Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong 64. The sequel to the Donkey Kong Country series on the Super NES. The games that received rave reviews and ridiculous marks. Produced by Rareware, the creators of GoldenEye. This is why hopes are very high at VGN that this game can achieve. Its a great opportunity for Rare to share their magic, after the news that their long awaited Perfect Dark game has been moved for release after Christmas.

The game features a total of 5 playable characters, with only Diddy and Donkey returning from previous games. The other three apes are Tiny: the Dixie look-alike, Chunky: the Kiddy weight-a-like and Lanky: the rather disturbing long armed ape.

The game is huge! Its fairly clear why it is the first game to need the extra RAM the expansion pack provides...the backdrops are beautiful and the game plays sufficiently smoothly. There is not a hint of pop up and the game is totally fog free.

The game retains all the quirky touches that made the original such a success such as the Barrel Cannons and Funky's Store. The 'mini' bonus rounds remain and are as frantic as ever. On first impression this game beats Banjo-Kazooie. It is larger, the control system is vastly improved and the ability to change the Kong you use for the task in hand is a welcome addition.

If it were not for the thousands of complaints we would receive, we could give this game a certain 90%+ mark right on the spot before even playing the full game. It is after all Rare that is creating this game and we have come to expect nothing less from them. Its going to be a wonderful Christmas for N64 owners, especially the veterans among them. December the third is going to be a very exciting moment in history.