Frosty Village is my favorite. It's well designed, neither too straightforward nor too convoluted, and it has the best music in the game (I could listen to that music forever). I also probably like Hot Top Volcano more than you. I love the setting and the small shortcuts you can take.
I never did find the Smokey Castle key in Boulder Canyon as a kid. I searched for hours and hours but never found it, and the internet wasn’t really a thing back then so it wasn’t until I was an adult that I finally 100% completed this game!
@@worldsboss I seriously don't know how my brother did it, but one day after school, he showed me that he got the keys for Icicle Pyramid, Darkwater Beach, and Smokey Castle. Had he not done that, I'd have been stuck with ya!
I’m so glad I managed to complete this game for the first time since 1997 last Christmas, despite having to spend Christmas on my own without any family around due to a lockdown (thank god for Skype) it was fantastic to go through this again.
Darkmoon Caverns is my favorite. The music kicks ass, decent length and the boosting sections were euphoric when I'd finally be ahead of the rest with all the silver coins on the final lap 😁
Diddy Kong Racing was the very first racing video game I ever played and I have very fond memories of it. My favorite track in the game has to be Haunted Woods. Haunted Woods may be a short track, but I love the spooky music, the abandoned town at the start, and the ghostly wizpig heads flying through the trees! That track is a vibe
Glenn, you've made the video I've been waiting for! Haha. One of my favorite N64 games and games of all time! I know it's one of yours, too. So many great memories, and I still enjoy going back to it. I got an N64 Christmas of 1997 that came with a gray and atomic purple controller and Diddy Kong Racing. I fondly remember struggling to get through the silver coin challenges of the Snow World. I revisited it some years later and managed to beat the game for the first time, as well as unlocking TT. Earlier this year, I played through Adventure Two for the first time, completing that. It felt great to finally get through the entire game 20+ years later. And of course, I'll play it again. There are a lot of great courses, but I think my favorite was always Frosty Village, rocketing down that snowy hill near the start. The two side sections where silver coins are hidden in Adventure Two is great, as well as the hovercraft area in the water.
Of course this list had to be done after your last amazing video and it didn't disappoint. As a kid, I used to feel guilty for loving this game so much. Me and my friend would rave about Mario Kart, but in my head I always felt this was the better game. Nowadays I would of relished in the debate...but as a kid you don't ever want to be the odd one out. 1) Boulder canyon - I'm with you on this mate. Nothing beat that feeling of satisfaction, shrugging my shoulders up, going through, then giggling to myself as the draw bridge dropped behind me. 2) Fossil canyon - as you mentioned the lake jumps were so fun, and we would fight each other to get to them first. The noisiest level in my house by far. 3) Pirate lagoon - Me and my sister used to be in laughing fits, barging each other from hitting the little sand jumps...this console created so many timeless moments with my sister. Glenn you are creating so much more than just video game content here - you are summoning some of our fondest childhood memories...
I’ve been feeling a bit down recently and this video helped me relive childhood memories and cheered me up a bit. Thank you! I think Whale Bay is one of the best, followed by Frosty Village
I liked that we could use a kart, or a hovercraft, or an airplane in Diddy Kong Racing. Also, the boss races were a challenge, especially after you tried to re-race them later on and they got much faster while the tracks got trickier. That diversity kept it fresh. Mario Kart 64 was fun, but it was just in karts. But they both were fun to play.
This was really fun. I agree with most of your thoughts, but because I usually approach the levels via the open world and tend to do them all together, I never really thought critically about them individually. I guess my favourite levels would be the more medieval themed ones, with the space ones following, but I love that each zone has a great imaginative theme, and I honestly find all the courses fun.
I just love the early N64 vibe this game gives along with all the exploration different characters great music and locations. Its beyond me that this NEVER got another port or sequel to a next gen system except that of a handheld re-release sometime in 2011 probably.. what is this company thinking... Anyway certainly and easily one of my favourite games on the system. Walrus cove pirate lagoon and frosty village are some of my favourites but i rly cant choose its the overall experience you get from this game the island the genie the diff vehicles and characters so many fond memories from this game!
Mate, it’s in my top 3 games of all time. Since 1998 my best pal and I have had a sleepover on December 23rd (which has since progressed into a beer and snacks session as we’ve gotten older and acquired children) where he’ll do Goldeneye in 1 sitting and I’ll do DKR. We know that Christmas is round the corner when Frosty Village’s music hits.
god i loved this game, the campaign was so much fun. 3rd place: walrus cove; 2nd: pirate lagoon, 1st crescent island. i only played conker until i unlocked drumstick and tt. this game was way too creative and lets not forget the awesome bossfights
This is so hard, I don't feel like there are any weak courses in Diddy Kong Racing. A true masterpiece. That being said, my top 5 (1) Ancient Lake (not objectively the best course but IMO the best song in the game which makes it fun to race on, and that's saying a lot) (2) Crescent Island (3) Snowball Valley (absolute madness) (4) Frosty Village (I unironically listen to this song every christmas season) (5) Greenwood Village (the aesthetic, the music, the layout) (Honorable Mention) Walrus Cove (there's a loop, I mean, c'mon)
Boulder Canyon was always my favorite too, but I think it annoyed my friends when I chose that course lol. After that I love Frosty Village and the other snow courses, purely for the nostalgia of getting the game for Christmas in 1997.
Well, banjo is the 4th fastest character Krunch is the 3th (even thought that he sucks ass) Drumstick is the 2nd And the 1st is so obvious... yeh im talking about T.T So basically Banjo is a good starter character Not the best starter but he's good If you are beginner then use tiptup or pipsy Once you get good ya know use banjo or bumper
DKR is 1 of my most nostalgic games. the 1st time I played it was the night my mom gave birth to my sister Lexi, that being said... Hot Top Volcano was NOT FUN!!!
