RUMOR: Insight on Diddy Kong Racing 2's past on Wii, and potential current existance on Wii U for 2015

[Hero of Legend]

What timing, I made a thread on GAF about how I found it so interesting that rumors of Monster Games (Excite Truck) were underway with DKR2, only for DKCR3D to be announced a few months later, and on top of that, them helping Retro with Tropical Freeze.

 

Now yesterday, THIS pops up:

 

http://kevincallahangames.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/the-strange-development-of-diddy-kong-racing-2/

 

This insider (as of now I can't find this Kevin Callahan fellow on Linkedin) claims to have a big history of the game's development on Wii and move to Wii U, to be announced and released next year.

 

Some highlights include that DKR2 on Wii was made to feature transforming animal vehicles, and your next thought is correct; that concept indeed became Excitebots.

 

And at around 2007 Nintendo talked with MS about getting the DKR cast back where they belong, but MS asked for too much and things halted from there, and apparently they were in talks again in 2012, just prior to the original DKR2 by Monster rumor.

 

Is this all true? Does DKR2 exist for Wii U? Time will tell. But it's such a neat read anyway, and besides, insider talk has been very true before. SSMB should be well aware how an insider literally LEAKED Unleashed a year before its unveiling by speaking about NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams' 360 roots and said to watch out for Sonic becoming a werewolf, which no one caught.

 

Happy reading!

[VO.SUPER]

He's oddly specific about past events. I'm not getting my hopes up, or anything, but it would be interesting if it happened. 

[Nepenthe]

People need to stop with leaking shit and all of that. You know how long I've been waiting, hoping, and praying for a proper DKR sequel? I'm not willing to drink the Kool-Aid just yet, but at the same time I want to believe so badly. ;~;

[jords]

Please be true, please be true. a good sequel is all I'm asking for.

Don't really care for who gets in. A sequel to this game is good enough for me.

[VO.SUPER]

I really do like the idea of replacing the old cast with low profile Nintendo characters. The old cast were all supposed to be stars of their own games too right, so it only makes sense to have the next game represent new IP, like the girl from Splatoon. Who knows? Maybe it will be good advertising. Something Nintendo can do is give everyone who purchases the game a free download code for one of these smaller games.

[SuperStingray]

Seeing a "Diddy Kong Racing 2" topic suddenly appear was exciting enough but hearing Monster Games might be behind it?  Excitebots is my favorite racing game EVER, so there better be damn truth to this or I'm going to be seriously disappointed.

[Blitz 'n Burst]

I still want to know what happened to Conker to turn him from the happy-g--lucky squirrel in Diddy Kong Racing to the violent, foul-mouthed, alcoholic asshole from Conker's Bad Fur Day. Maybe this sequel will document the time period in between Diddy Kong Racing and Conker's Bad Fur Day in which he started spiralling into depression after failing to win a race, eventually turning to alcohol to drown his sorrows and ease the pain of his wretched, meaningless life.

[Autosaver]

Isn't Conker a Rare IP which is now a Microsoft IP?

[Milo]

People need to stop with leaking shit and all of that. You know how long I've been waiting, hoping, and praying for a proper DKR sequel? I'm not willing to drink the Kool-Aid just yet, but at the same time I want to believe so badly. ;~;

 

You and me both Nep. You and me both. ;_;

 

I generally like Mario Kart and I've bought (but haven't played) Crash Team Racing, which I've heard good things about. But DKR still remains my favorite (kart) racing game ever.

 

 

Isn't Conker a Rare IP which is now a Microsoft IP?

 

Yep. Same goes for Banjo, who also appeared in DKR.

 

In fact, practically any character in a Rare game that wasn't a Kong, Kremling, or some other DKC character is owned by Rare, which is in turn owned by Microsoft. That even includes all of the other DKR characters.

[SuperLink]

Oh holy shit, I was initially thinking "eh, it's just a rumour with good timing", but then I read this and.. it makes too much sense, it all fits into place, and the final bit about Diddy not being playable in MK8.. it is weird that he's not in MK8.

