Good Game Design - Diddy Kong Racing: Perfecting The Kart Racer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2024
- Mario Kart is cool and all, but Diddy Kong Racing blows it out of the water! Let's talk about 5 reasons why.
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#GoodGameDesign #DiddyKongRacing #DonkeyKongMonth - เกม
wait...beating wizpig the first time WASN'T the end? D: I PLAYED THAT GAME 20 YEARS AGO AND I JUST FOUND THIS OUT! D:
It actually says "the end?" when you beat him haha
Gotta go back and fix that now, I guess xD
Same. And it wasn't even an easy fight/race. :D
@@Pfaeff yeah, i remember havingto try that darned boss at least 30 times and finally beating him with tiptup D:
One day before school I was driving around overworld. I beeped my car horn 4 times next to the sign near lighthouse BY ACCIDENT. The lighthouse turned into a rocket and unlocked the space levels. I couldn't believe it. I had not heard or read about it happening. It blew my mind
The music. Oh GOD the music was literally the best thing that came out of this absolute DIAMOND of a kart racer. I still hum Hot-Top Volcano and Taj's theme from time to time simply cause of how MEMORABLE those songs are.
Jorge Torres SO TRU BRO THE MUSIC WAS FENOMENAL I LIKED DARKMOON CAVERNS & HUANTED WOODS ESPECIALLY
Hot Top Volcano. I am still trying to figure out what they are singing in the music?
It sounds like "Hurenkinder", which is german for "son of a b*tch"
that's sad. its great music but if the driving mechanics and gameplay aren't first well that's kind of odd for racing game judgment ain't it?
My favorite tunes from the game are Pirate Lagoon, Fossil Canyon, Taj’s Challenge Theme
Being careful about which items you pick up reminds me of Snowboard Kids. If you don't have enough coins for the item, you smash into the thing and fall down. So when your low on coins, the item boxes become obstacles you need to avoid. It was pretty cool!
Oh. Hi.
SNOWBOARD KIDS WAS THE SHIIIIIIII. Every time I threw that cartridge in, my dad would walk by and say, "Ahhh, the kids with snowboards as big as their noses." Still remember that shit. GODDAMN
being careful about which items you pick up reminds me of lego racers
i fucking LOVED snowboard kids. only my cousins in california had it so i'd wait all year to play it haha
"Not Enough"
Isn't really so sad that such a perfect racing game didn't get the sequel it really deserved?
Got a remake on the DS though which is something.
@@MustacheOnMars9 Which is step down from the original game. If Nintendo had the common sense of buying back Rare when it was being purchased by Microsoft, then this game would have already gotten the sequel it deserves.
@@kazoorion7993 It almost got a sequel. That's what Donkey Kong Racing on GameCube was supposed to be but it got cancelled after the buyout. Anyway, while it would have seemed logical for Nintendo to purchase Rare back in the day, they didn't because the Stampers were simply asking for way too much money. The problem with Rare is that by the late 90s, a lot of their talent had left, which is one reason why games like Perfect Dark were constantly being delayed. On top of having fewer talented employees, Rare would have needed a lot of investment in order to properly be prepared for next gen development, which is actually the reason the began looking for a buyer in the first place (and obviously went to Nintendo first).
Nintendo and Microsoft had different outlooks when it came to buyouts. With Microsoft, they had focused more on brand recognition and the back catalog of IPs whereas Nintendo focused more on what the studio had to offer at the time. This is why Nintendo opted to buy Retro Studios instead. Retro was a new studio that had never made a game before but Nintendo liked what they were seeing for bought them for next to nothing. One could argue that Nintendo got the better deal than Microsoft especially given where Rare would go under Microsoft.
Yes... 😭 I loved this game and ever since I was a kid I’ve been waiting for a sequel. Waited then waited and wondered why Rare never made a sequel. Till I found out 😠 ....well I think most of us know this by now. 😔
@@MustacheOnMars9 we don't speak of that, though.
Nothing would make my heart happier then to see a remastered version of this game on the Switch. Heck, even a port of the original would be great. One can only hope.
It's nice to see this game still getting love. 🙂
My favorite memory is just randomly honking in front of the sign post and seeing the lighthouse turn into a rocket ship. I rushed to school the next day to tell me friends about it. They didn't believe me.
I used to wake up at like 4:30 am so i could play this game before getting ready for school lol
Me too :) We do not have that level of motivation for anything now as a grown up.
Early to bed and early to rise, let's you enjoy racing with a soundtrack from David Wise.
I was perfectly content with flying around in the plane in the overworld. Diddy Kong Racing? Naw fam, Diddy Kong Flight Sim.
