| Product: |
Donkey Kong 64 (N64) |
| Date: |
23.07.01 (616 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Amazing Grahics, Great gameplay, Excellent Multiplayer
Disadvantages: None
Rareware have produced an incredible amount of really good games in the past and Donkey Kong 64 is definitely the best of the lot. This game is very close to what is known as the PERFECT game; amazing graphics; remarkable gameplay; cool kongs; great sound; and the best multiplayer mode ever.
Unlike all DK games in the past, this game is quite different.
King K. Rool has stolen all the golden bananas and captured all the kongs, except Donkey Kong, from DK Isles and is planning to blow up the island. Fortunately the machine fails. Will Donkey Kong be able to free his buddies and save DK Isles…………. Well that’s in your hands.
STARTING THE GAME
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At the start menu you can choose between five icons that I will just brief on:
ADVENTURE
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As you might have guessed, this is where you fight the baddies, rescue kongs …………
You can either begin a new game or continue one in progress. There are three game slots and a certain adventure that you have started can be erased at any time from a gameslot.
OPTIONS
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Right here you can select the language, camera mode, screen size. I think you all know enough about this so I’ll just carry on.
MYSTERY
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This icon contains secrets that can only be opened by getting banana faries that I will talk about later.
BATTLE
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This is basically the multiplayer mode which I will expand on later in my opinion.
SOUND
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This enables you to adjust the audio settings of the game.
KONGS YOU CAN USE
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There are five different playable kongs in this game, four of which have to be freed before they can be used in the game. Each kong has special abilities, different guns and plays different instruments. L
ets have a look at them:
DONKEY KONG
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Donkey Kong is the leader of this bunch and is a very powerful kong. His special moves include Baboon blast, Gorilla grab and Strong kong. All these great powers are gotten during the game by getting banana coins(explained later). Donkey collects yellow bananas and banana coins. Donkey also has a shooter called the Coconut Canon and plays the drums.
DIDDY KONG
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This is donkey’s little nephew wannabe. He is quick, nimble and courageous and his special strengths include Chimpy charge, Rocketbarrel boost, and Simian spring. Diddy kong collects red bananas and banana coins. Diddy’ shooter is the Peanut Popgun and he plays the guitar.
TINY KONG
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Tiny is Dixie’s (in previous Dk games) little sister and also has great speed and can also shrink in size. Her strengths are Mini monkey, Pony tail whirl, and Monkeyport.
Tiny collects purple bananas and banana coins. Tiny’s shooter is the Feather Bow and she plays the saxaphone.
LANKY KONG
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This is anewcomer to the kong clan and looks like a joker. He has really stretchy arms and can do even do handstands. His strengths include Orangstand, Baboon balloon and Orangsprint. Lanky collects blue bananas and banana coins. Lanky’s shooter is the Grape Pipe and he plays the Trombone.
CHUNKY KONG
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This is the biggest, strongest and most dangerous kong of all. He likes crushing baddies and his strengths include Hunky Chunky, Primate Punch and Gorilla Gone. Chunky collects green bananas and banana coins. Chunky’s shooter is the Pineapple Launcher and he plays the Triangle Trample.
These are the five playable kongs present in this game. ( I wonder where they get the names from)
Apart from these kong there are other different charcters ( kongs and n
on-kongs) that help you throughout this game. Here they are:
PROFESSOR CRANKY KONG
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As his name suggests, this kong is very cranky but definitely the most important
side-character of all. Cranky is actually Donkey’s father and helps the kongs throughout the game by supplying them with special potions in exchange for coins. As the levels go higher, the better the special powers of every character and the more coins are needed to attain the powers. Cranky also gives tips and gives you the chance to obtain the “RAREWARE COIN”(explained later) which is needed at the ending of the game to defeat King K. Rool.
FUNKY KONG
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This is the coolest and funkiest kong of the lot. This kong supplies you with the necessary firepower in exchange for coins. Every character gets separate guns that are given to the characters according to their strengths. You can also come back to Funky when you need an upgrade with your weapon. Funky also gives you special bullets in the higher levels in exchange for more coins.
CANDY KONG
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This is Donkey’s sexy girlfriend who supplies the kongs with musical instruments also in exchange for coins. These instruments are used on special musical pads(explained later) to kill the baddies. Candy also has upgrades on the musical instruments in exchange for more coins.
WRINKLY KONG
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This is Cranky’s wife. She gives you tips at the beginning of every level helping you find the Golden Bannas.
KING K.ROOL
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This is the crocodile that stands between you and the game. This croc is wild and will do almost anything to prevent you from succeeding in your quest.
SNIDE
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A mysterious weasel who bears a grudge against K.Rool and his kremlings. This weasel can help you in the ga
me if you find him blue prints which h has misplaced all over the levels. For every blueprint that you find him he gives you a banana.
