/Mario Kart: Double Dash!!\ -FAQ-Walkthrough\ )Created by: Matt "The Doc" Briner( )Last Updated: November 29, 2003( V1.0 =I) TABLE OF CONTENTS= I) Table of Contents II) Updates III) FAQs IV) Introduction V) Main Title Screen A) Start Game B) Records C) Options 1) Sound 2) Volume 3) Rumble 4) Time Trial Ghost 5) VS. Item Box 6) VS. Laps VI) Before You Start A) Player Choice B) Position Choice C) Mode Choice D) Character Choice E) Kart Choice F) Course Choice G) Basics and Controls VII) Characters A) Mario B) Luigi C) Peach D) Daisy E) Yoshi F) Birdo G) Baby Mario H) Baby Luigi I) Toad J) Toadette K) Koopa Troopa L) Paratroopa M) Donkey Kong N) Diddy Kong O) Bowser P) Bowser, Jr. Q) Wario R) Waluigi S) Petey Piranha T) King Boo VIII) Karts A) Lighteight Karts 1) Goo-Goo Buggy 2) Rattle Buggy 3) Koopa Dasher 4) Para Wing 5) Barrel Train 6) Bullet Blaster 7) Toad Kart 8) Toadette Kart B) Middleweight Karts 1) Red Fire 2) Green Fire 3) Heart Coach 4) Bloom Coach 5) Turbo Yoshi 6) Turbo Birdo 7) Waluigi Racer C) Heavyweight Karts 1) Wario Car 2) DK Jumbo 3) Koopa King 4) Piranha Pipes 5) Boo Pipes D) Miscellaneous Karts 1) Parade Kart IX) Grand Prix A) Mushroom Cup 1) Luigi Circuit 2) Peach Beach 3) Baby Park 4) Dry Dry Desert B) Flower Cup 1) Mushroom Bridge 2) Mario Circuit 3) Daisy Cruiser 4) Waluigi Stadium C) Star Cup 1) Sherbet Land 2) Mushroom City 3) Yoshi Circuit 4) DK Mountain D) Special Cup 1) Wario Colosseum 2) Dino Dino Jungle 3) Bowser's Castle 4) Rainbow Road E) All-Cup Tour X) Items A) Banana Peel B) Green Shell C) Red Shell D) Mushroom E) Fake Item F) Star G) Spiny Shell H) Thunderbolt I) Special Items XI) Time Trial XII) Versus Mode XIII) Battle Mode A) Battles 1) Balloon Battle 2) Shine Thief 3) Bob-omb Blast B) Courses 1) Cookie Land 2) Block City 3) Nintendo GameCube 4) Pipe Plaza 5) Luigi's Mansion 6) Tilt-a-Kart XIV) Credits & Contact Info XV) Copyright & Disclaimer ==II) UPDATES== V1.0 (November 29, 2003): Created and completed the Walkthrough. FAQs will be added as soon as I get them. ==III) FAQS== Coming soon... ==IV) Introduction== Welcome to The Doc's FAQ/Walkthrough of "Mario Kart: Double Dash!!". "MKDD" is easy enough to understand, although it seems complicated at first glance. From the moment you turn on the GCN, you'll know that you're playing a full-fledged "Mario Kart" game. However, the addition of a second character to your playing quota invariably makes this a whole new game with a brand-new set of rules. In "MKDD", you must choose TWO characters to play as. These characters determine what Kart you will have, and the Kart you have will determine just how good of a player you are. In essence, it's much more complex this time around than ever before. ==V) MAIN TITLE SCREEN== Right from the Main Title Screen, you'll have to make the choice of either starting the game, viewing in-game records, or fluctuating your options. )A: Start Game( Obviously, this will take you into the main game. )B: Records( If you already have saved "MKDD" data on your Memory Card, you can view previous records of your past work. You can view records of each Cup from each Engine option, the top five times for each course in Time Trial mode, or just go back to the main title screen. )C: Options( Here, you can customize your in-game settings /1--Sound\ You can choose between mono, stereo, or Surround, if you have Dolby. /2--Volume\ You can make the in-game music real quiet, real loud, or you can keep the recommended volume setting. /3--Rumble\ Turn your controller's Rumble feature on or off. /4--Time Trial Ghost\ If this is on, then whenever you complete a course in Time Trial mode, your performance will be recorded in the form of a transparent version of you, playing the course as you did. This is called a "ghost" and is a learning tool to which you can use to increase your time and ability on a certain course. /5--VS. Item Box\ In the Versus Mode (for multiplayer games only), you can set the Item Box arsenal to the Recommended setting (even mix between normal and Special items), Basic (normal item box swag only), Frantic (Special item box swag only), or None (no items at all...a fair race). /6--VS. Laps\ Each course has a preset number of laps. In the Versus Mode (for multiplayer games only), you can set the number of laps to anywhere