Once upon a time, Rare developed video games for a plethora of Nintendo consoles under the name “Rareware”. Their library of games include such nostalgic titles as the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong 64, the Banjo Kazooie franchise and Diddy Kong Racing. While there weren’t many games in the saga, Rare is also responsible for the oddly bipolar Conker series.
Many older gamers may be familiar with Conker the Squirrel/”Conker T. Squirrel” and his lewd antics. What started as an innocent lighthearted action game for the Game Boy Color, the Conker saga is primarily known for the classic, laughably offensive Nintendo 64 title Conker’s Bad Fur Day. The game acts as a self-reflective satire: While Conker’s Bad Fur Day pokes fun at several movies and pop-culture icons (i.e. A Clockwork Orange, Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, Alien, etc.), it’s also an insanely direct, comical middle finger to 3D platformers of that era- some of which came from Rare itself. The staples of a fun, family-friendly platforming “collect-a-thon” are all there; bright colors, cute character designs, plenty of collectible items to gather, and large areas to freely explore…and that’s where the parallels stop. Whether it’s “The Great Mighty Poo” and his opera solo, helping a bee “pollinate” a sunflower (blatantly put, a lengthy process to have the sunflower expose her breasts, which can then be used as a springboard), or the jaw-dropping amount of profanity and questionable subject matter, Conker’s Bad Fur Day is not a game for kids. In fact, it says so all over the box.
After Microsoft’s acquisition of Rare, fans received a “new” Conker game, with Conker: Live and Reloaded for the original Xbox. While it was a Conker title for a newer console, Live and Reloaded was actually a visually updated, censored version of the original Nintendo 64 game. Fans have been requesting that the fowl-mouthed, hung-over squirrel make a return to gaming, but so far, Conker games have been on an indefinite hiatus. Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie, and recently Killer Instinct have all risen from their graves- some with questionable success- but Conker himself has yet to be seen.
It’s been 9 years since the release of Conker: Live and Reloaded on the original Xbox.
Earlier today during Microsoft’s E3 2014 conference, a new trailer was shown for Project Spark. The “create your own game” title for Xbox One and PC will get a few updates, including a new “Galaxies” option for space-themed projects, several more gameplay effects and elements……and the long-lost squirrel himself, Conker. The reveal of Conker is somewhat bitter-sweet, as the furry rodent makes his trailer entrance by slicing the Project Spark logo in half with a chainsaw- a clear homage to the classic opening of Conker’s Bad Fur Day, where Conker cuts through the N64 logo with another chainsaw. Known for breaking the 4th wall, Conker proceeds with “Almost 10 years without a new game…guess we’ll have to make our own!”
Of course, this year marks the 15th anniversary of Conker’s not-so-profane series debut on the Game Boy Color with Conker’s Pocket Tales….Nothing is official, but perhaps we haven’t truly seen the last of everyone’s favorite drunken squirrel.
