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Here a question.
How long do people think the N64 has left to live?
With games like Perfect Dark, Zelda: The Continuing Sage, Turok 3, A Resident Evil game, Top Gear Rally 2, and a bunch of other wicked games this year. How long will the N64 live for? Specially with the PS2 and Dolphin on the horizon how much longer can the N64 last?
Cooky
How long do people think the N64 has left to live?
With games like Perfect Dark, Zelda: The Continuing Sage, Turok 3, A Resident Evil game, Top Gear Rally 2, and a bunch of other wicked games this year. How long will the N64 live for? Specially with the PS2 and Dolphin on the horizon how much longer can the N64 last?
Cooky
Page:
Being a great Nintendo fan, I have a great rivalry between people I know as they say they prefer the Greystation to Nintendo. I have nothing against sony and their technologies, just their product-The Fony Greystation. When I was little I used to want an NES, as my friend had one. He had games like WWF, Mario Bros 1,2, Mario's Lost, Terminator, etc. I used to love going to his house after school to play on it but then I moved house. My uncle sold my brother a Gameboy Original with Gramlins 2, Robin Hood and Radar Mission and they were great. Then my brother got loads more games when he had saved up for them. A few years ago he got a SNES. there were loads of second hand games to be bought cheaply and some great games like Zelda and Yoshi's Island. I played for months on Zelda and couldn't get off it. The next year, he got an N64, I loved Goldeneye and most my friends had one as well. We used to have huge deathmatches using loads of characters. My brother gets lots of games and has recently bought Pokémon Stadium with the Transfer Pack (thankyou special reserve). I myself have bought myself a color gameboy and love it. I got Pokémon Blue as my first game and loved it, then I got Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Yellow and Wario Land 2 when I was on holiday in America. They are all great games and I love them.
The other day, I went over my friends house and he had a Fony Greystation. We played multiplayer games like Syphon Filter, Tekken 2 and 3. Although they were allright, they were nothing to get excited about. I was glad that I had bought my portable pal The Color Gameboy with me as I got bored after about 3.75938 seconds. Now the Greystation 2 is coming out Every Fony fan wants it but the Dolphin is going to Kick Fony up the reddish butt when it is released. It is going to have faster DVD rom and better enhanced graphics (but thats all I know so far as Ninetndo are keeping things confidential till they finally release it.)
For new console buyers, all I can say is Nintendo Rules Fony
F-(sorry)-Suck.
The other day, I went over my friends house and he had a Fony Greystation. We played multiplayer games like Syphon Filter, Tekken 2 and 3. Although they were allright, they were nothing to get excited about. I was glad that I had bought my portable pal The Color Gameboy with me as I got bored after about 3.75938 seconds. Now the Greystation 2 is coming out Every Fony fan wants it but the Dolphin is going to Kick Fony up the reddish butt when it is released. It is going to have faster DVD rom and better enhanced graphics (but thats all I know so far as Ninetndo are keeping things confidential till they finally release it.)
For new console buyers, all I can say is Nintendo Rules Fony
F-(sorry)-Suck.
I think this game was invented for that reason and it's also gonna be the first cartridge with 500 + mb on it! one cartridge with all those graphics you say! gosh.
Hi there
With all the buzz about Conker's Bad Fur Day around at the moment, am I the only one who thinks it could be awful? It just seems to have crossed the line of sickness and I think that Rare could just end up relying on toilet humour to sell the game. Personally, Banjo-Tooie and Dinosaur Planet sound a LOT better.
With all the buzz about Conker's Bad Fur Day around at the moment, am I the only one who thinks it could be awful? It just seems to have crossed the line of sickness and I think that Rare could just end up relying on toilet humour to sell the game. Personally, Banjo-Tooie and Dinosaur Planet sound a LOT better.
Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh (but it is a direct quote from the game). Actually, Paperboy for the N64 has a few things going for it. Not plot maybe...
As near as I can tell, you are a mild mannered paperboy (or girl, if you so choose) busily trying to satisfy your customers and build up readership for your paper. As you do, you are given access to more and more neighborhoods. Each level also has a bonus level you can access by finding the 3 bonus coins. More about that later.
Back to the *cough* plot... Along the way, you encounter your arch-nemesis, Dr. Tesla. But, thwart his plans a couple of times and he decides it's not worth his time to control the press and everything settles back down for a while. At least until the aliens invade, that is. Oh well - the original Paperboy wasn't going to win plot awards, either.
