Donkey Kong 64 Review & Analysis (Part 1 of 2)

Part 1 of 2 of my in-depth analysis of Donkey Kong 64 for the Nintendo 64. Part 2 can be found here: • Donkey Kong 64 Review ...
It's finally here. Performing for you. If you know the words, I guess you can watch something else, because you already know what I'm going to say.
Sources:
Nintendo Life: Donkey Kong 64 Devs On Bugs, Boxing And 20 Years Of The DK Rap - Gavin Lane, November 2019 - www.nintendoli...
Romhacking.net: DK64 - Tag Anywhere - www.romhacking...
Thanks go out to the following folks:
- Kit Sovereign ( / kitsovereign ) for helping once again with the music analysis and editing, as well as the alternate Fungi Forest illustrations.
- Thanks to ‪@JasperRLZ‬ for noclip.website, and Jasper, Isotarge ( / isotarge ) and Mittenz (github.com/Mit...) for the DK64 reverse-engineering work that made the noclip footage possible.
- DK64 Commercials uploaded by CyberWorld 9000: • Video
- Hideout Helm transcription/arrangement by Toady musescore.com/... (arrangement was modified manually for presentation purposes)
- SiIvagunner (www.youtube.co..., for their endless supply of high-quality video game rips.
Twitter: / veegie_
SUPER ULTRA SECRET BONUS for cool people who actually read the description (watch part 2 of the video before you follow this link): • DK64 Review & Analysis...

[@Cybershell13]

The only video to even come close to accurately describing the experience of playing Beaver Bother.

[@nakedsnake468]

It’s just absolutely awful

[@TriforceElder08]

Weird seeing Cybershell on a video this small lol not a knock btw just an odd site.

[@ethanbrown5253]

HOLY HELL, IT’S CYBERSHELL

[@Readmit]

@@nakedsnake468 What about the two gold bananas from racing the stink bug with tiny then with lanky? Those are worse than Beaver Bother.

[@nakedsnake468]

@@Readmit lol I really didn’t mind them

[@Austinato88]

Never has there ever been a better assessment of 'Beaver Bother' than yours. Well done, sir; this made my whole week! Lol

[@terriblyterrified8742]

33:31 when your minigame is so unfun and poorly designed it turns the reviewer into the AVGN for a couple of minutes

[@Illumenoir]

When I tell you I spent HOURS on Beaver Bother as a 6 year old! I would cry out of irritation and I asked my older brother to play it. He was visibly frustrated but not as weak as my girly child self. My mom sensed his frustration and claimed that it could not be that bad. When she played it she managed to get it on the first try. A non-gamer parent beat it. Beaver Bother was definitely a family affair in my house. 😭😭😭

[@JitteryJackanape]

That beaver bother rant is legendary.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

One of the things that really makes Beaver Bother infuriating is that the beavers (as with most enemies in the game) have an aspect of their coding that specifically prevents them from falling off of ledges. But, that coding has a bug with its location detection, so there are ways that level geometry can converge to allow enemies to fall off of ledges when that's normally impossible. Beaver Bother is built around this bug You have to actively exploit a bug in the location detection code for the beaver's movements in order to complete the bonus game. The way the bug works means that the beavers can only fall into the central hole when they are moving at a very specific angle and they hit a very specific point on the hole's geometry. WHY WOULD YOU BUILD A MINIGAME LIKE THIS!?!?!?

[@Phillylove100]

OMG!! I started to wonder if this would ever come? I’ve been waiting years for this

[@Feltzer342]

About the beginning area... there's more, boys and girls: if you skip the area with glitches, then guess what? You can't swim, use oranges, throw barrels, or climb. In other words, that makes the tutorial even more mandatory! Isn't that just _swell?_

[@dwinterowd]

30:21 Subtitles. You don't say it, but I see you. 👀

[@joification2]

The music in Angry Aztec takes a few musical motifs directly from Rimsky-Korsakov's symphony "Sheherezade" to good effect I'd say. Just noticed that recently.

[@nolancho]

Probably the best analysis of dk64 so far!!

