- This is...one helluva game!What can I say? This game is HUGE, but it's fun. I was initially adamant at trying it out because I had been disappointed with Banjo-Kazooie the year before, but as soon as I got into it, I was hooked. This game is not for the weak of heart. It is about twice the size of Banjo-Kazooie. There are twice as many Golden Bananas as B-K had Jiggies. There are more than 3 times the amount of bananas (for Banana Medals) than B-K had Musical Notes. When you play a level in Donkey Kong 64 and then go back and try a level in Banjo-Kazooie, it feels terribly restricted. Yet the gameplay is still essentially the same. You move around the levels (you control five characters this time) and perform a variety of tasks, after which you are awarded a Golden Banana for your efforts. And then you lather, rinse, and repeat. Boss battles play an even larger part of a role than in B-K, where the only boss battle seemed to have been at the end of the game. Everybody have the same general moves, but they all must earn them independently from Cranky, Candy, or Funky with their specific coins.
And then there are the tedious aspects that everybody remembers in Donkey Kong 64. With five playable characters, Rare seemed to want them to work as a team, but sometimes that may be a bit of a bother. No, it is actually more of a big bother. Let's suppose there is a switch that Donkey must open. We can assume that the things behind that door are for Donkey Kong, but nope. Rare just made a Donkey out of us. It's for Diddy and Tiny! And then there are times when you are walking along collecting green bananas for Chunky but all of a sudden, the bananas change to blue! So then your only choice is to find a Switch Barrel and change to Lanky. It gets a bit tedious. And then there are the backtracking. You have to unlock certain characters in the beginning, and they are not all in the first level. So you must then go back and get their respective Golden Bananas in previous levels. Meh. All of this constant switching really takes away the fun out of the game, especially if you're playing it through for the fourth time. It's still worth it to play through the entire game at least once, although certain frustrating moments would make it acceptable to avoid the 101%.
But Donkey Kong 64 is still an amazing game. Even if you hate the repetition, you can't overlook the technological wonders Rare has instilled. The game had been one of the most stunning five years ago, as Rare was already setting themselves up as one of the experts in graphical achievements. Although each Kong look rather bland now, the game's visuals are certainly pleasing on the eyes. However, the same can't be said about the game's camera. The camera can often go crazy at times, especially during swimming moments or on Diddy's Jet Barrels. Those are times when I go on a cursing frenzy. There are other equally frustrating times. I suppose the camera had always been the death of 3D platform/adventure games. The game's music is terrific. Although people have a love/hate relationship with the infamous D.K. Rap, the rest of the game's soundtrack are lovely. Songs like the Main Menu music and Frantic Factory are catchy, while Fungi Forest can actually send a chill down your spine. And then there's the humor. Actually, some of the game's humor seems to be kind of forced, but then again, the same can be said about the humor in Banjo-Kazooie. Other parts are genuinely funny. However, as spectacular as the game is, the game's tedium and spotty camera keeps it from becoming a classic. It's too bad. Nintendo had such high hopes for this game.
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