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 further 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 attack 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 character in back will “flaunt” the weapon he has 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 locked 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.