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Makiavellii conebone69 Hooked on Neo total posts: 4405 since: Apr 2002	Apr 26, 03 at 1:51pm Game Information and News
	Game Specs: Publisher Nintendo Developer Nintendo Genre Racing Origin: Japan Number of Players: 8 Release Dates US: November 17, 2003 Europe & Australia: November 14, 2003 Japan: November 7, 2003 Extras Memory Card Nintendo has unleashed the first pics and details on the long-awaited Mario Kart Double Dash. That's right, the first GameCube entry in the Mario Kart series finally has a name. The biggest change from previous entries, aside from the improved graphics shown in the screenshots, would have to be the ability for two characters to ride a cart together. The character in the rear is responsible for using items while the mascot in front drives. Screenshots seem to hint that those using the items have added control over where they shoot the items, although this hasn't been confirmed yet. You can switch off between the driving and item roles at will in a race. Switching off will probably be essential to the game, as characters will each have their own set of specific items that other characters cannot use. Characters can make use of 6 general items along with eight player specific items. In all, there are sixteen characters confirmed for the game. Here's the list of characters that we know of so far: Mario Luigi Peach Baby Mario Baby Luigi Yoshi Donkey Kong Diddy Kong Koopa (Bowser) Koopa Jr. (Bowser Jr.) Koopa Troopa Paratroopa Daisy Birdo Walugi Wario We see lots of names missing from that list that will probably make it in as secret characters. Characters can be paired up however you see fit. Multiplayer play will, of course, feature heavily in the game. A four player split screen will be on offer, but Nintendo will also be including LAN play for up to 8 players. Further details on this latter mode will be unveiled at this May's E3 show. Check out the first shots of the game in the media section. Pictures Taken from IGN.com. All Information Regarding Mario Kart: Double Dash Should Be Placed Here From Now On This message was edited by Makiavellii on Apr 27 2003. May 14 - IGN's E3 Preview/Review: It's the game you've been waiting for: Mario Kart. There's no other kart racing franchise in the world like it, and the time has finally come to welcome Nintendo's next iteration to GameCube. We all knew that it was coming long before Nintendo itself even revealed the game back in 2001. As one of the most widely loved games the publisher has ever dreamed into existence, Mario Kart's universal appeal guaranteed it a spot in the GameCube library. But until now, no one -- not even Mario himself -- knew how the game would play. Then a few short weeks back, Nintendo dropped the first details of the game, including its official title: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Now, here at the E3 2003 showroom floor, we've finally played Nintendo's latest masterpiece for ourselves, and this is what we experienced. Properly spelled with two exclamation points just like the classic Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Double Dash!! looks to take the franchise into both familiar and innovative territory with its dual rider gameplay design. That's right -- one kart, two of your favorite Nintendo characters at the helm as you whip around the classic Nintendo tracks hucking banana peels and turtle shells all over again. Except this time on GameCube, we're treated to new variations of our favorite courses and weapons, in addition to a much needed graphical and frame-rate overhaul. These common sense features are to be expected from the GameCube sequel, but the burning question remains: how does Double Dash!! play? We've done the dirty deed ourselves -- many times over, in fact -- here at Nintendo's E3 booth, and we've pried our fingers from the controllers to give you the full scoop. For starters, the E3 demo lets players pick from one of 16 characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Yoshi, Birdo, Bowser, Baby Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi. Phew -- not a bad list of playable characters for an early E3 version! We know what you're thinking: "No Toad? Ack!" While Nintendo would not confirm which characters will be immediately available in the final build of the game, it did specifically state that the layout of the character selection screen should not be considered an indication of how many (if any) secret, unlockable characters will be in the final version. As mentioned, Double Dash!! lets players pick not one, but two of their favorite Nintendo chums to pile into the same kart and hit the asphalt. Players begin the selection process by first picking their driver, and then immediately selecting their backseat rider. All players are free to pick simultaneously, so you'll have to be quick in four-player matches to snag your favorite racers if you don't want to be stuck with the less popular Bowser and Donkey Kong heavyweights (characters can only be selected once). After both characters are locked in, you'll next pick your kart -- a first for Mario Kart titles. Each kart is clearly distinguished as belonging to a particular character, but anyone is free to select any kart they'd like, with a few restrictions. For example, the larger characters such as Wario will not be able to squeeze into