"3-DK is A-OK, and then some."

Donkey Kong's sudden revival in the form of Donkey Kong Country put the big ape back on the gaming radar. His side-scrolling escapades of banana gathering and barrel shooting became instantly known to the gaming community and became quick hits. Rareware decided to bring the ape to the third dimension by creating Donkey Kong 64 for the Nintendo 64. Already having a powerful reputation with the successful Banjo-Kazooie platformer, Rare attempted to further their platformer-producing prowess with a bigger game. Did it succeed?

Graphics 9/10

The graphics in DK64 are stunning. From the start, the player is treated with a detailed opening cutscene featuring K. Rool and his collection of crocodile cronies preparing their attack. Each character is animated in the classic Rare fashion with whimsical actions and hilarious antics. Donkey Kong quickly sets out on his journey with a selection of well-animated attacks, all while existing in a lush jungle environment. Upon reaching the hub world of DK Isles, the natural environment is quickly realized as lush and pristine. The water shimmers and the overall appearance feels clean. All five of the playable characters has their own appearance and charm, especially in the selection Tag Barrel. Each level is full of character, thanks to brilliant design and excellent environment effects. For example, in the Angry Aztec world, sand blows across the level. All of these factors combine to create a beautiful world to explore. Sadly, there are occasional glitches and the game can get buggy with too much action. Overall, though, this is one of the best looking games on the console, using the power of the expansion pack to its fullest.

Audio 10/10

Let's begin with the absolutely hilarious DK Rap opening. It's catchy and has some of the most hilarious lyrics. I personally thought it was entertaining. Rare has always had a knack for excellent level music, and guess what? Donkey Kong 64 has some of the best level music on the console. Each level's catchy tunes will stay in your head and you'll remember each level's theme very quickly. As far as voices go, the game's opening cutscene offers a bit of voiced content, but the majority of the game is done with text. However, DK and crew do provide some funny quips. The sound effects are well done, with the collecting and gathering. The audio itself is pretty much supported by the excellent and diverse level music. The audio is compelling and truly wonderful to listen to.

Gameplay 9/10

Banjo-Kazooie had some of the best gameplay to come to any platformer. It balanced the puzzles and collecting with perfect platforming. Donkey Kong 64 takes a lot from Banjo-Kazooie. You will find puzzles, collecting, and platforming throughout his adventure, but, sadly, I cannot say that all of these are pulled off as well as Banjo-Kazooie.

The story is ridiculously simple: K. Rool has captured the other Kongs and DK must free them and they all must stop K. Rool before he blows up the DK Isles with his giant death ray machine thing. Simple. But really, the story isn't why you're playing this game.

Controls will be very reminiscent to anyone who has played Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie. Move with the Control Stick, A to jump, B to attack. C buttons control the camera. R to center the camera behind you. Z to crouch. Simple, but as you progress in the game, you can do more things. Take out your weapon, execute a special move, or whatever. There are many different things that each Kong is capable of doing, but surprisingly, the controls still feel simple and tight. You'll intuitively switch weapons or swing around. Controls are definitely not a problem.

Donkey Kong's journey to the true third dimension is a very big one. Rare is known for making some truly excellent levels and DK's romp is no exception. The levels are huge. Fortunately, bananaport warp pads are around to keep the walking around at a minimum. Along the way, DK and friends will be able to learn new moves from local professor Cranky Kong. These moves are clever and useful in exploring the large worlds. Also, armory ape Funky Kong will offer some weaponry for each character and provide some more upgrades along the way. Candy Kong offers some musical instruments to pulverize the enemies and solve puzzles. Lastly, Snide, a former K. Rool assistant, will give you Golden Bananas in exchange for blueprints to K. Rool's destructive device.

Ah, yes, the Golden Bananas. DK loves his bananas, and he's gonna get ‘em back. How? By solving puzzles, completing minigames, and jumping around of course! Donkey Kong and company's extensive set of skills will come to full use in the world of DK Isles. Each Golden Banana will require a specific Kong or group of Kongs and some thought before completing the challenge. Each challenge is well thought-out, despite being a bit too simple at times, and quickly reminds the player of Rare's prowess in the 3-D platforming arena. Each Kong must collect five Golden Bananas in each level, keeping replay value up and the gameplay level high.

Switching out Kongs for each of their respective objectives is simple. Finding a Tag Barrel and jumping in allows you to switch out quickly. This is essential during puzzles that require multiple Kongs to solve. Fortunately, the switching doesn't become a really bad problem, and the variety of moves that each Kong possesses keeps the tedium low.

As purely fun and clever Donkey Kong 64 is, it doesn't stack up to the excellence of Banjo-Kazooie. Why not? Donkey Kong 64 has an annoying habit of collecting. This is probably the only severe problem in an otherwise stellar game, but this problem is so severe that it gets a point deducted. Each Kong can only collect bananas and items of their own specific color, making this the only time that the switching becomes really annoying. The worst part is that all of the collecting is required to progress. If all it was for was for the player's benefit and choice, the collecting could be overlooked. But you need a certain amount bananas to progress in the game, bringing about the tedium in having to switch characters merely to gather five or so bananas. Compared to Banjo-Kazooie, the item collecting becomes tedious due to being divided between five different characters. The game is very fun, but compared to other Rare platformers, wears a bit thin.

Replay Value 9/10

The game provides another extensive gathering spree thanks to the mass amounts of Golden Bananas to find, items to collect, and things to unlock. By finding certain things, unlockable minigames and cinema can be found. Also, the game provides a pretty fun multiplayer game. Four players can fight against each other with weapons and attacks. It's pretty fun, but can wear thin a bit. Overall, Rare produces another extensive game filled with many a reason to come back and play.

Final Verdict 9/10

Despite the small overuse of collection concepts, Rareware makes another excellent platformer for the Nintendo 64. Bringing Donkey Kong to the third dimension was a challenging feat, but Rareware has successfully brought everyone's favorite barrel-throwing simian into a vast and expansive world. The levels are huge and beautiful. The puzzles are clever and the challenge level is spot on. Though not as good as Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64 is a clearly well-designed game. I recommend any gamer to check Donkey Kong 64 out for their Nintendo 64. Excellent.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/06