LogFAQs > #949757537

58. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube, 2003)

Purely from a control basis, I think Double Dash is my favorite Mario Kart game. Something about its floaty drifting mechanics and fast-twitch mini-turbo blue sparks just meshes with my MK playstyle - in basically every game from Wii onwards, where you can customize your vehicle or pick between karts and bikes, I want to try to tailor my machine to feel as much like Double Dash as possible. Additionally, DD has some of my favorite item mechanics - I don't love the absurd amount of Blue Shells this game introduced, but having to manage two items is tricky and interesting, and having to actively defend shell attacks from behind (rather than just holding an item behind as defense) is really satisfying, and makes defending a lead far less simple.
I think Double Dash holds up great, too - I think it's a big difference between the bulk of GameCube era games versus a large swath of N64 games; they just hold up much better both in terms of visuals and design. The 16 courses are a mixed bag, some of them iconically great and many relatively forgettable; though the 16-course-gauntlet All Cup Tour mode is a unique inclusion and it rules. Battle Mode is a lot worse than MK64, though I do enjoy the Bob-omb chucking mode, which fits Double Dash's more flat and open courses. Overall, its unique control scheme was a turn off for some (including a friend of mine who sold me my copy back in 2003) but is also its strongest point for longevity - sort of like Smash Bros. Melee relative to its sequels, it feels like the last one that stands out on its own before all follow-ups were mostly the same-but-better.
I like Mario Kart, Double Dash is unique, Double Dash is good, here it is.
Top 5 Courses: Rainbow Road - DK Mountain - Daisy Cruiser - Bowser's Castle - Wario Colosseum

57. Pikmin (GameCube, 2001)

Now for my #1 ranked Pikmin game, the worst Pikmin game of the three main games. What? I've said in the prior writeups that I think there's not a whole lot between the three Pikmin games, and that each has distinct strengths and weaknesses. Pikmin 1 undoubtedly has the least content and the worst controls of the games in the series. What Pikmin 3 streamlined in terms of control (locking onto enemies and targets) and management (it's actually possible to quickly choose a Pikmin color you want), especially upon a replay, is notably lacking in the original. In the original, your Pikmin get themselves burned or drowned quite easily, and will also occasionally trip on the ground or lag behind awkwardly. In terms of content, there's a "Challenge Mode" which is at least something, but you're basically doing the main story mode, which isn't super deep or long, and that's it.
So what is it doing here? There's something that I love about Nintendo's ability to sell a mood and story through its visual and sound design, and the gameplay structure, that endears me to their characters, stories, and games much more than a convoluted 100 hour RPG with mountains of sidequests and content really ever could. Pikmin 1 is a masterstroke of this design process, exploring concepts of loneliness, desperation, and hope not only through its daily journal logs but through the core gameplay. The core conceit of being a stranger in a strange land means you discover new enemies, areas, and ways for things to go wrong along with the main character - Pikmin can and will die a lot in your first playthrough. The 30-day doomsday timer means you're playing the whole game with a ticking time bomb in the background (though realistically even a novice player should easily be able to collect all 30 parts in the game's timeframe). And the collectible parts slowly building up your spaceship creates a satisfying visual comparison with your progress (and the protagonist's success). Pikmin also cleverly contrasts the beautiful environments with the harshness of nature - a game around doing your best to avoid the brutal death of your tiny companions is presented in a colorful and cute way, but losing Pikmin always feels bad; and like I said before, it will absolutely happen quite a bit.
Undoubtedly many of those elements are present in the sequels, but the original has that unique property of always drawing out every one of the best qualities of the series for me, without feeling too directly game-ified, like it does in Pikmin 2's dungeons and Pikmin 3's more linearly objective-focused areas. I could probably pick a different favorite of the three any given day, but I feel good placing the game that represents the series' (and Nintendo's) best intangible qualities at the top of the heap.

---

it's an underwater adventure ride