from one lap to nine laps, or keep them at the Recommended number. ==VI) BEFORE YOU START== Before you can start getting your race on, you'll need to make some choices first. )A: Player Choice( Choose between one, two, three, or four players. )B: Position Choice( Here, you choose how you want to play in terms of where your characters are. In One-Player, you don't have a choice at all. You control two characters at once. In Two-Player, you can have a one-on-one match (P1 VS. P2), or you can do a team race (P1 + P2). In Three-Player, you can have a Triple Threat (P1 VS. P2 VS. P3) or have a Handicap race (P1 + P2 VS. P3). In Four-Player, you can have a Fatal-Four Way (P1 VS. P2 VS. P3 VS. P4), a Tag Team race (P1 + P2 VS. P3 + P4), or a Super Handicap race (P1 + P2 VS. P3 VS. P4). )C: Mode Choice( In One-Player, you can play the Grand Prix or you can go through the courses individually for a Time Trial. In Two-Player, Three-Player, and Four-Player, you can play the Grand Prix, Versus, or Battle. They will be explained further down the line. )D: Character Choice( When you first start playing "MKDD" each player will have the choice between 16 characters, and you must choose two--no more, no less. However, as you go along, four characters will be unlocked. Each character will be explained further down the line. )E: Kart Choice( The combination of characters you choose depends on the Kart you get. Each chracter is in one of three weight classes, and there are six weight combinations you can have. Each Kart is distributed between these combinations and, as mentioned before, each have their own pros and cons. )F: Cup Choice( At the beginning, there are 12 courses to choose from, four in each cup. As you go along, however, two cups will be unlocked. Each course is unique in shape, length, and obstacles. )G: Basics and Controls( OK, so you've chosen your characters and your Cup and such...how do you drive? Well, it's really very simple. You control two characters. One character drives the Kart and the other character uses the items. Both characters can hold items, but only the character in the back can use them. -The 'A' button accelerates. Hold it to increase speed, let it go to decrease speed. It couldn't be simpler. At the very start of the race, press 'A' once Lakitu's arm is all the way down on the fourth movement to get a turbo boost. -The 'B' button serves two functions. When you're moving, use it to break. When you're still, hold it to go in reverse. -The Control Stick moves your Kart. Duh. -The 'X' and 'Y' buttons serve the same two purposes. When you have an item, press either button to use it. When you don't have an item, press either button to honk your horn and have the character in the back of the Kart taunt. -The 'Z' button is used to swap your characters. This is especially useful when you have an item that you don't want to use at the moment. Say, you have a Green Shell. If no one's directly in front of or behind you, it's useless, However, pressing 'Z' will allow the character with the Green Shell to drive instead, saving the Item for a later time. If you have two items at once (one per character), using one of them will automatically swap characters. -The 'L' and 'R' triggers are used to Drift. When at a really tight turn, hold one of these two buttons while holding down the Control Stick in the direction the turn is going. You'll notice that two yellow flames will appear behind your Kart. If you press the Control Stick in the opposite direction, then immediately go back to the original direction, the flames will turn red. Do it one more time to turn them blue. Let go of the trigger to get a small boost of speed. (If you ever played "Mario Kart 64", you know what this trick is; it's done the exact same way.) -The 'START/PAUSE' button pauses the game and gives you a brief overview of the controls. If you're in Grand Prix mode, you can choose to continue the race or quit and go back to the player select screen. In any other mode, you can choose to continue, restart the race, reselect a course, reselect a character, reselect a battle (in Battle mode only), or quit entirely and go back to the player select screen. -The Control Pad and the 'C' Stick have no uses. ==VII) CHARACTERS== There are a grand total of 20 characters you