Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
North American boxart.
Information
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Series	Mario Kart
Release date	November 7, 2003 November 17, 2003 2003 November 14, 2003 November 14, 2003 November 14, 2003 November 19, 2003
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Ratings	CERO All ages ESRB: Everyone PEGI: Three years and older USK: All ages
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube
Navigation
Predecessor	Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001)
Successor	Mario Kart DS (2005)

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Japanese: マリオカートダブルダッシュ!! Mario Kāto: Daburu Dasshu!!) is the fourth Mario Kart installment developed and the only Mario Kart game for the GameCube published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on November 7, 2003, in Europe on November 14, 2003, in North America on November 17, 2003, and in Australia on November 19, 2003. A first run production of the game included a limited bonus disc inside the case in a second holder with exclusive content related to other Nintendo games.

Gameplay

One of the gameplay mechanics is the Double Dash!!

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! had some of the most rapid and dramatic changes made to it than any other Mario Kart game. Many of these changes stayed in later games in the series while other things, such as two characters on one kart, were only featured in this game. Players choose from a cast of Nintendo characters who are split into light, middle, or heavyweight classes. The player's character choice affects which karts can be ridden and which special items they receive. Double Dash!! builds and improves on its predecessors in many ways, the most prominently featured of which is that each kart carries two riders; a driver and a thrower. There are sixteen courses to race on. Each cup features four tracks. Five different cup races are available, one of which is the All Cup Tour, featuring all sixteen tracks. Each track is also playable in the "Mirror Mode," where the tracks are mirrored; however, Mirror Mode is only available for 150cc.

This gameplay is quite different than that of other Mario Kart games. For one, players cannot hold items behind themselves, and it is, therefore, harder to block an incoming shell, as a player cannot hold a banana peel or Koopa Shell behind them. Also, this is the first game in the Mario Kart series that forces players to drop their items when hit with a weapon, and the only game to have a Double Dash!! boost, which is named after the game's subtitle. In this game, Super Mushrooms are given an offensive use, as a player can steal an item or balloon when using one to boost.

This installment also features multiplayer battle modes. As in the previous installments, the battle arenas are enclosed, with varying architecture and a constant arsenal. In addition to the balloon-popping game, which has been the standard Mario Kart battle game, two new battle systems are included. One involves capturing a Shine Sprite and maintaining possession of it for a set time period. The other game uses only the Bob-omb weapon and uses a trade-off point system that requires the players to succeed in attacks, while also avoiding those directed at them.

Aside from the many drivers available, numerous other Nintendo characters play minor roles in the game. Lakitu reprises his role as the referee, signaling the start of each race, alerting players when they complete a lap, warning them when they are going the wrong way, and returning drivers to the racetrack when they fall into dangerous areas. Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Goombas, and Wigglers are also present in the game and serve as obstacles for the driver to avoid. Toadsworth drives the winners of a cup during the victory celebration. Piantas and Nokis from Super Mario Sunshine also cheer players on in courses, such as Peach Beach and Daisy Cruiser, and form much of the crowd at victory ceremonies (held at Peach Beach). Classic Mario series characters, including Donkey Kong Jr., can be seen in the crowds around Waluigi Stadium.

The game includes twenty-one karts to choose from. This is the first time a kart can be chosen for a character (before this, each character had their own one and only standard kart). They are categorized by weight. Generally, lightweight karts have good acceleration and handling and are easily able to traverse rough terrain, but have low top speeds, can be knocked around by larger karts, and can only hold light characters. Heavyweight karts usually have high top speeds, can knock around many smaller karts, but they have poor acceleration, steering, off-road handling, and can only be manned if there is at least one heavy character. Middleweight karts' performance is well-balanced, but they cannot hold heavy characters. However, there are exceptions to this. Of 21 karts available in all, only eight are available from the start. The other thirteen may be unlocked by successfully completing races and the game.

A notable attribute of Double Dash!! is that it allows LAN play using the Nintendo GameCube broadband adapter. Up to eight GameCubes can be connected, allowing for sixteen player multiplayer games (two players controlling each kart).

Characters

Default

Icon	Name	Weight	Signature kart	Special Item	Newcomer?
	Mario	Medium	Red Fire		No
	Luigi		Green Fire
	Peach		Heart Coach
	Daisy		Bloom Coach		Yes
	Yoshi		Turbo Yoshi		No
	Birdo		Turbo Birdo		Yes
	Baby Mario	Light	Goo-Goo Buggy
	Baby Luigi		Rattle Buggy
	Koopa		Koopa Dasher		No
	Paratroopa		Para-Wing		Yes
	Donkey Kong	Heavy	DK Jumbo		No
	Diddy Kong	Light	Barrel Train		Yes
	Bowser	Heavy	Koopa King		No
	Bowser Jr.	Light	Bullet Blaster		Yes
	Wario	Heavy	Wario Car		No
	Waluigi	Medium	Waluigi Racer		Yes

Unlockable

Icon	Name	Weight	Signature kart	Special Item	Newcomer?	Unlocked by winning...
	Toad	Light	Toad Kart		No	The Special Cup on 100cc
	Toadette		Toadette Kart		Yes
	Petey Piranha	Heavy	Piranha Pipes	All but the Green Fireball and the Birdo Egg		The Star Cup on Mirror Mode
	King Boo		Boo Pipes

Toad and Toadette are unlocked by doing Special Cup on Mirror Mode. King Boo and Petey Piranha are unlocked by doing Star Cup on Mirror Mode.