TROFF n SCOFF
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Troff’s a pig, Scoff’s a hippo and both are slow, pig and useless. You find these two idiots on every level and you have to give them the amount of bananas they desire before they open a door where you battle the boss of the level for a key(explained later).
The amount of bananas that they want increases as the levels go on.
K. LUMSY
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This is a good, massive kremling who has been imprisoned by K.Rool for his lack of reptile ruthlessness. This kremling is trapped on an island, and the keys that you get when you kill boses can be used to free him open. If you free him I’m sure he will be a big help for you.
BANANA FAIRY
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This is a secret fairy whom you find in one of the levels. She gives you camera and asks you to take pictures of her banana fairies and the more fairies you the more she upgrades your weapons and all your other powers. This also helps when it comes to the mystery icon at the start of the game.
Ther are also a lot of different things the kongs need to collect as they go through the levels. Here are all the things:
GOLBEN BANANAS
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This is the most pecious item in the game and are needed to progress through the levels.
BANANAS
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These are collected by all the kongs and you need these to give to greedy Troff n Scoff.
There are 100 for each kong on each level.
BANANA BUNCH COINS
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these are also found on different levels and these are given to Funky, Candy and most importantly Cranky. Without these you are finnito.
SUPPLY CRATES
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These crates contain items that the kong shoot from their guns.
>
ORANGES
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these oranges have explosive properties that can kill even the toughest of kremlings.
CRYSTAL COCONUTS
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These mystical items have special powers that enable the kongs to use Cranky’s special moves.
MELON CRATES
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These crates contain several slices of melon to help you recover you energy.
BLUEPRINTS
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These are colour coded like the bananas and coins. There are five on each level and in possession of strong, tough kremlings.
BANANA MEDALS
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If you collect 75 out of the 100 bananas on a level you get one of these. They may not seem of much use but giving them to cranky gives you the chance to get special coins.
BATTLE ARENA CROWNS
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These are crowns that you can win if you survive terrible onslaughts from the kremlings. Thy help you at the end of the game to defeat K.Rool.
BOSS KEYS
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When you defeat a boss you are awarded this. They help you free K.Lumsy.
RAREWARE AND NINTENDO COINS
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These coins are very difficult to get but are needed inorder to defeat K.Rool.
DK PORTALS
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These are slimmering gateways that transfer you to a stage and out.
WRINKLY DOORS
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These doors are the entrance to where Wrinkly Kong lays.
SWITCHES
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You will find these swithches on every level and they contain pictures of something on them giving you a clue as to which kong is desired to shoot it.
CANDY’S HEADPHONES
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These refill your instruments power.
BATTLE ARENA PAD
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this is what you step on inorder to obtain a cron.
CRANK
Y’S KONG BARRELS
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These barrels have pictures of different kongs. They are used to activate some of the special powers.
TAG BARRELS
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This is here you can change into another kong.
BANANAPORT PADS
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These pads transport you to different places according to the face vaue of the pad.
ANIMAL CRATES
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Jump into these to be transformed to different animals.
TROFF n SCOFF PORTALS
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These portals enable you to enter the places where these two hogs lie.
The most incredible thing about this game is the amount of levels . The levels are covered
between K.Rool’s massive crocodile isle and Dk Isles. There are eight levels in all. There are five golden bananas for each kong on a level.I’ll just mention and give a little info about the levels:
JUNGLE JAPES
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First and easiest level situated in the jungle where you meet Funky and Cranky for the first time and attempt to free Diddy.
ANGRY AZTEC
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This level is hot and sandy containing ancient temples. This is where you meet Cndy for the first time and also attempt to free Lanky and Tiny.
FRANTIC FACORY
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Noisy and extremely hazardous toy making facility. This is where you attempt to free Chunky.
GLOOMY GALLEON
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This stage is mainly full of water and lagoons. You also find a lighthouse and a ship.
FUNGI FOREST
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This place contains night-to-day changing cuckoo clocks, tall mushrooms and wells.
CRYSTAL CAVES
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One of the best stages of the game, this is ice-type crystal level where there are icestorms and monkeyports.
CREEPY CAST
LE
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This is undoubtedly the best stage of the game. In this level you find haunted museums and ballrooms and hideous looking creatures await you.
HIDEOUT HELM
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This is hardest stage of the lot where all five kongs have to work together to turn off the machine which will blow in a max. of 40mins, depending on how many blueprints you have. 1Blueprint is 1minute.
MULTI-PLAYER MODE
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This game would have been only an average if it was not for the multiplayer mode. Up to four players can battle each other using the kongs of their choice. There are two types:
Monkey smash game types:
This is similar to any normal multiplayer where you have to kill each other. There are two levels to choose from and every kong can swim in the water .
Battle arena game types:
This is the same as the battle arena mode in the adventure where you have to beat the hell out of eac other without using any weapons. The big kongs are recommended for this game type.
Overall Donkey Kong 64 is an awesome game and although people think it is too long I think that it is just the type of game that will last you and give you your moneys worth.
Summary:
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