Here’s to a racing game that’s delighted me for fifteen years: Mario Kart Double Dash. Jesus, now that I say it’s been fifteen years, it really makes me feel old.
As I promised in my last post, I’ll keep it short. Double Dash is a really special game to me. it was the first racing game I ever played, which sets the bar high. Nothing is as good as that first game experience, that first discovery of something fun and new. Of course, Mario Kart (specifically Super Mario Kart) had been around for close to a decade, but I wouldn’t be born until 3 years after that, and I don’t think a baby can hold a controller very well.
I remember very clearly the day I got my gamecube. It was Christmas of 2003, and little 8-year-old me came bouncing down the stairs to find a big square box all shiny and glittery just for me. To make things even better, there were eight little rectangular presents wrapped up and leaning next to it. One of those rectangles was Double Dash. My dad set up the cube to the back of our basement TV, and the rest is history.
It was the first disc I popped into the cube. Imagine my excitement as Mario himself cheered “Nintendo! Woo-hoo!” as the gameplay footage played out even before we got to the title screen. The music was exciting, and I got a sneak peek of some of the cool tracks I would be racing down in mere moments more with my choice of two characters - I got to pick two. I was absolutely thrilled.
Of course I picked Peach and Daisy as my racing pair - they were two of only three girls you could play in the roster, which didn’t seem annoying to me because I didn’t know any better, but we’re not here to talk about male-dominated games, no matter if it’s common enough to overlap into family-friendly content.
I won’t go over game mechanics. The way the game works is pretty self-explanatory. Gameplay on the gamecube is mostly moving with the analog stick and interacting with every other button. Here’s a fun thing about growing up with a gamecube: one stick for movement and another stick for the camera is very difficult to me.
Back to it - Nintendo knows how to make a fun game. What else can I say? It’s a bright and colorful racing game with fun and familiar characters. You’re almost certainly going to have a good time playing Double Dash. If you ever have the chance, play it for yourself. I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about.