There are three levels of play; Easy Street, Middle Road, and Hard Way. Middle Road and Hard Way are largely the same, although Hard Way is (obviously) more difficult. Easy Street, however, is at once less difficult and more frustrating. Although it is nearly impossible to NOT make it through a level, the player is set on a pre-determined course from which they are not allowed to deviate. If you miss a delivery, you'll just have to hope that there's enough time left to do a second pass at your route. I think the number of places you have to deliver to is fair commentary on the fact that these days people who deliver papers are required to drive, eh?
The graphics and control system are kind of interesting, sort of Yoshi's Story meets the first-person shooter. Everything is big and brightly colored for those who enjoy that sort of thing (well, except when you're delivering papers to the undead), and the rendering looks okay except in the still shots. Unfortunately, there is nothing worth speaking of in the way of view options - zoomed mode, un-zoomed mode, and little difference between them. And, as is not uncommon in N64 3D games, you can lose sight of your character fairly easily if you're not careful.
To aid you in your deliveries, there is a tracking arrow which shows you where your papers will be flung. This is handy, not only to get the papers on the porches or in the boxes, but also to nail as many people and bits of scenery as possible. This is how you find the coins which allow you to compete for medals in the bonus rounds. Some of these are fun and some are vaguely amusing. My personal favorite is Dr. Tesla's Brain Hunt. Following the bouncing brains is definitely worth a few chuckles.
In addition, there is also a system for jumping and doing stunts. It's a handy way to get bonus points and some extra seconds on the timer, assuming you're successful. If you can't manage to land on your wheels, you get nothing, no matter how impressive your mid-air antics were. Bouncing off of the scenery can also be good for points.
You can also get special items which allow you to jump higher, pedal faster, turn into a monster, etc. They're one-shot, mostly instantaneous usage items, but you can only carry one at a time and once you end a round, they go away.
The happy, peppy soundtrack is bearable for an hour or so, after which I really start wishing that the game would save my sound preferences when I shut it off. However, the sound effects (breaking stuff, greetings, warnings, observations on how painful it is to be hit by a newspaper, etc.) are well done. Especially enjoyable is the sound of the rampaging moose, but I felt that the bouncing brains ought to make SOME sound.
Overall, it sounds like a reasonably decent game. However, aside from some of the things that happen when you whack something with a paper and the gratuitous newspaper headlines at the beginning of a round, it just isn't really all that fun. Easy Street suffers from lack of user control and limits the levels you can play. Kinda seemed like a demo version of the full game. Hard Way is a bit over the top difficulty-wise. Middle Road, while neither limited or unrealistically difficult, just becomes a chore to play after a while. I prefer something that, while challenging, remains fun and avoids side trips to frustration.
I picked this title up because I had some fond memories of the original. Although it's an interesting novelty, it's hardly satisfying. While definitely something to rent or borrow from a friend, Paperboy isn't necessarily something you'd want to grace your gaming collection.
+ Amusing Headlines
+ Bouncing Brains
- Not Very Fun
- Hackneyed Storyline
- Uninspired
As near as I can tell, you are a mild mannered paperboy (or girl, if you so choose) busily trying to satisfy your customers and build up readership for your paper. As you do, you are given access to more and more neighborhoods. Each level also has a bonus level you can access by finding the 3 bonus coins. More about that later.
Back to the *cough* plot... Along the way, you encounter your arch-nemesis, Dr. Tesla. But, thwart his plans a couple of times and he decides it's not worth his time to control the press and everything settles back down for a while. At least until the aliens invade, that is. Oh well - the original Paperboy wasn't going to win plot awards, either.
There are three levels of play; Easy Street, Middle Road, and Hard Way. Middle Road and Hard Way are largely the same, although Hard Way is (obviously) more difficult. Easy Street, however, is at once less difficult and more frustrating. Although it is nearly impossible to NOT make it through a level, the player is set on a pre-determined course from which they are not allowed to deviate. If you miss a delivery, you'll just have to hope that there's enough time left to do a second pass at your route. I think the number of places you have to deliver to is fair commentary on the fact that these days people who deliver papers are required to drive, eh?
The graphics and control system are kind of interesting, sort of Yoshi's Story meets the first-person shooter. Everything is big and brightly colored for those who enjoy that sort of thing (well, except when you're delivering papers to the undead), and the rendering looks okay except in the still shots. Unfortunately, there is nothing worth speaking of in the way of view options - zoomed mode, un-zoomed mode, and little difference between them. And, as is not uncommon in N64 3D games, you can lose sight of your character fairly easily if you're not careful.
