The Diddy Kong Racing DS thread

[anomynous]

Scheduled to come out Feb. 5. Discuss. I cant wait for it personally

[Pure Apathy]

I'm ready for it, should be fun.

[wubb]

Is it an all new game or a port of the N64 title?

[MusicNoteLess]

If it has a faster pace than the N64 version. It's most likely that I'll get it.

[furyk]

I hated Diddy Kong Racing. Seeing as I get everything on the DS, I'll probably snag it on clearance though. Awesome logic, no?

[Oops! I did it again.]

Is it an all new game or a port of the N64 title?

It's a port, but with a few bonuses (voice-compatible online play, new characters, some new modes, etc).

DKR was my favorite N64 racer outside of Cruis'n USA...so I'm PUMPED about this one.

[wubb]

Probably a pass for me then. Thanks for the info.

[2Fast]

Hearing that it's a port is actually getting me a little more excited about it.

[FlipSide]

Played DKR to death on N64, more than I did Mario Kart..I'll get it eventually..

[Chris in Cali]

Hearing that it's a port is actually getting me a little more excited about it.


Me too, I don't think Rare is capable of making a new classic.

[anomynous]

Me too, I don't think Rare is capable of making a new classic.
They can, Viva Pinata is GREAT game

[PrTv]

Could anyone tell me what's the difference between this game and MK ?

I mean, I took a look at the vid at youtube and found that it looks almost the same as MK.
To me, it's like MK in new skins. Well, that's just the appearance, but gameplay... we have no way to know until it's released.

[Oops! I did it again.]

Diddy Kong Racing is different in several ways. First off, there are different vehicles you utilize (hovercraft, airplane, car, and I think the DS version also has the magic carpet). Then, there's also a large environment that you explore to select stages and to find hidden items which help you unlock new stages. Also, each character has its own strengths and weaknesses (as compared to each kart in MK). One other difference is when you're racing, the weapons/tools you collect are not randomly selected (each color balloon you hit in your vehicle has a different power - and they build upon each other, so if you get one red balloon, it's one rocket - if you get two red balloons, it's a homing rocket, etc).

It's a bit more fleshed out of a game, though IIRC not quite as fast-paced and hectic as MK can be.

[PrTv]

Diddy Kong Racing is different in several ways. First off, there are different vehicles you utilize (hovercraft, airplane, car, and I think the DS version also has the magic carpet). Then, there's also a large environment that you explore to select stages and to find hidden items which help you unlock new stages. Also, each character has its own strengths and weaknesses (as compared to each kart in MK). One other difference is when you're racing, the weapons/tools you collect are not randomly selected (each color balloon you hit in your vehicle has a different power - and they build upon each other, so if you get one red balloon, it's one rocket - if you get two red balloons, it's a homing rocket, etc).

It's a bit more fleshed out of a game, though IIRC not quite as fast-paced and hectic as MK can be.

It sounds promising to me.
We'll see how good the game really is when it is released.

[msdmoney]

I'm in, if for nothing more than playing the flying egg stealing multiplayer level online.

[mattstockton12]

A port? I thought we were past the N64 to DS port stage :(

[62t]

A port? I thought we were past the N64 to DS port stage :(
aside from Mario 64 (which is like 1/3 new stuff) and Ridge Racer, I can't think of another N64 port.

[sblymnlcrymnl]

Tiptup is the man. 8-)

[Puffa469]

I'll be grabbing this for sure. I LOVE dkr on the 64, and still play it from time to time.

Its a port, but with some major changes and additions. They dropped the two Rare characters (Banjo & Conker) and subbed in some Nintendo characters for their spots.

I hope the Death Star trench run level makes its return. :)

[naes]

I'll get this when it comes out. God, I loved the N64 game sooo much.

[furyk]

aside from Mario 64 (which is like 1/3 new stuff) and Ridge Racer, I can't think of another N64 port.

Well, Resident Evil DS is a port of a PS1 game. Dawn of Sorrow lifts a ton of sprites from Symphony of the Night, and there are a number of remakes/sequels with minimal upgrades/ports on the system.