Baby Mario's tiny ride, and likewise, Baby Bowser is far too short to steer Donkey Kong's wooden barrel machine. The middle-ground characters like Mario and Yoshi can pilot whichever karts they want, making them the most balanced choices of the bunch, as always. In the past, rider characteristics were determined by whichever Nintendo character was selected, but in Double Dash!! you'll pick two characters and a kart, so what determines things like handling, weight, and max speed? According to Nintendo, that's now tied strictly to the kart selected, not the characters. So if you go with Wario's fat, purple roadster, you'll be cruising a little heavy compared to Mario's spicy, red hotrod. There's also some strategy involved in picking your two riders, as each will bring his or her own special abilities to the race -- more on that later. The final version of the game will, of course, feature a slew of colorful Nintendo courses (hopefully including the trademark "Rainbow Road" favorite), but here at E3, we're limited to a selection of three: "Luigi Grand Prix," "DK Mountain," and "Mushroom City." If you've played the N64 version of Mario Kart at all, then you'll probably have a good idea of the types of landscapes painting each of these distinct courses. Luigi GP features a simple asphalt roadway with grassy shoulders and nice straight-aways. DK Mountain is easily the most curvaceous of the three, with snaking chicanes and switchbacks littering a downhill mountainside slope that's lined by deadly cliffs, a massive barrel cannon that shoots racers for 10 seconds through the air, and a floppy wooden bridge just before the finish line. Mushroom City is similar in style to Mario Kart 64's "Toad's Turnpike," where blocky moving vans and cars crisscross around city blocks as riders swerve through multiple paths and attempt to follow ambiguous traffic pointers to stay on course. All three feel very much a part of the Mario Kart universe, and each requires several laps of playtime before learning their individual intricacies and mastering their hidden shortcuts. Control-wise, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is much simpler in some ways and more complex in others. The A button hits the gas and B brakes, and either L or R can be used to power-slide around corners. One interesting note: the classic hop when hitting the trigger is now gone for reasons unknown, and the wonderful depth of the N64 slide technique has now reverted back to the basic drift found in the SNES and GBA versions. This means that you'll no longer be toggling your control sticks back and forth as you attempt to squeeze out a quick speed boost -- just mash a trigger and drift around the corner like everybody else. While Nintendo states that this could change in the near future, we must admit that we certainly hope it finds a way to inject the wonderful depth and technique invented in the N64 hit back into the GameCube sequel. While the driving controls have been toned down, the item warfare has been significantly improved, making this latest GameCube Mario Kart title a vast improvement in dishing out the Nintendo-flavored pain. Players can hit either the X or Y buttons to use items depending on their personal preferences, as both function the same. Now here's where the added depth of the dual-rider setup comes into play. As players race over the multicolored, rotating item blocks lining the track, they'll trigger the slot machine item selection window as before, and hitting the Y or X buttons will stop the spinning and select an item for use. Although the ability to hold down the item button and trail an item behind your kart has been removed, in some ways, it's for the better. Keep reading. Each of the two characters in your cart can hold an item, and only the backseat passenger can dish them out while the front character mans the wheel. This means that when an item is picked up, players can press the Z button to swap the characters' positions and pick up a second item. The switching animation is very fast and seamless, as both riders simultaneously swing around the side of the kart and swap seats without skipping a beat. So if you're in last place and snag yourself a really good item (as will often occur when you're trailing behind), you can pocket that bad boy by switching riders and keeping it up front for a while. This means that Mario Kart players can finally bust out a lighting bolt when in first place or save a cluster of red shells for that pesky second place racer looking to make his move. But what's the disadvantage to only using items with a single character while the other holds onto something special? Each Nintendo favorite comes with special items that only that character has the chance to pick up within the item blocks. For example, when Bowser stops the slot machine from spinning, he has a chance to earn a special, super-sized, spikey Bowser shell that consumes over half the width of the track and destroys all racers in its path. If Bowser is busy hanging on to a star item in the front seat, then the player is missing out on the chance to snag that item in the back. This tradeoff adds much more strategy to Double Dash!!'s item usage than the old-school method of pulling items behind the karts, and we definitely approve. One thing missing from this new item storage system is the ability to protect your backside