Diddy Kong Racing DS

"The Classic Returns"

Diddy Kong Racing pretty much reinvented the racing genre of video games on the N64 (although it seems few games have followed in its steps sadly). It was arguably one of the best cart racing games ever. Now it has been given a remake and the question stands as to whether it lives up to the original.

Graphics:

For the most part the graphics have been unchanged compared to the original. They still have their very cartoony greatness Rare had back in the N64 days. They visuals are very smooth and never get choppy or anything of that nature. The only issue I personally had was how out of place that the new courses looked. The four new courses just do not seem to fit with the rest of the courses in the game (they are a bit more detailed looking than the others actually). Overall though, they are very nice and are some of the best on the Nintendo DS in terms of 3-D games.

9/10. They stay true to the original almost perfectly. Just the other courses are a little out of the loop.

Sound:

For the most part, the sound is also intact. All the race tracks songs are the same for the most part although some were given remixed tracks, but for the most part they are no worse than the originals. The only bad thing is the butchered voice acting. Originally the N64 game had very nice voice acting that fit all of the characters. Now you seriously just want to move your volume over to the off position whenever you know there is a part where someone is about to say something (luckily is not very often though). Things such as Taj's very stereotypical turban-wearing person voice have just been completely destroyed (he know sounds very airy and not the least bit Indian). Pipsy sounds so squeaky it hurts, and Drumstick no longer sounds crazy.

7/10. It would be lower had there been more voice acting, but luckily it is rather sparse.

Gameplay:

This is the part of the game that was given the most changes. The original way to get a boosted start has been replaced with touch controls for the car and plane, and having to blow into the mic on levels in the hovercraft. They are relatively enjoyable (although hovercraft levels will really make you dizzy if you play too many or try to hard). The only issue it that it can be hard to get boost starts if say your hands are a bit sticky or even too dry due to how picky they can be. Also, there is no longer an analog stick and instead there is the D-pad. This makes very little difference in steering however. The coin challenges have been replaced with balloon popping challenges that use the touch screen. These are very fun and alleviate some of the frustration of the original game. The coin challenges were not removed though and were simply added as an unlockable.

9/10. The touch controls are very innovative and fun, but a bit difficult at times.

Replay:

The game has a ton of unlockable items. Vehicle upgrades, the four new courses, the create a track mode, and 4 characters, plus a lot more. Everything from your vehicle color to the sound effects in the game can be customized. The create a track mode is alright for a new track every once in a while, but since the options for customizing the actual tracks are very limited, you shouldn't put too much stock into using the create a track to keep you busy. Unlocking everything and beating every challenge out of the adventure will keep you very occupied for a long time though. Also the bosses now feature touch screen challenges where you must do something with the touch screen in order to beat the boss. These are quite difficult and at the same time very fun.

Also, there is a new online mode. Sadly though, I do not have wireless internet and the only place I regularly go to that has Wi-Fi at for some reason does not like my DS and it can never get an IP address so this review is completely disregarding the online. The normal multiplayer is great though.

9/10 for replay.

Overall:

Overall the game gets an 8/10. It lives up to the original and adds a great deal at the same time with tons of unlockables and new innovative and fun controls. A definite must for any fan of the original or just anyone who likes racing games.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/07