 

But now I'm just angry, because I won't be able to do anything but hope something comes of this. I love DKR so much ): and Nintendo rumours are almost never true. It sounds like a great idea though, who knows what could happen in the future.

[JaidynReiman]

Oh holy shit, I was initially thinking "eh, it's just a rumour with good timing", but then I read this and.. it makes too much sense, it all fits into place, and the final bit about Diddy not being playable in MK8.. it is weird that he's not in MK8.

 

But now I'm just angry, because I won't be able to do anything but hope something comes of this. I love DKR so much ): and Nintendo rumours are almost never true. It sounds like a great idea though, who knows what could happen in the future.

That... is very interesting. Diddy not being playable in MK8... If they're planning DKR2 with a bunch of Kong playable characters, that'd make a lot of sense.

 

It'd also make sense to replaced the other cast with different characters. Based on the information, it sounds like they were trying to get the licensing for characters back for the original DKR. My guess is everyone except Banjo and Conker (and maybe Tiptup, since Tiptup was in Banjo-Kazooie games). Oh, and naturally, Diddy/Krunch since they already have Diddy and Krunch.

[Chili Dawg]

On one hand it seems too good to be true.... Excite Bots is absolutely incredible, lacking only in any kind of personality, and to throw the Donkey Kong license and/or lesser known Nintendo characters into something like that would fix that right up.

 

But on the other hand the pieces all seem to fit together... And a Diddy Kong Racing Revival is just random enough to be something Nintendo would do, especially with how Donkey Kong Country has been enjoying a new life since Returns...

 

I can't get my hopes up though because I have no idea if this guy is actually anyone of note and 99% of the time Nintendo stuff simply doesn't get leaked. 

[Metal the Mario]

*HEAVY BREATHING*

 

Diddy Kong Racing was a huge part of my childhood, so this news would be so amazing if true.

 

I mean, I really don't want to get my hopes up, but the more I read it, the more plausible it seems. It explains so much behind-the-scenes stuff: Excitebots' development, Retro's involvement in Mario Kart 7 (I always did wonder why they assisted in development when Nintendo EAD could've easily handed it themselves), the game's absence from this year's E3, Diddy Kong's absence from Mario Kart 8 (which was absurd in itself), etc.

 

It all just seems to add up too well to be false. I hope a Diddy Kong Racing 2 is in development anyway, as it would bring the series to a whole new generation of kids... in HD! I think it would only do good for the Wii U.

[JaidynReiman]

*HEAVY BREATHING*

 

Diddy Kong Racing was a huge part of my childhood, so this news would be so amazing if true.

 

I mean, I really don't want to get my hopes up, but the more I read it, the more plausible it seems. It explains so much behind-the-scenes stuff: Excitebots' development, Retro's involvement in Mario Kart 7 (I always did wonder why they assisted in development when Nintendo EAD could've easily handed it themselves), the game's absence from this year's E3, Diddy Kong's absence from Mario Kart 8 (which was absurd in itself), etc.

 

It all just seems to add up too well to be false. I hope a Diddy Kong Racing 2 is in development anyway, as it would bring the series to a whole new generation of kids... in HD! I think it would only do good for the Wii U.

I think it'd be neat if they added more DK characters to it. Maybe one of the Bear Brothers, Snide, more Kremlings, Lanky Kong, Kiddy Kong, Professor Chops, Lord Frederik, and Wizrool! (King K. Rool using Krunch to study Diddy's previous encounter with Wizpig and then him usurping Wizpig's power.)

 

Sadly its just a rumor and will probably turn out to be false.

[YoshiUnity]

I would LOVE for a new and PROPER Diddy Kong sequel. The DS one was okay, but not really much to write home about, imo. Having a game that does a better job improving on the forumla would be amazing.

 

I can't tell you how many hours I put into the orginial DKR. It brought me in because Diddy Kong was my favorite kong, but I stayed for everything it offered. It was amazing an REALLY makes me regret that traded in my N64 back in the day. I mean the game was very memorable. Shoot, the character select tunes still buzz in my head!

 

 

It hurts but feels good at the same time... Of all times, why am I doing this to myself after reading a rumor?!

 

... Wait, what this?