can choose from. Sixteen are available from the get-go, while four are hidden. Each character is in a weight class, each has a special item, and each has a default vehicle. )A: Mario( Weight Class--Medium Special Item--Fireball (red) Default Kart--Red Fire Availability--The start Mario is the neutrality scale on which all other characters are balanced. He's the most average character you can have. His special attack, Fireball, spreads into five separate fireballs and bounces across the course and off walls for a limited time. )B: Luigi( Weight Class--Medium Special Item--Fireball (green) Default Kart--Green Fire Availability--The start The eternal understudy is back in action! His special attack, Fireball, spreads into five separate fireballs and bounces across the course and off walls for a limited time. )C: Peach( Weight Class--Medium Special Item--Heart Default Kart--Heart Coach Availability--The start When she's not being kidnapped, she's racing, playing tennis, playing golf, or...well, being kidnapped, really. Her special attack, Heart, allows you to run over items in the road and pick them up. You can do this twice. )D: Daisy( Weight Class--Medium Special Item--Heart Default Kart--Bloom Coach Availability--The start She wasn't seen much after "Super Mario Land", but she came back ten years later in "Mario Party 3" and has been a bit of a staple since. Her special attack, Heart, allows you to run over items in the road and pick them up. You can do this twice. )E: Yoshi( Weight Class--Medium Special Item--Yoshi Egg Default Kart--Turbo Yoshi Availability--The start Yoshi's been a series staple since his debut in "Super Mario World". He's got an infinitely-sized tummy and a knack for turning anything he swallows into an egg. His special item, Yoshi Egg, homes in on the nearest enemy and releases a trio of useful items upon impact. )F: Birdo( Weight Class--Medium Special Item--Birdo Egg Default Kart--Turbo Birdo Availability--The start She disappeared for a bit after her debut in "Super Mario Bros. 2", but since her return in "Mario Tennis", she's been pretty smitten with Yoshi. Ooooooooooh! Her special item, Birdo Egg, homes in on the nearest enemy and releases a trio of useful items upon impact. )G: Baby Mario( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Chain Chomp Default Kart--Goo-Goo Buggy Availability--The start Separated from his brother at birth, Yoshi helped the two twins reunite in "Super Mario World 2". Since then, Baby Mario's been seen at the courts and the links on several occasions. His special attack, Chain Chomp, follows the course for a limited time, running over any enemies you meet up with and cutting a little time off the clock. )H: Baby Luigi( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Chain Chomp Default Kart--Rattle Buggy Availability--The start The bad news is, this is Baby Luigi's first appearance since "Super Mario World 2". The good news is, I just saved a load of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. (...Sorry. Couldn't resist.) His special attack, Chain Chomp, follows the course for a limited time, running over any enemies you meet up with and cutting a little time off the clock. )I: Toad( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Super Mushroom Default Kart--Toad Kart Availability--Win the gold in Special Cup at 100cc For a while there, Toad was considered pretty weak because he continuously failed to protect the princess from kidnapping. Recently, though, he's been making a name for himself. His special item, the Super Mushroom, allows you to continuously boost your speed until it wears out. Just keep pressing 'X' or 'Y'. )J: Toadette( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Super Mushroom Default Kart--Toadette Kart Availability--Win the gold in Special Cup at 100cc Not much is known about Toadette. She's made countless cameos in many Mario games, but this is her first appearance as a playable character. Her special item, the Super Mushroom, allows you to continuously boost your speed until it wears out. Just keep pressing 'X' or 'Y'. )K: Koopa Troopa( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Triple Shell Default Kart--Koopa Dasher Availability--The start Koopa Troopa was a minion of Bowser's for quite some time until warming up in