Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash

Tonight, we're going to discuss how awesome Mario Kart 64 was and how the Gamecube successor didn't do so well readers.

First off, a little information about Mario Kart. The first Mario Kart was for the Super Nintendo and was released in the early nineties. Mostly sprite based but cutesy, addictive and being of the Super Nintendo games you could play against thee other people it was one of the more successful games Mario tied himself in between saving Princess Peach in the years. A few years later, around 1998 Super Mario Kart 64 came into being. It was bigger, badder and chuck full of eye candy and other up to date things.

Mario Kart 64 was the game that came with the family Nintendo 64. Back then readers, Game Consoles shipped with at least one launch title. I am not sure games consoles still do that, since I haven't bought one myself in years but it was a throwback from the 2D years where a game came installed in the console it self. I loved the game. My family loved the game. People who I didn't know as a kid came into my house and loved the game with us. It was the game that encouraged us to get more than two N64 Controllers.

We all had our favourites. Myself, I loved the Grand Prix racing against the AI as Wario and simply stocking up on Red Shells of Doom or Banans. I could have played the Mushroom Cup forever in those days, simply for the joy of shooting the crap out of Toad from point blank range. To this day, the music for those courses still pounds in head. The quirky theme from Luigi Stadium, The Tropical Music of Calamari Beach and that irritating country crap that played during Moo Moo Farm. And for the first time, you heard the main players of the Mario Saga actually speak. Well, Roar, Honk or Oook in DK, Yoshii and Bowsers case. And to the Voice Actress who did and possibly still does Peach, please stop. You are terrible at this.

A year later, The game had a main competitor (Diddy Kong Racing) made by Rareware that tried to beat Mario Kart 64 by throwing us the PG Conker, Planes and Hovercraft. Aside from spawning several thousand furries and having the most irritating known courses to man it failed and Mario Kart 64 remained strong. It even got a port to the Gameboy Advance. Does anyone still remember the Gameboy Advance?

A few years back, The Family bought a Gamecube for Christmas 2004 and Mario Kart Double Dash was one of the games that came with it (A case of History Repeated I know) and it was fun. I want to be clear, I don HATE Double Dash. I really do like playing it, it looks pretty and it has some of its moments but it made one crucial silly mistake. And that mistake was....

SOLO KART mode. Seriously, would putting in ONE Grand Prix of a few Updated Mario Kart classic maps have hurt dammit? It would have certainly improved the sales for the console a lot more I would think. Sadly, Double Dash was also effected by the Gamecube Stigmata like all Gamecube games at the time strugging against the X-Box and PS2.

Double Dash was still fun though, seeing some of the older Mario Kart characters returning to the game and a few new faces from the more recent Gamecube Mario games popping up too. It also had more Karts, all of which were nicely detailed and felt unique when driving. And you could pick your riders as well as the Kart! Customisation will always be the key to unlocking the key to my heart with most games.

Now a days, The Wii is just behind the X-Box 360 in the so called Console Wars and Nintendo is once more doing good. The question is, Will there be a Mario Kart Wii coming? It seems quite possible. If so, I will certainly by myself and the Family it with the Wii to finish the epic modern Mario Kart trilogy once and for all.