GENRE
	Platform
	DEVELOPER
	Rare
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

Well, look who’s back. It’s Donkey Kong. Let’s all think back - way back. No, not that far back. There, back to Donkey Kong Country One. Remember? Graphics like no one had ever seen before. It has been called the savior of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). By others, it has been called a classic masterpiece. In reality, yes, it did indeed save the SNES. It was also a great game, and since you’ve read Nintendojo’s special (The Donkey Kong Story), you also know it wasn’t DK's first game. Since Donkey Kong Country One, DK and is pals starred in other games. A few on Gameboy, and a few on SNES. I suppose Rare finally thought it was time to bring the popular monkey to a new level. And that is exactly what they did. But did it live up to its expectations? We all heard that games like Banjo-Kazooie and Diddy Kong Racing were supposedly practice for this big game. But, was Donkey Kong 64 able to live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

Truly one of the best looking Nintendo 64 games to date - but not the best. True, our eyes were treated with many different styles of textures. Also true, every character and area was very smooth and not choppy. So, I would lie if I said this game wasn’t good to look at. But, it Donkey Kong 64 really that much of a jump from Rare’s previous games? It really depends on how you look at it. Uncountable people have compared our favorite monkey’s most recent game to Banjo-Kazooie. Is there reason to compare? You betcha. Looking at the two games, you first see the obvious. Even though Donkey Kong 64 went though many graphical improvements, it still doesn’t differ much from the musical duo’s game. The coloration looks very similar, and so do the environments. However, keep in mind that graphics certainly do not make a game.

visuals

Donkey Kong 64 represents a few things. Rare spent several years working on this monstrous title, so clearly that means it’s good. It also represents Donkey Kong’s debut into the 3D world (which he does with style might I add). Most importantly, however, is that is also represents the limits of the Nintendo 64 console. We now know that graphics can’t get much better than this, since the game also requires the RAM Pak. But, let’s remember that Rare is known for making the impossible possible, as is Nintendo. So, in other words, we have no idea what the future may hold for the N64. Hopefully, a few surprises...

audio

The music is very well orchestrated. Every level’s music is very fitting. For example, in ‘Angry Aztecs’, the music is something you might hear in a movie set in ancient Egypt. In the level entitled ‘Jungle Japes’, you can hear one of the songs used in the Donkey Kong Country series back on the SNES, and it has even been enhanced by Rare. As in many or Rare’s past games, every level features several different soundtracks. As the character you are controlling wanders into a different location, the music changes seamlessly. Something I found impressive is what happens to the music when you swim underwater. Just as if you yourself were underwater, the sound becomes muffled, and uneven. Very nice.

The only uh.. scary part to the music in Donkey Kong 64 is the Introduction Cinema. It’s a little rap theme, featuring Cranky Kong, DK, Diddy, and the other Kongs. All in all, it’s quite odd. You can’t help but laugh as Chunky accidentally smacks Lanky though. Another weird thing is DK’s voice as you collect a Golden Banana. He says, and I quote, ”Ooh, Banana!”. What does THAT mean? Whoop dee doo, a banana. While Donkey Kong and his other Kongly companions search high and low for their beloved treasures, I can simply go to the nearest store and buy 5. Wow that was hard. Hey, I can even spray paint the banana gold.. sorry.

Speaking of the other Kongs. Each of the 5 obviously sounds differently, and has their own personality. Every Kong receives an instrument, and Diddy’s is by far the best. An electric guitar. What is the point of these instruments? In certain locations, objectives can only be completed once you have your character play their instrument. The instrument also acts as a weapon, killing nearly every enemy, even the ones your punches, slides, and kicks don’t hurt.

gameplay

Very intriguing, but nothing new. As mentioned before, there are five different Kongs to control. Each one has his/her own unique abilities. Just as in Jet Force Gemini, to complete a level, different (or in this care, all) characters are required. Since each character has different abilities, DK might need one of his abilities to carry out a task that no other character can do. This in turn might open up another task for yet another character, thus creating a domino effect until all 25 Golden Bananas in each world have been collected. Not only are there Golden Bananas to collect, each of the Kongs has 100 bananas in each world to gather. The bananas for each character are colored accordingly (ex: Diddy’s bananas are red, Donkey Kong’s are yellow, and so on). After collecting at least 75 bananas (with one of the Kongs), a Banana Medal is awarded. After accumulating a certain amount of these, something will happen - but I’ll let you find that yourself.

multiplayer

Definitely interesting, and even fun. There are two different multiplayer modes. The first type of game has you controlling one of your favorite primates (maybe even a hidden character..). You move your character through out several different enclosed arenas, searching out your opponent with exploding oranges and other unique firearms (Peanut Popguns, Pineapple Launcher, etc.). The result is a fun, long lasting free-for-all. The other game is something new. In a small, circular arena, you and your buddies can duke it out with each other and other baddies that appear. Power-ups come into sight every now and again, allowing your character to grow in size, use his/her weapons, etc. Fun, and anyone can become a pro in a short time.

overall

A great game, but not perfect. Many glitches occur though out the game, though I only experienced a few. The game is fun, but unless you have time to collect every single object in the game, it can get old fast. The multiplayer options will keep you coming back, however. Donkey Kong 64’s graphics are indeed some of the best, if not the best on the N64. But once again, graphics don’t make the game, and it’s quite sad that we judge them as strongly as we do. After all, no one ever complained about Mario’s pixelated body back in Mario Bros. 1..

9.2/10