129,249
edits
List of Donkey Kong 64 pre-release and unused content: Difference between revisions
List of Donkey Kong 64 pre-release and unused content (edit)
Revision as of 23:54, December 9, 2023
, 5 months ago→Development Timeline: No header capitalisation
m (→Development Timeline: No header capitalisation) |
|||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{italic title|List of ''Donkey Kong 64'' pre-release and unused content}} | {{italic title|List of ''Donkey Kong 64'' pre-release and unused content}} | ||
[[File:DK64 early logo.jpg|thumb| | [[File:DK64 early logo.jpg|thumb|Pre-E3 1999 logo]] | ||
This is a list of pre-release and unused content for the game ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''. | This is a list of pre-release and unused content for the game ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''. | ||
==Development timeline== | |||
* '''Late 1996-Early 1997:''' Development begins. | |||
* '''c. Mid-1998:''' Work on the 2.5D version ends in favor of a 3D free-roaming approach. | |||
* '''1999:''' | |||
** '''January:''' The game is officially announced with a screenshot in ''Nintendo Power''. | |||
** '''May 12:''' Nintendo announces that the Expansion Pak, now a requirement for running ''DK64'', will come bundled with the game. | |||
** '''May 13-15:''' A custom build is shown off at E3 1999. | |||
** '''August:''' The E3 build makes a reappearance at Space World 99. | |||
** '''September:''' An In-store demo is released. | |||
** '''November 22:''' The final game is released. | |||
==Pre-release elements== | ==Pre-release elements== | ||
| Line 11: | Line 22: | ||
===Early builds=== | ===Early builds=== | ||
====General==== | ====General==== | ||
* | *Early in development, the developers were asked by management to use the Expansion Pak with ''Donkey Kong 64'' and find ways to justify its usage in the game.<ref name=Expansion>[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/11/feature_donkey_kong_64_devs_on_bugs_boxing_and_20_years_of_the_dk_rap Interview with the devs talking about the expansion pak.]</ref> | ||
*Early screenshots of ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' showed that [[DK's Tree House]] originally had a | *Early screenshots of ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' showed that [[DK's Tree House]] originally had what appears to be a fridge or locker of some sort in it with a poster of [[Banjo]] and [[Kazooie]] on it. Also, the boss [[Mad Jack]] was originally known as "Junk-in-the-Box" and was also drastically different in appearance. He was also originally a mini-boss fought by [[Tiny Kong]]<ref>Tiny's hint from Wrinkly for Frantic Factory:''"Cranky can help Tiny beat the giant springy box."''</ref> in the R&D Room in [[Frantic Factory]] instead of being a full boss fought at the area's end. The [[Toy Monster]] is the mini-boss in the final version, and it is fought by [[Chunky Kong]]. | ||
*The weapons the [[Kong]]s wielded in earlier builds looked like real-world firearms instead of the wooded, cartoonish ones seen in the final version of the game.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wur1OxnYUzo Promotional footage of the game included in an issue of the Spanish gaming magazine ''Hobby Consolas'']. Retrieved November 12, 2014</ref> [[Donkey Kong]]'s [[Coconut Shooter]] resembled a double-barreled shotgun while [[Diddy Kong]]'s [[Peanut Popgun]]s resembled actual pistols, and reportedly shot bullets with realistic sound effects. The stylization to cartoonish weapons was soon suggested by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] during a test build session by creative director George Andreas,<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/6c1osMI.png Retro Gamer #84, pg. 36]</ref> who indicated that it was initially a placeholder that he had simply gotten used to in development.<ref>Power, Tom (December 6, 2019). [https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/making-of-donkey-kong-64/ As Donkey Kong 64 turns 20, the devs reflect on its design, the infamous DK Rap, and how a shocked Shigeru Miyamoto created the Coconut Shooter]. ''GamesRadar+''. Retrieved December 6, 2019.</ref> | *The weapons the [[Kong]]s wielded in earlier builds looked like real-world firearms instead of the wooded, cartoonish ones seen in the final version of the game.