Nintendo 64 Reviews

Donkey Kong 64 : Zelda - Majora’s Mask :Mario Tennis : Rocket Robot : Mario Party 2 : Excitebike 64 : Perfect Dark : Conkers Bad Fur Day : Banjo Tooie

DONKEY KONG 64 by Rare

I would like to have played this game more before I cast judgement, but I thought I’d give you UK gamers a view before the new mid-December release date. I’m sure you all already know, that the game is very expensive, thanks to the memory cartridge packaged with it, a complete waste to any dedicated N64 gamer who will be long equipped with the item. The upshot of this, is a more cautionary glance at the game taking the steep price tag into account, however, having played for almost twenty hours already, i’d say i’ve already had good value for money. Those of you who would have preferred the long awaited sequel to Banjo Kazooie to this game, can stop waiting, because this without doubt is the same game. The game engine, the music, the humour in the graphics, the sound effects, it’s hard to find a part of the game which doesn’t remind you of the original Banjo. I assume the team for Banjo 2 were pulled off the project in a desperate attempt to get a DK game in the shops before Christmas.

I suppose the actual theme of the game is not so important. Donkey Kong and his four relatives are a very cute bunch, each with their own particular traits and skills. The game follows a very familiar path. A bunch of levels, all available from one central level. Semi-completion of one level may be enough to open the next, but you will need to return and complete everything in a level eventually. This brings me to my first point. The levels are quite huge, at least double the size of Banjo, and each character has 100 bananas, 5 golden bananas and coins to collect in each. This entails the most back-tracking to previously visited areas I have ever encountered. At first the sheer size of the task, completing each level virtually five times, made me want to give up. Extreme perserverance prevailed, and those prickly tentacles of addiction began to grab me from inside the TV screen. Having just completed the third level with all characters, I can confirm that I am desperate to get back and play the game again tonight, and at this stage have no doubt that I shall play the game to its completion. The puzzles are quite simple on the whole, yet action remains fluid. Another excellent addition to the gameplay menu is the introduction of bonus games. These so far have involved racing down a mountain against a spinning turtle, a version of classic arcade game, Speed duel, a brilliantly created mine cart chase, and a crazy 3D scalextrix game, which frankly would stand up as a game in it’s own right.

There’s more too, bonus quiz games are scattered around, involving three minute bouts of frantic action, in a similar way to the games within Mario Party. Then there are the two complete Retrogames hidden within, the original Donkey Kong and Spectrum classic Jetpac (won’t mean anything to you overseas gamers). To see the games from within such a game provides good example of how far we have progressed. Graphics are outstanding, but not particularly any more impressive than those in Banjo, and you have to wonder if the need for the memory expansion was infact for the game’s monumentous introduction, featuring a complete rap with all the Kongs taking verses. The more I think of it, the more features and nice touches I can think of. DK64 is a very special game, and it’s gameplay, while from a familiar model, has been honed to perfection. One prime example is that each banana you collect in a level dissapears for good. Leave the level, and your total bananas is held, a simple change, but a key gameplay improvement. In conclusion, DK is breathtaking, and a vital purchase for anyone who enjoyed Banjo Kazooie. A work of art, and if anyone out there still thinks you can’t beat Mario 64 for platforming, they must be insane. JACE RATES - 9/10

Zelda 2 - Majora’s Mask - Nintendo 64

Now, this might be a game I have to re-review when I finish it, but on the cusp of the Uk release, I thought i’d better make a comment sooner rather than later. Now, I should start by saying that I view the original N64 incarnation of Zelda not only as a milestone in the history of video gaming history, but also as a life changing event. I could never thank Nintendo enough for taking me through the roller coaster ride of emotions that was the first game, and could not wait to get back into Link’s world for a new adventure. Of course, commenting on the game may mean I'm telling people things they don’t want to know about the game, as so often, experiencing the event first hand without previous knowledge is far more exciting. Ah well, I'll proceed anyway. You start the game not as yourself, so your first task is to become Link again. (do you think I'm being vague enough?). This involves traveling through three days, which repeat endlessly, trying to help a whole host of people before a huge moon destroys the world. The atmosphere of the game is retained completely, with new music added to the well known themes of the previous game.

The town your quest begins in is far larger than those in Hyrule, with a whole host of shops and townsfolk. While the game uses the memory expansion pack, differences in textures are hard to find, though there do seem to be more colours on screen. Once again, songs learnt on your ocarina help you control time, or perform a whole host of location tasks, but it is a huge number of different masks which make up the bulk of solutions and problems. These masks can perform a variety of jobs, like helping people recognise you, or by adding extra abilities, or in some cases, changing you from a person into an entirely new creature.