I had a Nintendo 64 growing up, played a ton both by myself and with my dad. Good fun. I never had Diddy Kong Racing, I did play it last year for the first time ever. I like it. I’m more nostalgic for and a fan of Mario Kart 64, personally my favourite game on the system. It’s just what I had and played a ton. I will say, Diddy Kong Racing is a lot of fun though. Thank you for the great, continuous content. Much appreciated. 👍🏻
My Top 3 Tracks are: Whale Bay, the chill atmosphere of the track and the music, and I loved racing with the Hovercraft; Space Dust Alley, for the Sci-Fi layout and the more challenging and technical parts of the track; and Fossil Canyon, since it's an accessible track for friends that are new to DKR, and for all the fun I had trying different routes in an attempt to find the fastest lap. My go-to character was Timber, the little growls he made after getting hit or sliding on oil always made me smile
My favourite was always star city. Me and my brother would turn on cheats for nothing but fully powered blue balloons and just tear around the track like demons. We also use to use the big bridge at the beginning of the race as a jump to try reach the "Rare" train that went across. We finally did and it had no collision lol. There's so many memories in this game I can't really name them all. My all time favorite character was Pipsy. She had high acceleration and the best turning so if you were good at the game then nothing could catch you with constant boosts with that ridiculously good handling.
Diddy Kong Racing is one of the few racing games I kinda wish had a gameplay sequel. Ironing out the kinks and more good tracks would be great. Of course, Rare makes it difficult to get a new one made today. Some say Star Fox Grand Prix (if it ever existed) would’ve been a good spirtual successor to this. But honestly I do wish F-Zero adopted the flying ships and boats into it’s fast paced gameplay (even if it’s not an item based Kart racer at that point).
I remember getting this game Christmas of 97, the same year I got the n64 a month earlier for my 12th birthday. My mother loved the music in it, probably the only time she got excited about us playing a video game. When people think of cart racers for the system they usually fall back on Mario Kart 64 but if you compare the 2, as much as I love MK64, DKR is simply the superior title. Wider variety of gameplay options, story mode, challenges and just more overall depth. Even the most basic of tracks still have more charm and detail than any track in MK. It's really a shame there was never another entry to turn it into a franchise. Tiptup was always my go-to racer. I'll never forget the frustration of trying to beat Whizpig the first time. I'm surprised I didn't obliterate my controller over it.
Tip Tup was always my go to as well. I think I felt like Tip was most similar to using Yoshi in MK64 and I liked how cute of a character Tip was as well. I don't think it's fair comparing multiplayer between MK64 and this. DKR64 has some really original & fun modes in multiplayer that helped to differentiate it from MK64 that me and my friends thoroughly enjoyed. While MK64 would typically be my go to first choice with friends over DKR64 was no slouch when we got bored of MK64, and I found it was a bit more fair to new players.
Remember this game so well, was first introduced to it in a magazine a month or two before launch and read the article several times, even looking at the screenshots with a magnifying glass. After getting it for christmas, it was stuck in my N64 for months but in my early gaming years I couldn't get the hang of the drifting so was never able to unlock tick tock. There's something magical playing this game during winter, the winter themed courses with their catchy music always get me and I sometimes caught myself having those tunes in my head driving a car in a snowy night :D
This is close to how I'd rank. I'd put Everfrost Peak in last, and swap Whale Bay/Treasure Caves. Hard disagree on the music of Darkmoon Caverns, it's one of the most memorable songs, probably helped by being the track that plays during the credits
Man watching this video does bring back nostalgic as Diddy Kong Racing was the very first video game I've ever played. Anyways my favorite courses are Jungle Falls, Snowball Valley, Frosty Village, Crescent Island, Boulder Canyon, and Star City. But I like/love all the stages in this game.
Love this game. Got it for christmas in 98, loved that you could play co-op in the storymode. Played it all the time with one of my sisters, but can't remember if we beat Wizpig (I thought he was called Wipzig for a long time) the final time. My favorite carachter was always Conker and my sister used to play as Pipsy.
I was a fan of many of the shorter stages just for what they did in such a quick burst. I'd say my favs would have to be: Snowball Valley, Star City, Haunted Woods, and Hot Top Volcano.
@@n64glennplant Depends. Both games have something different to offer. DKR for the single player mode and MK64 for multiplayer since the stages are more interesting.
Very instantaneous speedrunner perspective, just my opinion: Ancient Lake: A Fossil Canyon: S Jungle Falls: S Hot Top Volcano: D Frosty Village: B Snowball Valley: C Walrus Cove: B Everfrost Peak: D Whale Bay: D Pirate Lagoon: C Crescent Island: B Treasure Cove: B Windmill Planes: C Boulder Canyon: D Greenwood Village: B Haunted Woods: C Spaceport Alpha: C Star City: A Darkmoon Caverns: C Spacedust Alley: B
Interesting placements. While I don’t hate any tracks, Whale Bay and Pirate Lagoon aren’t in my favorites because I personally don’t like the Hovercraft. Boulder Canyon is really fun to play though! It’s hard to pick a favorite but Frosty Village, Greenwood Village and Star City are the three I enjoy racing the most. My go to character is usually either Drumstick or Banjo.
This game was the first game I ever got for my N64 and I beat the living hell out of it and I found every secret and unlocked everything it had to offer, unlocking TT was the hardest!! I also love how when you beat the game you then see the beach lighthouse turn into a spaceship which takes you to space and to 4 new tracks to play!!
