Donkey Kong 64
Bonus Games High Scores Guide
Version 1.5
Date 5/14
By Jon Barber (Ngamer64)
E-mail
[email protected] (Feel free to E-mail me about anything relating
to DK64. I love getting mail from people and hearing if my guide has helped
them. If there's something I should add, tell me about it.)
Web Page The Official JB Page -
http://www.geocities.com/cyber1166
Jon Loves Playing For High Scores at N64 High Scores -
http://nintendo64.high.scores
As I looked at all DK64 Walkthroughs and FAQs posted at GameFAQs.com, I was
shocked and appaled to see that there were no guides to help you to get
farther, get high scores, and show how to do better when you "play for fun"
in the 4 excellent Bonus Games that Rare added: Enguarde Arena, Jetpac, DK
Arcade, and Rambi Arena. I intend to fix that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
-------
1. Revision History
I. ENGUARDE ARENA
II. JETPAC
a. Point total
b. Level reached
III. DK ARCADE
IV. RAMBI ARENA
V. Credits
****************************************************
1. Revision History
5/14/00 - I finally found some time to update again. I was able to hit a
really nice run and got a 202 in Rambi Arena last week! So I updated a few
things on that game, and I also wrote down my complete stragegy for getting
a 430 in Enguarde Arena! I was able to hit 430 just a few hours after I
sent in that update on the 28th, and now you will know how it's done, also.
Just be warned, you have to be EXTREMELY fast to get that strat to work.
Also added a bit more info about DK Arcade, but David Wonn has not written
the complete walkthrough for the game yet.
4/28/00 - Horray! I was finally able to improve my DK Arcade score! I beat
4-3, and I even got by 5-3, all the way to 5-4. My new score is 124,700.
I'll tell the story of how I (and I'm not a very great Arcade player, by the
way) was able to get past level 4-3 soon. Also, David Wonn agreed to help
me out and write a great DK Arcade walkthrough for this FAQ! With his help,
you ought to be able to improve your DK Arcade score very quickly. Also,
Chris Rayola has helped me out by writing a little something for me to put
in the Rambi Arena section. He just improved his score to 202 points last
night. I wrote the basics of Rambi Arena, and a little bit about getting
nice scores. So keep checking this FAQ!
Also, I am now SO close to a 430, and also a 435, in Enguarde Arena! I got
within a second of breaking 430 last night, but it seems that every time I
have a real good run going, I choke in the last 5 seconds. I've got to get
it this weekend... The new strategy that I'm using is so insane, I'm not
even going to tell you about it right now. If I do hit a 430+ score, you
will be the first to hear about it, and then I'll write a full strat. But
rest assured that it will be very confusing and almost impossible to use and
get a good score, unless you are really, really fast. So keep checking this
FAQ to see if I can do it!
4/24/00 - Everything is new.
**************************
Bonus Game I. ENGUARDE ARENA
My score: 430
Proof: Screen shot of Enguarde high scores. Viewable at
http://jbpage.surf.to/dk64.html
(The shot right now is still of my 420 score. I'm going to take a 430 shot
and get it posted there soon.)
First some basic info about this bonus game, which is my favorite, by the
way. There are 10 stars in the pool. 6 of them are below water, they each
give you 5 points when you go through them. There are also 4 stars above
the water, and they give you 20 points each time you go through them. There
is also a Lap Bonus which will give you 50 points as soon as you complete
your first full lap. There are basically 2 different kinds of laps you can
finish, a Full Lap and a Small Lap. Now, imagine that you are looking down
at Enguarde's pool from high above it. It is in a rectangle shape, with a
larger width than the heigh. Now, off the left of the pool is the highly
concentrated points section, where you will find 3 out of the 4 stars that
are above water level. You'll also find all different little "rooms" that
are sperated by the blue bars which you must jump over, and then go under,
to collect the stars. I will call this area the starting section. On the
other side of the pool, the right side, there is only 1 star above water.
Aviod spending alot of time here.
To go the fastest, you must master how to move Enguarde. You have to stay
as close to the top of the water as you can, and when you jump out of the
water, stay as low as you possibly can while still hitting the bottom of the
star. There are different strategies for how to hit the A button. Some
people like to hit it every few seconds, while others like to hold down the
A button the entire time. Personally, I like to tap the button the whole
time. Each of these makes you go the same speed, as far as I can tell.
Experiment and decide which one you like the best.
