Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64 was one of those games that people loved, hated, or loved to hate. In many of the same ways, Diddy Kong Racing DS is a bit of a mixed bag: a scattering of tasty morsels mixed in with quite a few bad ones.
On the surface, the game may seem like a nice upgrade over the original: newly textured courses, a few entirely new tracks and features thrown into the mix, and a whole crew of characters. What you get when you dive a bit deeper past the title screen, however, is an odd feeling of deja vu; much of the game is nearly identical to the source from which it came. Taj still runs a free-roaming world where you drive, fly, or hover around to new levels. You parade around completing the meticulous tasks of collecting keys, silver coins, and a slew of other materials. For those of you who enjoyed this in the original: it is still there, in full force.
Also just as the original, having multiple types of vehicles at your disposal definitely gives you an edge over the competition. Although it's a pity you cannot race different vehicle types in the same race (which could make for some fun land-to-air and vice-versa battles), each vehicle has a certain charm. The go-kart gives you a very solid and straightforward racing experience, whereas the airplane allows you to take a number of routes to victory. The hovercraft, while novel, does have some issues however. Poor controls and an utter ignorance of the laws of motion plague the vehicle, making it an almost comedic undertaking just to pilot it.
A particular problem with that sometimes awkward control becomes apparent in the event you collide with scenery or objects during a race. If you so much as glance into some objects, sometimes almost seemingly at random, your vehicle will come to a complete stop—killing any tension in multiplayer races, and causing much frustration. On top of that, in order to get un-stuck, you must reverse, but accidentally hitting an incorrect button while reversing will bring your vehicle to a complete stop, requiring you to re-press the reverse button in order to actually start moving. A major oversight for those who are used to a quick re-entry into the race.
The item balloons in the game range from rockets to rocket boosters (all of which are stackable), but falter where games like Mario Kart excel: there really aren't any satisfying feelings when victory is achieved, and no real sense of urgency and immediacy due to items exists in this game. Sure, you can upgrade your weapons by collecting another of the same colored balloon, but they're never as game-changing as a Mario Kart blue shell or star, and it makes the game seem less intense and exciting as a consequence.
A particular quirk new to this version of Diddy Kong Racing is the implementation of pre-race speed-boosting. Instead of pressing a button at a pre-determined time to get a speed boost, you must now either rub your finger downwards on the touch screen (for the standard kart), clockwise around a propeller (for the plane), or blow into the microphone (for the hovercraft). While fun at first, it quickly becomes gimmicky, as you often have to quickly reposition your hand to gain control of your character once the race starts.
Most of the similarities to the original Nintendo 64 version end there, though. While the basic racing is relatively unchanged, the single-player mode has been revamped— and not for the better. Unlike most other games, where you might unlock a series of courses after winning a gold cup or something equivalent, Diddy Kong Racing requires an almost obscene amount of effort for the same result. First you must race and win every course in a cup, and then race and defeat the boss (much like the original DKR). But then you must now go through every track once again popping balloons while riding auto-pilot on Taj's Magic Carpet (replacing the coin challenges from the original). The controls in this portion of the game seem to have been almost overlooked; your point of view is controlled by moving the stylus, but you also use the stylus to pop balloons and grab coins. The game sometimes thinks you're trying to move your field of vision while you're actually trying to grab coins, so this becomes painful. Once you've finished that, you get to face the boss once more, race the tracks again, then face the boss one final time (this time using a new mode where you use the stylus to guide your racer through the level). Finally then you will win the "cup" for that world. Every single time you enter a new area, you must do this over and over again, collecting keys and balloons from Taj along the way. It is tedious, boring, and unrewarding.
Thankfully the game shines in the local multiplayer modes. In local multiplay, you can race up to seven other players using single- or multi-card modes. All the battle modes present in the original Nintendo 64 version help give this game some of the the redemption it needs. In the earlier levels of the single-player adventure, most of the computer players are tame when it comes to using items—having eight people racing and using items all over the place allows some classic and constant mayhem, and it's never been so fun.
Online play using the Wi-Fi Connection is also available for Diddy Kong Racing, but unfortunately could use quite a bit of work. The online standard that was seemingly set by the superb Metroid Prime Hunters is non-existent here and there is no pre-game lobby of any kind, with the title taking the cue more from an online system like that of Mario Kart DS. The idea of being able to race with five other online racers as opposed to the standard three is a nice addition to the game, but the lack of voice chat or any real communication causes game coordination to become a hassle. Rare and Nintendo have tried to remedy this, allowing you to see which of your friends are hosting games from the "Join Friends" menu when they're online. Unfortunately, actually connecting to the game, taking into account any firewall issues or matchmaking errors, can be terribly frustrating.
In the end, if you're a fan of the collection-based play of many Rare-developed games, you might end up enjoying Diddy Kong Racing DS. On the other hand, if you're into it simply for the multi-player aspect, you'll have to trudge through the Adventure mode to unlock all the tracks, modes, vehicles, and upgrades the game has to offer. The fun multiplayer modes requiring single-player devotion ends up creating a bit of an imbalance, and that sort of adds to the mixed bag of Diddy Kong Racing bananas: a few tasty ones on the bottom, but a few bunches of stale ones to eat through first.
