Diddy Kong Racing

"A Racer Just Like Mario Kart"

Well this game came out in 1997. This game has Diddy Kong (obviously) and a few of his friends in this game. At first look this game seems like it could start a new wave of games for the Nintendo 64. But sadly proves to be super easy (if you know what you're doing) to all of the other advanced players. I mean c'mon I beat this game in less than two weeks and I was eight! Alas this game is pretty fun but after you beat it completely it has nothing to offer.

Story: Wow the story is incredibly deep! It's fantastic! It's....the total opposite of that all. Diddy and his pals have been living peacefully for a long time and now Timber the Tiger's parents have left for some vacation and Wiz Pig (the villain) attacks and steals all the magic and stuff valuable from the island. He even kidnapped Drumstick (whose a really good racer obviously with bad handling.) You then travel through at least 30 courses and then confront the evil Wiz Pig and get back everything he stole after you beat him.

Gameplay: Well I think the gameplay is just a tiny bit better than Mario Kart's. There are alot of courses and characters worth trying out. But sadly you can't play as some characters because their handling is way too bad (namely Krunch.) All of the characters have their strengths and weaknesses (for example Pipsy the mouse is real good at handling but doesn't have alot of speed.) Like I said before some characters aren't even worth playing with but never fear you can always play as everyone's favorite squirrel (Conker) or not... You get alot of great weapons like the rapid shooter and all those goodies like boosters and stuff. You get everything from oil leaks to mines to shields to mega shields. The gameplay is just a tiny bit better than Mario Kart's since you can actually catch the computer players after they are over the horizon. Alas I had much more fun when playing this game for
1. There were more things to do.
2. This game was actually fun.
3. There were actually more characters to unlock.
4. There were tons more secrets including more tracks and characters.
This game has got to be superior to the Mario Kart 64 game.

Graphics: The graphics aren't really all that impressive to say the least. I kind of like Mario Kart's better but that's just my opinion. But still, the graphics are pretty good over here!Everything seems to be in order like I said. But I really think everyone should take a look at this. The water looked like actually water and everything.

Sound: Alot more improved since the days of Mario Kart. The music is better but not that much. Rare definitely took their time with the game's graphics. I especially like the space track's background music since that is pretty good.

Control: Okay I really hate this game's control since it makes characters that are interesting (namely Krunch) really stink at racing. You won't be playing with Banjo all that often since he also doesn't have the best handling. The hovercraft has got to be the worst vehicle in the whole game since it is really hard to maneuver. The plane is pretty good but often makes the control stick stiff. Alas the control is okay but needs alot of work.

Replay Value: Not really all that much unless you're a racing freak to tell you the truth. I play this game from time to time but not often. If you want to unlock all the characters then you will get alot of replay value from that. There's also a mode where you can get platinum balloons on reverse tracks. A true masterpiece indeed.

Final Verdict: This game is okay and definitely worth to get picked up since it only costs bout 2-5 dollars. Definitely buy!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/06/03