evaluating products."
Who knows what the reason could be! There are many reasons for why the game is the way that it is, similar to how a person can be bad or good for the way they are. It all works depending on what caused it to be in the current state that it is.
"Yeah, the asset reuse argument will ultimately have to be a philosophical disagreement as long as you're consistent - i.e., I take it you disliked Majora's Mask then because of its blatant asset reusage?"
I never played Majora's Mask, but even though my sister (a huge Zelda fan) really believes that it would be a great one to try out, I refuse to because time limits with Puzzle elements as the game are two very weak elements that I have to deal when playing that game, and I don't think I am determined to play that game just yet. Maybe some other day but for now, nah.........................
"And LOL, that's a hallmark of maturity - recognizing you made mistakes and acting to correct them."
Definitely. Thanks for pointing this out! I'm playing this game again and reviewing it the right way.
"Aww, I appreciate that man. Unfortunately, there are a slew of terminally online users on this site that have taken issue with any comments I post, so I try and be a little apologetic as far as approach haha."
While I hesitate to make broad assumptions, it seems that many people struggle with your style of constructive criticism, interpreting your responses more harshly. I have seen it throughout some of your reviews (and reviews that you make a comment on) and some of them really caught my mind in the form of a "come on, seriously"? But then again, it's all about the matter of how people deal with it and such. Most would see your response to then act negatively which is pretty standard amongst people, but my stances even with those who are intentionally doing it are more neutral because it's the best way to maturely deal with a conflict. Just having negative responses of both sides isn't going to make things better, and worst of all, can result in a block from either side. I honestly believe it's simply your approach that may cause others to become upset, and if anything, I suggest that you take into account on what you're about to say in terms of giving your criticism towards other people's responses.
"guess the counterargument I've come to realize is that we ultimately don't know what went into a game's production cycle: there could've been mandates or last minute changes or budget cuts that resulted in lost features, and so it's always important to keep that in mind when evaluating products."
Who knows what the reason could be! There are many reasons for why the game is the way that it is, similar to how a person can be bad or good for the way they are. It all works depending on what caused it to be in the current state that it is.
"Yeah, the asset reuse argument will ultimately have to be a philosophical disagreement as long as you're consistent - i.e., I take it you disliked Majora's Mask then because of its blatant asset reusage?"
I never played Majora's Mask, but even though my sister (a huge Zelda fan) really believes that it would be a great one to try out, I refuse to because time limits with Puzzle elements as the game are two very weak elements that I have to deal when playing that game, and I don't think I am determined to play that game just yet. Maybe some other day but for now, nah.........................
"And LOL, that's a hallmark of maturity - recognizing you made mistakes and acting to correct them."
Definitely. Thanks for pointing this out! I'm playing this game again and reviewing it the right way.
I really appreciate the candidness, and as I hopefully indicated with my earlier apology, I do recognize you're right and that I need to change my approach in certain aspects. That said, there are definitely comments I make on other reviews that are more harsh, and that is deliberate because I fully oblige by the theory of fighting fire with fire: if someone is being pretentious, narcissistic, dismissive, or chatising in their review, whether it's towards the audience, fans, developers, or whatever, I will respond in kind because they have indicated, in their writing, that they are not coming from a place of good intentions.
Yeah, no we're in agreement there, I'm just saying keep it in mind when evaluating a product.
LOL, we're in agreement there - I HATE when video games put time limits on you, and it's the reason why I've abstained from trying out the game myself.
Of course!
Yeah, no we're in agreement there, I'm just saying keep it in mind when evaluating a product.
LOL, we're in agreement there - I HATE when video games put time limits on you, and it's the reason why I've abstained from trying out the game myself.
Of course!
KatietheSqurge
2 days ago