At the mere mention of Nintendo's first 64-bit console, many of us find it difficult not to get swept up by a wave of nostalgia. We drift through countless memories of flickering TV screens and eye-popping graphics, washing up on the shores of 3D gaming's first bold steps onto a Nintendo platform. While it was Super Mario who first triple-jumped his way to the forefront of this revolution, it wasn't long until the competition got...hairy.
Donkey Kong 64 originally swung onto store shelves back in 1999, at a time when British developer Rare had already impressed with such acclaimed N64 titles as Goldeneye 007 and Banjo Kazooie. Anyone who's played the latter will instantly pick up on the similarities that DK's outing shares with the bear and the bird, but Rare's key innovation this time around was the inclusion of a whopping five playable characters. Don't get too excited just yet though - you'll need to rescue them first.
King K.Rool has set up shop right on the outskirts of DK Island, ready to blow the whole place to smithereens just as soon as his crew of slacker Kremlings manage to power up their deadly weapon. In true super-villain style, he's managed to capture a few key members of the Kong family, but allows DK to run free and gather up enough golden bananas to confront the foul King head on.
The game gets off to a slow start with a mandatory training section, proving that the original N64 controls have been translated well to fit the Wii U GamePad. With the option to re-map your button layout or use the Wii U Pro Controller or Classic Controller instead, you're sure to find a setup that works after a little practice. In true 3D platformer fashion you'll be swimming, jumping, climbing and brawling all throughout your adventure, so it's worth taking the time to get comfortable. Fans of the Donkey Kong Country series will quickly realize that although the familiar faces are all here, things have changed...
Cranky Kong has decided to plumb the depths of scientific knowledge and create bubbling potions that grant new powers, while Funky Kong has gone completely gun-crazy, now intent on making sure the Kongs are fully locked-and-loaded with the latest gear. Oh and Wrinkly Kong? Yeah she died, but that doesn't stop her offering hints before each level! Throw in some musical instruments (because why not?), and you've got a hugely versatile set of abilities with which to explore, and sprawling levels that make full use of them all.
The graphics are fantastic for their time, with neat lighting effects, detailed textures and lively animations that bring the characters to life. Seeing a soft-hearted Chunky Kong beg you not to choose him on the character select screen is a particular highlight, showcasing a sense of personality that's become so associated with Rare's adventures. Similarly, Grant Kirkhope's soundtrack is as polished as ever; always fitting the moment and changing dynamically as you move from dark caves to hot desert sands.
Once you've finished with the initial tutorial, stepped out into the hub world and found your first golden banana, the game begins to build steam very quickly. It can get a bit overwhelming, with so many things to see and do that it feels downright excessive. DK64 is a 'collectathon' through and through, with a plethora of items to find around every single corner. There are hundreds of bananas per level, as well as banana medals, coins and fairies, battle crowns, boss keys - and this isn't even counting ammo for your weapons, crystal coconuts for your special abilities, or film for your camera.
It's intense, and amplified by the fact that certain items are colour-coded so that only a specific member of the Kong family can pick them up. Having five playable characters sounds like a huge amount of fun on paper -especially since they all come with their own unique abilities - but it's actually pretty frustrating in practice. For example; you switch to Donkey Kong to pick up some yellow bananas, and spot an ability pad that only Lanky can activate. So you go back to the 'tag' barrel, return with Lanky, only to find that the switch opens a door filled with coins that only Tiny can collect. This would be massively alleviated if you could change between Kongs on command, but it's a chore having to go back and forth from specific points just to make sure you get everything.
The levels themselves range from the usual lush jungles to ghostly sunken galleons and intricate factories, with bosses to cap them off. There are 25 golden bananas to find all over each stage - 5 per character - and they can be picked up in any order at any time you like, offering a great sense of freedom. There's actually less of an emphasis here on platforming than you might expect, which is almost a relief given the amount of times you'll have to navigate the same areas, but the fun and creative worlds do help to alleviate the fatigue somewhat.
It's a delicate complaint to make, since so many fans are quite happy to dive right in to an expansive collectathon, but the key difference between this and other platformers is that a lot of your time with DK64 feels utterly repetitive. It's not a difficult game by any means - save perhaps for the end boss - so it's really only patience that rewards the player. You end up traversing a series of obstacles only to discover that you'll need to do it again as a different Kong, in order to activate a switch that unveils even more switches. We much preferred shorter bursts of play in order to keep motivated, because there really is a great deal of satisfaction to be found in eventually clearing an area.
