Diddy Kong Racing DS
Diddy Kong Racing DS is an enhanced Nintendo DS port of the game Diddy Kong Racing. Diddy Kong Racing DS is Rare's first Nintendo DS game. It makes use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Story
When his parents go on vacation, Timber is left to care for the family island, Timber's Island. Unfortunately, an evil, magic-wielding alien-pig named Wizpig invades the island and, brainwashing Tricky the Triceratops, Bluey the Walrus, Bubbler the Octopus and Smokey the Dragon, begins to take over the island and evict people like Taj the Genie and Pipsy from their homes.
The island's fastest racer, Drumstick, challenges Wizpig to a race, only to dissapear without a trace after doing so. In desperation, Timber sends a letter to his friend Diddy Kong asking for help. Accepting Timber's plea, Diddy, calling several allies such as Dixie Kong, his girlfriend, Tiny Kong, Dixie's sister, Tiptup, a clumsy turtle, Bumper, down and dirty driver and Krunch, a Kremling Krew spy, sets-off to Timber's Island to take-down Wizpig....
With help from Taj and T.T., they manage to beat Tricky, Bluey, Bubbler and Smokey in races and snap them out-of Wizpig's brainwashing. Drumstick, who had been turned into a frog by Wizpig, is also returned to normal.
His reluctant minions defeated, Wizpig is next challenged by Diddy Kong and his friends. After a long and grueling race, Wizpig is defeated and a victory celebration is held. Unfortunately, Wizpig crashes the party.
Following the evil alien to his home planet of Future Fun Land, a death-trap amusement park, Diddy Kong and his friends manage to get past all of Wizpig's challenges and get a rematch with the rocket-riding Wizpig. After a tough race, Wizpig is beaten and, his rocket malfunctioning, crashes into a deserted planet and becomes stranded.
Returning to Timber's Island, another celebration is held, Wizpig having been beaten, sewering a return, flies into a moon and his hold-over on the island gone.
Playable Characters
- Tiptup.PNG
- Pipsie.JPG
- DixieKongDKRDS.jpg
- Drumbstick.PNG
- Tinyds.PNG
- Timber.PNG
- TajDS.PNG
- DKRDSTT.PNG
- BumperDS.PNG
- Krunch.PNG
- WizpigDS.PNG
Stats
| Character Stats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Speed | Acceleration | Handling | Pros & Cons |
| Diddy Kong | ***** | ***** | ***** | Diddy has great handling and acceleration, but bad speed. even with bad speed, this monkey knows Two out of Three aint bad |
| Timber | ***** | ***** | ***** | Timber is an all around racer, similar to Mario in Mario Kart DS, good in every vehicle, but top speed is limited |
| Bumper | ***** | ***** | ***** | Bumper has good centered skills, but handling wise, he is poor |
| Tiptup | ***** | ***** | ***** | Good acceleration and handling don't make up for his lack of speed |
| Pipsy | ***** | ***** | ***** | Same problem in Tiptup is found in Pipsy, but she makes the plane feel easy |
| Krunch | '****** | **** | **** | Bad at everything except speed, Krunch is second to Timber in hovercraft races |
| Dixie Kong | ***** | ***** | ***** | Dixie is Diddy's girlfriend and Tiny's sister and shares their stats |
| Tiny Kong | ***** | ***** | ***** | Tiny is Dixie's sister and shares the stats of her and her boyfriend |
| Drumstick (unlockable) | ***** | ***** | ***** | Drumstick's handling and speed are over-the-top, but sadly he is poor at accelerating and makes his flight with a plane very difficult |
| T.T. (unlockable) | ***** | ***** | ***** | T.T.'s stats may look good, but his handling is TOO good and is very shaky and slippery, and he's not faster than Taj or Wizpig |
| Taj (unlockable) | ***** | ***** | ***** | Taj's handling is slightly better than Wizpig's and is one of the fastest racers in the game, he and Wizpig are the best racer in the car though Hovercrafts are his weakness |
| Wizpig (unlockable) | ***** | ***** | ***** | Hovercrafts are the only real vehicle problem for Wizpig, He has the poorest handling of all the racers, but the fastest too, he will need some getting used to |
"Alakazam!"