recent years. He was playable in "Super Mario Kart", and he's been an integral character in the "Mario Party" series. His special item, Triple Shell, allows you to hold three shells (either green or red) at one time. )L: Paratroopa( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Triple Shell Default Kart--Para Wing Availability--The start Paratroopa is just a Koopa Troopa with wings, but has proven that he's stronger than he looks in few areas. His special item, Triple Shell, allows you to hold three shells (either green or red) at one time. )M: Donkey Kong( Weight Class--Heavy Special Item--Giant Banana Default Kart--DK Jumbo Availability--The start DK's been in countless games. While some don't know, he was originally Donkey Kong Jr., but grew up while the original Donkey Kong (now Cranky Kong) grew old. Now he likes to raise havoc with his nephew Diddy. His special item, Giant Banana, is...well...a giant banana! It takes up more of the path as usual, and splits into three normal banana peels when run into. )N: Diddy Kong( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Giant Banana Default Kart--Barrel Train Availability--The start Diddy disappeared from the scene after "Donkey Kong Country 3", but recently, he's been in "Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour" with his Uncle Donkey. He's becoming a bigger player in the Mario world. His special item, Giant Banana, is...well...a giant banana! It takes up more of the path as usual, and splits into three normal banana peels when run into. )O: Bowser( Weight Class--Heavy Special Item--Bowser Shell Default Kart--Koopa King Availability--The start The King of the Koopas, Bowser has been thwarted by Mario time and time again. More fertile than Kelly Ripa in the springtime, he's bore countless children. More recently, his kids have become more active. His special item, Bowser Shell, is like a giant Green Shell, taking out anyone in it's path. )P: Bowser, Jr.( Weight Class--Light Special Item--Bowser Shell Default Kart--Bullet Blaster Availability--The start The mischievious Prince of the Koopas, Bowser, Jr., needs to be put on a leash or something. My advice is not to get 4th place or worse with him; the crying is unbareable! His special item, Bowser Shell, is like a giant Green Shell, taking out anyone in it's path. )Q: Wario( Weight Class--Heavy Special Item--Bob-omb Default Kart--Wario Car Availability--The start Wario's made quite a name for himself since debuting in "Super Mario Land 2". Since then, he's had his own series of games, has appeared in all the "Mario Party" games, and has even obtained a brother of his own! His special item, Bob-omb, explodes, taking out everybody in the vicinity. )R: Waluigi( Weight Class--Middle Special Item--Bob-omb Default Kart--Waluigi Racer Availability--The start Since debuting in "Mario Tennis", Waluigi's been insanely popular among players. It's rumored that the lanky Waluigi might even get his own game in the future...His special item, Bob-omb, explodes, taking out everybody in the vicinity. )S: Petey Piranha( Weight Class--Heavy Special Item--ALL Default Kart--Piranha Pipes Availability--Win the gold in Star Cup in Mirror Mode Petey debuted as a boss in "Super Mario Sunshine" and must have gone over well with the gaming populace. Petey's special item is the best of all...he can use all aforementioned special items! )T: King Boo( Weight Class--Heavy Special Item--ALL Default Kart--Boo Pipes Availability--Win the gold in Star Cup in Mirror Mode Luigi thwarted King Boo's haunting plans in "Luigi's Mansion". His Highness is back to return the favor. King Boo's special item is the best of all...he can use all aforementioned special items! ==VIII) KARTS== There are 21 different Karts: eight lightweight Karts, seven middleweight Karts, five heavyweight Karts, and one Kart that can be used by everybody. Each Kart has three stats: speed, (how fast it'll go after fully accelerated) acceleration (how fast it'll start after being at a complete stop), and weight (how slow you'll go on non-road terrain, like grass or heavy snow). Each stat is measured on a Star Scale from one star to five stars. Most of the Karts must be unlocked. )A: Lightweight Karts( These Karts corner well, have great acceleration, and go the fastest on non-road