I personally like the original Mario Kart (on the SNES) - it was challenging, had stuff to unlock, and once again it was challenging - that 150cc special cup was a bitch to beat
Though when Mario Kart 64 came out, the gameplay changed dramatically and I immediatelly frowned upon it. Though after playing the game through, I could make a better judgement. Now, I don't dislike it because it didn't have the same 'feel' as the original, but I do dislike the way the COM has been programmed. Basically explained, when you are in 1st place, the computer
always stays close behind you. Not all of the computer players - it seems to be split into groups, usually with the first two computer players leading (or following close behind you), then gaps in between groups of the other computer players. Though all stay rather close together. Even if you were in 1st place and you used a star or multiple mushrooms, you couldn't gain
any distance from the computer, and as soon as your item ran out, they were right back at annoying you
Mario Kart for SNES on the other hand was the opposite of this - you can get giant gaps in between the computer players, which becomes even more evident as you progress through the laps. If you were in first place and used a star, you would be way in front, and would be able to maintain your lead providing you were skilled enough at the game. Sometimes you could be doing so well you start to lap the computer players. This is something that you
can't do in Mario Kart 64.
Though Mario Kart 64 had it's pluses. For example, the Battle Mode was far more entertaining than the original Mario Kart's Battle Mode. With the combination of improved graphics and being in a 3D environment, the Battle levels as well as the actual race levels really took shine. The combat mechanism also changed, and for the better I might add
. You can hold your shells behind you which can be used as defence for shells being fired at you, and the accuracy of shooting shells is a vast improvement. Much fun indeed
Now where am I going with all this? Ah yes, Mario Kart: Double Dash. I believe that this game will be different from all the previous Mario Kart's. Unlike Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart which came out in their consoles earlier years, Mario Kart: Double Dash is appearing finally after many years since launch. There has been much time to gather thoughts, design and improve the game, so I'm expecting it to be something else. A real winner. When you think about it, this is only the third Mario Kart game (not including gba) so we should definately not be bored with it. Hopefully it will have good gameplay to match it's graphics, otherwise the effort is wasted. The two characters per kart sounds interesting though could be a good thing if done properly, and I have no doubts that Nintendo can do this. :aacool: