There's no way of getting round it this week; Mario Kart on Gamecube. We may have only got a few screens and some details, but I couldn't resist asking the staff's thoughts of it.

Mario Kart. On Gamecube. 7 screens. What do you think?

Paul: I'm not completely sure what to make it.

I'm absolutely delighted to see the screens; why, they've been in the making long enough. However, I fear the whole thig is going to be a little bit overcomplicated, which is the complete opposite to Mario Kart games, and also, Nintendo games in general.

The doubles on the karts, if implemented well, could turn out to be tactical, useful and actually an extra thing that is integral to the gameplay. That would be the Nintendo way. But it could be just stuck on as a last minute idea to add something new. And why fix something thats not broken?

Overall, however, there is no hiding my excitement. I can't wait to sit down to some 150cc Grand Prix's with 4 friends, and subsequently kick some metaphorical butt. To fire a red shell once again seems like a dream, and I simply can't wait.

Roll on more details, shots and .. oh yeah .. a review!

Jav: Initially I took a glance and thought, 'hey it's mario kart this is gonna be great', pre-mature joys though I feel now, although everything about it seems rather innovative and it's being taken in a new direction and all that malarky, I can't come to grips with the new karts. It looks too comedic, I mean with MK64 they were real karts and there was a certain realism behind it despite it's graphical nature and the whole bannas and turtle shells.. yeh.. but if you see what i mean. I don't think we can come to any conclusions as of yet though, don't judge a book by it's cover and likewise don't judge a game solely by it's looks.

I'm sure it will turn out to be a top-notch game in the long run and any doubts people are having now were pre-determined when Ninty decided to overhaul the game with fresh ideas, and lets face it, evidently with Zelda thats the way forward. Roll on E3, we need more screens and info I tells ya! More!

Link: Like Jav my initial thought was that this is great. When I looked at the close-up screens, though, I was seeing N64 graphics. As for the whole team aspect I think it's a cool idea, but I think that the core game should focus on regular racing and have the team thing as a multi-player bonus. After rethinking, though, I can get past the graphics. Mario Kart has always been about the nostalgic gameplay and I don't see Mario Kart Double Dash being any different. In any case Mario Kart fans are in for a ton of fun and should look to E3 before passing any judgement on this game.

One thing, though, that I am interested in is Nintendo's decision to keep Mario Kart Double Dash offline and instead use a LAN so that you can play with up to 8 players. Sounds cool.

Steve: Personally im a little disapointed in the new "karts" but the rest seems to be pretty cool! im a huge mario kart fan and cant wait for this installment! People said they wanted change and they are getting it! bet those same people will now moan and groan about the change...

It's so gonna rock.

Dan: Let me see here. What do I make of it...I think I am a little surprised to be sure...but if it is a good surprise I am yet to know. I'm not sure if I really like the graphics engine they chose, or the strange two person carts that are in the game.

Needless to say, I am still looking forward to see how the game acually plays, but I am not a little less hyped about it. Sure it is innovative, but will it work? Mario Kart was great as it was...why change it? I guess E3 will answer my questions.

er-no: I'll reserve my judgement for when I play the game. Its an interesting concept having two racers on the 'kart' and one that I feel Nintendo's bods would have thought over with heated discussions. Its a mode and gameplay style thats there for a reason and I trust Nintendo in continuing one of the best games series of all time.

Be warned though, if this game is anything near as good as I keep wanting it to be. It could be one of the best games ever!

Ash: Well after the initial rush or reporting it, then deleting it by accident then reporting it again I settled down and looked at the screens.

The two characters in a kart feature is an interesting one, but I, like many people hope that you can also play the 'classic' mode, and for all we know if you can you may be able to use the old karts.

I don't mind the new karts, they give more individualism to the characters. From the screenshots we can see what looks like a city night track, a Luigi's Raceway kind of of track, a Peach's Castle track and a Mario Sunshine track.

The characters are a good choice as well, with 16 in total and a wide range. Some barely seen characters, such as Baby Luigi, Diddy Kong and Birdo. I can't wait to try these out and I wonder if there will be any more secrets ones.

All in all it looks like a great game that I can't wait to get!

Dringo: I think it looks incredible! The new carts are unusual granted but its all to do with all these new attributes the characters now posses. Of course I scowl on it a bit considering Miyamoto used the exact same 2 character idea in Pikmin 2 but it's a step in the right direction and it looks stunning.

Mario Kart is a big title and Nintendo need to keep Mario, Zelda and Mario Kart alive in the wake of the new stunners Pikmin, Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime. Alls right with the world again as Nintendo are back on form, heh and poor Sony's GT4 will be forced to pale in comparison.

E3 has never been Sony's show.

Blackbird: WoWoWoWoWoWoW! I was thinking of getting a GameCube with Zelda (next month), but this only strenghtens my idea. Now there's only one problem with the game...where can I get 7 friends to play with?

Franklin: Funny isn't it when Nintendo take one of their most beloved franchises and put a strange new twist on it that nobody saw coming there's all this commotion about what it changed for. It happened with Zelda but now everyone is looking past how it looks and instead realise that it is a great game and the new look has become it's advantage almost. I have no doubt this is the same way Mario Kart Double Dash will go. Once it's release comes closer and we hear about how great it plays from our Japanesse and American friends all of this intial shock will die away.

Ben (Haver): It's like Zelda all over again. The Wind Waker was like a sofa, at first it's a little weird and uncomfortable, and you don't like it as much as it's predecessor. But after a while you get used to it, and it's comfy again. I believe Mario Kart will be like this.

There will be some who will doubt the quality of this game because of it's unfamiliar features, much like Zelda, but they will get used to it, and I am sure it will be a corker of a game.

The graphics have been a heavily debated topic by fans, but I believe they will be shaped up for release. Roll on E3!

Ben (bjlangley) : I think that the individuality of the karts looks great. In the past I was always a little disappointed that they all looked the same, apart from size, so yeah, I like the look of it.

Two players in a kart is an odd concept though. I take it you can play two players, with one controlling weapons. Will you still have to collect them on the track, or can you use them more often? Surely just being the firer of weapons wouldn't be that fun to play?

I'm sure that the racing will be as good as ever though, and with Mario Kart, that was what was important.

I can't wait to see more when the E3 footage comes out.

Freddy: I'm not raising my hopes just yet. After all, we've only seen 7 screens, and haven't even seen it up and running. But as for what's been shown, and the info we've received...

My initial reaction upon seeing the screens was of genuine shock. I was, and still am, quite disappointed with the character specific karts - if they can still be called that. I guess it was the fact that I was anticipating just a gold ol' fashioned upgrade of the previous games. Aside from the karts, I have no qualms with the visuals, and they can only get better.

The concept behind Double Dash is quite strange to say the least...there are now 16 characters, and you can pair up any two characters you like. It seems a little odd to me, but we'll see how it goes. There are also two new game modes, but let's wait until E3 until we really start to get excited...

Conor: The words 'totally psyched' spring to mind. Of course, I realise that all we have to go on is a few screens and some bit of info, and I'd have to actually play the game to deliver proper opinions on it. But from what I've seen it'll be great.

I couldn't think of what significant changes Nintendo could make to the established game, but the two racers things seems to have done it. With the ability to select any two, and any of the individual carts, I expect considerable more strategy to be needed. As for the graphics, static screens never really tell the full story, we need to see it in motion to fully appreciate the visuals (a la Mario Sunshine). But I do like the look.

But do the graphics really matter to MK? What really matters is that it plays well, and that it will I am certain of. Some brilliant multiplayer melees are guaranteed. Oh yes. God I wish I was going to E3...