Diddy Kong Racing (DS)

I didn't really play Mario Kart much on the N64 - no, my cartoon action driving game of choice was Diddy Kong Racing. Whether I was just siding with the underdog or not I don't really know, maybe it was just a refreshing change after years of hammering Mario Kart on the SNES... either way, this game was GREAT. And after years apart, myself and Diddy have finally been reunited on the DS! Hooray! I have high expectations for you, Mr Kong... On the face of it, this game is very similar to the original. The big appeal of the first game was the multi-vehicle aspect, which is still in tact - there are races involving cars, aeroplanes and tiny hovercraft! ...  Read the complete review

(Please note that this review has been cross-posted to ciao.co.uk under the user name RayWhitney and at digitallard.com - a media review website for which I am a staff member) I will not compare Diddy Kong Racing DS to Mario Kart. I will not compare Diddy Kong Racing DS to Mario Kart. OK, we've got to address this issue. We cannot compare Diddy Kong Racing DS to its older, more prolific cousin because they are, shockingly, two very different types of games. While Mario Kart is a traditional racing game, Diddy Kong's outing is a racing adventure. It has a plot, interactive environments, a hovercraft and everything. You will not find here ...  Read the complete review

Another wacky car racing game in the Mario Kart mould, but is it any better?! I'll answer that at the end. Firstly the single player game. It is a non linear adventure in which you race to obtain balloons. The more balloons you have, the more tracks that you can enter. You just have to choose which one you want to enter. There are four zones to enter each with different races. A different boss to beat & a trophy to win. There are also three different class's of vehicles. Car, Hovercraft & Plane. All with different strengths & weaknesses & all can be raced against each other later on in the game. The Multiplayer game is very good. You ...  Read the complete review

The original on the N64 was a classic and was a strong competitor for Mario Kart. Now they have re-released it on DS and what a great idea it was. The graphics have been cleaned up and then environments are a lot more pleasant to look at. The sound and music has all be re-recored and when you hear those old tunes it will bring back memories of you N64 days. The gameplay is practically the same. The choice of three vehicles (kart, plane and hovercraft) provides variety making it different from its racing competitors. Mostly all the characters return. Banjo and Conker have been replaced by two Kongs due to licensing issue with Rare. But why buy the ...  Read the complete review

So you've played Mario Kart DS to death and you know all the tracks like the back of your hand. The online multiplayer is getting a bit boring and you need something new to try your hand at. Diddy Kong Racing goes someway to giving you something new to play. It's obviously similar to Mario Kart in many ways involving you racing against various nintendo style opponents. You even get to collect boxes which give you special items or powers in a similar way to Mario Kart. However, it doesn't match MK in terms of sheer playability. The races and modes are linked through a central area you can drive around and find new tracks and competitions. As you ...  Read the complete review