Hahahahaha me too
The lower frame-rate of Diddy Kong Racing is probably due to the fact that it used 3d polygonal characters and mariokart 64 used 2D sprites
Fzero: "am I a joke to you?"
@@codieb5612 - Sure F zero was very fast and had 3d polygons, but the designs were also very geometrically stiff while the polygon characters of Diddy Kong Racing were very detailed and animated.
@@codieb5612 Polygon rate is well lower in F Zero X than in DKR, its basically a low poly track and thats it.
The reason F Zero is so awesome is that it runs a constant 60fps in one player
They did use sprites for things like the wheels and propellers, so they sorta mixed 2D and 3D elements. The environments are so much more lively and detailed in DKR though compared to Mario Kart 64... it makes MK64 look absolutely barren by comparison.
@@RichardCraig but way shorter tracks
I am baffled that Mario Kart had never had an Adventure mode ala Diddy Kong Racing. DKR was like Mario 64 and Mario Kart combined. I loved it.
Miamoto never liked Rare games
Mario Kart DS kinda does something like that but it's not as well put together and it doesn't have an overworld or even an overarching plot
*Turns right, cart slides left*
Opponent AI was super-human and did everything you did.
This. I don't understand why nobody ever mentions this, even though it's the biggest problem in the game.
If I'm going to _just_ miss a zipper and pass to the right of it, I can probably hit it by turning _right_ just as I pass it, because the kart slides _left_ before turning right. That just feels wrong.
@@Kani8122 it's called Get Good
@@Kani8122 To be honest- DKR avoided this a lot better than Mario Kart 64 did. in MK64 the reverse direction thing was just insane.
True that. And it was still fun as hell tho. Aha
It's always annoyed me that the genre never really did more with the adventure mode concept. I know the Crash games did something similar, though I never played much of them, but that's about it. It's nice to have a world to explore and some context for the racing so you're not just doing Grand Prix at different difficulties. Plus there's so much unexplored potential. Imagine a sort of Metroidvania thing, where you unlock characters as you progress, and every character has a unique ability in the overworld that lets you access new areas - like Tiptup could drive underwater, Pipsy could get through small passages other characters are too big for, that kind of thing. They could also use this to force you to do certain challenges with a specific character, so you can't just play the whole game with your favorite one.
God, I might just make that game myself.
Any updates on this? ;)
I remember getting a long-form ad for Diddy Kong Racing on a VHS tape in the mail. My little brother and I would watch that thing multiple times every day after school. We were probably more hyped for DKR than any other game before or since. It's the only time I can remember being so heavily affected by an advertisement and then having the game _actually_ deliver in spades. When we finally got it for Christmas, we played the ever living shit out of it, unlocking everything there was and having an absolute blast the whole time. I can honestly say that Diddy Kong Racing was by far my favorite multiplayer game on the N64, much more fun than Scotch-taping a godawful DIY cardboard divider to the TV for "fair" rounds of Goldeneye or Perfect Dark.
th-cam.com/video/_7dSXVUds_E/w-d-xo.html It brings back so many memories
The characters were one of my favorite parts, and the fact that they were from other Rare titles. I remember that I played this before Banjo Kazooie as a kid, and when I found Tip-Tup in Banjo, I was so geeked.
I always like DKR better than MK64 for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned.
My favorite thing was the music, (Frosty village) how dynamic and different it was from Mario kart, and how my family and friends would play this game all the time
oh man, I loved playing this game. I hardly ever actually raced, just screwed around in the overworld. I remember loving getting into the plane and flying into trees. I can't remember if that actually did anything?? I just remember doing it.
I wonder if I still have that game...
I'm a speedrunner of DKR and it's gotten to be one of my all-time favourite games over the past few years. I would absolutely love a sequel but one thing that I'm afraid would get passed up on by the devs is something often overlooked in DKR's gameplay, but something that's super obvious to speedrunners. The mechanics of DKR are extremely unique and have an insanely high skill ceiling. You can just hold A and cruise along, grabbing some boosts here and there, but if you play your cards right between drifting, plane tricks, chaining boosts, and other tech, the speed you can achieve is nuts. I've been playing this game pretty seriously for quite a few years and even top speedrunners agree that the skill ceiling is almost infinite. There's always minor adjustments you can make to your execution that can make the race faster. Time Trials are a huge hit in the DKR speedrun community for this reason.