from oncoming projectile attacks such as the deadly seeking red shells. To make up for it, Nintendo has designed a system that isn't yet functional in this E3 version. As items such as red shells zero in on their targets, players will be able to spot them for a brief second before impact and actually dodge them by pulling off a drift maneuver. Nintendo is still tweaking the move, so we'll have to wait a bit until we test it out for ourselves, but we're certainly glad to hear that its in the works. Something else that's supposedly still coming (yet not in the E3 version) is the ability to recover from banana slides by tapping the brake; hang in there, Nintendo says that we're likely to find it in the final game, and we're very thankful for it. Another cool defensive move that we actually witnessed for ourselves is something that we like to call the "backseat item swipe." If an itemless racer pulls up close to a nearby enemy kart that's carrying an item, he'll reach over and swipe it right out of their hands. It's a move similar to the old ghost item that's sure to cause much angst in heated multiplayer matches. There's still no word if ghosts are in the game or what the final item list will offer, but we can confirm that we have seen green and red shells (single and groups of three), stars, lighting bolts, mushrooms (single and groups of three), banana peels, and the famous spikey, blue turtle shell that seeks out and destroys the first place kart -- except this time, it has wings. The sucker just flies through the air and dive-bombs the leader from above, causing an explosion that will even rock nearby racers within a fairly large radius. Now that's the kind of firepower that we've been looking forward to in our GameCube sequel! We've also been looking forward to GameCube's graphical enhancements, and we must admit to being slightly skeptical based on Nintendo's early, pre-E3 batch of screenshots released last month. But after seeing the game in motion before our very eyes, we're truly very satisfied with the brightly colored eye-candy presented in Double Dash!!. The framerate is a solid 60 frames per second, and it even holds up perfectly in four-player split-screen mode. (While most kiosks here at the show are set up for single or four-player split screen gameplay, Nintendo is also showcasing Mario Kart's eight-player LAN support at its booth -- we'll be back with a full, separate report of how they've set it up, how it looks, and how smoothly it performs using the GameCube's broadband adapter and local-area network connections.) Double Dash!!'s animations especially are extremely well done and detailed. Characters riding in the back of your kart feature custom animations that are appropriate for the items being used. For example, they'll hold a banana in hand and turn around to face either forward or backward depending upon whether you decide to toss it ahead or behind your kart. As you get close enough to swipe an opponent's item, you'll see your backseat partner literally lean over, extend his arm, and grab the item from the hands of the poor, helpless victim. If you snag a multi-item such as three mushrooms, you'll watch them juggle and balance the bunch as you prepare to absorb the boost. It looks very polished, but you'll have to pry your eyes from the oncoming obstacles to consciously take note of them. The style is still very cartoony and the pace is still nowhere near the mind-melting speeds found in F-Zero GX, but Double Dash!! looks, feels, and plays exactly how a GameCube Mario Kart title should here at E3 2003. With twice as many lovable Nintendo characters packed onto the screen as before, resisting this charm should prove twice as tough for even the most jaded of Nintendo critics. Even as we sit and transcribe these gameplay details and impressions, the only thing truly occupying our brainwaves are fantasies of returning to the show floor and getting another round of Double Dash!! under our belts. We'll be back with first downloadable gameplay footage of Mario Kart just as soon as we can get back out there, so sit tight and check back very soon to see it in motion for yourselves! Movies(Right-Click and press save as to view) DK Mountain Various Clips Mushroom City Official E3 2003 Movie Footage Old E3 2001 Footage NEW! Two new battle modes? Giddy up!! 2 New battle modes to play, Balloon Blast and Bob-OmbBlast In Balloon Battle, each player drives a kart with three balloons attached to it around a battle arena. The rules are simple: every time you get hit by an opponent, you lose a balloon. The last man standing wins. The demo featured two levels to try out the new karts (the handling is different from Mario Kart 64, so it'll definitely take you some time to get used to things and perform the same quick turns and nasty attacks you're used to). The first level is known as Pipe Plaza and is basically an altered version of the two-level stage in Mario Kart 64's battle mode. There are ramps in this square arena that lead up to those grid walkways (you know, the ones Mario can usually hang on to). The walkways in turn connect to horizontal green pipes that warp you from one end of the level to the other. The other stage is simply called the GameCube Stage and it's just that: a GameCube serving as the basis for the stage. Players fight for survival on the completely obstacle free top of a