Topic: Give me Mario Kart or give me death

[StRaNgE]

some of you al need new monitors or better ones, the graphics look good, and if for a screen shot in low res on the  web  they look even half decent then in real life they will look at least twice as good.

how can you forget that? 72 dpi on the web and you are concerned about the graphics?

buy the game then come back  and bitch then.

[Ninja X]

Eggytoast, your system could be like that, but it could be a pain.  The "A" button would probably accelerate your kart, so switching from the "A" button to the camera stick back and forth would be a big pain.  One thing, you'd lose control of your kart, so you better keep your eye on where your kart is going while you aim your shot.  It all depends on how Nintendo implements this two character system.
The reason I said co-op is because Nintendo seems to be in a co-op mood with Zelda and the Tingle Tuner as well as Pikmin 2.  Seeing two characters on the same cart just yells out co-op, it seems like, but we will have to wait until E3.
Yes, some of you do not like working with another person on the same cart, but for all you know, this could be one option.  We know nothing about this game, but I still am standing by my statement that Nintendo will make this co-op.  If not, they will at least put a co-op option in the game.  

[Hemmorrhoid]

It would be unfair to say Nintendo doesnt connnect awesome gameplay and superb graphics. I mean, look at Eternal Darkness, look at Metroid Prime, look at Zelda WW, those looked top notch.

[fes]

The game looks great - i just hope that the single player mode has normal karts - it'll be annoying racing in the 2-person karts all the time.

[Mario Menace]

   Based on the screens we've seen (yes all 5 low rez ones) I think the game looks just fine.  Does it blow me away?  No not really but this IS Maro Kart we're talking about, not Gran Tourismo.   What I see is ENORMOUS animation potential in this game.  Look in that one shot how they actually animate Mario turning around and dropping the bannas on the road!  Where as before your kart just sort of 'crapped' the bannana out the back.   Also, I can just picture going around tight corners and your partner holding on to the roll bar and leaning WAAYYYYYY to the right or the left to keep the kart stabilized (not saying it's there, just saying I can picture that).    

 Last night I played Mario Kart 64 with a buddy of mine for the first time in probably a year.  We had an absolute blast!  The game is just FUN!  That's all you can say.  Also, anyone who says this game is just a higher rez N64 version is nuts!  You need to go play the 64 version again and then look at those screens!   Is it higher rez?  Yes but I also see a lot more detail in the game than in the 64 version.  I'll bet you this will look like a racing cartoon!   Bring it on cuz I can't wait!  

 If you want "blow me away" drop dead gorgeous highly stylized racing then get Fzero when it comes out.   If you want a great multi player FUN title with good graphics get Mario Kart.

[DRJ]

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If you want "blow me away" drop dead gorgeous highly stylized racing then get Fzero when it comes out. If you want a great multi player FUN title with good graphics get Mario Kart.

Or better yet get both.

The only thing bad I can say about Nintendo is that they are bankrupting me. I just saw their release list for this year and there are sooo many titles that I must have:

Wario World
Mario golf
F-Zero
FF:CC
Mario Kart: DD
Mario Tennis
Pikmin 2
Starfox

Thats like $400 right there. Maybe I'll sell my XBox to generate some cash flow since they arent putting out anything that catches my eye.

[Scyth3r]

I noticed there hasn't been much about "Battle Mode".  All the screenshots look like they are from the Grand Prix Racing mode also...

Heck, I haven't even seen one single comment about the existence of a battle mode.   I'm not too sure how this would work w/ 2 characters per kart even...  Thoughts/comments?

[joeamis]

if you remember the days of the N64, they also showed the mario kart of that time,
mario kart 64 with no battle mode screen shots
I'm sure at E3 they will show battle mode shots...(saving a little for surprise)

as far as using the C stick to control the person in the back of the cart, it could be done
if the R trigger is used to accelerate and the Z trigger is used for powerups...

but who knows what the controls will be, hopefully E3 will shed light on this

[Ian Sane]

I think you guys are overcomplicating the controls way too much.  I figure the controls are identical to the N64 game except with a "switch driver" button.  I figure the strategy of having two characters revolves around their different items and driving ability and the option to switch those abilities on the fly.  Other than that the game probably plays identical to MK64.  I really doubt Nintendo would put in complicated stuff like the ability to aim and drive at the same time.  They usually strive on making games play simpler.  The two character thing probably acts more like switching modes like the different dragon appearences in Panzer Dragoon Orta.

[Thumati]

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Originally posted by: Ninja X
Eggytoast, your system could be like that, but it could be a pain.  The "A" button would probably accelerate your kart, so switching from the "A" button to the camera stick back and forth would be a big pain.  One thing, you'd lose control of your kart, so you better keep your eye on where your kart is going while you aim your shot.  It all depends on how Nintendo implements this two character system.

