Genre: Racing
Year: 1997
Developed by: Rare
Published by: Rare
Platforms: N64, DS
#104
Feeling Like: Tip Top Game
Rare and Nintendo went together like Peanut Butter and Jam, or the 1990s and unbridled optimism. The fit was perfect and for nearly a decade, the British developer cousupld do no wrong. It took me a while to realize it, but Diddy Kong Racing is the best racing game on the N64 and there’s a very specific reason it’s one spot ahead of the also-fun Mario Kart 64. While it was a thrill finally getting to see a sequel to Super Mario Kart, and in 3D no less, Diddy Kong Racing is bigger in every way: different kinds of races, multiple types of vehicles, boss fights and a treasure trove of secrets. It was the perfect rental as the sharp difficulty and expansive world meant two players could help each other out seeking shortcuts, silver coins and keys to unlock everything this game has to offer. As long as you knew the “JOINTVENTURE” code, which everybody did.
It’s not often a racing game has an overworld. I was instantly intrigued – the freedom to move around in a car, hovercraft or airplane was a novelty outside races. Running over frogs, or seeking out lighthouses led to new characters or worlds. I never knew what lay around the corner.
While the comparisons are inevitable, you certainly can’t say this is a cookie cutter, or rip-off in any way. There are boosts everywhere, and if you release the accelerator at just the right time, you’ll get an even bigger boost. Bananas will increase your speed (ok, fine, sort of like that other game), but there are keys hidden off the beaten path to unlock other areas. This means you may have to sacrifice your placement in that particular race – finally! a reason to screw around and search every corner of a track!
The areas all have a theme, and the Christmas one just makes me feel so cozy. Racing around a village with decorated trees and bubbly holiday music always got my head bopping and my toes tapping. I can’t say the soundtrack is as good as the rest of the game (it borderlines on what you’d hear on Merry-Go-Round if you took some LSD) but the tunes are memorable. Hop Top Volcano still gets stuck in my head.
I loved the idea of having to do a Grand Prix style selection of races, complete with points table, but THEN you have to do it again – only this time, you have to collect eight silver coins littered around the track AND win outright. This sounds simple enough, but I was often too tempted to collect all the coins in the first lap and fall way behind as a result. May I recommend NOT doing this? You have three laps to do it, no need to blow your AG load early.
Then the boss fights. Along with F-Zero GX this is the only racing game I played with bosses and man are these guys assholes. It’s either a giant squid who laughingly poops out spikey balls in the water, or a walrus shuffling along way too fast, or a dragon that shoots fire (naturally) that stands in your way. They’re not joke, this is really where the difficulty spikes. Luckily, in 1997, I had absolutely zero interest in anything outside video games so restarting 12 or 13 times until I got every lap time perfect seemed like a good use of time.
Wizpig, in particular, is a douchebag. You face him twice, once during a stormy night and once post-credits in the Space World. His second form was challenging, but nothing compared to his first form. It’s 1 on 1 and you don’t get any rockets to blast his piggy hamstrings, sadly. He totally cheats too, scampering off the start line before the GET READY! GO! even finishes. I cannot tell you how many times this monstrosity beat me, it must have been at least 50. When my buddy Tiptup the Turtle finally crossed the finish line, I nearly broke my controller in maniacal glee. Fuck you, Wizpig!
The rest of the game is such a delight. The handling feels steady, even drifting has an extra WHOA GIRL! variation so you can do hairpins with the greatest of ease. The hovercraft races in the water are neat, but they’re no Wave Race 64. The airplanes, however, are incredible. Soaring above the ground while seeing seven other combatants choose varying paths and barrel rolling to avoid collisions is just awesome. It adds another element of strategy too, since the paths you can take are wildly varied compared to on the ground or on the water. Stay high? Go under the barricade? Take this wall tight, or loose? When was the last time you played a racing game in the air? Phenomenal stuff.
It may be cheesy and earnest as hell, and seemingly for kids, but I promise you the difficulty eclipses the ability of anybody but hardened, veteran gamers. There’s such a variety of tasks though, and the collectibles add replay value beyond anything I’ve seen in a racing game to date. Whenever you talk about lost gems, or games deserving a sequel that never got one, you could do a lot worse than provide Diddy Kong Racing as an example.
The 500 