Gamespot gave Diddy Kong racing a 6.6. They must have been playing something else...
Diddy kong racing was one of the first kart racing games to introduce racer status, e.g different weight, turning, acceleration for each character, this was a good decision on the developers part towards modernizing the game and steering away from the rusty old racing stereotypes.
So straight into the game you go, choosing a character of choice ( tip top, wooo) and the story is uncovered, and a rather cliche one at that. There's this evil pig wizard whom is "evil" and you must defeat him in a race. I personally don't know why he's considered evil, all he did was turn the sky dark for a few seconds and carve his face into a mountain...
Crappy story aside, not that you really need one since its a racing game, you're welcomed by a jolly Indian stereotype (this guy is so fun to mess with). The story mode is quite long and full of difficult boss battles, coin races and little secrets and easter eggs
The gameplay is exceptionally good, much better then mariokart64. The three vehicles you can eventually choose from are unique and have their own specialties. The car is able to drift, the hovercraft is able to jump, and the aeroplane is able to barrel roll and flip. I find that having three different vehicles really gave this game an extra kick, without them it would just be another boring racing kart game. Collecting bananas during the race makes you go faster, I have always enjoyed this feature as it gives you something other to do then just win the race.
The boosters and weapons are of course a must have for any comical racing game, and the weapons upgrade feature is rather unique.
The multi player modes are fun to play, battle, bananas and eggs. A rather wide range of multi player modes for an early n64 game.
The graphics were pretty good for the n64. No over use of complex textures, and yet nothing too bland and boring, a good harmony. All of the 3D models were simple, and simple is good.
The music is catchy and upbeat, it REALLY gets stuck in your head :p I find they could have mixed it up a bit though. The sound effects are rather comical and easy to hear.
I have been replaying this game almost every year for ten years. For anyone seeking a really good retro racing game, this would be it.