Diddy Kong Racing DS
Features
Some confirmed extra features of the game, not present in the original version, include:
8-player single-card multiplayer (DS Download Play)
8-player multi-card multiplayer (DS Wireless Play)
2-4 player Battle Modes (Single-card/Multi-card/WiFi)
2, 4, and 6-player Wi-Fi play[3]
Touch-screen and microphone compatible (You can record your own sound effects)
Some characters in newly playable form
Remodelled and retextured tracks
Fully custom-made vehicles
New modes, weapons and challenges
Create your own tracks (TT's Wish Races)
Every track has been graphically enhanced with better quality and more variations in the textures and features. Despite this, the tracks all run at a much better and more consistent frame rate than the N64 game, and look much smoother as a result.
Banjo and Conker, two characters from outside the Donkey Kong franchise, have been replaced with Tiny Kong and Dixie Kong respectively.
While not specific to this particular game, Tiny Kong's appearance has been changed from her Donkey Kong 64 portrayal. She now appears in this game as a teenager. Diddy and Dixie, however, are still portrayed in the same manner as always.
The positions of bananas have been replaced by coins. The same goes for Smokey Castle Battle Mode.
The voices have been changed to almost everyone sounding British.
The Silver Coin challenges from the original have been replaced with balloon-popping challenges. Instead of using one of the three vehicles, the player rides Taj's magic carpet (which flies on a rail) and pops the balloons with the stylus. By using stylus swipes, you can move the camera to find balloons that are obscured by obstacles. However, the Silver Coin Challenges are now an unlockable. Note: The January 2007 issue of Nintendo Power magazine incorrectly stated that the Silver Coin Challenges were removed from the DS game. This is not true and is due to be corrected in a future issue.
When getting upgrades from red ballons, the Homing missle will be the last upgrade, wheras it was the second upgrade in the original version. Also, instead of getting 10 non homing missles you will now get 5 semi-homing missles.
Ancient Lake and Whale Bay have been changed. Star City has a new area to race, but it doesn't really affect the original.
Jungle Falls, Snowball Valley, Pirate Lagoon, Treasure Caves, Windmill Plains, and Spaceport Alpha have new Background Music. Spacedust Alley now has the old Spaceport Alpha music. The old music from Jungle Falls was moved to the credits.
Thunder Cove, Meandering Mount, Splashdown Pass, and Strangled Shrine are new tracks.
Taj the Genie and Wizpig the Evil Wizard who were NPCs in the original version, are unlockable in the DS Version.
The first boss stage has been changed and is much easier.
All the places that the battle stages were in the N64 Version have been replaced by Wish Races, where T.T. instructs you to make a track and race him for a piece of the T.T. Amulet which unlocks T.T. in the lobbies.
The time trial in the N64 version had you race alone with no balloon pickups on the track. The DS version counts your time from regular races in adventure mode and single races.
Various Options from the original version were removed, such as "Magic Codes".
The car option in Everfrost Peak was removed.
The ice in Walrus Cove that would cause a car to bounce back onto the track was replaced with regular water.
Planes can no longer perform a barrel roll or a loop.