[62t]

Well, Resident Evil DS is a port of a PS1 game. Dawn of Sorrow lifts a ton of sprites from Symphony of the Night, and there are a number of remakes/sequels with minimal upgrades/ports on the system.
um about half of the sprites from Symphony of the Night are from Rondo no Blood, and there is no way you can said thats a port. Resident Evil is a port but it was never on the N64 (but RE2 was on N64). There are some sequels on the DS but they are more than just a port.

[mwj]

I preordered this from Amazon for $29.99. Since I have only been following DS software for about 2 months, what is the chance that Diddy Kong Racing makes it Feb. 5th release date? Thanks.

[Killbreed]

I preordered this from Amazon for $29.99. Since I have only been following DS software for about 2 months, what is the chance that Diddy Kong Racing makes it Feb. 5th release date? Thanks.

I'm pretty sure any delay would've been reported by now. It is about 3 weeks away and i don't think they'd wait until now to delay it so it should be making the date.

[soonersfan60]

I'm pretty sure any delay would've been reported by now. It is about 3 weeks away and i don't think they'd wait until now to delay it so it should be making the date.

I thought the same thing about Super Paper Mario (and even got an email from Nintendo CS telling me it was going to be released), but it just disappeared without any warning or reports of delays. :cry:

[Roufuss]

This game apparently has wi-fi... I'm totally in if this is the case (i.e playable over the internets like Mario Kart).

It'll go from "meh" to "I'll buy it on day 1".

[Oops! I did it again.]

^ Yes, it is the case. It also has the voice option (probably the same as in the Tony Hawk games).

[Roufuss]

^ Yes, it is the case. It also has the voice option (probably the same as in the Tony Hawk games).

That is awesome. I will score this the first day it comes out then, since the Wi-Fi is very awesome so far.

What voice option? Like voices during races or something? Is there a way to turn it off :rofl:

[dastly75]

It'd be a sure buy for me but I don't know a lot of people who have DS systems and the DS online code system is a pain.

[Roufuss]

It'd be a sure buy for me but I don't know a lot of people who have DS systems and the DS online code system is a pain.

I've never had a problem just searching for a game in Tetris or Mario Kart, finding one instantly, and just playing against random joe's.

It's better than no wi-fi at all.

[Dranakin]

Sweet.

[Dead of Knight]

I really want this game. But I'm going to wait for reviews to make sure they didn't fuck anything up in the port, and then I'll buy it. I loved the N64 version.

[APE992]

Will DKR use WPA? WEP is fine if you live in the middle of nowhere but not if you consider security a priority.

[dastly75]

I've never had a problem just searching for a game in Tetris or Mario Kart, finding one instantly, and just playing against random joe's.

It's better than no wi-fi at all.

I don't know if it's better now but when I first got Mario Kart, my friend had two friends on his list and I had one. He and his friend were matched and I was trying to match with them but it wouldn't let me since I didn't have his other friend on my friends list.

Also whenever I tried to play that game on Wi-Fi, the game would rarely find 4 people and would take an incredibly long time to lock people in and start the game.

[AndrewCP]

Um, SM64DS is a remake.

[crazytalkx]

I'll get this when it comes out. God, I loved the N64 game sooo much.

Same here! I played the hell out of it when I was a kid.

[mattstockton12]

aside from Mario 64 (which is like 1/3 new stuff) and Ridge Racer, I can't think of another N64 port.

Yeah, well, I'd rather have a new game than a port. I was hoping they wouldn't do it again, but that was a naive wish. I just don't want the same thing to happen to DS that happened with the GBA, i.e. a plethora of SNES titles ported to the system. Anyone else pissed that we only got one original Zelda and zero original Marios on the GBA, the last 2D centric system in existance? Thankfully we got Metroid Fusion instead of a Super Metroid port, I woulda pulled my hair out.

