With July coming to an end, it's about that time where we review the latest game of the month for the SuperPod Game Club. July's game was Conker's Bad Fur Day / Conker: Live & Reloaded.

Let's slam some brews and get to reviewing!

Aaron

What a wild ride this game was. I've played through the first half of the game many times in the past, but this attempt for the Game Club was my first time actually beating it! I legitimately LOVE 90% of the game. From the beginning to the spooky mansion, I was having a great time. Once I got to the war area, I got increasingly frustrated and debated on not finishing the game. Let's get to my thoughts.

First off, I played the Live & Reloaded remake of the game on Xbox Series X and it looks FANTASTIC. It could totally pass as an Xbox 360 game. On top of that, the loading times were super quick, the frame rate was pretty consistent, and the audio was fantastic.

The cartoony vibe of the game totally SHINES. It never takes itself too seriously, even at the end. It even goes as far as to spoof popular movies, like The Matrix, The Terminator, Saving Private Ryan, and Alien, but doesn't lean too hard on those to be funny.

The gameplay is pretty different. Instead of being like your typical 3D platformer of the time, Conker has more of an emphasis on puzzles and story. Instead of exploring and finding collectibles, unlocking new areas, and traversing using a diverse moveset, you'll be doing some light platforming and solving some environmental puzzles to proceed. It's actually really awesome.

As much as I enjoyed the game, there are a few problems that I have with it. Firstly, the lives system might as well not be in the game. You'll start with 3 lives that are consumed when you take too much damage. When you lose all of your lives, you'll get booted back to the load save screen and then back to your last checkpoint. With how frequently the game checkpoints, you really don't need lives AT ALL. If you die, you should just restart at a checkpoint and that's it.

My other issue with the game is the knockback. When you get hit or take damage, Conker goes FLYINGGGG. Depending on where you're in a stage, you could get knocked into a bottomless pit and die, get knocked several stories below and take serious fall damage, or get completely stun locked to death. It's insane.

All-in-all, I'd definitely recommend this game to folks who like platformers or puzzle games. While the war stage was seriously frustrating and the knockback and lives systems are so stupid, it was still a really good time.

Thrak

Conker, Conker…Conker. Where to begin?

This cult classic from the N64 era has been on my radar for quite some time but it took me this long to finally play it. Typical gamer behavior. I had both the N64 version through Rare Replay and the OG Xbox remake to pick from. I tried the N64 version first and after about an hour and a half, I noped out of it and played the Xbox version instead. I have this issue with games from that era being very janky to play and having next to no nostalgia for this era, I can’t forgive it. There are decent controlling games from that era and that console, but Conker was not one of them. Thankfully, the Xbox remake fixes those issues and adds a few things too.

First, the combat was completely redone to where you go to an over the shoulder camera for melee or ranged combat. There are also more enemies to fight, making this much more action focused, which can be a subjective matter of opinion. Personally, I thought it was fine. The control is improved here as well and was able to make it through, despite some frustration. This game is not a platformer, at least not in the traditional sense. It’s closer to an action-adventure game with a focus on the humor and ridiculousness of the world Conker inhabits.

To describe the plot would be to spoil the experience. I went into this completely blind and had no idea what to expect outside of poop jokes and breaking the fourth wall. There is that, but quite a bit more that had me laughing out loud and confused in the sheer weirdness of itself. In a way, this is a satire on video games in general while also poking fun at Rare itself. It doesn’t always hit its mark, but when it does it’s fascinating to me. Nintendo famously hated this game and Rare had to publish it itself.

When it came to Xbox, Rare wanted a fully uncensored version of the game. Microsoft had them censor it even more which can be off putting for old fans, but I grew up in an era of beeping out the curse words and there is a humor attached to that. These kids today don’t know the power a beep can have on comedy and this game manages to make it work against its own will. While not a perfect game by any means, I am glad I got to play Conker and experience a cult classic in the eyes of many. In some ways, this was Rare’s swansong from beloved Nintendo devs to filthy Microsoft makers. I may not agree with that stance, but this was an end of an era for them.

Overall, I recommend this one. 8/10.

Tony

Conker: Live and Reloaded is a raunchy parody of platformers of the era that takes cute animals and makes them do disgusting things. It’s very much a product of its time and doesn’t do anything new with the formula, but that’s not what the game set out to do. While I did enjoy the opening hours of the game, there is a moment around the halfway point where things go from being a relatively good time, to borderline unenjoyable due to genuinely bad game design.

