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[Kazz]

Welllll, you don't.  Unless you want unlockables.  Evidently, everybody is way more of an unlockable whore than I am.

I think you people would be disappointed if they just gave you everything right off the bat.  You'd be all, "but where's my horrible grind?"

Anyway, they give you enough to compete right off the bat.  You're just being vain.  You want to show off your Dry Bowser.  Not to be special, but because everybody else is going to have Dry Bowser.  You are conformists.  I'm racing with Koopa Troopa.

[Lady Duke]

Spoilers: Kazz will wanna play as Dry Bowser once I unlock him. 

And I agree with Thad that itemwhoring blows.

[Thad]

Welllll, you don't.  Unless you want unlockables.

Such as, oh, 50% of the fucking courses, if you happen to be playing offline multiplayer.

Yeah, minor detail there.

[Thad]

Anyway.  I'm not opposed to the idea of unlockables, I'm opposed to the idea that I have to play alone to get them.  I never had to play Double Dash alone once.

But this post is for some thoughts on characters.

One: Kazz, you're right, we should go back to a system where the character you pick makes a difference beyond weight class.  There are a few ways of doing this:

The SNES/N64/GBA way: one kart for each character.  A step backward.

The Double Dash way: bring back character-specific items.  I support this.  (Actually, the first time I played the Wii version, I picked Baby Mario and then said, "Why'd I do that?  I only ever used him for the Chain Chomp.")

The DS way: All characters end up with the same karts in the end, but you have to unlock each kart for each character.  This could be okay if it were done in a non-obnoxious fashion (see above: unlockables should be unlockable in multiplayer).

Also.  I think we can agree that the characters in this game are a mixed bag.  Yeah, you've got Dry Bowser, but you've also got Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, and Funky Kong.

Some thoughts on better character choices:

We've already got Koopas.  Why not Goombas and Shyguys?

We got the Magikruiser; let's get a Magikoopa in there.

Hell, we've already got Birdo; we may as well throw in Wart, too.

And of course it'd be swell if they'd bring back the Koopalings, but I really don't see THAT happening.  Because, you know, Baby Daisy is a MUCH better choice.

Also: NO MORE FUCKING BABIES.

Also also: if they're going to keep adding Donkey Kong characters, we need Cranky.  He can complain about all the things I have complained about in this post.

[Kayma]

We've already got Koopas.  Why not Goombas and Shyguys?

Couldn't agree more. Shit, haven't agreed with anything more in the history of things. I love Shyguy! He doesn't get the respect he deserves. Sure, his DS appearance was nice, but why didn't he exist outside of single cart multiplayer?

Shyguy.

Shyguy.

SHYGUY.

[Kazz]

LD loves Baby Peach and Baby Daisy.

I think I should get to race as Grodus.

Also, I don't mind character being a purely cosmetic choice.  There is a variety of karts and bikes no matter who you choose.  I like the ability to race as a Mii; I'm a little surprised that the racetracks aren't already covered in Darth Vader and Jack Black.

I think you should get to pick one overpowered item to get as a special; like, you can only get the Mega Shroom or 3 Red Shells or the Lightning Bolt, but you can get it more often and in higher places.  I like customizability; character specific items made me angry in DD, because if I didn't get Baby Bowser and Koopa Paratroopa, I wasn't able to UBERSHELL ASSAULT AHHASHAHAHAHAHHSKHFDSKAHFEKHAFSL

[Thad]

The SNES/N64/GBA way: one kart for each character.  A step backward.

The Double Dash way: bring back character-specific items.  I support this.  (Actually, the first time I played the Wii version, I picked Baby Mario and then said, "Why'd I do that?  I only ever used him for the Chain Chomp.")

The DS way: All characters end up with the same karts in the end, but you have to unlock each kart for each character.  This could be okay if it were done in a non-obnoxious fashion (see above: unlockables should be unlockable in multiplayer).

Meant to add: you could just make a character give you a set of base stats and the cart modify them.

LD loves Baby Peach and Baby Daisy.

Oh right, chicks play games too now.

Brad's girlfriend belted out a "SOOOO CUUUUTE" when she saw Baby Peach too, come to think of it.

[Kazz]

Meant to add: you could just make a character give you a set of base stats and the cart modify them.

The reason I don't dig this set-up is that you eventually form a Best Possible Character.  Anyone who prefers a heavy kart will use THIS heavy kart with THIS character once it's proven to be the crop's cream.

[Rosencrantz]

Meant to add: you could just make a character give you a set of base stats and the cart modify them.

The reason I don't dig this set-up is that you eventually form a Best Possible Character.  Anyone who prefers a heavy kart will use THIS heavy kart with THIS character once it's proven to be the crop's cream.

I completely agree. I like how you can pick a character that you just LIKE using, instead of one that's GOOD to use.

