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True story: I stole my original copy of this game. Not from an actual store, but I borrowed it from a classmate and never gave it back. That kid was fucking crazy anyway, so I feel no remorse for my actions.
So Rare!
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Even the main menu is filled to the brim.
They're name holds little weight nowadays, but there was a time that Rare software was the absolute kings of gaming. Everything they released was pure gold, and they're responsible for some of the best and most innovated games of their time. Classics like the genre redefining Goldeneye 64 and it's followup Perfect Dark, or the interesting and uniquely adult Conker's Bad Fur Day. These are all great, but Rare's best work was their series of platformers, the Banjo Kazooie Games and a followup to the SNES classic Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong 64.
It's unfortunate they've completely dissappeared, nothing more then a faded memory of a golden age long gone. Rare's legacy goes on, even if the company doesn't, and their games will be remembered for a long time as timeless classics.
So They're Finally Here...
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Clockwise: Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, Donkey Kong, Chunky Kong, and Diddy Kong.
DK64 opens with an absolute bang. The original Donkey Kong Country started with an elderly gorilla player a victrola, violently interrupted by Donkey Kong chiming in with a cool jungle beat. DK64 opens with an instantly recognizable hardcore 90's rap that introduces the major players, their abilities, and their combat effectiveness. It's almost a tutorial to a certain degree, and it remains a catchy tune even today. I'm just going to post the video in it's entirety below, but don't blame me if it get's stuck in your head.
Even the main menu is an indication of the game. It's huge, and filled with options. This wasn't a simple upgrade from 2D platformer to 3D, this was a new game for a new age, and it wanted to make sure you knew that.
DK64 is massive in every respect. It's one of only three N64 games to require the expansion pak. It pushes the N64 to it's absolute limits, with absolutely astounding things for the time. The lighting was top notch, casting dynamic shadows as you moved, and it's physics was ahead of the curve for the time. Character animations are great, and it's all the more surprising since there are five main characters, each with completely separate move sets.
The world is probably the biggest part. Like many early 3D platformers, DK64 features an overworld that connects the self-contained levels. People that thought Mario 64's game world was big were blown away by DK64's scope. The overworld is massive and has a tonne of hidden secrets to find and plenty to explore. The levels are equally big, and one DK64 is easily the size of two or three Mario 64 levels. There's a lot of life in the levels two, with things happening all over the place and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.
OHHHH...BANANA
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You'll need to visit Cranky's lab regularly for upgrades.
Like every Donkey Kong game, Bananas are the goal here. Once again the evil Lizard King K. Rool has stolen all of DK's bananas and it's up to you to get them back. Where DK64 deviates from every other Donkey Kong game is it's cast. This time around you have access to five different Kongs, each with different abilities. There's Donkey, of course, he's the most well rounded of the crew. There's Diddy, fast and agile and able to charge enemies and use a jetpack. Lanky Kong, who can strike from a distance using his extending arms and can walk up sloped surfaces. Chunky Kong who can dish out massive amounts of damage, lift heavy boulders, and grow to humongous sizes. And Tiny Kong who can float in the air, walk up walls, and shrink to fit in small places.
All of the characters get time to shine, and you'll need to learn to play as each Kong to get the best experience. Every level contains areas specific for each Kong, and switching between them is easy thanks to the barrels placed around. It can get frustrating finding yourself in an area with the wrong Kong, and there's quite a bit of back tracking, but exploration is encouraged, and the levels are well designed enough that this isn't a huge hassle.
What is a hassle is the game's upgrade system, that requires you to unlock upgrades for the Kongs individually. Often you won't be able to use a Kong's best abilities until you've hunted down enough of their specific coins to buy the upgrades. Even after acquiring the upgrades you'll still have to hunt down the specific item that the Kong requires to use the upgrade. It's probably the most frustrating part of the game, and can really grate on your nerves after a while.
Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
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Each of the characters has a special ability, like Diddy's jetpack.
The other major problem with DK64 is that it's perhaps too open. There's vary little in the way of direction, and you're often left wondering where to go. There's no real plot to DK64, rather just one long, drawn out fetch quest. It's a fun fetch quest, with plenty to see and do, but it all boils down to finding the banana and retrieving it. Mario 64's stars at least gave you a hint as to where to go and what to do, but the best DK64 offers is cryptic advise that rarely helps that much.
There's other issues with DK64, mostly just due to age. It's a game not really meant for the N64, with a confusing array of controls that can get easily muddled. Graphically it hasn't aged well, although it retains a certain charm to those who lived through the days of blocky 3D. The lack of proper structure is probably the worst thing about it, and it's fun enough that you can look past that.
There's also a mulitplayer suit included, which has some really fun games. It's fairly standard death match or survival stuff, and you get access to all the characters from the campaign as well as their various abilities. It's fun, and a reminder why Rare games were once the kings of slumber parties and casual get-togethers.
All in all, DK64 is a great relic of older platformers, and definitely a contender for best N64 game. It may not have the long lasting legacy of titles like Mario 64, or Goldeneye, but it's a really fun game with plenty to do. It was ahead of it's time, and remains a great game, even fifteen years later.
piney
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