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June2016

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April2015

  • Review Donkey Kong 64 (Wii U eShop / N64)

    He's finally back, but does he still kick some tail?

    At the mere mention of Nintendo's first 64-bit console, many of us find it difficult not to get swept up by a wave of nostalgia. We drift through countless memories of flickering TV screens and eye-popping graphics, washing up on the shores of 3D gaming's first bold steps onto a Nintendo platform...

November2014

October2014

  • Review Donkey Kong Land III (3DS eShop / GB)

    Marvellous Monkeys

    In 1997 the fifth generation of video games was well underway (even Europe and Oceania had the N64 by then), but the trusty Game Boy was still the place to go for portable gaming joy. Having successfully brought monkey platforming action to the handheld twice already, Rare produced a third game — the imaginatively titled Donkey...

  • Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    The ape escape

    Rare managed to do something incredible with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest; it took the well refined gameplay and style of the first Donkey Kong Country game and made it even better. This second entry in the series features gameplay almost identical to its predecessor’s, but this time everything’s been streamlined...

  • Review Donkey Kong Country (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Hasn't aged a day

    Back in 1994, before 3D games had taken off, a little UK-based games developer called Rare decided that if it couldn’t have good looking 3D models in a game, it'd have to get creative. Donkey Kong Country used a pioneering new technique for the time that took images of pre-rendered three dimensional models and turned these...

  • Review Donkey Kong Land 2 (3DS eShop / GB)

    Diddy's 8-Bit Quest

    The success of Donkey Kong Country inevitably saw a sequel released. Likewise when Donkey Kong Land proved a similar platforming experience was possible on the Game Boy, it was a no-brainer that Rare would release a second handheld adventure. This time Donkey Kong has gone and gotten himself captured, and so it's up to Diddy and...

  • Review Donkey Kong Land (3DS eShop / GB)

    Mobile monkey magic

    Donkey Kong Country was a fun and popular platformer for the SNES, but not everyone thought it was great. Some people (possibly Mega Drive / Genesis owners) said the game was in fact quite poor and any fans were deluded fools drawn to it for reasons other than gameplay – or, as Cranky Kong says, “put a few fancy graphics and...

March2013

  • Review Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (Game Boy Advance)

    The dynamic duo go portable

    When we at Nintendo Life think of Rare’s masterpieces from the Nintendo 64 era, we think of expansive and adventurous games like Donkey Kong 64, Jet Force Gemini, and of course the beloved Banjo-Kazooie series. Off-the-wall characters, exuberant locales, and an epic sense of scope added to the hook of what made these...

October2011

  • Review Mickey's Speedway USA (Nintendo 64)

    Another kart racing game? Oh, boy!

    By the end of the Nineties, UK developer Rareware had established itself as one of the most talented softcos in the world, and along with Nintendo's own in-house output, had helped to placate Nintendo 64 gamers throughout most of the console's life with a steady supply of premium software. Having delivered the...

June2011

  • Review Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo 64)

    A Rare treat, or will it drive you bananas?

    For fans of Nintendo kart racers, 1997 has to go down as one of the greatest years in the history of the genre. Not only did it witness the European and North American release of the iconic Mario Kart 64, but Rare also introduced their own challenger to the karting crown with Diddy Kong Racing on the same...

March2010

  • Review Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64)

    Suck it, Bond

    From its debut in 1997, developer Rare and the terrifying digital avatar of Pierce Brosnan ruled over the console shooter space in the Nintendo 64 tie-in of a then-two-year-old Bond movie, GoldenEye 007. Not only did it justify the genre on consoles while proving that movie games don’t have to suck, it became one of the defining...

  • Review Perfect Dark (Game Boy Color)

    Jo's pocket detour is all brawn but little brain

    On the Nintendo 64, Perfect Dark was a big huge deal for console gamers back in 2000: it was the spiritual successor to GoldenEye, it took advantage of all the technical whiz-bang that the console could muster, and it was supposed to be the ultimate console first-person shooter experience from the...

October2009

  • Review Banjo Tooie (Nintendo 64)

    Can you bear second helpings?

    Banjo Kazooie was a game that revolutionised platforming on the N64: Rare's off-the-wall-humour, creative level design and sublime controls made it the pinnacle of platforming on Nintendo's console. Fans of the original will most likely remember Rare's lavish promises about the second game, Banjo Tooie, including the...

April2009

  • Review Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)

    One mean %&*@% Squirrel…

    Once upon a time, there was a cute little squirrel that captivated the hearts of children in his debut game for the Game Boy Colour. This red-tailed critter was known as Conker: Conker The Squirrel. No one knows the full extent of what happened to this cute woodland creature in his transition to the N64; he had a...

December2007

May2007

March2007

  • Review Diddy Kong Racing DS (DS)

    The Nintendo 64 classic returns on DS, but how does it compare to Mario Kart DS?

    Ah Diddy Kong Racing, one of my old friends, how nice to see you again. How fitting is it that Diddy Kong Racing is Rare's first DS title. One of my favorite games for the Nintendo 64, the game that in my opinion took Mario Kart 64 and improved on it in every possible...

December2006