The Completionist - Donkey Kong 64

[The Sam]

This week, Girard reviews Donkey Kong 64.

*SPOILER WARNING*

[Deleted]

I still don't understand how this gets seen as the poster child of the "collect-a-thon" games, and Banjo-Tooie gets off scratch-free. That has just as much to collect (if not more), the worlds are so big it's IMPOSSIBLE to remember where anything is so you end up just running until maybe you find what you were looking for (even if you've been there once or twice before, you can't remember where you found it), having to collect Jiggys by doing quests across multiple worlds...now THAT is taking it too far. DK 64 is about as big as a platformer should be. I'd make the worlds a little smaller but it isn't overwhelming like Banjo Tooie, a lot of the collecting is just powerups for other abilities (the only one i'll say that ever really bugged me was the blueprints). I don't think i'd put DK64 over Banjo Kazooie or Super Mario 64, but it's a LOT better than it gets credit for.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Apr 12, 2012 6:54:36 GMT -5 @geneyussrevolution said:

I still don't understand how this gets seen as the poster child of the "collect-a-thon" games, and Banjo-Tooie gets off scratch-free. That has just as much to collect (if not more), the worlds are so big it's IMPOSSIBLE to remember where anything is so you end up just running until maybe you find what you were looking for (even if you've been there once or twice before, you can't remember where you found it), having to collect Jiggys by doing quests across multiple worlds...now THAT is taking it too far. DK 64 is about as big as a platformer should be. I'd make the worlds a little smaller but it isn't overwhelming like Banjo Tooie, a lot of the collecting is just powerups for other abilities (the only one i'll say that ever really bugged me was the blueprints). I don't think i'd put DK64 over Banjo Kazooie or Super Mario 64, but it's a LOT better than it gets credit for.

Donkey Kong 64 came first though, which is probably why it gets that distinction. And then there's having to constantly switch between five characters, which can get really annoying, though BT isn't that much better with Banjo and Kazooie, Banjo alone, Kazooie alone, Mumbo, etc.

I do agree that both are really too big. I'd say Banjo-Kazooie is about the perfect size for the 3-D platformer genre.