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Donkey Kong is back! and better than ever

December 3, 1999
Web posted at: 11:10 a.m. EST (1610 GMT)

by Scary Larry

From...

(IDG) -- Donkey Kong is back in a new adventure, and he's bigger, badder, better, and bolder than before. Forget all the side-scrolling silliness of the Donkey Kong Country series -- Donkey Kong 64 is straight from the heart of Banjo-Kazooie land.

Chimpan-A to chimpan-zee

In Donkey Kong 64 the infamous K. Rool is at his reptilian best, wreaking havoc in the land once again. But he's up against five simian superheroes this time. There's Donkey and Diddy Kong, throwbacks from the old DKC days, and newcomers Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky Kong. Each monkey has a unique series of moves and slams, some of which you have to purchase along with weapons and musical instruments.

You may ask, why so much stuff? The short answer is that the game is so large and complex (about three times the size of Banjo-Kazooie) that you'll need a full arsenal.

DK64 also uses the complex character-switching of games like Jet Force Gemini or Lost Vikings. You'll have to run around as all five apes, using special barrels to change your character, while fulfilling different objectives in each of the nine levels. There are also bosses, although they're fairly easy to beat once you get their pattern down.

But what makes DK64 so much fun to play is the huge amount of mini-games, side quests, and fast-paced puzzles. You may find yourself racing through an abandoned mine with Diddy, shooting snakes with Lanky, or racing against a cart full of TNT with Donkey. What you won't find yourself doing is falling asleep from boredom - there's just too much to do in this game.

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Monkey see

The graphics are certainly some of the N64's finest, with exaggerated animations for each character and even funny death scenes for the enemies, like the soldier Kremlings that salute when they die. The water textures and special moves all contain extra special visual flair, so much so that you'll forget you're playing a 64-bit system. It's not Dreamcast quality, but it's damn close, and it's graphically better than anything on the PlayStation.

The sound is also above average, with great music, superior sound effects, and funny chimp chatter throughout the game. DK64 also starts off with a very funny (but low-brow) rap song that you'll find yourself humming from time to time.

The control is straight from the old Banjo, so newbies may find it exasperating at times. There's a fair amount of tricky catwalks and vine-swinging, so precision will be required. Haven't got the hang of analog stick games? Forget hanging with these hirsute heroes -- you'll need steady hands and quick thinking to even get through the beginning of this game!

Pro Tips

To play the original Donkey Kong, take Donkey and learn the pull move from Cranky (it allows you to move stuck levers). Go to the middle floor of the factory and look for the arcade unit. Pull the switch and wipe the tears of nostalgia from your face.

Once you acquire Tiny, go to the Fairy Island and jump into the barrel. Walk into the opening and acquire the Fairy Camera from the sprite inside. Now photograph fairies you find will replenish your stock (musical instruments, ammo, and life).

If you're taking serious hits and can't find enemies to replenish your life, jump into a Tag Barrel and jump back out as the same character. Your melon life meter will be refilled.

Fly through the ring three times in the middle of the Aztec Ruins as Diddy Kong (get the jetpack power up from Cranky) and you'll release the buzzard. Race the buzzard and fly through the rings and you'll get your golden banana.

Always take a new character to Cranky, Funky, and Candy as soon as you acquire coins. They won't get far without weapons and power-ups.

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