Conker: Live & Reloaded is a platform video game developed by Rare and exclusively released for the Xbox in June 2005. The single player mode is a remake of the 2001 game Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64.However, it includes a new multiplayer mode that is different from the Nintendo 64 version using Xbox Live.Development started the moment the studio was bought by Microsoft in 2002. Choose between six combat specialists each packing distinct weapons, abilities, and vehicles. Play with yourself: Revel in the single player version of the award-winning Conker’s Bad Fur Day®, reloaded with stunning graphics. Laugh your tail off: Conker’s outrageous movie parodies and humor will have you rolling on the floor.
Conker: Live & Reloaded | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Rare |
Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
Designer(s) | Chris Seavor |
Programmer(s) | Chris Marlow |
Artist(s) | Stephen McFarlane Louise Ridgeway |
Composer(s) | Robin Beanland |
Series | Conker |
Platform(s) | Xbox |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Conker: Live & Reloaded is a platformvideo game developed by Rare and exclusively released for the Xbox in June 2005. The single player mode is a remake of the 2001 game Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64. However, it includes a new multiplayer mode that is different from the Nintendo 64 version using Xbox Live. Development started the moment the studio was bought by Microsoft in 2002.[1] In 2018, Live & Reloaded was made backwards-compatible with the Xbox One. It was also added onto the Microsoft Store as a digital copy.
Multiplayer and gameplay[edit]
The Multiplayer in Live & Reloaded uses the same third-person perspective as the single-player game. Multiplayer consists of different game modes such as Capture the Flag or the standard Deathmatch modes. The player may participate as a member of the SHC or the Tediz. As well as a choice of soldier, the game has a choice of 'classes' which significantly affect play style.[2]
Each class has its own special equipment, special abilities, and physical capabilities, each being designed for a distinct purpose. They are also designed to have advantages against certain classes while being vulnerable to others. For example, the Thermophile's flamethrower inflicts extreme damage on Sneekers and Long Rangers, who have less health, but is virtually useless against the high-vitality Demolisher. Each class comes equipped with a primary weapon with unlimited ammunition (although reloading of the weapon is still required), a limited stock of grenades, and at least one special ability. Each class can also choose from several specialist ordnance items and vehicles unique to the class, which can be obtained at stations in team bases (however, an option is available to the host of a server to disable one or both features). Abilities common to all classes are the ability to shoulder all weapons for extra running speed, and a Spray Can that can be used to apply the player's avatar image to walls to mock human opponents. Scattered throughout the arenas are yellow Upgrade Orbs, which grant a player more equipment and abilities when obtained. A player loses his upgrade orb upon death, allowing another player to obtain it.
Terminals are found in every mission, usually near a base. Terminals are computers that dispense useful items or vehicles, and can be accessed by a player during the game. When accessed, the player is given a menu of the available items. When an item is chosen it can be picked up at an adjacent dispenser area. The objects received from the terminals disappear upon the death of the player that obtained them. Terminals may be neutral and available to both sides, or under the control of one side. Terminals can be attacked and disabled, but not destroyed. If damaged or disabled, they can be repaired with an arc weld, issued to the Demolisher and Sky Jockey classes. Neutral or enemy-controlled terminals can be hacked with a Sneeker's hacking device. There are two types of terminals: Specialist Ordinance terminals, and Mobile Units terminals.
Censorship[edit]
The game was originally titled Conker: Live and Uncut and was to feature a completely uncensored single player experience. At some point during the development of the game, this was changed and the game was released with some censorship.[3] The censorship included that of some obscenities which were present in the original N64 version. This drew criticism from fans of the original, especially as it detracted from comedic highlights such as the 'Great Mighty Poo' song in the Sloprano chapter. This song was also censored on the soundtrack, and Rare once had the uncensored Xbox version of the song on their website.
Like the original, the game was rated M by the ESRB and carried warnings about its content as well as Rare's promotional spoof warnings that advertised the fact that the content of the game was explicitly 'adult'.