[swetooth9]

this has online play? *buys*

[wageslave]

Mario Kart DS > Diddy Kong Racing > Mario Kart 64 in my opinion. I thought Diddy Kong was the best kart game for the 64. Not sure I want a port, though, unless they really polished it up.

[redsox6391]

Man, I can't wait to buy this game! I LOVED it on N64, and I can't wait to play it again!:bouncy:

[regisphilbi0]

I am definitely gonna get this. I played DKR a TON (it was my first N64 game) so I will definitely get this.

[xplode427]

track creation video is nice (http://www.dsfanboy.com/2007/01/29/custom-track-creation-in-diddy-kong-racing/)

[Ranger Rick]

IGN has a new impressions of the online mode.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/759/759553p1.html

Sounds pretty good. I have a question for you guys. I'm a new DS Lite owner who's never played Diddy Kong Racing on N64 and loved every mario kart game I've had my hands on. Should I pick up Diddy Kong Racing and experience the new release with everyone else (do you think most people will be leaving the Mario Kart servers for this new game) or should I go with Mario Kart?

[asianxcore]

I'm still on the fence about getting this.

Probably because I've been so spoiled on Mario Kart DS.

[Ziv]

Got one free today from a friend at GS. I traded it for a preorder on FFVI since I read it was a port. I hated the N64 game. So did he. Thank you guys for saving me from wasting my time playing it.

[ViolentLee]

I got a copy in the mail Tuesday, and will be reviewing it for Yahoo -- spending the bulk of Thursday playing it. I was always pissed at myself for trading Mario Kart 64 for the N64 version back in the day. Now that Mario Kart DS added a mission mode and has so many tracks, it'll be tough to beat. Of course, I'm going in this with an open mind.

[Oops! I did it again.]

Quick question about release dates, kinda random. I pre-ordered DKR and Winning Eleven (DS) today at EB, and the dude tells me that I'll get DKR on Tuesday and Winning Eleven on Wednesday. I don't think I've ever picked up a game on a Wednesday before...is that normal, though? For some games to be released on Tuesday and others on Wednesday?

[ViolentLee]

Played through a bunch of the game today. Not a fan of the stylus portions -- which in part replace the silver coin grab events. Online works well, but you have to unlock almost everything, even for multiplayer. Conker and Banjo characters are obviously not in this version.

[Zingela]

Wednesday releases are very normal, in fact, most games ship Tuesdays and arrive in stores on Wednesdays. Nintendo games typically ship Mondays and arrive Tuesday.

It'll vary depending on location, though.

As for Diddy Kong Racing, the game is mostly as it was, except now the Silver Coin challenges are no longer required to get to the harder version of each boss.
Instead, you get some sort of on-rails tour through each track where you must pop so many balloons with your stylus along the way, and drag coins into your bag. You know what? Give me back my mandatory Silver Coin challenges.

The voices from the original are also gone, replaced by a typical modern Rare style--everyone sounds British. I know, I know, but why did they change something that never needed changing in the first place?

Other than that, I'm enjoying the game so far, just wish I weren't forced into the carpet rides when I play adventure mode.

[Oops! I did it again.]

Wednesday releases are very normal, in fact, most games ship Tuesdays and arrive in stores on Wednesdays. Nintendo games typically ship Mondays and arrive Tuesday.
Thanks for the heads up! My usual experience with buying release-date games is usually for the NBA 2K series and Nintendo titles - all of which I can remember (except Wii, obviously) being available Tuesdays. For other titles, I usually wait for reviews. Never encountered a Wednesday release, so I was curious...thanks for the information!

[porieux]

Diddy Kong Racing is an awesome game!

I want it on the Wii though, not the DS :(

[anarchyburger]

so is the multiplayer any good? is this worth a buy?

i played the n64 version like once at a friends house but didnt pay much attention to it in the n64 days since i had my mario kart 64 :D

[Dead of Knight]

Instead, you get some sort of on-rails tour through each track where you must pop so many balloons with your stylus along the way, and drag coins into your bag. You know what? Give me back my mandatory Silver Coin challenges.

