Metacritic Games

Conker: Live and Reloaded (Xbox)

In Conker: Live & Reloaded, up to 16 players can jump in from all corners of the world to help man a besieged fortress against the enemy, striving to make the best possible use of its arsenal of heavy artillery and hand-to-hand weapons. Whether you choose to play a defensive game or lead the assault directly down the opposition's throat, you'll never be empty-handed for long: from old favourites knife, katana and baseball bat though shotgun and sniper rifle to some of the weapons making their first appearance, all the good stuff's here, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more brutal and varied videogame armoury. Which is just as well, because you might be surprised at just how relentless and bloodthirsty an army of scowling cartoon animals can be. Also, if you were paying attention to the title, you'll realise that the Live elements only make up part of the package - the rest consists of the classic solo outing Conker's Bad Fur Day, here not only in its entirety but actually expanded with extra footage that didn't make the original cut. If you missed it the first time around, you owe it to yourself to experience Conker's BFD to see just how funny (and foul) a game can be. [Rare / Microsoft]

Microsoft
Action, Adventure, Shooter
Players: 16
M (Mature)
Developer: Rare Ltd.
Released June 21, 2005

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

78 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 Maxim Online
Playing as heavily-armed rodents or goose-stepping teddy bears, up to 16 people can torch each other. It’s more of everything you loved.
93 IC-Games
So there you have it, a wonderful (and re-playable) single player adventure with a pretty decent multiplayer side attached... Rare have pulled it off all over again.
92 Game Chronicles
Elevates the action genre to new heights while taking the standards of decency to new lows, but in a good way...a British way.
91 Talk Xbox
Both single-player and multiplayer sections of this game play great. The control layout could have been a bit better in the multiplayer portion though. But once you get used to the setup, you should be just fine.
90 AceGamez
The multiplayer side of Conker: Live & Reloaded has really impressed me. I didn't think that I could have been taken in with this type of third person action, but I'm hooked and addicted, just like I am to the single player.
90 Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
A joy to play, a social-life-threatening venture into the ever-appealing (and for once, original) world of virtual war, and a game bursting with strategic action the like of which is absent from 95% of online Xbox games. [Xbox World]
90 Play Magazine
This is quite possibly the most visually impressive game I've ever seen. [July 2005, p.72]
90 GameZone
The new multiplayer features are great and the updated graphics are amazing.
90 Computer and Video Games
Factor in a visceral shooter splattered with as much humour as the original, impressive graphics, innovative puzzles, and more importantly, a cracking script, and you've got two fantastic party games for the price of one. It's a corker and no mistake! [Official UK Xbox Magazine]
90 Extreme Gamer
Bash em' in the balls, bounce on their breasts and get all the money your pockets can handle. Conker is on a roll and hasn't lost a step.
89 PGNx Media
A great game. The graphics are almost unbelievably good, and it certainly sets the bar very high for next-generation games.
88 Inside Gamer Online
Those that have played the original will definitely still find a lot to like here, while those that haven't, can finally see what all the fuss is about.
88 Team Xbox
The single-player Bad Fur Day is platforming genius, although it still slightly suffers from a few of the same issues that plagued it on the N64. The multiplayer modes are incredibly fun once you get passed frustrating learning curve.
88 Console Gameworld
A cute, violent and funny action platformer. It's not serious, realistic, logical, or politically correct. It's just fun. Plain and simple.
87 Gaming Target
Gamers complain that games today are too easy and lead players by the hand; in Conker’s case, it’s the exact opposite where players are pretty much left out in the cold without a clue or a pot to – well, you know.
87 Next Level Gaming
Bad Fur Day is just hilarious and while it's nothing genre-changing the multiplayer gaming is fun to play and tries to give you a lot.
87 The New York Times
The game is essentially a burlesque of every game featuring cute forest creatures. It has the sort of platform-jumping, rope-climbing, monster-whomping challenges seen in many of these games, but adds foulmouthed animals, scatological humor and gallons of vividly scarlet cartoon blood.
86 TotalGames.net
If it's not parodying some of the world's most loved (or loathed) film franchises - such as Star Wars, The Terminator and Saving Private Ryan - it's having a pop at drugs, nationality and anything else that has been hijacked by the world of political correctness.
86 XboxAddict
All in all it was fun to play Conker again, it was the same yet different, in some ways I felt the original was better, in other ways it was great to see an old friend get the spit shine he so deserved.
85 MS Xbox World
Graphically superb with a great story and very funny to play.
84 AtomicGamer
While those who played and loved the original Conker's Bad Fur Day might scoff at the purchase of this new remake, I can still mostly recommend it due to the multiplayer mode.
83 GameSpot
Conker: Live & Reloaded definitely has some quirks and even a few legitimate problems, but the whole of the experience is a great one.
83 Game Over Online
If you snicker when someone says "Uranus," find Carrot Top absolutely hilarious, or perhaps still carry around a whoopee cushion, Conker: Live & Reloaded will be right up your alley. If you're a little more Bill Cosby than Richard Pryor, you'll have problems.
82 Jolt Online Gaming UK
Still, despite the game’s poor multiplayer and control issues, Conker: Live and Reloaded still retains the classic gameplay of Bad Fur Day, giving it just enough spit and polish to be a great remake, even if there’s little in the way of extras.
82 My Gamer
Overall then, despite its simplistic gameplay (and ill balanced multiplayer), Conker: Live and Reloaded is a game that can easily win a gamer over with its bawdy humor and lovingly crafted design.
82 Gamer's Hell
The single-player mode isn’t perfect but, considering the limitations of the Xbox, the graphics almost are—and the audio is pretty good, too.
81 Kombo
With arguably the best platforming found on the Xbox, and a fairly decent Xbox Live mode, it's a game you may want to rent first before buying.
