Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Conker was not always the foul-mouthed drunkard we all know and love. He was supposed to be another kid-friendly mascot in Rare’s software stable. He even managed to squeeze out a forgettable Game Boy Color game and a guest appearance inDiddy Kong Racingbefore his eventual transformation.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day, for the unaware, had one hell of a development cycle. Originally titledConker’s Questthen laterTwelve Tales: Conker 64, it was just another cutesy 3D platformer on a console drowning in cutesy 3D platformers. Until now, we hadn’t seen much of the game’s old style from a few screenshots and a smattering of gameplay clips. However, Rare fan site Rare Minion struck gold and managed to obtain a half-hour’s worth ofTwelve Talesfootage, the bulk never before seen by the public.
When a developer decides to up a game’s “edginess,” the results tend to be poor. However, in Conker’s case, he really needed that makeover. I don’t mind “cute and colorful,” but from this video,Twelve Talesseemed extremely bland. Rare must have arrived at the same conclusion, prompting theSouth Park-inspired reboot. And it was all the better for it — what would the world be like without The Great Mighty Poo or Gregg the Grim Reaper?
This footage is an incredible find, no doubt, but I certainly don’t lament what could have been.
