
As with all games developed by Rare in this era, Diddy Kong Racing has a great deal of polish and heart put into its design and aesthetics. As such, the finished product can hardly be described as a worthy spinoff of the Donkey Kong series, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be found here. The game wasn’t originally meant to be a Donkey Kong spinoff, nor was it even meant to be a kart-racer at first. When you take a look at Diddy Kong Racing ’s unusual development, it starts to become clear why this was the case. This is in sharp contrast to Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing, which go out of their way to fill their character roster, tracks, and items with references to their respective series. Despite the name and its main character being Diddy Kong, the game itself has very little to do with the Donkey Kong series. Perhaps the main point of contention about the quality of Diddy Kong Racing is how much or how little the game celebrates its source material.

But how well does Diddy Kong Racing hold up 25 years later? Is this game still one of the crowning jewels of the kart-racing genre, or have the years been less than kind to its enduring legacy? This gem from Rare introduced some exciting new ideas to the racing genre while delivering a colorful and adrenaline-pumping gameplay experience that fans are still raving about today. The other great kart racers of this era included Crash Team Racing and Lego Racers, but fans of the genre still swear by the innovative and whimsical gameplay of 1997’s Diddy Kong Racing. This period of excellent kart-racer was obviously brought about by the monumental success of Mario Kart 64 in 1996, but it wasn’t long before other popular properties began to jump aboard the hype train (or hype kart?). Why don’t you try? Game Reviewīeing a gamer in the late 90s meant that you were around when the kart-racing genre went through its golden age. We offer more Kart, Donkey Kong, Nintendo and Racing games so you can enjoy playing similar titles on our website.

Here, at My Emulator Online, you can play Diddy Kong Racing for the N64 console online, directly in your browser, for free. Release year: 1997 | Players: 1 player / multiplayer | Developed by Rare