The game is certainly no smaller than the last, however it is far tougher. I have played the game for countless hours over the past few weeks, and have yet to discover a proper dungeon to play through. I know, it’s early days. In some ways the three day time scale makes the game revolutionary, in other ways it is rather soul destroying. You just make a friend, or collect something from someone, then the time is over, and everything resets. Overall this is a must for fans of the original, but it’ll take lots of thought, time and patience to complete it. Jace Rates: 8/10

MARIO TENNIS - Camelot - N64

If you have ever played Mario Golf, then you have probably been looking forward to Mario Tennis for some time. I personally had abandoned all Golf games since Leaderboard on the C64, but one go of Mario Golf, and I was hooked. It is still a game which comes out of the games cupboard at least once a month, and a brilliant title if you have a few friends round. It was with this in mind, that I entered the world of Mario Tennis with some trepidation. As with Golf, I haven’t enjoyed a tennis game for many years. A brief bash of Pro Tour on the Amiga, before that Match Point on the Spectrum, but I suppose going way back, the most fun of all tennis games had to be the original Pong. Of course to compare Pong and current games is always going to be difficult, but in the end the premise is similar. Beat your opponent by hitting a ball. Mario Tennis starts with a rather dull introduction sequence, a kind of farcical take on wimbledon. Once into the game proper, you see there wasn’t anything to worry about. Firstly, each round starts with a neat Versus intro, where a streak of lightening separates opponents faces. It’s a kind of immediate introduction which does well to add tension, particularly in multi-player modes.

Controls are simple, move your character with the joystick, using one button for normal shots, and another for back hand. Using both together causes a smash shot. Hitting the ball is remarkably simple, the positioning system has been worked out brilliant, making players stretch for shots if you are not quite close enough. This keeps the rallies long, and makes winning far more tactical. Press the shot button well before the ball gets to you, and you will add power, this stops you from being unable to move from the spot, but delivers some super fast shots to your opponent. Relying on luck will see you lose very quickly, soon you will get to grips with rushing forward with smash shots, or aiming sharp back hand shots just inside the line. Forget the cute graphics, this is one serious challenge.

Fans of Mario Kart will be pleased that they get the chance to compete in three different tournaments, Flower, Mushroom and Star. The Star cup is very difficult, it took me about two hours to win the final round. (some games addicts will do it immediately i’m sure!) Multi-player is well catered for, with doubles and singles modes. There are plenty of bonus games too, though they get very difficult, to the point of impossibility i’m sure. In conclusion, they have managed to do to tennis, what they previously did to golf. They have incorporated so much gameplay, while retaining all the cuteness expected in a Mario game. When Nintendo finally decide to release this in Europe, make sure it’s on your wants list. Jace Rates 8/10

Rocket Robot On Wheels - N64

There was a brief item in Edge a few months ago regarding this game, apparently there had been some disbelief that Edge had ignored the title, thanks to it’s ingenuity. This was enough to persuade me, and dodging the Playstation version, I got hold of an imported US copy for the N64. The game is by Ubisoft, not exactly well known for producing great games, but should now be known for not producing enough enthusiasm for their own titles. Now, any of you N64 fans out there who are just waiting for the next Rare platformer, well, your wait is over. This game doesn’t just borrow from Rare’s seminal work, it implements it with the same degree of finesse. You control a robot who has been left in charge of a Theme Park. Your job is just to look after the place and keep it running. Unfortunately your bosses pet sabotages the central computer and the whole place goes mental. The introduction is so graphically similar in style to a certain other N64 game that you half expect Gruntilda to poke her head around the door. The game is broken up into hubs and levels, like all the best 3D platformers. Each level contains lots of tickets to be collected, but your main task is to get the big rides on each level working by finding all the missing parts. Once working, they open up the level in new ways. All sounds simple so far, and to be honest that’s the beauty of it.

