Episode 86: Diddy Kong Racing

Retro Spectives

Mario Kart has long been king of the Kart Racer. Ever since it debuted back in 1992 on the SNES, it seems that every other entry has lived in its long shadow. But back in 1997 we saw a challenger emerge to contest its throne: Diddy Kong Racing.

Both developed and published by Rare, Diddy Kong Racing was critically acclaimed at the time of its release. It had a hub world to drive around in and select races from, a different take on powerups, and most dramatically of all had 3 different vehicles to race in. It was loaded to the gills with content yet unseen in the kart racing genre - boss battles, minigames and its famous silver coin challenges. With a list of features this long, how could it not be better than Mario Kart?

Well, we’ve learned through experience that just because something is a feature, doesn’t make it an additive one. And while Diddy Kong Racing does things differently to Mario Kart, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it's better. Does Diddy Kong Racing deserve its reputation as being ever better than Mario Kart?

On this episode, we discuss:

• What is it like to actually control your kart, plane and hovercraft around the tracks? In what way do the different drift and sharp turns affect the racing experience?
• How good is the level design of Diddy Kong racing? Does the challenge and enjoyment come from the fundamental course design, or from the placement of powerups and boost tracks?
• Are the silver coin challenges everything they’re cracked up to be? Do they redefine the entire racing experience, or are they just annoying roadblocks to overcome in trying to finish the rest of the game?

We answer these questions and many more on the 86th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Diddy Kong Racing OST: David Wise

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Is Diddy Kong Racing the best kart racer ever made? If we were to cover a Mario Kart game, is there one that stands heads and shoulders above the rest? Did you struggle as much as we did with the Wizpig boss battle? Come join the conversation and let us know what you think on our community discord server!