Nintendo obviously recognise the importance of having Mario Kart - Double Dash as part of their line-up this year. They are willing to throw a lot of weight behind the title, not only in terms of game development resources but also commercially. It’s an understandable move given the immense popularity of the series. It was the most talked-about Nintendo game at ECTS, and the booths were practically never left unoccupied. The huge outdoor screen showing the game’s LAN capabilities continued to attract dozens of people intrigued by the frantic multiplayer action on offer and eager to participate in the competitions. Even when it rained, there was always activity outside Nintendo’s truck.

ECTS was also the place for Nintendo to show that they intend to keep their promises. Complaints about the game’s pace have been plentiful since the E3 showing last May. Nintendo quickly proclaimed their intentions to speed the game up as well as incorporate a few additional control features, such as a power slide. In this way, they reassured everyone that Double Dash would be just as frantic and enjoyable as all its predecessors. But the big question is; will they succeed? Well, the game certainly left me satisfied, though not completely convinced.

This is mainly due to the controls – or rather - the lack of depth in the controls. First of all, the mini-jump – carried out by pressing the R button in the previous versions – is not included. This was an incredible move – not only for discovering short-cuts. With a well-timed jump just before hitting a wall, you were be able to bounce off of it and then carry on without losing speed. While not very realistic, it was satisfying to pull off and quite difficult to master. Sadly, we have to make do without it. Secondly, you can’t hold an item behind you and use it as a shield. In the GBA version, a small icon appeared whenever a red shell was about to hit you, thus giving you a chance to block it with an item. This is not possible in Double Dash, either. Fortunately, Nintendo has promised to include a dodge move in the final version, which would solve part of the problem. What’s more, pressing B just after hitting a banana won’t prevent your kart from spinning around. Finally, the ability to turn around on the spot by using the so-called handbrake turn (accessed by holding A and B while turning in earlier installments) has been left out too. When combined, all these techniques would provide a ton of depth, but instead their lack of presence almost makes Double Dash feel like a step backwards. The controls seem less advanced and, ultimately, less challenging. It’s undoubtedly a deliberate move by Nintendo in order to make the game more user-friendly and cater more to the inexperienced gamers, but the emphasis on true driving skills is sacrificed, and luck gets to play a far more prominent role in the races.

Other gameplay elements show this direction as well. Item boxes are scattered all over the place. During a lap you’ll likely get the chance to pick up items 5 or 6 times . In other words, you barely have time use one before getting another. This is opposed to Super Mario Kart for the SNES, where the items must be used with more care and consideration, since they don’t appear nearly as often. As in all Mario Kart games, characters trailing behind will likely get the best items such as a star or a lightning strike. Once again, this benefits beginners while making it hard for experts to break away – a bit like communism, actually. It does make for some extremely exciting and close races, though.

Fortunately, expert players can use a N64-style power sliding technique to their advantage. By pressing and holding the R button as you enter a bend, your racer will begin to slide out. Now you must toggle left and right on the control stick. The yellow sparks, coming from the tires, turn red if done correctly, and so you will gain a small speed boost. It’s not hugely intuitive, but it requires some skill and will no doubt be essential in the time trial mode.

The sense of speed, while not mind-bogglingly fast, is definitely respectable. The 50 and 100 classes probably won’t get your adrenaline up much, but they mainly exist as an introduction to the 150 class, which is considerably faster. The sense of speed is comparable to that of Mario Kart 64. However, it feels smoother and moves with a much higher frame-rate, even in crowded situations with lots of green shells and banana peels flying around. Furthermore, there are plenty of turbo boosts laid out in the levels, which give you the impression of riding a roller-coaster. With the insane amount of stuff going on, the game is close to being as fast as possible without overloading your perception senses.

The whole co-pilot system is simply a stroke of genious. Being able to choose between two characters and switch between who’s driving and who’s using items brings a whole new tactical dimension to the series. For example, if you’re in first place and have just obtained a red homing shell, you might want to save that item and switch between characters so you can retrieve another item with the other character. In this way, you’re constantly confronted with options and decisions concerning which items to use and when to use them.

This feature gets even more interesting considering the fact that every character can obtain a unique special item. Mario can unleash his trademark red fire ball, while DK has a gigantic banana peel. Wario gets to throw a black bomb causing a huge explosion that is extremely useful in close races, and Peach and Daisy can be protected by three hearts that swirl around the kart. In this way, some characters excel at offensive actions while others are good for defensive purposes. Experimenting with putting together a balanced party that works well both defensively and offensively is a lot of fun, and the amount of combinations is staggering.

Sadly, the characters control very similarly. Whether your party consists of DK and Bowser or Koopa Troopa and Baby Mario makes surprisingly little difference in terms of handling, top speed, and acceleration. The characters’ varying degree of physical strength could have had a greater impact on gameplay as well.

The game is unlikely to win awards for graphical exellence, but overall the visual style is very pleasing. It fits the Mario Kart universe well and has quite a lot in common with Mario Sunshine, actually. The levels are colorful and bright, boasting an impressive draw distance with absolutely no hints of fog or pop-up effects. Character models look sharp, detailed, and beautifully textured. Perhaps a little more detail on the surroundings and some more use of bump-mapping on the roads wouldn’t hurt, though.

One of Nintendo’s best qualities has always lied in their creation of interesting level designs. Double Dash is no exception. The four levels of the Mushroom Cup are varied and look immediately intriguing. The first one, a classic Luigi Raceway circuit, is characterised by a wide road and soft corners. Near the beginning, you’ll encounter a giant Chomp, aggressively trying to bite any passing drivers. Generally, the levels contain lot of obstacles to overcome, and often they include well-known creatures from the Mario universe. In the Wario Stadium level, which feels a lot like the N64 incarnation with plenty of small hills and a big jump at the end, giant Piranha Plants poke their heads out of the classic green pipes, while numerous fire balls form up together to create a rotating fan of fire. In another level, you start out at the foot of a huge mountain, and a cannon shoots you to the top, where giant rock boulders are rolling. From here on it goes downhill all the way to the finishing line where a narrow wooden bridge has to be crossed. It’s very fragile and swings immensely from side to side. Fortunately, Lakuti will come to your assistance and pull you up if you fall. This last level is actually quite unique. In previous installments we’ve seen levels with bumps and hills but never an actual mountain descent. Hopefully, Nintendo has more surprises up its sleeve in terms of level design.

At its core, Mario Kart – Double Dash remains highly enjoyable. It offers the same sense of pure, unadulterated, action-packed fun as we’ve come to expect from the series. It’s a game that can be enjoyed by anyone – regardless of age and skill level. The only major problem is a few lacking control elements. If these can be fixed, Double Dash looks set to become another classic, and, certainly, a worthy installment to the series.