<s>
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
is	O
a	O
1997	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Rare	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
began	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
known	O
as	O
Wild	O
Cartoon	O
Kingdom	O
in	O
its	O
early	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
delays	O
of	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
,	O
Rare	O
felt	O
that	O
they	O
needed	O
a	O
stronger	O
intellectual	O
property	O
to	O
attract	O
a	O
wider	O
audience	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
scheduled	O
to	O
release	O
before	O
Christmas	O
1997	O
,	O
thus	O
making	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
base	O
a	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
character	O
of	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
sold	O
4.8	O
million	O
copies	O
since	O
release	O
and	O
stands	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
eighth	B-Device
best-selling	I-Device
game	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
named	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
but	O
was	O
abandoned	O
in	O
August	O
2002	O
,	O
one	O
month	O
before	O
Microsoft	O
purchased	O
Rare	O
for	O
£375	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
remake	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
titled	O
Diddy	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	I-Application
DS	I-Application
was	O
released	O
worldwide	O
in	O
early	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
features	O
four	O
battle	O
modes	O
which	O
consist	O
of	O
two	O
deathmatch	O
maps	O
,	O
a	O
capture-the-flag-style	O
battle	O
and	O
a	O
mode	O
which	O
involves	O
opponents	O
capturing	O
eggs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
began	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
team	O
was	O
split	O
into	O
making	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
and	O
a	O
new	O
racing	O
game	O
for	O
that	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
being	O
delayed	O
until	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
was	O
adamant	O
for	O
a	O
release	O
of	O
an	O
AAA	O
video	O
game	O
in	O
time	O
for	O
1997	O
's	O
Christmas	O
season	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Musgrave	O
,	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
choose	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
rather	O
than	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
was	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
choice	O
,	O
a	O
decision	O
which	O
Nintendo	O
"	O
enjoyed	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Musgrave	O
recalled	O
that	O
the	O
ultimate	O
goal	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
"	O
run	O
as	O
fast	O
"	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
which	O
proved	O
difficult	O
during	O
development	O
as	O
the	O
latter	O
game	O
utilised	O
2D	O
character	O
sprites	O
whereas	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
used	O
fully	O
3D	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
who	O
featured	O
in	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
,	O
Banjo	O
the	O
Bear	O
and	O
Conker	O
the	O
Squirrel	O
,	O
starred	O
in	O
games	O
(	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
and	O
Conker	B-Application
's	I-Application
Bad	I-Application
Fur	I-Application
Day	I-Application
,	O
respectively	O
)	O
which	O
were	O
unveiled	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
before	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
June	O
1997	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
(	O
E3	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
not	O
released	O
until	O
after	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
planned	O
1997	O
Christmas	O
season	O
line-up	O
being	O
delayed	O
until	O
1998	O
,	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
became	O
the	O
main	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
release	O
for	O
the	O
holiday	O
shopping	O
season	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
$200	O
million	O
advertising	O
budget	O
for	O
the	O
entire	O
year	O
was	O
allocated	O
to	O
promoting	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
also	O
held	O
the	O
distinction	O
of	O
being	O
the	O
only	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
Christmas	O
season	O
line-up	O
for	O
which	O
development	O
was	O
contracted	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
;	O
the	O
other	O
two	O
first-party	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
in	O
the	O
line-up	O
,	O
Bomberman	B-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
Mischief	B-Application
Makers	I-Application
,	O
were	O
both	O
licensed	O
from	O
Japanese	O
third-party	O
publishers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
holds	O
an	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
89%	O
at	O
GameRankings	O
based	O
on	O
20	O
reviews	O
and	O
88	O
at	O
Metacritic	O
based	O
on	O
15	O
reviews	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
remake	O
received	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
67%	O
at	O
GameRankings	O
based	O
on	O
42	O
reviews	O
and	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
63	O
at	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
39	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
stands	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
eighth	B-Device
best-selling	I-Device
game	I-Device
,	O
and	O
broke	O
one	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
within	O
three	O
weeks	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jeff	O
Gerstmann	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
disputed	O
this	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
both	O
pop-up	O
and	O
distance	O
fog	O
in	O
amounts	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
average	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Crispin	O
Boyer	O
opened	O
his	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
(	O
EGM	O
)	O
with	O
the	O
warning	O
"	O
Do	O
n't	O
dismiss	O
this	O
out-of-the-blue	O
racer	O
as	O
a	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
clone	O
"	O
,	O
most	O
reviews	O
compared	O
the	O
two	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gerstmann	O
suspected	O
Nintendo	O
of	O
rushing	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
to	O
market	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
fill	O
a	O
quarter	O
left	O
vacant	O
by	O
delays	O
of	O
other	O
Nintendo	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
argued	O
it	O
was	O
much	O
too	O
soon	O
after	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64s	I-Application
debut	O
to	O
release	O
such	O
a	O
similar	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
critics	O
,	O
including	O
Boyer	O
's	O
EGM	O
co-reviewers	O
,	O
focused	O
on	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racings	O
perceived	O
superiority	O
