There are many iconicvideo game consoles, but theNintendo 64is one that conjures an exceptional amount of love & nostalgia for many. There are a lot of things that the N64 did right and it has many formative titles, but the console was particularly kind to the racing genre and turned out bothDiddy Kong RacingandMario Kart 64.
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Both titles have led to hundreds of hours of entertainment forNintendofans, but debate still rages on over which is the superior racer. Accordingly, here are 5 reasons whyDiddy Kong Racingis the best kart racer on the Nintendo 64 and 5 reasons why it’sMario Kart 64.
10Diddy Kong Racing: It Puts Diddy Kong Front And Center
WhenDiddy Kong Racingwas first announced, fans were skeptical of a title that discarded Donkey Kong entirely for the simian’s sidekick from thefranchise. This turned out to be a stroke of genius an it helped give Diddy an important push into the spotlight and show audiences that the character could stand on his own.
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Diddy Kong has gone on to gain an even greater following, but it’s titles likeDiddy Kong Racingthat helped make this possible and show that prioritizing the underdog can sometimes lead to big success.
9Mario Kart 64: Its Battle Mode
Something that helpsMario Kart 64stand out from not just other kart racers, but some of the other entries in its own series, is its concise, yet refined, battle mode. It’s so much fun to race through levels against friends, andMario Kart 64’smultiplayeralternative is an underrated gem.
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The game’s battle mode has become iconic, due to its basic levels and streamlined structure. Even the small touch of how defeated players can become a controllable bob-omb speaks to the creativity in this mode.
8Diddy Kong Racing: It Features Aerial And Water Vehicles
Mario Kart 64is a great racer, but it keeps its focus on karts, which is pretty characteristic of the time. Part of what madeDiddy Kong Racingsuch an unusual racing title is that it offers three modes to go through tracks: traditional karts, airplanes, and hovercrafts. This adds so much variety to races and features a scope that’s just grander than anything present inMario Kart 64.It’s amazing to do an air versus sea race and push the game to its limit.
7Mario Kart 64: Its Roster Of Characters
Mario Kart 64’sroster of racers is quite lean in comparison to how bloated the amount of characters becomes in the subsequent titles. That being said,Mario Kart 64doesn’t leave any room for waste and only includes a satisfying selection of Mario’s finest supporting characters. In comparison toDiddy Kong Racing,it’s really no contest. The other racing game has plenty of creative characters, but they all mostly lack the recognition and fun that comes from playing as any of theseNintendo characters. They’re what make this game stand out in the first place.
6Diddy Kong Racing: It Has Boss Battles
Another crazy innovation thatDiddy Kong Racingadds to the racing genre is that it incorporates bosses into the mix. It’s a brilliant idea to take the individualized challenge ofboss fightsfrom adventure games and then turn that into a race. There are plenty of difficult tracks inMario Kart 64,butDiddy Kong Racing’suse of boss races to punctuate each world is such a smart idea and tests players in a different kind of way than a standard race. It’s a great distillation of how the title so elegantly mashes together concepts.
5Mario Kart 64: The Iconic Tracks
Each new game in theMario Kartseries works hard to addchallenging tracksto the repertoire of courses that have appeared in the franchise’s history. Despite how entertaining it is to experience fresh tracks, many of the courses inMario Kart 64have since become the most beloved and requested inMario Karthistory. The courses inSuper Mario Kartare lots of fun, but it’s such a jump in quality with every single level inMario Kart 64and they’re mostly classics.Diddy Kong Racinghas impressive level design, but is hasn’t become as iconic over time.
4Diddy Kong Racing: It Introduces Some Iconic Characters
A difficult thing that original racing titles face is how to make new characters catch on without the benefit of a whole franchise to fall back on.Diddy Kong Racingdoesn’t lean into a roster of Kongs and instead brings a bunch of new possible mascots into the mix. Most notably among these characters isBanjoand Conker, who would later get their own franchises.Diddy Kong Racingeven has secret characters to unlock as rewards, which is a perk thatMario Kart 64doesn’t offer.
3Mario Kart 64: Its Many Cups
Mario Kart 64isn’t the longest racing game, but it’s still a fulfilling experience that doesn’t drain the player.Mario Kart 64finds the perfect balance between just enough content and challenge where there’s a lot to unlock ^ work through, but not to an overwhelming degree (which is sometimes the case withDiddy Kong Racing). Mario Kart 64has different cups, additional CCs, and even an entire mirror mode that really tests how skilled players are at the classic kart game.
2Diddy Kong Racing: It Has A Story Mode
It’s an idea that’s not as groundbreaking now, but back during the Nintendo 64’s lifespan, it was a very ambitious concept to ostensibly turn a racing game into anadventure title. There’s just so much more on the table inDiddy Kong RacingthanMario Kart 64or any other racer on the console. There’s a huge open world hub that connects all of the races, a litany of hidden balloons to uncover, and a wealth of extra modes available upon completion of the core game.
1Mario Kart 64: It’s Aged Incredibly Well
There are video games that are winners upon their release, only to slowly becomeless perfectonce hindsight has been able to set in and the gaming industry gets a chance to evolve.Mario Kart 64is a beautiful example of a game that’s just as fun now as it was when it first came out. It’s aged exceptionally well and it’s a testament to how the racer’s simple design is the right strategy.Diddy Kong Racingis still an oaky experience, but it definitely has some clumsiness due to an ambition that’s not present inMario Kart 64.
Next:5 Nintendo 64 Games That Have Aged Well (& 5 That Haven’t)
