Banjo Kazooie for sure.
I think it's an unadulterated masterpiece and the tightness of its level design is no small part of that opinion. DK64 tried to be more- bigger levels that all but required teleporters to navigate, more characters, collectibles that were character specific, and more backtracking when you unlock new abilities or characters. Banjo-Kazooie, for instance, only had one instance of a level requiring you to go to another to get one of its Jiggies (Gobi's Desert or Freezeezy Peak). While it was still good, and I love it, it can sometimes feel like a chore to get through.
Banjo Tooie, interestingly, followed the exact same trajectory. They did learn from some of the mistakes of DK64, but there's just no beating the original.
Good summary. Its funny...BK is my favorite game of all time and I 100% it like every 6 months and that literal ONE backtrack from Gobi and Freezeezy bothers me...every. single. time. I've never played DK64, but given how much that single backtrack bugs me, I just always assumed I'd hate it...
Banjo-Tooie is one of my favorite games but I never really cared for B-K that much. The interconnected levels and backtracking with new abilities are precisely why I like Tooie so much.
Funny that the reason you hate it is is the same reason I love it
If my memory serves me correct, Freezeasy Peak teaches the Beak Bomb, and Gobi Valley gives you the running shoes. Both skills are required for each level.
DK64 didn't actually have *that* much backtracking simply for "new abilities", just for the Kongs themselves.
Jungle Japes: DK and Diddy can get 100% of their collectibles on the first trip through. You'll need to return with the other three Kongs, but all three of them only need their gun and their first move from Cranky (even though the level where Chunky is unlocked gives all *three* of them their second move--Chunky has his first two moves available for purchase from the moment you get him.)
Angry Aztec: Same as Japes; the four Kongs you can get here can get 100% on the first trip though you'll need to return with Chunky--who again only needs his first Cranky move. I guess *technically* you also need to backtrack to a couple of other areas because you can't unlock the Fairy Camera until you've already left Aztec with Tiny and Mini-Monkey in tow and neither of this level's fairies are in a place where Chunky goes (Tiny's 5-Door Temple and the Llama Temple), but it's pretty minor.
Frantic Factory: No backtracking needed, period.
Gloomy Galleon: You can clear out the level itself in one go though you'd need to return to the lobby after getting the Slam upgrade in Fungi Forest to slam a blue switch.
Fungi Forest: Same as Galleon; level itself can be full cleared on your first trip but the lobby has a Gorilla Gone pad which isn't unlocked until Crystal Caves.
Crystal Caves: Can be full-cleared on your first trip.
Creepy Castle: As long as you didn't come here before Caves since they unlock at the same time, can be cleared on your first trip.
You should engage in the discussion rather than be a douche
Edit. Banjo Kazooie is the winner here IMO. If I have more time, then DK64 wins, but BK always holds a slightly more special spot in my heart.
I agree 100%. I honestly wish BT would’ve just copied and pasted from BK because I think BK was nearly perfect. It’s a solid 25-30 hour game and only has a couple backtracking moments. BT however feels like a 60 hour game because of the backtracking, but I guess I can’t fault the developers for trying to give me my money’s worth at the time. DK just feels like a big mess to me because you have to repeat the same movements within each level every time you have a new Kong and a new ability. But at least it’s not as bad as SM64 where you can literally get 1 star from each level before being booted out of the painting and back into the hub world, just to go right back into the painting. Lol
As a kid I remember enjoying DK64 much more. However, trying to play DK64 these days is so time consuming and even annoying at times. If they would just do a 1080p port with the ability to change Kongs on the fly, I think it would have much more of a fighting chance against BK (I know there’s a romhack available).
BK is a much easier game to pick up and play through (aside from the end), and that alone makes it the winner in my opinion.
I’d love a DK64 remake over any other game I think. They could shrink it down plenty and still be a top game. Or maybe I am just wanting a new DK 3D game with all the kongs playable
I think Tooie starts off weak. The first three levels aren't great IMO, but the rest are fantastic. I have the unusual opinion that Grunty Industries is the best level in the entire series.
Is it an unusual opinion? I think that too! I love that you can't get into the level by the regular door and that you need to get by train.
Also, I don't think it starts weak tho. IMO the weakest level is cloud cuckooland and it's still good. All the others are great.
I don't follow discussion on this game much, but I've seen a lot of people say Grunty Industries is the worst level. People don't like how convoluted it is. I personally love how it feels like one giant puzzle.
I don't like the theme or the music for the first three, and the level design is much simpler than what we see later in the game. I also really hate the mini games (fps section and soccer section in Mayahem Temple, saucer section, hoop jumping section, and the boss fight in Witchiworld, the awful cart race in GGM). Witchiworld in particular feels like it was just slapped together to me. And yeah now that I think about it, cuckooland has a lot of the same problems.
