Diddy Kong Racing - Reception

Reception

Diddy Kong Racing was very well received for its graphics and sound, but was criticized for being too similar to Mario Kart 64 (coincidentally, Diddy Kong would be a playable character in later Mario Kart installments). The game became a Player's Choice title, and is considered to be one of the better racing games on Nintendo 64. It currently holds an 89% score on GameRankings and an 88/100 score on Metacritic.

Electric Playground stated: "Diddy Kong Racing is almost too good to be true. It is an exquisitely animated, color-rich racing game that bubbles over with character and charm. A triumph." Allgame commended the game for its "very good Adventure mode" but stated: "don't expect multiplayer action on the same level as the Mario Kart series." Total Video Games stated: "There are so many subtle touches that only become apparent after many hours of play and the cunningly designed levels match anything Nintendo can offer." While IGN stated: "Diddy Kong Racing is an excellent follow-up to the somewhat controversial "Mario Kart," improving on all of the game's weaknesses and inventing a few new additions of its own. It's the best kart game we've ever seen."

However, Nintendojo stated: "With its lack of replay value and repetitiveness, the game just gets really old." While GameSpot stated: "Artificially lengthening games by making you do the same thing over and over again is my vote for the worst trend in gaming … even though this is a much better game than Mario Kart 64 ever was."