On the surface, the game may seem like a nice upgrade over the original: newly textured courses, a few entirely new tracks and features thrown into the mix, and a whole crew of characters. What you get when you dive a bit deeper past the title screen, however, is an odd feeling of deja vu; much of the game is nearly identical to the source from which it came. Taj still runs a free-roaming world where you drive, fly, or hover around to new levels. You parade around completing the meticulous tasks of collecting keys, silver coins, and a slew of other materials. For those of you who enjoyed this in the original: it is still there, in full force.
Also just as the original, having multiple types of vehicles at your disposal definitely gives you an edge over the competition. Although it's a pity you cannot race different vehicle types in the same race (which could make for some fun land-to-air and vice-versa battles), each vehicle has a certain charm. The go-kart gives you a very solid and straightforward racing experience, whereas the airplane allows you to take a number of routes to victory. The hovercraft, while novel, does have some issues however. Poor controls and an utter ignorance of the laws of motion plague the vehicle, making it an almost comedic undertaking just to pilot it.
A particular problem with that sometimes awkward control becomes apparent in the event you collide with scenery or objects during a race. If you so much as glance into some objects, sometimes almost seemingly at random, your vehicle will come to a complete stop—killing any tension in multiplayer races, and causing much frustration. On top of that, in order to get un-stuck, you must reverse, but accidentally hitting an incorrect button while reversing will bring your vehicle to a complete stop, requiring you to re-press the reverse button in order to actually start moving. A major oversight for those who are used to a quick re-entry into the race.
The item balloons in the game range from rockets to rocket boosters (all of which are stackable), but falter where games like Mario Kart excel: there really aren't any satisfying feelings when victory is achieved, and no real sense of urgency and immediacy due to items exists in this game. Sure, you can upgrade your weapons by collecting another of the same colored balloon, but they're never as game-changing as a Mario Kart blue shell or star, and it makes the game seem less intense and exciting as a consequence.
A particular quirk new to this version of Diddy Kong Racing is the implementation of pre-race speed-boosting. Instead of pressing a button at a pre-determined time to get a speed boost, you must now either rub your finger downwards on the touch screen (for the standard kart), clockwise around a propeller (for the plane), or blow into the microphone (for the hovercraft). While fun at first, it quickly becomes gimmicky, as you often have to quickly reposition your hand to gain control of your character once the race starts.
Most of the similarities to the original Nintendo 64 version end there, though. While the basic racing is relatively unchanged, the single-player mode has been revamped— and not for the better. Unlike most other games, where you might unlock a series of courses after winning a gold cup or something equivalent, Diddy Kong Racing requires an almost obscene amount of effort for the same result. First you must race and win every course in a cup, and then race and defeat the boss (much like the original DKR). But then you must now go through every track once again popping balloons while riding auto-pilot on Taj's Magic Carpet (replacing the coin challenges from the original). The controls in this portion of the game seem to have been almost overlooked; your point of view is controlled by moving the stylus, but you also use the stylus to pop balloons and grab coins. The game sometimes thinks you're trying to move your field of vision while you're actually trying to grab coins, so this becomes painful. Once you've finished that, you get to face the boss once more, race the tracks again, then face the boss one final time (this time using a new mode where you use the stylus to guide your racer through the level). Finally then you will win the "cup" for that world. Every single time you enter a new area, you must do this over and over again, collecting keys and balloons from Taj along the way. It is tedious, boring, and unrewarding.
Thankfully the game shines in the local multiplayer modes. In local multiplay, you can race up to seven other players using single- or multi-card modes. All the battle modes present in the original Nintendo 64 version help give this game some of the the redemption it needs. In the earlier levels of the single-player adventure, most of the computer players are tame when it comes to using items—having eight people racing and using items all over the place allows some classic and constant mayhem, and it's never been so fun.
Online play using the Wi-Fi Connection is also available for Diddy Kong Racing, but unfortunately could use quite a bit of work. The online standard that was seemingly set by the superb Metroid Prime Hunters is non-existent here and there is no pre-game lobby of any kind, with the title taking the cue more from an online system like that of Mario Kart DS. The idea of being able to race with five other online racers as opposed to the standard three is a nice addition to the game, but the lack of voice chat or any real communication causes game coordination to become a hassle. Rare and Nintendo have tried to remedy this, allowing you to see which of your friends are hosting games from the "Join Friends" menu when they're online. Unfortunately, actually connecting to the game, taking into account any firewall issues or matchmaking errors, can be terribly frustrating.
In the end, if you're a fan of the collection-based play of many Rare-developed games, you might end up enjoying Diddy Kong Racing DS. On the other hand, if you're into it simply for the multi-player aspect, you'll have to trudge through the Adventure mode to unlock all the tracks, modes, vehicles, and upgrades the game has to offer. The fun multiplayer modes requiring single-player devotion ends up creating a bit of an imbalance, and that sort of adds to the mixed bag of Diddy Kong Racing bananas: a few tasty ones on the bottom, but a few bunches of stale ones to eat through first.