terrain, but are slow on the road and can be easily pushed around by middleweights and heavyweights. /1) Goo-Goo Buggy\ Default Racer--Baby Mario Speed----------* Acceleration---***** Weight---------** Availability---The start /2) Rattle Buggy\ Default Racer--Baby Luigi Speed----------** Acceleration---**** Weight---------** Availability---Get the gold in Mushroom Cup at 100cc /3) Koopa Dasher\ Default Racer--Koopa Troopa Speed----------** Acceleration---**** Weight---------** Availability---The start /4) Para Wing\ Default Racer--Paratroopa Speed----------* Acceleration---***** Weight---------** Availability---Get the gold in Star Cup at 50cc /5) Barrel Train\ Default Racer--Diddy Kong Speed----------**** Acceleration---** Weight---------*** Availability---Get the gold in Star Cup at 150cc /6) Bullet Blaster\ Default Racer--Bowser, Jr. Speed----------**** Acceleration---*** Weight---------* Availability---Get the gold in Special Cup at 50cc /7) Toad Kart\ Default Racer--Toad Speed----------** Acceleration---**** Weight---------** Availability---Get the gold in Special Cup at 100cc /8) Toadette Kart\ Default Racer--Toadette Speed----------* Acceleration---***** Weight---------** Availability---Get the gold in Mushroom Cup in Mirror Mode )B: Middleweight Karts( These Karts are average and don't have heavy pros or cons. They can be pushed around by heavyweights, but can push around lightweights. They slow down on non-road terrain, but not as heavily as heavyweight Karts. These are the most standard Karts you can use. /1) Red Fire\ Default Racer--Mario Speed----------*** Acceleration---*** Weight---------*** Availability---The start /2) Green Fire\ Default Racer--Luigi Speed----------**** Acceleration---** Weight---------** Availability---Get the gold in Mushroom Cup at 50cc /3) Heart Coach\ Default Racer--Peach Speed----------** Acceleration---**** Weight---------*** Availability---The start /4) Bloom Coach\ Default Racer--Daisy Speed----------*** Acceleration---*** Weight---------** Availability---Get the gold in Flower Cup at 50cc /5) Turbo Yoshi\ Default Racer--Yoshi Speed----------** Acceleration---**** Weight---------*** Availability---The start /6) Turbo Birdo\ Default Racer--Birdo Speed----------*** Acceleration---*** Weight---------**** Availability---Get the gold in Flower Cup at 150cc /7) Waluigi Racer\ Default Racer--Waluigi Speed----------*** Acceleration---*** Weight---------*** Availability---Get the gold in Flower Cup at 100cc )C: Heavyweight Karts( These Karts have poor acceleration and go the absolute slowest on non-road terrain, but they have the highest speeds and can push all the other Karts around to get past them. However, it is still recommended that heavyweight Karts be handled by experts only. /1) Wario Car\ Default Racer--Wario Speed----------**** Acceleration---** Weight---------**** Availability---The start /2) DK Jumbo\ Default Racer--Donkey Kong Speed----------**** Acceleration---** Weight---------**** Availability---The start /3) Koopa King\ Default Racer--Bowser Speed----------***** Acceleration---* Weight---------***** Availability---The start /4) Piranha Pipes\ Default Racer--Petey Piranha Speed----------**** Acceleration---** Weight---------***** Availability---Get the gold in Star Cup in Mirror Mode /5) Boo Pipes\ Default Racer--King Boo Speed----------** Acceleration---**** Weight---------***** Availability---Get the gold in Special Cup in Mirror Mode )D: Miscellaneous Karts( One Kart can be used by all characters. It's invariably the best car to have. However, it couldn't be unlocked at a more inopportune time. The only way to get this Kart is to get the gold in all cups on all engine options. It's the reward you get for spending so much time playing the game. /1) Parade Kart\ Default Racer--ALL Speed----------**** Acceleration---*** Weight---------**** Availability---Get the gold cup in all cups on all engine options ==IX) GRAND PRIX== The Grand Prix is the way to go, as it is the only way to unlock everything unlockable in the game. The Grand Prix consists of five cups, though only three are playable at the start. You play each course in a cup in succession, getting points along the way. Here is the points table: 1st place--10 points 2nd place--8 points 3rd place--6 points 4th place--4 points 5th