If there's a sequel to DKR, I would love for it to keep or expand on the same mechanics of DKR, where it's easy enough to play and get by, but to play on a professional level takes insane amounts of skill and practice and is incredibly rewarding. It's wonderful how satisfying it is to chain the right set of boosts and barrel rolls together in a plane to maintain the highest possible speeds, or to drift back and forth quickly to go faster in the hovercraft. In the car you will go faster by drifting and by tapping the A but in a steady rhythm rather than simply holding it. There's so much hidden tech in DKR that a casual player would likely never know about, but when put into practice this is by far one of the best gaming experiences I've had in my entire life.
I highly recommend checking out a speedrun of this game to see just how far things can be pushed with a relatively low use of glitches. This is a much more solid game than people even realize and my one hope for a sequel is that the mechanics aren't overly simplified and are left open for improvement and experimentation.
I had no idea DKR had a speed running community. I'm off to simultaneously be amazed at how good people can get at it and how bad I am at it.
This is precisely why I'm so hyped for the CTR remake. CTR took everything great about this game and polished it, imho it's still the best kart racer out there, and to see it coming back is beyond exciting.
You should try Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed. It's the best kart racer I've ever played. It takes the concepts from Diddy Kong racing and turns them up to 11. I got mario kart 8 deluxe for switch recently and was disappointed because it was only decent, it couldn't even touch the Sega one. You only briefly ever do anything other than race in a kart/bike. In the Sega one there's big long sections with different types of vehicles. Flying through space is particularly fun.
What is CTR?
@@samuelitooooo Crash Team Racing! Remake came out a couple days ago, and it's everything I could've hoped for!
Vin S Woah! Crash Bandicoot! I once had one of those teeny lil' game things from McDonalds and it was a racing Crash Bandicoot game, and I actually miss it. Judging by that alone, CTR must sound epic.
@@samuelitooooo it does and more content is coming on the way
Unlocking TT was the crowning achievement of my childhood.
I think these racing games can really *drive* you insane
I think you need to *put the breaks* on these puns.
@@turbojake3457 Getting tired of them?
@@markloeffler85 this thread's already drifting out of control
@@ADLast-co5fh Let's give this thread a *turbo boost*
this thread is a *kart* - astrophe
One thing I think Mario Kart is missing is strategy. It's mostly skill, (and a bit of luck)which is fine, but some strategy would be nice as well.
I think the best way to get strategy elements is to have meaningful decisions. The player should have to figure out which decisions are best. Diddy Kong Racing looks like it does this well! (I'll have to play it some time! )
I disagree with you here. You may be surprised by how many meaningful decisions you can make with how you use the items you get. While I’d never go as far as to call Mario Kart a strategy game, there is a lot you can do to maximize the efficiency of your items and capitalize on the situation at hand.
For example, in MK8DX, if second place is only a little bit behind first place and has a red shell, 2nd place could throw the shell as 1st place passes through a row of item boxes. This will force 1st place to use their defensive item, potentially leaving them vulnerable if they weren’t lucky enough to happen to have two defensive items. Then, when 2nd place passes through that item box row, there is a good chance that they will get a second red shell, which will be almost guaranteed to hit first place, allowing 2nd place to take the lead. This does have the risk of leaving 2nd place vulnerable to 3rd place should 3rd place decide to be aggressive as well, which creates a nice risk vs reward situation.
On a broader scale, some players may choose to play super risky and aggressive in hopes of gaining an early lead and running with it while the pack behind them blows itself up, while others may opt to sandbag a bit to try and get powerful items that will later allow them to plow through everyone. Both strategies have the potential to dominate when executed correctly and the potential for complete failure with poor execution or just bad luck.
@@toadstar1004 This is very true! When I'm in first, I often have to decide if I should keep or deploy my bananas/ shells. Same for second place.
Zipper trick also works with boost balloons. Prioritize blue, use as fast as possible. Done.
@@hockeater nice
I feel like double dash was the mario kart with the most strategy
People constantly mention how difficult this game is, I honestly don't remember that. I do remember having a shit load of fun doing everything in this game, 9 y/o me completed this game 100%.
It's different play for everyone but it defo had times where it could be challenging. Still beast it tho aha but like bro said trying not to break the controller,. Some of us can relate to that. 💀
there was challenges for sure in this game. no way anyone flys through all the content without a struggle here or there. thats what made it great tho. it was doable but not a complete cakewalk.
Man, I remember that same item system from Lego Racers. I'd always thought it was so clever and original, but I'd never realized they just lifted it straight from DKR. :P
That's also what gave Lego Racers a lot of charm too.
The best memory I had was that I knew you could get Drumstick but I didn't know how. Then I noticed the frog with the head flap and spend 10 minutes trying to run it over to be rewarded with the character.
Such an incredible game. Really reminds me what modern gaming is missing out on.
