Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this racing game has some cartoon violence, but very little objectionable material. The bright worlds and cartoon characters will appeal to young players under age 8, but the game may be too difficult for them to fully enjoy. The difficulty levels of the races ramp up rather quickly and you have to win to move on. Fans of multiplayer racing will find a lot to like, making the game a decent choice for families to play together. This game has an online racing component, and Common Sense Media does not recommend online play for anyone under the age of 12.
Families can talk about what makes racing games fun. Do you like to play by yourself and beat the computer and your previous times? Or do you prefer to race against friends and other people? Do you like racing games with lots of action and weapons, or realistic simulation? This game adds a story level and puzzle play to the racing, do you like that? Parents might want to remind children that the racing that occurs in video games should not be modeled in real life.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Chris Jozefowicz
The list of old Nintendo games being modified to fit the tiny screens of the DS handheld continues to grow. The newest addition, DIDDY KONG RACING DS, is a modified version of a 10-year-old Nintendo 64 game of the same name. As in the original, players will guide Diddy Kong (a gorilla) or one of his friends in races through various colorful worlds in order to defeat the evil Wizpig. The emphasis on story and adventure add some interesting twists to standard kart racing conventions, but the racing itself suffers as a result.
For starters, Diddy Kong isn't just a simple collection of races. Instead, players roam about an island setting, delving into different connected worlds (a dinosaur world, water world, snow world, etc.). Each world holds races, collection missions, and boss battles.
To explore this world and its races, players will drive a kart or pilot a hovercraft or airplane. Getting off the ground is a fun change for a racer, particularly in the airplane races. Better yet, players can collect coins through their races and spend them on upgraded parts for the vehicles to improve things like handling and top speed. Between the world exploration, boss battles, and collection missions, Diddy Kong puts a stronger emphasis on one-player features than a typical kart racer.
But what would a kart racer be without multiplayer racing? Race fans, take heart: Diddy Kong also offers plenty of racing options for more than one player. Friends can race against other players using one game card or multiple game cards if everyone has a DS. Or players can take their races online and challenge friends and strangers from around the world via online contests.
Unfortunately, a lot of the upgrades and multiplayer events are hard to use because they are locked and can only be accessed after quite a lot of repetitive play in the one-player mode. The game asks players to run though the same courses and complete boss battles many times. For example, the first time through a course is a normal race, but the second time players use the DS' touch screen to pop balloons and grab coins. These collection missions are a decent way to collect money to buy upgrades, but most kart racing fans will just want to move on to the next race.
Another impediment to enjoying all the game has to offer comes in the form of difficulty levels that ramp up rather quickly. In the one-player game, players must come in first to advance and after the first couple of worlds, the races can get difficult. The controls, including some awkwardly handled touch-screen features, only make matters worse. In the balloon popping boards, for example, touching the screen not only pops the balloon, it also controls the camera, so the player's view woozily flies all over the place as they try to simply find and tap the balloons.
It may be unfair to make the comparison, but when it comes to Nintendo kart racers, Mario Kart DS sets the bar awfully high. Unfortunately Diddy Kong can't really compete with the excellence of that earlier entry on the DS. Fans who really enjoy multiplayer racing still may want to take a look, however, because at the very least Diddy Kong Racing DS will give them a bunch of new tracks to race on.
Gamers with a Wii who like racing games with intriguing single and multiplayer modes might also be interested in the snowboarding game SSX Blur.
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ViolenceThe karts have weapons like cartoony missiles and oil slicks. Some explosive puffs of smoke, but karts only get knocked about and then reset. |
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