Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Nintendo

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was a game that my college roommates and I were hooked on. We didn't have a second controller and didn't play multiplayer...Instead we honed our skills and constantly tried to beat each other's fastest times. It was fun to get back from school, or a weekend away, and pop this game in to see if any of my records were intact, or if I needed to try to earn back my crown. Because of that, Double Dash has a special place in my heart for the friendly competition it created. It's also a solid racing game, despite my personal fondness for it. Double Dash introduced a new gimmick for the Mario Kart franchise of having two characters on the kart you pick at once. This allowed you to hold more power-ups at once, which led to some pretty chaotic (and fun) racing. It also let you be a little more strategic. Don’t want to use that banana peel right now? Swap to the other character in your kart and let them pick up a power-up. Then swap back to the original character when the time to litter the race track is right. Also due to two characters being in the same kart, you’ve got the usual option of multiplayer head-to-head racing, but you’ve also got a new option of pairing up with a friend with each player taking control of a character in the kart. It’s a unique experience that adds to the replay value of Double Dash. When it comes to kart-style racing on the Gamecube, nothing comes close to this title. When it comes to the Mario Kart franchise, this is still my favorite of the bunch.

Review added: 09/07/2019

Metroid Prime

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Retro Studios

I got Metroid Prime for free when I purchased my Gamecube due to a promotional deal Nintendo was doing at the time. While I absolutely loved Super Metroid, I didn’t really have any desire to play Metroid Prime. If I hadn't gotten it for free, I'm not sure if I would have played this until much, much later. At that time in my life, I hadn't played a first-person shooter that I really enjoyed...Or a first-person game of any kind that I enjoyed, for that matter. Instead, I let a curious friend play it who was a fan of both the Metroid series and first-person shooters, while I watched. Watching the game in action slowly made me want to play it...And shortly after he left, I popped it in and started my own save for it...And I wound up loving every minute the adventure. Essentially, Metroid Prime is the beloved 2D Metroid formula successfully done in first-person 3D. You’ll get a variety of tools and weapons to use, you’ll gain suit power-ups, and you’ll discover various beautiful areas to explore. Scanning also is a neat addition, providing a way to give players more background into the story and the world around them. Metroid Prime didn’t necessarily convert me into a fan of playing games from a first-person perspective, but it showed me that there are first-person games that I would not just enjoy, but love.

Review added: 08/10/2019

Mr. Driller: Drill Land

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Namco

I've always been a fan of Mr. Driller, but many of the games in the series, aside from the original game, kinda feel like they're just more of the same. I don't mind that, honestly. When you love a game, getting more of that game is usually a nice thing, but sometimes you want something new to go with the familiar. That's where Mr. Driller: Drill Land comes into play. Drill Land takes place in an amusement park, and you've got five gameplay modes labeled as "attractions." Completing each attraction gets you a stamp. Collecting a stamp from each attraction results in a boss battle against Dr. Manhole in the center of the amusement park. After defeating him, you'll unlock longer, more difficult variations of each attraction. The five modes are various takes on Mr. Driller gameplay. Drill Land World Tour offers classic Mr. Driller gameplay. Star Driller is similar to classic Mr. Driller gameplay, but with power-ups. Drindy Adventure is classic Mr. Driller, but with traps as you dig, for extra peril. Horror Night House requires you to find holy water as you dig and use it to purify ghosts out of blocks. Lastly, The Tower of Druaga offers a completely new spin on the Mr. Driller formula - exploring a dungeon and defeating the monster within. While some of the modes are fun (I especially enjoyed the Tower of Druaga attraction) none of them can really compete with the original, tried-and-true Mr. Driller gameplay…at least, not in my opinion. Still, it's nice to see Namco try to spice the formula up with new mechanics. Anyway, if you like Mr. Driller, then you'll probably love Drill Land. While it never made it to the west on the Gamecube, it has been released out here digitally on modern consoles, so you won't have to visit an import shop to give it a try.

Review added: 04/02/2025