Donkey Kong 64
Reviewed by Panther
The first time I saw Donkey Kong 64 advertised, it didn't appeal to me
very much. I don't know why that is because I have all of the Donkey
Kong games for Super Nintendo, and I loved them. Once I tried the game
out though, I knew I had to have it for myself. Donkey Kong 64 has a great
mix of a long and hard one player game, with the new multi player
capability so that you and a few friends can play against each other.
Graphics: 10 out of 10
Let me tell you that Donkey Kong has some of the best graphics I have
seen for the 64. It crams so much good graphics in that it needs an
expansion pack for it to work! That may be problems with some
people because they may not want to buy an expansion pack just for
the game because of the price. Well guess what, they throw in the
expansion pack when you buy the game! But also remember that a
lot of games work with the expansion pack and make the graphics
better. So think of it as getting one for more than Donkey Kong 64.
I have hardly found a flaw in the graphics at all.
Music and Sound: 7 out of 10
The music in the game is very good, with some new types of music,
and some refined old types of music that sound great. The only reason
that I gave the game a 7 out of 10 is because of the sound. Some of the
sound is fine, but others are very annoying. For example, when you hear
K. Rool's laugh it is the exact same noise repeated over and over again,
with no change at all. It is like that with a good bit of noises in the game,
and it may not sound very annoying but trust me, it is. Some of the other
sounds are fine, but these are not. Other than the sound, the music is great.
Game Challenge: 8 out of 10
The game has an okay challenge. I think that most of the challenge
comes from the mini-games that you play in later in the game. The
first few mini-games you play are real easy, except when you get
to the last two or three levels. Then they get hard. The game itself is
not very challenging, but it is very long, especially if you are trying to
find everything. I don't consider it challenging because most of the items
that you need to find just take a bit of looking, or playing a mini-game or
two. Only a few of the bosses are really challenging, and one of them is K
Rool, obviously. Other than that, it is a normal game for challenge
Game Play-Fun: 9.5 out of 10
The one player game is very fun because none of the worlds in the game
look at all alike, so you are invited into a new environment every time.
Even when you are just playing in one world with all of the characters,
it is just as fun because each character unlocks a new place in that level,
so you see and do new things all of the time. Also, some of the boss
animations are pretty funny when you beat a boss, or just get through
one of its phases. The only problem I have with the game play fun is the
multi player. I tried it with a friend, and it is pretty fun until you have
played with all of the characters, and tried all of the levels. There are only
4 small places that you can play at, and all of the characters are the same
in strength, except Krusha. It gets pretty boring really quick.
Rumble Pak: 9 out of 10
The new rumble pak feature was a great idea with this game, because of the
guns and bombs that the characters had. (By the way, great going with the
guns and bombs, finally DK gets some REAL weapons). The rumble pak rumbles
a lot or a little, depending on where you are when something explodes. It also
changes depending on how hard you get hit or what type of weapon you use.
Nice Job with the rumble pak.
Frustration
To tell you the truth, there is not really any frustrating parts in the
game, except when you are stuck trying to beat a really hard mini-game.
But that's about it.
Game Value: 11 out of 10
The game may be a little more expensive than some other games, but the
expansion pak comes with it too. They sell the game at a regular price for
a new release, and add $10 to it because of the expansion pak. Since the
expansion pak is usually around $20, you only have to pay $10 for it to be
included with the game, great huh? You really do get your money out of this
game for all of the reasons above. Great Value.
Overall: 9.5 out of 10
This is a great game for DK lovers, or for anyone new to the concept because
they have so many new characters and things involved in the game, that it is
like a new start. Once you buy this game I think you will see why I would rank
it "Top Banana."