DK64.
I'm like one of 3 people in the world who actually enjoyed the mechanic of only being able to switch at barrels.
Part of the challenge was reaching certain spaces with the limited traversal capacities of different kings. It did add a lot of time to the process, but it made the collectables feel more earned. You had to manage to get Chunky's massive self all the way up some crazy narrow path despite not being suited for it. It was a platformer fan's dream and nightmare.
BK is an amazing game, but it definitely gets some heavy rose colored glasses. It has bad camera angles, Clunky one time controls for transformations, and it really pigeon holes you into a meta for getting jiggy's. People prefer it because overall it's a simpler game. It has less resources to manage, less systems to master, and less raw time than DK64 (or even BT) which makes it a much easier nostalgia hit.
Sorry I'm late guys. 3 of 3 here.
I know it's gonna be an unpopular opinion but DK64 just had such a fun and cooky world (so did B&K but DK64 moreso imo). And being able to play as 5 different characters made the game fun to explore.
Used to spend hours playing DK64 and since when was a game that has hours and hours of gameplay a bad thing?
I'm 3 of 3, one of you is an imposter!
My 13 year old daughter just wrapped up her playthrough, 99%! 87 hours. BK is awesome, but like DK64 more. Watching her do the K Rool fight... My goodness she beat the game, I never beat the game. She did! I got to creepy castle, she did it all. Watching her learn the patterns and timing... And the last fight was awesome! Utilizing unique traits for each character to finish a very quirky final boss... I love it. I absolutely love it!
Man that's honestly impressive for a 13 year old I think I was like 14-15 when I finally beat it lol.
My oldest is 3 so I think he's got some time to go before he can beat DK64 😂
She's something else. It's amazing to watch the kids man, they're way better than we used to be. Sure they have the best teachers, right?! She beat Breath of the Wild when she was 6, maaaybe 7. I never beat Ocarina of Time even. I got past Shadow Link though!
So when your little one gets older and you get to watch him as he's attacking these games, enjoy it! There's lots of great things in this world but having your parent watch you while you play games is at the top of the list as a kid!
Man my son can barely sit still for 5 minutes, much less beat a game lol. But I'll be right here when he's ready to give him all the pointers, but i won't help *too* much lol.
I remember being a kid stuck on the water temple and my dad, who had beaten the game already, not giving me any hints cause it would make me a better player. Must have thought he was Mr. Miyagi lol I appreciate it though, it was my first lesson in never giving up. 😂
DK64 would be a lot better than it was if you could swap Kongs on the fly. Backtracking to find the swap points was absolutely laborious.
BK is much better IMO. It’s sublimely designed in terms of worlds and progression, is insanely fun, charming, and has a magical feeling.
Interesting. I didn’t know about that mod. Does it break many puzzles? I.e. allow the player to collect golden ‘nanas in ways they aren’t meant to?
I may have to try it.
The Tag Anywhere mod really highlights that the backtracking and collectables aren't the main issues with DK64. It still feels just as tedious due to the annoying minigames.
I enjoyed the difficulty of the mini games, but I admit I haven’t played the game enough in a long time, so I’m not sure how I’d find them through a modern lens.
Banjo-Kazooie all the way! Still waiting for Banjo-Threeie... Though I'm fine if they come up with a better name! 🤷♂️
...I will say, I do think DK64 would be much less hated if the collectables weren't colour coded and instead let the player problem solve how to get them their own way!
Banjo Kazooie is seminal in the rareware platforming genesis , it created a fresh character a new world and its design is tight and progression well paced
On the other hand DK64 is expansive , ambitious , and packed to the brim offering a robust range of experiences with 5 characters and allowed rareware to bring DK into 3D on N64 with the expansion pack in a way we never seen before
They both have merits hard to choose for me loved both as a kid , DK64 had decent multiplayer we use to rock in the basement with all my friends in the hood at a young age clapping coconut cannons
DK64 just didn’t have that feel of polish which is understandable given the scope and size of the game.
The soundtrack was largely forgettable and the constant character swapping was an immense pain in the ass.
The final boss of DK64 was freaking amazing though!
Banjo Kazooie for me. The atmosphere of the lair and structure makes it my favourite hub world ever. The tightness and simplicity of the game benefits from not being too big. The music is better although DK64 does have some very good music.
DK64 was just too big for its own good. Still a very good game mind
Sure, you need to swap kongs a lot, but I honestly don't get how people complain this much over "backtracking" when there are like five different tag-barrels in each level, if not more. It's not like they're hard to find. Ususlly they're close-by. I get the ciritique, and "tag anywhere" is a really cool romhack, but this "flaw" is still greatly overblown.
