Conker’s Bad Fur Day Review – Definitive 50 N64 Game #13

The list so far: The Definitive 50 N64 Games

Gamers got their first experience with Conker in Diddy Kong Racing, where he was yet another one of Rare’s cute and cuddly creations. Let’s just say the little guy went through a lot before re-emerging in Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

Originally, Conker’s N64 game was going to be Conker’s Quest, and then it was Twelve Tales: Conker 64. Either way, the title looked to follow the Rare formula of furry, family friendly animals going on third person adventures.

It took awhile, but Rare finally found a unique take for the squirrel. The game that we ultimately got was foul, rude, crude, and very definitely M Rated. A strong argument against Nintendo’s, and Rare’s, unfair kiddie image.

What starts out as a drunken walk home for Conker rapidly spirals into an absurd series of events that sees the squirrel pegged to replace a king’s table leg, fighting a war against fascist teddy bears, and basically living under a constant threat of death.

In terms of its actual gameplay, Conker is a Rare-made 3D action platformer, and the basic feel is there, but don’t let the labels fool you. The developer stripped away much of what defined Banjo and DK64. There’s almost nothing to collect, and your abilities are actually quite limited.

Conker can run, jump, swim, swing a frying pan, hover, and… that’s about it. It’s only thanks to the game’s numerous context-sensitive pads that Conker can temporarily pull off anything more wild.

These allow him to wield the right weapons and pull off the right moves just when he needs them. At one point it’s a shotgun for blasting zombies, at another it’s flipping through the air in slow-mo to shoot at weasels.

I should probably explain that last bit. BFD’s outlandish tales frequently involve movie references, and even pull Conker into very obvious parodies that are certainly of its time. Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, etc. Maybe you feel that dates the game, but then maybe it’s old enough to be endearing at this point.

In between all of this are tons of fully voiced cutscenes. Bad Fur Day is actually one of the largest N64 games as a result.

Conker also includes a surprisingly deep multiplayer component comprised of 7 modes. Each of which has its own crazy ruleset. For example, Raptor throws dinosaurs against cavemen. You can either play a raptor trying eat the cavemen, or a caveman trying to fry up the dino’s eggs. Meanwhile, beach pits bunker-dwelling Tediz against harmless Villagers trying to evade their enemies.

Bad Fur Day was remade for the original XBox as Conker: Live & Reloaded, but unfortunately we haven’t heard much from the squirrel since.

Let me know what you think of Conker and the Definitive 50 in the comments section below. Don’t forget to like this video, share this video, and subscribe. Check back next week for entry #12 on the Definitive 50 N64 games.