Donkey Kong 64
Reviewed by Rocky
Donkey Kong has always been a famous character in video game history
since its debut in the 80s. At first he was one of Mario's rivals (he was
the one that always kidnapped the princess at first), but slowly he became
a more complex character, definitely becoming famous on the SNES, with
Donkey Kong Country. This time there was no Mario around, so Donkey finally
had the success that he deserved. With various sequels and various other
characters by his side, Donkey has finally made it to the 64-bit era, and
after so long, we can finally have a taste of RARE'S ultimate Kong masterpiece!
Graphics: 4 out of 5
Just what you'd expect from a platform: colorful, cheerful and cartoony.
You might think that the design is original, but I personally think that
the graphics resemble too much those of Banjo-Kazzoie. Not that it's a
bad thing, but the graphics should be a little more polished for its time.
On the other hand, the character animations are formidable, with many
facial expressions available to our new characters. You can see Konkey
smile, be confused (most of the time) Cheer, or even be sad. Lighting
effects and other similar delights are present, only in minor part compared
to other games of the same genre. In my opinion, Rare could have made a
new engine to test out this game better. anyhow, another touchy subject
is the frame rate. Not at drastic levels like Jet Force Jemini's, but still
rather annoying. The camera movement is decent, but it still gives some
problems in some situations. For example, when you're trying to jump
from somewhere, the camera mysteriously positions itself in front of
the character, the worst position to jump with.Other than these minor
problems, the graphics are better than most other games out there.
Music and Sound: 3 out of 5
The music did not catch on to me that much. Basically, some old DKC
music has returned to this version, but in a watered down fashion.
They have been transformed somehow. The music transition between
various places is horrible. Just when you're getting used to the
particular beat of the jungle in the first level, you enter a cave, and
the music totally changes into something not better identified. A bland
mix of noises and percussions. You won't mumble those a lot. On the other
hand, the various sounds are something else. Donkey and the others make
a very realistic Monkeyish sound, while water, wind, fire and other effects
are all reproduced magnificently.
Game Challenge: 5 out of 5
The game offer a good challenge, not a desperate one, but a fun and
entertaining one. Basically you can choose to complete the game
normally, beating it and having a nice little ending movie. Or, you
could choose to complete the game 100%, something that is nearly
impossible. I'll try to explain how many things there are to complete
in each level. There are 5 golden bananas for each character to collect
by resolving some hard puzzles or making you use your reflexes. Since
the characters in the game are 5 there are 25 Golden bananas to collect
in each level. Then there are the regular bananas. Much like the coins in
Super Mario, you have to collect 100 bananas to get an extra life, but also
to complete another objective in the level. There are 100 bananas for each
character, so there go 500 yellow things right there. Then the blueprints.
There is a character in the game that wants to help you against K.Rool,
but he needs some blueprints to complete his project. The more blueprints
you find, the more time you'll have on the last level to...but that's another
story. There are 5 blueprints in all, 1 for each monkey. Something titanic,
isn't it!!!!! There are eight levels in all, packed with all these fun things to
do. Obviously, there are other objectives like banana medals, fairy pictures,
and so on, and the things to do never really end. Fantastic!
Game Play-Fun: 5 out of 5
Thinking back to the things I wrote before, the Gameplay is all that. It's
terribly fun and addicting. Even if you're not a collecting freak, you'll get
caught up in completing every objective of every level just for the fun of
it. You'll find that you can control some characters better than others, or
that you can have a better time a particular character's missions, but
everything from the concept, to the banana fairies is awesome in this
game. It is played out so well, that you couldn't even imagine! 5 playable
characters in a platform? Who ever thought of that? It makes the gaming
experience that much more satisfying.
Frustration
Unlike Jet Force Gemini, this game almost never gets frustrating. Even
if you try to complete it 100% at least it's a choice you're making, nobody's
forcing you to do it. Very neat indeed. Few are the games that can say that
they don't bring frustration to gamers. This is one of 'em.
Replayability: 5 out of 5
You'll be playing this game night and day,and even if you're done with it,
there are always the objectives to accomplish to see the true ending of
the game. This game has more stuff in it than an RPG! (almost,
exaggeration there)
Game Value: 5 out of 5
Definitely worth the price, even though it's graphical and musical
flaws. Very fun and addicting, you'll be playing it for a long time.
Overall: 9.5 out of 10
One of the best games in hid genre, Donkey Kong debuts on the N64
with all he has to offer.Nothing more can be said. An excellent product
worthy of the title of Masterpiece. Only by Rare.