We'll stress the point that this is a very beefy game, with upwards of 30 hours of gameplay just to reach the end credits. Going after that elusive 101% completion ranking will take even longer, and the inclusion of a fully-compatible multiplayer mode makes for even better value. It's standard enough, but serves up a dose of competitive splitscreen action that has us praying for a certain other N64 Rare game to hit the eShop soon.
Conclusion
If you've got a hankering for some walnuts, peanuts, and pineapple smells, as well as a jungle full of collectables to seek out and claim for your own, then Donkey Kong 64 is a very safe bet indeed. Whether you're a newcomer or a nostalgic fan stopping by once more, there's a huge amount to see and do on DK island, and plenty of fun discoveries (playable arcade cabinets!!) to make along the way.
In the harsh light of modern opinion however, some of the rose-tinted sheen has definitely worn off, and a sense of repetition sets in before too long. The excitement of multiple playable characters is dampened by colour-coded pickups, forcing the player to retread old ground five times to collect everything. This will still appeal to some, but definitely frustrate others at the same time. It's an imperfect adventure-platformer with a bunch of personality, so if you're up for a challenge and have plenty of time to kill, then we say go ape!
Comments 114
This game plays like crap in PAL 50hz surprised it even got a 7.
Don't know what you are talking about. It works fine!
"It's not a difficult game by any means"
Getting everything is VERY hard!
Never picked ut up back In the day so pleased to get a second chance to play this. I've got a hankering for some 3d platform action so I'll have to grab this but doubt I've got the time or patience to get 101% completion. Wasn't there items in this that couldn't be picked up or something? Was that mystery ever solved?
Don't quite get the perennial complaints of the focus on collecting, most of the items aren't essential for progress.
You probably are confused with Stop N Swop, a Banjo Kazooie/Banjo Tooie feature that never worked out. At some point it was rumored that DK64 was also involved, but that doesn't seem the case.
I still think this game is underrated with a mere 7/10. Certainly, it has its share of flaws, yet besides being wholly enjoyable overall (something reflected in the score), it offers plenty of moments of true greatness. Also, all that criticism of backtracking and collecting: yes, it's true, but then again, one can enjoy the game without doing most of this. If you collect only half of the bananas, like I did back in the days, you still experiences an adventure that is bigger and better than almost any platformer up to this day. At least an 8/10 by any standards.
Can't wait until next Thursday, I'll be picking this one up
Tiny Kong was a 'her', surely?
I had the N64 system bundle with this game (the green see-through design). I never really got into this game, as I hated finding the Kongs, having to go back through from start with each one. Other than that, this game was huge, bringing the expansion pack to life, but the camera was so shaky and moving at times, it kinda gave me a bad headache. Other than that, I loved the Super NES versions a lot better, but still come back to this on the good ole N64...after a play a few more times through on Conker's Bad Fur Day of Kirby 64
i wanted some old 3d platformers, but im not sure about this one...it seems a bit too much
@Franklin Well spotted! That's a typo, I'll fix that now.
RARE really was great back then.
It's a great game but it is not without its flaws. The humour is top notch but it's a touch repetitive. Bearing in mind it was released sixteen years ago I can remember more about Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel than this game. And time really hasn't been kind to N64 games - the controls are noticibly laggy but back in those days that's what we were used to!
The repetition made it unfinishable for me. That and donkey kongs grunts of pleasure. Mmmmyeah
This was one of my favorite N64 games back in th day. I'm gonna have to pick it up day 1 when it releases here. It's true that there is a lot of backtracking, but it only was annoying when I couldn't find all of one characters bananas. Also on the plus side, collect-a-thons are almost extinct in this day and age, which is sad because that was almost all of Rare's old games.
I remember when my parents got my sister and I a bundle of the N64, DK64, two controllers, the expac and the strategy guide. I played it through and through. Did everything I could possibly do except beat the original Donkey Kong the second time. A few years ago I decided to try again and finally pulled it off. It was a great feeling finally getting to finish the game. My father, sister and I also had a lot of fun with the multiplayer once we got another controller to use.
A 7? Today I guess that's ok but If it was around the release and that was its score I'd be one unhappy monkey.
Can't wait for it to release this week in NA. I need to finish SM64 first.
I love this game, so much fun!
I agree that overall the game is not too hard but it does have some immensely frustrating sections.