GameCube console. It's all about driving skills, fleeing from turtle shells, and retaliating the worst way possible. While it may be chaotic in Balloon Battle, once you check into this stage in Bob-omb Blast, you'll be shocked by the mayhem that ensues. Bob-omb Blast has players collecting bombs instead of power-ups. The bombs appear in those same "?" blocks also found in the main modes. Collect more than one bomb and your kart's two occupants will start to juggle the explosive items on top of each other. If you've got 10 bombs, you'll be juggling a rather tall and precarious looking tower. But hording the bombs isn't the name of the game, either. At the press of a button, you'll hurl the bomb at your opponent, causing an explosion that will earn the attacking player one star. The player who gets to three stars wins. NEW! Anticipation builds as Nintendo reveal more, including some new info regarding a free Bonus Demo Disc a La Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker August 21, 2003 - Though unconfirmed, retail assets uncovered by IGNcube indicate that Nintendo of America may be planning to offer a free 'bonus disc' to consumers who pre-order Mario Kart: Double Dash. The disc, according to a piece of artwork distributed to chains such as Electronics Boutique, will contain playables and possibly video previews of GameCube software. We do not yet know if the playables will be of new games or, in fact, if the disc will be similar or identical to previous ones. According to the retail art for the offer, the bonus disc will be handed out "at the time of purchase [of Mario Kart]." BRAND SPANKIN NEW!! MarioKartouble Dash Battle/Multiplayer Videos! [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Your gonna need a good connection to view these, so just click on them and it'll start your movie. Happy viewing True Beleivers NEW! IGN gets their hands on Double Dash again, and reveals some hot new goodies! Features One of the most popular games franchises ever -- new and improved for GameCube Huge cast of mascot characters including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Wario, and many more Two-player per kart dynamic: switch to hold more items than before Character-specific power-ups; Yoshi rolls his egg, Wario can toss bombs, and the whole cast has new tricks Several modes of gameplay: Grand Prix, Time Trials, and Battle Multiplayer mayhem -- one to four-player Battles and regular races; plus, two-player cooperative support for Grand Prix! LAN play lets you use an Ethernet cable to link two to eight GameCubes on separate TVs Supports Logitech steering wheel controller Progressive scan supported Pro Logic II enabled Planned November 17, 2003 release Rated E for "Everyone" Double Dash!! is easily one of the most anticipated titles in the history of GameCube. It's brand new and packed with more features than its predecessors. Everything from the three new Grand Prix cups to the three Battle mode types is completely fresh. We've previously discussed the general game mechanics, so we'll spare repeating that, but with a more complete version on display at this recent Gamers' Summit there is definitely a lot more to the picture. Let's get the obvious point out of the way: the speed. Few people deny, including Nintendo executives, that the E3 2003 build -- the first playable version shown -- of MK: DD was too slow. Whether played at 50cc or 150cc, the pace of the game was alarmingly sluggish. The wider tracks only heightened this sensation. The beloved power slide was also missing. Nintendo promised these problems were on its radar and that they would be resolved before the game's release this November. Good news is they weren't kidding. This seemingly near-final build of Mario Kart for GameCube is indisputably faster than the previous build. No longer are you distracted by the pace. Instead, your focus can be directed where it should be: strategizing item pick-ups, managing sharp turns with the power slide, and gunning for first place every time. To us, it felt comfortably quick. In other words, sure we wouldn't mind seeing its pace bumped up just a little faster, but it's also at a point where it feels right. Like a Chomp-Chain has been lift from atop our crushed expectations, there is now plenty of room to breath; Double Dash!! can be fully enjoyed for the same addictive gameplay its forefathers standardized. With that settled, let's move on and discuss the different modes that were on display. We'll start with Grand Prix. Nintendo pretty much gave us access to the entire gameplay experience here. The catch: nothing could be unlocked. They didn't want any secrets getting out, but a company representative noted, "There are many, many secrets in this game." They left it at that, but, hey, that whets our appetite. We're hoping they've left enough behind closed doors to keep the single-player experience worthwhile. As for Grand Prix itself, we had access to the 12 tracks. They include the following: Mushroom Cup Flower Cup Star Cup Mushroom Cup Mushroom Bridge Sherbert Lane Luigi Circuit Mario Circuit Mushroom City Baby Park Daisy Cruise Yoshi Circuit Dry Dry Desert Waluigi Stadium DK Mountain We checked pretty much all of them out. The track designs pleased in almost every regard. Every track had something unique about it that demonstrated a different part of the gameplay. Waluigi