Most Nintendo characters, like Super Mario, Link, Samus, or even the yellow rodent Pikachu have a devote following as players will quickly pick up any game that has their likeness. Donkey Kong, who appeared first as a enraged princess kidnapping beast that faced off against the "Jump Man", Mario himself. Since our beloved great ape's debut in 1981, Donkey Kong has gone on to become a hero in his own right. The Donkey Kong Country brand went on to be one of the most popular, and enjoyed franchises on the SNES consol. When DK and the gang finally made their jump to 3D with the 1999 release of Donkey Kong 64, many revolutionary changes were made to accommodate the Kongs in their new adventure.

     Donkey Kong 64 has a lot going for it. Continuing the Donkey Kong Country legacy, Donkey Kong 64 is a platformer. Players will run around, jump, climb, and swing through full 3D environments in a fashion that is very similar to that of Super Mario 64 although there are some technological advances to DK64. For starters, Donkey Kong 64 comes packaged with a 4MB expansion Pak, which doubled the N64 ram to a whopping 8MB total, is required for the game to run. Anyone looking to pick up a copy of DK64 used, and doesn't have the 4MB expansion Pak for their N64, unfortunately you'll be plum out of luck. Donkey Kong 64 is a very large game, and the expansion Pak is crucial for the sheer amount of detail utilized in level, character, and lighting design. The 4MB expansion Pak also works with other games released for the system, including The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (previously reviewed right here on Ethos).

     DK64's plot is basic, King K. Rool has returned with a new devastating weapon that will destroy Donkey Kong Island. Unfortunately for King K. Rool, his new laser ran into a few technical difficulty on its final approach to the home of the Kongs. So to buy a little time King K. Rool orders his Kremlings to kidnap Donkey Kong's four friends, Diddy, Tiny, Lanky, and Chunky Kong, and steal all of DK's beloved banana horde. Like I said, a pretty basic plot but Donkey Kong 64 pokes a lot of fun at itself along the way. It's filled with comic mischief, and can be enjoyed by all ages even though the game is age appropriate for the kiddies. Each Kong has their own personalities that shines, and adds something more to the game.

     Game play is spot on in Donkey Kong 64. There is a lot to do, and explore. Upon starting the game, players will assume to role of Donkey Kong. After completing a training course from good old Cranky Kong, and earning DK's first skill upgrade players can freely go off and explore a bit of the island. There are areas that are blocked off until players meet the criteria to unlock the new sections, so game advancement is pretty forced at least to start with. DK must free all of his friends, who in return become playable characters by selecting them from a character barrel, and collect enough golden bananas from his horde to unlock each new area. There are a total of incredibly large 9 areas (including the over world, which is the island itself), and each area there are 5 golden bananas for each playable Kong. That means, each area has to be played through multiple times. The Kongs have their own unique set of skills, which allow them to gain access to areas their counterparts cannot. Players can't fully appreciate how massive Donkey Kong 64 really is until they have all of the characters unlocked. Not only do levels cater to each playable character, but there is also a ton of skills and weapon upgrades for all 5 Kongs. To earn new weapons and skills, each Kong has to collect colored coins and bananas specific to them. Donkey Kong has to collect yellow coins and bananas, Diddy needs to find red, Lanky is blue, Tiny is purple, and Chunky is green. The colored coins are then turned in for Cranky's potions that give new skills, Funky Kong gives weapons, and Candy Kong gives musical instruments. Each are vital for the game's progression, and each upgrade reflects the personality of the Kong receiving it. Collecting items is really what Donkey Kong 64 is all about, but I doubt players will get bored with the amount of things they can do with this game. One flaw to Donkey Kong 64 game play is at times, there are drastic spikes in the game's difficulty. While some things are a breeze to get through, there are some challenges that can be down right frustrating and take away from the overall fun factor. There aren't many flaws to this game, but when the occasion comes when you get stuck, I think you'll agree with me.

     Graphics and sound are a huge selling point to this game. Thanks to the aforementioned 4MB expansion Pak, Donkey Kong 64 was able to offer graphics that were for a time unmatched in the N64 consol in terms of size and clarity. The graphics don't really begin to shine until you leave the island over world. Donkey Kong Island doesn't look bad by any means, but many of the better lighting, and texturing effects don't come into play until you enter one of the other levels. In desert areas sand will blow in the wind, and cracks of lightning realistically light up a night sky. The amount of effort that went into each level is outstanding, and really makes DK64 one of the better looking games offered for the N64. Albeit there are admittedly a few better, Donkey Kong 64 is no slouch by any means. Character movements are also very well done. Each playable character has their own set of movements, run a certain way, and all match their unique personalities while flowing fluently. I have heard accounts of Donkey Kong 64 slowing down on occasion if too many enemies are on screen, although I personally have never experienced any issues with the game becoming bogged down, it is something to take into consideration. When it comes to sound effects, expect plenty of them from Donkey Kong 64. Right from the get go, Donkey Kong 64 begins to show off sound quality with the opening rap sequence that introduces all of the main character. This opening rap is silly, and sets the tone for the tacky humor that is going to take place throughout the rest of the game. There is some voice work done in Donkey Kong 64, like King K. Rool in some Kremlings having some lines here and there, but for the most part voice acting is kept to a minimal. More common voice work is kept to the use of sound effects, like Donkey Kong saying "Banana" after collecting one of his precious golden bananas. Each Kong has their own voice, Tiny of course sounds...well Tiny, Lanky is aloof, Diddy sounds like a monkey, and the gentle giant Chunky is cowardly. Like Donkey Kong Country, DK64 has some down right catchy musical themes. Even using the Kongs' musical instruments, although basic, have a certain flare to them.

     Over the years, I have played a lot of bad Nintendo 64 games. It is why when I did come across a true gem, they became games I would frequently return to in my gaming rotations. Whenever my Nintendo 64 is hooked up, Donkey Kong 64 is one title I have to play at least once. Its definitely not the all time best game on the system, and many die hard fans of the Donkey Kong Country franchise felt DK64 didn't quite live up to the legacy of its SNES predecessors. I disagree with that assumption, in fact I think quite the opposite. DK64 brought yet another classic Nintendo character into the realm of 3D. Donkey Kong 64 had a heck of a lot of good things about it, and gives hours of fun game play to anyone who is willing to give it a shot.

Written by RB

Over and Out

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