@@n64glennplant I just wanna say that it’s so cool to know that right when I was enjoying this game back in 1997/1998 there was other people like you who were also enjoying the same game at the same time, even though we don’t know each other it’s cool to know that we shared many of the same experiences.
I haven't played DKR in about 20 years so couldn't even attempt to rank the tracks, however I still listen to the soundtrack quite regularly. Frosty Village is even in my wife and I's Christmas playlist. It's come on a couple of times when we had people over and they'd wonder what the hell is that music playing in-between Wham and Slade lol
Greenwood Village is my favorite track by far; it manages to hit just right in terms of visuals, music, and a challenging track that keeps you on your toes. As for my character of choice, I've always stuck to Pipsy out of personal preference
My rank: 20. Pirate Lagoon: I hate how the hovercraft controls, and this is the least interesting of the 3 hovercraft tracks. It does have a top 3 song though. 19. Whale Bay: Better than Pirate Lagoon only because hopping onto the pirate ship from the whale is a cool shortcut. 18. Everfrost Peak: The plane is better than the hovercraft, but not by much. This is the least-interesting plane course, though it can be fun to speedrun once you learn how to use the grounded zippers. 17. Windmill Plains: Definitely has some cool visuals, and having to maneuver through the windmills at high speed is a fun challenge. Overall though the course feels rather slow. 16. Spacedust Alley: Another plane level that feels not too different all the others. It's better than the ones below it due to having a faster pace and that I like the shortcut under the bridge near the end. 15. Spaceport Alpha: A very cool-looking track with lots of fun set-pieces. I especially love the Star Wars Episode IV vibes when you go through the tunnel and are shot at by lasers. Like you said, however, actually playing the track can be annoying. 14. Hot Top Volcano: I freaking love the OST in this one. Those chants combined with the fast drum part that always seems to come in the third lap when the music's sped up is so great. The track itself is OK. 13. Greenwood Village: The only car stage ranked below a plane/hover stage (IMO the car is the best vehicle, the controls and speed are amazing and so much fun to master). A very annoying stage with lots of tight turns and awkward spaces. The Silver Coin challenge here is the hardest in the game and it's fun to overcome, but for normal racing this track is more irritating than anything else. 12. Boulder Canyon: One of the coolest tracks in the game, despite having to use the hovercraft. The rolling logs in the river, the bell you can ring to bring up the drawbridge, the awesome secret, and the fact that the music dynamically changes when you enter the dank dungeon. My dislike of the hovercraft is the only thing keeping this track from being much much higher on the list. 11. Ancient Lake: It's the first level, and a perfectly fine one at that, but there isn't much to it. Luckily if you don't need teaching it goes by pretty quick. 10. Haunted Woods: Kind of a forgettable stage, but one which is fun to blast through at top-speed, at least when you're not bonking on everything imaginable. Those ghostly Wizpig heads are a great aesthetic touch. 9. Walrus Cove: Just a cool stage with it's loop-de-loops and tight turns, as well as the Christmas vibe. The ending part has always annoyed me but it's very satisfying when you nail it. 8. Snowball Valley: I really love the difference in route you can take at the start of the track, and the snowball-dodging part in the second half is fast and fun. 7. Jungle Falls: A lovely energetic OST, and I love racing through the dinosaur bones. The bridge over water is punishing if you fall off and oh so satisfying to get right. 6. Fossil Canyon: One of the most Donkey Kong Country-esque tracks on the OST is heard here. The track itself is great too, I love the shortcut across the lake with the zipper and the canyon part is fun to master. 5. Crescent Island: I love the part where you go on top of and inside the pirate ship, and the shortcut at the very end is a true test of your ability: if you can nail it at full speed, you're truly a DKR master. 4. Star City: Somehow this level feels nostalgic, like you're saying goodbye to an old friend. The ramp before the big disco ball thing is a great risk-reward test with how fast you're willing to go, and the city corners are a great test of your drifting ability. 3. Treasure Caves: Simple, short and fun. I love the constant speed you have in this track when you learn to play it well. Also shares one of the best songs in the game with Pirate Lagoon. 2. Darkmoon Caverns: I couldn't believe my ears when you said this track had one of the least memorable songs: it's a top 5 song for sure. The course itself is fun too, putting your drifting skills to the ultimate test. I especially love the long spiraling sections since they test your ability to powerslide with brake+drift. 1. Frosty Village: This track just has the perfect layout for racing. I love flying over the village with a green boost at the start, and the misty woods section gives a good challenge, especially with the optional shortcut. There are also tons of bananas so you can get up to top speed very fast compared to other tracks.
Timber was my man and always wanted Rareware to release a title staring him (outside DKR which was somewhat bassed on his story). Btw Glenn, did you get to play the DKC themed levels fom DKR DS?
Most Favorite: Treasure Caves Least Favorite: Haunted Woods One thing I can say is one part of Star City's stage design reminds me of Epcot Center from Walt Disney World due to the ball design. I got my N64 on Christmas '98 along with THIS game and Super Mario 64. My sister and I used to play it together. Treasure Caves is the track she always chose. Tiptup is my favorite character.
I’ve never been to Disney, have a valid phobia of amusement park rides after I jumped off one just after it started because of a panic attack….not been on a ride like that in like 15 years now
I always used Timber cuz he was a tiger, also since he was medium weight he was a balance between speed and acceleration as Diddy. I always loved the darkmoon caverns ost for some reason.
As a speedrunner of the game, some of the spots would be switched around for me, but only out of dislike for some of the time trials with the different vehicles other than the default. But it’s always nice to see some DKR content when it’s not always Speedrun oriented.
My favourite character is the little mouse and my favourite track is that one with the misty section. Just love the art. It would be too hard to do rank all the tracks in this game because they’re all so well designed.