Stadium, one of our favorites, was an MX-style course with slowly-rotating flame propellers and Piranha Plants jutting out horizontally to block your way. Another, Yoshi Circuit, was filled with twists and turns -- a perfect level for pros to show off their skills. Then there was Daisy Cruise, which had players rounding the edges of a giant cruise liner. Unique, indeed. Shortcuts, too, made themselves apparent. Both in the form of rocketing over grassy, sandy, or muddy areas to cut a corner as well as true sidetracks that took you through a different area altogether. So, if you're wondering if we're satisfied with the track designs and Grand Prix features, the answer is definitely yes. Then there is the all-new co-op mode. Nintendo, thankfully, has granted the wishes of Mario Kart fans abroad. You can play Grand Prix in multiplayer form. Even better, you can do it co-operatively, riding the same cart. This works for up to 16 players according to Nintendo. Basically you can hook up eight different TVs via the LAN with two players per TV. That's some seriously awesome one-screen action right there, we must say. To all dorms, corporate offices, and Brady Bunches -- you're going to want to stock up on your equipment to accommodate this. The way it works is fairly simple. Two players to a kart: one steers and the other tosses items. For the power slide, you both have to work together. While the player in the driver's seat activates the slide with L or R, it's up to the player in the back seat to rock the stick back and forth, thus earning the boost. If you want to switch seats you have to verbally agree to hit the Z-button at the same time. In multiplayer mode, you can imagine that the more people you get to play co-op, the louder the experience becomes. It's a mode we're really looking forward to exploiting -- especially over a LAN. Of course, the staple multiplayer mode in Mario Kart has always been Battle. The developers recognized this, adding in three main sub-modes: Balloon Battle, Shine Thief, and Bob-omb Blast. As for the first of those three, fans will easily recognize Balloon Battle as the mode where you take the arenas and attempt to strip the other players of their balloons. The basic mechanics of this mode has remained the same. Shine Thief, inspired by the company's flagship Super Mario Sunshine title, has players fighting for the rights to a Shine Sprite (the golden suns players collected in the platformer). Meanwhile, a counter ticks down to zero and the player last in possession of it wins. You can crash into the current "Shine Thief" to grab it for yourself, or you can knock it from them with items. Lastly, Bob-omb Blast is about as insane as it gets. Players pick up Bob-ombs -- lots of them and that's all. Each character can carry five, which amounts to 10 per kart. You can hold on to them as long as you like or chuck them at opponents, whereupon they explode outward and upward in a huge 3D half-sphere. The goal is to fill up the star tanks in the corner of your screen (in our four-player matches it was up to four). If you successfully bombed another racer you would get a star filled with their color. If you got bombed, you would lose one of your stars. It's totally frantic, an understatement we assure you, but there is some leeway in that your own bombs will not hurt you. Bob-omb tossing mechanics allow you to toss it far, close, and set it behind you to tick momentarily before it explodes. This range of bombing abilities adds more strategy to the gameplay than tossing explosives around might imply. It's a really sweet new mode that we're sure fans are going to get hooked into immediately. The only downside is there are no clear statistics tracking for this mode, so there's never a clear second, third, or fourth place. Outlook This is Mario Kart as it should be. Now that Nintendo has properly addressed the speed issues and given us a glimpse into the extra modes, we can say confidently that this will probably be one of the best GameCube titles of this holiday season. Visually, the title is already incredibly stable -- 60 frames per second in single-player and 30 in multiplayer. So we have no real concerns. In fact, it seems to borrow some tricks from Super Mario Sunshine, demonstrating strong draw distances and a depth of field blur effect. As we look forward to its November 17, 2003 release, our only expectations now are that the final title will show polish in the same way that Super Smash Bros. Melee did with many unlockables and secrets. For now, it seems Nintendo's kart franchise has more than a fighting chance to remain the best available while setting a few new standards to boot. Look for more coverage on the hotly anticipated racer in the coming months and be sure to check out the latest screenshots in our media section. NEW!Demo Disc Details October 07, 2003 - Nintendo has revealed on the official Mario Kart: Double Dash website, the contents of the bonus disc that will be given away with a prepurchase of the GameCube Mario Kart title. On the disc will be five playable demos of recent and future titles including first-party games Mario Party 5 and F-Zero GX, as well as third-party offerings, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, and Sonic Heroes. There will also be non-interactive movie clips from the following games: 1080 Avalanche, Kirby Air Ride, Pokemon