Are the Rareware coins still in? Finishing DK arcade twice was so hard (and having to go through the animation of Donkey Kong pulling that lever in order to start your next attempt was infuriating!)
A final boss who turns invisible? I spent the best part of a day trying to figure out when to punch his shadow. I have never been so angry with a computer game and so close to giving up.
Having said all that the rest of it was fun. Taking it a section at a time seemed to help reduce the backtracking but it was still far from streamlined.
Overall, 7 is fair.
I guess this is the European version, so I'm not sure if my question applies, but did they fix the lag/frame rate that was in the original version?
I already have $10 sitting in my eshop account to buy this game on Thursday. While I did play it back in the day, we (my brother and I) only ever rented it, and were never able to finish it before having to return the game.
Take your time to enjoy this American commercial for the game, a supreme example of advertising done RIGHT:
In the harsh light of modern opinion however, some of the rose-tinted sheen has definitely worn off, and a sense of repetition sets in before too long.
Where was the harsh light of modern opinion in the Super Mario 64 review?
Well I'm playing the European version of the game and I'm not sure if it's running at 50hz but it doesn't feel that slow to control Donkey Kong in it. However when you're playing this on a HD TV the world feels so confided and claustrophobic, I changed the widescreen settings on my TV but it still doesn't look right, no lag happens it just doesn't look right to me.
And the camera is pretty awful. It feels like I'm struggling with the right analogue stick because of how stiff it feels. When Rare rereleased both Banjo games on the 360 they cleaned up the presentation and controls of it, I feel as if Nintendo should have done the same when it came to rereleasing their N64 games on a HD console.
Ah well.
@XyVoX Looks fine to me?
The game got flak back in its day for reasons similar to the ones stated on this review, so I'd say a 7 is an adequate score. IMO, it would have benefitted from having a greater number of worlds while making them smaller. I like it, but it's got some questionable design choices.
In case you're wondering about the lag (or the lack of it) in the PAL version, "US and JP run at 60 Hz and ~30 fps, but PAL runs at 50 Hz and ~25 fps, which is 1.2 times slower. However, the lag compensation speeds up the kongs so they move as fast as in the NTSC versions. Everything besides movement (cutscenes, menus, enemies, ...) is slower than in NTSC.", according to this page:
http://dk64.wikia.com/wiki/Version_Differences
I don't like 80% of modern games, so prolly gonna enjoy this one.
DK64 recalls a time when it was simply rad to be playing a video game.
The graphics look great because it was one of two games that required the expansion pack (the other being Majoras Mask).
Because of this, I only had one opportunity to borrow it from a friend and play it, and it did leave a good impression, so I am looking forward to playing DK64 again.
I wonder if that makes some of the race challenges a bit easier.
I never did finish the original simply because I got tired of having to go through every level 5 times back in the day... XD
I love it. Some of thhe gameplay concepts are a bit outdated and ell worn today but it's still a pure joy. 8.5 out of 10 from me
@rsanchez1 Didn't Conker's Bad Fur Day and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron use the Expansion Pak, too?
@allav866 Use, not required.
@allav866 Actually, DK64 does not really use the Expansion Pack. The game has a programming error that only occurs when there is no Expansion Pack installed.
I have the original cart for my N64. One of the many games I have to set time aside to finish. It is a huge game.
I'll be definitely picking this up, as this is actually the game that my N64 CAME PACKAGED WITH. (I had a limited-edition "jungle green" one.)
At the same time, though, I'll remain cautious, as I know full well that this game managed to kill an entire genre.
So yeah... I'll probably wind up dragging out my old strategy guide if I can find it, for the sake of speeding things up. I never beat it on the original cart.
Very good review. I wonder if I'll finish it this time. Back in the day I was in collecting mood and thous got sick of the game halfway through. Won't fall into that trap this time. ^^
Yeah, there were a lot of games like this on the N64. It stood out, but the collectathon wasn't for everyone.
@rsanchez1 perfect dark
@allav866 Snap! [high five]
I'm not even convinced this is as good as a 7 to be honest
Boring game.
I remember playing it back in the day.
I never finished it, as the collect-athon was really repetitive until I stopped playing.
The multiplayer was nice though.
@ottospooky I expect the lag is probably inherent to the current and specific Wii U setup, with the wireless GamePad etc, rather than an issue with the original game controls because I never had any issue ever with controller lag on N64 games back in the day. Unless you're confused and you actually mean slowdown and framerate issues within the actual games, which is a different problem?