There are loads of things to do, people to meet, things to collect, but they are all subsidiary to the main task. Some of the level sections are simply brilliant, there is one part where you have to construct your own roller coaster, ala Theme Park, then you get to ride it in full 3D. Then there are the vehicles, there is at least one in each level, which are great fun. (particularly the paint spitting tank). Four levels in, and you are trapped, addicted to the point where you will want to complete the game. I could write about this title for pages, but I'll refrain. In conclusion, this is nothing short of a classic N64 game, up there with the best of Rare and Nintendo. It has come to our notice almost a year after it came out, and it doesn’t seem there has ever been a British release! UbiSoft need to talk to Nintendo about some promotion, this game deserves its place in every N64 fan’s collection. Jace Rates: 8/10

MARIOPARTY 2 - HUDSON - N64

Two similar games all in one rant. However, Hudson’s game is quite different, not just because it includes the Mario crew. Just like the original Mario Party, the game is set on a board, each go entails moving a random number of squares and gaining or losing tokens depending on what you land on. Let’s be honest, much of the board part of the game relies on pure luck. After everyone has had a go, and by the way, if you don’t have four human players, the computer has to fill their places, you get to a mini-game. These mini-games vary between the three on one, two on two and every man for themselves variety. The tasks these involve are typically Mario, from whacking each other with giant hammers, to pumping up balloons with rapid key buttons, to racing in tiny cars on a Scalextric style track. These games are all pretty easy to understand, and can be a lot of fun, though invariably one player will always become frustrated and blame the controller, or the instructions, or the full moon...

Strangely it is not the mini-games which fill the wealth of the game, instead it is the need to traverse the huge game board, which are filled with traps intent on bringing the highest level of frustration possible. The differences between this game and its prequel are few and far between. Sure, there are new mini-games, but the new game boards follow the same rules as the earlier title. In fact, the front end of the game, apart from the cute but laborious intro, is rather less impressive. This game should be such a good multi-player experience, as the variety of the mini-games, and the way they pit players against each other is highly entertaining. However, the lengthy game time, sometimes around two hours, and the puerile board game element let down the game considerably. Jace Rates 4/10

ExciteBike 64 - Nintendo

While there has been little preview coverage of this title in the UK games press, it is without doubt one of the most eagerly awaited N64 titles of the year. Since the N64 came out Nintendo have proved themselves able at producing credible racing games. I’m not talking about Mario Kart 64, but the likes of Wave Race and 1080 Snowboarding. Wave Race is an amazing game, and actually spawned the huge number of wave based arcade coin-ops of the time, though none of them could match the Nintendo classic. There are possibly some UK readers who disagree with me, but that is because Wave Race recieved one of the worst PAL conversions ever, running around 25% slower than its Japanese and US relatives. From the moment the intro screen of ExciteBike comes on screen, the quality of Wave Race is evident. The game is broken down like Mario Kart, with a series of championships, completion of each opening up the next. This is a great way of working, as it doesn’t really matter if you lose a couple of races, as you can make up the deficit on your preferred tracks. Handling is highly intuitive, which is necessary on the incredibly hilly tracks.

There are two kinds of tracks, some in arenas, and some in open air scenery. These are split in the season, one indoor track, one outside, and so on. Each race category brings new tracks, but you are always pitted against the same rival bikers. The competition is ruthless, each competitor with their own name and colour, so it is easy to recognise each one on track. They compete against each other aswell as you, and often knock each other out, or fight to overtake on bends. Gains on the track often involve preparing yourself for bends well before they arrive, this can be done in mid air, with a clever shoulder button shift control. The bottom trigger on the control pad operates your Turbo, this is great for ascending hills and ramps for huge jumps, but if overused makes your engine too hot, leaving you struggling for speed. Sound is used to great effect, not only for the engine sounds, but the informative commentary which adds to each race.

Graphics are great too, with some amazing crash sequences. In the arenas, take note of the crowd if you fall off your bike, as they all start taking photos. Outdoor tracks bring even better visuals, with cascading waterfalls and huge desertscapes. Aswell as the incredibly addictive championships, there are stunt modes, a trainer, time trials, plus loads of extras. These extras are opened up when you complete sets of championships, and include a brilliant hill climb mode, and the original ExciteBike from the Nes. These rewards add even more to the addictivity of the title. Jumping Jim Rivers still has a couple of championships to complete in my copy of the game to open up the remaining surprises, and i’ve been playing it for two weeks now! Overall, an essential addition to anyone’s N64 collection, easily more entertaining than 1080 Snowboarding, and a worthy adversary to WaveRace. Exceptional. Jace Rates 9/10

PERFECT DARK by Rare

It has been a long wait, but finally Perfect Dark has appeared from it’s three year + development cycle. Only question is, was it worth that mammoth wait? Of course, it’s no secret that I am both a huge fan of Nintendo, and of Rare, but when I inserted this cart for the first time, I did my best not to let it cloud my judgment. The first thing that strikes you is the brilliant surround sound which accompanies the mutating N64 logo when the game begins. It’s probably only a five second sample, but rings with more resonance than even the best Playstation efforts. Wait a couple of seconds, and an introductory movie begins, of course in real time. It’s slow, it’s jerky, but to the point. I have to say, at first I thought the game hadn’t recognized my expansion pack, which is required for almost every aspect of the game, including the one player version. Into the menu screens proper, and things start looking up, with a whole host of options allowing a huge variety of game modes. Straight into Solo missions, and another introductory movie.