Colosseum, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Harry Potter: Quiddich World Cup, NBA Live 2004, and Spongebob Squarepants: The Search for Bikini Bottom. Also of interest to Game Boy Advance owners, this disk will also unlock exclusive content in the upcoming Fire Emblem cartridge, including unlockable weapons, abilities, and music. You'll need a Game Boy Advance GameCube cable to take advantage of this feature. Mario Kart: Double Dash is released on November 17th, and supplies on the Bonus Disc are limited. Official Websites: http://mariokart.com http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/gm4 http://www.nintendo-europe.com/microsite/mariokartdoubledash/enGB/ This message was edited by DragoniteBallZ(moderator) on Nov 08 2003. This message was edited by DragoniteBallZ(moderator) on Nov 19 2003. -------------------
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Princess Peach Super Princess Peach! Seeketh Maximus since: Feb 2002	Apr 26, 03 at 6:38pm re: Double Dash Full Information
	Thread Rules mark spoilers. Post only if you are going to contribute something valuable to this thread. Please limit the chatting. It is allowed as long as you are contributing to the thread or if you have a intellectual question to ask regarding the info. Don't quote large posts. Of course, keep it all related to Mario Kart Double Dash. If you would like to chat about the game please bring it to the General Discussions or any other designated thread in the forum. Don't submit old info. The thread doesn't need dozens of replies confirming or submitting the same exact piece of info. If you are going to post a spoiler give off a warning that it is a spoiler and also I recommend that you quote it and make the text white. I do however recommend you post it in the Secrets Thread. This message was edited by DragoniteBallZ(moderator) on Feb 05 2004. ------------------- Mario and Peach website
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Rager forum fanatic total posts: 416 since: Mar 2003	Apr 27, 03 at 4:56am re: Double Dash Full Information
	Is there going to be an option where there's only one person in the kart? All the screenshots seem to be about two people in one kart.
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Makiavellii conebone69 Hooked on Neo total posts: 4405 since: Apr 2002	Apr 27, 03 at 11:15am re: Double Dash Full Information
	I dont think so, although you can choose whoever you want to be in the car with you, you could have bowser and mario if you wanted to. I like the two person thing though, more control over where you throw your items and what not (thats what the person in the back does) and you can switch back and forth to be the driver or the thrower all you want. Im stoked about this now. Birdo and two Koopa Troopas Plus, 8 people can play at one time! Check first post, on how the characters move, how they shoot, and more Mariokart goodies! One jampacked update! This message was merged with other messages by DragoniteBallZ (moderator) -------------------
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Bardock007 true seeker (2K Remix) total posts: 2200 since: Jul 2003	Jul 24, 03 at 10:05pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	How can you have eight people play at a time if you can only have four controllers in at a time?
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Rager forum fanatic total posts: 416 since: Mar 2003	Jul 25, 03 at 3:33am re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	With the Internet option, but to have 8 racers, both Gamecubes (the one the player(s) is using and the one the person(people) you selected is using) have to have 4 people playing them, so you can't have something like it connecting up to 3 Gamecubes, two with 3 people and one with 2 people. At least, I think that's what it says...
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Makiavellii conebone69 Hooked on Neo total posts: 4405 since: Apr 2002	Aug 20, 03 at 2:42pm Movie Update
	Added the new movie section, made it look prettier Check the first post for the exciting new movies, and all the info you'll ever need on MKD -Mak. -------------------
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Makiavellii conebone69 Hooked on Neo total posts: 4405 since: Apr 2002	Aug 20, 03 at 4:35pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	quote Luigi88 k i cant wait for further info on the 8 player thing! i hope it will include secret characters like toad and daisy! A rep. for Nintendo said that "There will be a minimum of 16 characters" recently, so that puts the hopes up for Bonus Characters -------------------
