- Don't forget the mini games! Challenge a seal to a race around the lagoon. go on a crazy mine cart ride, and be on the lookout for a blast from the past...
- Four Players can join in on super split screen action or duke it out in a single screen free for all..
- Use of the required Expansion Pak(not included) allows incredible real time lighting effects and massive environments..
Product Description
-------------------
Every so often a game enters the scene propelled by so much hype
and promising so many innovations that decorating it with more
pretty words seems pointless. Donkey Kong 64 falls into this
category.
Donkey Kong 64 is a 3-D action adventure game--à la Super Mario
64 and Banjo Kazooie--based on the game icon of the same name
(you know, the ape who rolled barrels down on Mario's head in the
early '80s arcades). In this massive and graphically beautiful
game, Donkey Kong and his pals must right the wrongs of King K.
Rool by exploring their home island in search of more than 200
gold bananas, as well as other items that help the primates'
progress.
Players alternate control of Donkey Kong and four other
characters--each with unique abilities--to complete puzzles,
conquer "baddies," compete in mini-games, and navigate through
physical challenges. In addition to the single-player adventure,
unique multiplayer games offer rtunities for social
interaction between marathon solo sessions.
Donkey Kong 64's incredible graphics and smooth gameplay are
boosted by an included 4-MB expansion pack. The unit helps
process the memory-demanding graphics, and enhances the colored
lighting effects, shadows, and other eye candy, such as ... well,
there we go adding to the hype machine. Just remember: this game
will be king of Nintendo's jungle for quite a while and, with a
few million rabid fans, could enter the ranks of classic Nintendo
64 games. --Eric Twelker
Review
------
If Mario is Nintendo's Luke Skywalker, then it's safe to say
that Donkey Kong is Nintendo's Darth Vader. Originally cast as
the primate villain in the Donkey Kong arcade game back in the
early '80s, Kong and his many descendants have stepped away from
the "dark side" and become forces for good. While it's
genetically unlikely that Kong is Mario's her, it's been well
documented that Kong and company have been enlisted to rescue
Nintendo in times of trouble. Remember when the Super NES was
"threatened" by Sega's 32-bit/CD add-on hype? A game called
Donkey Kong Country came out, featuring prerendered graphics
never before seen on a home console. Not only did it breathe new
life into the Super NES' sales, it spawned a profitable series
that kept Nintendo's 16-bit scene alive for years to come. Fast
forward to 1999. Sega and Sony again threaten the Nintendo 64
with superior game consoles, and once again Nintendo calls on
Kong's descendants to breathe new life into its 64-bit system
with Donkey Kong 64. While this much-anticipated 3D adventure
game has high-quality gameplay and plenty of variety to fuel
Nintendo's sales this holiday season, it lacks enough "wow
factor" to exert the revolutionary influence that Donkey Kong
Country had. Donkey Kong 64 starts with a well-worn storyline:
Donkey Kong's isle of paradise faces destruction by an invading
K.Rool and his crocodile Kremlings. Donkey now has four friends
to help him defeat K.Rool: Diddy Kong, his perennial sidekick;
Lanky Kong, an ape with super-stretchy limbs; Tiny Kong, a
teenybopper who can shrink to fit into small holes; and Chunky
Kong, a muscle-bound lunkhead who can lift boulders and smash
down doors. Veterans of the Donkey Kong series will also note the
return of old-timers like Cranky, Funky, and Candy, all of whom
upgrade the Kongs with new abilities, hints, shooting weapons,
and musical instruments that help unlock hidden areas. For the
most part, Donkey Kong 64 is an explore-and-collect adventure.
Those who obtain perverse pleasure from collecting every last
coin and item in this type of game will be titillated - and those
who don't will be frustrated. The main thrust is to find 200
golden bananas in the main world and in the seemingly standard
individual stages: an underwater level, a forest level, a jungle
level, an industrial level, etc. As expected, almost none of
these bananas are in plain view - multipart puzzles and obstacles
impede the way to these treasures. However, there's plenty more
to collect: regular bananas, fairies (which you must take
pictures of with a camera), banana medals, super-secret Rareware
coins, blueprint pieces (found by defeating certain enemies),
crowns (to unlock multiplayer games) and boss keys (to unlock new
areas on the island). Now, factor in that each of the five
characters must find some of these items individually: Devoted
gamers will see this as added replay value, while others will see
it as a royal pain in the Donkey derriere. If that weren't
enough, it seems the developers threw every gameplay style they
could think of into the mix. This gameplay variety is perhaps
this title's main strength, although the quality of the games
varies. For starters, the game has a separate two-to four-player
mode, with games such as a battle arena, where Kongs can beat up
each other in a circular ring, or a GoldenEye-type shooting game.
In the adventure mode, you earn golden bananas by completing
mini-bonus games. Some are true games in their own right, such as
a racing track, race-boat water course, or mine-cart roller
coaster - all of which look impressive in 3D. Some of these games
are less visually impressive but are entertaining nevertheless,
such as a maze where the Kong must avoid enemy detection, or a
bug splattering stage. The remaining games - such as a simple
target-shooting session or a slot machine - are either
run-of-the-mill or too easy to sustain long-term interest.
Finally, a couple of bonus games are direct translations of
old-school titles, including a partial version of the original
Donkey Kong arcade game that'll bring back memories for some.
Since the Kongs learn unique abilities as the game progresses,
some Kongs have special stages, as well. Remember the
barrel-blast levels in the 16-bit games? Donkey now plays them in
3D with a target . As the barrel moves, you can shoot Donkey
out to other barrels. Diddy gets a jet pack that lets him
complete some flying stages, while the other three characters
learn other impressive skills, such as shrinking (Tiny), climbing
up steep slopes (Lanky), and lifting or breaking heavy objects
(Chunky). If that weren't enough, some characters can transform
into animals, such as a rhino or a fish, to break into boxes
or secret areas and kill bothersome enemies.--Nelson
Taruc--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without
express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot
Review