I will not compare Diddy Kong Racing DS to Mario Kart. 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 ... Read review
A bloated space pig has taken control of Diddy Kong's Island paradise and only you can ... more
stop his nefarious plot! Take on the racing challenge of a lifetime as you drive, hover and fly your way across the massive island. This remastered take on a Nintend...
A bloated space pig has taken control of Diddy Kong`s island paradise, and only you can ... more
stop his nefarious plot! Take on the racing challenge of a lifetime as you drive, hover, and fly your way across the massive island. This remastered take on an N...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Race to Adventure!Drive, hover and fly your way through the adventure racing challenge of ... more
a lifetime! Explore an island filled with exciting locations and racetracks, while upgrading your vehicle to take on the evil Wizpig!Multiplayer Action!Deploy Pat...
A bloated space pig has taken control of Diddy Kong`s island paradise, and only you can ... more
stop his nefarious plot! Take on the racing challenge of a lifetime as you drive, hover, and fly your way across the massive island. This remastered take on an N...
Postage & Packaging: £1.85 Availability: Usually dispatched within 2-3 business days...
Advantages: Lots to do, some fun gameplay Disadvantages: Missed opportunities and some bad creative decisions
I will not compare Diddy Kong Racing DS to Mario Kart. 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 ... ...race. This is good for Diddy because, to be brutally honest, his game engine won't stand up as a racer without all the extras and faff that come along with it. The tracks are highlighted with some nice touches, and the different elements to them (water, air and land) give them a massive sense of depth. Unfortunately, they lack the style and excitement of Mario Kart. The handling and 'feel' of the race, while nothing phenomenal, won't offend as much ... more
I will not compare Diddy Kong Racing DS to Mario Kart. 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, and a hovercraft, and everything.
You will not find here an endless series of Grand Prix races. Rather, your monkey or random animal of choice finds themselves on a large world map, which is separated into several sections: - Dino Domain, Snowflake Mountain, Sherbet Island, Dragon Forest, Future Fun Land and DK Island. Each land contains a handful of themed race tracks (the Dino Domain courses have dinosaurs roaming them, Future Fun Land is all technologically-minded and so on) and so on). The player unlocks each course one at a time, with success coming from scoring 1st place in a one-off race.
Once all the races in the area are complete, you can pit yourself against the boss character. Beat him, and you unlock the Balloon Challenge, which has you running the courses again, yet this time in an on-the-rails, first-person style. Your job here is to pop balloons and collect coins, rather than race. Score bronze medals in these courses and you will tackle the boss again. Done that? Then you can try for the area's trophy, which you earn by beating all of the race tracks sequentially. Once you've pocketed that, you can face the boss again… this time, from a bird's eye view, with you mapping out your vehicle's path from above.
So, there's plenty to do then.
And plenty to do it with, too. Each of the 12 characters has three vehicles (a car, a plane and a hovercraft) which are all individually customisable and, of course, all allow for different styles of racing. Perform well enough and you'll quickly uncover the track editor mode (which is limited, but allows you to construct up to 30 tracks of your own wicked design), time trial modes and loads more options, tweaky bits and hidden rubbish.
So, while it's (surprisingly) very different from Mario Kart, don't turn to the monkey if you're looking for a straight-up, what-you-see-is-what-you-get racing game because you won't get one. There's a lot of stuff to do here and not all of it is about winning a race. This is good for Diddy because, to be brutally honest, his game engine won't stand up as a racer without all the extras and faff that come along with it. The tracks are highlighted with some nice touches, and the different elements to them (water, air and land) give them a massive sense of depth. Unfortunately, they lack the style and excitement of Mario Kart. The handling and 'feel' of the race, while nothing phenomenal, won't offend as much as some other racers do. Sometimes it actually feels pretty good.
Sadly, there's just a little too much going on here, and I refuse to see how someone can enjoy all of it. It was a fine game when it rolled around on the N64, but the DS-specific 'fun' that has been shoe-horned in goes quite some way to poison the broth. It would be nice if Nintendo (and all other game developers, while we're at it) realised that just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be done.
Any more negative comments, Mr. Critic? Well, the fact that Rare's takeover by Microsoft means that two of the better characters from the original game (Conker and Banjo) have been replaced by two stupid DK-style monkeys, Tiny and Dixie. That leaves one decent, recognisable character in the line-up.