PS. People really aren't remembering properly just how brilliant the N64 controller was back in its time imo. Sure, if you were heavy handed with the analog stick it would eventually loosen a bit, although surprisingly still be totally playable, but I had an N64 for like 10 years, that I played all the time, and my controllers were fine so I personally say that's more about the player than the control pad. The N64 controller was revolutionary and paradigm shifting back in its day, as well as just being a really cool controller imo with its ergonomic centre prong and trigger as well as the innovative addition of rumble feedback. It also worked really well as a more traditional controller if you held it by the left and right handles and used it that way, as I did for playing Doom 64 for example.
@XyVoX No it doesn't. The PAL release is perfect.
@KikReask Nintendo's emulator is at fault. I have already emailed them to fix the issue and to provide a fullscreen option. This will allow Vc games that support true 16:9 widescreen in game to render correctly on the tv when this mode is selected.
I was quite angry to find Nintendo didn't bother to begin with as I played and completed DK64 in widescreen on release.
Currently Nintendo
@Kirk It is a 9 for me.
Really? You guys give red delicious indie games 8s and 9s but this only a 7? Wow...
Still have my 64 and this bright yellow cart! I may double dip just to support n64 vc games but I will dive into the original cart for nostalgic sake. Been on a n64 binge lately playin perfect dark, 007, wcw/nwo revenge and no mercy with friends. Nintendo's online multi needs to catch up with modern times but nothing beats couch co-op!
@Stubborn_Monkey I actually remember that commercial! I thought it was hilarious, and I loved the game back in the day, but I played it on my friend's system, not my own, so I never bought it myself.
@Stubborn_Monkey Wow that commercial is so cheesy! But you know what,it's the job done.
@zeldagaymer93 Can you name some of those terrible indie game's you say don't deserve 8 and 9's?
@TheLobster @TwilightAngel
"I'd like to tell you the situation is under control.
But it isn't."
Gets me every single time.
@Stubborn_Monkey Heh, that commercial.
This is one of the few Nintendo games I genuinely dislike in every way. The puzzle/level design is just insufferable...
It'll always be a 10/10 in my book.
I would have given it a 7 or less back in the day. That's okay, though, some people will eat it up. I love metroid style games with backtracking and re-approaching levels with new skills, but this one never felt like that to me. You have to love the collecting aspect of these games to enjoy the way it retreads over stages that are spread out, not packed with fun stuff to do. Being a big DK fan probably helps too. If that's you, knock yourself out!
Is this review the same as the previous one?
Once again Wii U and not 3DS why I'm starting to get bored with Nintendo they need to get behind the 3DS again we need some new games for everyone yes all these RPGs are good games but they are not for everyone get some of these remakes on the 3DS for the older player to play again and to open some of the best Nintendo games ever to the younger players
My brother spirited our copy away, so I might need to get it here
@donkeykong64 I get the feeling you are a little biased.
@allav866 Well said.
@donkeykong64 You will always be 9/10 in my heart too.
I can't believe all the hate/dislike/incredible lack of appreciation for this game in the comments. 7/10? Blasphemy! Really though such a fantastic game, not sure how so many felt so poorly about it.
I think even 7 is a bit generous, I'd say it's worth a 6. Constant annoying mini games and unintuitive progression (opening up a new level is pretty much rocket science in this game) really kill this game for me.
I wish people wouldnt bash this game so much, i think this is the first N64 game we ever owned, and me and my mom played this a lot when i was little. Do people also say megaman is bad because its difficult? And how is too much content a bad thing? Anyhoot, just wanted to say somethin :.
I'm totally with this review. I'm not quite as negative as the handful of people who hate this game, but CANNOT agree with the crazed fans who defend the repetition. Nostalgia or no, playing the same segment 5 times isn't meaningful content, it's annoying filler.
Banjo Kazooie and Mario 64 had it right. Do it right, do it once.
7 is too harsh, it's at least a 8.5/10 to me though.
Despite what anyone says I still consider this game one of my favorite titles released on the Nintendo 64. I even played to 101% completion two years ago and I personally feel it hasn't aged a bit though some may disagree. When you have such an amazing soundtrack like this one does I don't see how you could dislike this game because for me, soundtrack is everything and the fact that I love collecting platformers make this game nearly perfect for me. A true classic without a doubt and I can't wait to play it again, this time on Wii U!
Nobody else has did it yet? Okay then...
