Diddy Kong Racing

"How did the monkey cross the road? In a kart!"

Years after this games debut, it still reigns supreme in the videogame industry. Before a new Donkey Kong title appeared on the Nintendo 64, Rare took a chance with a kart based racing game starring everyone co-star monkey, Diddy Kong.

--Control--

Swerving in between other karts, picking up far off special ability enhanced balloons and veering off course to grab a key to unlock the final stages. All this is a breeze, the controls in this game are tight. In racing games, the controls are always some of the worst, whether that be whenyou push a little bit to the left, you'll veer off to the left, or whether it be you have to pound the analog stick to the right just to angle one degree to your right. But it is quite the contrary in this game. If you slightly angle your analog stick in a direction, your character will slightly angle in that direction. For a racing game that appeared this early, the controls are beyond amazing. Even now, racing titles on the X-Box such as Project Gotham Racing, or GameCube's Wave Race: Blue Storm Title are yet to achieve the level of control Diddy Kong Racing delivered years ago.

Rating: 9.5/10

--Sound--

The tunes on the raceway are essential to any game. Unfortunatly this is where this title lacks. Although they are always upbeat, uptempo beats, there is nothing special about them. The backround music is nothing out of the ordinary, the least you would expect out of a Nintendo/Rare game. Even the boss races have a music track that barely differs from the regular game stages. Apart from that, the sound effects are superb. The wacky noises that splurt out of your TV fit perfectly to what is happening on the screen; slipping on oil, getting hit with a rocket, getting stuff in a bubble. Each character has their own honk noise even.

Rating: 8/10

--Gameplay--

There is so much to do, it can be overwhelming. You start on an island with just a few levels to play but soon after advancing a bit you have opportunities to race in mutpliple worlds in three different vehicles; A classic kart, a waterborn hoverboat, or an airboard one-manned plane. Imagine racing a giant magical elephant who is perched upon a purple magic carpet...well I am happy to say that that fantasy has come true. At the end of each world is a boss race, some are easy, but they increasingly grow more difficult as the game progresses. Did I mention the character selection? Oh well, I apologize for not. You have a large choice of some of your favorite Rare characters including Diddy Kong and Banjo, along with some new faces. There are two secret characters.....but that's all I can tell you about them. After completing the game, there is a mirror option offered. Your whole world will twist around and you will be racing on tracks that have been turned completely around!

Rating: 10/10

--Fun Factor--

Play by yourself and you'll be spending hours upon hours trying to complete this game. Play with friends and you'll never finish the game. The multplayer option will keep you occupied for hours on end as long as you have friends or family willing to play. You can race or battle your friends. Spend hours trying to get the secret characters or unlocking all the tracks. This game will live on in history as one of the most fun games to play.

Rating: 10/10

--Overall--

If you have read, or even skimmed over, my review you will immediatly conclude that you should buy this game. There are nearly no flaws. I can't say anything more about this game than I already have. Buy it! Rent it! Anything, just play it! You won't it.
So in the end, this game is amazing and I cannot wait until the next installment is released on the GameCube.

Rating: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/03, Updated 01/03/03