Huge worlds, deep mechanics, a never-ending scroll of things to do and most importantly, monkeys.

User Rating: 9 | Donkey Kong 64 N64
By seaward12 | Review Date:
Well, Donkey Kong 64 has finally hit home and I think the wait has definitely been worth it. The game, while not the leap and bound that Donkey Kong Country was for Super NES, is still an excellent platformer all the same. It's an epic, gargantuan, huge, giant-sized platformer. It's a game that is packed full of things to do. There is so much that it's often overwhelming. The game is every great platformer combined into one package. And that, more than anything else, is what separates it from the competition.
I've said DK64's graphics aren't as impressive as those in Banjo-Kazooie, but don't be mislead by that -- the game is still a visual stunner. It's one of Nintendo 64's prettiest games to date. Awesome lighting and particle effects, detailed textures with loads of color, lots of variation and the environments are downright huge. Admittedly, the lighting effects may be a bit overused at times, but these are features that some developers aren't even capable of pulling off without ruining the gaming experience. The framerate, mind you, does suffer at times, but it's never too bad and it certainly doesn't have a bearing on gameplay.

In the end, Donkey Kong 64 feels more like a super-sized version of Banjo-Kazooie than it does anything else. And while that should be a great, great thing, it's bound to disappoint a lot of Nintendo 64 owners who had built the title up as the Second Coming.


Presentation: Classic 2D Donkey Kong brought to life in full 3D with no details spared. Great setup, design and personality. 9/10

Graphics:Very pretty. In fact, very, very pretty. Wonderful lighting and particle effects, crisp textures and huge worlds. Slowdown is occasional. Banjo-Kazooie looks better sometimes. 9/10

Sound: Skip opening intro. Please skip opening intro. Otherwiese, very good. Funny sound samples, moody music 8/10

Gameplay:Banjo-Ka-Donkey. Traditional platformer mechanics, only much, much deeper. Too deep, sometimes. The quest is Zelda times three. And it can be frustrating 8/10

Lasting Appeal:500 billion hour quest. Four-player mode. Cheesy Rare ways of enhancing replay value work, but also gets annoying at times 9/10

Overall: 9/10

My Verdict: Buy It :)

Other Helpful Reviews for Donkey Kong 64

  • Rating:9.4

    One of the greatest of the N64.

    By NailBail | Review Date: Aug 16, 2006 | N64

    This game is the very first game I ever got for the N64 (actually, i got a package the game came with it, and i have a see through green N64), and I don't regret it. The gameplay is terrific, with 8 unique wor... Read Full Review

    6 of 7 users found the following review helpful
  • Rating:10

    Best game ever.

    By turtle4apple | Review Date: Sep 07, 2008 | N64

    I can never imagine a game like this. The levels were great, and getting the golden bananas were fun. I can be playing this all day. I first rented it from a long time ago, then I liked the play. The game was kinda hard ... Read Full Review

    3 of 3 users found the following review helpful
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