Donkey Kong 64 Review
For Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo 64, GameFAQs has 64 reviews. Donkey Kong 64 review Donkey Kong 64 The good: Excellent graphics for its time Hours upon hours of outstanding gameplay Fun characters and levels Good challenge. The bad: Very hard to beat the game.
Nintendo 64 owners went nuts in 1999 when began airing on television. These advertisements featured live-action “footage” of people up in arms after seeing their city covered in fruit and nuts at the hands of Donkey Kong and his band of fruit gun-wielding pals. And when we all saw the glorious gameplay in action, with the narrator informing us that the game came bundled with the Expansion Pak on account of just how massive it was, the hype factor reached the next level.We eventually learned that the Expansion Pak was mostly necessary to prevent a game-breaking bug (and that it cost Rare a fortune to bundle it with every copy of the game). Even then, I just can’t look back at that old commercial without being filled with sheer nostalgia. I was just 13 years old when I first played Donkey Kong 64, and at the time it didn’t get much better than that. You can imagine my excitement when news spread that the Nintendo 64 classic was releasing on the Wii U Virtual Console.Sadly, time hasn’t been too kind to certain aspects of Donkey Kong 64, with minor flaws now looking more like glaring offenses.
On the plus side, the bulk of the game is still loads of fun thanks to some really tight platforming mechanics, and if you miss the days of collect-a-thon 3D platformers, perhaps the Kongs’ quest will strike a positive chord with you.The game kicks off with King K. Rool attempting to blow up the DK Isles. Things go haywire with his Blast-O-Matic so the rotund villain sets up shop right by DK’s home. Word spreads that K. Rool is back, so DK sets out to stop him. It’s not exactly riveting as far as storytelling goes, but at the very least, Donkey Kong 64 is more a turf war story than the usual tale about a damsel in distress.Donkey Kong 64 shares many similarities with, Banjo-Kazooie, and practically every other 3D platformer on the Nintendo 64.
There are literally hundreds of collectible items strewn about the large stages, each color-coded and tied to specific Kongs. Diddy, for example, can only pick up red bananas, so if he spots Tiny’s purple bananas, he won’t be able to grab them. Each Kong can find 100 of these colored bananas in every level, as well as five golden bananas and a color-coded blueprint.As you can tell, Donkey Kong 64 is all about collection. Sometimes bananas (gold or colored) are locked behind doors, requiring a specific Kong to open the way.
This isn’t too bad in the beginning, but in later stages, the abilities of one Kong will be needed just so the others can reach their collectibles, too. This gets problematic if you’re trying to do everything with one Kong before moving on to the next, but it’s downright maddening when you realize that you’re just a few colored bananas short and have no idea where they can be.If you’re bent on finding everything and obtaining that prestigious 101 percent completion (Oh, Rare, you’re so silly!), you’re bound to spend at least a few dozen hours playing. Unfortunately, every single one of those hours isn’t filled with raucous moments and unbridled joy. Unlike Super Mario 64, which is kind of a blast from start to finish, Donkey Kong 64 is slightly marred by some issues. It’s not uncommon to scour a level over and over in search of 10 elusive colored bananas, only to realize that they were locked behind another character’s special ability.Worth noting is how bad the mandatory minigames are.
Some are simple, with tasks like surviving an onslaught of baddies, but others are downright awful. Krazy Kong Klamour is especially terrible as it requires you to shoot a certain number of golden bananas while the lights go on and off. In a later version of the minigame, the lights go off way too soon, and because hits in the dark don’t count, you’ll need to have lightning-fast reflexes. You also have to watch out for the Kongs as shooting them increases the number of golden bananas you need to hit.Even after all of those complaints, though, there’s no denying that the basic formula that Donkey Kong 64 is built on is solid.
The moment you enter a new world, you feel a grand sense of wonder. You can’t help but to happily run around the levels, exploring to your heart’s content and grabbing bananas left and right. Sure, there are some issues along the way, but the design of every world is absolutely exquisite.The fact that the worlds are so much fun to visit makes all of the other problems tolerable. Whether you’re entering Jungle Japes for the first time, battling evil toys in Frantic Factory, or climbing giant mushrooms in Fungi Forest, you’re bound to walk away from Donkey Kong 64 with a smile on your face.
And if you’re looking to explore every single square foot of those stages, you’ll be glad to know that there’s a lot to see and do. Sometimes it does get repetitive, but it’s just a lot of fun finding new areas and uncovering secrets.Donkey Kong 64 is very easily one of the best-looking titles on the Nintendo 64. These days, it shows a bit of its age, but only as far as its textures are concerned. Other than that, character models sport a charmingly polygonal look, and the various worlds are still quite nice to behold. Throw in Grant Kirkhope’s awesome soundtrack and you’ve got a winning audiovisual presentation.Though it’s not as perfect as I remember it being when I was a kid, DK’s Nintendo 64 romp is still a lot of fun. Even the four-player split-screen multiplayer mode is kind of enjoyable these days. Beyond the mild extras, though, the bulky adventure has more highlights than foul moments, making this a classic worth revisiting despite some nasty warts.
