The sheer anticipation that builds up around the NPD Group's monthly video game sales data is like an immense fanboy volcano just waiting to erupt. Predictions are made, forum wars are waged and in the end, some worshippers are left in agony as the facts (here represented by hot molten lava) eat away at their pale flesh. But on to cooler topics -- total industry sales are up by 33%!

The detailed GameDaily BIZ report reveals that total hardware sales rose by 69% in March to $370 million. Of that, console hardware raked in $257 million, making for an increase of 93%. NPD analyst Anita Frazier calls it an "outstanding month," though some console manufacturers might not share that particular sentiment. The North American console sales for March are as follows:

• Nintendo DS: 508K
• Sony PlayStation 2: 280K
• Nintendo Wii: 259K (2.1 million total)
• Microsoft Xbox 360: 199K (5.3 million total)
• Sony PSP: 180k
• Nintendo Game Boy Advance: 148K
• Sony PlayStation 3: 130K (1.2 million total)
• Nintendo Gamecube: 22K
• Microsoft Xbox: N/A

If you are the kind of person who might have a few euros in your pocket, then you might want to break out a calendar and that special red pen, because the latest list of upcoming DS releases is full of stars. Even better? The next two months are pretty packed. Makes up for a few of those lackluster weeks, eh?

Hit the jump if you wish to grok the list in fullness, and remember, this is by no means complete. Do we need to mention also that it's subject to change? In fact, since it's a European list, we're pretty sure it will change, and probably often.

April 20 is the big day for European DS gamers, at least when it comes to reliving a Rare experience. Nintendo announced today that Diddy Kong Racing DS is set to hit shelves only two months after its release in the U.S., which is certainly an improvement over some of the gaps we've seen between releases in different areas of the world.

Racing not your thing? No problem -- the week before, Final Fantasy V Advance ships. Looks like April is a good time to be a gamer.

With a couple of high-profile games releasing this week, gamers have a few titles to play. So, we once again ask, what are you playing? Will you, like us, be picking up Lunar Knights this weekend, in the hopes of ridding space of those disgusting, blood-suckign vampires? Or will you be racing to out to get your hands on Diddy Kong Racing? Maybe you're waiting on these two until you finish something else?

Previous posts: what were you playing?

As so many did, my friends and I bought into the original Diddy Kong Racing, which had been hyped as a superior blend of Super Mario 64 meets Mario Kart 64, from the same developer that had won our allegiance with GoldenEye 007 just months before. Diddy Kong Racing wasn't fun (despite mostly bloated reviews). Still, we fell into a self-perpetuating trap of lying to ourselves; reassuring each other of the game's promised greatness. Weeks passed, and Diddy Kong Racing eventually faded away -- but not for good.

Rare has remade its N64 "classic" for DS. Despite Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support, Diddy Kong Racing is still lame, further marred by poor DS-specific design choices. Thankfully, critical reception seems to be more on point this time around:

• IGN (71/100) - "[Any] time you're encouraged to touch the lower screen, you can pretty much assume that it wasn't in the original game and created specifically for the Nintendo DS "remake". It's these new DS-centric elements that point to the fact that this is a first-generation DS game handled by a team that's not quite familiar with the platform ... someone really needs to tell Rare that microphone blowing is so 2005. It wasn't a whole lot of fun when developers did it in the Nintendo DS' early years, and it's still not fun now ... unfortunately the development team focused a bit too much on "DS-izing" the product with completely unnecessary and frustrating touch-screen and microphone challenges that disrupt the racing design."
• GameSpot (67/100) - "Diddy Kong Racing DS isn't a bad kart-racing game, but its best feature, the racing, is buried underneath so much unnecessary garbage that some people will find it nearly impossible to enjoy. Had Rare stripped the island setting, toned down the tedious collecting, and tweaked some other minor issues, the game would have been better with less. Instead, it chose to add more and more content, and the game suffers for it. Some of the new additions, such as online multiplayer and the various customization features, make the game more enjoyable, but many of them, particularly the touch-screen controls, make it worse."
• Games Radar (60/100) - "Diddy Kong Racing wants so damn hard to be the next Mario Kart that it hurts our eyes to play it for long periods of time. The racing itself is totally fine (if a little slow), but this simple pleasure is smothered in monotonous collecting and mindless wandering ... For those who remember the Nintendo 64 version from 1997, this is mostly the same game. Back then it wanted to be the next Mario Kart 64, but obviously wasn't. Now, the only thing that's been done to bump its stature is moderate touch screen silliness."