To aid you in your deliveries, there is a tracking arrow which shows you where your papers will be flung. This is handy, not only to get the papers on the porches or in the boxes, but also to nail as many people and bits of scenery as possible. This is how you find the coins which allow you to compete for medals in the bonus rounds. Some of these are fun and some are vaguely amusing. My personal favorite is Dr. Tesla's Brain Hunt. Following the bouncing brains is definitely worth a few chuckles.
In addition, there is also a system for jumping and doing stunts. It's a handy way to get bonus points and some extra seconds on the timer, assuming you're successful. If you can't manage to land on your wheels, you get nothing, no matter how impressive your mid-air antics were. Bouncing off of the scenery can also be good for points.
You can also get special items which allow you to jump higher, pedal faster, turn into a monster, etc. They're one-shot, mostly instantaneous usage items, but you can only carry one at a time and once you end a round, they go away.
The happy, peppy soundtrack is bearable for an hour or so, after which I really start wishing that the game would save my sound preferences when I shut it off. However, the sound effects (breaking stuff, greetings, warnings, observations on how painful it is to be hit by a newspaper, etc.) are well done. Especially enjoyable is the sound of the rampaging moose, but I felt that the bouncing brains ought to make SOME sound.
Overall, it sounds like a reasonably decent game. However, aside from some of the things that happen when you whack something with a paper and the gratuitous newspaper headlines at the beginning of a round, it just isn't really all that fun. Easy Street suffers from lack of user control and limits the levels you can play. Kinda seemed like a demo version of the full game. Hard Way is a bit over the top difficulty-wise. Middle Road, while neither limited or unrealistically difficult, just becomes a chore to play after a while. I prefer something that, while challenging, remains fun and avoids side trips to frustration.
I picked this title up because I had some fond memories of the original. Although it's an interesting novelty, it's hardly satisfying. While definitely something to rent or borrow from a friend, Paperboy isn't necessarily something you'd want to grace your gaming collection.
+ Amusing Headlines
+ Bouncing Brains
- Not Very Fun
- Hackneyed Storyline
- Uninspired
Do me a favor. Close your eyes...let your mind wander back, before the 64 bit revolution. Keep going...now you're passing by the 32 bit madness of a few years back....don't be afraid...let it flow...there you go, slowly passing those two giants of days past, the 16 bit SNES and Genesis...we're almost there... it's up ahead a little... ah, here we go...that ancient machine of lore, the Nintendo...and what's that I see?...the little man running around bumping into things?...and his brother?....
AHHHHH....when Mario and Luigi were infants, when their only concern were pesky turtles, when they spent their days doing the one thing they were born to do ----- Plumbing.
Somewhere along the line, someone took those lovable little Italians and transformed them into ridiculously shameless charicatures of themselves. Their mustaches beefed up, their bellies filled out, and their accents thickened into a hearty tomato sauce, the kind that mama used to make. And then they were dropped into go-carts.
Mario Kart 64 is a remake of the SNES version, with the added firepower of the new system. Indeed, the power of the N64 lends itself to smooth graphics and pretty pictures. Gameplay is another matter, however, and it is in this area that the N64 has been struggling. Games such as Cruis'n USA and Shadows of the Empire failed to break through the haze of fancy graphics and didn't deliver the goods. Mario Kart manages to put some excitement into the system, but not enough to save it from mediocrity.
The idea is simple. Take a slew of overexposed characters from the Mario universe, throw 'em in "karts" (lawnmower engine powered), and watch 'em go!! The gang's all here: Mario, Luigi, evil Wario, Yoshi, Bowser, Princess Peach, Toad, and even that old arch-enemy Donkey Kong are included. You can choose to be any racer, the differences being slight. Three carts are lightweights, they are fast, but weak. Mario and Luigi are the middleweights, the best balanced in terms of durability and speed. The three heavyweights are a bit slower but can plow through traffic with ease.
The format is simple as well. You can race in any of several modes (single race, time trials, grand prix, vs., battle). The object, obviously, is to win in the shortest time possible. To aid you in your mission are power up items such as turtle shells that pummel your opponents, invincibility stars, turbo charged mushrooms, slippery banana peels, and lightning bolts. You can get these items by driving over Item boxes which are randomly distributed across each track. You don't know what item you'll get - just have faith in the powers that be.