There was indeed a sequel for GBA.
Diddy Kong Pilot. Which was reborn as Banjo Pilot a few years later after Microsoft bought Rare. However, two prototypes (both Voxel and Mode 7 versions) from the original Diddy Kong version were dumped some years ago.
My favorite memory is facing Wizpig. I was 7 years old and I had lost to him CONSTANTLY. So frustrated, so angry but always so close to beating him that I wouldn't quit. Picked different characters but still lost just the same.
It went on for at least 60 times. I remember the intro: "Mwahaha! *You can't beat me, kid!* " I had heard it so much that when I lost all hope I said "I know I can't" as I tried again, but that race went differently. I got all the boosts just right and made no mistakes. My crushed morale rebuilt itself as I finally passed him, and I got excited! I was in the lead and the finish line was close. I was PRAYING out loud to win the race as I got closer; hoping that no BS thing would mess me up and suddenly...
I passed the finish line. I had won. After hours of failure, mistakes, hopelessness and taunting, I had won.
Great vid.
The giant octopus sux ass. I remember feeling so ecstatic when I finally beat him!
easily the most annoying boss. i never felt like i had to get a PERFECT run more than with any other boss. Im not sure id have the patience again, yrs later
Just use either Pipsy or Tipup as light weithed character are the BEST at hovercrafts.
@@Dan_d00d I just played through DKR again about a month ago and I must say, I never curse as much as when I play this game, I call those animals things I will not repeat here. I also unlocked T.T. which just made it that much worse. I would do it again.
I still see those bubbles in my nightmares
This actually made me a bit depressed at the years of my childhood that have disappeared before my eyes. Being a kid playing these games was really magical and being an adult now I know those feeling will never be replicated.
I rented this game from Blockbuster a lot as a kid and I remember booting it up and being so confused about the overworld aspect of the game that I got lost and was ramming into the doors for levels I hadn't unlocked for quite a while. The hovercraft and especially the airplane totally blew my mind and made me feel like I had so much freedom to move around. Great times.
I played the DS game as a kid. I LOVED it. All the secrets and flying blew my mind
Ikr, but I hate that battle mode was not on single player, and you know what kept me from going to the 1st wizpig race? THAT STUPID TAJ TORCH BLOW CHALLENGE!!!
Banjo and Conker characters I played as the most
timber and bumper were my go to racers
cool
@@MartKart8 of course once you get T.T. you can pretty much blast through most of the game
Guh Huh 🧸 🎒 🦜 🧩 🎵 🍯
I disliked how most of the characters just never seemed to have enough handling. That's why I always play as Pipsy. Always. (PLUS SHE'S SO CUTE)
Even though Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed dropped the “adventure” aspect of it, I think it was a great example of how to evolve the racing mechanics of DKR. Karts change form mid-lap, the track changes with them, and in general it adds variety to an otherwise-standard kart racer.
If you haven’t played it before, you should give it a shot!
Sonic Racing Transformed is a marvelous game indeed. Stoked for the new one.
What I loved about Diddy Kong Racing was the variety of challenges added to a racing game like the egg battle royale and the surprise of boss battles. They made me grind my teeth and squeeze my controller furiously. What I would love to see in a sequel would mainly be more of the same with a higher definition as well as just more content, characters, items, car types, and perhaps a changing overworld.
Aside from Banjo-Tooie and Majora's Mask, Diddy Kong Racing is one of my top favorite N64 games! I played it religiously when I was younger, and I worked so hard to get that space place unlocked. I really enjoyed playing it on the DS, too.
Two words: Icicle. Pyramid. Great memories there
Sno, I have not watched this yet, but by title alone, this is your best work. Congrats. Subbed.
I have watched it. Your best work, sir.
I don't think I have a single bad memory from this game. Played it growing up with my 3 brothers, all taking turns trying to beat courses if the others failed. Ended up dropping the game for a while around Greenwood Village Silver Coin Challenge, and finishing everything else the game had to offer. To this day we'll still pull up the soundtrack on youtube and jam out to it. To me, this game will never get old.
once as a kid I hadn’t beaten Wizpig. however, I turned on the console and suddenly the space tracks were available to play! I was blown away, I played them, then restarted the game to see if they stayed. they were gone. it was surreal.
Welp... Banjo & Kazooie are in Smash.
If that can happen, surely Microsoft can have Nintendo rerelease specific Rare-made games like Diddy Kong Racing and Star Fox Adventures. =P
My favorite part was that I thought I beat the game when I beat the pig but then 3 years later i went back to it and realised there was way more
I remember playing the remake of this game for the DS a long time ago, I actually had no idea it was a remake until this video! It was definitely a really fun game, and the DS version included local and online multiplayer. There was also sort of a custom track editor thing if I remember correctly. It was probably the most unique racing game I've ever played.