to	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dan	O
Hsu	O
of	O
EGM	O
said	O
it	O
"	O
beats	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
in	O
every	O
department	O
"	O
,	O
particularly	O
mentioning	O
the	O
superior	O
balance	O
and	O
level	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
praised	O
the	O
adventure	O
and	O
progression	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
single-player	O
mode	O
is	O
"	O
everything	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
should	O
have	O
been.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
,	O
by	O
contrast	O
,	O
said	O
the	O
character	O
designs	O
are	O
"	O
pathetic	O
and	O
obvious	O
,	O
molded	O
from	O
the	O
same	O
cookie	O
cutter	O
as	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
and	O
Conker	O
"	O
,	O
noting	O
the	O
formulaic	O
use	O
of	O
anthropomorphic	O
animal	O
characters	O
and	O
the	O
simplistic	O
application	O
of	O
each	O
animal	O
's	O
characteristics	O
to	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
4.5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
for	O
sound	O
and	O
a	O
perfect	O
5.0	O
in	O
control	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
fun	O
factor	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
feverishly	O
fun	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
racer	O
that	O
combines	O
elements	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Pilotwings	B-Application
64	I-Application
into	O
one	O
spectacular	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
far	O
better	O
than	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
repetitiveness	O
"	O
ultimately	O
kills	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
retrospective	O
review	O
,	O
Andrew	O
Donaldson	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
Life	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
visually	O
"	O
incredibly	O
vibrant	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
captivating	O
"	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scott	O
McCall	O
of	O
AllGame	O
acknowledged	O
its	O
only	O
shortcoming	O
was	O
its	O
"	O
excessive	O
"	O
amount	O
of	O
clipping	B-Algorithm
,	O
although	O
he	O
admitted	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
"	O
unbearable	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
praised	O
the	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
audio	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
its	O
voice	O
acting	O
and	O
soundtrack	O
;	O
he	O
heralded	O
the	O
music	O
as	O
"	O
interesting	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
fitting	O
"	O
to	O
its	O
race	O
tracks	O
,	O
also	O
considering	O
it	O
superior	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
won	O
the	O
"	O
Console	O
Racing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
Academy	O
of	O
Interactive	O
Arts	O
&	O
Sciences	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
beating	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Moto	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
and	O
NASCAR	B-Application
98	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
,	O
Rare	O
began	O
development	O
on	O
a	O
sequel	O
named	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
which	O
featured	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
as	O
the	O
titular	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
was	O
cancelled	O
when	O
Nintendo	O
turned	O
down	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
purchase	O
its	O
remaining	O
51	O
per	O
cent	O
stake	O
in	O
Rare	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
developer	O
was	O
bought	O
out	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
for	O
£375	O
million	O
in	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
buyout	O
,	O
Rare	O
took	O
what	O
had	O
been	O
done	O
with	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
and	O
created	O
a	O
prototype	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
which	O
expanded	O
into	O
an	O
adventure	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
setup	O
of	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
had	O
evolved	O
into	O
Sabreman	O
Stampede	O
,	O
part	O
of	O
Rare	O
's	O
Sabreman	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sabreman	O
Stampede	O
was	O
set	O
for	O
release	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
was	O
cancelled	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
focus	O
and	O
Rare	O
's	O
unfamiliarity	O
with	O
the	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
,	O
two	O
other	O
sequels	O
to	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
were	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
,	O
named	O
Diddy	B-Device
Kong	I-Device
Pilot	I-Device
,	O
with	O
planes	O
as	O
the	O
only	O
vehicle	O
,	O
was	O
planned	O
for	O
a	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
announced	O
alongside	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	O
at	O
E3	O
2001	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
became	O
Banjo-Pilot	B-Device
after	O
Nintendo	O
sold	O
their	O
share	O
of	O
Rare	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
,	O
titled	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
Adventure	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
rejected	O
pitch	O
made	O
by	O
Climax	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
GameCube	I-Application
around	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
planned	O
as	O
Dinosaur	B-Application
Planet	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
Timber	O
as	O
a	O
time	O
traveller	O
to	O
a	O
prehistoric	O
period	O
and	O
gameplay	O
similar	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
,	O
but	O
over	O
time	O
,	O
they	O
found	O
it	O
better	O
to	O
replace	O
Timber	O
with	O
wholly	O
new	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
became	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
at	O
the	O
suggestion	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diddy	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	I-Application
DS	I-Application
is	O
a	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
remake	O
of	O
Diddy	O
Kong	O
Racing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
received	O
enhanced	O
visuals	O
and	O
framerate	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
touchscreen	O
functions	O
and	O
Rumble	O
Pak	O
support	O
for	O
force	B-Device
feedback	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
new	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
themed	O
racetracks	O
were	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
remake	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
modifications	O
to	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
also	O
features	O
new	O
modes	O
which	O
allow	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
racetracks	O
,	O
customise	O
their	O
characters	O
through	O
recording	O
voices	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
