Developed by:
Nintendo
Published by:
Nintendo
Genre: Adventure
Number of Players: 1
ESRB:
Everyone
 9.0
Gameplay:.................9/10
Graphics:...................8/10
Audio:........................7/10
Replay:......................9/10
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April
29, 2002
"Anyone who loved it when Mario
hit the Nintendo 64 and have any affection for the big ape will go bananas for
DK64."
Briefly
Ok, so I'm a spoiled brat and have a half-dozen video game consoles... For the
most part the Dreamcast well is all but dried up, my XBOX spins Halo and my
GameCube... well... lies dormant. I pulled out the 'ole Nintendo 64, and thought
I would fire up some old school reviews.
The biggest advantage the N64 has over other systems is the antiquated use of
cartridges. Loading times are non-existent, along with memory cards. While this
is what eventually doomed the console, I still enjoy the feel of hard plastic
and the click of the cart. And when it's not working right, you can still do the
old blow on the game technique.
On to the game...
Donkey Kong has come a long way in its 20-year history. The actual first time I
played the original game, was in an old supermarket. You controlled Mario (DK
was a bad guy) and had to climb four levels to rescue Peach. Since then,
there have been dozens of games marketing its success. While some were better
than others, my favorite to date, was the Donkey Kong side scrollers. But, since
I loved Mario 64 I knew that Donkey Kong 64 should be equally
satisfying.
Warm tinglies
The story takes place in classic Nintendo fashion. The lizard king K.Rool, has
stolen DK's precious golden bananas along with imprisoning his buddies. The real
clincher is that sneaky K.Rool is only buying time and expects DK to free
his friends and recover his lost bananas. K.Rool is up to something bigger...
Now if that storyline isn't textbook Nintendo, I don't know what else is.
The basic premise behind DK64 isn't very innovative, but more fun than a barrel
of monkeys (lol). This is you standard 3D explore, puzzle, collect,
unlock type of game. Starting off as DK, you have to unlock basic puzzles and
collect a variety of items. Along the way, you must free your "crew".
Each character has special abilities, in which certain situations will require
you to use that monkey. To add an extra level of depth, each character has
special weapons that they can obtain, and use them not only to beat up baddies,
but also to help unlock puzzles.
For those of you who love to explore and collect items, this is the best
game I've played that exercises this. You can collect anything from a variety of
bananas, to coins, to blueprints (from defeated big guys) and medallions
to fairies. The puzzles are also fairly standard, and some come off as a light Zelda
type feel.
The control of DK64 was a breeze and a relief compared to many "now-gen"
console games. There is an attack button and a jump button. Nice. Sure there are
some "other" buttons used, but primary these are the ones you will be
using the most. Centering the view is done with the right shoulder button, and
ducking is used with your trigger button. To use your weapon in a first person
perspective, use your up yellow button. The physics of the game is done
quite well, and found it to be 100% Nintendo. Sure our friends at Square
played a role within the game, but it still oozed Nintendo.
What makes DK64 a unique and long-played game, is the operations
associated with each character. Here is an example: To open a new world you must
acquire 10 coins and five unique items. The problem is; is that you cannot do
this with just one character. You must use them all, at different
intervals to accomplish this. This keeps the game fresh, without the boredom of
tedious routines.
But wait... there's more!
One other reason DK64 supercedes Mario64 are the various options
available. There are dozens of mini-games available at the startup, which range
from Kart type racing to FPS duels. There is a well-developed
multi-player mode that allows you to go head-to-head against up to four other
players. The multi-player is based around the mini-games, but is a total blast
to play.
For the most part, you will want to stick with the "adventure" mode.
For hard-core Nintendo enthusiasts; there are countless bonuses to unlock and
secrets to find. I've mentioned many of them, but even after dozens of hours,
there is still plenty that I've yet to discover. These secrets range from
"old-school" playable DK games, to mini-games included within the
game. You will also find your character (with the help of Cranky) can
upgrade their skills. This was a fairly new concept, and simply drinking a
potion would "teach" you the ability of a new skill. These skills are
crucial to completing the game. The game is "meaty" enough as it is,
but once you add in the plethora of secrets/bonuses; this is one tough game.
While I never was one to embrace the whole "expansion pak" theory, the
game supposedly requires it. I admit that there is a ton going on for this
little cart to hold, but honestly found little differences when playing with or
without it; even though the game comes with the pak.
This is no XBOX
Ok, well it is tough to rate and discuss graphics on a game that is nearly three
years old. But, once into the game, the graphics compliment the style perfectly.
With no load times, and saving on the fly; certain graphically aspects can be
overlooked.
It is fun to see though, on where many cool effects started from. Things
like lighting effects and ambient music/noise were at the very dawn of
technology. The graphics were 3D, and overall it was quite impressive. Water
effects were still dynamic and groovy. Still, the graphics really can't compare
to by today’s standards, but again, won't be noticed once into the addictive
gameplay.
Performance though, truly suffers. Nintendo was pushing the limits on this cart,
and it shows. Many objects in the horizon vanish, and will reappear as you get
closer. Big graphics, and the environment choke during fast paced action. Again,
don't get so frustrated, for if you can find the game it is still well worth it.
The same goes for the audio, which is solid but nothing to measure by today’s
guidelines. The game is presented in Dolby Surround, and many ambient
effects were fair. There is quite a bunch of vocals in the cart, and the
cut-scenes were colorful and long.
66 Says:
Ok, so you have an old Nintendo 64 and are bored with today’s games, and yearn
for something new. Check out Ebay or other sources and pick this up cheap. Hey,
I found this the other week for $5.00 at a yard sale.
The game is a total blast, and I've easily put in 30 hours into the game. While
you can beat it straight through in maybe 15-20 hours, if you take your time and
just mosey around; it will take forever. Hey, this is a good thing. I'm
so glad I pulled out this outdated console, and for those Nintendo fans; this is
a nice "blast from the past".
Remember friends, it's yard sale time. It is a prime time to find old video game
treasures. I usually find 3-5 games for next to nothing. The majority of games I
find have been N64 and Dreamcast... Lower your pride a bit, hustle up a few
bucks and just because it's old, doesn't mean it's bad...
Shane
netjak
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