HE
@allav866 SM64 still holds up. That's the difference.
I wish I could love DK64. Some bits of it are quite nice, and it does have a grand sense of scale. But the complaints brought up in this review killed it for me.
@Sakuraichu HAS
I completed the first level and it felt like I was battling with the camera system more than the game... Whenever I tried to turn it left or right it would switch to first person or just not allow the camera to move, a huge annoyance to me.
This game was very difficult for me back in the day. The only sole reason I originally bought this was for the unlockable DK arcade machine. Well worth the $60 to have a true arcade version of the game that saves my high scores.
@Stubborn_Monkey You, like the majority of critics on here don't understand the context or era this game came from - in the 90s sheer scale and challenge was everything, if a game featured small levels and too easy it was considered poor.
Donkey Kong 64 was a cracking game in 1999 and fully worth it's string of high scores. I for one am fully enjoying this title again on Wii U - It was a truly excellent adventure platformer and I completely recommend it to any gamer after a meaty adventure.
This game did not age well at all! Crappy camera, low framerate ugly graphics... It's a hellish struggle to even finish the tutorial...!
@liveswired
I got a cartridge in early 2001 (packaged with an Expansion Pak) and I still own it. I've played through it, collecting everything in the game (golden bananas, banana medals, banana fairies, everything, every single one of the collectables.), twice. I even surpassed the high scores for Rambi Arena, Enguarde Arena, DK Arcade and Jetpac.
When I first played it I thought it was outstanding. I was a veritable Rare and DK fan back then (I still am, to a lesser degree.). But now I think DK64 was "too much of a good thing" even back in the day. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie did it better.
But hey, it's just an opinion. If you think it's excellent, then good for you. Hope you enjoy the game as much as you can.
@MightyKrypto But has any N64 aged well?So i wouldn't expect this game would or anybody in that matter.
Made the Expansion Pak necessary because of a mysterious bug that crashed the game without one... Wow...
Back in the day I was disappointed about this games' graphics... yeah I was young and I expected to be blown away by DK64 on N64 the same way the DKC trilogy blew me away on SNES.
It blew my mind how the pop-up/fade in of the enemies is so bad compared to Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, or Conker's Bad Fur Day. They all looked better, and those weren't even compatible with the Expansion Pak.
Anyway, apart from visual disappointment I completed this game 100% (like every other game back in the day.) And the amount of content was outstanding.
I was quite happy with its longevity/replayability. Nothing is worse than saving money for weeks and paying 150DM/75€ for a handful of hours when you're young, but with this game you had plenty to play for weeks and your moneys worth. 10€ is a steal, especially in times without good 3D collectathon games.
I figured every N64 owner had this game due to the Expansion Pak inside. I would most definitely give this a 9/10.
@allav866 I thought Perfect Dark required it as well.
@XyVoX Pal version has more than 1 lang included(?) if that is true I'd rather have that over 60hz any day TBH...
@XyVoX Pal version has more than 1 lang included(?) if that is true I'd rather have that over 60hz any day TBH...
I'm really pumped for after work on Thursday, when I can finally try this game out.
Wow, some people are dead set on defending this game. Guys, give it another shot, removed from your nostalgia, and you'll see a 7/10 isn't harsh, it might even be too generous. This game is a long, slow and at times painful chore.
I just got severe PTSD from that picture of Tiny racing the beetle down the tree... If I could kill a moment in my life, it would be spending far too many hours trying to secure that banana, only to find out there is another race later... THE ANGER SHARKS ARE SWIMMING IN MY BRAAAAIN!
I'm curious about the DK arcade game in here. Is it a perfect emulation of the arcade game? Is it the full game or just a few levels from it?
is jetpac and DK arcade still on this?
Yes. And its a perfect emulation as far as I can see. All levels intact. The only difference is that you rescue an N64 coin instead of Pauline the second time.
This game is a long, slow and at times painful chore.
I'm 12 hours into the game. Its not feeling like a long, slow or painful chore to me. I haven't really gone far into Gloomy Galleon yet. From memory, it can be a long, slow and painful chore, but only the last three worlds of the game. Its quite a good and fun game until then. And with save states, it won't feel as slow or painful.
