Diddy Kong Racing DS (2007). Play online

Summary

Diddy Kong Racing DS lets you swoop across a sprawling island where a bloated space pig named Wizpig has hijacked Diddy’s tropical paradise. The Nintendo DS remake boosts the original’s graphics and frame‑rate, adds touch‑screen functions and Rumble Pak support, and drops you into a world where you can drive, hover, or even fly on a variety of vehicles. Four fresh Donkey Kong‑themed tracks join the lineup, while the roster swaps out Banjo and Conker for Tiny Kong, Dixie Kong and the newcomers Taj and Wizpig. Beyond the classic Adventure Mode, you can design your own circuits, record character voice lines, draw custom icons, and race friends online, though the traditional battle modes are now limited to multiplayer and supplanted by your custom tracks in the main campaign. Critics were split—some praised the visual polish, while others called the new touchscreen controls "horribly sensitive" and the extra features "gimmicky." Nevertheless, the game remains a quirky, nostalgia‑driven spin on a beloved N64 racing adventure.

Storyline

In Diddy Kong Racing, Timber the Tiger is left in charge of his island while his parents are on holiday, so he and his friends set up a grand race. Their fun is shattered when the intergalactic pig‑wizard Wizpig invades, conquering his own planet first and then turning the island’s four guardians—Tricky, Bluey, Bubbler and Smokey—into henchmen. To stop him, Timber assembles a team of eight racers: Diddy Kong (the first recruit), Conker the Squirrel, Banjo the Bear, Krunch the Kremling, Tiptup the Turtle, T.T. the Stopwatch, Pipsy the Mouse, and Bumper the Badger, all aided by Taj, an elephant‑like genie.

The crew must win a series of races using cars, hovercrafts and aeroplanes, while Drumstick the Rooster, the island’s champion, is turned into a frog after failing. After completing Wizpig’s challenges they confront him in a final race, defeat him, and restore Drumstick. Wizpig retreats to Future Fun Land, prompting the islanders to chase him there for a second showdown. When he loses again, his rocket malfunctions and sends him toward the moon, though a cutscene later shows his spaceship still intact.