My faves were Pipsy, Drumstick and TT but I enjoyed using all of the characters. I hope it comes to Switch because I can’t figure out how to delete all data and start the game from scratch.
Always liked to play as Conker in this one, before the M-Rating became synonymous with him. Just liked his energetic personality and squirrely shenanigans on the track, really wonder how it would have faired if they hadn't gone that direction with him. Anywho, DKR is my favorite kart racer. Would be a hoot if Rare brought it to the Xbox with multiplayer functionality and enhanced graphical fidelity.
Did I hear that right!? Did you say the Darkmoon Cavern music is the “least memorable”!? That is criminal! My fave in the game!
Well lock me up and call me Judy officer 👮 🔐 🫡 😂
This channel is criminally underrated, yet another great video! Thanks keep up the great work. 💙
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey...
thanks Chris
Frosty Village is my favorite. It's well designed, neither too straightforward nor too convoluted, and it has the best music in the game (I could listen to that music forever). I also probably like Hot Top Volcano more than you. I love the setting and the small shortcuts you can take.
The music in frosty village is Christmas personified
Ngl I'm not the biggest fan of frosty village, personally darkmoon caverns is my favourite.
frosty village is just pure nostalgia for me, love how it takes me back to Christmas every time I see and hear it
I love how the music in Boulder Canyon can sound happy or creepy depending on where you are on the track.
Yeah the dynamic audio is very neat!
I never did find the Smokey Castle key in Boulder Canyon as a kid. I searched for hours and hours but never found it, and the internet wasn’t really a thing back then so it wasn’t until I was an adult that I finally 100% completed this game!
@@worldsboss Well it's really hard to find. Also, WHO IN THE RARE TEAM HAD THE IDEA TO PUT THAT KEY IN THERE.
@@worldsboss I seriously don't know how my brother did it, but one day after school, he showed me that he got the keys for Icicle Pyramid, Darkwater Beach, and Smokey Castle. Had he not done that, I'd have been stuck with ya!
I’m so glad I managed to complete this game for the first time since 1997 last Christmas, despite having to spend Christmas on my own without any family around due to a lockdown (thank god for Skype) it was fantastic to go through this again.
and what a perfect game to play at that time of the year too
The N64 doesn't get nearly enough love. Thanks for being a go to channel of mine to relive those halcyon days.
What??? N64 was loved by all dude!!! So many great memories with this system that I still play it to this day!
the n64 gets TONS of love. just look at prices online lol
N64 is in high demand right now. It’s definitely in the spotlight.
Fav system ever. That's saying alot considering how much time I spent on xbox360 later in my years.
@@Ssengel69 - N64 is the most loved 3D console in all of history .. .but it's still not enough! N64 needs more!
4:40 Completely disagree Darkmoon Caverns is a top 5 song in DKR
Absolutely came here to comment this!
Absolutely
maybe ill have to do a music from DKR rankings to eventually justify myself haha
Yeah. It shares the same theme as the Credits tune.
Yeah 100%, I was legitimately shocked when he said otherwise lmao
Really enjoying this latest range of fav videos. Maybe goldeneye levels next?
#SlappersOnly #DKMode
1. Complex ftw
Multi-player of course
@@iSpeed64 😬. Anything but Caves!
seems to be a popular suggestion!
@@richardjw82 Caves was great fun with Grenade Launchers hahahaha
It's a wee joy to see the best N64 channel on RUclips back making videos again!
Thanks Mike I appreciate that
Liking the ranking videos. Goldeneye levels next?
thats a cool suggestion for some point
Thank you for keeping the n64 flame alive! Bless you Glenn!
Thanks Juan, just doing my part here
The hours I put into this game’s Time Trial 😳
A masterpiece. Thanks Glenn for the trip down memory lane.
Darkmoon Caverns is my favorite. The music kicks ass, decent length and the boosting sections were euphoric when I'd finally be ahead of the rest with all the silver coins on the final lap 😁
Haha what’s happened? All of a sudden this videos getting a ton of people saying the same thing 😅
@@n64glennplant idk
Diddy Kong Racing was the very first racing video game I ever played and I have very fond memories of it. My favorite track in the game has to be Haunted Woods. Haunted Woods may be a short track, but I love the spooky music, the abandoned town at the start, and the ghostly wizpig heads flying through the trees! That track is a vibe
Glenn, you've made the video I've been waiting for! Haha. One of my favorite N64 games and games of all time! I know it's one of yours, too. So many great memories, and I still enjoy going back to it. I got an N64 Christmas of 1997 that came with a gray and atomic purple controller and Diddy Kong Racing. I fondly remember struggling to get through the silver coin challenges of the Snow World. I revisited it some years later and managed to beat the game for the first time, as well as unlocking TT.
Earlier this year, I played through Adventure Two for the first time, completing that. It felt great to finally get through the entire game 20+ years later. And of course, I'll play it again.
There are a lot of great courses, but I think my favorite was always Frosty Village, rocketing down that snowy hill near the start. The two side sections where silver coins are hidden in Adventure Two is great, as well as the hovercraft area in the water.
yeah doing all those races to unlock TT was nuts but I was so happy when I finally got him
Huge fan of your videos dude, just found you and they are comfy af to watch while doing housework etc
Thanks! I’m a great distraction from chores haha
Been looking forward to this one. Ty for the videos again!
And thank you for your support!
For me the nostalgia comes from the music…especially the intro theme. How good is it when the kazoo comes in when banjo pops up in the intro 😂
Yeah that’s lit 🔥 how it changes in real time depending on who you hover over
Darkmoon caverns is my jam 🎶
DKR was my first N64 game and still one of my favorites. IMO it puts MK64 to shame.
amen to that Boone
Always tiptup! I believe he is the most popular character also
Tiptup rules!!!
he's the best :)
Great video as always 😊 Wave Race tracks next perhaps?