The most frustrating part of the game for me was the race sequence where you have to chase down enemies and take them all out by whacking them with your weapon à la Road Rash in order to complete the level. This could have been a fun little mini-game if it weren't for the awful handling causing you to slam into everything and making it near impossible to avoid the dinosaurs that walk out right in front of you at the worst possible time. It was the only part of the game that gave me Sonic 06 levels of frustration.

The game's rather low brow humor isn’t normally my kind of thing, but the nonsensical storytelling and what I am sure was improvised voice acting got a good laugh out of me more than a few times. Oddly enough Live and Reloaded was toned down a bit compared to its N64 counterpart. I’m not sure if this was something forced upon Rare by Microsoft, or some kind of meta commentary about the hypocrisy of censorship, but for whatever reason most of the foul language was censored, while the violence and adult themes remained intact.

To my knowledge Rare has never commented about the reasoning behind the censorship and we’ll probably never know why until someone from the game’s development team decides to speak up about it. I personally didn’t really care that some bad words were bleeped out and thought that it actually added a bit to the humor, but I know there are fans of the original Bad Fur Day who consider Live and Reloaded the inferior version of the game because of it.

As it stands Conker Live and Reloaded is the best game we’ve played so far and I still had a good time with it despite all of its flaws. If you generally do not enjoy 3D platformers from the era, then chances are you probably won’t like this one either. Otherwise, I think it is a solid enough experience despite some of the grievances I may have towards it and one that I can recommend playing.

Adam

Conker: Live & Reloaded – Squirrel Shenanigans with a Side of Slapstick

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF A 19 YEAR OLD GAME!

Conker Live and Reloaded on the original Xbox is a reimagined version of the cult classic Nintendo 64 game, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Developed by Rare, this version introduces enhanced graphics, improved sound quality, and new multiplayer modes, offering both longtime fans and newcomers an opportunity to experience the twisted adventures of Conker the squirrel in a modernised package. Visual and Audio Enhancements One of the most notable differences between the original and Reloaded is the significant graphical overhaul. The Xbox's hardware capabilities allowed Rare to revamp the game's visuals, delivering sharper textures, more detailed character models, and dynamic lighting effects. The environments look more polished, and the characters are more expressive, making the humour and satire of the game even more impactful. The audio quality also sees an improvement, with crisper sound effects and clearer voice acting, enhancing the overall experience.

Story and Humour

The core story remains unchanged: Conker, a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed squirrel, finds himself lost after a night of heavy drinking and must navigate a bizarre world to find his way home. Along the way, he encounters a wide array of eccentric characters and parodies of popular culture. The humour is as crude and irreverent as ever, poking fun at everything from movies to video games themselves. This edgy comedy is the heart of Conker's Bad Fur Day Reloaded and is what sets it apart from other platformers of its time.

Gameplay Mechanics

Despite the visual improvements, the gameplay mechanics of Conker's Bad Fur Day Reloaded have not aged as gracefully. The platforming elements feel clunky and imprecise, with awkward camera angles often making jumps more frustrating than challenging. The combat system, which involves a lot of button-mashing and repetitive attacks, lacks depth and can become tedious over time. While the game does introduce some variety with different gameplay segments and mini-games, these are often hit-or-miss in terms of enjoyment (LOOKING AT YOU RACING SECTION).

Multiplayer Modes

One of the key additions in Reloaded is the expanded multiplayer component. The game offers several new multiplayer modes, including team-based games and competitive challenges. These modes provide a fun distraction and can be a great way to enjoy the game with friends. However, they don't do much to address the underlying issues with the core gameplay mechanics.

The ending of Conker: Live & Reloaded stays true to the dark humour and unexpected twists that characterize the entire game. In a surprising turn of events, Conker finds himself crowned as the King of all the land, a position he never wanted and one that leaves him feeling emptier than ever. Despite his newfound power, Conker is haunted by the tragic loss of his beloved Berri, and the final scenes underscore the game's bleak and cynical tone. This lack of a traditional happy ending highlights the game's subversive nature, reinforcing that in Conker's world, even the protagonist can't escape the consequences of his misadventures. The ending leaves players with a bittersweet taste, blending humour and tragedy in a way that is quintessentially Conker.

Conclusion

Overall, Conker's Bad Fur Day Reloaded is a mixed bag. The game excels in delivering a funny and irreverent experience that stands out from other platformers. However, its lacklustre gameplay mechanics and frustrating platforming prevent it from being a truly great game. For those who can appreciate its humour and are willing to overlook its gameplay flaws, Reloaded offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a fresh coat of paint. However, players seeking a well-rounded platforming experience might be better off revisiting Banjo-Kazooie.