No doubt, Diddy Kong Racing has been in the spotlight for the last couple of months, due to some excellent features and the promise of repeating the success the game enjoyed on the N64. With custom-track creation and countless other wonderful features, we've waited long and patiently for this game and hopefully the majority of reviewers out there won't find the game as lacking as the below two have:

• Nintendo Power (75/100) finds that the game has some appeal, however maybe not as much as it needs: "Like its predecessor, Diddy Kong Racing DS has a Mario Kart game to compete with, but also enough unique features to make it a kart-racing contender." [Mar. 2007, p.87]
• GameSpot (67/100) says that the game might just have too much to do: "Diddy Kong Racing DS is a decent racer with plenty to do and some interesting new content, but the seemingly endless amount of tasks you must complete to enjoy all of it may irritate anyone who simply wants to race."
• IGN (71/100) tells us that the online rocks, but isn't enough to carry the game: "Diddy Kong Racing's a good product with some first-generation blues dragging it down. The fantastic online and customization focus offset some of the clunky items that made it into the design...but don't think we're going to turn a blind eye to the stupid stuff."

[Update: Added another review score]

We haven't had a lot of excitement when it comes to weekly releases lately, but this week makes up for it. Count 'em -- we've got three new titles this week that all look pretty good in their respective genres. Now the only problem is coming up with enough money to support our habit. They never talk about game-buying in those anti-drug ads, but we'll tell you ... sometimes our need for new games makes us consider knocking over the occasional convenience store.

Not really. Please don't call the cops. We don't handle enclosed spaces too well.

This week in the U.S.

• Diddy Kong Racing
• Lunar Knights
• Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

For the rest of the world, check after the jump.

Thanks to the folks at GameSpot, we can now get a good look at Diddy Kong Racing. We're talking up close and personal, because they've put out a truly epic flood of screens from the upcoming enhanced port ... so many, in fact, that it's almost as good as playing it ourselves.

You'll notice we said almost. Nothing really compares to the fun of crushing our enemies and seeing them driven before us, but we do like a pretty picture now and again. We've included several after the jump, and there are still more over at GameSpot.

For all of you Diddy Kong cravers out there, an interesting video depicting custom track creation has hit You Tube and it, as expected, looks freakin' awesome. we won't hold you up any longer with pointless gibberish (see: this sentence), so just head on into the post and check out the video! Do it! Do it now!

See also:

• Diddy Kong Racing gets put under the microscope
• Racing it up, Diddy Kong style

[Via Aussie-Nintendo]

A GameTrailers clip of Diddy Kong Racing for the DS gets our nod for today's video pick. Will this upcoming driving game displace Mario Kart as the favorite DS racer? The trailer doesn't give us a lot of hope, with Diddy Kong seeming fairly similar to the previous game. At least DS kart fans will get more tracks and a choice between titles.

Watch the video after the break.

Hotel Dusk may have dominated most of this week, but one of the biggest videos we saw this week was dedicated to a non-adventure game. Yes, sometimes we do take breaks from pointing and clicking. So what tempts us away?

Racing. Definitely racing. And Diddy Kong Racing DS is definitely going to pull us away from adventure gaming, and that's why this video is in the spotlight this week. It's not the best quality, but it works nicely with some of the other footage we've seen. Check it out after the jump.

A rather lengthy video for the upcoming Diddy Kong Racing DS has hit the internet and showcases several different aspects of the game experience. In showing the character selection screen, map functionality and racing carnage (planes FTW), the video does a wonderful job of bringing back some fond memories of the N64 title. We're looking forward to this, who else is with us?

See also: Racing it up, Diddy Kong style

You might have noticed that there was a conspicuous hole in our look at some of this year's most exciting games. Whither Diddy Kong Racing, you asked, tear-streaked faces turned up to the sky as you shook your fists in rage and dismay. Okay, maybe we're a little dramatic, but it was missing, and here's why: we wanted to take some time to get intimate with Diddy Kong without the pesky interference of so many other droolariffic games.

After Rare went to the dark side, we never thought we'd feel the shining spotlight of their love again, but it looks like they've come crawling back for a piece of the DS, and all may be forgiven. Even though Diddy Kong Racing DS is an enhanced port of the (beloved) N64 game, the mere fact that it's happening makes it a contender for this year's single most interesting game.

Two of Rare's founders have called it quits with the company, and the internet is all abuzz with talk of Rare ... and Nintendo. Microsoft bought Rare back in 2002, and the devs carried one of the most-hyped launch games for the 360, but it's still the association with Nintendo that lingers when people mention the company. So it's not surprising, particuarly with Diddy Kong Racing just around the bend for the DS, that people have begun to speculate about what happens now.

All anyone knows right now is that Chris and Tim Stamper left Rare for "other opportunities." That doesn't begin to answer any of the questions about what this means for Rare and Microsoft, or Rare and Nintendo, or even just the Stampers themselves. What led to the departure? Rare's last few efforts, while at times critically acclaimed, have not exactly brought home the bacon, and the situation surrounding E3 2004, DS dev kits, and Microsoft's denials make it seem as though there might have been a disconnect between the development company and their new bosses. We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops -- if it develops -- and what it might mean for Nintendo.