Seems a popular request!
Of course this list had to be done after your last amazing video and it didn't disappoint.
As a kid, I used to feel guilty for loving this game so much. Me and my friend would rave about Mario Kart, but in my head I always felt this was the better game. Nowadays I would of relished in the debate...but as a kid you don't ever want to be the odd one out.
1) Boulder canyon - I'm with you on this mate. Nothing beat that feeling of satisfaction, shrugging my shoulders up, going through, then giggling to myself as the draw bridge dropped behind me.
2) Fossil canyon - as you mentioned the lake jumps were so fun, and we would fight each other to get to them first. The noisiest level in my house by far.
3) Pirate lagoon - Me and my sister used to be in laughing fits, barging each other from hitting the little sand jumps...this console created so many timeless moments with my sister.
Glenn you are creating so much more than just video game content here - you are summoning some of our fondest childhood memories...
thank you, its also reliving some of my memories which is always fun
yeah new video wuhuuuu 😃🎉 I loved the winter stages a lot, cos of the music.
Did you say 'uWuuuu'?
yeah that always gets me in the Christmas mood
Awesome!! You delivered as you said you would. You da man! Thanks for the great vids best wishes happy gaming
haha couldn't resist doing this one
this was quite nostalgic. great narration. thanks for creating this vid
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been feeling a bit down recently and this video helped me relive childhood memories and cheered me up a bit. Thank you!
I think Whale Bay is one of the best, followed by Frosty Village
Thanks Brett, keep your head up fella 👌
This game is brilliant, I for one actually thought the multiplayer was really fun!
This game's boss races were an absolute nightmare!
TOUGH LUCK, KID
MAYBE NEXT TIME
It’s good challenge I think. Feels like Donkey Kong Country levels of difficulty where you feel like you can improve.
yeah at some points!
They were a really fun challenge though also the silver coin challenges were tough but satisfying once completed.
I liked that we could use a kart, or a hovercraft, or an airplane in Diddy Kong Racing. Also, the boss races were a challenge, especially after you tried to re-race them later on and they got much faster while the tracks got trickier. That diversity kept it fresh. Mario Kart 64 was fun, but it was just in karts. But they both were fun to play.
yeah it just feels there was more depth in DKR than in MK64
I'm actually glad that people are still talking about this masterpiece to this day.
This was really fun. I agree with most of your thoughts, but because I usually approach the levels via the open world and tend to do them all together, I never really thought critically about them individually. I guess my favourite levels would be the more medieval themed ones, with the space ones following, but I love that each zone has a great imaginative theme, and I honestly find all the courses fun.
being in the UK I have a natural like for things medieval :)
I just love the early N64 vibe this game gives along with all the exploration different characters great music and locations. Its beyond me that this NEVER got another port or sequel to a next gen system except that of a handheld re-release sometime in 2011 probably.. what is this company thinking... Anyway certainly and easily one of my favourite games on the system. Walrus cove pirate lagoon and frosty village are some of my favourites but i rly cant choose its the overall experience you get from this game the island the genie the diff vehicles and characters so many fond memories from this game!
great choices edge!
Love the winter level music and I still hum the main theme from time to time but those silver coin challenges can piss right off
yeah some of the later ones are so tough
Mate, it’s in my top 3 games of all time.
Since 1998 my best pal and I have had a sleepover on December 23rd (which has since progressed into a beer and snacks session as we’ve gotten older and acquired children) where he’ll do Goldeneye in 1 sitting and I’ll do DKR. We know that Christmas is round the corner when Frosty Village’s music hits.
haha thats such a cool memory, thanks for sharing
Amazing! I LOVE THIS GAME, especially the soundtrack.
My favorites are Jungle Falls and Hot Top Volcano!
jungle falls FTW
Tiptup, I see you're a man of culture as well.
Snoopy, I see you’re a connoisseur of good characters
god i loved this game, the campaign was so much fun. 3rd place: walrus cove; 2nd: pirate lagoon, 1st crescent island. i only played conker until i unlocked drumstick and tt. this game was way too creative and lets not forget the awesome bossfights
This is so hard, I don't feel like there are any weak courses in Diddy Kong Racing. A true masterpiece. That being said, my top 5
(1) Ancient Lake (not objectively the best course but IMO the best song in the game which makes it fun to race on, and that's saying a lot)
(2) Crescent Island
(3) Snowball Valley (absolute madness)
(4) Frosty Village (I unironically listen to this song every christmas season)
(5) Greenwood Village (the aesthetic, the music, the layout)
(Honorable Mention) Walrus Cove (there's a loop, I mean, c'mon)
you can't beat a good loop - or two of them in space!
Boulder Canyon was always my favorite too, but I think it annoyed my friends when I chose that course lol. After that I love Frosty Village and the other snow courses, purely for the nostalgia of getting the game for Christmas in 1997.
yeah for anyone new to DKR boulder canyon must seem like torture
The sound track to this game was great
Also very true if you mess up during a boss race you better get ready to restart
When the game first came out, I played Bumper a lot but after Banjo-Kazooie, I always pick Banjo.
Well, banjo is the 4th fastest character
Krunch is the 3th (even thought that he sucks ass)
Drumstick is the 2nd
And the 1st is so obvious... yeh im talking about T.T
So basically Banjo is a good starter character
Not the best starter but he's good
If you are beginner then use tiptup or pipsy
Once you get good ya know use banjo or bumper
This made my morning stumbling across this. Next rank the Beetle Adventure Racing tracks!