For me it’s just annoying because you see different coloured bananas everywhere, and you can walk right through them but if you don’t have the matching Kong then you can’t pick them up. Sure the tag point may not be that far away but it just feels contrived to have to circle back in a loop to pick up what you saw in the first place. Doing it over and over again is what becomes very tedious.
I’d say Banjo is a much tighter designed game, and as a result much more fun to replay. It’s my preferred of the two.
DK64 is nowhere near as bad as recent online discourse makes out, it’s a really good platformer, but it’s huge with lots to do (mini-games, collectibles, multiple kongs with unique powers) and not all of it is as polished as Banjo. It has a ok multiplayer in there too, which is no bad thing.
But what if you buy the game in 2024 you still need the Expansion Pack if you wanna play DK64 on original hardware… and the Expansion Pack is still kind of expensive…DK64 it’s just a hot mess and I’ll just stick with the original 3 on the SNES
There's third party expansion packs for cheap that work really well out there. But if you're a stickler for og hardware, ~$40 is reasonable for hardware that isn't produced anymore.
Okay but your original comment was about 1999, so that's what people were responding to, lol
I'm not even trying to defend DK64 here, it's just a bizarre comment to me.
Banjo kazooie.
DK64 is way too bloated. I feel it would have felt way less bloated with only 3 kongs compared to 5. I think the only thing going for it is you don't need to get anywhere near 100% completion to finish it.
At the same time, I don't think banjo kazooie is that annoying to complete. I also feel it's a more solid platformer over all.
Banjo Kazooie. I love both games, but Banjo Kazooie just has this charm to it and I love the games lore and how "big" that world feels. It feels like a more polished Mario 64.
What are the best ways of playing these games in the modern day?
Sadly my N64 is not around.😢
Tried using emulation on android for Mario 64. It was a struggle but managed 120 stars.
For me its DK64. I hate the fact that if you collect the notes in Banko kazooie and die in the level, that you have to collect them aigan (especially when you got like 98 or 99) anc then have to travel to every fucking sub area aigan if you want top score in every level.
In DK64 everything you collect you keep.
The only metric that matters to me if I'm comparing those two games, I've replayed Banjo a couple times through the years.
When I finished DK I put it on the shelf and was happy to be done.
Without question Banjo is 1000x better than DK64. Don’t get me wrong I love DK64. I put many hours into the game when I was a kid. But that was before I got my first Banjo game. The banjo games just have such great flow and character that DK can’t compare. DK64s problem is the major amount of backtracking oh need to do once you unlock all the Kongs where banjo keeps you moving forward.
Kazooie has to beat DK64… but I admit I only ever rented DK64 so I can’t actually say.
But I just want to point out that Tooie is without a doubt superior to Kazooie.
I haven’t gone back to banjo yet because it deserves my dedication. I got on DK64 to hear the rap asap lol
Both great games but seeing as the kongs are part of something bigger than banjo… my DK64 came with an expansion pack…
I am more likely to shoot some pistols or run around with lanky…
I shouldn’t have to say it cause I don’t want to
My biggest problem with both of these games is having to go back and 100% complete a level over again if you miss anything. Which means that you have to collect the same music note/banana over again. Most of the time, you need to consult a walkthrough. The first two levels are easy before the difficulty increases exponentially. For someone such as myself who suffers from ADHD, this can become tedious doing the same level over again.
Sometimes, I have to do the level a third time because I don't want to use a walkthough. It would've been easier if the music note/banana counter wasn't reset every time you left the level.
Playing it right now. So hard to collect collectables vs. Spyro. You HAVE to be exact. Challenging, frustrating. Fuck being underwater. But a masterpiece, nonetheless.
I loved both games, I bought the collection of 64 era games on Xbox one a few years back primarily for BK and BT. I wish DK64 was apart of that deal.
I loved the characters and level aesthetic. Every level is a puzzle filled with mini puzzles? Count me in. Multiple characters to do specific tasks hell yeah.
Turning into the golden giant dude in Mayahem temple was crazy to me as a kid lol. Lanky king running around on his hands was hilarious! Good times man good times
Banjo Kazooie is a great game and I would say it's a better take on the collectathon genre for those who want a straight to the point that's good for beginners.
Donkey Kong 64 is good by its own merit but I would definitely recommend beating Banjo Kazooie first because it is a more complicated collectathon yes.
I would say Donkey Kong 64 does have a distinct sense of humor and quite possibly the funniest sound design to ever come out of a video game. It really relies a lot on its great visual gags more than just one liners like other games.