[@OnlineVideoSurfer]

I have a question for you. Do you think you're going to analyze any more of the Rare N64 games? Particularly Conker's Bad Fur Day. It doesn't quite fit the mold of the Banjos or DK64, but there's still a lot to analyze in terms of its mechanics, pacing, and even its own almost intentionally (in my opinion) anti-coherent overworld and general level design. I don't know if it's something you want to do, but it does feel perfect for your kind of analysis!

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

What do you think of Conker's Bad Fur Day?

[@OnlineVideoSurfer]

@@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 I like it, but Veegie has a knack for both dissecting and understanding design decisions that I really appreciate, even on the occasions I disagree.

[@gweatgawivarietydunk]

No way he's actually back Bless

[@TeleportBlock]

Also this is an amazing analysis, incredibly underviewed on and on par with matthewmatosis’ reviews. You deserve way more views and way more subs. I hope you keep making content cause this is amazing

[@croquedead3926]

When you reached the moment you were about to talk about that minigame, I was on the edge of my seat, knowing far too well what you were about to bash: BEAVER BOTHER! BEAVER BOTHER! You did not disappoint.

[@_miteo]

This analysis is super interesting! It points out a lot of things I felt without being able to tell during my playthrough

[@GoldenYoshi1]

Really like this review, and I found that flowers and mushrooms idea for Fungi Forest really cute for some reason XD

[@Readmit]

I have been waiting years for Veegie to make this review. Please also do Conker's Bad Fur Day when you get a chance. I can't wait to see this.

[@benjiblas708]

I JUST REWATCHED THE OTHER VIDEOS IN THE SERIES!! WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE!!!

[@OkayNano]

I come back and watch both parts of this video every couple of months because I love this game so much and you literally describe the game perfectly. As much as my nostalgia got in the way of me understanding truly just how terrible and annoying this game is, it still has a special place in my heart to this day. I don't think I'll ever come across a similar level of satisfaction every time I booted this game up as a kid. Despite its many, many flaws, I'd still recommend people to give this game a try simply because it has charm that you just don't find in platforming games today, especially if you use the modded rom for quick Kong change using the d-pad, that alone solves 90% of the games problems.

[@partlyawesome]

The beaver bother portion is art in video form

[@TyGuy9001]

YOOOOOO I’ve been waiting for this for years! This is super cool! Thanks for making these!

[@phyllojoe5346]

Your description of beaver bother is poetry

[@joeltaylor3189]

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat i was literally sat watching your Banjo Tooie video yesterday and thinking about how this video will never come out lmao

[@nikomint4894]

I know its a lot of nostalgia but for me this game is perfect. I just love the vibe and the world and everythig

[@chrisl8062]

Ive been subscribed for years just for this video, nearly died laughing about beaver bother lmao

[@kassiew624]

I agree; the music in Frantic Factory is truly amazing!

[@TriforceElder08]

Dude it is so nice to have you back! Very excited to see more content from you in the future.

[@davion4777]

Game has a lot of charm and personality. If it wasn’t that absolutely bloated with character locked collectibles, it would actually be a great game. The mod that lets you swap characters any moment, is huge and actually saves this game.

[@pranavrao6370]

How is Gloomy Galleon worse than Terrydactyland?

[@4thechivostreamsarchive586]

Bro.... You ok bro? I feel like Beaver Bother may have broke you in every capacity lol

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

20:18 I laught way more than I should have at this little roast:)

[@rk9515]

33:31 is where I think he say talking into his Mic and you can slowly see his eyes turn red. All the while the men in the white coats come and wrap him in his happy jacket bc he's actually talking to the wall bc DK 64 and stolen his sanity. He think he's still home playin DK 64 when he's been in his happy little room for years upon years hearing the happy music play over and over and over and over and over. Mr. Beegie time to take your medicine.... Mr. Veegie....

[@ScuttlebugJam]

Such focused and strong diction

[@animalanimation5110]

How are the metal gates in Gloomy Galleon any more random or lacking in thematic intelligence than RANDOM GREEN PIPES in Mario games (the very same games you just referenced?)

[@psychic-paranoia8020]

So it's finally here!

