For starters, as most people are aware of by now, the thing that sets MK:DD apart from the rest of the series is the fact that there are two riders per kart. All the previous installments have had one driver per kart; MK:DD instead has one driver and one person who rides on the back to throw items, push the kart from the starting line for a boost, and help lean into corners. Some people liked the idea and some people didn't. I found the change to add quite a bit to the game.

Most people have assumed, thus far, that different riders will handle karts differently, but that is not what I came to find. There are different kinds of karts in the game and depending on which two characters you choose, you can choose between these different karts. For instance, if baby Mario is one of your chosen characters, you can ride in a large baby carriage kart. Each kart has statistics for speed, acceleration, and weight. It doesn't matter which two people are riding in that kart, the stats stay the same. There may be miniscule changes in how the kart behaves with different drivers, but not drastic enough to win or lose a race.

As far as items go, MK:DD has some differences from the other games. For those who remember Super Mario Kart, you may remember that CPU characters could get special items that only that character could get. Yoshi would get eggs, Toad could lay size changing mushrooms on the track, Bowser had fireballs, and so on. That feature however, did not end up in Mario Kart 64 or Super Circuit. In MK:DD however, each character has a special item again, but it's not limited to cpu characters; anybody can get them. The special item, of course, varies depending who picks it up. Mario and Luigi have fireballs, Yoshi and Birdo have eggs, and so on. These special items help to set MK:DD apart from the rest of the series and add quite a bit of fun to it. Also, if the passenger is not carrying an item, he/she can hit the rider in another kart if you are close enough to spin them out and steal their item.

As for the regular items, there isn't anything new this time around, but with the new specialty items, they didn't really need to add anymore. There are still mushrooms, red and green shells, banana peels, lightning bolts, stars, fake item boxes, and the infamous blue spiked shell. The blue shell has been improved since last time around. Now, it sports wings and will fly directly to the person in first place. Once it reaches them, it will explode on impact and any kart caught in the blast radius will be spun out. Red shells are also improved in the game. They take corners much better than previous games. That, added to the fact that Nintendo removed the ability to hold an item behind to nullify the hit, means that there isn't a whole lot you can do when a red shell is fired at you. Not making a return this time are feathers (to jump your kart) and ghost (that will make you invisible and steal the item of another player). While some people may miss those items, they really aren't required for the kind of tracks in the game.

The different modes of play are fairly the same from the other games. But the addition of a second rider means the addition of a few different modes. Single player is about the same as every Mario Kart game ever. Grand Prix is fun for a while, but much past that, you really need more people. Time Trial is also available for those who want to beat their best times. Two player offers regular Grand Prix with two separate karts and new co-op mode. With two karts it's the same as always, but co-op adds a very fun experience. One person can drive the kart as usual, while the other, as I stated above, throws items and can help around turns. In addition, driver and passenger can switch places if both players press the Z button. Since both have to press it, you don't have to worry about a vindictive partner who keeps pressing the button over and over to mess you up. In addition, you can still play Grand Prix with three or four players, as long as there are only two karts with human players in it. If there are more than two karts driven by a human player, then you can only choose Versus mode, not Grand Prix. The actually racing tracks in Grand Prix are quite fun and most are right on par with tracks from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64. Unfortunately, not all the tracks in the game are as good as I would have liked.

Of course, you can play Battle Mode with anything but single player, but this is where the game is lacking quite a bit. Battle Mode is relatively unchanged from previous games, but that's not the problem. The track designs in this part of the game just aren't up to what you would expect from this series. From the start, you will only have four tracks and they are all fairly small and boring. There are a few unlockable stages that are a bit larger, but they are still quite boring. Battle mode was one of the biggest draws to Mario Kart and, unfortunately, MK:DD doesn't deliver in this area. For those still interested in it, there are some changes from the other games. They have the regular balloon fight in which each kart has three balloons and you lose one each time you are hit. The last one with balloons left wins. 

A new mode within Battle Mode is called Shine Thief. There is one shine at the center of the stage, and when you pick it up, a timer starts counting down. If you get hit, you drop the shine. The person holding the shine when the timer hits 0.00 is the winner. This was possibly the most boring mode the Battle Mode has to offer.

The other new mode in Battle Mode is called Bob-omb Blast. All the items are bob-ombs and you get points for hitting a person with one (and lose a point for being hit). The first to four points wins the game. It's fairly straight forward and fun for a bit, but just like the rest of Battle mode, it's really not as good as I would expect from a game in this series.

Grand Prix, as usual, comes with 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc karts. 50cc can be won without much effort, even by first time players. 100cc is a challenge for a beginning player, but perfectly doable. 150cc, while doable, can be frustrating at times when it seems as though the game hates you and gives every other character just what they need to beat you. The races can get quite heated, especially in multiplayer. There is rarely a race between other players and I that ends up without yelling or cursing about this or that. The game is quite fast paced and just because you were winning most of the race hardly means you are going to win. The game seems to handicap those in first, especially the last half of the final lap. You would be amazed the kind of items people get and it makes that last home stretch a battle for anybody in first.

Graphically, this game isn't breaking any new ground. Of course, Mario Kart was never meant to be graphically superior to something like Gran Turismo. For what the game is, the graphics are right on and as long as there are four players or under, slowdown in non-existent. However, when you link GameCubes together and get 6-8 players, the game can slow down in some areas. The sounds, much like the graphics, are just what you would expect from a Mario Kart game. Most of the characters can talk now, which ranges from downright annoying to freaking hilarious.

There really is no online to speak of at the moment, but the option should be available in the future, sort of. The LAN capabilities can be manipulated to play online, if you have the means. Whether or not you can play online, just having the ability to LAN GameCubes together is a nice feature. If you have a lot of friends, you can have quite an enjoyable time.

Overall, I found the game to be quite enjoyable. If you are looking for a single player game, I think this is definitely a rental. There just isn't enough replay value in single player to warrant a purchase. However, as a multiplayer game, this is definitely a must buy. If you have friends over often, MK:DD is gold.