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Princess Peach Super Princess Peach! Seeketh Maximus since: Feb 2002	Aug 20, 03 at 9:56pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	Here's some impressions that were updated today. quote Impressions: Mario Kart: Double Dash Fast and furious Karting action from the entire Mario cast! Written: 08/20/2003 On display at the Toy Test this year was a greatly updated build of Mario Kart: Double Dash from what was on display this past May at E3. My impressions from that build are below, so I'm going to focus mostly on changes I've noticed. So let's get this out of the way first … Mario Kart: Double Dash is at least TWICE as fast as the E3 build, if not faster. Seriously, they've put a great deal of time and effort into getting the game as fast and responsive as possible, and it's playing VERY well. 150CC is almost too fast at first, just like it should be, with players careening into walls if they fail to use the brake going into turns. This was my primary reason for not mentioning the slowness at E3 ... we were informed by Nintendo brass that the speed of the game was the very next thing to be addressed in the game. Also making its return is the power-slide feature, triggered with the shoulder buttons. I wasn't able to pull-off the speed boost trick, but that might have just been me. Power-sliding really loosens up the cart, and will take very careful timing and practice to master, but will help a lot in the 150cc class when coming into tight corners. Special character-only items are now in the game, and seem to be given semi-randomly. I say "semi", because as fans of Mario Kart 64 know, the items are given based on your placement in the race. First place racers are more likely to get items like green shells and banana peels to drop back at unwitting followers, while last place racers are more likely to get the blue winged spiky shell to take out the race leader. Each character has their own unique items now, such as Yoshi's egg which wobbles towards racers, and Mario & Luigi each have red and green fireballs, respectively. The character swapping and unique items add a feeling of strategy that the N64 incarnation didn't have, and is a total blast. Switching the character with the red-seeker shell into the driver’s seat so that the other can unleash a special attach is a very satisfying feeling. There are “double question boxes” on the course now; picking one up will give items to both characters, while the single boxes will only give an item to the character in the back. Of course, if you have an item, you get nothing, so again, swapping characters and judicious use of items becomes key strategy. Watching the kids play, it was interesting to see that at first most kids didn’t realize the difference. It played just like the Mario Kart they are used to, but when they figured out how to use the other rider, these little hellions starting devising and hatching plans of Machiavellian proportions. Imagine what 8-player LAN games will be like where no one but you can see your screen and the items you possess. While the player in back will “flaunt” the weapon they’ve acquired, the driver shows no outward signs of what’s in store, and that amounts to a great feeling of satisfaction when you unleash a place-stealing disaster at the last moment. The game was only four-player split-screen this time around, as opposed to the eight-way LAN gaming featured at E3. Even so, the game was very fast, and felt like it was locked in at 60fps. The graphics overall appeared to have been polished all the way around, looking very vibrant and sharp. The entire Mushroom Cup was open, which consists of four tracks: Luigi Circuit, Mushroom Bridge, Waluigi Stadium, and DK Mountain. There were also two battle modes available, including the incredibly fun Bom-Omb Blast ... where you hurl bombs at your opponents and hope to blow them up in the blast. It's a simple change from the standard Balloon Burst (also showcased), but is tons more fun. There appeared to be fourteen characters available and a selection of carts for each. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Bowser, Baby Bowser, Yoshi, Baby Koopa, Wario, and Waluigi were all available, and it's unknown how many (if ANY) characters will be unlocked or hidden when the game ships. Overall, this felt like the Mario Kart we all enjoy, fast and furious, and if the reaction of the kids playing at the Toy Test is any indication, it's going to be a big hit when it ships in November. After keeping us waiting for over an hour, my first stop in the E3 doors was over to Nintendo and the Mario Kart area. Nintendo has eight machines linked over Broadband, each equipped with a replica Kart racing chair, giving a very authentic feel to the experience. Characters were selected for us randomly for this E3 demo, and soon we were off to the races. The graphics are incredibly sharp and fluid, appearing to be running at 60 frames per second and in progressive scan. The colors are vivid and seemingly "pop" off the screen. The animation really makes the game shine, with each character having a unique style of movement that fits the game wonderfully. Doubters, put your fears to rest. Mario Kart: Double Dash plays almost IDENTICALLY to it's N64 predecessor, but with the addition of character switching adding a whole new strategic element to the game. In other words, you're going to be right at home and nearly all the skills you've honed to a fine edge will be immediately usable, but there are new techniques that you will have to master as well. For example, certain characters have a chance at getting an item specific to them from the "?" boxes on the track, but that item won't be available if the character that uses it is driving. Both characters can hold items, so learning to switch those characters on the fly becomes integral to the gameplay. Better yet, it makes the game really hectic and fun. A few features are missing, such as the hop when you go into a drift, and the ability to drag shells behind you to protect yourself from attack. This latter omission has