Reception[edit]
Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Conker: Live & Reloaded was received positively by critics for its presentation and graphics.[2][12] The game was named IGN's 'Best of E3 2005' in the category of 'Best Graphics' for Xbox.[17] However it was criticized for changes to the single player campaign compared to the original, such as the removal of certain challenges, and the lack of refinement in areas such as facial animation that was perfected on the Nintendo 64. IGN didn't find the new multiplayer to be as fun as the original.[2]
The multiplayer mode (new in this version of the game) remained popular well into 2007 (over a year and a half since its release) when it remained in the top 10 most played online titles for its platform.[18]
Maxim gave it a perfect ten and stated that, 'up to 16 people can torch each other. It's more of everything you loved (and decent people protested).'[19]The New York Times gave it a favorable review, stating, 'The game is essentially a burlesque of every game featuring cute forest creatures. It has the sort of platform-jumping, rope-climbing, monster-whomping challenges seen in many of these games, but adds foulmouthed animals, scatological humor and gallons of vividly scarlet cartoon blood.'[20]The Sydney Morning Herald gave it four stars out of five and said, 'The potty humour will not be to everyone's taste but many films are hilariously lampooned.'[16] However, Jim Schaefer of Detroit Free Press gave it three stars out of four and said that he found it 'amusing to relive some of Conker's bawdy behavior, but I wish they would have come up with a new story rather than remaking the old one.'[15] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four sevens, for a total of 28 out of 40.[8]
References[edit]
- ^'Interview with Chris Savor: The Voice of Conker at Rare-Extreme'. rare-extreme.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2016.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ^ abcdGoldstein, Hilary (17 June 2005). 'Conker: Live and Reloaded'. IGN. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^Goldstein, Hilary (12 April 2005). 'Conker: Playing with Yourself'. IGN.
- ^'Conker: Live & Reloaded for Xbox Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^Edge staff (August 2005). 'Conker: Live & Reloaded'. Edge (152): 93.
- ^EGM staff (August 2005). 'Conker: Live & Reloaded'. Electronic Gaming Monthly (194): 115.
- ^Reed, Kristan (27 July 2005). 'Conker: Live & Reloaded Review'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ abKhalid-S (22 June 2005). 'this week Famitsu Reviews'. NeoGAF. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^Reiner, Andrew (August 2005). 'Conker: Live & Reloaded'. Game Informer (148): 103. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^Dodson, Joe (23 June 2005). 'Conker: Live and Reloaded Review'. Game Revolution. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^Navarro, Alex (21 June 2005). 'Conker: Live and Reloaded Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ abWilliams, Bryn (22 June 2005). 'GameSpy: Conker: Live and Reloaded'. GameSpy.
- ^Hopper, Steven (21 June 2005). 'Conker: Live and Reloaded Review - Xbox'. GameZone. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^'Review: Conker: Live and Reloaded'. Official Xbox Magazine: 82. August 2005.
- ^ abSchaefer, Jim (10 July 2005). 'Online 'Conker' challenges multiplayers'. Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on 12 July 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ abHill, Jason (14 July 2005). 'Battling on'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^Xbox Best of E3 2005 Awards
- ^Lary 'Major Nelson' Hryb, Top Xbox LIVE Games of 2007 (Retrieved from the Internet Archive.)
- ^Maxim staff (21 June 2005). 'Conker: Live and Reloaded'. Maxim. Archived from the original on 1 July 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^Herold, Charles (2 July 2005). 'That Drunken Red Squirrel Whomps Again'. The New York Times. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Conker: Live & Reloaded |
- Conker: Live & Reloaded at MobyGames
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conker:_Live_%26_Reloaded&oldid=903381036'
Conker: Live & Reloaded | |
---|---|
Developer: | Rare |
Publisher: | Microsoft Game Studios |
Programmer: | Chris Marlow |
Designer: | Chris Seavor |
Composer: | Robin Beanland, Martin Penny |
Release dates: | June 30, 2005 (JP) June 21, 2005 (NA) June 24, 2005 (PAL) |
Genre: | Platformer, action |
Modes: | Single player, multiplayer |
Ratings: | ESRB: Mature PEGI: 16+ |
System: | Xbox, Xbox Live |
Media: | DVD |
Input: | Xbox controller |
Conker: Live & Reloaded is a Third person shooter/platform adventure game released for the Xbox in 2005. The single player campaign mode is in most respects a remake of the original Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64, however with updated graphics and higher audio quality. The largest change to the game is a brand new multiplayer mode, known as Xbox Live & Co..
With the December 14, 2006 backwards compatibility update, the game can now be played on the Xbox 360. However, it does suffer from several minor glitches.
