Donkey Kong 64

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Donkey Kong 64; Nintendo 64
Topic Started: Jul 9 2006, 05:24 AM (284 Views)
dataDyne	Jul 9 2006, 05:24 AM Post #1
You don't stand a chance Posts: 3,864 Group: Admin Member #4 Joined: April 13, 2006	WARNING This review has bias without a doubt. I usually try to avoid bias in reviews but this time I just can't help myself... Donkey Kong 64 Donkey Kong 64 was the first 3D Donkey Kong game available, released around Christmas 1999. It was developed by the amazing Rare and this game has all that Rare magic seen in their games and perhaps just a tad extra thrown in for good measure. It was the direct sequel to the Donkey Kong Country games on the SNES, which is certainly a big name to live up to. Story: 7/10 Like most platformers, the story in this game isn't all that deep. There are no shocking plot twists or character development seen in more deep genres such as RPGs. However, none of that is necessary in a platformer, so all can be forgiven. That dastardly King K. Rool is at it again and this time he has gone one step further. He has used his minions to build a floating fortress housing an enormous laser powerful enough to wipe out an entire island. One fine day K. Rool and has gang of followers float into the sea containing the Kong Isles and parks right next to DK Isle, pointing their laser right towards it. Fortunately for the Kongs the laser is not quite finished and K. Rool needs more time to complete it. In the mean time, K. Rool orders his minions to steal the 200+ Golden Bananas stored on the DK Isle and keep them well hidden around the numerous worlds access through the islands. He even goes as far as to kidnap Donkey's best friends. So it is up to Donkey to rescue his friends and together they must gather all the Golden Bananas and defeat K. Rool. Graphics: 10/10 Donkey Kong 64, like the majority of Rare's Nintendo 64 games, is absolutely beautiful. Easily one of the best looking games on the system without a doubt. This was the first game that actually required the Expansion Pak in order to run. Each level in this game is absolutely enormous, making the dungeons in the Legend of Zelda series seem miniature in comparison. The amount of detail put into each of these worlds is second to none. They are as colourful as possible and are rich with different areas and objects which all look fantastic. The Kongs all look great and each have their own distinct look. This was also one of the first Nintendo 64 games that utilized lighting effects to the fullest. At the time of this game's release, it had some of the best lighting effects ever seen in a video game. Shadows of hanging lights sweep across the ground and the Kong's shadows creep up the walls as they walk through an artificially lit area. Had this game not been released around the time of the Dreamcast, it would have been possibly the best looking video game to date. Sound: 9/10 Sound isn't the easiest aspect of a game to rate when rating Nintendo 64 games as the cartridge based format simply doesn't have the room to include CD-quality sound. With that being said, Rare managed to make this game sound absolutely fantastic, better than many PSX and Saturn games which use the CD format rather than cartridges. Each level has its own distinct theme, which do not consistenly loop and get repetitive quickly. The sound effects such as the beavers squeaking and the sound of the Kong's weapons propelling fruit at high speeds sound fantastic. Control: 10/10 Controlling the Kongs couldn't be any easier, even on a controller with limited functions. The analogue stick is very responsive and the Kongs move smoothly and quickly. Jumping and attacking is easily done using the A and B buttons ala Super Mario 64. Camera can be changed by using the C-buttons and R is used to center the camera. Holding the Z-button and then pressing another button results in a variety of different moves. Here is a list of these moves: Z + A (standing still): Back flip Z + A (moving): Long jump Z + B: Special attack Z + C-Up: Play musical instrument Z + C-Down: Take out camera Z + C-Left: Take out weapon Z + C-Right: Throw orange grenade Gameplay: 10/10 This game has a reputation for being a 'scavenger hunt'. That is 200% correct. There are so many different items to collect in this game it is not funny. Firstly there is the 200+ golden bananas. Then there are all the Battle Crowns, banana medals, fairies, blueprints, keys and coins to collect. Oh yes, this game will keep you busy for a very long time. It can take up to 50 hours to complete the game 101% for a first timer, often longer. Some people seem to hate this game because of the ridiculous amount of items you have to collect. I have a very different opinion to this, the mass item collection is the reason I love this game so much. There is so much to do in this game it is crazy. In Super Mario 64, it was easy to collect the stars as they were just scattered around the levels, often unprotected. It is a very different case with the Golden Bananas in Donkey Kong 64. 99% of Golden Bananas require a mini-game to be played or a puzzle to be solved before you earn it. This game actually has more mini-games then actual pure mini-game games such as Mario Party. Anybody who loves solving puzzles will adore this game. Overall: 9.75/10 A brilliant yet often underrated platformer for the Nintendo 64. A must own for platforming fans and puzzle solvers alike. This game is reason enough to own an Expansion Pak.
	Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. But hit a man with a brick, and you can have all his fish. And his wife.


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