[@ryanjbuchanan]

Masterfully said. The epitome of quality over quantity

[@ECL28E]

What's the point of the orange grenades?

[@OnlineVideoSurfer]

To lag the game for glitches??

[@womp6338]

more random crap to fill out another button combination

[@pranavrao6370]

You gotta talk about Conker's Bad Fur Day

[@stashallemagne4488]

35:20 i like this one. yeah

[@bodacious117]

Nintendo needs to take a page out of capcom’s book and remake this game for today.. so much could be changed to make this game a lot better

[@spyroG3]

Holy cow, it really happened!

[@alekseimaccleod3899]

He did it. Mad lad actually did it!

[@confaffalator]

10 year old me played Beaver Bother and never had a problem. Why? Because 10 year old me knows that nobody walks into a hole just like that, they have to fall in from the side.

[@firenze6478]

Exactly! The tnt outlast was way harder than beaver bother.

[@firenze6478]

I feel like I’m going insane because not only did I find bb not that hard, but I actually liked it

[@TheKalaFish]

I cant believe nobody notices that the beaver's sight has to be away from the hole in order for the beaver to fall into it, at least that always works for me and the minigame isnt that hard. it is the most difficult, sure, but shouldnt take over 3 attempths to beat it, It is still not fun to play, but people always rage when running desperately and mashing A doesnt seem to work...

[@nicktamburri5264]

Don’t care what you say, this game is my favourite!

[@deboxmojave6541]

Why is it always the most enjoyable KZbinrs who have the lowest subscription count? Awesome videos - really well done. I guess you just have to sell your soul and add relentless meme references and edits with obnoxious sound effects in order to reach the wider audience.

[@lucaschannel1113]

Guy please come down about Beaver bother okay!!!

[@pranavrao6370]

You gotta review the Mario movie

[@lioncache]

oo oo ahh ahh ohhh banana...

[@pranavrao6370]

Beaver Bother broke Veegie...

[@kirilivanov7677]

2mk

[@pyrrhickong]

Am I allowed to cry at the Beaver Bother bit? You've come so far since laughing at yourself for saying the word "Rare" in a Banjo video. I'm so proud. You already know video good. But Hell I'll say it, video good!

[@stickmandeth]

That Beaver Bother rant was well worth the 4 year wait. Bravo. 👏

[@darksoul1004]

I mean, I hate that game too, it pretty much made me decide to NOT 100% DK64 on my channel, and if I ever found it I would just leave immediately, but I didn't think people felt THAT strongly about it! The whole rant made me laugh!

[@josephfox7068]

really, beaver bother wouldn't even be in the top 3 hardest if it wasn't for the collision for the hole being completely broken, not letting the beavers in!

[@JarrenCrist]

I'm one of the folks that was waiting and hoping to see this come out some day, and I'm excited to watch! Thanks for your hard work on this and for enduring my messages years ago asking "when is it coming?" haha

[@Blade-hf9po]

"Beaver bother is the unholy spawn of Satan" - This sentence made my entire week, thank you.

[@nathanhachey]

I know everyone has pointed it out, but the Beaver Bother monologue was a creative writing masterpiece. So relatable and funny at the same time. wELLlll dONNnnee!

[@whomdunit2457]

It's insane to hear how confident you are in your speech compared to the Banjo reviews. Insane glow-up

[@Veegie]

Aw. Thanks so much! 5 years, new audio equipment, and a bit of extra confidence will have that effect.

[@hbomberguy]

Here here here we go

[@thomaslow9733]

i'm so glad you know about this channel

[@DJ_Knuckles]

Normally don't comment on any videos i watch, but this was such a pleasant surprise in my sub box. I assumed the channel was lost forever, and so happy to be wrong!

[@thierrys85]

After more than 2 decades, Beaver Bother still causes my heart to sink whenever I think about it. Successfully completing it is one of the few life goals I know for sure to be forever unattainable. God, that music.

[@MagerBlutooth]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe DK64 still has that world record over 20 years after the fact.

[@HeyItIsMichal]

Still does.

