Donkey Kong 64
Reviewed by Behonkiss
The long-awaited Donkey Kong 64 has finally arrived, and it was more
than worth the wait. This game is amazing, probably my favorite
Nintendo 64 game (Unless Perfect Dark, Zelda Gaiden, or Banjo-Tooie
are better), a must but for fans of Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64!
Simply stunning graphics, great game play and variety, simply HUGE
worlds, super-tough bosses, Candy Kong's return(YAY!), everything
is awesome about this!
Graphics 9.9 out of 10
Wow. That just about sums it up. This game has THE best lighting,
modeling, smoothness, and effects of any game I've ever seen on
Nintendo 64. Near-Dreamcast quality. I mean it. The models for
every character are amazingly rendered and detailed, and I never
thought I'd say this, but the few prerendered sprites look good!
The Kong have wonderful animation, too. When Funky gives you a
gun, he pretend to be shooting, even making little "ratatatat"
noises. Whenever Cranky gives a Kong a move potion, great
animations are shown. And the Kong selection screen is hilarious,
with each Kong doing hilarious things when highlighted (Especially
Chunky). There are some great cinema scenes throughout the
levels, too, and they look great. The boss battles look magnificent.
In the armadillo level, when a fireball crashes to the grounds, it
wonderfully shows that side of Donkey being lit up. And the rain...Well,
it looks as stunning as the rain did in the original Donkey Kong 64. And
the giant Jack in the box boss has to be shocked, and when he's shocked,
it really looks like he's being shocked as fluorescent electricity
crackles around him and smoke comes from his body. Magnificent.
Music and Sound 9.8 out of 10
This game has spectacular music and sound. The Kongs have
very good and cute voices, and during the intro, K. Rool speaks
in one of the coolest video game bad guy voices ever. The music
seems to fit the worlds so perfectly, being happy, moody, scary,
and enchanting (I especially enjoy the music in the Troff 'N Scoff
room), creating the perfect mood.
Game Challenge 10 out of 10
This is astounding. One of the most wonderfully challenging games
I've ever played. Great mini games test your skill, finding each
banana takes intelligence and speed, etc. Think Banjo-Kazooie
10 times harder.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
Superb, superb, SUPERB! There is so much variety in this game.
You have to revisit each level with each Kong to get their bananas
and open new paths, and there are fun mini games, puzzles, and
variety. You will get hooked.
Rumble Pak 7 out of 10
It was OK, but I've never really cared about the Rumble Pak. It
rumbles in the right places, though. Still, I barely noticed, I
was too engaged.
Frustration
Well, yeah, you'll get frustrated quite a bit in this. Some bananas
are maddingly hard to get, and so are the classic arcade games
hidden in the game levels for you to play. Still, it pays off when
you get that banana, get that item, or beat that boss.
Replayability 9 out of 10
Ohh, yeah. Since you have to visit each HUGE level with each Kong,
there's lots of replay value. There's so much to do, so much to see,
so what's wrong with taking the back street....Uh, there's a lot.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Yes. This game is more than worth the price. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.
Negatives
Well, my only gripes with the game so far are: You can be really
frustrated at times, as this game is surprisingly difficult. This
game seems more like a Banjo-Kazooie sequel than the old Donkey
Kong 64 games of old, so people expecting a Donkey Kong Country game in 3D
may be discouraged.
Overall 9.9 out of 10
This is simply a classics that will go down in the record books.
I was shocked that it met my expectations and went far beyond
them. Buy this masterpiece. You will not be let down.