1997
Diddy Kong Racing
"Despite obvious comparisons to Mario Kart 64, DKR was a unique experience: platformer elements (explorable world, bosses and collectable items) were unique for its time, ensuring one-player longevity. Three vehicle types presented new areas already explored / raced. Vibrant storybook colours may have put off mature gamers but many challenges and secrets for them. Multiplayer action? Stick to MK64; DKR was your one-player racer experience."
8/10 - Steven Smith 64
User Reviews (11)
"My first N64 game. And just as I prefered BanjoKazooie over Mario 64, I prefer Diddy kong racing over Mariokart 64! It has better tracks, more tracks and lots of replayability. It's also a adventure, wich I love. And you have 3 different kind of vehicles, and later in the game you can use them on every track. Also, the endboss is really hard!"
7/10 - Henmii 64
"Diddy Kong Racing is the only kart-racing game I've played in which the single player campaign was just as good, possibly better, than its multiplayer modes. Adventure mode, complete with a story, unlockables, collectibles, bosses and an explorable hub world all made DKR unique to its competition. Its tracks may not be as good as Mario Kart's, but Adventure mode makes up for that."
9/10 - bizcuthammer 64
"One thing that has always puzzled me is why tiptub never got his own game. By far the coolest character but for some reason a guffawing bear and bedraggled squirrel got their own game instead. Honestly, what happened to Tiptub 64? It would have been epic. Oh yeah, this game is pretty good. Nice vehicle changes, one player and boss challenges. Diddy sucks though."
8/10 - YoshiTails 64
"The single player was great and I loved the adventure element to it. I never really got into this on the multiplayer front though. I didn't really like the way the cars handled and the items weren't as fun as those in MK64. I really enjoyed the hovercrafts and planes however and the excellent and original single player adventure make this a Rare treat."
8/10 - dinosauryoshi 64
"Mario Kart 64 was beaten beaten and not too long after it's release either. Three different vehicles, nice boost mechanic, single player adventure, soundtrack by David Wise and of course, the multiplayer experience make this one of top-5 karting games ever. Though the adventure mode could have been more epic there's lots of stunning moments to remember. You know... like that final boss race."
9/10 - Luffymcduck 64
"Comparisons to Mario Kart are inevitable, but Diddy Kong Racing really shouldn't be seen in that way. In fact, you could argue that this game is better. An adventure built into the game, challenging gimmicks and modes, and a variety of tracks and vehicles makes this a pretty unique racer. It is predominantly a single player game, but multiplayer can still be a blast."
8/10 - GreenGaming 64
"This is for you!" My favourite words in this whole game! When the Elephant Genie said those words the first time I was hooked. I played this game to death as a kid and loved every second of this game. There were also three different kinds of vehicles and they were all very unique. I just wish that Rare used the other characters more!"
9/10 - Aussiephoenix83 64
"+race by air, land, or sea +adventure mode +tons of content +eclectic mini-games +amazing soundtrack +item system rewards skill +3D character models +does not suffer from sequelitis -tracks and battle aren't as memorable as MK64 -hovercraft difficult to use -redundant challenges -no music or AI racers with more than 2 players -difficult for newer players to compete with experienced players -frustrating near the end"
9/10 - VGScrapbook 64
"Diddy Kong Racing holds a special place in my gaming collection. I think I somehow played this More than I did Mario Kart 64. All the kart racing features were there, with some interesting items to use and varying courses. The biggest draw for me though was the fantastic adventure mode, which I could play with a sibling. Not the best, but worth it."
9/10 - Lunapplebloom 64
"I liked this more than Mario Kart 64. It had better graphics, better sound, an awesome single player adventure mode, inventive track designs, multiple different vehicle types and ways to race, unique boss races and very solid fun racing gameplay, in both single and multi-player, tying it all together. As Mario Kart style racers go I think it is one of the very best. "
9/10 - Kirk 64
"Like so many of Rare's N64 classics, this one still holds up well to this day. Yes, MarioKart64 was better as a multi-player game, but the longevity and variation to the 1player campaign is a rare treat (sorry). Oft forgotten Trophy races, space tracks and rage-inducing silver coin challenges kept this from collecting cartridge dust until well into the new millennium. "Well done kid."
