Donkey Kong 64
Reviewed by Jacob Brown
Ever since Rare leaked the words out that three new games were
under development, hardly any N64 owners could wait! One was the
follow-up to the incredibly popular Goldeneye, Perfect Dark. The
second was a space shooter that unfortunately had the least hype.
And the third was the big ape's new 64-bit adventure, Donkey Kong!!!
Many people believed that Donkey Kong 64 would destroy Zelda's record
in sales. New stuff slowly came out about the game. Three new
characters, Tiny, Chunkey and Lanky would be main characters. The
game was so big, the expansion pak was required to play. It's finally
here and it's HUGE!!!
Graphics: 9.5 out of 10
The graphics are a step up from Rare's blockbuster Banjo-Kazooie.
Everything is 10 times more detailed than B-K. The light effects
are great!! The animation is superb, and really makes it look like a
Saturday morning cartoon. All the characters come to life.I couldn't
help but laugh when K. Lumsy stomped around the island all happy. All
five main characters have their own unique animation which adds to the
fun appeal of the game. There are small details that few people care
to notice. Some people don't think the graphics are much improved over B-K.
Music and Sound: 8.5 out of 10
The music is very much like the music in B-K. It's light, but some of
the tunes are catchy. Some music from the previous Donkey Kong games
return updated. The sound is what you'd expect, nothing really special.
Game Challenge: 10 out of 10
One of the main themes in Donkey Kong 64 is collecting items, searching
high and low for the hundreds of goofy collectables. Add that to the
HUMONGOUS size of the game and you have a challenge that platform
novices will have trouble with. Switching the characters to complete
tasks can be tedious and frustrating. Their are 201 Golden Bananas, 4,000
normal bananas, 40 banana medals and the list goes on. A big surprise in
Donkey Kong 64 is the return of some old-school gaming.
Game Play-Fun: 9.0 out of 10
You will have fun playing Donkey-kong 64. Some of the mini-game
themes are goofy. When was the last time you herded beavers into a
hole as a crocodile? Thats what I thought. The characters are real goofballs
too. Chunky's a big baby. Lanky is strechy. Diddy is self-proclaimed, the
coolest Kong. And K.Rool is still humorous to look at. Overall the game
play is still fun and hilarious.
Frustration
You will get frustrated will the size of the game and the puzzles. Switching
characters is necessary to complete tasks. Some mini-games are just too
difficult for even the best of players.
Replayability: 8.5 out of 10
Once you complete Donkey Kong 64, you will be happy it's done with. You
might even throw a party if you are hysterical. There isn't much replay
value. As Cranky said, the multi player matches were probably thrown in
at the last second. If you and you're friends are doped up on goofballs, then
Monkey Smash is for you.
Overall: 9.0 out of 10
It's Donkey Kong, it's fun and it's huge. You will have a blast playing
this great platformer. While some people will dismiss it simply because
it's Banjo only bigger, others will love it.