HOW TO GET A HIGH SCORE
THE 420 METHOD
*NOTE: This method will give you a score of 420 if you get good enough at
it, but I don't think that it's possible to pick up more than an extra 5
points after you hit the final ring. So if you want a score higher than
425, look at my 430 method, which is posted just below this one
---
I can give you the best strategy to use, but you still won't be able to hit
a really high score unless you get very fast. And you can only get fast
through practice. So that you'll be able to see if you're going fast
enough, I've included the times that I get when I'm on a good 420 run.
When you start the game, you must first let the entire cut scene play, so
that you float to the top of the water. After this, make a 90 degree turn
to your left, and head for the starting section that will be right ahead of
you. If you do it right, you'll go through the 5-ring right in front of
you, and then through the 20-ring right behind it. Keep on going, and
you'll go 5, 20, 5, and then 20 again. You have to keep doing this until
you get very fast at it, because if you get out to a bad start, you're in a
lot of trouble. If you get good at it, you can easily tie my time at this
point
75 points :50 seconds remaining
After this, continue going forward, hit the very top of the next star, then
jump as low as possible and try to angle yourself toward the right as you
hit the 20-point star. (This is the hardest star to master.) Come back
down and hit the next 5-star to finish the lap and collect your 50 point Lap
Bonus.
160 points (1 full lap) :41 seconds remaining
After collecting the lap bonus, continue on and do another full lap.
Remember to stay as close to the top of the water as possible. You will not
get another Lap Bonus for doing the lap a second time, unlike some people
think.
270 points (2 full laps) :22 seconds remaining
Once you finish it, continue on past the entire starting section one more
time, through the 20, 5, 20, 5, and 20.
345 points :12 seconds remaining
After you hit the water, make a sharp turn to the right and go as fast as
possible to the same 5-star where you started the game by hitting. You have
to be going very fast to have a shot at 420 by this point. You have to be
able to hit this first 5-star with
350 points :08 seconds remaining
Now is where you have to be flawless. Go up through the starting section
one last time, past the 20, then down to that 5, and now be careful to stay
very, very low as you hit the next 20. If you're going fast enough, you'll
be able to hit the top of the 5, and then power up and to the right and make
it through the next 20, giving you that 420 total you've been dying for!
420 points 1/2 second remaining
*****
THE 430 METHOD
***WARNINING***
Do not even try this method unless you consider yourself VERY good at
Enguarde, and really, really fast. I would suggest practicing my 420 method
until you can routinely hit 395-420 before moving on to this "expert"-
difficulty method. Well, you have been warned, you can read on now...
Start out like you would with any other method, by collecting the lap bonus
on your first lap. Like last time, you should have about 41 seconds
remaining when you collect it. After that, get through the rings in the
starting section again quickly, going through all 3 20-rings and all the 5's
under them. Now, this is where it gets a little bit crazy.
After getting through the final 20, make a sharp turn to the right, and head
back into the middle of the starting run, going above the bar and hitting
that middle 20-ring. So now you're doing the starting run backwards. Come
down and get the next 5, then head up and to the left, through the 20-ring
there. When you come down, there will be a 5 right in front of you. Hit
it, and then make a VERY, VERY quick U-turn to your left. If you do it
right (and this is pretty hard to master) you'll go back through the 20-ring
that you passed less than 3 seconds before. You have to time it right, so
that you hit it within a split-second of when it stopped spinning from the
last time through. That way, the game will count the points.
After this, just continue on as you normally would, going on 2 more full
Small Laps. If you did the whole U-turn fast enough, you will be able to
make it to the end of the starting run the second time, and the counter will
keep going up. When you get to your score screen, you will have a big 430
on the top! Congratulations, you are now officialy extremly fast, and one of
the world's best Enguarde players.
Up until the time this was posted, I was the only person in the world who
knew about this strat. (Well, me and Chris Rayola, who I like discussing
stratgy with.) And now you know it too. Lucky you! If you have any ideas
for more crazy strats that you think could break 430, tell me about them.
[email protected]
And I'll try them out and get back to you.
---
Another one of the best Enguarde players in the world is Chris Rayola. He
currently has a 415, and is very close to 420. He recently wrote me and
told his idea on how to break 420. I'll share his new strategy with you:
"I think that you can get 435. Here's how: Start off with the lap bonus and
after you go through the last twenty in the sequence of 3 twenties, quickly
turn right to the other side. Do another lap of twenties, then turn right
again. Then do another sequence of twenties and turn right for the last
time. (When you go to the other side all those times keep hitting the 5
points then jump up to the twenty) When you are on the other side you should
hit them in this order: 5, 20, 5, 20, 5 for the last lap and end up hitting
the last 20 just before time runs out.
~Chris"
That is a very good strategy, but I haven't been able to get it to work yet.