There are 16 total tracks, divided into 4 separate "Cups": Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup. The tracks gradually get more difficult as you go. To continue racing for a trophy in each Cup, you must place at least 4th. Points are awarded based on placement; at the end of the Cup tourney, you can win the gold, silver, etc....
The controls are basic - gas, brake, turn, slide, yawn. There is a difficult to learn "mini-turbo" turning technique to add excitement, but it's hard to pull off and isn't THAT much fun...
Graphically, the N64 continues to kick butt. The racers look great and drive smoothly. There is almost no pop-up, a definite improvement over other N64 racers like Cruis'n USA. The backgrounds, unfortunately, are fairly boring. In fact, the beginning tracks are very boring looking, though the more complex tracks have, well, more complex graphics. Most of the power is put into smooth texture mapping - you won't find any breaks in the action.
And action there is. There's not a whole lot of strategy involved; maybe a well-timed lightning bolt or a banana booby-trap. But the best part of the game is the frenetic energy of whipping around turns at breakneck speeds. Er, okay, so the speeds aren't quite breakneck. And you don't really "whip." For the most part, just haul some Mario ass.
So the graphics are pretty good, the controls are easy, the action is fast paced: what's the problem, you ask? Simply put, the game feels pretty bubblegummy. It goes from "cute" to "puke" in a matter of minutes. Perhaps I'm spoiled, as I've recently had the honor of experiencing the far-and-away best game for the N64 right now, the amazing Turok. Mario Kart 64 is really just a souped up version of the SNES game with added graphical power. No new ground is broken, or even scraped.
This isn't a bad game. This isn't a good game, either. Frankly, what you see is what you get - kinda dorky, outdated characters thrown into an average cartoon racing game. Oh yeah, you'll also get some pretty painful Italian stereotypes... nothing that a "large-a plate of-a pasta" won't fix!
AHHHHH....when Mario and Luigi were infants, when their only concern were pesky turtles, when they spent their days doing the one thing they were born to do ----- Plumbing.
Somewhere along the line, someone took those lovable little Italians and transformed them into ridiculously shameless charicatures of themselves. Their mustaches beefed up, their bellies filled out, and their accents thickened into a hearty tomato sauce, the kind that mama used to make. And then they were dropped into go-carts.
Mario Kart 64 is a remake of the SNES version, with the added firepower of the new system. Indeed, the power of the N64 lends itself to smooth graphics and pretty pictures. Gameplay is another matter, however, and it is in this area that the N64 has been struggling. Games such as Cruis'n USA and Shadows of the Empire failed to break through the haze of fancy graphics and didn't deliver the goods. Mario Kart manages to put some excitement into the system, but not enough to save it from mediocrity.
The idea is simple. Take a slew of overexposed characters from the Mario universe, throw 'em in "karts" (lawnmower engine powered), and watch 'em go!! The gang's all here: Mario, Luigi, evil Wario, Yoshi, Bowser, Princess Peach, Toad, and even that old arch-enemy Donkey Kong are included. You can choose to be any racer, the differences being slight. Three carts are lightweights, they are fast, but weak. Mario and Luigi are the middleweights, the best balanced in terms of durability and speed. The three heavyweights are a bit slower but can plow through traffic with ease.
The format is simple as well. You can race in any of several modes (single race, time trials, grand prix, vs., battle). The object, obviously, is to win in the shortest time possible. To aid you in your mission are power up items such as turtle shells that pummel your opponents, invincibility stars, turbo charged mushrooms, slippery banana peels, and lightning bolts. You can get these items by driving over Item boxes which are randomly distributed across each track. You don't know what item you'll get - just have faith in the powers that be.
There are 16 total tracks, divided into 4 separate "Cups": Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup. The tracks gradually get more difficult as you go. To continue racing for a trophy in each Cup, you must place at least 4th. Points are awarded based on placement; at the end of the Cup tourney, you can win the gold, silver, etc....
The controls are basic - gas, brake, turn, slide, yawn. There is a difficult to learn "mini-turbo" turning technique to add excitement, but it's hard to pull off and isn't THAT much fun...
Graphically, the N64 continues to kick butt. The racers look great and drive smoothly. There is almost no pop-up, a definite improvement over other N64 racers like Cruis'n USA. The backgrounds, unfortunately, are fairly boring. In fact, the beginning tracks are very boring looking, though the more complex tracks have, well, more complex graphics. Most of the power is put into smooth texture mapping - you won't find any breaks in the action.