On April 17th, 2018 a backwards compatibility update for the Xbox One allowed users to purchase the game digitally or insert the disc and download it to be playable on the Xbox One.
Gameplay
Single Player
The single player portion of Conker: Live & Reloaded is basically a complete remake of Conker's Bad Fur Day, albeit with several small changes, such as improved graphics and enhanced sound effects and voices.
Multiplayer
The Xbox Live & Co. multiplayer version of the game is introduced in Live & Reloaded, and follows the use of the same third-person perspective as the single player game's use of weapons. Multiplayer consists of different game missions such as Capture the Flag or the standard Deathmatch modes. The player may participate as a member of the SHC or the Tediz. However, since April 15, 2010, online support for Live and Reloaded has been cancelled (along with other original Xbox titles).
Classes
As well as a choice of soldier, the game follows as 'classes'. Each class has its own special equipment, special abilities, and physical capabilities. Each class is designed for a distinct purpose, and more often than not, the class a player chooses will determine that player's fighting strategy. Each class is designed to have advantages against certain classes while being vulnerable to others. For example, the Thermophile's Sinurator inflicts extreme damage on Sneekers and Long Rangers, who have less health, but is somewhat useless against the high-vitality Demolisher. Each class comes equipped with a primary weapon with unlimited ammunition, (although reloading of the weapon is still required), a limited stock of grenades, and at least one special Ability. The classes also can choose from several Specialist Ordinance items, as well as access Mobile Units terminals to ride vehicles unique to each class, which can be obtained at stations in team bases (however, an option is available to the host of a server to disable one or both features). Abilities common to all classes are the Open Hand, which is the ability to shoulder all weapons for extra running speed, and a Spray Can that can be used to apply the player's Avatar image to walls to mock human opponents. Scattered throughout the arenas are yellow Upgrade orbs, which grant a player more equipment and abilities when obtained. A player loses his upgrade orb upon death, allowing another player to obtain it.
Dumbot Names
In the director playthrough of Conker's Bad Fur Day, the developers had mentioned that the dumbot names in Live and Reloaded are anagrams. This is a list of the Dumbot names.
- Earl Yoist
- Pat Sonic-Omen
- Consultant Tift
- Sir Hank Morril
- Scarlet Romp
- Henry Homesweet
- Urchin Pig Girl
- Babe Chorbi
- Odin Toelust
- Count Cutflaik
- Elmo Chipshop
- Shats Bassoon
- Stayelusive Igor
- Soapy Illusion
- Fabian Gladwart
- Jobflobadob Yob
The only name that can be nearly confirmed is Babe Chorbi which re-arranged is Robbie Bach. Robbie Bach was the president of the entertainment and devices division at Microsoft. He led the division that is responsible for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune, Windows Games, Windows Mobile and the Microsoft TV platform until he retired in 2010.
Terminals
Terminals are found in every mission, usually near a base. Terminals are computers that dispense useful items or vehicles, and can be accessed by a player during the game. When accessed, a terminal will restock all of the player's grenades and show the player a menu of the available items. When an item is chosen it can be picked up at an adjacent dispenser area. The objects received from the terminals disappear upon the death of the player that obtained them. Terminals may be neutral and available to both sides, or under the control of one side. Terminals can be attacked and disabled, but not destroyed. If damaged or disabled, they can be repaired with an arc weld, issued to the Demolisher and Sky Jockey classes. Neutral or enemy controlled terminals can be hacked with a Sneeker's hacking device. There are two types of terminals: Specialist Ordinance Terminals, and Mobile Units terminals
Censorship
The game was originally titled as Conker: Live & Uncut featuring a completely uncensored single player experience. Sometime during the development of the game, this was removed and the game was released in a heavily censored form which took out several instances of vulgarity that were in the original game. The reasoning was due to the potential refusal of retailers to sell the game in its fully uncensored form. This idea suggests that the game, at one point, had the potential to have an AO rating by the ESRB, which physical retailers refuse to sell.This drew heavy criticism from fans of the original, especially as it detracted from comedic highlights such as The Great Mighty Poo Song. This song was also censored on the soundtrack, but Rare has the uncensored Xbox version on their website. A code to uncensor the words in the single player game was created, but removed from the final product again due to retailer issues. The accuracy of this statement was questioned by some for several reasons.Like the original, the game was rated M by the ESRB and carried warnings about its content as well as Rare's promotional spoof warnings that advertised the fact that the content of the game was explicitly 'adult'. The audio files on the game disc were 'pre-censored' and contained the bleeps, meaning they were not censored by the game engine. This indicated that the ability to play an uncensored version of the game (whether by default or an unlock code) was removed at an early point in the game's development.The only singleplayer audio file to be uncensored when Count Batula was killed with the word 'shit'. The multiplayer portion of the game is also censored initially, but if one first finishes single player mode, a 'Potty Mouth' option is unlocked that removes all censorship from the multiplayer mode.