I do think that it is possible to complete, though.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus Game II. JETPAC
Now on to my second favorite bonus game. Who ever thought that an
atari-type game from 1985 could be so much fun! Now, maybe you're thinking
"What? Fun? Jetpac is such an easy, boring game. I got my Rareware coin
and 5,000 points on my first try." That's true, playing Jetpac for a high
point total is an experience that may require enormous amounts of caffine to
keep you awake. The reason that I like it so much is because I play for
farthest Level Reached, which is a whole lot of fun. The average DK player
only gets to Level 5, which is the first challenging level. Once you get
good enough to pass this level, it really opens the whole game up for you.
Well, first I'll tell you how to get a great point total, if that's what
you're into.
HOW TO GET A HIGH POINT TOTAL
My score: 999,995 points
Yes, I really have that score, and you can have it too. In fact, if you
hurry, you can have it within 2 hours of right now! And here is how:
Start out a new game of Jetpac. Get past the first 3 levels, you really
shouldn't have any problem doing this. Just hold down the B button so that
you keep on shooting, and if anything gets in front of you, you'll kill it
right away. Even if you die a few times, it's no big deal, just keep on
going.
Once you get to Level 4, the one with the airplanes, go and stand on the
far-right platform, the highest one. Now, stand as far to the right on it
as you can. Look to the right, and start shooting. Your shots will go
across the screen and come out on the other side, killing all the airplanes
that form over there. Also, the airplanes will keep on trying to kill you,
but they can't fly high enough and will crash into the bottom of the
platform you're on. Every time a plane crahes or gets shot down, you get
150 points or so. So you'll be on a course to go over 1 million points in
around 2 hours.
But now you're thinking, "What? I have to sit here holding this controller
and watching little planes crash for 2 hours?" You see, this is where the
genius part comes in. Go and find yourself a piece of tape, preferably
stoch. Now, rip off a piece, and tape that B button down on your N64
controller. Make sure that it's taut! There, now set the controller down,
be careful not to touch the control stick. Now go away and do something for
the next hour and a half or so. A really good idea would be to try to read
every single word and look at every picture that's posted at my web page
http://www.geocities.com/cyber1166/ . After that, go and post something on
the GameFAQs message boards about how much you're enjoying reading this
guide. Then go and read a book or something. Ok, now you can come back to
your TV, and you should be somewhere in the 900,000 range. For a real
challenge, try to stop yourself right exactly when you hit 999,995 points.
Then take a picture of it and show it to your friends. Also, send me the
JPG.
[email protected] You may very well have the only screenshot of
999,995 on the internet today.
By the way, I would like to give credit to the person who I first found out
this strategy from. Thank you, Steven Zwartjes.
**************************
HOW TO GET FAR/ PLAYING FOR LEVEL REACHED
My score- Level 16
Proof: Screen shot of me in Level 9 (the only screen shot of Jetpac beyond
Level 8 on the internet today?) Viewable at
http://jbpage.surf.to/dk64.html
This is where it gets fun. I'll break it all down, level by level.
Level 1- Difficulty= 2 (out of ten) You really shouldn't have any
trouble with this level. Good god, I hope not. What I like to do is to
hold down the the B button the whole time and stand on the middle platform.
Then you just have to keep moving back and forth, collecting the fuel tanks
when they land on the platforms next to you. Try to catch them in the air
before they land to save yourself alot of time. If you're really worried
about getting hit, stand on the right platform and fire right while you
wait. It's almost imposible to get hit this way.
Level 2- Difficulty= 4 You might die once or twice here. The little furry
alien heads (that's what they look like to me) bounce up and down, but they
are not all that hard to avoid. I use my basic straegy here, just stay on
the middle platform and shoot the entire time. If one is bouncing on it's
way up, try to slip under it, and if it's coming right at you, shoot it
down. You ought to be able to beat this level without dying after a little
bit of practice.
Level 3- Difficulty= 5 This one gives me a little bit of trouble once in a
while. The big bubbles here move slower than the alien heads, but it's a
little harder to predict which way they will bounce. Sometimes one will
come up from under me and take me out. I use the same strat. as usual here,
just keep that gun shooting and stand on the middle platform. If you get
into trouble, stand on the far right platform and fire to cover yourself.
Level 4- Difficulty= 1 The easiest level in the game, if you know the right
way to do it. Stand on the right platform and face to the left. Now, wait
for the wave of planes to crash themselves into the platform you're
stannding on, then hurry out and pick up the fuel tank and drop it into the
ship. Then go back and stand on the platform again. Keep this up until
you're all fueled up and ready to leave. You really have no excuse for
dying here.