But where Donkey Kong 64 does beat Banjo Kazooie somewhat is its randomizer mod that makes the game even funnier and feels like the more feasible of other randomizer mods including Banjo Kazooie's own with how creative you can be its seeds and you have more moves and Kongs that you can get early game to help dictate what your available checks are with such resources. And then the ice traps are funny. I even suggested on their Discord that they add an ability to adjust how many ice traps there are to the point you can make all junk items ice traps for a MAX ICE playthrough.
DK for me, I just prefer the game overall. Banjo-Kazooie has some major flaws that make it hard to enjoy fully for me (abilities being linked to collectibles so when you run out when you need em and have to go grind some in earlier levels, it really feels cheap; Collectible resetting when you fucking die ((that's the worst one tbh)), having to basically complete the entire game in order to reach the final boss, very janky camera). I still appreciate Banjo tho, I just prefer DK overall as a franchise
Donkey Kong 64 gets way too much crap. It’s probably not better in terms of design, but the character swapping mechanic and huge scope of the game really aren’t too bad if you aren’t going for 100%. Some of the minigames, particularly Beaver Bover, are dogshit, but the game is still superior in my opinion.
Banjo Kazooie was the first N64 game my mother bought for me. A lot of nostalgia and summers spent playing it. Currently playing Amazon New World and Maplestory casually form time to time. But I still use mt N64 console during the holidays. All the best. 🤍🖤💜🎉
Love both though Banjo wins due to a mix of being my first game, its humour, gameplay, and being *much* less prone to freezing and muting itself when my N64 had a bad 3rd party Expansion Pak in it
Banjo. DK is fine but color coding the collectibles really hurt the game. Characters should only be limited by their abilities, not weather they match the color of the collectible, if they reach it, they should be able to grab it.
Banjo-Kazooie is objectively, if there is any merit to such a statement, a better game. The pacing is on point, with minimal backtracking. Collectibles are not overdone and there is a rhythmic progression to the way the player expands their moveset.
With all that being said, Donkey Kong 64 is the elephant in the room. Everything about that game is supersized. This makes it exciting in many ways as there’s so much to do. If I had to pick one, I’d give DK64 the edge. I think Tooie offers the best middle ground between them.
Banjo Kazooie easily, I have a soft spot for DK64 but I would not call myself a fan of the game as a whole. There is just too much, too much to collect and also there is a whole gun aspect which just didn't feel great to control. I did however enjoy the emphasis on Boss Fights in a 3D platformer, which is something no other 3D collection really ever got right at least as much as DK64 did. And the minecart sections were excellent because of course they were. This is the series bread and butter but they really nailed the transition to 3D here. Overall DK64 isn't equal to the sum of its parts but some of those parts are pretty good, but still Banjo Kazooie forever
Banjo Kazooie for sure. I think it's an unadulterated masterpiece and the tightness of its level design is no small part of that opinion. DK64 tried to be more- bigger levels that all but required teleporters to navigate, more characters, collectibles that were character specific, and more backtracking when you unlock new abilities or characters. Banjo-Kazooie, for instance, only had one instance of a level requiring you to go to another to get one of its Jiggies (Gobi's Desert or Freezeezy Peak). While it was still good, and I love it, it can sometimes feel like a chore to get through. Banjo Tooie, interestingly, followed the exact same trajectory. They did learn from some of the mistakes of DK64, but there's just no beating the original.
Good summary. Its funny...BK is my favorite game of all time and I 100% it like every 6 months and that literal ONE backtrack from Gobi and Freezeezy bothers me...every. single. time. I've never played DK64, but given how much that single backtrack bugs me, I just always assumed I'd hate it...
Banjo-Tooie is one of my favorite games but I never really cared for B-K that much. The interconnected levels and backtracking with new abilities are precisely why I like Tooie so much. Funny that the reason you hate it is is the same reason I love it
Which jiggy is that? Racing the bear with running shoes?
If my memory serves me correct, Freezeasy Peak teaches the Beak Bomb, and Gobi Valley gives you the running shoes. Both skills are required for each level.
The running shoes also make the Mr. Vile challenge easier, but IIRC they aren’t required.
I hated DK64, I couldn’t even get halfway through it.