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wur1OxnYUzo Promotional footage of the game included in an issue of the Spanish gaming magazine ''Hobby Consolas'']. Retrieved November 12, 2014</ref> [[Donkey Kong]]'s [[Coconut Shooter]] resembled a double-barreled shotgun while [[Diddy Kong]]'s [[Peanut Popgun]]s resembled actual pistols, and reportedly shot bullets with realistic sound effects. The stylization to cartoonish weapons was soon suggested by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] during a test build session by creative director George Andreas,<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/6c1osMI.png Retro Gamer #84, pg. 36]</ref> who indicated that it was initially a placeholder that he had simply gotten used to in development.<ref>Power, Tom (December 6, 2019). [https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/making-of-donkey-kong-64/ As Donkey Kong 64 turns 20, the devs reflect on its design, the infamous DK Rap, and how a shocked Shigeru Miyamoto created the Coconut Shooter]. ''GamesRadar+''. Retrieved December 6, 2019.</ref> | ||
*The developers came across a game breaking bug late in development which was exclusive to a specific revision of the Nintendo 64 console. This bug was later fixed.<ref name=Expansion/> | |||
*Several enemies were dropped from the game, including a [[Re-Koil]], a vulture, an insect, a robotic fish, an armadillo (possibly [[Army]]), and two variants of a Jack-in-the-Box like enemy, one as a clown and another with a boxing glove. | *Several enemies were dropped from the game, including a [[Re-Koil]], a vulture, an insect, a robotic fish, an armadillo (possibly [[Army]]), and two variants of a Jack-in-the-Box like enemy, one as a clown and another with a boxing glove. | ||
*[[Cranky's Lab]], [[Candy's Music Shop]], [[Funky's Store]] and [[Snide's HQ]] all looked slightly different in the pre-release version compared to the final version. | *[[Cranky's Lab]], [[Candy's Music Shop]], [[Funky's Store]] and [[Snide's HQ]] all looked slightly different in the pre-release version compared to the final version. | ||
| Line 20: | Line 32: | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
BanjoKazooieTreehouse.jpg|The | BanjoKazooieTreehouse.jpg|The fridge/locker and [[Banjo]] and Kazooie poster originally found in [[DK's Tree House]] in ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''. | ||
Junk.jpg|Junk-in-the-Box, what [[Mad Jack]] looked like before ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' was fully completed. | Junk.jpg|Junk-in-the-Box, what [[Mad Jack]] looked like before ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' was fully completed. | ||
Donkey Kong's Real Weapon Beta.jpg|The original weapon Donkey Kong had before it got changed to the Coconut Shooter. | Donkey Kong's Real Weapon Beta.jpg|The original weapon Donkey Kong had before it got changed to the Coconut Shooter. | ||
| Line 43: | Line 55: | ||
*[[Squawks]] dialogue after completing the Mine cart minigame is different and shorter. | *[[Squawks]] dialogue after completing the Mine cart minigame is different and shorter. | ||
=====Audio===== | =====Audio===== | ||
*[[Dogadon]] has a different sound effect for his spitting attack. The sound effect is used by the [[Llama]] in the final version, when Donkey Kong wakes him up inside | *[[Dogadon]] has a different sound effect for his spitting attack. The sound effect is used by the [[Llama]] in the final version, when Donkey Kong wakes him up inside his temple to cool the pool of [[lava]]. | ||
*The | *The themes played after defeating the bosses are different from the final build. After defeating Dogadon, the boss theme continues to play after the key spawning jingle instead of playing the Troff 'n' Scoff theme like in the final game. When [[Army Dillo]] is defeated, the game stops the boss theme and plays the boss door opening fanfare the instant the final blow is dealt, then plays the theme heard immediately after opening a boss door when the key spawning jingle finishes. | ||
*Army Dillo has a different voice and several fully acted lines cut from the final version. | |||
=====Gameplay===== | =====Gameplay===== | ||
*A counter for a silver [[Balloon]] item (which act as an extra life) appears to the left of the life counter. The balloon cannot be collected through the normal course of the demo, but it is present in a debug room left on the cartridge <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoeE45Mi0mQ Video of the kiosk's build debug rooms]</ref>. | *A counter for a silver [[Balloon]] item (which act as an extra life) appears to the left of the life counter. The balloon cannot be collected through the normal course of the demo, but it is present in a debug room left on the cartridge <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoeE45Mi0mQ Video of the kiosk's build debug rooms]</ref>. | ||
| Line 57: | Line 70: | ||
===Stop 'N' Swop=== | ===Stop 'N' Swop=== | ||