Level 5- Difficulty= 7 The first real challenge. You get chased by UFOs
that actually follow you where ever you go. The only way you will be able
to make it through is if you keep moving. What I like to do it to hold down
the B button (didn't see that coming, did you) and then jet myself in one
direction as much as possible. When I reach a large wall of UFOs, I'll turn
around and go the other way. It's always risky to cross the screen and go
over to the other side, because you can't see what will hit you, but I do it
pretty often. The biggest problem is if you end up dying, and the next fuel
tank is way off to the left. If you get in this situtation, you are in big
trouble. Just try to grab it and get back to the ship as fast as you can.
You'll probably end up dying almost half the time, but there isn't much you
can do about it.
The main thing with this level, and all the other hard ones, is that you
shouldn't go in thinking that you're going to beat it easily. If you do,
you'll be dead within a few seconds and then just give up on Jetpac
alltogether. You have to try this a few times to get the hang of it, and
then you'll be able to beat it pretty easily.
Level 6- Difficulty= 6 This is alot like a cross between Level 2 and Level
3. There are plus signs, or little crosses that bounce up and down
throughout the whole level. They move a little faster than anything you saw
in 2 and 3. But this is still not hard at all compared to level 5. They
won't follow you around, so you should be able to blast them all you want.
I pretty much try to do the same things I usually do for Levels 2 and 3 in
this level. You might die once here, but that should be all.
Level 7- Difficulty= 1 I'm not sure if Level 4 or Level 7 is easier, but
they're both very, very simple. In this level, you have ships that look
kind of Star Wars-ish that always move from right to left. Also, they go
very, very slow. No one should ever die in this level, so I don't really
need to write any kind of strategy. I'm usually able to pick up all the
fuel tanks as soon as they start to fall, so I'm done with this level within
a minute.
Level 8- Difficulty= 8 Now, here we go! This is a very tough level, and
only an elite group of Jetpac-ers are able to get by it. You get chased by
a half-dozen crazy frog-heads (once again, I can call them whatever I
want...) that follow you even better than the UFOs. They are a little bit
bigger than the UFOs, in fact, they are the widest enemy that you will face.
This makes them a little easier to shoot, but also a whole lot harder to
avoid. I generaly get out of plenty of close situations where I'm almost
traped in by the UFOs, and these are even harder to get out of with these
frogs. I end up using the same strategy as for Level 5, just lay on the B
button and try to keep moving as much as possible. If you beat it, you've
got to be pretty good. But like I said before, I can't give you a strat.
that will work all the time. You've just got to play it a couple times and
get the hang of it.
Levels 9 through 16- Coming sometime...
---
I've chatted with the the one of the best Jetpac players in the world,
Joaquim Mendes, who has gotten all the way to Level 20. We talked a little
bit of strategy, and here is how he described his methods for beating the
levels. You guys at GameFAQs probably know him better as "Joca64". In
fact, you've probably seen his DK FAQ already. If not, go look at it, it's
posted under "JMendes". You'll like how he describes his methods.
"I have 3 main strategies, I call them The Pacifist, Rambo and Chicken.
The Pacifist
- I rarely fire, only when I have no other escape. I try to make the enemies
group. Sometimes I get lucky and get them to behave like if they were only
one. I use this technique when facing enemies from level 5 and 8. I do this
mainly because if you kill one ofthem they reappear on another place of the
level. And may appear right in front of you.
Rambo
- I always have the fire button pressed. I stay at the safest place I know.
On top of the highest platform, firing to the right. This way I can kill
both enemies that come from the left and right. I wait for the fuel to drop
and when the path is cleared I go get it. I use this technique when facing
enemies from levels 2, 3 and 6.
Chicken
- I stay on top of the highest platform and wait for the fuel to drop. I go
get it then I return to the same place. I never fire. I try to use the
middle platform as a shield.I only use this technique when facing enemies
from level 4.
I don’t use any particular technique when facing enemies from level 1 and 7.
~Joca64"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus Game III. DONKEY KONG ARCADE
This is a pretty fun, nostalgic little game, I'm really glad that Rare
decided to add it. I'm not the greatest at it, but I was happy just to get
past the 100,000 point mark. On my best run, I got all the way to Level 5-4
and got 124,700 points in the process! The whole key to the game is
obviously stage 3, and timing that spring that you must get under at the end
right. If you time if right, you can also get past 4-3 and 5-3. As for me,
it was mostly luck!
