Reader Reviews

Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)

by Kami

There are so few games today that really make you smile with their incredible humour and sharp wit. And even fewer with really adult, mature humour. On the N64, this was nigh unheard of bar South Park (Which, to be fair, sucked a bit). But towards the end of the N64's lifespan, Rare pulled out this game. And people were stunned.

I remember the backlash this game got quite vividly from people, worried that the combination of cute graphics would entice kids in to it's foul clutches. Conker is a cute little squirrel (Who was previously seen in the rather kiddy but quality Diddy Kong Racing) - he's like any typical yob today. He lies to his girlfriend, stays at the pub, gets stupidly drunk and wakes up in an unfamiliar place with a crippling hangover. Must've been a good night.

What I think got to the typical Daily Mail-reading stereotypes was the references this game used to all manner of things. Violence, alcohol and other substance abuse, and lots of foul language and an incessant stream of bleeps akin to Jerry Springer. All the senseless violence, the gore, the adult humour.

However, with all this, there was no denying that Rare had once again produced a wonderful platform adventure. The graphics are wonderful. The controls fluid and easy to use. The difficulty curve just right. The characters, the sound - all are incredibly vivid and, like Rare's also-wonderful Banjo Kazooie, the world is wonderfully detailed, free roaming and colourful (A downer if you're suffering a hangover). Even without all the mature jokes, this game would have still stood quite proudly. Barely a hair out of place, it was equal to the wonderful design of Mario 64 in terms of the game world and how it all connected together.

The Panther King (Yes, there IS a joke in there if you look hard enough) is your "nemesis", and has an evil doctor who does all his basic chores and stuff. Problem is, this doc doesn't like the Panther King. Probably something to do with "Duct Tape" - we don't really find out what this entails, but to be honest - I'm not sure we WANT to know. This evil madman is intent on overthrowing the Panther King with his ingenious designs. Although quite why he invented "Anti-Gravity Chocolate" is a mystery we'll never know.

Also, the point to finishing each of the bizarre and often hilarious missions was sound too. We've had stars, jiggys - all wonderful tools to save the world, I'm sure, but Conker does work for cold, hard, abusive CASH. If money could talk, it would say pretty much what it does in this game. Money hates you. Yet it owns you. It's your god, your saviour, and it still hates you.

Despite the cartoony world, and the cutesy, foul-mouthed characters, this game is probably a reflection on society today. We drink. We swear. We'll work but only for the money. It happens in real life, so the way they just sent it all up and made the game a string of endless jokes and foul references was actually to it's favour. Nintendo for kiddies? HAH! Rare knew exactly the market they were aiming for. And we loved it.

At the end of the day, Conkers Bad Fur Day was a game for the grown-ups. Rare knew this (probably influenced at some point by the sales of Goldeneye) and pulled it off wonderfully. The game almost hates you. It constantly offends and takes the Michael. Yet, it's lovable, cuddly and you want to spend time playing it.

If you are easily offended, or don't like South Park-style humour, then Conker's Bad Fur Day may not be for you simply because the humour doesn't stop. But, if you're a grown-up, looking for a game which is undeniably a classic in its own right, and can handle references to bodily waste and the gibs - you simply must play this game.

Rare really pushed the boat out with this game. I salute you, Rare. Thisyou're your Nintendo high point. The game was polished to the point that it almost gleamed and forced you to wear sunglasses.

I hope that the forthcoming Conker game does this one justice. We have seen genius and it is Rare. I'm just not convinced that Microsoft will nurture it in quite the same way Nintendo did. [What? By handing the publishing deal off to THQ because they were so unconvinced? -Tom]