place--3 points 6th place--2 points 7th place--1 point 8th place--0 points The ideal way to win the gold in a cup is to win 40 points, or get 1st place in all four courses in that cup. Before choosing the cup, however, you must choose between one of three engine settings (excluding one unlockable setting): 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. These, more or less, are the difficulty settings, with 50cc being the equivalent of Easy mode, 100cc being Normal mode, and 150cc being Hard more. Mirror Mode is yours once getting the gold in the All-Cup Tour at 150cc, and is the equivalent of Expert mode. Mirror Mode is exactly as its name implies: the Mirror design of the courses. So if in 50cc you had to turn left, in Mirror Mode, you turn right. As stated before, there are a total of 12 courses available at the start and 16 courses altogether along five cups. The Special Cup is unlocked only when you get the gold trophy in the Star Cup at 100cc. When you get the gold trophy on a cup at a specific engine setting, you unlock something. However, sometimes you won't, so be cautious... )A: Mushroom Cup( /1) Luigi Circuit\ The most straightforward course you can do. In fact, when it comes to track design, this is virtually identical to the Luigi Raceway in "Mario Kart 64". The only differences are the speed boosts and the Chain Chomp. /2) Peach Beach\ Based on Isle Delfino in "Super Mario Sunshine", Peach Beach takes place in the sun-drenched tropics. If you run into a Cataquack on the shore, you'll be thrown high into the air and be slowed down a considerable amount. /3) Baby Park\ This track is an oval. Plain and simple. It's the shortest track in the game, but you'll have to go through seven full laps before you can continue on to the next course. /4) Dry Dry Desert\ Spinies and sandstorms adorn this hated stage. A quicksand bog in the middle of the race will force you to swerve to the left or right, but don't try to drive through or it's all over. Run into the sand storms to be thrown high and slow. )B: Flower Cup( /1) Mushroom Bridge\ You're on a famous Mushroom Kingdom landmark, and you're not alone! Cars, a Wiggler tram, and other types of vehicular disaster adorn the course. Run into the mushroom car to drop a mushroom onto the course, but steer clear of the Bob-omb Racers or you're done for. /2) Mario Circuit\ The trademark course of the game, placed right outside Princess Peach's Castle. Chain Chomps, Pirahna Plants, and Goombas are scattered around the stage, but the curves all around are perfect for drifting. /3) Daisy Cruiser\ This course has three levels: the deck, the hall, and the boiler room. The boiler room is for shortcut purposes only, and the tables in the restaurant have a habit of moving around...look for this cruiser in the backgrounds of other courses. /4) Waluigi Stadium\ This is like a shortened, steroid-ridden version of Wario Stadium in "Mario Kart 64". Giant decoy Piranha Plants guard the middle of the track and there are jumps galore. This course is more for BMX standards than Karts... )C: Star Cup( /1) Sherbet Land\ The weather outside is frightful, but there ain't nothing delightful about this stage. Skating Shy Guys can hinder your chances at a 1st-place victory, and the Freezies near the end of the stage are fatal. Don't get reckless. /2) Mushroom City\ An extension of Mushroom Bridge, this level is reminiscent of Toad's Turnpike in "Mario Kart 64". This course has multiple routes, but this time, you'll eventually be going into the traffic head-on! Watch the Bob-omb Racers! /3) Yoshi Circuit\ Could it get any weirder? This course has been made in the shape of Yoshi himself! That means that there are enough hairpin turns to make you sweat, and look for the hidden shortcut after the first long tunnel... /4) DK Mountain\ Scaling the cliffs of DK Mountain isn't exactly an ideal hiker's day out. On the way down the mountain, there are big bumps, holes in the ground, and a rickety bridge, but the barrel cannon that shoots you from one mountain summit to the other steals the show! )D: Special Cup( /1) Wario Colosseum\ This course is unique in that, since it's so long, it only consists of two laps. However, it's one of the hardest courses in the game. When you get to the cage, you'll go down a long winding