9/10 - mid_55 64
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...
Comments 26
My problem was that this game wa INSANELY slow. I played it with a friend once and turned it off mid-race.
@GunkFace it got pretty fast towards the end, especially if you nailed all the speed boosts. I thought it was the best kart game of its generation - much better than MK64 for me.
Slow to begin with, definitely.
I liked this more than Mario Kart 64. It had better graphics, better sound, an awesome single player adventure mode, inventive track designs, multiple different vehicle types and ways to race, unique boss races and very solid fun racing gameplay, in both single and multi-player, tying it all together. As Mario Kart style racers go I think it is one of the very best.
9/10
I loved this game. The exploration is probably what did it for me. I had the most fun just running around the overworld. Also loved the boss races.
Great game, I loved that you could play 2 player co-op usually me or my best mate would take turns at concentrating on getting all the collectible stuff or winning the race, 1 of us would do each. And as Kirk said the boss races were really quite unique + open world elements made it just a really memorable game and good fun.
Way better then Mario Kart 64. I hated the rubberbanding in that and it was the worst of the series imo. Loved everything about Diddy! We really need an upgrade to this and I so hope all these rumors are true. You can't loss the overworld aspect though or it's just not Diddy.
@GrunkFace was that the UK or USA version you was playing.
I love Diddy Kong racing. A great classic that I picked up with my N64 I got off ebay this week.
Amazing game, one of the best n64 games made. Beat mk64 into submission in EVERY category!! Graphics, single player story mode, boss battles, inventive multiplayer modes, multiple vehicles, non linear progression.....let's not forget that there was a way to play the single player campaign in 2 player aswell people!?! The multiplayer was this games best feature . In a league above any Mario kart games made since. Outstanding game!!
As N64 diehard fan, of course i played the hell of this with my friends back in time, i,m almost crying here man...sniff.
@XyVoX It was the US version and I was a stubborn teenager at the time. Who knows, maybe I'd like it now.
@Spoony_Tech Rumours?If it involves a sequel to this,please tell?
@OorWullie Just Google it and a host of them will pop up. They're were squashed about 9 months ago but in the last couple of months have resurfaced.
@Spoony_Tech another diddy racing game would be great but we need a Metroid title more. Wouldn't you agree?
@shigulicious I would be inclined to say yes but one Diddy Kong Racing and what 10 Metroids. Of course I would still give the nod to Metroid as it's my second favorite franchise.
@ 1st I hated Diddy Kong Racing! But played it a few years later & LOVE IT!!!! This game was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!! Once you learn what I call the "secret dash boost" thing, it super enjoyable.
I LOVED THE BOSS RACES! I loved how you and the boss would be at the starting line. Then the game says "Get Ready" and before it says "Go" The boss goes ahead of you laughing! "Cheaters!!!" XD XD but it was really good!
And LOVED how there was a battle component in each world that was part of the adventure. And the secret world.... that was AWESOME! Final boss was hilarious but hard!
Good grief, this game was so much fun! Loved the island exploration, story and charm.
N64 really had some outstanding kart racers, like: Mickey's Speedway USA, which was also pretty good, from what I remember.
@Blue-Thunder
The controls are simply different to Mario Kart's but no one could claim that makes them bad or anything like that. As soon as you get used to the particular feel of the brand of racing in DKR (which takes longer than Mario Kart as there's three fundamentally different vehicle types) there's absolutely no issue with the controls at all (Personally, I really loved the hovercraft racing). It's kinda like comparing F-Zero to Wipeout in terms controls and feel. One isn't better than the other. They're just different. In pretty much every other way however, Diddy Kong Racing basically stomps on Mario Kart 64 imo.
Yeah better music, gameplay, and sometimes multiplayer for me than mk64. One of my faves
Loved this game once upon a time. Great over world and colourful courses and the handling was pretty spot on even if it did feel a little slow at times. Would love to see Mario Kart go for the openover world.
@Blue-Thunder
Respectfully; I'm sorry but I don't agree to agree with people having "opinions" on something that is objectively fact and not really open to "opinion".
You might not like the controls in DKR, which is your prerogative, but I never questioned that. I just said they aren't broken or bad in any way, which is a fact.
