Nintendo DS Review
Original N64 Review

So, does anybody else remember this game? It was a semi-fun Mario Kart clone in which you won races against other racers and bosses to eventually defeat the evil Wizpig. I wound up getting it, and for a while, I enjoyed it. 'Cause not only did you race in cars, but you also had airplanes and hovercrafts in some races. And that was probably the main appeal. I also enjoyed how it was the first kart-racing game (that I've played) in which battle courses could have computer-controlled karts. Mario Kart only just started doing that with MKDS.

However, it did have its problems. There's how, during the adventure, after defeating the boss of a world, you then had to go through the courses again, this time making sure to collect all the coins along the way, and then fight the boss again. And then you had to go through all the courses again in a back-to-back tournament for some special key that I forgot the purpose was. Granted, the coin-collection challenge IMO wasn't that bad, and kinda fun, but it should've been left as some challenge mode to unlock extras, not a necessary repeat of the same courses you just beat in the adventure.

Also, I am of the impression that the game was never finished. The GameSpot review says so as well. The key reason I think this, is that at the end of the game, you see a cutscene of Wizpig flying down in his spaceship, laughing maniacally, and during the credits it says "To Be Continued". At which point Adventure 2 is opened up. With this I figured that Adventure 2 would finish the story. But all Adventure 2 is, is the Adventure 1 with a higher difficulty level and the races in reverse. That's it. And when you beat the game on Adventure 2, all you get is the exact same ending as Adventure 1. Obviously, the story was never resolved. And I think this was what I hated the most about it. Like I said, the races were fun, and I did enjoy it for a while, but that has to be the biggest disappointment I've ever seen in a video game. So I got rid of it. And it's one of the few games I've little regret getting rid of.

But, anyway, now we have Diddy Kong Racing DS, which unfortunately is simply the original game slightly upgraded, much like Super Mario 64 was. And according to the GameSpot review of it, some of the upgrades aren't any good. It has online mode, which is a plus, and an unlockable track editor, which is a bigger plus (if it can be used online, which the review fails to mention), and apparently a feature in which you can record a voice for your character, which... Has that ever been done in a kart racer? But its touch screen and mic enhancements make me real iffy about getting it (aside from the voice recording).

Personally I found DKR to be one of the best racing games out there. The control and machanics are solid, it's got a lot of challange and it's a lot of fun. I'd be willing to say it's one of the best racers...ever.

But like you, the added content has me worried. I would simply want a direct port: no upgrades, no new graphics, no anything. A straight up port. Not gonna happen.

Looks like a rip off of Mario Kart. I did enjoy the 64 version though.

I don't mind there being extras. In fact, I hate straight-up ports. It's just that, if there are any new features, they have to be an improvement. Really, you can't hate on there being a course editor.