Taj the Genie is the caretaker of the island and will gladly be of assistance and training. Taj wil appear every time a racer gains ten Golden Balloons and will set challenges. He also takes care of rewards and unlockables. Taj will allow the player to paint the players vehicle for free, but he has a few expensive items in his tent on the center court yard facing the Wizpig statue head. He calls it his "Wishes Menu":
| Wishes Menu Costs File:Wishes.jpg | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Upgrades | ||||
| # | Item | Coin Cost | What it Does | |
| 1 | Basic Downforce | 50 | Minor Help in handling and corning of one's vehicle of choice | |
| 2 | Downforce A & Downforce B | Both are 100 | Major improvement in handling and cornering of one's vehicle of choice | |
| 3 | Basic Sprint | 50 | Minor Help in acceleration of one's vehicle of choice | |
| 4 | Sprint A & Sprint B | Both are 100 | Major improvement in acceleration of one's vehicle of choice | |
| 5 | Basic Air | 50 | Minor Help in speed of one's vehicle of choice | |
| 6 | Air A & Air B | Both are 100 | Major improvement in speed of one's vehicle of choice | |
| 7 | Standard Custom | 50 | Minor handling sacrificing for top speed and a custom look | |
| 8 | Custom A & Custom B | Both are 100 | Major speed improvement and a great custom look. Handling is sacraficed and his shrunk down to poor stats. | |
| Unlockables | ||||
| # | Item | Coin Cost | What it Does | |
| 1 | Thunder Cove | 80 | A New Track | |
| 2 | Meandering Mount | 80 | A New Track | |
| 3 | Splashdown Pass | 80 | A New Track | |
| 4 | Strangled Shrine | 80 | A New Track | |
| 5 | Coin Challenge & Coin Challenge Mirror | 20 | Major part of the N64 original, the racer races through all the tracks, collecting 8 silver coins, and it is required to come in first place to win this challenge. | |
| 6 | Sp Wish Race (Single Player) & Multi Wish Race (Multiplayer) | 50 | Race on the player's custom tracks with T.T. as the guide | |
| 7 | Battle Track 1 (Fire Mountain) | 30 | One of the original Battle areas in the N64 classic, the racer tries to gather three eggs and hatch them from atop a volcano first. (Multiplayer only) | |
| 8 | Battle Track 2 (Icicle Pyramid) | 30 | One of the original Battle areas in the N64 classic, the racer tries to strike down their rivals in a huge ice temple. If the racer loses all their bananas they will lose. | |
| 9 | Battle Track 3 (Darkwater Beach) | 30 |
One of the original Battle areas in the N64 classic, the racer tries to strike down their rivals in a big dark water lake with small sand island-like platforms. The objective to win is similar to Icicle Pyramid, if the racer loses all their bananas they will lose. | |
| 10 | Battle Track 4 (Smokey Castle) | 30 | One of the original Battle areas in the N64 classic. The objective to win is similar to Fire Mountain. The racer has to fill their nest with Taj Tokens instead of bananas. | |
| 11 | Billboard Editor | 50 | The racer can fill the racetracks and courses with their own artwork. | |
| 12 | Sound Recorder | 50 | The racer can record their own sound effects through the touch screen | |
Balloons
A colored balloon awaits any racer in normal racing levels. They consist of weapons. Once a player get up to three they increase in strength.