The controls in DKR are rock solid and work exactly as intended without bugs or lag or broken implementation or whatever and if you're not stuck on one particular way only of playing your kart games then they work great. You're basically "disagreeing" with objective reality when you say you disagree with the assertions I made, which were not based on subjective opinion but on the facts of the game.
You simply like Mario Kart 64s particular style of play/control over DKR. Fine.
Outside of the controls, which you obviously prefer on Mario Kart 64 (reasonable enough); In what other ways exactly do you think Mario Kart 64 does not get trumped by Diddy Kong Racing when it comes to things like the graphics (easily), music and FX (music is subjective but DKR has full voice acting), options and variety (adventure mode with open world hub area, 3 different vehicle types that completely change how you race around all the tracks and allow you to discover lots of secrets in both the levels and hub world, unique boss battle races...), overall depth and creativity (all of the stuff I just covered previously)...?
I mean you have actually played both games recently enough to know what you're talking about (so this isn't just some nostalgia goggled view of either game), I presume, right.
@Blue-Thunder
So, you're saying largely pretty simple/basic looking tracks that are designed to be raced in basically one way are superior to far more detailed and open track designs that can often be raced perfectly in 3 entirely different ways, that can be explored off the beaten path for secrets hidden in them, that range from simple road style race tracks to stunning Wave Race like water-physics based race tracks...?
Let's be clear here; neither game has flawed track designs that are bad to race around or whatever, so it comes down to things like the variety, originality and uniqueness, the depth for gameplay, the visual quality and representation of the designs, alternate routes and in some case even basic exploration that they offer, the amount of courses...and there's no other objective conclusion than to say DKR actually offers the superior selection.
I'm talking outside of personal taste here.
Also, I already said the music comes down to subjective choice (I prefer DKR's for example) but DKR offers full voice acting which simply doesn't exist in MK64 (outside of a couple of menu samples) so in that respect it's objectively more competent or better.
I have no problem with anyone preferring MK64, lots of people do, but trying to assert that MK64 is objectively the better game all-round is just not true.
I get that you prefer MK64's particular style of racing and I prefer DKR's brand and variety (and neither is in any way, shape or form broken or badly designed), so this can't topic be debated based on our subjective tastes but rather the other stuff that isn't subjective (most of which I've covered previously).
Also, while you might prefer the specific handling in MK64 during races I personally think that "tighter" control is undermined by the terrible rubber banding (in single player), which means you are highly likely to get hit by some random unfair weapon even though you drove around the course perfectly and should be miles ahead of the competition. You get punished even though you drove perfect...How can that really feel fair or rewarding? To me the rubber banding issue (which is directly tied to the unfair use of weapons on you when you should be like half a course ahead of the competition) basically breaks the game, from an actual core design perspective, because it's no longer a genuinely fair race that rewards actual driving skill and talent properly but in fact can punish you after and entire race of sublime driving skill only to be severely and unfairly punished and then pipped at the finish line by potentially multiple racers.
It just happened to me right now when I booted up both MK64 and DKR just for a quick check again, for the point I'm about to make below...
I mean, as another example; you might like MK8's character and vehicle designs more and someone might like DKR's characters and vehicle designs more but the objective reality is that the character and vehicle models in DKR are of a higher graphical quality than those in MK8 (More convincing 3D, since the ones in DKR actually ARE 3D, sharper and cleaner models/sprites...)and they also come in far more variety too (the vehicles).
There's one area where MK64 definitely trumps DKR however; Battle Mode
Look; I know you love Mario Kart 64 more than Diddy Kong Racing. That's all fine and dandy...but there's got to some actual objectivity going on here in terms of what we're actually claiming beyond just our personal opinions.
MK64's battle mode ensures that it is indeed the better game between the two. But they're both extremely enjoyable romps so what the hey.
This more than made up for the disappointing Mario Kart 64.
I was a HUGE fan of Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64 so when I heard Diddy Kong was starring in a kart racer with an open world and 3 different vehicles, my hype meter went through the roof! Seriously, I was more hyped for this game than any other game that I can remember. And it didn't disappoint! DKR is forever my favorite racing game and one of the best N64 games of all time. 10/10
Show Comments