track, followed by a track that's off by about 50°. When you get to the triple fork in the road, you'll have to either drive down one of two tilted roads or going for a leap of faith. /2) Dino Dino Jungle\ Fallen tree stumps make for small jumps and a brontosaurus can make or break you twice over. Watch the geysers all around the second half of this stage, but don't fall off any bridges or it's AAAAAALLLLLL the way back up. /3) Bowser's Castle\ Arguably the hardest course in the game, Bowser's Castle has thwomps, lava, and OBSTACLES, OBSTACLES, OBSTACLES! Drift at the upward spiral, go through groups of fireballs, and drive gung-ho into Thwomps, but don't fall or it's all over. /4) Rainbow Road\ The showcase racetrack of "MKDD", and my personal favorite course in the game! This grand spectacle of a course is full of speed boosts (illegal substances not included), a massively gorgeous tunnel climb, a spectacular cityscape below, and a remix of the Rainbow Road theme from "Mario Kart 64"! Rainbow Road is a staple of the "Mario Kart" games, but Nintendo really outdid themselves with the third iteration. )E: All-Cup Tour( You think the Special Cup at 150cc is difficult? Get the gold in it to unlock this. The All-Cup Tour is the ultimate test of endurance and ability--you'll race all 16 courses is succession! This 40-minute workout starts with Luigi Circuit and ends with Rainbow Road, but the rest is all random. Good luck. ==X) ITEMS== The items are a staple of the "Mario Kart" games. Other racing games just have more cars in a race, but the items are what really separate the "Mario Kart" genre from the rest. Drive through either an item box or a duel item box, and you'll get items. You use the items to keep your enemies from catching up to you or getting to far ahead. It's the items that can make or break a first-place win. )A: Banana Peel( Classic. Sheer classic. Press 'Y' or 'X' with this to place it onto the track behind you. Hold the Control Stick up and press 'Y' or 'X' to throw it a ways up. )B: Green Shell( Another classic "Mario Kart" item. Press 'Y' or 'X' to throw this in front of you. It'll run straight ahead, bouncing off walls until either A) It hits somebody, or B) it stops its movement. Hold down on the Control Stick and press 'Y' or 'X' to throw it behind you. )C: Red Shell( Twice as useful as the Green Shell, indeed. Press 'Y' or 'X' and it'll charge like a Lo-Jack to the nearest Kart in front of you. If one is headed for you from behind, use a Banana Peel or a Green Shell to get rid of it, or jump a ramp (if possible). To throw it behind you, hold down on the Control Stick and press 'Y' or 'X'. )D: Mushroom( If you have one of these, press 'Y' or 'X' to get a big boost of speed. These won't appear as often if you're in the front of the pack. On rare occasions, these come in packs of three, usually if you're in last place. If you can hit an enemy when you use this, and if they have an item, you can take the item! )E: Fake Item( When you're playing Mushroom Cup in 50cc, you'll have a striking revelation: the AI is as smart as a really, really intelligent brick in Easy mode. Prove it by placing one of these near a cluster of real item boxes. These work the best when the Item Boxes are individual, like in Mushroom Bridge. )F: Star( One of the more useful items, this will not only make you temporarily faster, but it will make you temporary invincible to attacks and certain obstacles. Ram into a Kart and, if they have an item, you can take it! However, fall off the track or get squished and your immortality go bye-bye. )G: Spiny Shell( Only available if you're in second place or lower, the Spiny Shell will make a beeline for the first-placeman. Unless they're invincible, it's guaranteed to work, but don't get caught in the explosion! )H: Thunderbolt Only available if you're in fifth place or lower, the Thunderbolt will shrink all other players, decreasing their size and their speed temporarily, but I'm not making any promises... )I: Special Items( These items are only available to the specified character. For more information on Special Items and who can use them, see the character profiles above. ==XI) TIME TRIAL== The Time Trial mode is only available to a one-player game. In Time Trial mode, you have free reign over the