Nevertheless, those who enjoyed the music in the game will still find it enjoyable to revisit the score in a stand-alone release. The final result is colourful and memorable, but not always inspiring or accomplished. David Wise is able to offer many catchy melodies on the soundtrack, but largely loses the experimental edge in favour of a somewhat tacky approach.
![tt diddy kong racing tt diddy kong racing](https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-w0CCfumXMxfUQVtQ-H83lSA-t240x240.jpg)
Overall, Diddy Kong Racing falls considerably short of being a classic score on par with Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest. It was only in Diddy Kong Racing DS that these tunes were finally rearranged and resynthed into something more substantial. While the intentions are clear, they fall down due to poor synthesis and mixing. Some of the lead samples are especially, for example the feeble glockenspiel in "Sherbet Island", the bluegrass violins in "Everfrost Peak", or the jarring brass in "Spaceport Alpha". What's more, the MIDI samples used certainly don't push the Nintendo 64 to its limits and often have a 'cheap' feel to them. Even tunes that attempt to be a little more edgy or multifaceted also end up sounding like disco anthems, for example "Jungle Falls" or "Darkmoon Caverns", perhaps intentionally, perhaps not. "TT's Theme", in particular, is a cringe-worthy homage to Kool & the Gang's "Celebration". It fits the game well and offers lots of catchy melodies, though can become quite irritating on stand-alone listening. Compared to Dave Wise's Donkey Kong Country scores, Diddy Kong Racing is far more light-hearted and superficial. While impressive for its day, the Diddy Kong Racing score hasn't aged that well.
TT DIDDY KONG RACING FULL
There are also plenty of Easter Eggs for those willing to shell out on the full release. Occasionally, the soundtrack becomes darker too, most notably to accompany the cinematic sequences and races involving the antagonist Wizpig. Perhaps the most exciting and futuristic tracks are those used in Future Fun Land, namely "Darkmoon Caverns", "Spaceport Alpha", and "Star City", though these have some weaknesses in retrospect. The themes for Sherbert Island and Snowflake Mountain meanwhile feature plenty of wintry clichés, though are a little too numerous. For example, the Dino Domain themes prove to be a suitable and representative introduction to the game however, they still have a percussive emphasis to them, most notably in the blistering "Hot Top Volcano". Each lobby and its accompanying stage themes has a distinct feeling to them. In fact, even the various menu and select themes are highly memorable all these years on.ĭespite the continued melodic emphasis and poppy feel throughout, there is plenty of diversity in the soundtrack nevertheless. More climactic pieces such as "Battle Theme", "Star City", or "Haunted Woods" still put melody first and are much more light-hearted than equivalents in the Donkey Kong Country franchise. Wise's so-called 'whistleable' factor is back. Whatever the elements used to present it, every melody simply shines with enthusiasm and lyricism. Listens can enjoy everything from electrifying rock organ leads in "Jungle Falls", to mellow bossa-nova elements in "Dino Domain", to nostalgic Christmassy sounds in "Walrus Cove".
![tt diddy kong racing tt diddy kong racing](https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/square_small/0/4018/386248-bluey.jpg)
After all, pretty much all the stage and lobby tracks take a poppy approach, and there is plenty of them spread across the album release. In fact, in terms of sheer catchiness factor, this soundtrack probably has more to offer than his other works. BodyĪs with all of Dave Wise's soundtracks, the Diddy Kong Racing is hardly short of memorable melodies. While there were several releases of the soundtrack, the Japanese release Diddy Kong Racing Original Soundtrack is the most complete and recommended. Given the youthful nature of the game, he largely took a light-hearted and melodic route, though nevertheless coloured the soundtrack with some quite diverse themes.
TT DIDDY KONG RACING SERIES
David Wise returned from the Donkey Kong Country series to score the entire game.
![tt diddy kong racing tt diddy kong racing](https://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/animation-1441308524.gif)
In 1997, Rare developed a popular adventure racing game called Diddy Kong Racing and introduced now-popular characters such as Banjo and Conker to video game fans. Diddy Kong Racing Original Soundtrack :: Review by Chris