"King of the Kong"

The Nintendo 64 brought us many great games with its lifespan, some such greats as Mario 64, Super Smash Bros. Banjo-Kazooie Perfect Dark, and Goldeneye. But no other game really gave gamers the same kind of experienced that Donkey Kong 64 did. It was the first Donkey Kong, to really master using more than two Kong's, and the use of analog stick controller, besides Diddy Kong Racing. Donkey Kong 64 was one of the N64's greatest titles, and sometimes over looked, because it was released during its final year as the king of consoles, besides the PS1. Donkey Kong 64 was one of the greatest of Rares line up for the N64, and made the DK series one of the greatest of all time, for Nintendo.

One of the first Action titles of the N64 to really master the use of the new controller. The game starts by showing you the basic attacks and skills, such as punching and jumping and the like. As you move through the game, you gain new abilities, such as a coconut gun, or having Tiny Kong fly using her hair, as in DK 2 and 3. DK64 also gave gamers the ability to play as not one, not two, but as five different Kong's. Donkey, Diddy, Tiny, Lanky, and Chunky Kong. All have their own styles and moves, and you will need to use all the Kong's to gain access to different areas of the world.

The controls are very simple and don't let up once. You will have to think and your feet in some spots, and be very careful not to mess up. Enemies are tougher in this game than in past Gameboy DK games, which is to be expected.

Donkey Kong 64 probably has the most in depth DK game yet. The game starts with two of K Rools henchmen driving their new island base, as their boss is sleeping. They loose control, and it hits right into Kong Isle. King K. Rool is in an uproar, and puts on an act that the base isn't ready to attack the Kong's yet, but he tells his henchmen to fire the bases gun at Kong Isle anyway. Well, the gun doesn't work, so K Rool puts on an act to get his Generals to capture the Golden Bananas, so the Kong's will have to rescue them, before defeating the bases gun. It's a hilarious game in its own right, and pretty long.

The actual game start as Donkey Kong comes out of his home, and finds Cranky. After a brief tortorial, Cranky will give you your first ability, which you will use to reach the first level. After a while, you will gain new characters, and the story will begin to evolve. Its really in depth for a Donkey Kong game, and never draws short once.

THE DK RAP!!! The greatest song ever to come out of a Nintendo game. That alone is a great reason to buy the game. The music in game is really great to though. It has the original Donkey Kong Country feel, and will make you bounce along with it. Characters don't talk a lot, but the few noises they do make will make you laugh, just because. Environmental objects also have a lot of life in DK64. Swinging from branch to branch is accompanied by the swooshing of wind. And water elements of the game sound realistic to. I was really impressed by the games dynamic sound displays, and the DK RAP PWNS ALL!!!

WhenDonkey Kong 64 first came out, I remembered being so impressed by how great the game looked. It was degrees better than its GB SNES predecessors, which was a great new change. Donkey Kong looked as colorful and great as if he were actually right there. Sure the cartoonish feel was fun, and added a lot to the game, but I felt that even though they were great, the character models could have been a smidge better than what was given. Environments looked gorgeous. For the N64, DK64 was miles ahead than other titles. Cut scenes looked very nice, and added to the funny elements of the game. Some of the best graphics of its era, and stood out from other games before it.

Donkey Kong 64 set the bar for video games with its release so long ago. It was the best move that the series has ever made, and created many more options and characters for the series. While playing it, I was engrossed and couldn't stop. It's addicting, and makes you want to play more. A buy. It's a very long and fun game, and never once felt boring or lacking. The story is very in detail, then other DK games, and I felt that I was really getting most of what the N64 was capable.

DK64 was one of the must haves for the Nintendo 64, and is still a great game, after all these years. Some of the elements are still used to this day from DK64, in other Nintendo titles. One of Rares best titles for the N64, and stands out among other games. Donkey Kong has never looked so good, and I hope that they continue to make titles liek this for a long time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/05, Updated 01/04/06