Changes from Bad Fur Day
The following is an in-depth list of various differences between the remake and the original Nintendo 64 veraion of the game.
Graphical Differences
While it's no question that remakes tend to update their predecessors' graphical fidelity, Conker: Live & Reloaded takes a few peculiar turns in its effort to improve upon the original in terms of looks.
- Updated Character Designs - Though a lot of changes were made to the game's art style, these are simply the most evident.
- Conker is now a brighter orange colour as opposed to the more definite red of the previous iteration. His jacket and shoes have been updated with the incorporation of yellow into their colour schemes, he wears green track shorts, and he now no longer wears gloves. He is now completely covered in lush, fluffy fur, as are most other furred characters in the remake.
- Berri is similarly covered in fur, though it's notably more subtle than Conker's. Her bottom was refined and made to look slightly pink against the creases of her shorts. Notably, her face has been refined heacily to look cuter. Lastly, her top now has a 69 on the back of it, adding more innuendo to an already sexualised character.
- The Tediz have been heavily overhauled in design, now resembling actual anthropomorphic bears made from patchwork as opposed to generic teddybears. Notably, the Mutant Tedi Surgeon has been modified to look even more distinguished from the normal surgeons.
- In general, almost all female characters have been given softer faces in the remake to make them appear friendlier and less uncanny.
- The Panther King has been updated so that his attire appears more regal.
- Heinrich has been completely recoloured from black to a tigerstriped teal colour.
- Some enemies and background characters have abandoned the typical 'RareWare' style (googly eyes places atop an object to make for a character) and look a bit more original because of it.
- General Graphical Differences
- Most textures have been redrawn or scaled up heavily from the original.
- Liquid particles have been made much more subtle and are capable of splashing onto the screen, matching the colour of the original fluid they came from.
- Fur particles have been added to most furred characters as well as certain plant patches.
- The blocks in Barn Boys now have geometry that matches their textures. Some of them have been scaled up because of it.
- Water now looks far more realistic and has distortion and ambient occlusion effects added.
Presentation
The way the game conveys itself to the player has been altered a bit for the new console.
- Audio
- The game's music has seen a massive overhaul. Most synthetic instruments from the original have been completely replaced by real instruments (the Harmonica in Windy). The only track left completely the same is the Rock Solid music, with minor ambient edits.
- Most of the voice lines in the game were bumped in quality, while some were outright rerecorded entirely (the Gargoyle scene, Great Mighty Poo).
- Most of the game's dialogue was censored in comparison to the original. All instances of 'fuck' are censored, 'twat' is censored, all but one utterance of the word 'shit' are censored, the single uses of the words 'felatio' and 'cunting' are also censored, as is the 'ass' portion of the word 'asshole'.
- Gun Using: Conker never dual wields guns but uses only one gun. Additionally, he is able to jump while armed, previously impossible in Bad Fur Day. Movement and aiming is much more fluent and precise.
- Great Mighty Poo's Voice:The Great Mighty Poo's singing voice was rerecorded to make him sound like his speaking voice.
- Character Mouth Movement: A majority of characters now have better mouth animations that are better synced to their voice.
- Bleeped Bad Words: Many obscenities uncensored in Bad Fur Day have been bleeped out. Bad Fur day bleeped out 'Fuck','Cock and 'Cunt' all the times it was said, crap half the times it was said, and 'asshole' only one of the times it was said. However, in Live and Reloaded, Fuck is still censored, crap is censored almost all times it is said, asshole is bleeped almost all the times it is said, felatio is censored, and twat is censored all the times it is said. The only exception to this is the Great Mighty Poo's song, although it is only uncensored during the credits and not in the battle with him, when Count Batula was killed with 'Oh, crap when the Fire Imp says 'Hey, what am I going to do with this?' and the multiplayer mode, but multiplayer is only censored if the player has first beaten Single Player.