That one mini cinematic you would get every time the blue elephant man would come on his magic carpet to hand you your balloon at the end of a race !
That hubworld and bossfight stuff sounds extremely similar to Lego Racers 2, which was released a few years after this game.
The best part: "I'm Banjo, oooowwooohhh!"
This game was the unexpected gem of 1997. I got it Christmas morning and had no idea what to expect. I was way more excited for Madden 64 (which was also fantastic back when EA knew how to make American football games) but I put far more time into playing DKR. I played this from Christmas Day 1997 until I got another Rare masterpiece, Banjo-Kazooie, for my birthday in July. It blows my mind just how many all-time great games Rare released, all within the span of of like 2 years. It's arguably the greatest "run" any developer has went on
I remember i got stuck in the game and i spent months searching the access door for the dragon forest. After quitting the game for a while i bumped into the wall where the door was hidden. i was damn happy after that xDD i realized that kinda magic of discovering things was what made past games like so inmersive
I was 27 years old when I learned there's AN ENTIRE SECOND ADVENTURE AFTER THE SPACE BATTLE?!? WHAT!!???
I was never able to beat Wizpig in space. For 20 YEARS I THOUGHT I'D SEEN IT ALL. Holy shit. Digging out the N64 tonight.
Yeah! Thanks for the shout out and on one of my favorite N64 games by Rare!
I first played Diddy Kong Racing in 2017 and I agree, its far superior to Mario Kart 64. Rareware had a way of taking N64 classics and making classics of their own. The music is extremely charming in this game and the ice tracks in this game are nICE! The only thing, and I agree, is that I would've liked a co-op from the get-go. I also didn't know you could get subtitles and for some reason I had a hard time understanding some of the bosses dialogue. Honestly though, all these complaints are very minor and I truthfully think its one of the best racing games out there. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is fun for sure, but its missing that charm that Rare does so well.
I was actually thinking to myself in my alone-in-the-car/shower thoughts that if Playtonic made a racing game similar to Diddy Kong Racing, I would certainly be interested in it. Interestingly enough, I don't think Banjo or Conkur had been made in their games yet. That being said, if Yooka-Laylee had their own racing game with other characters from the universe, I would love to see what people think of the other racers, and then maybe we could get another game starring one of the most liked new drivers!
It's definitely a dream! But one can still hope! I agree though! I'm still waiting for the spirtual successor racing game, of Diddy Kong Racing too; great video Snoman as per usual!!!
It was the only racing game I could get behind as a kid because of the adventure of finding and unlocking new stuff.
there is a tradition in my country, wait until midnight to open the christmas gifts, i opened the boxes and there it was my first ever n64 game, i played until sunrise, was a total blast. since then everytime i think about diddy kong racing i think about christmas (specially with the christmas theme tracks). that was an amazing gift.... funny thing i didnt ask for that game, i for donkey kong 64. sorry for my english
I dunno about "perfecting," that shit was hard as hell for the very young demographic it was aimed at. Even speedrunners who've sunk several thousands of hours into DKR struggle with some of the bosses, like the octopus, where making even one, single mistake, no matter how small = GG, reset
And that's why it was amazing. The young demographic who managed to beat it felt happy because of their skill and perseverance like me.
Making literally any mistake at all in a 15+ year old game is a reset for a speedrunner. I guarantee you they can beat the bosses easily with consistent strats (the bosses are fixed, not rng), but when they mess up an optimisation, obviously their run is ruined
Nah you were just trash. Even at 8 I managed to beat it
I always felt diddy kong racing really pushed the genre forward. Then CTR took that improvement and turbo charged it.
I love CTR but DKR is by far the superior game.
Dude...CTR does not hold a candle against DKR.
Then Sega took the concept and made it even better and made the best kart racing game ever, Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed. I'm really hoping Sega make a new one and release it on switch, although I'm not sure Nintendo would allow them, as Transformed is already better than Mario Kart 8 deluxe
@@duffman18 Good game but you are delusional if you think it is better than MK8DX or DKR.