And action there is. There's not a whole lot of strategy involved; maybe a well-timed lightning bolt or a banana booby-trap. But the best part of the game is the frenetic energy of whipping around turns at breakneck speeds. Er, okay, so the speeds aren't quite breakneck. And you don't really "whip." For the most part, just haul some Mario ass.
So the graphics are pretty good, the controls are easy, the action is fast paced: what's the problem, you ask? Simply put, the game feels pretty bubblegummy. It goes from "cute" to "puke" in a matter of minutes. Perhaps I'm spoiled, as I've recently had the honor of experiencing the far-and-away best game for the N64 right now, the amazing Turok. Mario Kart 64 is really just a souped up version of the SNES game with added graphical power. No new ground is broken, or even scraped.
This isn't a bad game. This isn't a good game, either. Frankly, what you see is what you get - kinda dorky, outdated characters thrown into an average cartoon racing game. Oh yeah, you'll also get some pretty painful Italian stereotypes... nothing that a "large-a plate of-a pasta" won't fix!
For some reason, King K. Rool, the evil kremling lizard, doesn't like apes. First, he takes Donkey Kong's horde of bananas. Then he kidnaps Donkey Kong's friends, locking them all up in dank cages. Finally, to add insult to injury, K. Rool has his giant Blast-O-Matic laser trained right on Donkey Kong Isle (that small island in the shape of Donkey Kong's head).
Perhaps when he was a young kremling, the monkeys all made fun of K. Rool in school. Or maybe chimpanzees killed his parents. Either way, K. Rool has a score to settle. So, it's up to Donkey Kong to fight back in his 64 bit iteration, Donkey Kong 64.
Startup the game and you'll be immediately treated to, definitively, the world's worst rap. Those of you too young to know Tupac from Puff Daddy will get a kick out of the sing along lyrics on the bottom, but most sane people will try to skip it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I've played it to friends (to prove my point) once too often and those lyrics are still in my head.
Characters and references are made to the past DK Country games, but with changes all across the board. Funky Kong, the former surfer dude, has gone all-out militant, a bit like that creepy shopkeeper in Pulp Fiction. Donkey Kong's girl friend, Candy Kong, seems to be coming on to everyone (A monkey with breasts just seems so very wrong to me). And that sweet granny Wrinkly Kong? Well… they killed her off, and brought her back as a shrieking, wailing ghost that dispenses helpful advice.
Of course, Donkey Kong and Diddy are back. In addition, there are three new playable characters you get after you rescue them. There's Tiny Kong and Chunky Kong -- the obligatory small and extra large members of the group. Their special abilities are to (respectively) grow smaller or larger. Lanky Kong, the long armed, orange orangutan can walk on his hands, thereby letting him climb sharp inclines. At first, I was ready to dismiss the new apes, but one look at Lanky's funny walk made them all bearable -- they were actually amusing.
Okay, so there's no real story or plot. Instead you are after 200 golden N64 brand bananas, hidden throughout the land. Whoop-dee-do. Bananas. But somehow, while you play, those yellow fruit seem as important as if you were placed in the one-track mind of a monkey. Every time you earn another one of the gold bananas a sound bite yelps out, "OOooOOH, BA-nah-NAA!" After awhile, you end up yelping with the game.
Play control is right on the money, straddling a large variety of different moves and techniques. The monkeys (apes?) each have unique moves that let them reach things the others can't. Each monkey also has a different color-coding that designates the items he can collect. Chunky, the proverbial idiot of the group loves those green bananas.
Every monkey can purchase a gun from Funky that shoots different types of ammo (coconuts, peanuts, pineapples-arrgh, there's that damn rap again.). The ammo can be used to trigger corresponding buttons as well as to shoot enemies. Every monkey can also play a different instrument. These are used for musical switches. Other buttons have face or color markings that can only be triggered by the correct primate. All of these things make up the keys to unlock the different gates. Do the math, and you end up with a whole lot of techniques to have to use.
It's redundant… it's repetitive… and it's... well... brilliant. While you play, you don't think about having to keep switching monkeys to get to an area. You don't think about having to shrink in size as Tiny Kong, and then open up a portal, so that Diddy can use his jet pack to reach a bonus. It just works.