If you skipped the game but remain curious, it’s worth checking out. And if you loved Donkey Kong 64 in 1999, you should definitely pay the Kongs a visit for old time’s sake.Follow this author on.
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It all started with Donkey Kong in the arcades. A simple game: you are Jumpman-- later to be named 'Mario'-- and your job is to save your girlfriend from, you guessed it, Donkey Kong. Many people enjoyed the classic title, which I have also seen on the Game Boy, and I believe it was on several other consoles, also. And then, for the Super NES, Rare developed a game known as Donkey Kong Country. Boasting the best graphics ever for a console at that time, DKC became a smash hit, and also introduced two of Nintendo's most famous franchise characters, Donkey's nephew, Diddy, and the ever-popular Donkey Kong tie. And now, with the release of the Nintendo 64, Rare knew it had to release Donkey Kong 64, which, thankfully, it did!
Donkey Kong 64's story is not that original, but still pulls you into the game. Basically, DK's arch-renemy, King K. Rool (who's name means, respectively, 'King Cruel'), has taken his floating fortress and has vowed to annihalate Donkey Kong's home island-- which actually looks like DK himself! Of course, he won't be able to do it without flaw, and crashes into the island (he's smart..), forcing him to lock up his clumsy associate, K. Lumsy. Of course, this doesn't make Lumsy feel very loyal to his 'King,' so, he promises to help DK, if he can free him from his prison. And, so, it is up to Donkey Kong 'n Friends to gather up a number of keys in order to free K. Lumsy from his cage, where he can then rid the world of King K. Rool. While that may not seem exciting, it's an action-adventure game, people, and the fun is in the gameplay.
Speaking of gameplay, DK 64 has provided me with many hours (around fifty) of enjoyment, and I just couldn't put it down. Donkey Kong 64 follows closely the tried-and-true Mario/Banjo-Kazooie action-adventure philosophy, and, to enter new levels, you not only need to defeat the bosses, but you also need to collect golden bananas, which you will get when you solve certain puzzles or perform special tasks. Again, DK64 feels very much like Banjo-Kazooie, and is just as fun, despite some pretty difficult bosses, including K. Rool himself.
DK64 features Donkey and Diddy Kong, along with all their pals (Funky, Cranky, Candy, ect.), but the game also introduces three new additions to the Kong family-- Tiny, Chunky, and Lanky. Every character has five golden bananas to collect in each level, along with 100 regular bananas each, which feed a very hungry pig fellow, who, when given enough munchies, will allow you access into the boss' lair. In addition, each of the primates have to collect 'Banana Coins,' which you give to your old friend Cranky, to learn certain spells, while also unlocking a classic Rare game, JetPack.
The music in DK64 is your classic Nintendo 64-style music, MIDI based, but also ends up being being pretty fun to listen to. Every character has his or her own catch phrases, also, and they sound pretty good when you hear them. The sound effects are decent, also, but nothing special.
DK64 shipped with the N64 Expansion Pak (the game requires one), which, while a disappointment (though it's how I got my much-needed Expansion Pak), when you see the graphics in the game, makes a lot of sense. The characters are well-animated, and there are hardly any flaws in both the textures and the baddies. The levels are nicely colored, also, and give you a wonderful feel of your surrounding environment. The graphics are amazing, and add a lot to the enjoyment of the game.
Remember Enguarde and Rambi, the swordfish and rhino dudes from the Donkey Kong Country games? Well, they're back! However, they only complete few objectives, but they do have their own mini-games, which aren't exactly fun, unfortunately. Also, Squawks, the parrot, is in the game too, but not for much. He's there for just a few cameos, where he gives Donkey Kong valuable information about his progress. I really wish there were more animal friends in the game, such as the snake and ostrich, who's names I have forgotten.
Probably one of the best additions in DK64 is the original Donkey Kong arcade game, which you must complete if you hope to beat the game! Those who haven't played the original game (not the revised Game Boy title) will be introduced to a surprisingly difficult adventure, and, while there are only four levels, this one objective may take you a whole week to complete!
The mini-games scattered throughout the game are relatively easy, except for a few extremely difficult ones (cough, Beaver Bother, cough). And, while they can cause frustration, most of them are fun, and almost all of them are crutial to the completion of the game.
And finally, we have the multiplayer mode. I don't even know why Rare decided to put this in, as it is about as much fun as playing Scrabble with your dog. Basically, you play a third-person shooting mode, using the characters' personal weapons to shoot coconuts, grapes, or whatever the specific character uses. A major disappointment because, as Rare has proved, they can make some of the best multiplayer engines out there. Just check out Perfect Dark or GoldenEye 007 and see what I mean.
In conclusion, Donkey Kong 64 is an extremely entertaining title, and I highly recommend it to any N64 owner, especially the casual gamer, as it may be too easy or simple for hardcore gamers. Nonetheless, hardcore gamers will most likely find it an enjoyable experience, too.
4/5