Real Talk By: Ms. Throwback

Back in the late 90’s and early millennium, developer Rare was at the height of all things video games.  In March of 2001 they followed up their previous success with a bombshell title like we’ve never seen before. Enter Conker’s Bad Fur Day.  At first glance of the box art one might come to think they were picking up one of the many other family oriented platformers which were popular for the time.  Upon closer examination you might notice that the cartoon artwork was an overlay for a highly mature title.  The game follows an alcoholic, smoking squirrel on a quest to save his girlfriend through various titled and themed environments, and there is no end to the entertainment and hilarity that ensues.

Besides the amazing story line the first thing one will notice in the title is the unique character lineup.  Half of them are drunk bumbling idiots with a speech impediment who attempt to become heroes by assisting Conker on his adventures through the chapters.  Whether it’s a sleepy scarecrow, a premenstrual crying bee, or a never-ending pile of poop with a mouth the size of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, there is no end to the creative nature of these beasts and the flare that they add to the story line.

Conker takes on his enemies in hilarious ways too.  He has the typical moves of any platforming character at the time which including running and jumping but when he faces an enemy head on his weapon of choice is an iron skillet to the dome piece which makes a satisfying “CLANG” as you knock bad guys out cold.  Conker also uses his tail like a helicopter to navigate the levels.  While it might seem like these moves are nothing special, back in 2001 they most certainly were. Conker’s controls are tight and without fault.  There’s no way Rare would’ve known about their future downfall at this time, but it certainly seems like they used Conker to go out with a bang by making sure everything was perfect.

The tasks in the title are part of what makes it fun too.  Fighting a poop boss with toilet paper I’m sure is something that hasn’t been done before or since.  Getting past a clock gear that is cussing you out, or getting caught in the middle of a squirrel army battle are things that I can honestly say can only be done in Conker’s Bad Fur Day.  There just isn’t any likeness in the industry to this game and there might never be again.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day is full of all the things that could make a game great.  A fantastic story line, witty humor, amazing character interactions, fantastic music and sound effects, challenging platforming, high-grade graphics, and formidable enemies.  Even with the release of follow-up titles, namely Conker: Live and Reloaded on the Xbox almost four years later, nothing has been able to come close to the N64’s original title.  The unique ideas that were brought together to make this gem are just too good to skip over.  Conker has an awesome cult following. If you ever get a chance to pick up the console version or download any subsequent versions, it is a must-play title.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day  Gets

5 Out of 5

 

What’s Legit?

+Fantastic Story Line

+Witty Humor and Amazing Character Interactions

+Memorable Music and Sound

+Challenging Platforming with Tight Controls

+High Grade Graphics

+Challenging title

+Interactive environments and enemies are fresh

+Awesome Multiplayer

What’s Perpetrating?

– Watch that box art, it’s not a kids game 🙂

#Conker @Playlegit