Diddy Kong Racing DS is a remake of the beloved Nintendo 64 racing game, bringing to DS not only cars but also boats and planes as equally valid ways of racing. The player moves through a story-driven adventure across an island full of worlds, collecting bonus coins, unlocking new tracks, and battling bosses, which sets the game apart from most purely arcade racers. The variety of vehicles forces the player to adapt their driving style to the terrain and brings refreshing variability to the genre compared to traditional, purely car-based racing games.
Developer Rare handled the remake with updated graphics and small control tweaks adapted to the DS, including use of the touch screen for some menus and minigames, as well as new content expanding the original roster of tracks and characters. The colorful, fairy-tale visual style suited the console's smaller display well, and the tracks stayed readable even in faster sections, whether the player was currently driving a car, piloting a boat, or flying through the air. The soundtrack builds on the familiar themes from the N64 version and adds to the pleasantly nostalgic atmosphere of the whole game, appreciated especially by fans of the original.
Diddy Kong Racing DS was well received as a successful port of a classic, appreciated both by players who knew the original and by a new generation of DS owners just getting to know the series. Its added multiplayer and new elements set it apart from a plain port and confirmed that the concept of combining racing with adventure still had plenty to offer within the series' library. Even years later it remains an enjoyable alternative to more traditional racing titles on this console, especially thanks to its variety of vehicles and charmingly fairy-tale game world.
Game 73 of 150 for Nintendo DS
