Back in 2001 near the end of the lifespan of the N64 we got to experience a bad fur day in the life of Conker. You see, Conker is actually a squirrel, a very crass and vulgar squirrel that lives in a world where sexual innuendos and alcohol run rampant. The cutesy graphics and character designs masked the vulgarity of the game, but it was the entire concept that crafted a hilarious experience that received some stellar review scores.

I was under the impression that the game hadn’t sold well back in the day, mostly because of the overwhelming amount of copies I saw at my local game store. Many of those were returns though and you have to assume some unsuspecting parent bought the game for their kids because of the cute characters, despite the fact that it had a blatant “M” rating plastered on the front. It should go without saying that a game in which there is a boss that is a giant piece of poo with corn for teeth, a sunflower with enormous breasts and you are constantly told to F-Off isn’t for the feint of heart.

Much to my surprise though, Conker and friends found their way on the Xbox and Xbox Live with a whole new experience paired with an improved version of the original. The Deathmatch mode has been expanded to operate online with more players and overall the entire concept has been taken to the next level. Fans of the original (Conker’s Bad Fur Day) will want to sign on, but if you hadn’t played or heard of the foulmouthed squirrel before this is an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Gameplay:

The thing that made Conker’s Bad Fur Day such a great game when it came out on the N64 wasn’t just its vulgar humor, it was the remarkable simplicity of the many gameplay elements represented. While platform gaming may have taken the center stage, the game also saw elements of kart racing, third person shooting and some brain-bending puzzles. Going back and playing this game on the Xbox also showcases some tricks that other developers picked up and brings us back to Rare’s golden days.

Another thing that is revealed when we go back to play Bad Fur Day is that a lot of what was considered wrong with the game hasn’t really been fixed. We still have a mildly obnoxious camera, the pacing is a little wonky and some of the controls are slightly sluggish. Some parts of the game have been cut, some new portions have been added and the graphics have gotten a major overhaul, but I’ll get into that later. All in all, the single player experience here is as great as it was when it came out on the 64, if not minutely dated.

Taking into consideration that many of today’s Xbox gamers may have not had the pleasure of playing as our fuzzy alcoholic friend before let me give you the run down to his story. You see Conker finds himself with one hell of a hangover and not exactly in a place he calls home. The ruler of this land is the Panther King who is looking for a solution to fix his broken table leg and the best him and his goons come up with is for a squirrel’s tail.

As Conker you’ll find yourself in several racy situations and amidst a world filled with vile critters, strong sexual innuendos and a slew of funny situations. Not only does the fluid gameplay move you from the beginning to the end, but the hilarious cut scenes, interactions and overall look of the game will keep you in love enough to see it through. This is easily one of the best platforming game experiences you’ll ever have on the Xbox and possibly on any console.

That being said there are a couple of moments during the gameplay where it can get very frustrating because of the aforementioned screwy camera. While it’s not bad the entire way through it can get hung up on walls and become sluggish to control sometimes, so when you are making a tricky jump just be sure you know what you’re doing. Another down point is that some of the stage goals can be frustratingly cryptic at times so often times you’ll find yourself wandering around the level for something that was staring you in the face the whole time.

As the game progresses you’ll see several parody spoofs of popular movies from The Matrix to Terminator and these are easily some of the best portions of the game. Seeing a bail of hay turn into a psychopathic Schwarzenegger impersonating robot spouting phrases like “Buff you @#%hole!” are pure comic gold. Maybe it’s my dark sense of humor, but I always felt that Bad Fur Day was one of the most charming games I ever played and the vast improvements presented on the Xbox only reiterate that.

Now, this remake isn’t the only attraction on the disc as I mentioned already and the price of admission also gets you some Xbox Live and split screen multiplayer. If you had the opportunity to play Conker’s Bad Fur Day back in 2001, then you may already know what to expect because the game plays out somewhat similar to that experience. What we have with Live & Reloaded is a third person shooter with some deep team and character class elements plus over the top violence.