Coventry coveeeeeeeee
Boulder canyon has to be my favourite. My ADHD loves the slight music changes as your progress and making sure I have a nice transition between them.
Haha I love the dynamic soundtracks too
DKR is 1 of my most nostalgic games. the 1st time I played it was the night my mom gave birth to my sister Lexi, that being said... Hot Top Volcano was NOT FUN!!!
As a kid i alaways tried to enter the frosty village houses but couldnt lol
Would have been an awesome Easter egg wouldn’t it
I had a Nintendo 64 growing up, played a ton both by myself and with my dad. Good fun. I never had Diddy Kong Racing, I did play it last year for the first time ever. I like it. I’m more nostalgic for and a fan of Mario Kart 64, personally my favourite game on the system. It’s just what I had and played a ton. I will say, Diddy Kong Racing is a lot of fun though. Thank you for the great, continuous content. Much appreciated. 👍🏻
thanks Leigh, its always a tough call between the two titles
Jungle Falls was my number one favorite. Really fun track to race on and a sound track that slapped harder than all the others.
Loved driving on that track too. Something about the shadow of the dinosaur skeleton's bones was really cool to my younger self
My Top 3 Tracks are: Whale Bay, the chill atmosphere of the track and the music, and I loved racing with the Hovercraft; Space Dust Alley, for the Sci-Fi layout and the more challenging and technical parts of the track; and Fossil Canyon, since it's an accessible track for friends that are new to DKR, and for all the fun I had trying different routes in an attempt to find the fastest lap. My go-to character was Timber, the little growls he made after getting hit or sliding on oil always made me smile
yeah the subtle noises the characters would make, like TIPTUP going wahhh was always fun
My favourite was always star city. Me and my brother would turn on cheats for nothing but fully powered blue balloons and just tear around the track like demons. We also use to use the big bridge at the beginning of the race as a jump to try reach the "Rare" train that went across. We finally did and it had no collision lol.
There's so many memories in this game I can't really name them all. My all time favorite character was Pipsy. She had high acceleration and the best turning so if you were good at the game then nothing could catch you with constant boosts with that ridiculously good handling.
Yeah that’s why I always use tiptup too
Diddy Kong Racing is one of the few racing games I kinda wish had a gameplay sequel.
Ironing out the kinks and more good tracks would be great.
Of course, Rare makes it difficult to get a new one made today.
Some say Star Fox Grand Prix (if it ever existed) would’ve been a good spirtual successor to this. But honestly I do wish F-Zero adopted the flying ships and boats into it’s fast paced gameplay (even if it’s not an item based Kart racer at that point).
yeah its a shame that Donkey Kong racing was canned :(
This was my favorite game for a while.
still in my top 10 probably
Nice ranking and nice arguments!!
I remember getting this game Christmas of 97, the same year I got the n64 a month earlier for my 12th birthday. My mother loved the music in it, probably the only time she got excited about us playing a video game. When people think of cart racers for the system they usually fall back on Mario Kart 64 but if you compare the 2, as much as I love MK64, DKR is simply the superior title. Wider variety of gameplay options, story mode, challenges and just more overall depth. Even the most basic of tracks still have more charm and detail than any track in MK. It's really a shame there was never another entry to turn it into a franchise. Tiptup was always my go-to racer. I'll never forget the frustration of trying to beat Whizpig the first time. I'm surprised I didn't obliterate my controller over it.
Yeah that first race was brutal but I still feel the second was harder
You can tell you've logged a good amount of hours in to this game from how you are whipping around these courses *sheesh!*
I was rusty as hell when capturing this and also there’s a slight delay between the capture card and so it throws me off a lil
@@n64glennplant Well you rusty, still blew me away haha.
Tip Tup was always my go to as well. I think I felt like Tip was most similar to using Yoshi in MK64 and I liked how cute of a character Tip was as well.
I don't think it's fair comparing multiplayer between MK64 and this. DKR64 has some really original & fun modes in multiplayer that helped to differentiate it from MK64 that me and my friends thoroughly enjoyed. While MK64 would typically be my go to first choice with friends over DKR64 was no slouch when we got bored of MK64, and I found it was a bit more fair to new players.
Remember this game so well, was first introduced to it in a magazine a month or two before launch and read the article several times, even looking at the screenshots with a magnifying glass.
After getting it for christmas, it was stuck in my N64 for months but in my early gaming years I couldn't get the hang of the drifting so was never able to unlock tick tock.
There's something magical playing this game during winter, the winter themed courses with their catchy music always get me and I sometimes caught myself having those tunes in my head driving a car in a snowy night :D
This is close to how I'd rank. I'd put Everfrost Peak in last, and swap Whale Bay/Treasure Caves. Hard disagree on the music of Darkmoon Caverns, it's one of the most memorable songs, probably helped by being the track that plays during the credits
great minds think alike grunts!
I agree with this entire list ranking. Great job
thanks bucket list - you are indeed the master of lists
Man watching this video does bring back nostalgic as Diddy Kong Racing was the very first video game I've ever played.
Anyways my favorite courses are Jungle Falls, Snowball Valley, Frosty Village, Crescent Island, Boulder Canyon, and Star City. But I like/love all the stages in this game.
You and Snooplax and Kaze are the best N64 channels
Kaze is 🔥
I don't have much to say just wanted to leave a comment & like for the algorithm.
Love me some Diddy Kong Racing !
haha thanks guru - appreciate the support here
Great video! :) Ever consider trying to speedrun this game?
Maybe one day!
Love this game. Got it for christmas in 98, loved that you could play co-op in the storymode. Played it all the time with one of my sisters, but can't remember if we beat Wizpig (I thought he was called Wipzig for a long time) the final time.
