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Screenshot Analysis
Mario Kart is making a (triumphant?) return, this time speeding its way onto Nintendo GameCube. Several shots have been released, and from what we've seen so far it's looking very, very cool. With an innovative (and we say this in a good way) double-partner system, and of course the often talked about (at this site anyway) return of DIDDY, this is looking to be quite a game, and not just a rehash of the previous 'Karts. Of course we'll have to wait and see exactly how the game is, and hope Nintendo doesn't focus entirely on the double-partner idea and forget everything else, but let's keep our chins up as we take a stroll through a gallery of the latest screenshots and offer mindless speculation and analysis. After you get through with this, make sure to take a gander at ye olde Screenshots section for larger screens. Here we go, then. Let's roll.
Our first shot looks to be taken from the traditional Mario-themed speedways seen in the previous games. I nearly crapped myself when I saw this for the simple reason that CHAIN CHOMP, or Wonwon, is in the background. You don't understand. Chain Chomp is one of my very favorite baddies of all time, so his inclusion in this game makes me smile. Anyway. Enough about Wonwon, you're here for speculation that in all honesty you could have probably come up with yourself if you sat down long enough.
At the forefront of this shot is, of course, Mario, driving his kart with Peach in tow. So far we've seen screens that show Mario driving with Peach, and other screens that show him driving with Luigi. In fact, several of the characters have different partners in different screens. So it looks like you'll be able to mix and match partners in any way you choose. All I know is Chain Chomp's in it. And that, my friends, makes me glad.
Ah, this screenshot demonstrates without a doubt that the infamous banana traps are back! But did anyone ever really doubt it? Here we see Mario, the character in the back of the kart, turning around to toss a banana at Bowser (and his extremely cool-looking kart) while Luigi speeds onward. These screens make me wonder just how much control the "back characters" will have over items. When you use an item, will it just plop down in the middle of the road? Or can you control where it lands? This would be particularly nasty for the Koopa Shell items, imagine aiming them at the driver behind you and sending the shelled missile flying...good times, I tell you. You'll also note that the Kart positions are screwed up, Bowser is definitely not in third place from the looks of this screen.
Finally, in an especially cool nod, you'll notice Luigi's Mansion in the background. So I assume this is from Luigi Raceway, or the GCN equivalent.
This next one showcases the first of the Mario Sunshine locations. It appears to be Ricco Harbor. Judging from the looks of the road, I'd say Ricco Harbor and Delfino Plaza are combined into one raceway. The roadway is the exact same as the one from Delfino, which we'll see a bit later on. Makes sense, since all the locations of Mario Sunshine were on Isle Delfino and you could sometimes see particular locations in the backgrounds of other levels. It looks like Mario is punching Koopa Troopa here, so apparently the "backseat drivers" won't be limited to just using items and whatnot. Also, for some inscrutable reason, the trees near Ricco Harbor and Delfino Plaza have eyes and noses.
Delfino Plaza. See what I mean? The road is exactly the same. It's almost certain Ricco Harbor and Delfino Plaza will be part of the same course. Anyhoo, this shot shows Luigi driving Daisy's cart (as indicated by the hearts) and over to the side we see what's-his-face and his little buddy. Donkey Kong's kart is very cool.  Barrel! Yep. Barrel kart. Yes. Moving on. One of the little item blocks can be seen in the background, and speaking of block, behind that is a mysteriously blocked off area. A shortcut, I presume? There's really nothing else special about this apart from the blatant Nintendo advertising on the billboard and the fact that Daisy looks as if she is about to board DK's kart.
LAST ONE! YES! Er, I mean, yes. This one shows a course similar to Toad's Turnpike, though it is almost certainly named after another character. Big Ape City, perhaps? One can only hope, but I doubt it. It's hard to see in this picture, but if you look at the enlarged version, there are yellow signs which look very much like images of Bowser. I doubt this is a Bowser themed course, however this seems to suggest that it is related to Mario in some way rather than Donkey Kong. Boo. Of particular note in this one is the fact that it looks as if Bowser has some kind of special GREEN Spiny Shell, and it's obviously taken from some sort of multiplayer mode. Looks like VS to me. Also it looks as if Diddy is surfing on top of his kart, for some reason. The map in the center suggests that this is a fairly large course. I wonder if there will be any other vehicles on the highway besides the karts, as in MK64?
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