The voices from the original are also gone, replaced by a typical modern Rare style--everyone sounds British. I know, I know, but why did they change something that never needed changing in the first place?

Other than that, I'm enjoying the game so far, just wish I weren't forced into the carpet rides when I play adventure mode.

Thanks for the info. I won't be getting it now.

[Oops! I did it again.]

Are the silver coin challenges the only thing you loved about the N64 game?

If not, why is that alone enough to sway you from excitement to totally passing on it?

[APE992]

I paid for this one through CD Universe and they say it's released on the 9th. Probably will have to wait quite a while to play this one.

[rodeojones903]

EGM didn't like it too much. Gave it 5, 6, 5.5.

[Roufuss]

EGM didn't like it too much. Gave it 5, 6, 5.5.

Yea, some pretty average scores there.

Something must have gotten fucked up in the port, or all these extra parts are worse than the previews made them sound.

[Dead of Knight]

Are the silver coin challenges the only thing you loved about the N64 game?

If not, why is that alone enough to sway you from excitement to totally passing on it?

No, the boss fights are completely changed as far as I've heard. And there's no bananas. What the fuck?

[ViolentLee]

No, the boss fights are completely changed as far as I've heard. And there's no bananas. What the fuck?
I don't totally remember what bananas were for, but I think they were replaced by coins. You then use coins to buy stuff -- vehicle upgrades, multiplayer modes/courses, etc.

[Dead of Knight]

I don't totally remember what bananas were for, but I think they were replaced by coins. You then use coins to buy stuff -- vehicle upgrades, multiplayer modes/courses, etc.

Speed boosts during races. The more bananas you get, the faster you go.

[johnnypark]

Will DKR use WPA? WEP is fine if you live in the middle of nowhere but not if you consider security a priority.

Unfortunately, no. It's not per game that this is decided, it's that the DS only accepts WEP encyrption. It's better than nothing, but in order for that to change, I'm pretty sure it would requires something like a firmware upgrade from Nintendo.

[Oops! I did it again.]

How about some friend codes, folks? :)

Mine is 403818-536185 and the name is BritneyFan.

Let me know if ya add me.

[Oops! I did it again.]

For the record: the balloon popping challenges? LOVE 'EM. Very fun.

Took me a couple of them to get used to it all, but dragging the coins while trying to pop balloons while trying to maneuver the perspective from the carpet to see what I'm missing can get kinda hectic...but not frustratlingly so, it's a nice change-up.

[Oops! I did it again.]

I can safely say, after several hours with the game over the past couple of days, that I'm enjoying this game significantly more than Mario Kart. Not only do the races hold up, but there's just so much more MEAT to the game itself. It's more fun and a heck of a lot more versatile.

The weapon system (being able to build upon each item, versus MK's system of the quality of your power-up depending on your race position) is one of the things I loved about the N64 version, and sure enough, it's an advantage over MKDS just like it was over MK64.

Also, I don't get the hate that some folks online have had towards the pre-race boost system (blowing into the mic with the hovercraft, rubbing the wheel down to turn it in the car, and spinning the propeller with the plane) - they've all worked beautifully for me, and have been kinda challenging right before the race to maximize, but in a fun way.

Finally, I must be the only one who actually LOVES the change-up from silver coin challenges to the magic carpet challenges? What makes it work so well is that you STILL need to repeat races to try to get as many silver coins as possible, but now they're for buying your choice of vehicle upgrades, adding custom options, etc. So instead of overkilling that concept with a mandatory collection challenge, instead we get a challenge that is pretty unique and well executed in the carpet rides. It's challenging, as I said the other day, to multitask everything (trying to turn your perspective, pop balloons, and then drag coins), but it's some of the most fun I've had in the game.

We'll see if it survives the test of time, but so far this has to be my 2nd fave DS game behind NSMB. I'm surprised nobody here has been sharing friend codes and whatnot, other than myself. Hope that changes!

[naes]

I'm getting it Saturday :D. Not as soon as I was planning, but I can't wait.

