A worthy revival of one of N64's gems.
I just wanna start things off by saying that GS never liked Diddy Kong Racing to begin with, so if you're a fan of the original, just ignore their low score. It's still the same old Diddy Kong, but I will admit a few of the features are a bit tacked on. Spinning a little propeller and wheel at the start of the race is pretty lame. Why couldn't it be like the original, where you just pressed the button at the right time? Another gimmick that gets on my nerves is the "blowing out the torches" challenge that Taj gives you. It doesn't feel that precise or responsive, but it's somewhat tolerable. What really bugs me is the new voice acting. What happened to Taj's accent? What happened to Bumper's youthful voice? They could've just left the original VO alone!
Now that we have the bad stuff out of the way, let's get on to the game's pros. The Wi-Fi play is a great new feature, and there's even download play, making it an all-around great multiplayer experience. You can even make your own levels, and share them! You can also make a custom emblem (a la MKDS). Yes, there's plenty of great new stuff, but don't forget that the original story mode is intact, but it's a bit "remixed." You'll see a lot of familiar stuff, but there's plenty of new challenges and even a few new levels. It's not quite the same, but I appreciate the effort. After all, a straight-up port would be pretty boring...
There's plenty of unlockables for you to buy, such as record your own voice, make your own course, and much more. GS was right about one thing... getting enough $$$ to unlock these things gets pretty repetitive. But, I don't pay much attention to it, because the core racing is still good fun, even today. No doubt that this game is a fantastic value.
Other than that, they''ve taken out Banjo & Conker (cuz they're owned by Rare), but they added in Dixie & Tiny Kong to even it out. Plus, now Taj and Wizpig are unlockable racers! They've even added an opening cutscene, giving it some kind of story this time around. Overall, if you still fondly remember the original, don't hesitate to pick this up. It's a great alternative to Mario Kart, and a solid racer overall.