<offTopic>Perfect Dark didn't require the expansion pack... without it ran in low resolution and with the expansion pack, you have the option to run in high resolution, albiet with a considerably worse frame rate</offTopic>
<onTopic>DK64 is still great fun... having a few issues with the camera but I'm putting that down to muscle memory confusion with the c buttons being replaced with a stick</onTopic>
I would give this a score somewhere between 8 and 9. I didn't find it repetitive at all when playing it back in the days (but then again, I'm a huge fan of collecting things in video games). The only thing that I remembered bothered me was that you couldn't skip any of the cutscenes, when you for instance where playing one of the minigames. So if you failed over and over again, you had to watch the same animation over and over again. Got a little slow paced in the end.
It's not as good as Country Trilogy but it's still a 9/10 game.
@bendaluz More than just resolution, you lose the entire single player mode and have a limited multi with PD not having the expansion. The game may not have "required" it but it was worthless without.
Ahhh H I really want this
(I need to jam to the DK Rap)
@Bass_X0
"Yes. And its a perfect emulation as far as I can see. All levels intact. The only difference is that you rescue an N64 coin instead of Pauline the second time."
Were you referring to the version of the arcade game that was required to finish Donkey Kong 64 or the version that players could access from its main menu after finishing the other version (it was supposed to be closer to the original version of the arcade game)?
I'm pretty sure it was 110% for this game (DKC 101%, DKC2 102%, DKC3 103%), but... eh...
So the arcade cabinets are still in the game... that's GREAT news. I will rebuy this game just to unlock those. Original Arcade Donkey Kong (and Jetpac) here I come... again!
Any N64 game that hits the Wii U, I'm getting. The N64 era was the best!
I remember finishing this back in the day .. there was a LOT of swapping, and its debatable as to how much fun it all was. Pity BK isn't available, that was fantastic.
Oh yeah - I do remember that the final boss battle - the wrestling match drove me absolutely insane. Throw controller at the wall insane.
I had edited my previous message for clarity.
"Back in the day I was disappointed about this games' graphics"
Me too! Since it used the expansion pack I expected a game that looked much better then Banjo Kazooie. That certainly wasn't the case. But as someone already pointed out, the expansion pack was just used to iron out a certain game-crashing bug they couldn't remove.
I was never a great fan, but still think its a pretty fun game. Yes its a big game with maybe a little to much collecting (and pretty hard if you want to find everything). But that can be a refreshing thing to modern players since collectathons are extinct (and everything is served nowadays on a golden platter). This makes you work!
I prefer Banjo Kazooie though. Its humor was better (text humor instead of slapstick I guess), The levels where more fun. You had actual lives (back then infinite lives really bothered me), and I don't like respawning enemies (DK64) either. Besides, DK64 didn't really feel like DKC in 3D. Some things where just lost.
That said, how cool would it be if Retro would make a 3D DK? It probably would be very different and it wouldn't be a collectathon either, yet it could be great! I already felt a bit fatigue with Tropical freeze, so maybe they should try 3D now to spice things up.
@Henmii
Retro's DK games ARE 3D just side scrolling 3D.
This was an terrible game, when it was made, and dear god was not worth the EXPANSION PACK, that came with it. I could name billions of things wrong with this game.
Here we go again
1. The intro song mimics a great rap era song but is poorly used.
2. Every character was pugly designed not including Diddy and DK, and Candy.
3. The whole logic of this game reminds me of when "EarthWorm Jim 3d" was released. It was an horror show that was based off the cartoons, which this game was also based off.
4. They ruined everything from the original DKC games. This is why this is not called DKC4 ( which it should be called ). The game was terrible from start to finish.
6. If you even buy this with real or virtual money Wii points you are so sad. Seriously Rareware made some auwsome DKC games for the SNES, and
10...etc when Banjo-Kazooie was released they gaved us the leftovers of that game.
DKN64 is in a bad need of revamping. I am sorry it ruined the GBC release of the DKC and destroyed the auwsome image the entire series. DKC was great ( even the gaembody games ), before this piece of rubbish was released.
I was soo unhappy on Christmas day when this was released.
The world needs more collectathons.
DK64 is an 11/10, minute one purchase for me, even though I already own two physical copies.
"Retro's DK games ARE 3D just side scrolling 3D"
I mean free-roaming 3D, as in Mario galaxy, Banjo Kazooie and (obviously) DK64.
@PK_Wonder Amen to that, my friend!
I said this on the original review for this game and I will say it again; favorite game ever, by far!