Like the original Donkey Kong Country, there are countless mini games. These range from good puzzles and shoot-em-up challenges, to just-kind-of stupid tasks, like the Beaver Round-up. The original Donkey Kong arcade game and Rare's first game, Jet Pack, are also included. They aren't optional though... in order to reach the last boss, you must beat them both. All of the mini games give you unlimited chances to get it right. Usually the prize is another N64 banana. The many different goals help to keep the game going.
First boss to last, there's a similar pattern to defeat them: dodge then attack. For example, to defeat a giant dragon, you dodge his fireballs, and then throw the TNT barrel at him when he stops to rest. Once you understand the method of attack, it becomes a cakewalk. A more random quality in at least some of the bosses would have been appreciated.
Taking Banjo-Kazooie as the standard in beautiful platform graphics, Donkey Kong 64 nearly hits that mark… but adds in lots more lighting effects. Very cool. Just look at the mine-cart/ghost train mini game to see what power the N64 can still muster up. The early levels look alright, but the deeper you get in the game, the better the graphics get. And to view all this there's a pretty decent camera system based upon the Zelda design of "back that cam up."
The sound effects are well done, capturing that chittering-chattering monkey noise and the sharp rasping of the kremlings. Donkey Kong gives out a pained "Why me?" moan whenever he's shot out of a barrel. Most of the music does a good job setting the mood for the game. Listen for the opening of Creepy Castle, and hear a single piano play a slow, sad melody, while an old organ weaves it way into the piece. That's quality. After awhile, though, it trails into some more generic sounds. Notably, the original music from Donkey Kong Country made its way in here, slightly remixed.
Bottom line is you will get a lot of game for your dollar. Even after the 35-40 hours to complete every single last objective the game, there's still a simple, but worthy multiplayer mode to keep you occupied. The real problem is that right to the end, it's just more of the same. There isn't the sharp contrast that DKCountry brought to the SNES as most hoped and expected. While no major ground is broken from Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong is still all there as a 3D platform game. Ok, I'm done with the review, can I have my banana now?
Here are some handy tips...
Regain Health:
To regain your kongs health, just jump in a tag barrel and choose the same kong you had and, voila! Back to full health. (Works for any kong.)
Get the Camera:
Play as Tiny. Shrink to enter the building shaped like a fairy in the main hub. Inside, you'll find the camera.
Replay Your Favorite Bonus Levels:
Once you collect your 40th blueprint, go to Snides HQ in DK Isles. Apart from delaying K. Rool's Blast-O-Matic he'll unlock a bonus level menu, so you can play all the bonus levels you encountered throughout the game over and over and over..!
Banana Fairy Bonuses:
Take pictures of the Banana Fairies with the camera to enable different game options -
2 Fairies - Unlocks DK Theater in Mystery Menu.
6 Fairies - Unlock DK Bonus. Find Rambi and Enguarde to unlock their bonus stages.
10 Fairies - Unlock Boss Battle in Mystery Menu.
15 Fairies - Unlock Krusha in multi-player.
20 Fairies - Unlock Cheat Mode in Mystery Menu. This will give you infinite items.
201 Bananas:
To retrieve the 201st golden banana. Simply (yeah right) find and photograph all 25 fairies. Bring them to the head fairy and she will lead you to the 201st banana. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
Perhaps when he was a young kremling, the monkeys all made fun of K. Rool in school. Or maybe chimpanzees killed his parents. Either way, K. Rool has a score to settle. So, it's up to Donkey Kong to fight back in his 64 bit iteration, Donkey Kong 64.
Startup the game and you'll be immediately treated to, definitively, the world's worst rap. Those of you too young to know Tupac from Puff Daddy will get a kick out of the sing along lyrics on the bottom, but most sane people will try to skip it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I've played it to friends (to prove my point) once too often and those lyrics are still in my head.
Characters and references are made to the past DK Country games, but with changes all across the board. Funky Kong, the former surfer dude, has gone all-out militant, a bit like that creepy shopkeeper in Pulp Fiction. Donkey Kong's girl friend, Candy Kong, seems to be coming on to everyone (A monkey with breasts just seems so very wrong to me). And that sweet granny Wrinkly Kong? Well… they killed her off, and brought her back as a shrieking, wailing ghost that dispenses helpful advice.