My score- 124,700
HOW TO GET A HIGH SCORE
My guide is coming soon. Until I get it up, just remember to always take
the ladder nearest you in stage 1, just run right up the ladders in stage 2,
try to use the shortcut in stage 3 in as many levels as possible, and use
the hammer to clear a path for yourself in stage 4. Also, I asked David Wonn
for help, and he agreed to write a strategy! I'm sure that it's going to be
exellent, and will really help you improve your score. David is the world's
best DK Arcade player, with a score of 276,600. He is also a world-famous
glitch master. You may not know him, but if you've played Nintendo alot,
you've probably used them. Check his website out.
http://davidwonn.turokcave.com
I've sent him a few glitches that I found in DK64. You can check that
section to see them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus Game IV. RAMBI ARENA
This game looked so cool when I first saw it. I mean, you get to be a big
rhino and ram into little blue and yellow beavers! What could be more fun
than that? Well, alot of things, it turns out. This game just got boring
too fast. Also, I don't like how much it relies on luck. You could know
just exaclty what to do, but if the yellow beaver shows up on the wrong side
of the arena, you lose time and can't get a good score. I don't know, I
just can't really get into this game.
My score: 202
HOW TO GET A HIGH SCORE
Here is a short little walkthrough giving you all the basics, but I'm far
from one of the world's best at this game.
There are 10 beavers total in the arena. 9 of them are blue, and they will
give you 2 points every time you ram them. There is also a very important
yellow beaver who gives you a whole 10 points every time you ram him.
Whenever you get a combo, that is more than one beaver within about a second
and a half of each other, you score is doubled. So if I got a 3-hit combo
with a yellow beaver, I would get 2+2+10 x2= 28
If you hit the blue beaver soon enough, he will appear a total of 3 times.
You must involve him in a combo every one of these 3 times to get a really
good score. The most important thing in this game is being able to link
together beavers so that you get alot of combos. The real trick is finding
a good strategy that will make the beavers appear in the same place every
time. Once you do that, you can plan out where they will appear next and
then be able to hit a big combo again and again. The main thing with this
game is that you play it enough so that you get very good at linking hits
together. Something that helped me to get a high score is that if I saw one
blue beaver all alone, I just ran right by him and moved on and found a big
combo to hit. This way, he will move on and soon he'll be next to some
other beavers, and you can now get a combo with them. And you MUST get the
yellow beaver involved in a combo all three times if you want to break 200.
Well, it is possible to break 200 without it, but it's a whole lot harder,
nearly impossible.
As my high score shows, I've never gotten really great at this game. That's
why I've asked for help from some better players. And here is what they
said.
Here is a little guide that Chris Rayola sent me. Hopefully it'll help you
out. Chris has a pretty nice score here, a 208, so he knows a pretty good
strat.
"Start to go down the middle of the arena then following where the gold
beaver goes and make sure you get a good combo, like around 4 or 5 beavers
total. After you do that go
to the opposite direction of where you went and stay to the wall. The
beavers should be lined up next to the wall. Get a combo of them too. If
you hit the gold right in the start, then he will appear at around 33 or
34 seconds left. Hit another good combo, hoping to get the beavers next
to each other. He will show up for the last time at around 10 seconds
left. You will have to hit a third good combo. After that keep hitting
combos of blue beavers until time runs out. Although most of this is
just luck, this is how they are set up when ever I play the game.
~Chris"
Thanks Chris! Also, Alex Penev did help me out a little bit by giving me
this advice about 2 things I was wondering about. He says that you should
NOT hit the B button or A button or thing else when going after the beavers,
it just slows you down. Alot of people think that by hitting the B button,
then raming the beavers they make him charge and then save theselves a
little time, but actually it doesn't help. Also, Alex says to keep the
camera angle as far away as possible. This allows you to see more of the
arena, and you'll be able to find out where the beavers are easier.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. CREDITS
I'd like to thank the following people for helping to make this guide
better:
Chris Rayola <
[email protected]>
Joaquim Mendes <
[email protected]>
Alex Penev <
[email protected]>
Also, I'd like to thank CJayC for posting this, my very first FAQ. I may
know nothing about FTP or how to make .txt files word wrap, but he was able
to look past all that and post this High Score Guide. Hopefully it will
help some of you out at getting better scores.
---
This guide is Copyright © 2000 Jon Barber. If you would like to use it on
your website, first E-mail me to ask permission.
[email protected]
If you ever see this guide at any site besides those listed below, tell me
about it. They do not have permission!
GameFAQs - gamefaqs.com
Nintendo 64 High Scores -
http://surf.to/Nintendo64.High.Scores
The Official Jon Barber page -
http://jbpage.surf.to
Gamewinners - gamewinners.com
(and it's partner site)
Video Game Strategies - vgstrategies.about.com
Copyright © 2000 Jon Barber