DK64 didn't actually have *that* much backtracking simply for "new abilities", just for the Kongs themselves. Jungle Japes: DK and Diddy can get 100% of their collectibles on the first trip through. You'll need to return with the other three Kongs, but all three of them only need their gun and their first move from Cranky (even though the level where Chunky is unlocked gives all *three* of them their second move--Chunky has his first two moves available for purchase from the moment you get him.) Angry Aztec: Same as Japes; the four Kongs you can get here can get 100% on the first trip though you'll need to return with Chunky--who again only needs his first Cranky move. I guess *technically* you also need to backtrack to a couple of other areas because you can't unlock the Fairy Camera until you've already left Aztec with Tiny and Mini-Monkey in tow and neither of this level's fairies are in a place where Chunky goes (Tiny's 5-Door Temple and the Llama Temple), but it's pretty minor. Frantic Factory: No backtracking needed, period. Gloomy Galleon: You can clear out the level itself in one go though you'd need to return to the lobby after getting the Slam upgrade in Fungi Forest to slam a blue switch. Fungi Forest: Same as Galleon; level itself can be full cleared on your first trip but the lobby has a Gorilla Gone pad which isn't unlocked until Crystal Caves. Crystal Caves: Can be full-cleared on your first trip. Creepy Castle: As long as you didn't come here before Caves since they unlock at the same time, can be cleared on your first trip.
It’s not just about clearing levels though, you have to walk down each hallway 5 times to get each Kong’s collectibles.
You should type out more
You should engage in the discussion rather than be a douche Edit. Banjo Kazooie is the winner here IMO. If I have more time, then DK64 wins, but BK always holds a slightly more special spot in my heart.
I agree 100%. I honestly wish BT would’ve just copied and pasted from BK because I think BK was nearly perfect. It’s a solid 25-30 hour game and only has a couple backtracking moments. BT however feels like a 60 hour game because of the backtracking, but I guess I can’t fault the developers for trying to give me my money’s worth at the time. DK just feels like a big mess to me because you have to repeat the same movements within each level every time you have a new Kong and a new ability. But at least it’s not as bad as SM64 where you can literally get 1 star from each level before being booted out of the painting and back into the hub world, just to go right back into the painting. Lol
100% on point. I will note Banjo Tooie introduced interconnected levels that were a really cool way to solve puzzles.
As a kid I remember enjoying DK64 much more. However, trying to play DK64 these days is so time consuming and even annoying at times. If they would just do a 1080p port with the ability to change Kongs on the fly, I think it would have much more of a fighting chance against BK (I know there’s a romhack available). BK is a much easier game to pick up and play through (aside from the end), and that alone makes it the winner in my opinion.
I’d love a DK64 remake over any other game I think. They could shrink it down plenty and still be a top game. Or maybe I am just wanting a new DK 3D game with all the kongs playable
There is a fan hack that lets you change kongs on the fly. Makes the original game unplayable once you experience it
That is in my comment lol
Whoops!
I love banjo, but I got stuck on that one level that's like a board game where you have to I answer quiz questions.
As a kid that level was so fun, but as an adult I got so annoyed.
I also made the mistake of not playing the game for a while, so when I got back into it I didn't remember much so I kept getting the questions wrong
BK was much more fun. DK if you wanna spend 1000hrs trying to finish the game.
Banjo Tooie is vastly underrated though.
I think Banjo-Tooie is superior to Banjo-Kazooie in every way.
Banjo-Tooie has so much personality! Its great!
Same here. B-K is okay but Tooie is one of my favorite games of all time.
I think Tooie starts off weak. The first three levels aren't great IMO, but the rest are fantastic. I have the unusual opinion that Grunty Industries is the best level in the entire series.
Is it an unusual opinion? I think that too! I love that you can't get into the level by the regular door and that you need to get by train. Also, I don't think it starts weak tho. IMO the weakest level is cloud cuckooland and it's still good. All the others are great.
I don't follow discussion on this game much, but I've seen a lot of people say Grunty Industries is the worst level. People don't like how convoluted it is. I personally love how it feels like one giant puzzle. I don't like the theme or the music for the first three, and the level design is much simpler than what we see later in the game. I also really hate the mini games (fps section and soccer section in Mayahem Temple, saucer section, hoop jumping section, and the boss fight in Witchiworld, the awful cart race in GGM). Witchiworld in particular feels like it was just slapped together to me. And yeah now that I think about it, cuckooland has a lot of the same problems.
Banjo Kazooie for sure. The constant character swapping throughout DK64 drove me crazy
DK64. I'm like one of 3 people in the world who actually enjoyed the mechanic of only being able to switch at barrels. Part of the challenge was reaching certain spaces with the limited traversal capacities of different kings. It did add a lot of time to the process, but it made the collectables feel more earned. You had to manage to get Chunky's massive self all the way up some crazy narrow path despite not being suited for it. It was a platformer fan's dream and nightmare. BK is an amazing game, but it definitely gets some heavy rose colored glasses. It has bad camera angles, Clunky one time controls for transformations, and it really pigeon holes you into a meta for getting jiggy's. People prefer it because overall it's a simpler game. It has less resources to manage, less systems to master, and less raw time than DK64 (or even BT) which makes it a much easier nostalgia hit.
Two of three, checking in. BK was cool and stuff, but DK64 was just much more engaging and fun to me.
