Pap the
Disney Gamer's Highlights: Gamer
Fun Find Tuesday: Diddy Kong
Racing
Fun Find Friday by Brent
Dodge sets out to discover
really cool easter eggs,
references, and fun finds at the
parks that really add depth to
an attraction or land. That is
because Disney themselves like
to reference many things about
the company, either from its
past or its near future. While
most theme park guests ignore
these references because they
are set on being the first to
ride an attraction, those that
do stop and take in the scenery
find themselves in awe at how
sometimes even the smallest
references or fun find can
really add to the experience.
Well, turns out that this
happens in video games, too!
While it doesn't happen as often
as at the parks, sometimes there
are some really cool fun find in
both Disney and non-Disney games
that I can't help but enjoy
greatly.
That is because
Disney has become not just an
entertainment juggernaut but a
permanent fixture in popular
culture. Love or hate Disney,
there is a chance you know
something about the company, or
one of your favorite things is
tied to the company one way or
the other. Due to this, people
have set out to both pay loving
tribute or make fun of Disney in
non-Disney creations. One of my
all time favorites is a mixture
of both, the episode of 'The
Simpsons' where Edna Krabaple,
Bart's teacher, has been
nominated for teacher of the
year and the ceremony takes
place at EPCOT Center. And
speaking of EPCOT Center, in the
first installment of what I like
to call Gamer Fun Find Tuesday,
we will be taking a look at a
fascinating reference to the
Experimental Prototype Community
of Tomorrow in a non-Disney
game: Diddy Kong Racing.
Released in 1997
for the Nintendo 64, Diddy Kong
Racing, which starred Donkey
Kong's partner in adventure
Diddy Kong, served as an
ambitious alternative to
Nintendo's Mario Kart series
(which had its second iteration
be released in the same year).
Rather than just kart racing,
Diddy Kong Racing also doubled
as an adventure game where the
main mode had players racing
around various levels in hopes
of dethroning Wiz Pig. Not only
that, players could use planes
and hovercrafts in addition to
the standard karts. The game was
a big success with gamers and
critics, even if it didn't
gather the same multiplayer
following as Mario Kart.
Diddy Kong
Racing was developed by Rare, a
British video game company known
for their love of Easter Eggs.
Each game that they made had a
ton of secrets and references to
their own games, as well as pop
culture elements. Disney is no
exception. In Diddy Kong Racing,
when you unlock the Future Fun
Land Area (that name sounds an
awful lot like Tomorrowland,
no?), select Star City. As soon
as you begin the race, you will
quickly see a monorail...
And not far off
is the entrance to the city,
which is shaped exactly like
Spaceship Earth, EPCOT's icon...
Isn't this a
cool find or what? Stay tuned
for other Gamer Tuesday fun
finds in Disney and non-Disney
games in the near future!