These are far better than the ones in Goldeneye, with real audio speech for all the characters, and the faces also seem far more attached to their polygon heads than in it’s prequel. The first thing to strike you when getting in to the actual game is the frame rate, which initially seems slow and cumbersome compared with games in the same genre for the Dreamcast or PC. However, by the time you get half way through the first mission, you’ll be hooked. Instead of seeing the game as slow, you’ll be noting how much better everything moves when compared to Goldeneye.

Graphics are definitely of a far higher quality. Lights dazzle your eyes, and objects reflect things. Gameplay follows the same basic rules as Goldeneye, and there is nothing wrong with that I hear you cry. You pick up ammo and new weapons from dead enemies, and doors and switches can all be used. While controls remain the same, there are a couple of new features. Holding down the blue button allows you to actually select a weapon or item without using the start key, thanks to a simple directional control. Holding down the green key will allow you to use your weapons in different ways. While using it to hit enemies on the head with is familiar, you can also specify the number of shots which will fire with each blast, or with more complicated weapons like the Super Dragon, you can choose from either rapid fire or grenade launcher. The missions themselves are brilliantly constructed. I must admit, I have only finished seven missions so far, though each of these can be made up of up to three smaller missions, but couldn’t wait any longer to tell you all about the game. As an example of how the missions are, I will tell you roughly about mission five.

This involves penetrating area 51, you arrive at this point through a logical progression of previous missions. First you meet up with an agent in your team, Jonathan. He advises of what has to be done. This firstly involves pushing a floating crate of explosives to a spot he has marked, and blowing a hole in the wall. It’s best to clear the area of enemy guards before moving the crate, as if it is shot, it blows up. Once you have secured the route, it’s time to head back to the crate, which thanks to alien technology needs the lightest touch to move around the level. This can be problematic, as one hard shove, and it goes shooting into the distance. The route is also difficult, as two separate lifts have to be used to get the crate to it’s desired location. Once there, you blow up the wall by shooting at the explosives. This hole leads into the chrome filled inner laboratories, depicted with unprecedented graphical extravagance. First you need to grab the lab coat off of the dead scientist who became a victim of your wall explosion. Change into that, and search for the hidden autopsy lab. You can use your handy X-ray glasses to find the door if you like. Once you have found it, the guard will let you in, believing you to be the scientist who died, but once inside, you are identified as an intruder by the other scientists, so you quickly have to kill them all. Grab their security card, and it’s off to complete the next objective, find the alien they are about to disect. He is in another secret lab, and once found you must blow your way out of the building in a bid to rescue him. He is easy to transport, as he is laying on a trolley. Once safely to a holding room, you meet up with your team mate, who escorts the Alien, (who has now hilariously introduced himself as Efflopneo, but we can call him Elvis) to his Spaceship, which is also hidden in the underground base. Once located you have to access the landing doors via the computers. Unfortunately there is no room for you in the ship, so rescue complete you still have to escape yourself. Thankfully a hover bike can be found in the lower basement, and you can whiz around on this blowing away enemy guards until you find a suitable exit. Mission complete.

Who ever designed these levels was not only a huge X-files fan, but also a genius. This is only on agent level, new levels bring countless more objectives. Ok, now lets talk about what made Goldeneye famous. The realism and gore. Perfect Dark continues the theme of the previous game, as while it is set in the future, the levels create believable environments. This means doors work, furniture is in suitable places (and can be moved around in this game), lifts have to be waited for, escalators are a nightmare to run up the wrong way, lights dazzle your eyes when you look at them (though they can be shot if you prefer darkness), and glass smashes. Everything in the game is pretty much damagable, though there are high security areas which use bullet proof glass (damn). Also unlike Goldeneye, you can fall off edges. This often means far more danger, particularly on rooftop helipads.