My favorite carachter was always Conker and my sister used to play as Pipsy.
haha yeah wizpig race 1 and 2 are both tough
I was a fan of many of the shorter stages just for what they did in such a quick burst. I'd say my favs would have to be: Snowball Valley, Star City, Haunted Woods, and Hot Top Volcano.
Nice choices, do you prefer DKR or MK64?
@@n64glennplant Depends. Both games have something different to offer. DKR for the single player mode and MK64 for multiplayer since the stages are more interesting.
Very instantaneous speedrunner perspective, just my opinion:
Ancient Lake: A
Fossil Canyon: S
Jungle Falls: S
Hot Top Volcano: D
Frosty Village: B
Snowball Valley: C
Walrus Cove: B
Everfrost Peak: D
Whale Bay: D
Pirate Lagoon: C
Crescent Island: B
Treasure Cove: B
Windmill Planes: C
Boulder Canyon: D
Greenwood Village: B
Haunted Woods: C
Spaceport Alpha: C
Star City: A
Darkmoon Caverns: C
Spacedust Alley: B
Great assessment 💪🏼
Interesting placements. While I don’t hate any tracks, Whale Bay and Pirate Lagoon aren’t in my favorites because I personally don’t like the Hovercraft. Boulder Canyon is really fun to play though! It’s hard to pick a favorite but Frosty Village, Greenwood Village and Star City are the three I enjoy racing the most. My go to character is usually either Drumstick or Banjo.
This game was the first game I ever got for my N64 and I beat the living hell out of it and I found every secret and unlocked everything it had to offer, unlocking TT was the hardest!! I also love how when you beat the game you then see the beach lighthouse turn into a spaceship which takes you to space and to 4 new tracks to play!!
Yeah that was such a cool twist
@@n64glennplant I just wanna say that it’s so cool to know that right when I was enjoying this game back in 1997/1998 there was other people like you who were also enjoying the same game at the same time, even though we don’t know each other it’s cool to know that we shared many of the same experiences.
Such an awesome video!
thanks IVO
Fossil Canyon is the best track imo. Was fun to put this list to the DKR Runners discord.
I really should start getting my skills back up to competitive levels in this game as it’s one of my all time favs
I haven't played DKR in about 20 years so couldn't even attempt to rank the tracks, however I still listen to the soundtrack quite regularly. Frosty Village is even in my wife and I's Christmas playlist. It's come on a couple of times when we had people over and they'd wonder what the hell is that music playing in-between Wham and Slade lol
Yeah the soundtrack around Christmas time is pure nostalgia!
This may be my favorite n64 rareware game. I always played pipsy and I finally got to unlocking T.T and it was so worth it
yeah TT was a grind way back but defo worth it to really complete the game IMO
Crescent Island's music played almost in it's entirety here because it's just awesome to listen to? Love to see it :)
So many memories of that
Greenwood Village is my favorite track by far; it manages to hit just right in terms of visuals, music, and a challenging track that keeps you on your toes. As for my character of choice, I've always stuck to Pipsy out of personal preference
One of the best games on our lovely Nintendo 64. At the moment i play it on my Xbox Series X via RetroArch and i still love it.
very nice - I have an X too
Never played this game back in the day, probably should have though.
Looks really good!
You’re in for a treat when you do I still love it
This game blew my mind as a kid, I don't understand why this game doesn't get more love than Mario kart.
Yeah I think it’s much better aside from the weaker multiplayer
Framerate, handling, powerslide mechanics, power-ups, multiplayer, characters, time trial...
Loved this game so much,great memories
me too button masher!
I always went with Pipsy! Loved the tight turning.
Yeah very good for that
really like your latest content
thanks Andreas, mixing it up a lil
My rank:
20. Pirate Lagoon: I hate how the hovercraft controls, and this is the least interesting of the 3 hovercraft tracks. It does have a top 3 song though.
19. Whale Bay: Better than Pirate Lagoon only because hopping onto the pirate ship from the whale is a cool shortcut.
18. Everfrost Peak: The plane is better than the hovercraft, but not by much. This is the least-interesting plane course, though it can be fun to speedrun once you learn how to use the grounded zippers.
17. Windmill Plains: Definitely has some cool visuals, and having to maneuver through the windmills at high speed is a fun challenge. Overall though the course feels rather slow.
16. Spacedust Alley: Another plane level that feels not too different all the others. It's better than the ones below it due to having a faster pace and that I like the shortcut under the bridge near the end.
15. Spaceport Alpha: A very cool-looking track with lots of fun set-pieces. I especially love the Star Wars Episode IV vibes when you go through the tunnel and are shot at by lasers. Like you said, however, actually playing the track can be annoying.
14. Hot Top Volcano: I freaking love the OST in this one. Those chants combined with the fast drum part that always seems to come in the third lap when the music's sped up is so great. The track itself is OK.
13. Greenwood Village: The only car stage ranked below a plane/hover stage (IMO the car is the best vehicle, the controls and speed are amazing and so much fun to master). A very annoying stage with lots of tight turns and awkward spaces. The Silver Coin challenge here is the hardest in the game and it's fun to overcome, but for normal racing this track is more irritating than anything else.
12. Boulder Canyon: One of the coolest tracks in the game, despite having to use the hovercraft. The rolling logs in the river, the bell you can ring to bring up the drawbridge, the awesome secret, and the fact that the music dynamically changes when you enter the dank dungeon. My dislike of the hovercraft is the only thing keeping this track from being much much higher on the list.
11. Ancient Lake: It's the first level, and a perfectly fine one at that, but there isn't much to it. Luckily if you don't need teaching it goes by pretty quick.
