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Features
Gameplay
Donkey Kong Racing (DKR) is quick to be compared to Diddy Kong Racing, the last
DKR on the N64. However, upon closer examination of the released details we can
discern that with Donkey Kong Racing Rare intends to put a whole new spin on the
racing genre; you won't find any racing karts here. Perhaps inspired by the
Chocobos of Final Fantasy, Rare will be implementing a whole new system of
eat-and-compete for Donkey Kong Racing. According to the released details,
players saddle their animals of choice as one of their favorite Kongs. As gamers
race through various jungle locations, they can pick up food items and prizes to
"upgrade" their beasts. The idea is to help your creatures to evolve
into unstoppable thoroughbreds.
The races take place amidst a stampede of ostriches, schools of angry piranhas, or swarms of buzzing wasps. Rare's end goal is to create a seamless, real-time 3D world where the boundaries of "tracks" are blurred. If Rare pulls it off, players will have to strategically choose animals and routes for each race. Imagine a race track that branches in many different directions across a 3D world. If you begin your race with a rhino and run into a thick forest of narrow trees you could be forced to take an alternate route, circumventing the constricted path. Also it is possible races will allow you to switch animals mid-race. Ditch your rhino in favor of the speedy wasps to maneuver your way through the dense woods. This could add a great deal of depth to the concept of using creatures that fly, run, or swim. Again, please bear in mind this is speculation and Rare has yet to make exact gameplay details available.
Graphics
It's hard to discern what the final Donkey Kong Racing visual experience will
rate like because Nintendo and Rare have yet to release anything they claim is
real-time footage. The pre-rendered video clip shown during Nintendo's pre-E3
press conference only showed off the graphical style of the game. Taking a very
close look at the pre-rendered footage, though, reveals that some of the
character models, textures, and landscape may be used in-game. It's possible
that like Retro Studios did with Metroid Prime and Raven Blade, Rare
pre-rendered footage with in-game models and textures. Naturally dust, water,
motion blur, depth of field, and other various effects won't appear in gameplay,
but the footage seems aimed to showcase Rare's graphical goal.
The experienced second-party, who's made some of the most beautiful games with the N64 hardware, wants to create a lush jungle environment where huge groups of creatures roam and race. Rare promises an environment teeming with tons of animals daring users to "pick out the racing line amidst those marauding rhinos, hungry piranha or seething wasps if you can." Another focus of the 3D engine is real-world phenomena. The DKR world will be brought to life as palm trees sway in the motion by the wind, sunlight fades and brightens with passing clouds, and shadows advance and recede. What else will we see -- passing storms, splashing puddles, dust storms? Undoubtedly Rare will create a lively 3D world like very few can.
Sound
Another great feature of Donkey Kong Racing is a fully orchestrated soundtrack
and sound effects in thrilling Dolby Surround. You'll hear a flock of ostriches
fading in as they race from behind you, the intense rumble of a rhino stampede,
or the sharp buzz echoing through the forest from a swarm of wasps. Overlaying
all this will be a high energy soundtrack, brought to life with orchestrated
compositions and high-quality studio tracks. Buy your parents, roomates, or
neighbors ear plugs, because you're going to want to crank your stereo up.
Outlook
While we only have a brief pre-rendered video clip and a short description to
judge Donkey Kong Racing on, we're quite excited. Whatever the final product is
it already sounds quite promising. Racing games are always a blast, especially
when you get to choose familiar characters such as the Kongs. But the added
depth of training your animals, keeping a stable of your top performers, and
racing them through a seamless 3D world could bring the genre to a new level. If
Rare delivers on its promises, we may no longer feel so disconnected with the
worlds as we race from track to track. We will be able to race and exist in one,
unbroken world.
Stay on the watch for more information on Donkey Kong Racing at Nintendo's Space World 2001 show this August. And if it doesn't show up there, perhaps the ECTS show in September will reveal something new