- Multiplayer Difference: The multiplayer has been replaced with a team based shooter that has a story. Some plot holes from Bad Fur Day were filled.
- Difference in Barn Boys: After exiting the barn after escaping the sewers, the water tower's water is now seen draining, while before the player simply had to find out themselves.
- Great Mighty Poo Strategy Changes: In Bad Fur Day, before the GMP boss battle, the player must throw one piece of sweet corn in the poo, walk up the path, put 2 in, and then walk up the path and put 3 in. In Live and Reloaded, the player only has to throw one in each time.
- Difference in Bat's Tower: The locations of the cogs in bat's tower has now changed. In Bad Fur Day, one was in a circular room, and two were in the room just past it.In Live and Reloaded, one of the ones from the second circular room was moved to the room with Mr. Big Cog.
- Increased Oxygen: Conker can hold his breath underwater for much longer, over twice as long, before running out of air. Additionally, he will lose health at a slower rate should his oxygen be depleted.
- Difference of the Electric Eel: In Bad Fur Day, upon reaching the it's War chapter, Conker must have an electric eel chase him through underwater generators to turn the power on. In Live and Reloaded, it is simply turned on with a switch.
- Difference of Tediz: Instead of a Tediz being in the big gun in the It's War chapter, Tediz are guarding it.
- Less lethal shots in War: Conker is able to take some small gunfire before losing health. He will still flinch from being shot, though will not stop moving if he is shot while running. Additionally, being shot with a rocket launcher will now only deal three damage to Conker. (Previously six, which was instant death.) This increased defense could possibly be attributed to his new army outfit.
- Additional Surgeon Cutscene: While fighting in the Tediz operating room, there is an added short cutscene depicting the 'mutant tedi' breaking out of a liquid-filled vat.
- Difference in Death in It's War: When Rodent is getting shot at by Tediz, there are two other squirrels tied up who get killed. A squirrel on the left begs for his life insted of Rodent, however, Rodent's mouth will still move as if he were speaking.
- Cheat Code Removal: In game cheats were removed.
- Difference of Wasps: Strangely, the first time the wasps are killed the first one's death occurs off-screen. Later, the second time they are killed, the Boss goes farther before being killed.
- Defeatable Goblings: Clang Goblings are now common enemies and most can be killed. However, the ones that return from Bad Fur Day can not be killed manually. Also, new doll enemies appear.
- Bomb Run: A timer now appears during Bomb Run. It was not present before, but Conker still had the same amount of time, that is, one minute, thirty-one seconds.
- Gargoyle Strategy Difference: Conker's bat replaces his frying pan for most of the game. After attacking the gargoyle with the frying pan, he explains that the developer changed the training stage. Conker then hits him with a bat and uses it for most of the rest of the game.
- Electrocuted Difference: When the soldier is electrocuted, he is electrocuted longer and his eye falls out. In a similar case, Berri is shot more.
- Tediz Door Entering Difference: After getting guns in It's War, Conker must simply shoot the lock off the door. But here, Tediz assault him before he enters.
- Bridge Difference: In Bad Fur Day, the waterfall below the bridge goes into a lake that is shallow and the player can walk in. However, in Live and Reloaded, it leads into neverending chasm, and should Conker fall here, he comes out of a pipe near the bridge.
- Unaffected During Walking: Conker can now walk around while urinating when he is intoxicated.
- Levels Changing: The entrance to Barn Boys is now sealed during the night, possibly due to space issues as the night version of Windy appears to be completely retextured so a night version of Barn Boys was simply skipped. In addition Hangover is also sealed at the beginning of It's War, despite Conker must go through Hangover after he comes from Spooky. Hangover does not have a night version but shaded area seems less obvious, except for the sunlight near the top and if Conker looks up to a blue sky. The entrance to Bat's Tower is left alone and the level is still day.
- Great Mighty Poo's Eyes: The Great Mighty Poo's eyes no longer move.
Cameos
- Banjo can be seen above the fireplace inside the pub, while the protagonist from Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Cooper, can be seen vomiting in the toilet in the Game 3 section. Kazooie, who appeared in the first game as a 2D umbrella in the Chapters section, reappears in this remake; however, she has not been updated.
- In the game's demo, The magazine Conker was reading had a picture of Halo's Master Chief on the cover. However the cameo was removed when the full game was released.