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| From: Nintendo
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $24.69
You Save: $5.30 (18%)
New (42) Used (9) from $18.75
Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 1162
Platform: Nintendo Ds
Genre: kart_racing_and_flying_games
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Nintendo DS
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0 x 0
MPN: NTR P AWDE
Model: NTRPAWDE
UPC: 045496738532
EAN: 0045496738532
ASIN: B000LLUXDW
Release Date: February 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 25
 Classic Reborn February 8, 2007
Samuel L. Duke (San Diego)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
In this latest edition of Diddy Kong Racing for the DS you have all that was before and more....
This is a great classic to bring to the DS. If you played the original then you are familar with the controls(which havent changed to much) and the courses. This version has updated in that you will be using the stylus alot from everything like getting a power boost start to collecting balloons to get to the boss races. Some major and I think great improvements in the game are the track editor(unlocked later in game) and of course WI FI play. There are also alot of other new extras that you will just have to play to find out. All in all this is a great game for any hardcore fans of the original and hardcore racers. The only downfall I thought with the game is that I wish the graphics could have been a little sharper. Other than that it is an excellent game and recommend highly in gaming library.
 Bland when compared to Mario Kart DS February 11, 2007
GK (San Jose, CA USA)
5 out of 12 found this review helpful
I've been playing this game for a few weeks and find it to be a boring. I've played with friends using the wireless functionality, but even still it's not as engaging as Mario Kart DS.
As the title states, the levels are bland. Nothing exciting here. No matter what vehicle you use you never feel like you're going fast.
You don't get the same thrill and rush that Mario Kart DS provides.
I would have thought the folks over at Nintendo would have put some more time and effort into this title as it could have been fun, but I was disappointed.
It doesn't have much re-play value as its Mario Kart DS counter part.
Yeah, yeah I know it sounds like I'm a Mario Kart DS fan boy, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
As far as "Kart" games go, I would go for Mario Kart DS and skip this title.
This One Sits on the Fence May 4, 2007
Sean (Aurora, Colorado)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
There were plenty of great Nintendo 64 classics out there. Perfect Dark. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Donkey Kong 64. Starfox 64. Super Smash Bros. But of all the classics Nintendo decided to port to the DS they chose... Diddy Kong Racing? A game that really isn't much of a classic beyond its age to begin with. Of all the classic N64 games out there, one probably will wonder after playing this, why Nintendo decided to port this one over to the DS above other clearly superior games that deserve a second life.
There's actually a storyline in Diddy Kong Racing, and after you know just what it is you'll understand why most racing games don't have a storyline. A racing game doesn't need a story to be good, and when there actually IS a story, it usually hinders the game. In Diddy Kong Racing it's certainly true as the story makes no sense whatsoever. Wizpig has come and taken over an island, and the inhabitants don't like it one bit. So they call in Diddy Kong to save the day. And he's going to do it by racing. At least the game doesn't dwell on the storyline too much. Who would've thought a storyline in a video game could feel tacked on?
Diddy Kong Racing feels like a hybrid of Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart. You explore the island and can go into one of the hubs where you'll go through a race. In each hub there are doors with balloons on them, and if you don't have the required amount of balloons, you can't go in and race. Thankfully, if you're ever stuck, there are some balloons hidden across the island. Likewise, you'll also get balloons by winning the race. And when I say win I'm not kidding, you have to be first place. Otherwise you get nothing.
Racing in and of itself isn't so bad, though. Like Mario Kart you get an assortment of ways to deal with your competition. You can chuck items at them to slow them down or knock them out for a moment. In truth, racing is actually quite fun. Mostly in part because it feels like Mario Kart in several areas.
What really stings the gameplay, however, is the repetitive nature of it. First, you'll go through the hubs four races. After that you'll race a boss. After defeating the boss... you go through all the races again. You win all the races again and then face off against the boss a second time. And after you face off a second time? You get to go through all the courses AGAIN, only this time you see the race from a bird's-eye view. Racing can be fun, but the amount of time spent racing through the same courses in order to progress forward is tedious. By the third time you'll probably be sick and tired of it all.
The touch screen controls are no better. You'll race in an assortment of different vehicles. You'll race in either a kart, airplane or hovercraft. To get a boost from these requires you to use the stylus. For example with the plane you'll have to use the stylus to trace out a ring as if you were spinning a propeller. These controls are just annoying, especially because once you actually get going you probably won't need them.
Even worse, the third race from the bird's eye-view will make you use the stylus. You'll have to use it to boost yourself as well as draw out a course for your driver to take. You'll find yourself having to boost more as they'll slow down a lot, and even worse, they may not even follow your course properly. This makes some of the races a real drag.
There are things to do outside the racing. There are plenty of mini-games and you can upgrade your kart any time you feel like it. It's really expensive to upgrade your kart, though, and that'll require more racing from you. In fact, unlocking a lot of the stuff requires you to race a lot. It's a racing game so, of course, you'd have to race to get all the goodies. The problem is again, like the main story, you have to race in the same courses over and over and over again. It's bad enough to go through all the courses three times in a row during the main storyline. Now I have to go through all the courses as much as four times in a row just to unlock stuff? Getting all the extras in this game is a tedious task, and all that hard work just doesn't always pay off.
At least the game's multiplayer is fun. Especially because even those who don't own the game will be able to have full access to everything the host does. Even better you can go online with six people. Nintendo still has some issues to work out with taking their games online, however. Even though here you don't actually need a friend code, there's still the problem of not being able to communicate with anyone online when you set up races and the like. When will Nintendo learn that if you're going to send a game online, there needs to be some form of communication as well?
To it's credit, the game looks good, though. Great graphics. They're really colorful and it's nice to see that there are games out there willing to use the DS's 3D capabilities. The music itself isn't bad, but some of the voices are pretty annoying. You don't hear the voices much, though.
Diddy Kong Racing is hard to judge. On the surface, it's actually a pretty fun game, but once you start digging deep, it's very tedious. Having to go through all the courses three times in order to progress just begins to drag after a while. Even worse, unlocking the extras feels more like a chore than anything. Finally, the touch screen controls are just awful. It's a pretty looking game and it can be fun... but not all that glitters is gold.
If you honestly want a good kart racing game on your DS, then Diddy Kong Racing won't deliver the goods. It can be fun, but it's so repetitive and tedious in its execution that you'll grow tired of it fast. If you really want a good kart racing experience, invest in Mario Kart DS and leave this one.
Pros:
+Great looking game
+For the most part, racing is fun
+Multiplayer is a good experience
Cons:
-The story is just stupid
-Repetitive gameplay
-Unlocking most of the games content is more of a chore than anything
-Bad touch screen controls
No Mario Kart March 19, 2007
E Seg (Florida, USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This game features a lot of unlockables that can be used when playing against other people which is cool but the controls aren't the most responsive and the touch screen process of getting a boost in the beginning is kind of lame and feels tacked on. I'm also not all that crazy about the story mode either.
All in all, not a bad game but if you've mastered Mario Kart and are looking for something else like it, you are likely to be very unimpressed.
 Possibly underrated DS title (in the shadow of the Stache) July 8, 2007
P. Webb (Bozeman, MT United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I never played the 64 original so this is all new to me but I love this game the adventure/racing cross works great and gives the game alot more appeal than one where you simply try to win 3 or more races in a row (although it has the Trophy races as well) Three types of craft, harder to use Powerups, and a serious GIRTH to the unlockables makes the game feel a little deeper than your average racer as well.The single card multiplayer, nice colorful graphics and rumble pack support fill out an already PLUMP game if you like Mario Kart you should try this game it is really fun for old and young nintendo fans.
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