I agree about the A button to accellerate, the B button to brake, and the C-stick to use weapons (and, presumably the R trigger to powerslide) doesn't make too much sense. I guess the left trigger could be used for weapons, but there's a better way.
I think using the triggers to accelerate and brake would make the most sense for any driving game: they most closely approximate the action of actual car pedals (F-Zero doesn't count, due to its different mechanics). So, in my 'vision' of Mario Kart, it would be like Rogue Squadrion. You're probably wondering how powersliding would then work. Easy: the 'digital click'. If you think how you powerslid in Mario Kart 64, you were holding down the A button and the R trigger at the same time. This way, you only use (presumably) the R trigger to do both. Also, for the brakes, the sharp brake-turn that is in Diddy Kong Racing would be assigned to the left trigger's 'digital click'. Using this setup, the four face buttons, the z button and the c-stick are freed up. I think the z-button will switch the driver and gunner.

As for the actual game, I'm pretty excited. The reason I have a GameCube is because of Nintendo's in-house games, and I have yet to be disappointed. This game looks like it's going to be chaos on the order of Smash Bros, and that can only be a good thing. I just hope the computer A.I. isn't as cheap in Double Dash as it was in Mario Kart 64, and they have a hell of a lot of tracks. Super Circuit had, what 40 tracks? I sure hope Double Dash has more than that. I HOPE it's a sequel to MK64, rather than Super Circuit. Super Circuit's track setup isn't appropriate for a true party game, while something wideopen is far more suitable for the chaos that this game looks like it contains. Chaos needs room or it just gets reduced to a cluster---k.
Are the graphics great? Of course not. But while the Super Smash Bros. Melee Mario is the benchmark I have for Mario detailing (as well as Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Donkey Kong, and Dr. Mario) , but I don't think the SSBM Mario would fit quite right with the Mario Kart visual style. Of course, I do think they should be able to come up with a similar level of detail with the Mario Kart visual style, and hope they improve the graphics when the game comes out.
About Toad not being in the initial character list: if he's not a hidden character, I get the sinking feeling he's going to be one of Peach's weapons, like he was in Smash Bros.
About the vehicles not being go-karts: Uh..........so? Can someone explain to me what that matters? Having different vehicles adds a splash of personality to the game, and that can't be bad. Anyway, seing Luigi drive a pink granny-car is just TOO funny!
About when it'll come out: check the release schedule- Wario World is due in June, 1080 Avalanche and Mario Golf are due in July, F-Zero is out in August, and Rogue Squadron is supposed to be out in November, with Mario Tennis due sometime between the latter two. Plus, Pikmin 2, Doshin the Giant, Kirby's Air Ride, Animal Crossing 2, Giftpia, Star Fox Armada, and a host of other Nintendo games have yet to be scheduled. I'm guessing, IF (and that's a big if) comes out this year, Double Dash will either fall into the same timeframe as Mario Tennis, meaning September or early October, or early December. That is, unless Nintendo's miraculously just about done with it and it's ready to be released in June (yeah, right. I wish.)

[Fuego]

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Thats like $400 right there. Maybe I'll sell my XBox to generate some cash flow since they arent putting out anything that catches my eye.

Halo 2? lol

[highenergyboy]

Enough bickering about the polygon count (or lack thereof) already. When playing games like these you have to focus all your attention on what matters the most. The race. If you care more about whether the game has low-res textures, models and whatnot then trying to take corners at full speed or avoiding obstacles on the road your going to be left in the dust.

Also despite what anyone says you cannot mix photo-realism with cartoony visuals. The style has to be either one or the other. You cannot have both. In this case seeing as how Mario Kart is obviously a game that does not obide by the rules of realism there is no reason the visuals should have to follow suit. Spiffy effects like hi-res textures, bumpmapping, realtime lighting and volumetric fog are not needed. If you want to see those types of effects and more check out RSIII Rebel Strike to get your visual high.

Of course even in a graphical intensive game like that you probably will not get much opportunities to stop and take in the scenery unless your plain fooling around. As much as I wanted to admire the plethora of effects present in the Battle of Endor in Rogue Leader there was just too much going on to do that. Lets see on top of taking out those two Star Destroyers while avoiding there large batteries and numerous smaller turrets you also had to worry about the swarms of fighters zipping around trying to get a few shots up your rear all the while protecting your mothership Home One from getting pummeled by those tie-bombers (this last factor was what usually did me in). Whew.....I have to admit that one level had to be the most chaotic of them all and it really put your multi-tasking skills to the test.      

[EggyToast]

I'm not saying that they're not going to include some sort of co-op mode, but they're certainly not going to let you play with a CPU player who controls either driving or attacking -- that's just not Nintendo.

Regarding the graphics -- you can tell, if you look closely, that they're spending more time getting the animation perfect instead of making mario's nose bump-mapped to show that nasty pimple he got yesterday morning.  Look in the screenshot with mario and peach in the foreground: the wheels on mario's kart are turned to the left, and Mario's hand is on top of the wheel -- turning the car.  Usually, the only driving games that allow that type of detail are sim racers, and only because they have one pair of hands.  It looks like you'll see every racer drive their own car.