[RedvsBlue]

You know, the reviews are really funky on this. The "official" reviewers are all giving it 70% or less whereas all the user reviewers are giving it around 80%. Its really odd cause usually user reviews and reviewers are at least somewhat close but this is quite the difference between numbers. I don't get it.

[Oops! I did it again.]

Neither do I. The main negative I've seen in reviews is that the additions intended to take advantage of the DS' unique features are shoddy. I argue that is absolutely untrue. Also, complaints about the changes of gameplay have also been prominent in pro reviews, yet my experience as a gamer has been a complete disagreement (sure, it's not 100% loyal to the original...but that's because it's better than the original). Then there are complaints about it not being as quick and hectic as MKDS, but gee, how hectic does it need to be? I've had a couple of great SUPER close hovercraft races...those are always the most hectic because of how slippery the control naturally is.

Most importantly, the magic carpet rides are FUN, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[RedvsBlue]

Neither do I. The main negative I've seen in reviews is that the additions intended to take advantage of the DS' unique features are shoddy. I argue that is absolutely untrue. Also, complaints about the changes of gameplay have also been prominent in pro reviews, yet my experience as a gamer has been a complete disagreement (sure, it's not 100% loyal to the original...but that's because it's better than the original). Then there are complaints about it not being as quick and hectic as MKDS, but gee, how hectic does it need to be? I've had a couple of great SUPER close hovercraft races...those are always the most hectic because of how slippery the control naturally is.

Most importantly, the magic carpet rides are FUN, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Maybe they're upset cause you can't snake through the entire course?

[naes]

See: Diddy Kong Racing for N64
You know, the reviews are really funky on this. The "official" reviewers are all giving it 70% or less whereas all the user reviewers are giving it around 80%. Its really odd cause usually user reviews and reviewers are at least somewhat close but this is quite the difference between numbers. I don't get it.

[lilboo]

Yeah, let's start sharing our friend codes :)

Mine is...
283559
516958

PLEASE PM ME if you add me AND of course gimme your annoying number (Siiigh Nintendo..)

[naes]

I can't wait! Getting it tomorrow morning! Man, I want this game so badly!!!

[Chibi_Kaji]

I just grabbed this today while I was at Best Buy. With the hour or so I have put into the game I can say it is a little harder then MKDS. I'll throw my FC up sometime after I put a little more time into the game.

[lilboo]

Oh and also, like I said in the FF6 thread.. I am enjoying this more this time around then my first time.. so, that's good!

Just miss Conker & Banjo :(

[lilboo]

Oh and, I just played a good 10 matches Wi-Fi. I gotta say it's pretty awesome. Sadly, this will probably only last.. a month? :(

Hate the cheaters. That's why I rarely even play on Wi-Fi anymore. I hope this game doesn't get hacked & cheated bad!!

But besides that.. played 6 player online for a good 1/2 hour. It's FUN!! I only have 1 person on my friends list (LOL) and I hope to get alot of you on there and have some 6 player matches ^_^

[naes]

I'll be glad to play against you tomorrow! Heh, I can't waitttt. This game owned on N64!


WAIT, what if the Best Buy I go to is OOS? :cry:
Oh and, I just played a good 10 matches Wi-Fi. I gotta say it's pretty awesome. Sadly, this will probably only last.. a month? :(

Hate the cheaters. That's why I rarely even play on Wi-Fi anymore. I hope this game doesn't get hacked & cheated bad!!

But besides that.. played 6 player online for a good 1/2 hour. It's FUN!! I only have 1 person on my friends list (LOL) and I hope to get alot of you on there and have some 6 player matches ^_^

[Chibi_Kaji]

My FC is
098876- 012131

Send me a PM if you add me.

[lilboo]

Hey, does anyone know if there's a way to check your online record?

I actually have been doing well with this game, unlike Mario Kart LOL, and would like to see physical evidence to myself!!

and why isn't this on NintendoWiFi.com yet?
There's quite a bit of games NOT on that site.. what's up with that?

[naes]

I just got this game! Yay! Lemme play for a bit then I'll post my friend code.