been addressed, as you'll eventually be able to dodge these attacks if you catch them coming at you in time. Contrary to early reports of a two-Cube limitation, Mario Kart supports up to eight Cubes with the use of an eight-port hub or switch of some kind. It's unknown at this point if Nintendo plans to offer a hub of their own for multiplayer gaming, but you can get one at any computer store for about the price of a game. Mario Kart looks outstanding and plays a lot like the game that many of you love. Haters beware... this game is a LOT of fun, so quit squawking about the eyes on the trees and get ready for a whole lot of multiplayer fun. Yes! The speed is now the same as the previous Mario Kart! I'm so glad they updated that! ^-^ No worries now. Plus I love the new stragey elements added in the game. It's going to be so fun. Edit: Oops. I forgot... the impression is from www.planetgamecube.com . This message was edited by Princess Peach on Aug 20 2003. ------------------- Mario and Peach website
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NSX 100% Truthful, 200% False Neo or Bust total posts: 8401 neopoints: 22481 GameGrep pts: 743 since: Jun 2003	Aug 21, 03 at 1:26pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	When is this game out? Europe: 11/14, US: 11/17 Australian: 11/?? Japan: ??/?? Will there be cheating AI again? Same as in the N64. How many players can there be playing this game? 1-4. Will there be battle modes? Bomb-omb Blast and Balloon Burst have been confirmed. Will characters be able to fight? No, other than weapons. Will there be secret characters in this game? Possible, unlikely though. Will Sonic be in this game? Possibly. Will there be online play in this game? Not likely. Source: MK: DD Website Hope this cleared things up! This message was edited by NSX on Aug 21 2003. This message was edited by NSX on Aug 21 2003. ------------------- The Changing of the Guard / Workout Journal / Health & Fitness
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Satokasu Suki Seeketh Maximus since: Mar 2002	Aug 21, 03 at 1:58pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	Here's some additional info on the speed (sorry if it's already been posted)! quote MarioKartDoubleDash.co.uk. Mario Kart: Double Dash is at least TWICE as fast as the E3 build, if not faster. Seriously, they've put a great deal of time and effort into getting the game as fast and responsive as possible, and it's playing VERY well. 150CC is almost too fast at first, just like it should be, with players careening into walls if they fail to use the brake going into turns... I told ya they'd tamper with the speed. I'm sure it will be perfect once it's released. ------------------- [x]
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NSX 100% Truthful, 200% False Neo or Bust total posts: 8401 neopoints: 22481 GameGrep pts: 743 since: Jun 2003	Aug 21, 03 at 2:02pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	quote Satokasu Suki Here's some additional info on the speed (sorry if it's already been posted)! quote MarioKartDoubleDash.co.uk. Mario Kart: Double Dash is at least TWICE as fast as the E3 build, if not faster. Seriously, they've put a great deal of time and effort into getting the game as fast and responsive as possible, and it's playing VERY well. 150CC is almost too fast at first, just like it should be, with players careening into walls if they fail to use the brake going into turns... I told ya they'd tamper with the speed. I'm sure it will be perfect once it's released. How can you do that? Make a quote? Run me through it please. I had to type those questions! BTW you change your avatar alot! ------------------- The Changing of the Guard / Workout Journal / Health & Fitness
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Makiavellii conebone69 Hooked on Neo total posts: 4405 since: Apr 2002	Aug 24, 03 at 11:22am BRAND SPANKIN NEW! 2 new battle modes to wait for! Bonus Disk?
	Check the first post for more details on these wicked new battle modes that seem like they'll be amazing to play! Also Nintendo could be on the hook-up! New bonus disk with playable demos to come with Mario Kart : DD when you pre-order! -------------------
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DragoniteBallZ RELATIVES with BENEFITS (moderator) Halo 3 [XBOX360] RPG/Adventure [XBOX360] Strategy, Classic & Puzzle [XBOX360] since: Jan 2002	Aug 24, 03 at 4:01pm re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	Here's the Official Webpage I think, if there are people who don't know! No official website yet. Or is there? Here's the trailer too! Sounds are awesom. It looks like one of the items are a Chomp! That's awesome. The raceways look badass too. Each charecter also has their own special item that only they can use. That's cool. I didn't know that. ------------------- LIVE NUDES \| XXX \| THE MAGICALLY SEXY SCALE
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Pyrazor unwashed heathen (guest) IP: Logged	Aug 26, 03 at 9:23am re: Double Dash Full Information (check first post for updates)
	DD won the germany excellance in Gamecube award at the Germany Convention and i heard that one battle field is like the one in 64 with 4 colored blocks with a ground floor and 2 levels on each block except the blocks are pipes and bigger bigger=better
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