It's like Pikmin.  The Pikmin are very boring -- 1 color with some lighting effects, slight variations between the character models, and a rather basic body shape.  But there's up to 100 of them on the screen at one time, all doing different things.

If you want a game that's all about bump mapping and pretty pictures, feel free to buy an Xbox and wait until late 2004 for Halo 2.  But even these demo screenshots are a HUGE improvement over anything on the N64.  I'm not sure why people seem to glorify the N64's graphics -- the polygon counts were low, the textures were blotchy and bland, and animation was jumpy.  Just have Mario climb a tree in Mario 64 to see what I mean.

All you people who say that the colors are muddy or boring really need to adjust the gamma on your monitors

[Armed]

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Originally posted by: Fuego

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Thats like $400 right there. Maybe I'll sell my XBox to generate some cash flow since they arent putting out anything that catches my eye.

Halo 2? lol

Hehehehe, exactly only Halo 2 which is coming out next year; that's why my friend is selling his Xbox so he can buy amplifiers for his car stereo, and not his Gamecube.

Oh yeah guess what the only game he has on Xbox......Halo, hehehehe.

[thesos21]

PGC in its update makes it sound like you'll always have 2 people on a cart. So do you control them both when your not playing with a partner?

[Ninja X]

Perhaps.  Maybe by the system will control one character or you yourself will control both.  

[Mingesium]

two characters do not equal two players. You control both characters. When you press the fire button, instead of a shell coming out of the kart in the old games, you will see the person at the back throw a weapon.  

[EggyToast]

Yeah, I don't understand why people don't understand that you control the KART -- the characters are just eye candy, really.  Makes more sense to have another character do the attacking from the back of the kart while another drives, instead of having weapons magically appear.

[BlkPaladin]

You know there is not much more known about the game than what Nintendo has posted on the sites and what you can 'devine' from the pictures. Which means nothing until their are reports of someone who has accually played the game come out, so we know how things work.

[EggyToast]

Right.  So it makes more sense to err on the side of reason and re-hash, than on the side of fantastical and drastic gameplay changes.

[ZombieX]

What do you think will be the eight unique weapons?  Here are some of my guesses:

1. Mario/Luigi:
2. Peach/Daisy: Shrinking Mushrooms
3. Donkey/Diddy: TNT Barrels
4. Bowser/Jr.:
5. K.Troopa/P.Troopa:
6. Yoshi/Birdo: Eggs
7. Baby Mario/Baby Luigi: Bubbles
8. Wario/Waluigi:

[PIAC]

What do you think will be the eight unique weapons? Here are some of my guesses:

1. Mario/Luigi:
2. Peach/Daisy: Shrinking Mushrooms
3. Donkey/Diddy: TNT Barrels
4. Bowser/Jr.:
5. K.Troopa/P.Troopa: some form of special shells? (PIAC)
6. Yoshi/Birdo: Eggs
7. Baby Mario/Baby Luigi: Bubbles
8. Wario/Waluigi:  

[RJ]

6 regular weapons....probably
1Banana
2Banana bunch
3Turtle Shell
4Red Turtle Shell
5Mushroom Boost
6Three mushroom boosts.

Im guessing mario and Luigi will have big mushrooms as one of their special weapons. You could go faster by being able to cover more ground and runover players. The small mushrooms would make you go slower and make you vulnarable to get ran over. Yoshi will undoubtably have egg bombs, Wario will probably use regular Bombs.
Maybe the bunch of bananas is special to Donkey Kong. Though probably each charcter doesnt have special weapons, probably just partner characters like, luigi mario share special weapons...and so on.
Who knows maybe I'm wrong but either way i think this game will be a blast, nd I certainly don't care to much about the grahics, as long as its as fun or funner then the last one, thats a true mario Kart fan.  

[DRJ]

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6 regular weapons....probably
1Banana
2Banana bunch
3Turtle Shell
4Red Turtle Shell
5Mushroom Boost
6Three mushroom boosts.

I guess the three green/red shell rings will be gone
but what about star and ghost
The unique weapons will probably all do the same thing, but look different. DK might through barrels and mario will shoot a fire ball (red) and luigi will shoot a fire ball (green) etc, but they will all do the same thing when they hit.

So long as a battle mode is included I will be happy. Customizable battle arenas would just be icing on the cake.

[couchmonkey]

I'm betting that when Nintendo says 6 regular weapons it is grouping certain ones (like red and green shells) together, because if you count them one by one, you wind up with a pretty pathetic array of weapons compared to Mario Kart 64, even with the special character weapons.  But what do I know?

As for the special weapons, the purple shell would be a cinch for Bowser or Bowser Jr.  I think that Nintendo will probably try to give characters that are likely to be paired up different weapons because otherwise it kills the strategy of swapping drivers.  For example, if Baby Mario and Baby Luigi use the same special weapon, there's no point in teaming them up unless you really love the weapon they use.  Nintendo would probably want them to complement each other like many

Hmm, if the star isn't a "regular" weapon, then it might go to Baby Mario, it gave him some cool powers in Yoshi's Island.