@@klartextgebliebenerstaatsa7296 do you have to resort to name calling? It shows you don't really have a point to make. I've got and beaten the two Sega kart racing games plus mario kart 8 deluxe. And the Sega ones, especially transformed, have far more interesting tracks, way more variety in terms of what vehicles you race in (just like diddy Kong), like there's no fun flying through space or through ruins in mario kart 8 deluxe, you just glide a bit sometimes. And honestly the handling is better in it than MK8D. But that last point is a nitpick, I'm sure others prefer the handling in the mario one. When I got a switch for Xmas one of the first games I bought was Mario kart 8, because I loved the Sega transformed one so much on pc, and it was just a bit disappointing. Still a great game, but it's like I "beat" the game in one day, winning all the grand prixs on 200cc. So what now? There's not much more reason to play it anymore, except for online I guess. All my friends hate racing games so they don't want to play it couch co-op. And so maybe that's where the true fun lies in MK8D, the couch multiplayer. But I'm mainly a single player game who doesn't often play online. And for that, the Sega kart games are way better. So I guess it's what perspective you're coming from. It's just I still can't help but feel mario kart 8 deluxe is very low on content. Especially coming to it after playing Smash Ultimate, which for a crap player like me is taking forever to unlock everything, and I'll need to out in months of daily practice to be able to compete online. Smash is bursting at thw seams with content. So why can't mario kart be the same? Again, I still think its great, just probably not worth the £60, for tracks that are all very samey, no variety in what you drive or anything except choosing another kind of land vehicle in a bike, there's no planes or anything.
I got it for Christmas 1997 and ignored my family the entire day. It's one of my favorite games of all time. Shout-out to the Star Wars death star trench run reference in the last world :D
Without even watching the video yet, I agree 100%. Nothing felt repetitive and the new challenges on levels after beating bosses weren't frustrating. The hardest boss fight was the pig before he goes to the moon as long as you don't have TT :D. I know you could get the rooster, but I hated how much he slid. I used tiptup - One of my favorite racing games to this day.. time to watch the video. Oooo also the hidden balloons in the over-world were a nice touch too. The hovercraft levels were my least favorite, but I still enjoyed them.
Edit: I take that back... the second time you fight the walrus was a pain in the butt. I just loved how good the controls were with the car when racing. Also, you could jump to help turn around corners with the hovercraft... it helped a lot.
Had no idea you got extra boost if you left off the gas in DKR. That's wild.
Found that out 20 years later, was the only way for me to beat the pig. I can finally rest in peace now
Sonic and All Stars racing transformed would like to have a word with you
Nah, DKR is better. Sonic ASRT is great but DKR is fantastic and am sad nothing like it has come around since.
Hey you’re first
This reminds me of one of the least talked about (and still buggy as all hell) racing series: Lego Racers (both 1 and 2) which had some really unique concepts for a racer. 1 had a similar system for powers as this one, 3 different color big blocks with white blocks that do nothing on their own but increase the power and effect of the colored blocks. The races were pretty straight forward but it was fun.
2 had way more to offer (and way more bugs, so be warned) like each power you can get in a race has 2 uses. Usually this made a smart risk vs reward system. The game also had each zone have an overworld, and all the races were played on that overworld but with checkpoints added to create a track. They didn't make a set track, it was just waypoints and you figure out the best way to get there. It was so much fun!
If you haven't ever played them, look them up. Bugs aside, they offer some really unique mechanics
I loved the music. It got stuck in my head in moments throughout my entire life. Thanks for the nostalgia trip. Great video. Also I never got good enough as a kid to see that lighthouse turn into a spaceship!
There was a remake of Diddy Kong Racing for the DS. Maybe you could do a vid on that? :3
I was looking for someone to mention that. I didnt play it much, but I never knew it originated on N64.
The DS version is a travesty of the original, they removed cheat codes, some of the cool vpices are gone, added unnesseary touch screen gimmicks, the only positive thing it did was make it so items don't get replaced if you touch a different one
@@MrNemitri I prefer the DS remake simply because they fixed the kart controls and added new tracks and music.
It's flawed, but at least you can use other characters than Pipsy and still be able to control those damn karts properly.
The item system and the overworld exploration maybe the best things this game has going for it. Screw the silver coin challenges.
I don't get the point of vehicle variety so much. Mario Kart 8 and Sonic Racing Transformed have air and water sections, but the track basically dictates when you transform. Sonic at least has some parts where you can choose to use one vehicle type over the other during the track. Diddy Kong Racing makes you pick one type and stick with it. Wouldn't it be more interesting to allow the player to switch vehicle types on the fly to approach each track challenge how they see fit? Different obstacles could easily give advantages and disadvantages per vehicle, but also offer incentives for taking more difficult paths such as shortcuts and items. It also means thinking even more about the course and which parts of it you want to tackle with which vehicle. I wouldn't make vehicle transformations instant though. It would take a second or two to make the change, so you also need to look for the best opportunity to switch and timing your transformations inbetween obstacles.
