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| | Title:
Conker: Live and Reloaded
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Adventure
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Publisher:
Microsoft
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Developer:
Rare
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Release:
March 2005
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Rating Pending
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Back in the Nintendo 64 days, Banjo Kazooie was arguably one of the best games out there. It doesn't hurt that it was developed by Rare, also the creators of the famous Donkey Kong Country games, Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, Star Fox, Battletoads, and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Rare was no doubt a leading developer for Nintendo. However, near the end of 2002, Microsoft purchased Rare for an alleged $375 million. After the purchase by Microsoft, many believe that Rare went through a dry spell where very few games were developed. Now, it appears as if they are coming back strong once again. With the release of the new Conker: Live and Reloaded and Perfect Dark Zero coming to the Xbox 360, Rare is finally getting back into the swing of things. The new Conker game is most comparable to the famous Banjo Kazooie on the Nintendo 64.
Story
The story line of Conker: Live and Reloaded is actually no different from Conker's Bad Fur Day. However, this is no reason not to play the game. Live and Reloaded offers new gameplay such as hectic Xbox Live action, upgraded graphics that are some of the best that Xbox has ever seen, wild and hilarious single player and a lot more. As the story goes: One night after spending the evening in a bar, Conker starts on his way home but is having a little trouble. Clearly he has had too much to drink and ends up getting lost. From then on, it is up to you to help Conker get back to his house so he can get some rest and nurse a hangover.
Gameplay
The entire Conker: Live and Reloaded game is based on a large amount of challenges that are arranged into different levels. The various challenges will range from feeding cheese to a mouse, to defeating a giant piece of poop inside of Poo Mountain, to helping a bee find her lost hive. After each challenge is completed, you will then be allowed to move on to the next challenge. There are about five or six separate challenges, and usually a boss per level. Total, there are nine different levels. For about three quarters of the game, the only weapon you will be using is a bat with a nail at the end. It doesn't sound like much, but most enemies are avoidable and just in the way. The last few levels the game transforms into a shooter and you are finally given a gun to use. Even though it sounds like the real action doesn't start until the last few levels, this is not true. The overall gameplay will have you staying up past your bed time.
Humor plays a huge role in Live and Reloaded, and is one of its main reasons for succcess. All the characters in the game are laughable and some of the things they say could have you rolling on the floor. Whether its the scarecrow Birdy that always seems to be drunk and makes almost no sense while talking, or a piece of corn that is screaming to put him down. Without the humor, the game wouldn't be nearly as fun or as worth your time.
The controls of Live and Reloaded are very simple and straight forward. You can bring out your weapon by pressing B, and then the right trigger to use it. There are three different kinds of jumps that Conker can perform--the normal jump, the high jump, and the tail spin. These three types of jumps will allow you to reach almost anything you need to get to, whether it is high, or out far in front of you. In terms of moving around, Conker can run, walk, or tiptoe as well as crouch and crawl around. Conker can also swim and use Context Zones around the different levels. The Context Zones allow Conker to do something that he usually isn't able to do. For example, most of the time it will allow you to use a weapon that you usually don't have access to. However, it is not always a weapon, but depends on what the situation is.
It's all About the Money and the Chocolate
Chocolate is good to eat and all, but to Conker, it is his life...literally. Instead of using some sort of health meter, your health is measured in pieces of a chocolate bar. You are a healthy squirrel when you have six pieces of chocolate, but Conker will being panting, out of breath, and on the verge of death when you only have one of these sweet morsels left. Luckily, there are plenty of chocolate pieces scattered around and they are fairly easy to find. Although the chocolate is bigger than Conker's entire head and mysteriously floating above the ground, when you walk up to a piece of chocolate (and don't have full health) Conker will devour the entire thing without even taking a rest.
The first time you die in the game is a classic. You are taken to the underworld you meet up with a very short grim reaper. He is reluctant, but eventually tells you that squirrels can actually get away with as many lives they think they can get away with. However, it's not that simple. Like a 1up mushroom, there are a few squirrel tails hidden around every level. If you pick them up, you will have an extra life and won't have to meet up with the grim reaper again.