course. There are no obstacles, no item boxes, no enemies...just you, the track, and the clock. Oh, and two Mushrooms. The object is to make the recommended number of laps on a course as fast as you can. When you complete a course, you will have the opportunity to save a ghost. This is a transparent recording of your performance in that track. If you ever decide to try that course again, this recording will also be there, and it will run the exact same way it was done when you did it the last time. Use this ghost to your advantage and try to beat it every time. If, somehow, you can complete a course in a predetermined time, you'll face a Staff Ghost. This is not a ghost of YOUR performance. This is the ghost of a "MKDD" expert over at Nintendo. Basically, there were internal contests at Nintendo to see who could get the fastest times on each course, and the Staff Ghosts are the winners. If you can beat these Staff Ghosts' times, then you are truly among the elite of gamers. ==XII) VERSUS MODE== The Versus Mode is a special mode in which you and up to three buddies can race a course to determine the best. It's not a Grand Prix, it's just anywhere from two to four players on a course. So basically, it's like a mini-Grand Prix, except you can select any course you want. ==XIII) BATTLE MODE== This is a special feature in which you and up to four friends duke it out in original courses under special rules. It's really fun and I recommend playing it with four players for the full monty! )A: Battles( There are three ways to battle. /1) Balloon Battle\ In this classic Battle setting, you collect items around the tracks and try to hit each opponent three times. Each time a player is hit, a balloon is popped. Last man standing wins. /2) Shine Thief\ Right when you start, in front of you, is a Shine (what you need to collect in "Super Mario Sunshine"). Grab it! Once you do, a 60-second countdown will start. Your opponents can do whatever they can to hit you because, if they do, you'll drop the Shine and the countdown will freeze. When it's picked back up, the countdown will start up again. Whoever has the Shine when the countdown reaches '0' wins. /3) Bob-omb Blast\ This one gets just a smidge complicated, but not too complicated. Whenever you touch an item box, you'll get a Bob-omb. Wail on your opponent. Each time you hit them, one of your stars will light up. You have to hit your opponent three times IN A ROW to win. Let's say you hit your opponent twice. Then two of your stars will light up. If they hit you once, then one of your stars will be taken away and one of their stars will light up. It's a matter of basic mathematics, really. )B: Courses( /1) Cookie Land\ It's a really big cookie. Plain and simple. /2) Block City\ There are four blocks in the course. Go through two of them for duel item boxes. /3) Nintendo GameCube\ That's right! You fight on top of a GCN! There are items boxes in the middle of the course and on the three buttons. /4) Pipe Plaza\ There's a grating and four pipes. Two of them go from the ground to the grating, two of them go from the grating to the ground. You can also go directly from one to the other. /5) Luigi's Mansion\ This stage can only be unlocked by getting the gold trophy in Mushroom Cup at 150cc. It's got three levels. The bottom and middle are straightforward, but the top level has a hole leading to the middle. /6) Tilt-a-Kart\ This weird course is unlocked after getting the gold in the Flower Cup in Mirror Mode. The 8-bit Mario silhouette you're on occasionally tilts, making the items and you fall off the edge. ==XIV) CREDITS/CONTACT INFO== Special Thanks To: Nintendo>>>For making the game. GameFAQs>>>For sponsoring this FAQ. Me>>>For making the FAQ (Modesty = Dead). You>>>For reading the FAQ. Questions? Comments? E-mail or MSN me at ganondorf2001@msn.com! Or smack me one via AIM with The Doc 913! ==XV) COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER== This FAQ is the sole property of its author (Matt Briner) and cannot be copied by anyone without direct permission by the author. This FAQ is only to be used in the pages of GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com). If it is found anywhere else, please notify the author as soon as possible. This FAQ is copyright 2003 Matt Briner.