Anyway, I thought I'd also chime in that I'm making Donkey Kong month video reviews to celebrate DK month with you Snoman!
The reason why you choose and stick with one vehicle is because it defines the playstyle for that race.
In other words, it sets your strengths and weaknesses per se, it makes your choice ultimately matter rather than simply having everything at your disposal
I thought it was really interesting that DKR eschewed the rubber band mechanic that made MK64 so accessible. This made the lower difficulty levels absolute slaughters where you regularly lap the 2 or three slowest opponents, but the higher difficulty levels were totally demoralizing, since there was never a maximum distance the opponent could be from you.
the best as the adventure mode, that you could unlock so many secrets, ne courses - and even get them ,irrored was genious. but it was the atmosphere of the dark courses and the ones in space which really was something special
Never knew he was gonna do an episode on *this* game.
I doubt diddy kong racing will ever get a sequel, especially since Mario kart sells so well it would probably not make sense for nintendo to make multiple kart racing games. still, there's no reason Mario kart can't get a story mode one day, like the one diddy kong racing had. and I don't think diddy kong racing retro tracks in the next Mario kart are out of the question. I mean, there are already F-zero tracks. . . maybe they could also have Kirby air ride tracks and have Kirby be playable.
It COULD have gotten a sequel if Nintendo didn't do the mistake of not buying back Rare when it was being purchased by Microsoft. Idiots.
The best part about this game: NO RUBBERBANDING. It felt really cool to see your progress based on how many NPCs you could lap in a particular race.
DKR memories... well, for most people it's beating the Greenwood Village silver coins or Wizpig for the first time. They were so tough for kids.
Nintendo got tired of being outshined by Rare so they sold them to Microsoft. Try to convince me otherwise.
No wonder why the Gamecube got shafted due to the severe lack of third party games. Nintendo really screwed it when shey didn't buy back Rare.
He insulted DK64.
I'm not okay with this.
My friends and I were at a "video game bar" last night and they had this game available to play so we played a little bit. Spooky timing!
This was my first N64 game, and I played it non-stop. I love it. Thanks for the good memories
I think you misspelled Garfield Kart.
This isn't even a video about Garfield kart dude
It's about KNACK II BAABY!!
Diddy Kong Racing is the perfect game. Change my mind.
I loved it. But....frame rate?
Why would I change your mind? You're right.
One of my all time favorite games. Back in the day, my brother and I had an unofficial, friendly competition on our respective game save files. We both got stuck at the first Wizpig race, and I took him down first, showing him the green smoke trick. My brother found the golden keys though.
After that we both made it to the second Wizpig race. We both were so close to beating him, and one weekend, I was grounded from playing video games. He beat Wizpig's second race, while I sat in timeout.
We both started Adventure 2, and I came back and crushed it. Awesome game!
my favorite memory from the game was throwing the controller at the tv doing the silver coin challenges
Diddy Kong Racing track design was bland and boring. And the overworld is empty and tedious.
It was a good game and I know Mario Kart 64 has its own flaws, but I wouldn't say Diddy Kong Racing is better.
Good video!
Objetively, it's better, though.
Honestly, when I played DKR it always felt pretty bland and forgettable.
Care to explain why?
@@kazoorion7993 Stylistically speaking, it never felt like the game had much of an identity I guess. None of the characters except diddy and banjo are recognizable or interesting, just generic cartoon animals. The only music track I can remember is the main theme, which I never found particularly exciting. The race tracks themselves are just an assortment of basic level themes, none of which ever felt like they were taken in a unique direction.
I liked the gameplay just fine, but everything around it felt like a shovelware game.
Favorite thing about it pretty much was the adventure mode along with how much depth it had for a kart racer. Like you said, it has a good amount of things to do in it and it's a good way of getting the player accustomed to the game without being repetitive or boring. A good single player mode, to me atleast, is the best way of feeding the people into the multiplayer modes and more importantly it doesn't make me feel like I wasted 50 bucks on a game only for it to have barebones single player content with only grand prix's to pass the time along with a completely random and unfulfilling unlock system.
I never realized I literally just had to let go off the A button to get a bigger boost to beat Wizpig, damn it. :(
I had to go to a guide to find out that I had to keep the A button released for a second or two to actually get enough of the benefit.
Holy yoga pants. This game does have a lot of content. I never played it but I heard about it over on Madness on Normal Boots and they talked about how many secrets there were. They actually made a racing game also a collect-a-thon. God I love Rare.
Yes! I absolutely LOVED DK Racing! I played so much of this game with my best friend and we would trade playing races until we finally beat Wiz Pig. I had no idea we could have put in a code to play adventure mode in co-op!! Thanks for another great video!