No matter what you select for a mode (Deathmatch or Team) you will be able to choose between the SHC and the Tediz for your side. If you think of this game as a watered down Return to Castle Wolfenstein with fluffy animals you pretty much just hit the nail on the head. The SHC are basically the Allies (good guys) and the Tediz are basically the Nazis (bad guys) and depending on what team you select it may change your goal for the Team gameplay.

The different character classes have an affect on what type of weaponry you can pick up and use, as well as style and mobility. For instant Sneak characters can turn invisible and run faster so they can get up close with their katana, while Demolition characters are slow and plodding but carry a bazooka to blow things up with. Depending on the stage and conditions of gameplay you’ll have a limited selection of characters, but each is balanced and serves a purpose, you just need to find which class you feel most comfortable with.

One thing worth mentioning is that the gameplay for the Live modes is extremely chaotic and brutalizes anyone playing for their first time. Not to mention the fact that if you select a Team endeavor, the game doesn’t give you any idea of what your objective is, so unless you have played the mission before with some success, you’re out of luck. While there is a limited selection of modes it will take you some time to learn what everything on the HUD stands for, who is your ally and how to control your critter. You see the control scheme is different for the multiplayer than it is for the single player and it may take some time to adjust. Once you do though, the online aspect of Conker is great, maybe not Halo 2 great, but it’s competent and enjoyable none-the-less.

Graphics:

As I mentioned the graphics in Conker’s Bad Fur Day have vastly improved and where the original was one of the best looking games on the N64, the reincarnation is one of the best looking on the Xbox. The soft lighting and attention to detail brings Conker’s world to life and this is one of the most vibrant, creative games you will ever look at. You may notice that Conker is much fluffier than he was on the 64, in fact everything that has fur attached to it looks amazing because of the plethora of detail added.

The textures in the environments have been brought up to speed and it’s worth stopping and soaking in the atmosphere just to see what Rare improved upon. Unfortunately there are a few small portions that show their age and didn’t really get that much attention, but those bits are so scattered it hardly detracts from the experience. It shows that Rare has been working on this revision for a while and I can only hope that Perfect Dark Zero will look this good on the Xbox 360.

Audio:

One of the first things I noticed is that the audio track from Conker’s Bad Fur Day has been carried over here, although with infinitely better clarity. The fact that the game is now on a DVD disc compared to a cartridge allows for better quality and no compression, not to mention good use of Dolby Digital 5.1. Some new bits of dialogue have been added to alter the experience slightly and bring it up to speed, but those feature the same great quality and humor as the rest of the game.

Several of today’s current developers should look at what Rare did over four years ago with Conker’s Bad Fur Day and take notice. So many games come out with bad voiceovers, abysmal quality or poorly written scripts so listening to Conker is like a breath of fresh air. The dialogue is so sharp and intelligent that it’ll keep you in stitches, especially if you enjoy the British sense of humor and tongue in cheek wise cracks.

Conclusion:

If you have played Conker’s Bad Fur Day, you’ll have to ask yourself if it’s worth double dipping for the vastly improved graphics, slightly tweaked control and the addition of the online play. The single player experience is still as great as ever and stands as one of the strongest platforming games of its time, even though it feels a little dated compared to some of the newer additions to the genre. Online the game is a frantic blast of violence and strategy, but it’s not the most user friendly interface and the gameplay was a little “too” crazy in my opinion. Live & Reloaded doesn’t have much in the way of options though, so that limits the game and keeps it from dethroning current Xbox Live kings.

The graphics are phenomenal and are arguably some of the best on the Xbox to date, especially in the platforming genre. The audio quality is great as well and the dialogue doesn’t feel dated at all, not to mention the grand amount of charm it carries. While the graphics and sound have been improved one has to wonder why it took so long to redesign the game and if that time would have been better spent towards creating a sequel. More substance would have gone a long way, but improved looks and online play easily cover the $50 MSRP.

Don’t let the fluffy exterior fool you, Conker and company are all attitude and absolutely not kid friendly. This is a definite buy for anyone who loved the original, live on Xbox Live or even enjoys raunchy games. Highly Recommended.