[@DannyDeVoid]

You sound like an American Matthewmatosis. Also this is my favorite look at DK 64 on all of KZbin :)

[@Rubberman202]

"DK64's first impressions suffers heavily without the same level of care seen in the Banjo games" Honestly, the lack of care and polish might be one of the biggest gripes I have with Donkey Kong 64 as a whole. It has so much personality and fun stuff on one end, but is so lacking and devoid of personality in other respects, but even then that doesn't even begin to cover the amount of weird bugs and hit detection issues the game has. It just lacks that polish I'm used to seeing in Rare games, which makes me wonder just what the development time for this game was (I at least knew this wasn't made by the same team as the Banjo-Kazooie team at Rare, after all, Banjo-Kazooie came out the previous year and Banjo-Tooie came out the year after, it'd be impossible for them to crank out three games year after year like that). Also, I agree with you regarding "too many collectables", it's not so much the amount of collectables, it's that you have to be a certain Kong to collect certain collectables, which means you need to go back to the Tag Barrel and swap them out constantly whenever you come across anything that requires a certain Kong to either pick up or do anything with. Other than that, I don't have much to add on top of what you said, I either agree or found your observations fascinating regardless. This was well worth the wait! (you really had me in stitches with that Beaver Bother bit, by the way, not to mention it's all 100% accurate)

[@erikondrums]

Once every 6 months or so I look for reviews of games I played as a kid. And now I find your 2 videos that amounts to more than 80 minutes! This Sunday got so much better now!

[@kitsovereign4127]

damn I dunno who this Kit Sovereign dude is but it sounds pretty rad This is a pretty incredible watch. It's wild to see the lengths you went through to illustrate the various points, and I'm glad I was able to help contribute to that. What an undertaking and a joy to watch.

[@tashan7135]

Dude the beaver bother description is so amazing 😂😂☠️ spot on thank you hahaha

[@fernboo2379]

YES IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS AND I AM NOT DISPPOINTED!!!! well done man!!!! :))

[@jaynajuly2140]

"and a shooting gallery, and a shooting gallery, and a shooting gallery, and a shooting gallery, and a-"

[@BananaMana69]

Donkey Kong is hated by people who resent the fact they dont have as much time to play it as they did as children.

[@ImageVersusImage]

I can't believe I've waited almost several years for a review of a game I've never even played.... ...worth it

[@spyroG3]

same

[@likessox92]

No way, is this real? You made my MONTH dude!

[@animalanimation5110]

I'm not sure how the backtracking in this game (seeing an obstacle that can't be overcome with a particular Kong at that time) is any different from backtracking in any other game such as Metroid or Zelda, or (to go back to the Mario games you referenced) realizing you can't reach something unless you backtrack and find a powerup such as a flying cape.

[@fictionalmediabully9830]

In the case of Zelda and Metroid, the former is an adventure game that sees the player go on a laborious journey, and the latter is all about non-linear exploration. I haven't played Zelda to a significant degree, but I have played enough Metroid to know how satisfying it feels to grow stronger, breeze through initially hard levels, and be able to uncover more that wasn't possible before. Donkey Kong 64 is an action-platformer that is attached to the collectathon sub-genre; these types of games don't usually benefit much from backtracking as they're designed to be less methodical and more like you're eating fast food. That, and I've played enough of the game to know that the multiple playable characters and unlockable moves come off as arbitrary keys rather than genuinely broadening the moveset for more intuitive and fun traversal. As for the caps in Super Mario 64, they do act the same, but there's only three of them and very few stars are locked behind them, so they pass off more as brief mechanical challenges. That, and having to come back to a level doesn't matter nearly as much as the fact the game kicks you out of a level after grabbing a star that isn't secret for a 100-Coin one.

[@antenna_prolly]

When I heard _Yooka-Laylee_ had "minecart sections," I was very disappointed to find they didn't mean _DK64-style._

[@SnoozeYaLose]

Thank you so much! I loved the Banjo videos, and I have patiently waited for this one to appear. You make quality content, thanks again!