Power-Up Tokens are scattered in every race Track. Collect one, the racer can upgrade their balloon streingth with just one balloon pick up and make it it's maximum power.
| File:Globos.gif Balloons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | ||||
| Hit Once | Hit Twice | Hit the Third Time | Power-up Token Upgrade | |
| Missile | 5 Semi-Homing Missiles | Homing Missile | Three Circling Rocket Missiles | |
| Blue | ||||
| Hit Once | Hit Twice | Hit the Third Time | Power-up Token Upgrade | |
| Standard Turbo Boost (Orange Engine Blast) | Powerful Turbo Boost (Light Green Engine Blast) | Extreamly Powerful Turbo Blast (Purple Engine Blast) | Autopilot that allows the player three engine boosts and a long lasting shield | |
| Green | ||||
| Hit Once | Hit Twice | Hit the Third Time | Power-up Token Upgrade | |
| Slippery Black Sludge | Spike Bomb | Bubble | 5 Fake Explosive Rareware Coins | |
| Rainbow | ||||
| Hit Once | Hit Twice | Hit the Third Time | Power-up Token Upgrade | |
| Standard Red Magnet | Strong Yellow Magnet | Strong Green Magnet that pulls the racer towards their rival | A missle that the player can hit anyone the player chooses via the touch screen | |
| Yellow | ||||
| Hit Once | Hit Twice | Hit the Third Time | Power-up Token Upgrade | |
| Standard Energy Shield | Better Lasting Energy Shield | Longest Lasting Energy Shield | Makes the racer invisible with a long lasting shield | |
Lakes, Tracks and Automobiles
Vehicles
Car
The Car is the standard vehicle of choice in most courses and is easiest to handle.
Plane
The Plane is smooth and steady and can be a true vehicle and a nightmare in some senses. Its hard to get back in the running if the racer is hit with a missile or falls fate to a bubble.
Hovercraft
The Hovercraft swerves in on and off track , and can be argued as the hardest to handle at times.
- CarBumper.PNG
A standard car
- Planebumper.PNG
Racing with Planes
- Diddy-kongHover.jpg
The sluggish Hovercraft...
Zippers
Zippers help vehicles Turbo Boost around corners on race tracks. They have red and yellow stripes and stand out from whatever track the racer is plaguing. By letting go of the gas after they get off a zipper, the racer can get even more boost.
Types of Zippers
- The Car Zipper is flat on the ground and easy to get a good boost off of. Hovercrafts and Planes can also get boost off it.
- The Plane Zipper is found in the air and is a circle shape. No other vehicle can successfully access it, but the plane. If the racer attempts to get the boost at an angle the boost will lag and be a big time consumer
- The Hovercraft Zipper is found it water and is a triangle shape vertex that allows for easy boosting and weapon advantage strategy making. Planes can also get boost off it
Tracks
| Key
C = Car
|
|---|
| Timber's Island Areas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dino Domain | ||||
| # | Track | Balloon Amount | Silver Coin Challenge Balloon Amount | Types of Transportation Available |
| 1 | Ancient Lake | 1 | 6 | C, H , P |
| 2 | Fossil Canyon | 2 | 7 | C , H , P |
| 3 | Jungle Falls | 3 | 8 | C , H , P |
| 4 | Hot Top Volcano | 5 | 10 | H , P |
| 5 | Boss - Tricky the Triceratops | 5 or more once all 4 are beaten | 10 or more once all 4 are beaten | C |
| Snowflake Mountain | ||||
| # | Track | Balloon Amount | Silver Coin Challenge Balloon Amount | Types of Transportation Available |
| 1 | Everfrost Peak | 2 | 10 | H , P |
| 2 | Walrus Cove | 3 | 11 | C , H |
| 3 | Snowball Valley | 6 | 14 | C , H |
| 4 | Frosty Village | 9 | 16 | C , H, P |
| 5 | Boss - Bluey the Walrus | 9 or more once all 4 are beaten | 16 or more once all 4 are beaten | H |
| Sherbet Island | ||||
| # | Track | Balloon Amount | Silver Coin Challenge Balloon Amount | Types of Transportation Available |
| 1 | Whale Bay | 10 | 17 | H |
| 2 | Crescent Island | 11 | 18 | C , H |
| 3 | Pirate Lagoon | 13 | 20 | H |
| 4 | Treasure Caves | 16 | 22 | C , H , P |
| 5 | Boss - Bubbler the Octopus | 16 or more once all 4 are beaten | 22 or more once all 4 are beaten | H |