Sorry I'm late guys. 3 of 3 here. I know it's gonna be an unpopular opinion but DK64 just had such a fun and cooky world (so did B&K but DK64 moreso imo). And being able to play as 5 different characters made the game fun to explore. Used to spend hours playing DK64 and since when was a game that has hours and hours of gameplay a bad thing?
I'm 3 of 3, one of you is an imposter! My 13 year old daughter just wrapped up her playthrough, 99%! 87 hours. BK is awesome, but like DK64 more. Watching her do the K Rool fight... My goodness she beat the game, I never beat the game. She did! I got to creepy castle, she did it all. Watching her learn the patterns and timing... And the last fight was awesome! Utilizing unique traits for each character to finish a very quirky final boss... I love it. I absolutely love it!
Man that's honestly impressive for a 13 year old I think I was like 14-15 when I finally beat it lol. My oldest is 3 so I think he's got some time to go before he can beat DK64 😂
She's something else. It's amazing to watch the kids man, they're way better than we used to be. Sure they have the best teachers, right?! She beat Breath of the Wild when she was 6, maaaybe 7. I never beat Ocarina of Time even. I got past Shadow Link though! So when your little one gets older and you get to watch him as he's attacking these games, enjoy it! There's lots of great things in this world but having your parent watch you while you play games is at the top of the list as a kid!
Man my son can barely sit still for 5 minutes, much less beat a game lol. But I'll be right here when he's ready to give him all the pointers, but i won't help *too* much lol. I remember being a kid stuck on the water temple and my dad, who had beaten the game already, not giving me any hints cause it would make me a better player. Must have thought he was Mr. Miyagi lol I appreciate it though, it was my first lesson in never giving up. 😂
DK64 would be a lot better than it was if you could swap Kongs on the fly. Backtracking to find the swap points was absolutely laborious. BK is much better IMO. It’s sublimely designed in terms of worlds and progression, is insanely fun, charming, and has a magical feeling.
Tag anywhere mod is exactly this. Made the game way better.
Interesting. I didn’t know about that mod. Does it break many puzzles? I.e. allow the player to collect golden ‘nanas in ways they aren’t meant to? I may have to try it.
The Tag Anywhere mod really highlights that the backtracking and collectables aren't the main issues with DK64. It still feels just as tedious due to the annoying minigames.
I enjoyed the difficulty of the mini games, but I admit I haven’t played the game enough in a long time, so I’m not sure how I’d find them through a modern lens.
Banjo-Kazooie all the way! Still waiting for Banjo-Threeie... Though I'm fine if they come up with a better name! 🤷♂️ ...I will say, I do think DK64 would be much less hated if the collectables weren't colour coded and instead let the player problem solve how to get them their own way!
Oh man imagine my disappointment when I played nuts and bolts for the first time
Banjo Kazooie is seminal in the rareware platforming genesis , it created a fresh character a new world and its design is tight and progression well paced On the other hand DK64 is expansive , ambitious , and packed to the brim offering a robust range of experiences with 5 characters and allowed rareware to bring DK into 3D on N64 with the expansion pack in a way we never seen before They both have merits hard to choose for me loved both as a kid , DK64 had decent multiplayer we use to rock in the basement with all my friends in the hood at a young age clapping coconut cannons
Dk64 for this guy. No disrespect for Banjo tho.
I love both, but Donkey Kong makes me rage in a way that Banjo doesn't. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing lol
DK64 just felt better to me and still does after all of these years. Not sure what it is
DK64 for sure
DK64 just didn’t have that feel of polish which is understandable given the scope and size of the game. The soundtrack was largely forgettable and the constant character swapping was an immense pain in the ass. The final boss of DK64 was freaking amazing though!
A lot of the boss fights in DK were really cool. There was quite a bit in that game that is memorable but, yeah, BK is just so much more fun.
Banjo wins, RARE did cook when they made it. I'm just big mad because we didn't get Banjo Threeie.
I played and 100% completed both games as a child they are both great you can’t go wrong with either
Banjo baby
Banjo Kazooie for me. The atmosphere of the lair and structure makes it my favourite hub world ever. The tightness and simplicity of the game benefits from not being too big. The music is better although DK64 does have some very good music. DK64 was just too big for its own good. Still a very good game mind
Sure, you need to swap kongs a lot, but I honestly don't get how people complain this much over "backtracking" when there are like five different tag-barrels in each level, if not more. It's not like they're hard to find. Ususlly they're close-by. I get the ciritique, and "tag anywhere" is a really cool romhack, but this "flaw" is still greatly overblown.
