It is common for companies to greenlight kart racing games based on an exiting property, whether said property originates from video games or not. Kart racers are popular because they combine the thrill that come with racing games and the party elements that are expected out of family friendly multiplayer romps.Mario Kartnormalized the kart racer as a genre when it debuted withSuper Mario Kart, and many other series that started with platformers would attempt the same thing. Many failed to compete against the plumber’s spin-off and fell into obscurity, butDiddy Kong Racingis one of the exceptions.
StarringDonkey Kong’s sidekick instead of the big ape himself,Diddy Kong Racingmanaged to stand out from the rest by not merely copyingMario Kart, but taking the basic kart racer formula and expanding it. The game gained a following for offering different vehicles aside from karts and an original cast that inspired the development of other Rare series, most notablyBanjo-KazooieandConker’s Bad Fur Day. While other successful racing games, notablyCrash Team RacingandSonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, borrowed elements fromDiddy Kong Racing, going back to the original formula still has some potential.
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The Best Time to Revisit Diddy Kong Racing
The current environment is great to go back toDiddy Kong Racing.The aforementionedCrash Team Racinggot its own remake with tons of extra content, while Nintendo is finally going back toMario Kart 8 Deluxewith an entire new game’s worth of DLC. If Nintendo is not willing to bring back the regularDonkey Kongseries on Switch, a newDiddy Kong Racingis the ideal way to please fans.
The only timeDiddy Kong Racinggot a new installment was whenDiddy Kong Racing DScame out. It was a remake that replaces Banjo and Conker, who were owned by Microsoft at that point. While the game was well-received, the originalDiddy Kong Racingstill overshadows it. Banjo andConker’s absence, while necessary for legal reasons, was also criticized. If one were to exclude the DS remake, thenDiddy Kong Racingnever got a follow-up. With the game turning 25, this is a longer gap than the time since the lastF-Zerogame as far as Nintendo racing titles go.
A lot of 1990s platformers are making a resurgence, primarily due to the nostalgic audience that grew up with these games.Diddy Kong Racingis part of that broad category, as a spin-off of a 90s platformer. Nintendo could take advantage of the current demand for reboots, remakes, and sequels while delivering a racing experience distinct fromMario Kart.
A newDiddy Kong Racingcould modernize what the original established while preserving its identity. Most of the characters created for the game could come back with no legal repercussions. Even Banjo and Conker, who debuted in the originalDiddy Kong Racing, could return despite being owned by Microsoft. Banjo and Kazooie’s debut game can now be played on the Switch, andthe bear and bird joinedSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.Conkerhas yet to get anything, but considering the character’s own popularity and Banjo’s recent resurgence, Microsoft is likely open to letting Nintendo use the red squirrel too.
Diddy Kong Racingis a Nintendo 64 classic, and one of the few truly recognizable Nintendo games to be a standalone title. A new installment would add another unique kart racing option to the mix. It could also extend the game’s own universe and incorporate regularDonkey Kongelements, giving fans the properDonkey Kongracing game that never came to be.