Haven't played Diddy Kong Racing on a long while, but this video reminded me of just how terrific it was. Thanks for the wholesome reminder, my dude
I'm so glad you suggested a sequel and not a remaster. I feel like remasters are all the rage and people are loving them, but if I wanted to play the original, I would. What I want is developers to progress from past work, not just redo it with fancier effects and higher framerates! If Nintendo ever greenlighted a sequel to Diddy Kong Racing that actually added to the formula, I'd be very very happy
I could never beat that one winter biome level... Walrus Cove, was it? IT WAS THE FINAL ONE I NEEDED TO BEAT. When you finish first on a given track in adventure mode, you unlock the ability to choose different vehicles in a given track in multiplayer mode (say, the default is the plane; once you unlock it, you’d be able to also do the race in a hovercraft or car, depending on what the level was designed to race in).
MY ONLY GOAL WAS TO UNLOCK THAT ABILITY IN EVERY LEVEL SO MY SISTER AND I COULD MESS AROUND AS WE PLEASED EVERYWHERE WE COULD :c
Diddy Kong Racing was the lynchpin to my childhood. There are so many great memories of slowly progressing through the world, mastering tracks, but I guess if there's one memory that really stands out it was going to my cousin's cousin's house, playing the game and discovering that there was an entirely new world waiting for me if I just got good.
Absolutely would love to see a sequel. I feel had Rare hadn't been bought by Microsoft, we probably would've seen Rare make a Diddy Kong Racing Sequel for the Gamecube
Amazing analysis! I love everything about this game. Your channel has the best content about Rare games. I always played as Bumper in Diddy Kong Racing and finished 100% of it
One of my favorite kart racing game is Crash Tag Team Racing on PS2. It may be not a masterpiece but it has some nice ideas like a hub-world and merging with other racer to shoot at other racers.
If you're looking for a series that could maybe be considered the spiritual successor of sorts to this one then definitely check out the Lego Racers series. LR1 is a little basic in terms of story but it actually does tie into its sequel LR2.
My Dad is 70 now. He’s no gamer. Hasn’t picked up a controller in years. (Besides wii sports when that came out)
But my Dad beat this game. When the N64 came out, Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing were a hit with the whole family.
And not just multiplayer. My dad is the one to unlock Drumstick and the space tracks. Not something I was able to do when I was 10 at the time.
A few months ago, I finally booted up that same cartridge and started a new file and beat the game myself.
This is probably my favorite N64 game (tied with Ocarina of Time). My favorite memory was pretending to be sick on a school day, staying home and spending the entire day trying to Unlock T.T. I actually unlocked him RIGHT BEFORE my mom walked through the front door from work, so I had to hurry up and make sure the game saved, turn off the console, jump back in bed, and pretend to be sick until night time when everyone was asleep so I could try him out. Just knowing I had FINALLY unlocked T.T. was the stuff dreams are made of...
The battle modes in Diddy Kong and Mario Kart 64 were the best! Mario Kart has rarely come close to that with their vs multiplayer content.
I remember playing a busted ass version of DKR over and over on an emulator (we didn't have an N64 ourselves), so I was so overjoyed when they rereleased it for the DS!! I sunk an crazy amount of hours into that. What a perfect game!
I've heard so many people talk about how good Diddy Kong Racing is and I never really thought about it since I didn't grow up playing it, but now having you explain what actually the game consists of I really want to give it a try. I now know why so many people want it to come back! If they made this with the technology available now with the graphics of Mario Kart 8, I would pick it up day 1.
I played this game to completion when I was a kid. It was absolutely wonderful and the music still sticks with me years later. My favorite part was how the difficulty ramped up with each bit you completed. Such a fantastic game.
One of my favourite memories as a kid, was racing through the overworld and drifting over some frogs to flatten them. Turns out one of them unlocks Drumstick, who became one of my favourite character designs that Rare made. Pretty much banjo as a rooster. Was so fucking sick.
Anyone remember the DS version? That’s the one I grew up with.
Yup. Loved that version
DKR was the first game my siblings and I rented from Blockbuster after our parents bought us an N64. I have so many memories of 3 of us trading off playing all the races trying to win while learning the new N64 thumbstick that I can't pick just one; and that doesn't even include later once we bought the game and delved deeper into it.
You forgot to mention that there’s even two unlockable characters to top off the secrets.
I love this game, and the snow village is my favorite course design
I don't know if it's my favorite memory from the game, but definitely the most memorable one: The very last and final race against Wizpig in adventure 2. At least for my child self back then, that race was freaking hard and i don't know how many times i had to retry to finally win.