Diddy Kong Racing DS (Nintendo DS, 2007)

I was a big fan of the original Diddy Kong Racing on the N64, and was really excited to have a miniature version that I could take anywhere I pleased. Diddy Kong Racing DS faithfully recreates the Adventure Racing game I knew and loved, adding some excellent and welcome new things, but at the cost of simplifying the game way too much.

For starters, every track and battle arena has been faithfully restored to its original glory once again, all the characters (with the exception of Banjo and Conker) return, and the Adventure mode is just as long as it used to be. However, the Silver Coin Challenges (which were nail-bitingly challenging and fun) have been replaced by ultra-simple touchscreen balloon-popping challenges, which is disappointing. The computer AI in the actual races seems a bit dumbed down, too, kind of ruining the experience.

However, this isn't to say that the game is all bad. There are a set of new tracks, several new characters, and a stellar online mode, plus a decal creator and tons of purchasable unlockables. The visuals are excellent, too, and the weapon system has been reworked, allowing you to pick up only item balloons of the same type while chaining powerups.

Don't get me wrong: If you loved Diddy Kong Racing on the N64 and you want to play it again, though a slightly easier version, you'll enjoy the DS version, especially the online features. But I found the over-simplification of some of the N64 version's best challenges to be a slight bit disappointing.