[lilboo]

So as I played a few times online.. how do you unlock the characters?
I've seen T.T. Wizpig and Taj.. and I think there's one more.

Has anyone unlocked them yet? How do you do this?

[naes]

I would also like to know how to unlock characters...

Just a quick note, the plane controls are pretty bad, IMO.
So as I played a few times online.. how do you unlock the characters?
I've seen T.T. Wizpig and Taj.. and I think there's one more.

Has anyone unlocked them yet? How do you do this?

[Rocko]

Ah, this game looks great and I loved it on the N64. Sadly I don't really want to pay full price for it... here's hoping it goes on sale sometime! =P

[naes]

I totally take back what I said abou the planes. Now that I've got the hang of them, it's real fun flying them! :D.

[Oops! I did it again.]

^ Yup, I love the plane controls. Just got to remember to hold down R on those sharp turns.

[lilboo]

Yeah I LOVE Plane races!

It's the hovercraft that I LOATHE. Never liked them.. :(

[Chibi_Kaji]

I finally played a few matches online mode and I actually won both times. :)

[naes]

Where's the key in Dino Domain? I can't find it... :cry:

[lilboo]

Ok so where's the Key at in Snow world???? :(

[naes]

I need to know this too... And the one in Dino Domain!
Ok so where's the Key at in Snow world???? :(

[lilboo]

I need to know this too... And the one in Dino Domain!


I know that! It's on the first race (Ancient Lake?) and on the side, you'll see a ramp, and I'm sure a blue balloon is before that. Get it, use your boost on the ramp. It's there :)

[naes]

Thanks! I found it! Since I can't beat that penguin thing in that Snow World, I'm trying to get all gold balloons in Dino Domain (the balloon touch challenge). Man, I suck at the balloon touch challenges.
I know that! It's on the first race (Ancient Lake?) and on the side, you'll see a ramp, and I'm sure a blue balloon is before that. Get it, use your boost on the ramp. It's there :)

[crazytalkx]

Ah, this game looks great and I loved it on the N64. Sadly I don't really want to pay full price for it... here's hoping it goes on sale sometime! =P

Same here, though I do still have the N64 version lying around somewhere...

[lilboo]

The voice acting is this game suuuuucks tho :(

Do I remember correctly? In the N64 version, whenever you were chillen and driving around and Taj was around wouldn't he hum or sing along to the tune as well..?

His voice now is pretty sad :(

But the DKR theme.. lol oh man, I've ALWAYS loved it!!

[naes]

The only problem with it is...

Taj's voice. His N64 voice was sweet.
The voice acting is this game suuuuucks tho :(

Do I remember correctly? In the N64 version, whenever you were chillen and driving around and Taj was around wouldn't he hum or sing along to the tune as well..?

His voice now is pretty sad :(

But the DKR theme.. lol oh man, I've ALWAYS loved it!!

[lilboo]

Anyone know where I can find a site to make a DS friend code sig?
I wanna put this game in my sig, but I hate just using text lol

Plus I may go buy Bomberman today, and I'll probably do that too :D

[tiredfornow]

I would also like to know how to unlock characters...

Just a quick note, the plane controls are pretty bad, IMO.


the R-turning is what throws me off.

Im kind of retarded to WiFi on DS, just played single cart a bunch of times with my girl, how do I get my friend code?

[Chibi_Kaji]

I spent some coins on that voice recorder thingie. It's nothing that amazing but it's fun to mess around with.

[lilboo]

Would it be wrong/annoying of me to start a DKR friend code thread?

I'd love to gather all of our FCs and be able to update the OP daily..
or should we keep it in this thread?

[johnnypark]

So, DKR DS is going to be $20 next week at CC. To everyone who's already had a chance to play it, is it worth it? I loved the original, but the reviews have been pretty bad (seems mostly comparisons to Mario Kart, though, have brought scores down).

Thoughts?