Default pairings

Mario and Luigi	Peach and Daisy	Yoshi and Birdo	Baby Mario and Baby Luigi	Koopa and Paratroopa
DK and Diddy	Bowser and Bowser Jr.	Wario and Waluigi	Toad and Toadette	Petey Piranha and King Boo

Karts

Just as in previous Mario Kart games, karts are used as the vehicles. Each one has its own characteristics. Heavy karts have great speed but poor and slippery acceleration. Medium karts are all around. Good speed, acceleration, and better weight. Light karts lack speed but have great acceleration.

Default

Icon	Name	Class	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Owner
	Red Fire	Medium	3
	Heart Coach		2	4	3
	Turbo Yoshi
	Goo-Goo Buggy	Light	1	5	2
	Koopa Dasher		2	4
	DK Jumbo	Heavy	4	2	4
	Koopa King		5	1	5
	Wario Car		4	2	4

Unlockable

Icon	Name	Class	Speed	Acceleration	Weight	Owner	Unlocked by
	Green Fire	Medium	4	2			Winning the 50cc Mushroom Cup
	Bloom Coach		3		2		Winning the 50cc Flower Cup
	Para-Wing	Light	1	5			Winning the 50cc Star Cup
	Rattle Buggy		2	4			Winning the 100cc Mushroom Cup
	Waluigi Racer	Medium	3				Winning the 100cc Flower Cup
	Bullet Blaster	Light	4	3	1		Winning the 50cc Special Cup
	Toad Kart		2	4	2		Winning the 100cc Special Cup
	Turbo Birdo	Medium	3		4		Winning the 150cc Flower Cup
	Barrel Train	Light	4	3	2		Winning the 150cc Star Cup
	Toadette Kart		1	5			Winning the Mirror Mushroom Cup
	Piranha Pipes	Heavy	4	2	5		Winning the Mirror Star Cup
	Boo Pipes		2	4			Winning the Mirror Special Cup
	Parade Kart	Any	4	3	4	N/A	Winning the Mirror All-Cup Tour

Controls

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has various controls for racing and menus. Each button on the controller represents a different ability while the player is racing or battling.

Courses

There are sixteen race stages and four cups (Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup). Each cup contains a set of four race stages. In Grand Prix mode, the characters have to race through all four courses of a certain cup. The Special Cup and its four stages can be unlocked by doing all three starter cups (Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup) on 100cc. There is also the unlockable cup All-Cup Tour, in which all sixteen stages have to be raced through. This is unlocked by doing Special Cup on 150cc.

Mushroom Cup

Flower Cup

Star Cup

Special Cup

Battle Stages

There are six stages available in Battle Mode:

Block City

Cookie Land

Luigi's Mansion (unlockable)

Nintendo GameCube

Pipe Plaza

Tilt-a-Kart (unlockable)

Luigi's Mansion is unlocked by doing Mushroom Cup on 150 CC. Tilt-a-Kart is unlocked by doing Flower Cup on Mirror Mode.

Items

Traditional items from Super Mario Kart through Mario Kart: Super Circuit appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with a bunch of new power-ups to change a race drastically, such as stealing the opponent's place or item by using a Mushroom or reducing the racers to small size with the rare Lightning. The rear character obtains a determinate item by running into an Item Box. However, Double Item Boxes give items to both the rear character and driver. The variety of items depends on the kart's place. Leader racers tend to receive basic items such as Bananas or Green Shells, while those going under fourth place can receive rare items like a Star or a Spiny Shell.

Items are classified in two forms:

• Standard: Drivers can obtain these types of items when they go through an Item Box or Double Item Box.
• Special: Some drivers obtain a special item that other drivers cannot obtain by an Item Box. When a character holds a special item, the second character cannot obtain another special item via Item Box.