| Dragon Forest | ||||
| # | Track | Balloon Amount | Silver Coin Challenge Balloon Amount | Types of Transportation Available |
| 1 | Windmill Plains | 16 | 23 | C , H , P |
| 2 | Greenwood Village | 17 | 24 | C , H |
| 3 | Boulder Canyon | 20 | 30 | H |
| 4 | Haunted Woods | 22 | 37 | C , H |
| 5 | Boss - Smokey the Dragon | 22 or more once all 4 are beaten | 37 or more once all 4 are beaten | P |
| Future Fun Land | ||||
| # | Track | Balloon Amount | Silver Coin Challenge Balloon Amount | Types of Transportation Available |
| 1 | Spacedust Alley | 39 | 43 | C , H , P |
| 2 | Darkmoon Carvern | 40 | 44 | C , H |
| 3 | Spaceport Alpha | 41 | 45 | C, H , P |
| 4 | Star City | 42 | 46 | C , H , P |
| 5 | Boss - Wizpig | --- | 47 | P |
Beating the Pig Wizard
Once Collecting the various amulets from Tricky, Bluey, Bubbler and Smokey, the Wizpig statue head's mouth will open and inside the opening Wizpig awaits to race. By letting the gas go on the various zippers, the racer can be sure of an easy win, but missing the zippers could cause them to lose the win.
The second Wizpig race will be Wizpig's undoing. From the start, his rocket is a little uneasy and get too close, it will act as a missile and the racer, with Wizpig, get set back. By collecting as much blue balloons as possible and zipping away from the rocket-jet pig, winning should not be doubtful. Unfortunately, his spaceship is too far good of aim and can easily set the player back real far when the racer gets to that part. A good blue balloon should zip them past the notorious ship.
Other Balloons
Taj's races and challenges
Taj will race and train the racer in many areas aside from selling the player unlockables and helping them customize their car. He usually rides his Magic Carpet or stands in awe as the racer fulfills Taj's own wish. In return for the racers sucess in the challenge he'll give them a balloon.
Taj Challenges
- Car Race - Once the racer starts their game, they race Taj around in a circle with the car, following the black and white tokens. This is an act of training and their first golden balloon
- Hovercraft Race - Before the racer goes to beat Trixy again , the racer races Taj with the hovercraft around the island, following the tokens
- Plane Race - After Dino Domain is beaten , The racer races Taj in a Plane around the island following the tokens in a similar pattern to the Hovercraft race.
- Blowing out the Torches challenge - After Bubbler is defeated , Taj orders the racer to blow out the 9 torches on the island in 60 seconds.
- Taj Token Tussle - The racer races taj to roam around the island for ten Taj Tokens by following the arrows to their temporary locations. The first to ten tokens wins.
Balloon Pop Challenge
After the area's major boss is defeated (except Future Fun Land's) , they order the racer to get at least a bronze balloon in each of their four tracks. By using the Stylus , racers can pop the golden balloons scattered over each track. 50 Gold balloons are in each, and popping them can gain a rank (Bronze , Silver, and Gold)
Once the racer gets the bronze or up , the racer will receive a golden balloon for their first win at the challenge.
Rank amounts
- Dino Domain
- Bronze - 24 balloons
- Silver - 34 balloons
- Gold - 50 balloons
- Snowflake Mountain
- Bronze - 34 balloons
- Silver - 40 balloons
- Gold - 50 balloons
- Sherbet Island
- Bronze - 40 balloons
- Silver - 45 balloons
- Gold - 50 balloons
- Dragon Forest
- Bronze - 40 balloons
- Silver - 45 balloons
- Gold - 50 balloons
- Future Fun Land
- Bronze - 40 balloons
- Silver - 45 balloons
- Gold - 50 balloons
Trophy Race
Trophy races are Grand-Prixes where the racer is pitted ageist a advanced computer nest and races them in the areas 4 tracks in order and winning the most amount of Points. Strangle the computer racers place in the races vary in each track, so winning one or two races will automatically win the racer a trophy of gold stature.