Of course, the subject i’m avoiding is the killing, but that’s just because I like to save the best till last. If you thought the injuries and violence displayed in Goldeneye was enjoyable, (sicko) then you are going to love this. This time the bad guys talk back, and calls of “I don’t want to die” or “you bitch” are common place when you have suitably wounded an apponent. Shoot in the leg, and they grab it, shouting in pain, shoot in-between their legs, and they grab the area with a level of pain seldom seen in a video game. Sometimes if you shoot an enemy and they drop their gun, they scrabble around to find it again, then pick it up and start shooting at you. The huge variety of death sequences adds to the realism of the game immensely. One particularly funny episode was when I opened a door, and the guy waiting for me on the other side went to fire at me, only for nothing to come out. He then stood there, hitting the base of the gun saying “damn gun, never seems to work...”. What could I do eh? I shot him in the face. This new level of cooperation between enemies is also exciting. They call each other over, one may even say, “i’ve got a direct shot of her now” before firing.

For some very strange reason, this new “human” side to the guards makes killing them even more pleasurable. I have now been playing the game for just over a week, and already the game has sunk into my inner thoughts, with almost constant dreams of running down corridors and killing people. If this is an indicator of the power of first person shooting games now, what on earth are they going to be like on the next waves of technology. I’m a (relatively) sane bloke, so who knows if these games could do damage to more fragile intellects. Anyway, enough of the moralizing, I just feel guilty for enjoying the violent aspects of the game. More important to many of you, are the multi-player options. These provide a very similar experience to Goldeneye, with limited graphics on four player arenas, and a slower pace. I have yet to try out the new feature of the combat simulator, which allows up to four players the fun of trying to kill up to eight computer controlled robots. The reason why I haven’t tried this feature, is thanks to one of the greatest two player modes ever devised. The Two-Player Cooperative mode allows you to go through each mission with a friend. Sure, the game is played via a split screen, and there is noticable slow down between this and solo missions, but can you imagine the fun of going into an area with a friend, and taking out all those bad guys. You can handle the missions however you like, you could send your partner to cover one objective while you finish another, but more fun is exploring the location together, covering each other while you destroy what you can. The personal aspect of competing in a game like this is truly unparalleled, giving a unique freedom, and an experience unmatched, even on the latest PC FPSs.

The time has come for me to conclude. Perfect Dark is such a huge chunk of work, that it is without doubt a defining point within the history of videogames. It’s innovative story, and gritty realism would have been enough to make it the best game of the year, but add to that the sheer depth of options, the superlative multi-player mode, and the ingenuity of the cooperative, and uncooperative modes, and you have one of the greatest games of all time. However, while the average frame rate soon becomes irrelevant, it is painfully obvious that this game has come too late in the N64’s cycle. Rare’s expertise should be put to use on games at the forefront of hardware technology, and it’s true to say that the good old N64 has lost it’s edge. This is a game which can not be bettered on the system, however hard they may try, so it is time to move on. My hope is that Rare abandon the N64 system (perhaps with the exception of Banjo Tooie which i’m desperate to see) and invest their time in Dolphin. With Perfect Dark they have yet again proved themselves as being the games industries greatest asset, and the gamer’s greatest ally. 9/10

PS: Did anyone else think that Edge magazine’s review made it sound like they hadn’t actually played it?

Conker’s Bad Fur Day - N64 - Rare

On with the reviews, and i’ve been meaning to write this one for some time. I’ve never made a secret of my love for Rare, and the thought of an adult platform game from the company has been something i’ve been relishing for some time. Having worked my way through it, I can now confirm that it without doubt one of the greatest pieces of work every released for a games console. First, let’s deal with the story. You control Conker, who after a night on the town, needs to get home. This is eventually achieved by helping a huge variety of characters with a multitude of tasks and missions. These range from persuading cows to take laxative to bouncing on the breasts of a sunflower. Make note, this is the work of deranged minds.

While profanity in itself isn’t particularly amusing, there is something hilarious about games characters cussing and blinding. There is no need to read text in this game, every character speaks with real speech, and there is plenty of it. The mind boggles at how much of the cartridge is dedicated to script, but Rare’s compression system is something to be admired. The characters in the game gain much of their depth thanks to the accents of their voices, like the scouse dung beetles or cockney wasps. My best moment in the entire game has to be the giant poo monster, without doubt the greatest boss character to ever appear in a videogame. This involves a hilarious opera being played out, with poo chucking bouts in the intervals. Yes, a real singing big boss, incredible, but you’ll have to see it to get what I mean.