 

 

 

Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, pitched the idea of Dillon (from Dillon’s Rolling Western) to be one of the racers in the game.  Tanabe was the producer of Dillon’s Rolling Western, and he liked the idea of having a roster of lesser known Nintendo characters.

 

...

 

................

 

...Don't fuck with me, internet.

 

If this whole things turns out to be true, and this is given the thumbs up, this would actually fill the squirrel-shaped hole in my heart. Conker was my main, and even more so after Bad Fur Day. But now that he's an impossiblity, I'd be fucking happy to have Dillon playable. I love Dillon's Rolling Western!

[JaidynReiman]

I wouldn't mind nods to other Nintendo characters. Dillon would be great. They could potentially include a Star Fox character if they really wanted (I mean, Tricky DEBUTED in Diddy Kong Racing), guest characters (Sonic, or better yet, Tails since he's Sonic's sidekick, it only makes logical sense for Donkey Kong's sidekick to befriend Sonic's sidekick), and perhaps some others.

[Chili Dawg]

As long we're in hopeful fantasy mode...

 

 

This guy or bust.

[JaidynReiman]

As long we're in hopeful fantasy mode...

 

 

This guy or bust.

Probably not. My guess is they'd go for the more cartoony, younger kongs, hence why I mentioned Lanky and Kiddy.

[Chili Dawg]

Let me dream, broseph.

[Krockhead]

I've sort of said all I needed to say about this elsewhere on the net, but I'll repeat myself here. As you may be able to imagine by the majority of my (very few)posts being about Rare rather than Sonic, I fucking love Diddy Kong Racing. I've also longed for a sequel. It's weird how the world just doesn't want a sequel to happen. Both Diddy Kong Pilot and Donkey Kong Racing got canned; Pilot's replacement was a very disappointing downgrade, and Donkey Kong Racing's replacement went through development hell and got cancelled.

The last time a rumor of a Monster-developed DKR sequel popped up, it was in a vague 4Chan post. This one actually has plenty of merit to it. It's well written and elaborated, for one, but on top of that, almost everything fits together quite nicely. Trying to create a unique game mechanic that differentiates itself from other games is a very Nintendo thing to do. Both Monster and especially Tanabe have shown to be big fans of the Donkey Kong series, so making that mechanic fit the characters and the world make a lot of sense. The only flaw with this is the fact that I cannot see Nintendo caring enough to go out of their way and even attempt to gain the rights to the extended Diddy Kong Racing cast from Microsoft. I would love for them to prove me wrong, though.

I still want to know what happened to Conker to turn him from the happy-g--lucky squirrel in Diddy Kong Racing to the violent, foul-mouthed, alcoholic asshole from Conker's Bad Fur Day. Maybe this sequel will document the time period in between Diddy Kong Racing and Conker's Bad Fur Day in which he started spiralling into depression after failing to win a race, eventually turning to alcohol to drown his sorrows and ease the pain of his wretched, meaningless life.

Conker actually touches the surface on that in a monologue from the Live and Reloaded manual. If you're curious who the one DKR character in prison is, it's Bumper. The reason? Public masturbation.

[JaidynReiman]

I still want to know what happened to Conker to turn him from the happy-g--lucky squirrel in Diddy Kong Racing to the violent, foul-mouthed, alcoholic asshole from Conker's Bad Fur Day. Maybe this sequel will document the time period in between Diddy Kong Racing and Conker's Bad Fur Day in which he started spiralling into depression after failing to win a race, eventually turning to alcohol to drown his sorrows and ease the pain of his wretched, meaningless life.

I believe Conker being a happy-go-lucky squirrel was retconned. There's no "plot basis" for it being changed. It was changed only because people complained about the kiddy image Conker was portraying.

 

 

I've sort of said all I needed to say about this elsewhere on the net, but I'll repeat myself here. As you may be able to imagine by the majority of my (very few)posts being about Rare rather than Sonic, I fucking love Diddy Kong Racing. I've also longed for a sequel. It's weird how the world just doesn't want a sequel to happen. Both Diddy Kong Pilot and Donkey Kong Racing got canned; Pilot's replacement was a very disappointing downgrade, and Donkey Kong Racing's replacement went through development hell and got cancelled.

