3 - Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing was my first N64 game, and one of the games I’ve dedicated more hours to, so of course this third spot in my list is, based a lot on nostalgia. Yes, Mario Kart 64 multiplayer, especially the battle mode, is unbeatable, although I had very good times playing with three friends, but the adventure mode alone, which provided a real sense of progress for the solo players, is enough to make DKR the definitive arcade racing in the 64 bit console. Three different vehicles, lively tracks with different paths, a story mode which borrowed many characteristics from Rare’s platformers, among them the overworld, and, of course, a wonderful soundtrack (I still find myself humming some of the tracks).
Unlike Mario Kart, the “fixed” power-up system (you’d always find the same power-ups (attack, defense, speed or magnet) in the same place), a tricky course design and the absence of a “lakitu” that rescues when you if you fall, made luck less decisive, making multiplayer less thrilling, but it gave the game a more strategic stance and encouraged the player to improve and continue playing until knowing every little detail of every course.