[swetooth9]

i'll be snagging it for 20 as well

[anomynous]

So, DKR DS is going to be $20 next week at CC. To everyone who's already had a chance to play it, is it worth it? I loved the original, but the reviews have been pretty bad (seems mostly comparisons to Mario Kart, though, have brought scores down).

Thoughts?
Easily worth $20, it was worth the full price I paid for it. (to me at least)

[johnnypark]

For anyone who wanted to get this for $20, you can get it for even less! Check out Speedy's weekly ad thread:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2778213&posted=1#post2778213

You can price match at Best Buy and use the Gamepro coupons to get it for $15 :) YMMV since they aren't technically supposed to accept coupons on top of a price match, but in my experience they either don't know or don't care.

[Roufuss]

Just snagged this today... PM'ed at Best Buy, threw down a $5 RZ cert, and walked out with the last copy of Diddy Kong Racing for $15 ;)

Can't wait to try it!

[Rocko]

Just cracked it open myself. No bananas? Boo! Still trying to figure out the function of the coins. :lol:

Fun, though.

[Roufuss]

Ugh... I'm disappointed.

The racing is awesome, but fuck the stylus stuff. How am I supposed to spin the wheel with the stylus and then immediately start racing, stylus in hand?

And all the balloon popping stuff? I want to race, not pop balloons. It's not bad, but it's not great either.

Don't even get me start on the boss touch battles.

I'm going to play it some more before I write it off completely... the racing itself is awesome, it's just marred by a lot of non race bullshit.

[Roufuss]

Well, I'm done with Diddy Kong Racing, I think. Some more things I noticed -

- No individual karts. Everyone drives the same yellow and red kart, and while it can be upgraded, you don't ever actually *see* the upgrades. I guess every other game has spoiled me in that characters have individual karts, so you get to know a little about their personality and pick a kart that is your favorite... this brings me to point number 2:

- The game has no personality whatsoever. Sure, it's got Diddy Kong, but who are the rest of these characters? Why do I even care about them? The designs are pretty half ass, to be honest, and the voices are shit. I don't feel like I care about ANY of the racers.

- The control just feels a bit off... I feel like sometimes I'm fighting with the steering more than anything. It's espicially apparent in the hovercraft.

- I hate the stylus balloon popping shit. A lot. It's un-necessary and it seems the only reason it was put in was to say "LOOK WE'RE USING THE STYLUS AND TOUCH SCREEN!!!".

- Once you get behind in a race, good luck getting back to the front. I got hit with a missle, fell behind to 7th place, and never got past 7th place again.

To it's credit, the racing is ok, and the game has a lot of depth, but I don't feel like my time is worth investing in it. I'm pretty disappointed... I should have read review's first, because IGN's and Gamespy's reviews are exactly what I felt was wrong with this game.

It's just way too gimmicky.

[Dead of Knight]

Sounds like they completely fucked up the gameplay from the N64 version, Roufuss. It's too bad. I really really loved the N64 version back in the day.

[Roufuss]

Sounds like they completely fucked up the gameplay from the N64 version, Roufuss. It's too bad. I really really loved the N64 version back in the day.

I can see why... the straight up racing dosen't seem to be that bad. I could see myself getting used to the controls.

But it's the bullshit nonsense DS stuff they put in just because they could which got to me.

I want to just race, I don't want to have to do some shitty balloon challenges over and over to get gold.

The graphics look like shit, too... Mario Kart DS looks damn good, imo, it looks like Rare actually made the graphics worse.

I really liked this game until I got to all the DS specific stuff, and I'm in the camp that really hates when games put that shit in for no reason at all. I only paid $15 for it luckily, and I can make that back.

It only took two hours for me to go "Hey, this game is kind of cool" to "Wow, this game is fucking tedious and the DS shit sucks". I'm sure someone will disagree with me, but all I wanted was straight up racing.

I forget to mention the upgrade system is confusing as hell too, and not really explained, and it takes a bajillion coins to get anything done.

[johnnypark]

Hmm...I've got about 4 hours on my game now and I have mixed, but mostly positive, feelings. I like...