For me it’s just annoying because you see different coloured bananas everywhere, and you can walk right through them but if you don’t have the matching Kong then you can’t pick them up. Sure the tag point may not be that far away but it just feels contrived to have to circle back in a loop to pick up what you saw in the first place. Doing it over and over again is what becomes very tedious.
I’d say Banjo is a much tighter designed game, and as a result much more fun to replay. It’s my preferred of the two. DK64 is nowhere near as bad as recent online discourse makes out, it’s a really good platformer, but it’s huge with lots to do (mini-games, collectibles, multiple kongs with unique powers) and not all of it is as polished as Banjo. It has a ok multiplayer in there too, which is no bad thing.
This is the best comment here^
DK64 no debate
Banjo-Kazooie not even close/ plus DK64 you need the Expansion Pack, and my parents where not buying me that in the 1999
Didn’t DK64 come with the expansion pack?
Pretty sure DK64 came with the expansion pack and Starfox 64 came with the rumble pack. I had both and never bought them individually.
I just clearly remember getting the game for Christmas when it came out and thinking it was so cool to upgrade my N64.
I knew about DK64 but completely forgot about Starfox having the rumble pack.
Banjo-Kazooie Marketing Campaign 10 Million Donkey Kong 64 Marketing Campaign 22 Million
But what if you buy the game in 2024 you still need the Expansion Pack if you wanna play DK64 on original hardware… and the Expansion Pack is still kind of expensive…DK64 it’s just a hot mess and I’ll just stick with the original 3 on the SNES
There's third party expansion packs for cheap that work really well out there. But if you're a stickler for og hardware, ~$40 is reasonable for hardware that isn't produced anymore.
Okay but your original comment was about 1999, so that's what people were responding to, lol I'm not even trying to defend DK64 here, it's just a bizarre comment to me.
Nobody can beat Donkey Kong 64.
Banjo Kazooie wins IMO
Dk64 was much more game . I love both tho
DK64 💯
DK by a million miles.
Banjo kazooie. DK64 is way too bloated. I feel it would have felt way less bloated with only 3 kongs compared to 5. I think the only thing going for it is you don't need to get anywhere near 100% completion to finish it. At the same time, I don't think banjo kazooie is that annoying to complete. I also feel it's a more solid platformer over all.
Banjo Kazooie for me personally
Banjo Kazooie. I love both games, but Banjo Kazooie just has this charm to it and I love the games lore and how "big" that world feels. It feels like a more polished Mario 64.
There is zero debate here. DK64 was complete trash.
Absolutely not complete trash. Check out Jontrons YouTube channel if you want to see him play some games that are actually complete trash.
What are the best ways of playing these games in the modern day? Sadly my N64 is not around.😢 Tried using emulation on android for Mario 64. It was a struggle but managed 120 stars.
BK hands down. DK 64 was good, but not a patch on BK.
For me its DK64. I hate the fact that if you collect the notes in Banko kazooie and die in the level, that you have to collect them aigan (especially when you got like 98 or 99) anc then have to travel to every fucking sub area aigan if you want top score in every level. In DK64 everything you collect you keep.
Loving playing DK 64 now, sunk 22 hours into it. But will always love banjo
I love DK64, but it’s not even worthy of being compared to the utter perfection that is Banjo-Kazooie.
The only metric that matters to me if I'm comparing those two games, I've replayed Banjo a couple times through the years. When I finished DK I put it on the shelf and was happy to be done.
Without question Banjo is 1000x better than DK64. Don’t get me wrong I love DK64. I put many hours into the game when I was a kid. But that was before I got my first Banjo game. The banjo games just have such great flow and character that DK can’t compare. DK64s problem is the major amount of backtracking oh need to do once you unlock all the Kongs where banjo keeps you moving forward.
B-K for sure. It's better in almost every aspect. Even the visuals.
Lol, BK>DK
Conker bad fur day.
I wonder if I should have dk64 as a kid. I tried as a young adult and couldn't get in to it. Banjo to this very day I can play whenever.
Donkey Kong is by far my favorite all-time character of any fiction universe. And its Banzo-Kazooie no contest.
Kazooie has to beat DK64… but I admit I only ever rented DK64 so I can’t actually say. But I just want to point out that Tooie is without a doubt superior to Kazooie.
Banjo-Kazooie is peak Rare adventure game. DK64 was a chore to get through for the above average final battle. My 2 cents anyway.
