Conker's built upon everything Rare had learned developing for the N64 and as a result both the gameplay and the numerous in-engine cutscenes (a novelty on the N64) looked absolutely gorgeous. The finished product wouldn't be ready to launch until the waning days of the N64's lifespan, but when it was finally released it was everything gamers had been wishing for. It was so much like their existing titles, in fact, that Rare feared it would get lost in the shuffle and so a monumental effort to redesign the game was launched. At first the game was shaping up to be another in a stable of deep platformers with cuddly anthropomorphic protagonists, much like Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong 64. Rare had been working on a new title based around Conker the squirrel as early as 1997, tentatively titled Conker's Quest. Everyone assumed the N64 was finished, that Nintendo was focused on their new console and there was nothing left in the lineup that would appeal to those gamers who had "outgrown" the system. What few mature-rated games existed on the N64 were almost entirely first-person shooters with the occasional fighting game thrown in for good measure, but the action and platforming genres were by and large geared towards a younger audience. On top of this, the N64 player base had aged 5 years since the console launched and their tastes for more mature content in games was growing and emerging details of the soon to launch Gamecube only confirmed the opinions of many that Nintendo consoles were purely kid-stuff.
The PS2 had been out for about a year and the Xbox launch was just a few months away, and the graphical power of both consoles were making the N64 look dated by comparison. By the summer of 2001 the N64 was nearing the end of it's lifespan and the strain was starting to wear on it's considerable fanbase. The multiplayer mode would remain popular for at least two years after its initial release, remaining as one of the top 10 most played online multiplayer titles on Xbox at the time.E very now and then the universe aligns in such a way that the impossible becomes reality.
The 16-player multiplayer in Conker: Live & Reloaded relies on more popular modes players would see in classic war games like Capture the Flag and Deathmatch. The multiplayer mode in Conker: Live & Reloaded is completely new and is a step away from Conker's Bad Fur Day's four-person multiplayer. Even if the game wasn't the exact same as the original, the improved mechanics and quality won over many original Conker fans. While the overall playability and quality was improved, Conker's content took a hit under Microsoft with scenes cut, challenges removed, and dialogue censorship being a new feature many fans didn't count on. The graphics are vastly improved and so are the mechanics, making it a much more user-friendly experience to those who had played the game previously on the Nintendo 64. RELATED: Conker Deserves More For His 20th AnniversaryĬonker: Live & Reloaded is everything one would expect of a remake only four years after the initial was released. Conker 's Bad Fur Day was a cult classic from nearly the very beginning, but what followed wasn't exactly the same. A unique mechanic in this game that destroys the fourth-wall are the "context-sensitive" pads where Conker has access to a range of cartoon inventory abilities, pulling out just the thing in that moment for a good joke or to advance the plot. Most of the game will see players helping the wide cast of interesting characters with puzzles, races, or fighting bosses. In order to progress through Conker's Bad Fur Day, players will have to utilize a lot of standard platformer mechanics, including an overworld where they have access to each new game map that is blocked until Conker earns enough cash to unlock it. If it isn't obvious, this writing was a huge departure from previous Nintendo entries and was marketed to college-aged males.
In Conker's Bad Fur Day, players play as Conker in a quest to get back to his girlfriend after a night of binge-drinking that's left him lost. One such venture took shape in an infamous Nintendo 64 game. From strange accessories to unique movie-to-game adaptations, console developers were willing to explore new areas if it meant there was a potential of increasing their market share. The early days of console gaming was a wild place.