However, all is not lost. This is a fun game, especially as you can get some mates involved for single-card play with little fuss (up to six monkey-fanciers can race, and four people can enter the battle mode). While some of the tasks will make you yawn, the customisable aspects of the game and the enjoyment you can muster from the better modes goes far to remedy this. Diddy Kong Racing DS has put a lot of effort into differentiating itself from the other kart games on the market (not naming any names), but this was very nearly its downfall. Luckily, a few nifty bits and fancy options save it from being one lame day at the races.
(Please note that this review has been cross-posted to Digital Lard, a site which I contribute to)
Advantages: Looks great on DS, Plenty of variety in races and WiFi racing Disadvantages: Touch screen bits aren't fun and track creater is disappointing
...final game, but where does Diddy Kong Racing fit into this?
It is pretty close to being a great game, but annoyingly is not close enough. The issue is that it is too similar to the original N64 title, with some bits shunted to make way for some DS related tomfoolery, in which these bits either dont work very well or arent much fun.
However this is also a deeply enjoyable racing/adventure game buried underneath the new interctivity of it all. The ... ...a tradition racer and a free roaming adventure works in favour.
As for the game itself, at heart it is a pure racer split into 5 different themed worlds. The majority of the game sees you spend much of the time racing aorund the tracks in a variety of vehicles (cars, planes and hovercraft), against opponents, using power up ballons to cross the finish line. At the end of each worlsd there are boss races against a larger adversery. There are trophy ...
NickSizz123 07.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo DS)
Advantages: Re-live the times when you played this game on the N64, fun gameplay Disadvantages: Some people may see it as a poor imitator to Mario Kart
Diddy Kong Racing is a driving game in the same vein as Mario Kart. After years of living in peace and harmony, the inhabitants of Timber's Island are shocked when their tropical paradise is invaded by a giant space pig! To thwart Wizpig's plans, you explore the sprawling island, unlocking hidden racetracks, and get ready to drive, hover and fly in high-octane competitions! You can choose from a variety of different characters, although they are ... ...though this may borrow a lot from Mario Kart, there are some big differences: Mainly in the fact that you can drive three different types of vehicles: karts, hovercraft and airplanes. This gives the game a lot more depth as depending on which vehicle you use, you see and race each track differently.
The tracks are varied and set in different locals, the game isn't that difficult so it's easy to get into and the gameplay is addictive and enjoyable.
...
Walter_Kovacs 14.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo DS)
Advantages: Great Fun To Play, Disadvantages: Not As Good As Mario Kart
...system. Online Diddy Kong Racing is great! They have also introduced wish mode which lets you create your own tracks.
Overall Diddy Kong Racing has been re-invented for the DS successfully and I would recommend for everyone who's finished their Mario Kart DS and want a new karting challenge. ...
nunbean 19.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo DS)
Advantages: Good Remake, Good racing, Cute Characters Disadvantages: There is better
I know what you're thinking. On your mind must be that they are trying to milk off the success of Mario Kart DS and that this is just a rip-off. However, although this is nowhere near as good, it is evident that they haven't used Mario Kart as their influence...
This game is a redeveloped version of the N64 game. Although it is a remake, there are differences. A couple of characters have been replaced and also the game utilises the microphone and ...
crewealexfan92 20.06.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo DS)
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Product Information for "Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo DS)" »
Product details
Publisher
Nintendo
Developer
Rare
Release Date
20th April 2007
Age
3+
Genre
Racing/Driving; Kids/Family
Sub Genre
Arcade Racing
Max Number of Players
1 Player
Platform
Nintendo DS
EAN
45496738532
Manufacturer's product description
After years of living in peace and harmony the inhabitants of Timber's Island are shocked when their tropical paradise is invaded by a giant hideous space pig! To thwart Wizpig's nefarious plans explore the sprawling island unlock hidden racetracks and drive hover and fly against colorful characters in high-octane competitions! Your host a gregarious elephant named Taj greets you in a grassy meadow. Drive over bridges through sparkling surf and around volcanoes. Start racing. You'll have to speed through a huge variety of racing challenges if you want to unlock all the island's secrets complete the adventure and save your friends from the parlous pig. Diddy Kong Racing DS boasts a huge number of courses including several all-new ones! Diddy Kong Racing DS offers three types of vehicles: karts hovercraft and airplanes. The drivers range from the quick and the small to heavyweights who specialize in bashing rivals off the course. Duel with classic DKR power-ups like oil slicks gas clouds land mines super shields speed boosts homing missiles and magnets. In Diddy Kong Racing DS you'd better be ready for anything under the sun!
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