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More of that simian Donkey Kong 64 is one of those games that has the relationship going on where you either think it is really good or really bad. I am in the category of the former for this one. The ambitious sequel to the three beloved SNES games had a lot to prove and it had a lot of pressure, but Rare and Nintendo delivered a winner in just about every category and it created a massive epic that was based on the same principles and design that made Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie a success. This one is weaker than the former but better than the latter.
The beginning to the story is a very obvious homage to James Bond with the bad guy, King K. Rool stroking his pet as he goes out and kidnaps all the Kongs except for DK, who is left there on his own with his wits. 200 golden bananas are the key to the mystery and he begins his journey on his home island and hope to tilt the odds back into his favor. There isn't a lot of story here, but for DK you don't need a lot. What they give is suffices. This is designed to be more mindless action with plenty to do and plenty to see. For that, they can be forgiven for being a little skimpy on the story. The opening bit is pretty funny in spots.
Visually, the game does a very impressive job. The details up close are very well done and they seem to have that sense of realism going for them. The pop-up is a minor problem, but it isn't going to hurt you. If there is a long-range attack coming your way, you will be able to see it. The visual effects like explosions are also quite good. Sometimes, narrow objects like ropes can be a little difficult to see, but that doesn't happen often.
The controls are good, if a little loose. The hit detection is very sound, but the camera angles continue to get in Rare's way of being a true success. There are times when you will be in a tight spot and you will be forced into a really tight spot that is going to get you into some trouble. It happens several times and it can force the gamer into some kind of trial-and-error system. A no-no.
The rap is a little annoying, but the rest of the music is pretty good and is classic DK material. The sound effects and editing are all well above par and they make very good use of the Dolby digital system that they were allowed to use.
With 200 bananas and eight worlds, DK does give you your money's worth in replay value. The worlds are rather large and they can be a little long and foreboding at times. Once you have mastered all of the moves and you have all your characters, the game becomes less daunting and moves at such a breezy pace. The game design is up to the usual par and is quite impressive. Rare has always been very good with gameplay and game design, and there is no disappointing here, let me tell you. This game takes an easy thirty hours and that is more than most RPG's take these days. Good to see the adventure genre pulling out the mileage.
All in all, this is not Rare's best work but it is still an excellent game that pulls out a lot of A material with some C material sitting off in the corners (cameras). This is a game that should be owned by N64 fans, although some will not care for the length and the controls. It is a matter of getting used to them. -- Chris Vavra, PGNx Media
---- Apr 30, 2004
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