Each Trophy varies in appearance to the area it's associated to. By winning the trophies the sign by the lighthouse near Sherbet Island will fill up with Wizpig's face. Once all 4 Wizpig faces are accounted for , the racer can blast to Future Fun Land after they defeat Wizpig in his first race.
Multiplayer
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Mode
Diddy Kong Racing DS has six player maximum online racing challenges. If the racer unlocked the various online options from Taj, the'll have the ability to do as follows:
Single Race
Single race allows 2 , 4, or 6 racers compete in one track at a time. A track is selected by each racer in a vehicle, and a randomizer randomizes the vehicle and track the racers use and play on. Then to the left of their usernames is a colored circle, which indicates their mark on the track. Their character icon is kept hidden from online activity.
Trophy Race
Trophy Races of the four main areas are avalible and a trophy Race of Jungle Japes with the four new tracks. In a grand-prix styled event the racers race through the four tracks in sequence, and whoever gains most points wins.
| Trophy Race Point Comparisons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | |
| TR 6 Players | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| TR 5 Players | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | --- |
| TR 4 Players | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | --- | --- |
| TR 3 Players | 9 | 7 | 5 | --- | --- | --- |
| TR 2 Players | 9 | 3 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
Battle Tracks
Once at least one Battle track is unlocked, 2 - 4 racers can battle on the four tracks of the original N64 Classic.
Other ways to play Multiplayer
Multi-Game Racing
If at least have two Diddy Kong Racing DS games are in attendance , the racers can race with every Multiplayer option avalible. Their icons are also non-private.
Download Play
The entire basis is based on the racer with the game and the other racer without it does whatever the one with the game wants. Option's aren't limited , but the paint of the racer's vehicle is defaulted yellow and so is the gameless racer. Also icons aren't visible.
Differences Between Versions
Along with it's several new features Diddy Kong Racing DS has several notable differences between it and the original Nintendo 64 version. These differences include:
| DKR - DKRDS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Differences | ||||
| # | N64 Version | DS Version | ||
| 1 | Taj has a face plate in the center grove of the island where a racer could honk a horn and summon him | Taj now owns a tree-surrounded Tent and is summoned by honking or tapping with the stylus | ||
| 2 | Bananas were a source of top speed and collect 10 to get maximum speed, get hit by a weapon and the racer looses two of their bananas | Coins take the bananas' place and the racer can collect a lot to buy some unlockable stuff from Taj | ||
| 3 | Banjo and Conker are lead characters and have decent speed and acceleration. Available from the beginning | They are replaced with Tiny Kong and Dixie Kong, due to their ownership going to Microsoft | ||
| 4 | All story details lies in the strategy guide | A cut-scene during the beginning describes the storyline | ||
| 5 | Wizpig and Taj are non-playable major characters | Wizpig and Taj are playable once unlocked | ||
| 6 | Tricky's second boss round has falling trees | Tricky's second boss round has no falling trees and is much easier | ||
| 7 | For the second Wizpig challenge, Wizpig's rocket malfunctions for no apparent reason in the closing segments | At the end race with the second Wizpig challenge, if the racer gets too close to Wizpig , his rocket starts to malfunction and they both are hurt. This gives the reason of his later rocket-failure when he's beaten | ||
| 8 | Cutscenes are elaborate and each character has unique voices and music | due to limited hand held abilities, the cutscenes are less impressive and duller, and the characters have squeaky cartoony or British - type voices that sound almost alike (except for T.T.'s voice, who which sounds identical to the N64's release) | ||
| 9 | After a Boss is beaten two times , Taj's face replaces Wizpig's on the Boss door | Once the boss is beaten, no change to the door (possibly to the graphics the DS can handle) and a touch screen challenge is the third challenge with the bosses awaits the racer in Adventure Two | ||