-being able to upgrade vehicles

-the diversity of the vehicles

-how challenging the races get less than half-way into the
game...they make you fight for your win!

-the new weapon upgrades, they're very well balanced because they can be difficult to put together

-the open-endedness of the tracks, and plenty to be had for completionists should I ever be feeling maschostic

-the stylus-controlled balloon popping is actually kind of fun, if not on the easy side (unless going for gold). It's nice to see an attempt at something different.




I dislike...

-how many fucking coins it takes to upgrade vehicles, because some of the later races are downright impossible without the upgrades

-the new boost system for the beginning of races. I end up having to use my finger on the touch screen because it's rather difficult to go from stylus to instantly holding down the acceleration button, and I can still never get a huge boost in the plane or cart. I'm afraid this will make things a lot harder near the end of the game.

-since you control where you're looking on the carpet rides, sometimes I'll miss a balloon or a coin and end up dragging the camera to an undesirable angle on accident. It blows and can ruin an otherwise great run.

-the complete omission of silver coins kind of sucks. why not leave them in, but just add the carpet rides?? Adding content w/o removing old favorites would be much preferable, since those challenges are some of the hardest (and most satisfying) I've ever completed.

-most of the characters are fairly generic/lame, but I came to race, so I don't care all that much.

-the new voices are completely unnecessary. Taj used to have a goofy Indian accent, now he sounds like a British guy who's mother knew a man from India when he was in the 3rd grade and he's trying his best to imitate him but has no idea how bad it is.

Overall... it doesn't deserve the consistently and surprisingly low scores it's received. I say about a 6.5-7 is fair, and definitely worth the $15 I paid for it for a little nostalgia. Plus, online racing (which I haven't tried yet) will help me get over any complaints about less racing in the single-player because of the silver coins. At least there's still trophy races!

Try it before you buy it if possible, but if you can get it for cheap like I did, then it's even less than a budget title and fairly solid despite my gripes.

[Roufuss]

Overall... it doesn't deserve the consistently and surprisingly low scores it's received.

I disagree.

I didn't read any reviews before I bought the game (my bad, I feel pretty dumb for that), and after I played it for a solid 2 - 3 hours I went back through and checked out some reviews, namely Gamespy's and IGN's, and all their complaints were spot on.

This just feels like a 1st gen DS game, and there is much much better games out there to play. It's just lacking so much polish.

[johnnypark]

I disagree.

I didn't read any reviews before I bought the game (my bad, I feel pretty dumb for that), and after I played it for a solid 2 - 3 hours I went back through and checked out some reviews, namely Gamespy's and IGN's, and all their complaints were spot on.

This just feels like a 1st gen DS game, and there is much much better games out there to play. It's just lacking so much polish.

I agree to an extent, the standard of quality is pretty high for both Nintendo-published games, and for just about anything Rare has done for them, so I guess the short-comings are a bit harder to swallow when expectations are pretty high - that, and the 1st game was excellent just the way it was.

Eh, but I stand by what I said. Perhaps I wouldn't if I'd paid $30 for it the day it came out, but for $15 I'm content.

[Brad Bishop]

Eh, but I stand by what I said. Perhaps I wouldn't if I'd paid $30 for it the day it came out, but for $15 I'm content.

I think for $15, probably not a bad purchase.

My thoughts on the game:

It's like Mario Kart Jr. not Mario Kart II

I'm not a big fan of the stylus stuff either.

One of my biggest complaints: I'm not one to play this kind of game for the adventure mode. I'm generally uninterested in it. You only get 4-tracks if you don't unlock them (I assume) via the adventure mode. This kind of kills it for me. I'm going to have to see if I can get one of my daughters to play and open up the extra tracks, etc.

I really hate the 'locked' stuff in games. I can sort of see it if it actually has something to do with the main game but so many games just lock it for the sake of doing so to get you to play the 'main game'. It annoys me.

One of the worst offenders of this was one of the versions of Space Invaders. The Classic Mode was locked. No good reason other than them wanting you to score some high number at the Lame Invaders version.