Diddy Kong Racing

What if kart racing weren't just a series of laps, but an entire adventure? Diddy Kong Racing from 1997 by studio Rare came up with an answer that boldly stood up even to Mario Kart itself — and in many ways surpassed it in scope and ambition.

Its greatest trump card is the so-called Adventure mode. Instead of simply selecting tracks, you explore an interconnected open world divided into regions, collecting balloons, completing challenges, gathering hidden items and defeating a boss at the end of each section. Racing thus gains structure and purpose, which makes the game feel far more extensive than the competition of the time.

The second ingenious idea is the three types of vehicle. Besides the classic go-kart, you can saddle up a hovercraft that handles water and rough terrain, or a plane that opens up aerial tracks with completely different control dynamics. Each track tends to be tailored to a specific machine, and switching vehicles keeps the driving fresh and varied.

Diddy Kong Racing is also interesting from a gaming-history standpoint — this is where Banjo and the squirrel Conker first jumped into a game, two characters that Rare soon carried off into their own standalone titles. In a way it is a small hatchery of later cult heroes.

The game became a commercial hit and, according to available figures, sold over 4.5 million copies, making it one of Rare's most successful titles on the Nintendo 64. The combination of zippy racing, an adventurous structure and three distinct vehicles makes it one of the most inventive pieces in its genre — if classic laps aren't enough for you, here you get a whole world to explore.

Why play it: Kart racing with a full-fledged adventure mode and three types of vehicle — a more extensive alternative to Mario Kart and the birthplace of both Banjo and Conker.