| 10 | T.T. has the best speed, but bad acceleration and handling | T.T. has the best stats in the game with the best speed , great acceleration, and great handling | ||
| 11 | Four random golden balloons float in parts of the island for the racer to fly to collect easily | The four balloons are now at a price, for each has a little touch challenge for the racer to fulfill to get the balloons | ||
| 12 | The racer's computer foes are randomized and different. The unlockables are present in various races | The basic computer foes stay the same. Computer foes varies from character to Character (EX: If the racer's T.T. , Tiptup won't be a computer in a race for some reason. Possibly the name similarities) Also , unlockables aren't in Adventure races as computers | ||
| 13 | There are 4 battle stations after the player get a hidden key in one of the four tracks in the world and if the racer wins the battle stages , they get a balloon from Taj and a piece of the T.T. Amulet | The battle stages are playable in multilayer and T.T. wish race is now in their place. Beating T.T. in the wish Races gets the racer a piece of the T.T. Amulet but no balloon | ||
| 14 | Planes can barrel loop and flip | Do to DS controls, barrel looping and flipping are gone | ||
| 15 | Krunch has a skull on the back on his jacket | Due to DS abilities and graphics , the skull on Krunch's jacket is no more | ||
| 15 | Codes galore were present after the credit role of diddy Kong Racing for a racer to type and watch balloons disappear or bananas go away | No codes, but most of the other options are present | ||
| 16 | Walrus Cove has Ice that makes a racer bounce back on the track | Ice is replaced with freezing water to give the challenge Mario Kart has with off road balance and slowness | ||
| 17 | Everfrost Peak could have the racers in Cars | Cars are removed from playability in Everfrost peak for no apparent reason | ||
| 18 | Wizpig's laugh is present in many places in the game | Wizpig's laugh is gone | ||
| 19 | Bubbler shoots bubbles in his second race | Bubbler shoots bubbles and spike bombs in his second race, making it more challenging for a racer | ||
| 20 | Smokey leaves few fireballs in his first race and many in his second | Smokey has an easier second race with less fireballs and in his first race, no fire balls at all | ||
| 21 | Red Balloons have three upgrades: Missile , Homing Missile ,10 Missiles | Red Balloons have Three Normal Upgrades: Missile , 5 Semi-Homing Missiles , Homing Missile | ||
| 22 | Yellow balloons with purple stars have three icons that indicate their power shield in this order : a red and yellow circle , a star, and a lightning bolt | The first and last icons are reversed | ||
T.T. 's Wish Tracks
T.T. is the major host of the adventure (second to Taj). T.T. is imprisoned in a locked door in every area and does so because of Wizpig's hold on him. To open the doors, the racer needs to find hidden keys (one in every area) to unlock the door and race T.T. on a custom track. If the racer beats T.T., a piece of the T.T. Amulet is won, during these custom races, T.T. guides the racer in the first three and it's really his custom track, the final one, the racer makes their own, short or long. Once the racer gets all the T.T. Amulets, T.T. is freed and announces he's a playable character if the racer can beat his staff ghost in single race trials.
T.T. Keys Track Locations
- Dino Domain
- Ancient Lake
- Snowflake Mountain
- Snowball Valley
- Sherbet Island
- Crescent Island
- Dragon Forest
- Boulder Canyon
Once the Amulets in tact, the T.T. door will be open. Not until the racer wins the Trophy Challenge and everything, does the Wizpig door the T.T. door encases will open to challenge Wizpig once more.
Music
A couple of levels have different musical scores than their N64 counterparts:
- Jungle Falls - a new score with it's name sung into it "jungggggle, a-jungle falls". (Sounds like "diddyah, diddy-a-kong".) The old music from Jungle Falls was moved to the credits.
- Snowball Valley - a little more of a jolly music tone, less childish like the N64 counterpart
- Pirate Lagoon - a more tropical background tone than the hip pirate-like music in the original
- Treasure Caves - less ground-pounding than the original's music, and a more tropical feel
- Windmill Plains - a more country-type background music flow like the originals but very different music
- Spaceport Alpha - more space-type music quality
- Spacedust Alley- has the old Spaceport Alpha music.