List of items

• Green Shells: These travel in a straight line when thrown. Should it hit a kart, that kart gets knocked over.
• Red Shells: These Shells chase after the nearest kart in front of the player, sending it into a tumbling crash.
• Spiny Shell: A blue winged Spiny Shell that hunts down the leader of the pack, exploding on impact. Any other kart caught in the blast radius will be flipped over.
• Dash Mushroom: Provides the player's kart a speed boost.
• Triple Mushrooms: Provides the player's kart three speed boosts.
• Star: Grants temporary invincibility and increased speed, protecting the player from attacks and obstacles. In addition, any other karts that the player touches will be knocked over.
• Bananas: Slippery skins that can be thrown forward or backward, causing other karts to spin out.
• Fake Item Box: A fake Item Box that stuns karts should they touch it.
• Lightning: Causes a lightning bolt to shrink all other karts, causing them to spin out, drop their items, and shrink in size, which reduces their max speeds.

Special Items

• Fireballs: The special item of Mario and Luigi. When thrown, they split up and go sliding ahead. These powerful pyrotechnics can take out multiple opponents at once.
• Heart: The special item of Peach and Daisy. When used, two small pink hearts surround the player's kart, allowing them to absorb any item that touches them for use.
• Yoshi's Egg & Birdo's Egg: The special item of Yoshi and Birdo. They roll forward for the nearest kart in front of the player. When hit, the egg breaks open, revealing three more items.
• Chain Chomp: The special item of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. It pulls the player forward for a few seconds and bowls over other karts in its path, while a special tune plays. After a certain amount of time, it abandons the vehicle and goes on its own until it runs off the course.
• Golden Mushroom: The special item of Toad and Toadette. Usage of this item will provide the player unlimited speed boosts for a short time.
• Giant Banana: The special item of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. A giant-sized banana that can be thrown forward or backward. When a kart runs over it and spins out, it will leave behind three regular Bananas on the ground.
• Triple Green Shells & Triple Red Shells: The special item of Koopa and Paratroopa. The player can shoot either three Green or Red Shells at a time.
• Bob-omb: The special item of Wario and Waluigi. When thrown, Its fuse lights and it explodes after a few seconds. Driving near or into one causes it to explode instantly, sending a kart in the air.
• Bowser's Shell: The special item of Bowser and Bowser Jr. When thrown, it bounces around the track like a normal Green Shell, toppling any kart that it hits as well as knocking down the rear character, making the racers drop their items and temporarily disabling them from switching and using items.

Note that Petey Pirahna and King Boo have the ability to use any special item, excluding Luigi's Green Fireballs and Birdo's Egg.

Reception and Sales

The game received rather favorable reviews, selling over 3.8 million copies in the U.S and around 802,000 copies in Japan for a worldwide total of 7 million copies as of 2016. It is the second best-selling GameCube Game to date after Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Soundtrack

• Game Intro
• Main Theme
• Main Menu
• Circuit Theme (Luigi Circuit, Mario Circuit, Yoshi Circuit)
• Peach Beach and Daisy Cruiser
• Baby Park
• Dry Dry Desert
• Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City
• Waluigi Stadium and Wario Colosseum
• Sherbet Land
• DK Mountain and Dino Dino Jungle
• Bowser's Castle and Luigi's Mansion
• Rainbow Road
• Course Intro (Grand Prix)
• Start Grid (Grand Prix)
• Start Grid (Versus and Time Trials)
• Goal! (1st Place)
• Results (1st-3rd Place)
• Goal! (2nd-3rd Place)
• Goal! (4th-8th Place)
• Results (4th-8th Place)
• Course Intro (Battle Mode)
• Start Grid (Battle Mode)
• Battle Mode
• Shine Thief
• Tilt-a-Kart
• Starman
• Chain Chomp
• Award Ceremony
• Credits
• Secret Element

Bonus Disc

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
• Star Wars: Rougue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
• Sonic Heroes
• Mario Party 5
• F-Zero GX
• Fire Emblem
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
• 1080 Avalanche
• Pokemon Colosseum
• Kirby Air Ride
• Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
• NBA Live 2004

Trivia

• Donkey Kong Jr. makes a cameo in this edition of Mario Kart.
• This is Toad's only Mario Kart appearance as an unlockable racer.
• The smiling golden crown variant of the Special Cup logo was introduced in this game.
• This is the only game in the Mario Kart series where Toadsworth is shown.
• This is the only Mario Kart game to have 2 people per kart.
• This is the only Mario Kart game to feature Koopa Paratroopa as a playable character.
• This is the first Mario Kart game since Super Mario Kart to feature Koopa Troopa as a playable character.
• This is the first Mario Kart game where Princess Daisy, Waluigi, Diddy Kong, Birdo, Bowser Jr., Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi are playable characters.
• This is the first Mario Kart game where Donkey Kong is provided with a voice actor.
  • Chimpanzee Screeching sound effects were previously used for the character in the last 2 Mario Kart titles.
• This is the first appearance of Toadette in the Mario games.
• This is the last game in the Mario Kart series to disregard gaps in the course map.

External links

• North American website (Wayback Machine)

Gallery

To view Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'s image gallery, click here.