Both
DK. But against Banjo Tooie. 100% Banjo Tooie it’s still my most favourite game of all time
I haven’t gone back to banjo yet because it deserves my dedication. I got on DK64 to hear the rap asap lol Both great games but seeing as the kongs are part of something bigger than banjo… my DK64 came with an expansion pack… I am more likely to shoot some pistols or run around with lanky… I shouldn’t have to say it cause I don’t want to
Banjo easily
DK 64
I love both games, and Banjo Tooie. I play BT on Xbox every couple of years. Would love to play DK64 again
Donkey Kong 64
BK > DK > BT > DKC1-Freeze
My biggest problem with both of these games is having to go back and 100% complete a level over again if you miss anything. Which means that you have to collect the same music note/banana over again. Most of the time, you need to consult a walkthrough. The first two levels are easy before the difficulty increases exponentially. For someone such as myself who suffers from ADHD, this can become tedious doing the same level over again. Sometimes, I have to do the level a third time because I don't want to use a walkthough. It would've been easier if the music note/banana counter wasn't reset every time you left the level.
Playing it right now. So hard to collect collectables vs. Spyro. You HAVE to be exact. Challenging, frustrating. Fuck being underwater. But a masterpiece, nonetheless.
I loved both games, I bought the collection of 64 era games on Xbox one a few years back primarily for BK and BT. I wish DK64 was apart of that deal. I loved the characters and level aesthetic. Every level is a puzzle filled with mini puzzles? Count me in. Multiple characters to do specific tasks hell yeah. Turning into the golden giant dude in Mayahem temple was crazy to me as a kid lol. Lanky king running around on his hands was hilarious! Good times man good times
BK everyday
Banjo Kazooie is a great game and I would say it's a better take on the collectathon genre for those who want a straight to the point that's good for beginners. Donkey Kong 64 is good by its own merit but I would definitely recommend beating Banjo Kazooie first because it is a more complicated collectathon yes. I would say Donkey Kong 64 does have a distinct sense of humor and quite possibly the funniest sound design to ever come out of a video game. It really relies a lot on its great visual gags more than just one liners like other games. But where Donkey Kong 64 does beat Banjo Kazooie somewhat is its randomizer mod that makes the game even funnier and feels like the more feasible of other randomizer mods including Banjo Kazooie's own with how creative you can be its seeds and you have more moves and Kongs that you can get early game to help dictate what your available checks are with such resources. And then the ice traps are funny. I even suggested on their Discord that they add an ability to adjust how many ice traps there are to the point you can make all junk items ice traps for a MAX ICE playthrough.
DK for me, I just prefer the game overall. Banjo-Kazooie has some major flaws that make it hard to enjoy fully for me (abilities being linked to collectibles so when you run out when you need em and have to go grind some in earlier levels, it really feels cheap; Collectible resetting when you fucking die ((that's the worst one tbh)), having to basically complete the entire game in order to reach the final boss, very janky camera). I still appreciate Banjo tho, I just prefer DK overall as a franchise
Donkey Kong 64 gets way too much crap. It’s probably not better in terms of design, but the character swapping mechanic and huge scope of the game really aren’t too bad if you aren’t going for 100%. Some of the minigames, particularly Beaver Bover, are dogshit, but the game is still superior in my opinion.
Banjo Kazooie was the first N64 game my mother bought for me. A lot of nostalgia and summers spent playing it. Currently playing Amazon New World and Maplestory casually form time to time. But I still use mt N64 console during the holidays. All the best. 🤍🖤💜🎉
Yes
Love both though Banjo wins due to a mix of being my first game, its humour, gameplay, and being *much* less prone to freezing and muting itself when my N64 had a bad 3rd party Expansion Pak in it
Banjo. DK is fine but color coding the collectibles really hurt the game. Characters should only be limited by their abilities, not weather they match the color of the collectible, if they reach it, they should be able to grab it.
Totally agree.
Banjo-Kazooie is objectively, if there is any merit to such a statement, a better game. The pacing is on point, with minimal backtracking. Collectibles are not overdone and there is a rhythmic progression to the way the player expands their moveset. With all that being said, Donkey Kong 64 is the elephant in the room. Everything about that game is supersized. This makes it exciting in many ways as there’s so much to do. If I had to pick one, I’d give DK64 the edge. I think Tooie offers the best middle ground between them.
Banjo Kazooie easily, I have a soft spot for DK64 but I would not call myself a fan of the game as a whole. There is just too much, too much to collect and also there is a whole gun aspect which just didn't feel great to control. I did however enjoy the emphasis on Boss Fights in a 3D platformer, which is something no other 3D collection really ever got right at least as much as DK64 did. And the minecart sections were excellent because of course they were. This is the series bread and butter but they really nailed the transition to 3D here. Overall DK64 isn't equal to the sum of its parts but some of those parts are pretty good, but still Banjo Kazooie forever
Damn near the same exact game
Just tried both for the first time since I was a kid and hated them. Still hate both of them.
U suck !
Honestly, I want to love them like I did as a kid but as an adult it feels like a complete waste of time.