The last time a rumor of a Monster-developed DKR sequel popped up, it was in a vague 4Chan post. This one actually has plenty of merit to it. It's well written and elaborated, for one, but on top of that, almost everything fits together quite nicely. Trying to create a unique game mechanic that differentiates itself from other games is a very Nintendo thing to do. Both Monster and especially Tanabe have shown to be big fans of the Donkey Kong series, so making that mechanic fit the characters and the world make a lot of sense. The only flaw with this is the fact that I cannot see Nintendo caring enough to go out of their way and even attempt to gain the rights to the extended Diddy Kong Racing cast from Microsoft. I would love for them to prove me wrong, though.

Conker actually touches the surface on that in a monologue from the Live and Reloaded manual. If you're curious who the one DKR character in prison is, it's Bumper. The reason? Public masturbation.

If Bumper is mentioned in Conker, the likelihood is he (along with Tiptup) would be dropped from a Diddy Kong Racing sequel and they'd be kept in Rare's property.

[Shiny Gems]

Interesting read.

 

And I hope there is a Diddy Kong Racing 2. I loved the first one, and I would like to play a sequel with new tracks and such.

[Metal the Mario]

So, this is more tangentially related to the topic, but I noticed this post from that NeoGAF thread:

 

Nintendo should just release a Diddy Kong Racing DLC pack for Mario Kart 8. Have it include Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong, as well as the DK Cup, which would include 4 Diddy Kong Racing tracks reimagined with Mario Kart 8 mechanics.

 

As much as I'm still against this happening in favor of an actual Diddy Kong Racing game, I have to admit... that would be kind of cool.

 

Seeing Mario characters in a Diddy Kong Racing course would be surreal enough, but the idea of tracks like Greenwood Village and Star City being remastered in the style of Mario Kart 8 would be incredible.

[Krockhead]

Bumper was never mentioned in Conker. In the Live and Reloaded manual, Conker mentioned that one of his buddies from DKR is now in jail, and Leigh Loveday revealed in Scribes that he was referring to Bumper. But this also means that they never retconned Conker's happy-go-lucky days, as he acknowledges the events and looks back at them in the manual.

So to tie this into the actual topic, if Nintendo were to go crazy and actually buy back some DKR characters, I think Bumper would be fair game. No one outside of the hardcore fanbase reads/remembers Scribes anyway. However, they wouldn't even try to get Tiptup back with his ties to Banjo. If Nintendo wanted any DKR characters back, it would probably just be Wizpig, Taj, TT, and one or two racers. Characters like Drumstick and Pipsy are the less remembered ones, so Timber and/or Bumper might be the ones they want. Whoever they hypothetically go after, Microsoft would probably put a higher price tag on them than their actual worth.

Then again, if I were to spend ten million dollars on anything, it would definitely be the Drumstick intellectual property.

[JaidynReiman]

Bumper was never mentioned in Conker. In the Live and Reloaded manual, Conker mentioned that one of his buddies from DKR is now in jail, and Leigh Loveday revealed in Scribes that he was referring to Bumper. But this also means that they never retconned Conker's happy-go-lucky days, as he acknowledges the events and looks back at them in the manual.

So to tie this into the actual topic, if Nintendo were to go crazy and actually buy back some DKR characters, I think Bumper would be fair game. No one outside of the hardcore fanbase reads/remembers Scribes anyway. However, they wouldn't even try to get Tiptup back with his ties to Banjo. If Nintendo wanted any DKR characters back, it would probably just be Wizpig, Taj, TT, and one or two racers. Characters like Drumstick and Pipsy are the less remembered ones, so Timber and/or Bumper might be the ones they want. Whoever they hypothetically go after, Microsoft would probably put a higher price tag on them than their actual worth.

Then again, if I were to spend ten million dollars on anything, it would definitely be the Drumstick intellectual property.

Yeah that's my guess. I doubt they'd buy back Tiptup or all of the remaining other characters, but Timber was really the secondary main character. I doubt they'd skip out on him.

 

Also, thanks for the note about Conker. I guess they didn't retcon DKR after all.