Of course, Donkey Kong and Diddy are back. In addition, there are three new playable characters you get after you rescue them. There's Tiny Kong and Chunky Kong -- the obligatory small and extra large members of the group. Their special abilities are to (respectively) grow smaller or larger. Lanky Kong, the long armed, orange orangutan can walk on his hands, thereby letting him climb sharp inclines. At first, I was ready to dismiss the new apes, but one look at Lanky's funny walk made them all bearable -- they were actually amusing.
Okay, so there's no real story or plot. Instead you are after 200 golden N64 brand bananas, hidden throughout the land. Whoop-dee-do. Bananas. But somehow, while you play, those yellow fruit seem as important as if you were placed in the one-track mind of a monkey. Every time you earn another one of the gold bananas a sound bite yelps out, "OOooOOH, BA-nah-NAA!" After awhile, you end up yelping with the game.
Play control is right on the money, straddling a large variety of different moves and techniques. The monkeys (apes?) each have unique moves that let them reach things the others can't. Each monkey also has a different color-coding that designates the items he can collect. Chunky, the proverbial idiot of the group loves those green bananas.
Every monkey can purchase a gun from Funky that shoots different types of ammo (coconuts, peanuts, pineapples-arrgh, there's that damn rap again.). The ammo can be used to trigger corresponding buttons as well as to shoot enemies. Every monkey can also play a different instrument. These are used for musical switches. Other buttons have face or color markings that can only be triggered by the correct primate. All of these things make up the keys to unlock the different gates. Do the math, and you end up with a whole lot of techniques to have to use.
It's redundant… it's repetitive… and it's... well... brilliant. While you play, you don't think about having to keep switching monkeys to get to an area. You don't think about having to shrink in size as Tiny Kong, and then open up a portal, so that Diddy can use his jet pack to reach a bonus. It just works.
Like the original Donkey Kong Country, there are countless mini games. These range from good puzzles and shoot-em-up challenges, to just-kind-of stupid tasks, like the Beaver Round-up. The original Donkey Kong arcade game and Rare's first game, Jet Pack, are also included. They aren't optional though... in order to reach the last boss, you must beat them both. All of the mini games give you unlimited chances to get it right. Usually the prize is another N64 banana. The many different goals help to keep the game going.
First boss to last, there's a similar pattern to defeat them: dodge then attack. For example, to defeat a giant dragon, you dodge his fireballs, and then throw the TNT barrel at him when he stops to rest. Once you understand the method of attack, it becomes a cakewalk. A more random quality in at least some of the bosses would have been appreciated.
Taking Banjo-Kazooie as the standard in beautiful platform graphics, Donkey Kong 64 nearly hits that mark… but adds in lots more lighting effects. Very cool. Just look at the mine-cart/ghost train mini game to see what power the N64 can still muster up. The early levels look alright, but the deeper you get in the game, the better the graphics get. And to view all this there's a pretty decent camera system based upon the Zelda design of "back that cam up."
The sound effects are well done, capturing that chittering-chattering monkey noise and the sharp rasping of the kremlings. Donkey Kong gives out a pained "Why me?" moan whenever he's shot out of a barrel. Most of the music does a good job setting the mood for the game. Listen for the opening of Creepy Castle, and hear a single piano play a slow, sad melody, while an old organ weaves it way into the piece. That's quality. After awhile, though, it trails into some more generic sounds. Notably, the original music from Donkey Kong Country made its way in here, slightly remixed.
Bottom line is you will get a lot of game for your dollar. Even after the 35-40 hours to complete every single last objective the game, there's still a simple, but worthy multiplayer mode to keep you occupied. The real problem is that right to the end, it's just more of the same. There isn't the sharp contrast that DKCountry brought to the SNES as most hoped and expected. While no major ground is broken from Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong is still all there as a 3D platform game. Ok, I'm done with the review, can I have my banana now?
Here are some handy tips...
Regain Health:
To regain your kongs health, just jump in a tag barrel and choose the same kong you had and, voila! Back to full health. (Works for any kong.)
Get the Camera:
Play as Tiny. Shrink to enter the building shaped like a fairy in the main hub. Inside, you'll find the camera.
Replay Your Favorite Bonus Levels:
Once you collect your 40th blueprint, go to Snides HQ in DK Isles. Apart from delaying K. Rool's Blast-O-Matic he'll unlock a bonus level menu, so you can play all the bonus levels you encountered throughout the game over and over and over..!
