Mario Kart: Double Dash (GC)

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the original Mario Kart. That Nintendo Entertainment System game may not have been the first kart racing game, but its incredible success paved the way for countless imitators.

Now its time for the classic Mario Kart franchise to get a next-gen facelift. You’ll still find an impressive character roster, including Mario, Luigi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and many other Nintendo favorites. You’ll also find a variety of power-ups to collect along the way and a series of wacky, gravity-defying tracks to race on.

In Double Dash, you team up with another character and your two-person crew races a slightly wacky car through a race course. This isn’t a sim-style game like Gran Turismo. It’s all arcade fun with big colorful environments, goofy weapons and user-friendly steering.

Kart games in general are great party games and are best enjoyed with a group of friends. You can play with up to four players at once with a 4-way split screen, or hook two GameCubes together to two TVs and get eight players racing at once.

We spent a little time playing this on the show floor at E3, and it was a ton of fun, with a great pick-up-and-go vibe that didn’t require hours of practice or a giant manual to enjoy. --DA