A History of Conkers Bad Fur Day Sequels

The early days of console gaming was a wild place. From strange accessories to unique movie-to-game adaptations, console developers were willing to explore new areas if it meant there was a potential of increasing their market share. One such venture took shape in an infamous Nintendo 64 game. In Conker's Bad Fur Day, players play as Conker in a quest to get back to his girlfriend after a night of binge-drinking that's left him lost. If it isn't obvious, this writing was a huge departure from previous Nintendo entries and was marketed to college-aged males.

In order to progress through Conker's Bad Fur Day, players will have to utilize a lot of standard platformer mechanics, including an overworld where they have access to each new game map that is blocked until Conker earns enough cash to unlock it. Most of the game will see players helping the wide cast of interesting characters with puzzles, races, or fighting bosses. A unique mechanic in this game that destroys the fourth-wall are the "context-sensitive" pads where Conker has access to a range of cartoon inventory abilities, pulling out just the thing in that moment for a good joke or to advance the plot. Conker's Bad Fur Day was a cult classic from nearly the very beginning, but what followed wasn't exactly the same.

Conker: Live & Reloaded is everything one would expect of a remake only four years after the initial was released. The graphics are vastly improved and so are the mechanics, making it a much more user-friendly experience to those who had played the game previously on the Nintendo 64. While the overall playability and quality was improved, Conker's content took a hit under Microsoft with scenes cut, challenges removed, and dialogue censorship being a new feature many fans didn't count on. Even if the game wasn't the exact same as the original, the improved mechanics and quality won over many original Conker fans.

The multiplayer mode in Conker: Live & Reloaded is completely new and is a step away from Conker's Bad Fur Day's four-person multiplayer. The 16-player multiplayer in Conker: Live & Reloaded relies on more popular modes players would see in classic war games like Capture the Flag and Deathmatch. The multiplayer mode would remain popular for at least two years after its initial release, remaining as one of the top 10 most played online multiplayer titles on Xbox at the time.

Project Spark was a sandbox game that allowed players to create maps, games, movies, and more. One of the expansions for Project Spark involved the alcoholic squirrel, titled Conker's Big Reunion. It was originally supposed to be an episodic entry into the title, but Conker's Big Reunion was cancelled after the first episode was released. The game takes place 10 years after the events of Conker's Bad Fur Day.

There are those who would like for Conker to get the rest he deserves if there isn't going to be a meaningful sequel. Some worry that the type of humor that would make a good Conker game wouldn't make it in under new management, and point to Conker: Live & Reloaded as proof. A true Conker's Bad Fur Day 2 would have to take advantage of that unique writing and humor, or risk losing fans altogether. It's a big responsibility, but the hunger from players is there.