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The N64 console, released in 1996 and 1997 in Europe and North America, is one of Nintendo's most iconic consoles.
The console had a plethora of beloved the titles in its games catalogue. For starters, we have GoldenEye, released in 1997; this title was revolutionary in several ways, pushing the boundaries of 1st person shooter games on console. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is debatably one of the greatest games ever made; WCW VS NWO World tour, this probably one of the best wrestling games ever made, to name a few.
Diddy Kong Racing is one of them. Originally developed in 1997, exclusively for the N64, with veteran Nintendo systems developers, Rare taking the helm. Before this classic, Rare had a hand in developing the Donkey Kong Country series for the SNES, GoldenEye 007, Killer Instinct and the brawler that was solely responsible for over 65% of broken NES controllers, Battletoads, to name a few.
Running on the heels of the massive success of Mario Kart 64. The story revolves around Timber the Tiger, and gaming's favourite little chimp, Diddy Kong. An evil intergalactic pig wizard, Wizpig, has taken control of Timber's island and recruited its four guardians. The only way to regain control of the island is to defeat Wizpig in an elaborate series of races to give Wizpig the boot!
The accessibility scores are as follows –
Visibility 6
In terms of this category, the majority of the experience seems colourblind friendly. However, there is one rather serious issue. In this game. During races, you drive over balloons to gain weapons. These balloons, however, are colour-coded. Red for attack items, for example, missiles; blue for boosts; and green for traps. You know as well as I do, red – green, contrast is a definite no-go.
However, in kart racers, when you are close to any weapon pickups, your 1st instinct would be to grab it. So, in that respect, unless you are picky with the items you collect, that should not be that much of an issue.
Apart from that, there are no colour-coded elements that cause an issue for a colourblind player.
Audibility 10
In this game, there is no spoken dialogue. This is probably due to the original release of the game's age and size limitations of a DS cartridge. All dialogue in this game is text-based. Back in the mid-to-late 90s, imagination had to fill in the blanks!
Mobility 6
In this game, there is no way to alter your button layouts. This is important as certain buttons of the console can be very tricky, and disorienting to use. Even for a small, portable console such as a Nintendo DS.
To make matters worse, to get a boost start, you are reliant on the console's gimmicks. For example, spinning the wheel using the touchscreen and stylus, or blowing into the console's built-in microphone. Using this control style can be very disorienting, even for able-bodied players.
Yes, there is an option to switch that to the classic N64 style. In hindsight, best to enjoy this title using the classic N64 release.
Gameplay 10
Terms of content, there is a lot to like here. The DS version has a few new, playable characters such as Dixie and Tiny Kong, with Taj the Genie, and the game's antagonist Wizpig appear as unlockable characters.
This version of the game also has expanded multiplayer features. You can play against other players through a local, ad hoc multiplayer, or against other players online.
What really made the original version of the game stand out from the crowd in a very conjested at the time of the game's original release was alternate vehicles.
You can play a race in a car, hovercraft, or an aeroplane. This adds more replayability as you race in the vehicles the game has. In terms of single player content, the game's signature adventure mode is still present. You pick a character, and race your way through the various racetracks each hub world has.
As you play through this mode and win races, additional tracks will be unlocked in single race mode. At the end of every area, you will have to go against the area's boss. Be warned, everyone these racers are no walk in the park. After you win a race, you can participate in the area's championship. Also, the DS version has a unique mode.
Instead of silver coin challenges from the N64 version, the game turns it into a rail shooter. In this challenge mode, you take control of Taj and his flying carpet. This, you have to shoot balloons hidden around the course as Taj completes a lap of the course.
2 characters are missing from the game's roster when compared to the N64 version Banjo and Conker are absent. To be fair, this is due to licensing issues, as the game's original developer, Rare, was bought out by Microsoft in 2002.
In summary, Diddy Kong Racing DS is a rather faithful recreation of the N64 classic that was released for the game's 10th anniversary (feeling old yet, guys!) The zany charm of the original N64 version still lives on, with expanded features, such as the ability to create your own racetracks, ad hoc multiplayer with other DS systems (thanks to backwards compatibility, any variant of the DS family can join in!).
It may not be the "definitive way" to replay this classic, but the game still is well worth a look nonetheless!
OVERALL SCORE 80%
See you guys in the next review!
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