Banana Fairy Bonuses:
Take pictures of the Banana Fairies with the camera to enable different game options -
2 Fairies - Unlocks DK Theater in Mystery Menu.
6 Fairies - Unlock DK Bonus. Find Rambi and Enguarde to unlock their bonus stages.
10 Fairies - Unlock Boss Battle in Mystery Menu.
15 Fairies - Unlock Krusha in multi-player.
20 Fairies - Unlock Cheat Mode in Mystery Menu. This will give you infinite items.
201 Bananas:
To retrieve the 201st golden banana. Simply (yeah right) find and photograph all 25 fairies. Bring them to the head fairy and she will lead you to the 201st banana. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
While I will not deny that the N64 is a great console and has produced some of the greatest games of all time (Zelda, Goldeneye etc)
I think that you have missed out on so much by boycotting Playstation. The Final Fantasy series, Metal Gear Solid. These like Zelda and Goldeneye are classics that every gamer should play
I think that you have missed out on so much by boycotting Playstation. The Final Fantasy series, Metal Gear Solid. These like Zelda and Goldeneye are classics that every gamer should play
Excuse me, but the PS2 is going to kick the N64 down the drain.
Longy wrote:
> ....better than all the rest! I think that even Tina Turner would
> have at least one product by Nintendo, don't you? I mean they are
> just 'the mut's nuts' when it comes to computer games and
> consoles. I have at least one of every kind of Nintendo's
> different formats, including three gameboys, a NES, a SNES and
> last but not least, the Nintendo64. I have never bought a single
> game for any other format or console since I recieved my prized
> possesion N64, there's no point really. I know that anything that
> comes from Nintendo is going to be of the highest quality and
> standard that you can buy around and I think that all of the other
> consoles like the Greystation and the Creamcast, doesn't even come
> close to the gameplay, lastability and overall enjoyment that I
> myself and other gamers experience or have experienced over the
> last few years, it just doesn't compare. And anyone who says
> different, is going to find themselves straped to a three-legged
> chair using several joypad extenders, sat in front of large 63
> inch TV with an N64 linked up and over 100 games to play, lets see
> if that person can resist the temptation to play on it. I think
> that person would and afterwards that person would say that the
> N64 is the best, most worth while and best priced and rated(
> rather underated) console......IN THE WORLD!! time that we've been
> with
Longy wrote:
> ....better than all the rest! I think that even Tina Turner would
> have at least one product by Nintendo, don't you? I mean they are
> just 'the mut's nuts' when it comes to computer games and
> consoles. I have at least one of every kind of Nintendo's
> different formats, including three gameboys, a NES, a SNES and
> last but not least, the Nintendo64. I have never bought a single
> game for any other format or console since I recieved my prized
> possesion N64, there's no point really. I know that anything that
> comes from Nintendo is going to be of the highest quality and
> standard that you can buy around and I think that all of the other
> consoles like the Greystation and the Creamcast, doesn't even come
> close to the gameplay, lastability and overall enjoyment that I
> myself and other gamers experience or have experienced over the
> last few years, it just doesn't compare. And anyone who says
> different, is going to find themselves straped to a three-legged
> chair using several joypad extenders, sat in front of large 63
> inch TV with an N64 linked up and over 100 games to play, lets see
> if that person can resist the temptation to play on it. I think
> that person would and afterwards that person would say that the
> N64 is the best, most worth while and best priced and rated(
> rather underated) console......IN THE WORLD!! time that we've been
> with
I think that everyone is saying that the n64 is wearing out and is past it's sell by date but its is not, not while nintendo are producing games like smash bros and perfect dark we will show the playstations owners out there you may have sold more consoles than us, but you know that N64's are better,the graphics gameplay and sound are just getting better by the miniute, while all the playstation features that the N64 does'nt is video clipss and cut-scenes.
The sheer speed of the N64 is enough to show that it is the best console around.
While the sega Dreamcast produces better graphics, the n64 has faster loading times, smother gameplay, and a greater selection than about 20 games.
Lso the controlers have greater comfort and more buttons than ever before.
With anolog stick and digital pad for diffrent games.
I also think that the playstation produces to many serious games, the N64 produces funny games like shefs love shack,mario and silicon valley.
The sheer speed of the N64 is enough to show that it is the best console around.
While the sega Dreamcast produces better graphics, the n64 has faster loading times, smother gameplay, and a greater selection than about 20 games.
Lso the controlers have greater comfort and more buttons than ever before.
With anolog stick and digital pad for diffrent games.
I also think that the playstation produces to many serious games, the N64 produces funny games like shefs love shack,mario and silicon valley.
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