Diddy Kong Racing

"One of the few racing games that I really enjoyed"

I got this game from the same friend who gladly gave me Mario Party. He, however, charged me 10 bucks for it. I'd say it was worth it, but I probably wouldn't have paid 50 for it. I bought it because I was getting bored, but before I played it I thought I'd be getting another Donkey Kong ripoff game, or even another one of those stupid racing games that have disappointed me in the past. Wow, was I wrong!

Gameplay: 10

I'll be honest here, I could play this game all day. There is tons of stuff to do and many things to earn. All characters have their strong points, as well as the weak points. There are over 20 race tracks, and most of them you can choose from Car, Hovercraft, and Plane. The bosses are very difficult, and most races are pretty hard too. The only problem here though is the game only takes about 3 days to beat. Both adventures. This is why I wouldn't have paid too much money for it.

Sound/Music: 6

The music is catchy, yet repetitive. Some of the winter levels even have Christmas music, for crying out loud! Sound brought the score down. I HATE THE CHARACTER VOICES! You'll know when you pick your character right off the bat you'll want to go back to the options menu and turn the sound down all the way. I've done it. Even the boss sound is annoying. Try listening to the octopus talk. Ugh.

Graphics: 8

The graphics are about the same as Super Mario 64, but I don't think it's too bad. This game was made in 1997, so cut them some slack here! The only thing that's really crappy here are the characters. Very blocky looking.

Story: 4

I don't really understand the story here. The land was taken over by a pig, and you must race through levels and earning pieces of medallion so that you can beat him at a race, and save the land. But no! You have to beat him two times! Things would be so much easier with a frying pan...

Replayability: 10

Sure, I'd play this again and again. I'm already replaying this my fourth time, and I'm still enjoying it. It's more fun when you try out different characters, and beat the fastest times.

Overall: 8

Sure, I guess you could give it an 8, but does the story and sound really matter? Before I wrote this review, I thought I'd end up with a 10 for the score, but reviews never lie...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/02, Updated 02/02/02