@KikReask I completely agree with you about the camera controls, it's because DK64 is just emulating the old N64 version 'as is', digital button camera controls and all which feel really awkward on an analogue stick. Best advice I can give you is to hit the ZR button when playing and then redefine the controls....put the N64 'A' and 'B' buttons onto 'B' and 'Y' on the Wii U Gamepad, and then put N64 C-Left and C-Right onto 'X' and 'A' on the Gamepad, and use those 2 buttons to move the camera left and right....feels much, much smoother and more natural. It still doesn't solve the problem of still having to use the right analogue stick for C-Up and C-Down, but it alleviates some problems at least.
Super Mario 64 on Wii U has the exact same camera problems too.
@RegalSin
"6. If you even buy this with real or virtual money Wii points you are so sad. Seriously Rareware made some auwsome DKC games for the SNES, and
10...etc when Banjo-Kazooie was released they gaved us the leftovers of that game."
You are pathetic, go away troll.
Killer game. One of my favourites. Ever.
@rennandovale
You are right, I am pathetic for wanting this game for Christmas. I still can't believe I got that instead of the money paid for it. I could go back in time I would have stopped myself from getting this game.
DK64 marks the downfall of DK games, and anybody growing up with this game seriously is mistaken by it. For crying in the mud you never actually interact with the bosses at all.
The best boss in this game was probably the K-rool poster, which was just slapping the player in the face for buying this game at all.
I look at myself in the mirror and ask myself, why god, why or mysterious wonder, why did even want this.
Oh I remember? I though it was going to be like DKC2 or even DKC3. It was soooooo auwful folks. The story, the animations, and everything. Their is no saving grace for this game at all. Not the cut scenes, not the extra ending, nothing.
Their is no way outside of fandom, this game could be good. All we really got was an mermaid ( which they at Rare stuck on purposely ) and an Banana Peel Fairy. That is it. Oh did I forget to mention Candy Kong, which is probably the only other good thing to come out of this game.
It is not about my age at the time, I mean yes I was not five years old but seriously only an five year old with little or no knowledge of the original DKC-DKC2-DKC3 would think this game is anything but normal.
I mean I really tried to like it and all but Nintendo flopped up on this one. The game is so lame that it used the "Jackson Five" intro with an remix of rap music. It is not cool people, just not cool at all.
I tried so hard, to enjoy the game. I really did tried so hard but man oh man the daffy dooffiness of the game screams DK:Crystal Cocnuts television 3d CGI animation.
I mean poor Candy, got turned into whatever. Thank gosh Rare had the brass dogs to turn Candy into what she should have been. A girl.
15 hours in, it's even better than I remembered. Yes, it's ridiculously hardcore when it comes to its collect-a-thon aspects, but that's part of the charm for me.
If you like collect-a-thons and/or open-world games with ridiculous amounts of secrets to find, please get this one.
I hate this game. I remember not liking it much as a kid, but I decided to give it another shot and I deeply regret it. The level design is the most awful, anti-fun garbage imaginable.
@Stubborn_Monkey: "The game got flak back in its day for reasons similar to the ones stated on this review, so I'd say a 7 is an adequate score. IMO, it would have benefitted from having a greater number of worlds while making them smaller. I like it, but it's got some questionable design choices.
In case you're wondering about the lag (or the lack of it) in the PAL version, "US and JP run at 60 Hz and ~30 fps, but PAL runs at 50 Hz and ~25 fps, which is 1.2 times slower. However, the lag compensation speeds up the kongs so they move as fast as in the NTSC versions. Everything besides movement (cutscenes, menus, enemies, ...) is slower than in NTSC.", according to this page:
http://dk64.wikia.com/wiki/Version_Differences "
It's a shame, I am trying to play the game on Wii U (this is my first time playing the game) and this is being a issue. I don't understand why Nintendo does not just release 60Hz versions if Wii U is UNABLE to output 50Hz, what the Wii U does when playing 50Hz games is repeat the last frame every second. Bad, Nintendo. This game is difficult to play without optimisation.
@KikReask I agree 100%.
A bit late in the comments section, but I just played it for the first time - and oh boy, what a great game it is.
Unfortunately, it has some serious flaws, and the biggest of them are the extremely broken, unpolished minigames and the mandatory 8-bit arcades. Bonus rooms doesn't feel as natural or intuitive as they were on original SNES entries. This time they're just frustrating at best, simply because the controls aren't good and the given time sometimes isn't compatible with the RNG failure margin you'll be facing (Beaver Bother, I'm looking at you).
Still a classic from good, old N64 days. Too bad I never had the chance to experience in the original system.
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