[@jonsmith5058]

The main positive about this game for me is it gave me an expansion pack, which I needed for better games. The game itself is a slog and a chore and I still bear resentment that I couldn’t 101% cause I had a PAL version and the mechanical fish is impossible without lag reduction which of course didnt occur to me and was not understood on the internet at the time, you were simply told ‘works for me, try harder’

[@DemonWhisper1]

The 3 best minigames in dk64 1. Shooting Gallery 2. Shooting Gallery 3. Shooting Gallery

[@ryanstiles3364]

W E L C O M E T O B O N U S S T A G E

[@punishedchad8733]

The rant leading up and culminating around 36:15 had me in tears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@wtfkc]

hahahaha your rant about the beaver mini game cracked me up! this is awesome great review

[@TRQDude]

I've been waiting years for this. I didn't think it was ever going to happen. Glad to see you're finally finishing the series which was the reason I discovered your channel.

[@angiectoan4543]

There's one point that you forgot to mention on Gloomy Gaeon that saves the level imo. And that is the fact that unlike other n64 3D plats, you have no breath meter. This makes swimming a much more relaxed experience and lets you take things at a slower pace which fits Gloomy Galleon well. Still hate that mechanical fish though.

[@BobbyBroccoli]

The information density is just perfect. Never played this game but I feel like I know it inside and out

[@golgarisoul]

OH BANANA

[@Natendo]

Have to say really liked this. I just like videos of people talking about DK64 in general but this went into great depths

[@arthurpietrogarcia1057]

Why the funk do the in my opinion the best reviews on the N64 rare games have a bunch of views but almost no likes?

[@arthurpietrogarcia1057]

because of this I only discovered your channel like yesterday.

[@tinfoilslacks3750]

Playing Beaver Bother enough I can beat it on my first try consistently fills me with equal parts pride and shame

[@firenze6478]

I can do. It’s not that hard when you figure it out.

[@JonnyCrawford]

33:30 Everything about this oh my gosh yes!!

[@gets187]

I definitely enjoyed this game as a kid however as an adult, I recently downloaded this game on an N64 emulator and got bored quickly due to the repetitiveness

[@whomdunit2457]

Donkley korng

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Bug Bug Bash! UGH! That one drove me nuts. One could clearly see the times when the swatter makes contact with the fly yet it was miss! Also, good job on the Beaver Bother excoriation! 😂

[@WaddleDee105]

Holy shit... The KING has returned!

[@thomaslow9733]

yo, as somebody who's always felt that his keen childhood nostalgia for these games is rarely reflected in critiques, i've watched your Banjo videos many times over. i didn't think we'd get the next installment and i'm so psyched somebody gets the same thrill from Creepy Castle as I do. great work!

[@matthewbankey5547]

Hearing you say the mixed reputation of Donkey Kong 64 is the reason you did these videos in the first place is a surprising reveal, since there was no indication that was the case at all in the previous videos. If anything, the intro to the Banjo-Kazooie analysis implied the driving force behind this series was the revival of 3D collect-a-thon platformers. It’s interesting that you would bury the lede up until you finally got to Donkey Kong 64.

[@mariut00]

This is a very good video, instead of just opinions, you are stating facts as they are, highlight goods, bads and what could have been done better. Im sick of the perpetuating hate for Tooie and DK64 for no reason; Making Valid points its the way to go. Props to you Veegie

[@Mynestrone]

very entertaining!

[@kawaii801]

Having a bus fight in the beginning of the game would actually be really good. It’ll make it even more better. They don’t have a dark misty feeling but you know when you see the boss you have to face it. You have all your moves unlocked by there anyways except for the cranky move, you still have to earn that.

[@Jungbeck]

Nice video. Constructive criticism: The volume of your voice is way too high compared to your video evidence. Or more accurately, the videos are way to low in volume. Otherwise, nice job! 😊 The Beaver Bother section was relatable and hillarious

[@remysadventures-official8357]

30:23 Anyone else noticed? lol Anyways I subbed! For content and that piece of info alone lol

[@aaronrowell6943]

Something tells me you don't like Beaver bother very much You're awake and my repressed memory is about how hell is that game is I still don't think I finished it ever in my playthroughs