As with ''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie}}'' and four other unspecified Rareware-developed games<ref>Paul_Mach1 (January 22, 2021). [https://twitter.com/Paul_Mach1/status/1352746886248230912 Photo thread by Paul Machacek.] ''Twitter'', Retrieved January 23, 2021.</ref> ''Donkey Kong 64'' had a planned "Stop 'N' Swop" function that allowed players to unlock exclusive in-game content by quickly swapping two compatible game cartridges while the Nintendo 64 system's power was on. The feature was scrapped after testing done by {{wp|Nintendo Integrated Research & Development|Nintendo Research & Development 3}} in collaboration with Nintendo's Uji production facility revealed that not all revisions of the console would hold the data in the RDRAM long enough for it to be viable, as well as there being a risk of damage done to both the system and the cartridge. Nintendo of America's tech support proposed | As with ''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie}}'' and four other unspecified Rareware-developed games<ref>Paul_Mach1 (January 22, 2021). [https://twitter.com/Paul_Mach1/status/1352746886248230912 Photo thread by Paul Machacek.] ''Twitter'', Retrieved January 23, 2021.</ref> ''Donkey Kong 64'' had a planned "Stop 'N' Swop" function that allowed players to unlock exclusive in-game content by quickly swapping two compatible game cartridges while the Nintendo 64 system's power was on. The feature was scrapped after testing done by {{wp|Nintendo Integrated Research & Development|Nintendo Research & Development 3}} in collaboration with Nintendo's Uji production facility revealed that not all revisions of the console would hold the data in the RDRAM long enough for it to be viable, as well as there being a risk of damage done to both the system and the cartridge. Nintendo of America's tech support proposed Chris Stamper an alternative way to implement Stop 'N' Swop unlockables, involving a secret passcode in ''Donkey Kong 64'' that could be used in ''Banjo-Kazooie'' to open a locked area, followed by the player answering a question correctly in ''Donkey Kong 64'' in order to produce an Ice Key; however, this idea did not materialize.<ref>Paul_Mach1 (January 22, 2021). [https://twitter.com/Paul_Mach1/status/1352746405182504960 Tweet by Rare Ltd. software enginner and producer Paul Machacek.] ''Twitter''. Retrieved January 23, 2020. ([http://web.archive.org/web/20210123070205/https://twitter.com/Paul_Mach1/status/1352746405182504960 Archived] January 23, 2021, 07:02:05 UTC via Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.)</ref> | ||
In addition to the unused "[[List of Donkey Kong 64 pre-release and unused content#Unused text|Ice Key]]" line of text encountered via cheat codes, there is an unused cutscene in [[Crystal Caves]] where the camera zooms in on a corner in the area behind the ice wall in front of the entrance, then fades to DK's Tree House, triggering another unused cutscene where the camera pans over to where the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' fridge/locker used to be, then warps the player back to Crystal Caves. This suggests that doing something in Crystal Caves was meant to show the player something happening to the fridge/locker.<ref>Isotarge. (March 8, 2017). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MN4wS6u0ZU&t=0s Donkey Kong 64: Treehouse - Caves Link Update (Stop 'n' Swop)]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved October 20, 2021.</ref> While the Crystal Caves cutscene can only be seen by hacking the game, the DK's Tree House cutscene can be triggered via [[List of Donkey Kong 64 glitches#Warp from DK's Tree House to Crystal Caves|a glitch]]. | |||
Another element connected with Stop 'N' Swop was an object located on a pedestal in a room of [[Creepy Castle]].<ref>The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast) (September 15, 2023). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc-9TOQN0ss Banjo-Kazooie’s Stop ‘N’ Swop: The Feature That Never Was - The Retro Hour EP395]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved October 7, 2023.</ref> While this object was removed from the final game, the German strategy guide for ''Donkey Kong 64'' shows that the object was a golden statue of Donkey Kong's bust.<ref>[https://www.raregamer.co.uk/games/stop-n-swop-retrospective/#DK64 Stop ’N’ Swop: An Explanation and Retrospective § Connection to Donkey Kong 64]. ''Rare Gamer''. Retrieved October 7, 2023. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230906224943/https://www.raregamer.co.uk/games/stop-n-swop-retrospective/#DK64 Archived] September 6, 2023, 22:49:46 UTC via Wayback Machine.)</ref> | |||
==Unused content== | ==Unused content== | ||