Diddy Kong Racing DS

[nintendoDS]

so Diddy Kong Racing DS is coming out on Feb 5th (US). There's only a ten second video. This early footage seems to show a slower game than Mario Kart DS. However:

Drivers can use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to go online and race against up to seven other players from around the world! DKR also features eight-player single-card download play, as well as multi-card wireless play. (Gamespot)

8 player online sounds fun.

a couple of new screenshots here

anyone thinking of buying or importing this? Anyone play the original?

[Lindsay]

I loved the original, so I'll likely pick this up sometime soon after it's out.

[Rensch]

Looks pretty! I'll probably pick it up.

[JskieXL]

While the 8 player mode sounds great in theory, DKR was unfortunately never much good in multiplayer due to the crappy weapons system. Well, not a patch on Mario Kart, anyway.

[nintendoDS]

some more gameplay http://www.planetds.de/index.php?page=newsdetails&datum=1169850296

loads of screenshots http://www.dsparty.nl/nieuws/item/30695/

[JskieXL]

Any idea what's going on with the characters' heads on the screen at the end of the second video? Aside from that, it looks 100% identical to the N64 game.

[John]

I never linked the air based levels in the N64 version the few times I played it, but I'll probably pick this on the hope that it will offer an online experience that isn't as broken as Mario Kart.

[nintendoDS]

Man, I have to disagree with the statement that Mario Kart DS online is broken! I still think MK: DS is the best game out yet for the DS and I play it online on a regular basis.
there seems to be more people playing MK: DS online these days as it generally takes about 2 minutes to find a race with Rivals, and I find a full set of 4 players much more frequently than when I first got the game. Snaking is annoying, yes, but can be beaten with good driving. And I'm experiencing fewer people dropping out of races than when the game first came out. My win/loss ratio currently stands at something like 60wins/10 losses, so mathematically I can't be experiencing overwhelming dropouts.

I'm just sticking up for MK: DS online experience because I enjoy it SO MUCH. OK it's not perfect, but it's pretty damn close to my idea of heaven on a handheld.

I should like it if they made MK: DS 2!

[John]

Man, I have to disagree with the statement that Mario Kart DS online is broken! I still think MK: DS is the best game out yet for the DS and I play it online on a regular basis.
there seems to be more people playing MK: DS online these days as it generally takes about 2 minutes to find a race with Rivals, and I find a full set of 4 players much more frequently than when I first got the game. Snaking is annoying, yes, but can be beaten with good driving. And I'm experiencing fewer people dropping out of races than when the game first came out. My win/loss ratio currently stands at something like 60wins/10 losses, so mathematically I can't be experiencing overwhelming dropouts.

I'm just sticking up for MK: DS online experience because I enjoy it SO MUCH. OK it's not perfect, but it's pretty damn close to my idea of heaven on a handheld.

I enjoyed it until the majority of players started snaking. It is next to impossible to beat a beat snaker without snaking - and I find that resorting to snaking saps all of the fun out of the game. That, of course, doesn't stop Mario Kart from being an excellent single player racer and a great local multiplayer racer.

If snaking wasn't an issue, Mario Kart DS would be up there with Tetris and Clubhouse Games as one of the best online DS games.

[JskieXL]

Well, there was no snaking in DKR last time I played it, so we're okay there. I liked the plane levels in the N64 version; it was the hovercrafts that bothered me, since they those levels were a constant fight to make the thing go in the right direction.

[Gamesmaster]

Diddy Kong Racing on the N64 is the best racing game ever, that is all.