For each job that you do for someone, most of the time you will receive about $100 in cash. The stack of cash is actually a character of its own. Every time you get near one or pick up one it will talk to you and Conker will talk back and then shove it in his pocket. For a large part of the game the money is collected, and then near the end you finally get to use it on something special.
Xbox Live
Playing on Xbox Live, and multiplayer in general, is a major plus for Live and Reloaded (hence the name). The action of online play is about as hectic as big team battles in Halo 2. Like in all other Xbox Live enabled games, you have the options to enter Quickmatch, Optimatch, Create Match, Private Match, and player statistics. The Optimatch in this game allows you to search all games, or set a few options such as game type, arena, and number of players before searching.
When you first start playing online or in multiplayer you are going to be confused. The HUD has tons of indicators, the maps are complex, and it takes time to actually learn who are the enemies and who are your teammates. However, once you get used to everything and have a better understanding of online play, you will really enjoy all the action. Online play is very in-depth and features a total of six different character classes, six different weapons of two types (Old War and Future War), five vehicles, and plenty of turrets mines, grenades, and other utilities.
Each map has a certain objective that you must complete in order for your team to win. Since you are on a team, you have to rely heavily on your teammates to help out in the missions. The objectives range from capturing flags, to keeping control of buildings, to recovering information. Teamwork is big, as it is in most online games. If everyone wants to go flying around in airplanes, or everyone wants to be using sniper rifles, chances are the opposing team will find a huge weakness and will end up winning the game. Because of this, it is important that your team is diversified in their roles on the team.
Not for the Kiddies
Although Conker: Live and Reloaded features tons of fuzzy squirrels and small teddy bears, this game was not made for the younger crowd. Throughout the entire game the language is quite bad, whether it's a paint can cussing you out, or a ticketed off pile of poop, the use of profanity happens all the time. There are also several references to the use of alcohol or other drugs throughout the game. For example, if Conker picks up a new pile of cash, he might say something like "Man, I'm going to get hammered tonight!"
Along with the profanity and drugs, there are plenty of sexual references throughout the game. Although Conker seems like an innocent little squirrel, he is really quite a character. The game is rated M and has about six reasons why it was rated M along with a notice on the front saying that the game is not for anyone under the age of seventeen.
Graphics
If you haven't noticed by the screenshots already, this game offers some of the best graphics on the Xbox thus far. The environments are cartoon like, but still extremely detailed. Everything from the lush, swaying, green grass to the elaborate and interested backdrops, there is always something to please your eye. Each level has it's own unique feel and look and each is connected to one another, making the entire world of the game complete.
Character models couldn't look better, and Conker, being the one you look at most, looks like a real, live, furry squirrel. Animations are also a huge plus in the graphics area of this game. If Conker is climbing a ladder upwards and then decides to start climbing down his tail will go from being pushed down to floating upward do to the wind. Simple animations and graphics like this throughout the game really add up and make the overall feel and look of the game top quality.
Audio
Besides the outstanding graphics, the audio is also an excellent aspect of the game. The dialogue of single player is hilarious and fits the game very well. Sound effects such as gun fire, explosions, and vehicle engines sound great and add a lot of feel to the game. Although these sounds are mostly only heard in multiplayer, the background music of the different levels of the single player is also well put together and fit the context of the game very well.
Overall
Although many thought it was all down hill for Rare after they were purchased by Microsoft, it is evident that they are making a strong comeback with this game that deserves to be in every Xbox gamer's collection. The graphics are sweet. The gameplay is hilarious and will have you playing for hours. The multiplayer and Xbox Live is hectic, full of things to do, weapons to use, and vehicles to drive. The audio is excellent. What else could you ask for? Maybe fuzzy squirrels and teddy bears aren't everyones idea of the great game, but in this game, its hard not to enjoy it. Conker is hardly your average squirrel.
| The Core Score |
Overall
9.2 |
| Fun |
|
9 |
| Gameplay |
|
9 |
| Graphics |
|
9.8 |
| Audio |
|
9.6 |
| Replay |
|
9 |
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