Conker's Bad Fur Day

by Gregory Moffett

I had to make a huge decision in 2001. Rare had hit the N64 with both Conker’s Bad Fur Day and a sequel to one of my favourite games ever made earlier in the year in the form of Banjo-Tooie. I’m not entirely sure how I came to the decision to neglect all of those loving feelings towards Banjo-Kazooie but I ended up asking for the new, and fresh, Conker’s Bad Fur Day that Christmas. I had already missed out on Donkey Kong 64 the previous year in favour of a new TV for my bedroom so was itching for some 3D platforming.

Having finally played through Banjo-Tooie last winter, I’m delighted to know that I made the correct decision as it turned out to be something of a disappointment.

I can only assume that my parents didn’t notice the ‘Parental Advisory’ on the box or a red squirrel holding a pint of beer. They almost certainly wouldn’t have seen the words ‘Contains Explicit Humour’ as swearing was extremely frowned upon. I once got a serious telling off for proclaiming that there was no flipping free lolly with my copy of the Beano one week. My wording may have been slightly stronger than that, but was it too much to expect to enjoy the sweet treat advertised on the cover whilst reading through my weekly adventures? The lolly stick was there, attached by sticky tape, but the cellophane wrapper designed to cover and protect the tastiness was frustratingly empty. At least I’m over it now, though, right?

Back to Christmas 2001, I remember having to sneakily pause the game every time my mum or dad came into my room for fear of them walking in on me bouncing on top of a sunflower with big breasts, throwing toilet roll into a massive, singing pile of poo or watching a paint can and brush mocking a pitchfork for trying to hang himself from the ceiling of a barn without possessing a neck.



Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a game filled with hilarious moments amongst some highly enjoyable platforming and shooting through a variety of scenarios influenced by movies such as Saving Private Ryan and The Matrix.

It became clear that this was an adventure unlike anything else I had experienced before, exploring content that I quite possibly shouldn’t have been at the age of 14. Regardless, Conker’s Bad Fur Day has so many memorable moments that having the adventure broken into chapters to play through again at any time make revisiting some of the best moments highly accessible.

Banjo-Tooie feeling a little dissatisfying in 2014 probably wasn’t helped by playing through Conker’s Bad Fur Day again the previous winter and reminding myself of why I loved the game in the first place. To me, it’s still superb, despite those who may argue that the humour masked sub-standard gameplay. I certainly don’t subscribe to that line of thinking and felt the game was a breath of fresh air for its time, even when navigating Poo Mountain!