Diddy Kong Racing

"Fun, underappreciated racing game for all ages!"

Introduction

When we think about kart racing games for the Nintendo 64, we instantly think "Mario Kart 64!” Mario Kart 64 was a great racer, but not the only one. Rare's Diddy Kong Racing is an underappreciated game for the N64. It offers anything you might want in a kart racing game, and more! For a veteran of Mario Kart or anyone new to the genre, this game is a pleasant surprise. ANY skeptic who thinks this is a childish racing game will be very surprised indeed.

Gameplay: 10/10

Surprise number one in Diddy Kong Racing was the gameplay. Instead of being limited to cars like many racing games of its time, this game actually introduced 3 vehicles, the car, hovercraft and plane. But the great thing about them is that no vehicle feels like a generic, tacked-on feature. Each one is about equal in speed, but they may have different advantages depending on the racetrack's terrain. For example, in a large racetrack circuit, a car may have a small advantage over a plane, but plane is definitely easier to pilot when racing in a volcano. A hovercraft can also go off the terrain in a racing circuit, but a car cannot.

The Adventure mode allows you to play through the main story of the game, while the Tracks mode is a free racing zone where you can select any track and play through it against the CPU or your friends for fun.

Diddy Kong Racing also has several playable characters in the game. The game begins with eight characters: Krunch, Diddy Kong, Bumper, Banjo, Conker, Pipsy, Tiptup and Timber. The other two characters, T.T and Drumstick, are unlockables. Rare did a great job choosing their cast of characters because some of them will be recognized from their own games. Banjo is the main character of the game "Banjo-Kazooie", Diddy Kong is a character in the Donkey Kong Country games, and Conker is the mischievous squirrel from "Conker's Bad Fur Day".

Diddy Kong Racing is one of the first racing games to ever feature an overworld. You can drive around and discover new worlds. You can also talk to Taj the genie to transform your vehicle into another one. The game itself focuses on acquiring "Golden Balloons" to unlock new racetracks. Golden Balloons are scattered all over the overworld and each race awards you with a single balloon. Each racetrack has a balloon requirement to open. The deeper you progress into the game, the more balloons you will require to unlock more racetracks. The object of the game is to defeat the four bosses and get the four pieces of the "Wizpig Amulet", which allows you to face the final boss Wizpig.

The racing in the game is fun and furious. The driving is fluid and no vehicles are severely outclassed by others. There are weapons that you can use against fellow racers by collecting specific balloons. If you collect the same balloon more than once the weapon can be upgraded to something even more powerful! There are five "worlds" that each contain four racetracks. After completing the four racetracks, you will be invited to face the boss of the level. Each boss is different and matches the feel of the level. In a level like Dino Domain you will be faced by a Triceratops, or an Octopus on Sherbert Island. After beating the boss, you will have to re-enter each racetrack (the balloon requirement will be increased) and play the "Silver Coin Challenge". And as the name states, the races will be much more difficult to complete because you will be forced to collect eight silver coins scattered all over the racetrack and still manage to finish first. This is easier said then done because the coins may be hidden in the most obscure locations imaginable. After completing the Silver Coin Challenge, you will have to face the boss once again, with an increased difficulty.

There are also four bonus levels in the first four worlds. In one of the racetracks, a key is hidden that unlocks a door to the bonus level. The bonus levels are minigames that allow you to win pieces of the TT amulet, which is also a requirement for beating the game. There also four trophy races. To gain a gold trophy you must finish first overall after four races. Points are awarded grand-prix style after each race. Players familiar with Mario Kart will be thrilled with this mode. Four gold trophies are also mandatory for completing the game.

Story: 6/10

The story is the only weak point to the game. But since this is a game which was primarily marketed to children, it is passable. At least it has a story unlike Mario Kart. The story begins when a giant evil pig named Wizpig arrives to the island where Timber and his friends lived. He carved a gruesome statue of his face on the island's mountain and magically sealed off their prized racetracks. He also challenged their island racing champion, Drumstick, to a race and Drumstick was never seen again. Timber sent a letter to Diddy explaining the situation and the adventure began. Diddy and Timber got all their friends together in an attempt to win back their island by defeating the evil Wizpig in a race.

Controls: 10/10

One word describes the controls: Perfect. Controlling each vehicle is extremely easy. You hold the A button to accelerate, the B button to brake, the Z button to fire a weapon or honk your horn, and the R button to do a sharp turn. By pressing a very simple button combination you can also do a barrel roll or a mid air somersault while in a plane.

Graphics: 8/10

Since this is a racing game, the primary focus is not on the graphics, but the racetracks and overworld are pretty detailed. I especially enjoyed the huge amount of detail in the Haunted Woods level to add to the overall Halloween-ish feeling. There are a few odd graphical inaccuracies such as waterfalls and trees that are as flat as paper. The racers themselves are also a bit blurry.

I liked how Rare made up for their faults by making the game's art style very colourful. It seems like a children's game from all the colourful races and fonts but plays like a hardcore racing game.

Sounds and Music: 9/10

Rare has a knack for including some really great soundtracks into their games. Diddy Kong Racing is no different. The fun, childish theme music puts you right into the game. It may seem too cute for some gamers, but the soundtrack perfectly matches the gameplay and art style. One really nice touch about the game is that the main tune that plays throughout the menus changes its theme whenever you highlight a different character. When you select Banjo, the theme is played with a Banjo. Each racer has their own type of musical theme. This is also implemented on the main island. When approaching Snowflake Mountain, the music changes to a more Christmas based theme.

There is also a small amount of voice acting for the bosses, T.T, Taj and Wizpig. There is option to turn on subtitles in case their accents sound too weird.

Difficulty: 9/10

The game is not very difficult until you reach the bosses and the Silver Coin Challenge. The Silver Coin Challenge is what really adds to the game's difficulty. This unique feature makes racing a lot more difficult for you and really puts your skills to the test. If I were a child playing this game, it would be a bit frustratingly hard at times.

Replay Value: 7/10

After completing Adventure mode, there will be a new mode called Adventure Two. Adventure Two is the same as Adventure mode except this time you collect Silver Balloons and all the tracks have been mirrored! Adventure Two makes the game a bit more difficult for those who memorized the twists and turns of the tracks in Adventure mode. Since they are mirrored, you will have to do the opposite maneuver each time.

The game has a multiplayer mode to play against up to three friends as well as a couple of CPU controlled racers. The minigames and trophy races are playable in multiplayer mode as well.

Conclusion

Diddy Kong Racing is a solid racing game. It is easy to pick up and play and it's fun for all ages. The multiplayer mode and bonus levels keep the game fresh and fun to play. I would definitely recommend this game for people who enjoyed Mario Kart 64. It has many things you will never see in other racing games, and the game never gets old. Anyone who likes fun racing games or Mario Kart fans should pick up this game or its Nintendo DS remake!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/08

Game Release: Diddy Kong Racing (US, 11/24/97)