Conker the Squirrel has had a long and varied past for only starring in two completely original games over less than a decade. Originally meant to be a cutesy, kiddy mascot for a Rare game by the name of Conker: Twelve Tails, temporary insanity from Rare’s staff mixed with Nintendo of America’s desperate attempts to appeal to an older audience distorted the cute Squirrel’s future. Though he originally starred in the cutesy prequel Conker: Pocket Tales on the Game Boy and got a role as a playable character in the equally kid-friendly Diddy Kong Racing, somewhere down the line Conker’s Disney like world mutated into a universe of cussing cartoon animals with real social problems. Conker’s Bad Fur Day was the N64’s last gasp before the kick off of the next generation and it was raunchy enough that it redefined the boundaries of what was acceptable in video games. On top of that, it was a great game: an excellent platformer in the Rare style with a wide variety of gameplay. Only four years after Conker was released, Microsoft owns Rare and Conker: Live and Reloaded, a remake of the N64 classic with a new multiplayer mode, is on store shelves. As a remake, Conker: Live and Reloaded is a little underwhelming, and the multiplayer mode is truly a love it or hate it affair. But for those that have never played the N64 original, add a point to the score and get this game right away. Despite the fact that Rare dumped the most time into the new multiplayer mode, the real star is the single player remake of Bad Fur Day. The game opens up with Conker the Squirrel getting tore up at the bar with some of his war-bound buddies, and by the time he leaves he is so wasted that he gets utterly lost on his way home. The goal of the game is to find your way back home from wherever you wound up following your drunken stumbling. Many characters in the game, Conker included, are rather materialistic however, so you can expect to need cash to get by many obstacles. As such, Conker must overcome a wide variety of challenges in the interest of earning moolah and getting himself closer to home. From the outset, Conker follows the formula for 3D platformers established by Mario 64 years ago. There is one hub level, in this case an outdoor valley, which leads to a number of different areas. Where Conker sets itself apart, however, is in level design. Many levels are spoofs of famous movies. Though the levels are showing their age now, there is fun to be had in playing out parodies of Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, and more. The game also does not crutch itself completely on platform gaming. New gameplay elements await you in nearly every level, from brandishing weapons, riding tanks, flying as a bat, and more. Some parts are more enjoyably than others, but Conker gets a lot of gaming mileage out of sheer variety. You’ll always be anxious to find out what trick it will throw at you next. The boss fights are equally memorable, and were among the best of their day and still stand up well by today’s standards. As a result of all the variety, though, the game only gets so much from each parody before moving on. As such, the game is relatively short – you can expect to finish it in less than ten hours. Control wise, Conker is kind of stuck in the past. He moves easily but feels a little “sticky”, at least in comparison to modern day platform games like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Raccoon, or Super Mario Sunshine. The Squirrel has the usual arsenal of 3D platforming tricks like crouching, crawling, hover jumps and high jumping (though no butt stomp) and the controls for these and the other vehicle based playstyles are intuitive if dated. The camera can be a real pain, though, as it will often stick too close to Conker during some parts, and can be slow to turn corners and can get stuck on walls. The controls and level design may be similar to the N64 original, but the graphics are in another league. Conker, to its credit, was an incredible technical achievement on the N64 in its dying days, and here as one of the last titles for the Xbox it shines in a new way. The graphics are jaw dropping, with bright colors, brilliant texturing, and fur shading abound. Considering how varied the locales get, its impressive how much effort must have gone into these graphics. The game looks phenomenal. And it’s no slouch in sound either. The music and voices are almost exactly the same as the N64 version, but they’ve been upsampled dramatically. The music tracks are varied and brilliant, once again fitting in with the game’s many themes, and featuring everything from techno to bluegrass to jazz (with farting noises). The characters are perfectly voiced across the board (often with heavy British accents), which is likewise surprising since there are so many of them. This isn’t Academy Award winning stuff, mind you, but it’s easily on par with what you’d expect from a Saturday Morning cartoon, and in this game that’s a perfect match. The including multiplayer mode is definitely robust and deserves mention of its own. Those expecting the multiplayer modes from the original Conker will be severely disappointed, as the original seven multiplayer modes are nowhere to be found. What’s in its place is worth a look, though it won’t appeal to everyone. Essentially a class-based team on team game, the multiplayer mode expands on the Tediz vs. Squirrels war that is hinted at in Bad Fur Day. But make no mistake, this is no regular Deathmatch shooter. The ten multiplayer maps include various goals, from capture the flag to capturing towers to assaulting enemy bases, and each level is unique and different in its own right. You pick your character from one of six character classes at the beginning, ranging from the Ninja like Sneeker to the bazooka wielding Demolitionist. Each class has their own strengths and weaknesses, but the game does a good job of making it almost essential to have at least one of each in every level. The problem is that the multiplayer is often too complex for its own good, and it’s going to turn off a lot of gamers expecting a nice accessible game. The Sneeker class, for instance, starts with two weapons, each with two firing modes, and also has a hacking device, a remote controlled spy satellite, and the ability to cloak or feign death. By picking up an upgrade item, they also gain the ability to disguise themselves as the enemy or use knives, which can be swung or thrown. Additionally, they can spawn ATVs to drive from devices in their home base. And this is just one class. The game has tons of subtleties and multiple ways of approaching every objective, but the manual does an absolutely horrid job of documenting them, and even then it’ll take a lot of trial and error before you feel confident within the game. On top of this, there are some annoying glitches – like the camera sometimes getting completely turned around when you get hit – and some very annoying imbalances, like blowing up certain mission objectives with remote controlled explosives. When everyone knows what they’re doing and agrees to play fair, the game can be very satisfying. Just don’t be expecting Halo 2. Overall, Conker: Live and Reloaded is a mixed bag. It looks and sounds great, the one player game is an absolute must if you’ve never played it before, and the multiplayer is an acquired taste. Overall it’s a fantastic package with a lot of value, but people who have played the original will probably want to look further into the multiplayer, because the technical upgrade (although impressive) just doesn’t merit a second full price purchase unless you’re an absolute fan.
I love this game, i was so happy when I heard that there was a a shotting game with talking squirrels coming out! and the best thing about it is they use fowl language! :D :D :D :D IT OWNS!!!! I think it is one of the be... Read Full Review
"Conker's Bad Fur Day" is a game that will live in my own private "hall of fame" as one of the greatest games of its console generation. That it appeared on a platform like N64, which was heavily ridiculed for a lack of ... Read Full Review