[Thad]

The reason I don't dig this set-up is that you eventually form a Best Possible Character.  Anyone who prefers a heavy kart will use THIS heavy kart with THIS character once it's proven to be the crop's cream.

If that were true, there would be one perfect weight class and one perfect kart already.

There are no perfect stats; the perfect stats depend on your play style.  (Afro Jon preferred the Toad kart in Double Dash to the Gold kart.)  Now, I would appear to be a minmaxing bastard, as evidenced by my typical choice of Wario with the Wario Bike or the Off-Roader (which have exactly the same stats), which essentially means I'm playing a heavyweight who controls like a lightweight but doesn't go sailing off the edge of Rainbow Road or Wario Mine upon receiving a gentle love tap.  But just by reading this thread I know there are people who pick their stats differently than I do.

I completely agree. I like how you can pick a character that you just LIKE using, instead of one that's GOOD to use.

The logical conclusion to this reasoning is that every character in every game should be totally interchangeable.

I prefer to BALANCE my characters rather than make them identical.

(Or was that your point?  Can't really tell if you're joking.)

[Rosencrantz]

I completely agree. I like how you can pick a character that you just LIKE using, instead of one that's GOOD to use.

The logical conclusion to this reasoning is that every character in every game should be totally interchangeable.

I prefer to BALANCE my characters rather than make them identical.

(Or was that your point?  Can't really tell if you're joking.)

No, I was being serious... although now I'm torn between the current "every character is the same" idea versus your "each character should be balanced" concept. Let's say each character has different stats and they're totally balanced. However, the character with the stats that you enjoy racing with the most is a character whose design you dislike. (Any of the babies, in my case.) You'd either have to play as a character you dislike or play as a character with (slightly) different stats. It's a minor gripe, to be sure.

[Thad]

I would say that the best fix for that would be for the characters to be more likable.

But then we get back to the "women love babies" problem.

[Friday]

in before friday

[Rosencrantz]

I would say that the best fix for that would be for the characters to be more likable.

But then we get back to the "women love babies" problem.

Yeah, as I was telling Guild the other day, if a large portion of your cast consists of baby versions of other characters, you need to diversify your cast a little more.

Donkey Kong has been in the series since the beginning, so they figure it's okay to bring in Diddy and Funky. First of all, why not, say, a Kremling as well? And secondly, instead of giving us more pointless DK characters, why not just start bringing over some of the Smash Bros cast? We already have at least eight characters from Brawl in Mario Kart now.

[Kazz]

The reason I don't dig this set-up is that you eventually form a Best Possible Character.  Anyone who prefers a heavy kart will use THIS heavy kart with THIS character once it's proven to be the crop's cream.

If that were true, there would be one perfect weight class and one perfect kart already.

Given a course, I'm sure there's a kart or bike that can't be beaten in time trial on it.  The main game has too much chaos built in for something to be unstoppable, but there's always something with the most potential.

That said, even with the perfect vehicle, you'd need the perfect driver.

[Lady Duke]

Kazz lied--I think baby Daisy is cute, but I don't like her.  I like baby Peach but I don't play as her.  In fact, in a total switch from every previous Mario Kart, I've switched to heavies and I'm loving it, and it's all 'cause I wanted to play as Roselia/Rosette/Rosalina.  I refuse to call her Rosalina because it's a super faggy name.

Anyway, on the karts stuff--I loved the DS set-up.  I could play with my favorite kart and my favorite player.  It was usually dry bones with a random assortment of different karts, just trying to see which I liked best, but I've long since beaten the game and don't play it at all anymore.

Another thing I hate is Kazz ruining all of my online scores.      Can you make copies of the licenses?  That way Kazz could have all the same unlockables I do--he just wouldn't lower my scores all the time whenever he wants to play online.

And then on to Dry Bowser.  Somehow, I feel like I suck with him, even if he's the same as Roselia or Boo.  I feel saddened by this after working so hard to obtain him.  He does make totally bad ass sounds though--maybe I just get distracted.  Also they made his hair in a ponytail-updo or something, so he looks lamer than I'd hoped.

I'm at 12/32 ghosts now, and am one cup away from getting mirror mode (my least favorite).  So hopefully, I'll unlock the rest of everything.  And I'm slowly learning to love the Flame Wheeler.  Poor Doom.

[Detonator]

Best quote heard while playing this game:

"Suck it, Baby Peach."

[Metal Slime]

Hey, Mario Kart. Stop messing up our Brawl online playing.

[Cthulhu-chan]

Rainbow road has driven me to levels of rage I did not know myself capable of.  I've almost felt like hurling the wheel out the window.

So when are you folks racing/fighting, typically?

[Lady Duke]

Kazz and I (and doom as well since we play him constantly) mostly battle in the evening.  Up til about midnight, and then if doom drops, I'll play random people online til 2 if I have nothing better to do that night.