10. Haunted Woods: Kind of a forgettable stage, but one which is fun to blast through at top-speed, at least when you're not bonking on everything imaginable. Those ghostly Wizpig heads are a great aesthetic touch.
9. Walrus Cove: Just a cool stage with it's loop-de-loops and tight turns, as well as the Christmas vibe. The ending part has always annoyed me but it's very satisfying when you nail it.
8. Snowball Valley: I really love the difference in route you can take at the start of the track, and the snowball-dodging part in the second half is fast and fun.
7. Jungle Falls: A lovely energetic OST, and I love racing through the dinosaur bones. The bridge over water is punishing if you fall off and oh so satisfying to get right.
6. Fossil Canyon: One of the most Donkey Kong Country-esque tracks on the OST is heard here. The track itself is great too, I love the shortcut across the lake with the zipper and the canyon part is fun to master.
5. Crescent Island: I love the part where you go on top of and inside the pirate ship, and the shortcut at the very end is a true test of your ability: if you can nail it at full speed, you're truly a DKR master.
4. Star City: Somehow this level feels nostalgic, like you're saying goodbye to an old friend. The ramp before the big disco ball thing is a great risk-reward test with how fast you're willing to go, and the city corners are a great test of your drifting ability.
3. Treasure Caves: Simple, short and fun. I love the constant speed you have in this track when you learn to play it well. Also shares one of the best songs in the game with Pirate Lagoon.
2. Darkmoon Caverns: I couldn't believe my ears when you said this track had one of the least memorable songs: it's a top 5 song for sure. The course itself is fun too, putting your drifting skills to the ultimate test. I especially love the long spiraling sections since they test your ability to powerslide with brake+drift.
1. Frosty Village: This track just has the perfect layout for racing. I love flying over the village with a green boost at the start, and the misty woods section gives a good challenge, especially with the optional shortcut. There are also tons of bananas so you can get up to top speed very fast compared to other tracks.
Timber was my man and always wanted Rareware to release a title staring him (outside DKR which was somewhat bassed on his story).
Btw Glenn, did you get to play the DKC themed levels fom DKR DS?
I got DKR DS but wasn't a fan, the whole flag thing was a gimmick IMO
lol spaceport alpha and haunted woods are some of my favorites
its always interesting hearing how my opinions are different than others
Most Favorite: Treasure Caves
Least Favorite: Haunted Woods
One thing I can say is one part of Star City's stage design reminds me of Epcot Center from Walt Disney World due to the ball design.
I got my N64 on Christmas '98 along with THIS game and Super Mario 64. My sister and I used to play it together. Treasure Caves is the track she always chose.
Tiptup is my favorite character.
I’ve never been to Disney, have a valid phobia of amusement park rides after I jumped off one just after it started because of a panic attack….not been on a ride like that in like 15 years now
Gotta say what makes the plane courses way more fun for me is barrel rolling all over the place to speed to the end
I forgot about this! You'd barrel roll left and right on the straights, and sometimes you'd accidentally do a loop and the whole run would be over.
haha I would often do that on the finish line
I always used Timber cuz he was a tiger, also since he was medium weight he was a balance between speed and acceleration as Diddy. I always loved the darkmoon caverns ost for some reason.
Tiptup was always my bro!
As a speedrunner of the game, some of the spots would be switched around for me, but only out of dislike for some of the time trials with the different vehicles other than the default. But it’s always nice to see some DKR content when it’s not always Speedrun oriented.
My favourite character is the little mouse and my favourite track is that one with the misty section. Just love the art. It would be too hard to do rank all the tracks in this game because they’re all so well designed.
Pipsy!
Yeah that’s the one
The last time I watched one of your ranking videos it was absolutely ridiculous lol
That’s just my theory….a game theory!!!! Oh wait, wrong channel
Frosty village my favourite. Love the Christmassy look and music
My faves were Pipsy, Drumstick and TT but I enjoyed using all of the characters.
I hope it comes to Switch because I can’t figure out how to delete all data and start the game from scratch.
I loved this game back in time. Played the game through, deleted savegame and played the game from the beginning again
My top:
20- Ancient Lake
19- Spaceport Alpha
18- Jungle Falls
17- Treasure Caves
16- Crescent Island
15- Hot Top Volcano
14- Spacedust Alley
13- Fossil Canyon
12- Haunted Woods
11- Everfrost Peak
10- Boulder Canyon
9- Windmill Plains
8- Greenwood Village
7- Snowball Valley
6- Frosty Village
5- Pirate Lagoon
4- Star City
3- Whale Bay
2- Walrus Cove
1- Darkmoon Caverns
Always liked to play as Conker in this one, before the M-Rating became synonymous with him. Just liked his energetic personality and squirrely shenanigans on the track, really wonder how it would have faired if they hadn't gone that direction with him.
Anywho, DKR is my favorite kart racer. Would be a hoot if Rare brought it to the Xbox with multiplayer functionality and enhanced graphical fidelity.
I think this game has some of the most happy upbeat music that you can listen to forever!!
I was around 13 years old, and I got dk racing. You said it perfectly, lacks a feeling of speed. I returned it to toys r us
Lacks speed in certain tracks but if you master it and can link boosts it’s fire 🔥
DarkMoon Caverns comes at number 1# in my list
I really liked how the car left red skid marks. I skidded purposely just to see them
Also how they inflated slightly in water.
yeah and kinda bopped along if you took the car into water
Oh yeah! Another ranking video! 😀
Couldn’t resist doing this one
I do love a good list! I like that you did a nice long take for each course!
Good video. I always play as Conker, and my favorite level is Whale bay. 🐳
Good choice!