After years of waiting and anticipation, Donkey Kong 64 is finally here, but is it all what’s it’s cracked up to be? Most defiantly. The two main Kong’s, Donkey and Diddy return in this sequel with the help of three new friends, Chunky, Lanky and Tiny. Each have their own special abilities, such as Tiny’s ability to shrink enabling her to fit into small places. The games graphics are rich and varied, thanks in part to the required expansion pack which is included with the purchase of this game.

Graphics (10)-DK64 features the most impressive real-time lighting effects yet on the Nintendo 64. To give you an example of what I mean, one of the levels features a giant light house, and when activated casts a giant beam of light which rotates around the level illuminating dark areas and casting Erie shadows. The textures are fantastic as well. Each being colorful and energetic. Animation is some of the highest quality yet seen on the N64. It really is all quite beautiful.

Sound (8)-The music is dynamic and fits the mood of the levels (ex-Creepy Castle has creepy music). Although not up to par with previous Rare efforts such as Banjo-Kazooie and more recently Jet Force Gemini, it is still impressive in its own right. Sound effects are well done and suiting to each of the Kongs.

Play Control (9)-DK64’s controls are very similar to Banjo-Kazooie’s. Both make use of all the buttons on the controller and both feature moves that require the usage of two buttons at once. For instance, to pull out your gun you have to hold “Z” and press "B". The moves are simple to learn and execute quite nicely.

Replay Value (6.5)-When you’re done with the game, there aren’t too many reasons to want to come back. Sure, there is the muliplayer mode and a few mini-games you may want to try again, but once you beat the game, the one player mode seems seriously lacking. Take it from me, it’s not much fun to start a brand new file and attempt to collect all 201 bananas again. However, if its your first time playing and you haven’t beaten the game yet, there is a lot to do.

Fun Factor (8.5)-This is one of those game’s that you won’t beat overnight. It’s extremely fun to play and offers a lot to do. The multiplayer mode is decent enough and can be quite fun. But as mentioned above, the 1-player mode is seriously lacking in replay value.

Overall 9.5/10