The game itself is far simpler than Banjo or DK 64. All you collect is cash, most is awarded for helping particular characters, but some can be found throughout the land. Some may say the gameplay is tired, offering nothing really new, but it is the hilarity of the context which makes Conker’s special. There has never been another game like this, and there are unlikely to be many more. It is also evident that Rare were well aware that they wouldn’t be releasing much else for the N64, as they have attached a huge variety of multi-player games, including a fantastic tank battle game. They bare little relevance to the main game, but add to the value of the cartridge immeasurably. I’m sure if the multi-player games had been released on their own, they would have still been a worthy purchase. It’s Conker who headlines this package though, whoever came up with the story lines is sick! Mark my words, while many N64 bashers may not appreciate the game now, in ten years time Conker’s Bad Fur Day will be a retro classic. If you are a serious gamer, this is one gaming experience you just have to try. Jace Rates 9/10

BANJO TOOIE - N64

Now, the first Banjo game was pretty important to me. Despite what other so-called reviewers said, I found the structure and graphics even better than Mario 64, and despite borrowing heavily from Nintendo’s launch game, Rare had definitely managed to add something to the genre. Having completed ever tiny element of Banjo, I had been looking forward to the sequel ever since. I guessed it had been canned after the surprise launch of Donkey Kong 64 last year, i’ve never been so pleased to be wrong. The first time you load up a Nintendo or Rare game is always exciting, and I can not deny that I was really disappointed by the introduction of the game, being little more than views around a level. The beginning of the game was better, with the gang all playing cards and chatting about their previous adventures. As the game unfolds you find that not only do you have all the moves of the previous game, but there are dozens of new ones to find and learn. The game map is far larger than the original game, with levels spaced out around the land rather than in the familiar hub environment of the first game.

As before, Jigsaw pieces have to be collected to open up new worlds, with ten “Jiggies” within each world. To open up new worlds you now have to take the Jiggies to King Jiggie, and then win his challenge. Each level provides new moves, and new uses for the previously meaningless parts of your environment. In fact, it is the games structure that provides the most entertainment, with seemingly easy tasks requiring the completion of later levels to finally become obvious. Thankfully frustration doesn’t set in too quickly. The levels themselves are beautifully constructed, and include plenty of innovation. There’s a pirate infested cove where money must be found to deal with the shop keepers, there’s a crazy Fun Fair with loads of rides to check out, a dinosaur level complete with hair cavemen and even a huge factory complex with vicious machines to be tamed. Those of you who liked the ability to transform in the first game will enjoy becoming even crazier beings in the new game, from a washing machine, to a Van.

Another clever addition to the game is the need to complete some first person perspective sections within some levels. These have you holding Kazooie like a machine gun, and shooting eggs at enemies. These sections alone, while owing more to Goldeneye than Perfect Dark, are certainly good enough to stand alone as a game in their own right. Another addition is the use of big bosses within levels, some of which are particularly ingenious, like the huge inflatable monster, complete with stopper situated where it’s penis should be. . Grunty of course is the enemy of the game, who you have to eventually defeat along with her sisters. This goal seems a long way from the content of the game, but the continual quest for jiggies and new moves just keeps the whole thing incredibly addictive. A mention should be made about Chuffy the Train. Once you have tamed the monster inside its boiler, you can use it to travel between levels, and transport various characters between levels. Chuffy is a steam train enthusiasts dream, watching him chug in and out of stations is graphically very rewarding. He’s not the only way to get around either, with handy teleporter holes situated outside every main area. If all this wasn’t enough, there is now a multi-player game, which allows you to challenge friends at the mini-games you have found within the main game.

Most exciting though is the a four player Goldeneye style death match mode, made all the more playable thanks to the acquisition of remote control eggs. Simply shoot one of the special eggs, then control transfers to the remote control bomb held inside. Find an opponent then detonate, like the bombs in Mario Karts battle mode. This adds a whole new element to the death match genre, trying to find a safe place to leave your main character. The thing about reviewing a game this huge is that there is just so much to say. Musically the game is as good as anything else on the N64, and the graphics push the hardware about as far as it will go. Forget what you may have read in other magazines, Banjo Tooie is the ultimate platform adventure game on any system, with a story brilliantly crafted around the action, not only providing narrative, but adding humor to the entire proceedings.

The game is so huge that it makes DK64 seem incomplete. With games designers still willing to throw so much ingenuity and enthusiasm into a game like Banjo Tooie, which after all is just a sequel, perhaps there is hope for the industry after all. Without doubt, the game secures Rare’s position as the glimmering jewel in the UK’s development crown. Roll on Gamecube. Jace Rates 9/10