81 IGN
It's created with a lot of thought, but the balancing issues and, frankly, the lack of fun hurt it a lot. The single-player is a 9+ experience and the multiplayer is more like a 7. So, Conker: Live & Reloaded falls somewhere in the middle overall.
80 Boomtown
If you like the humour in the game then I'd say it's a worthwhile purchase - I enjoyed the single-player adventure despite problems with pacing and some of the puzzles. However I found the online game initially maddeningly chaotic until I got to grips with the surprising complexity of the gameplay on offer.
80 Yahoo! Games
Rating such a schizophrenic beast is tough. But one thing's for sure: If you're in the mood for a retro-styled, light-hearted platform game, you'll love Conker. Equally, if you're looking for high-adrenaline Xbox Live thrills, it'll be right up your street.
80 GameSpy
There's infinite replay value with Live & Reloaded's online game, but the none-friendly newbie aspect is sure to frustrate and annoy some gamers.
80 Total Video Games
The game mixes enjoyable platforming elements, with highly charged action, a humurous storyline and a satisfying multiplayer mode - pick it up now if you missed it first time around.
80 Cheat Code Central
Overall the gameplay seems a little bit more serious this time around. Some parts are really tough and are guaranteed to have you swearing right along with Conker.
80 G4 TV
The solo adventure offers so much diversity that you will push yourself to keep going just to see the new areas and confront the hilarious bosses. Now, if only the stingy camera received as much care as the new graphics.
80 Xbox Solution
The single player mode is challenging and fun but can be a little short depending on your skills at this type of game.
80 Gamezilla!
A new adventure with Conker would have been better, but still giving a classic an upgrade works too.
80 Deeko
The online aspect of the game is fun, but it was the single player that really left me wanting more from a game that had three years to add some levels or cut scenes to the single player campaign.
80 Official Xbox Magazine
A package of really fun times interspersed by some really annoying parts that will have you jumping in your car to go run over the first squirrel you see. [Aug 2005, p.82]
80 eToychest
Players who played through the original back in 2001 won’t find much ado with the single player, since things have hardly changed at all, and the multiplayer component in Conker Live & Reloaded doesn’t quite stand well enough on its own to warrant a purchase.
80 Edge Magazine
As a complete game package Conker: Live & Reloaded is tremendously good value. Significantly, it also shows a company finally back on form. [Aug 2005, p.93]
80 DarkStation
If you enjoy this style of humor or even enjoyed Bad Fur Day, then you are going to enjoy the solid single and multiplayer modes in this game.
80 Sydney Morning Herald
The potty humour will not be to everyone's taste but many films are hilariously lampooned.
80 Game Informer
An amazing re-release. [Aug 2005, p.103]
80 3DAvenue
If platform games are your thing, and you don’t mind an adult spin on a cute furry red squirrel named Conker which has one heck of a hangover, then you’ll find this game very playable.
79 XGP Gaming
What makes the humor so great in the single-player portion of the game is the wonderful voice acting.
79 Pelit (Finland)
It is not as good as the cult status would make you think. Despite problems with camera and controls, constant barrage of foulmouthed jokes will keep you entertained. [Sept. 05]
79 Gaming Horizon
Anyone that has played the game before and is just looking to relive some fun and enjoy some pretty graphics would be suited to give it a rental or pick it up when it’s a little cheaper.
79 Gaming Nexus
It’s one of the few platformers on the Xbox that delivers the goods almost every step of the way.
79 VGPub
Why not add some more levels to the single player that spoof recently made movies? Why isn’t the multiplayer balanced out? Why are the multiplayer maps so big? Why only 16 player multiplayer and not 32?
78 DailyGame
Too little, too late. What's Rare been doing for three years? At least we can now look forward to their other games.
78 Gamers' Temple
Live & Reloaded is going to take a little patience on your part, but if you love bathroom humor and exploding critters this game certainly delivers.
78 netjak
I do see it shine at times with its immature, but cute humor; then I see how straightforward it can be in some parts and I quickly knock it down a few pegs.
78 Armchair Empire
If you've already played the single player Conker, it's a little hard to recommend paying full price for this one.
77 Xbox World Australia
Singleplayer is slow going at first and honestly probably isn’t well-paced enough for most people to persist with.
75 Detroit Free Press
I did find it amusing to relive some of Conker's bawdy behavior, but I wish they would have come up with a new story rather than remaking the old one.
75 Gaming Age
Live & Reloaded isn't as unique as it was when it first came out years ago, but the upgrades and online play still make it stand out from other choices.
75 1UP
There's not much in the way of new content in single-player, nor is much of it different or even "uncut," and the multiplayer segment suffers from a lack of play balancing. Still, it looks really, really good and the gameplay mostly holds up, which is probably enough for most people.
75 Stuff
While single-player is a mix of the funny and the frustrating, multiplayer, provides its fair share of silly-ass thrills.
75 Game Revolution
A schizophrenic game. On one hand, you have a satisfying, complex online shooter, but on the other a port of a four year-old N64 platformer. Why Rare decided to update this port when they should have made a sequel is beyond us, but you can't argue with the breadth of the package.
75 Worth Playing
When all's said and done, all the beer is chugged, all the bottoms goosed and the wind broken, as the cigarette smoke clears, Conker: Live & Reloaded comes out as just a bit more than the simple sum of its parts.
70 Xbox Evolved
The single player experience isn’t bad and is fun while it lasts, but the multiplayer is a totally different story. Most people will probably find it to be a tad confusing, and if they do get it, won’t like it simply because of how they are setup.
70 Pelaaja (Finland)
We can recommend this with a few reservations. Despite its many problems, the single-player experience is what stands out here. The much-vaunted online multiplayer is disappointment. There are much better alternatives available on the Xbox, if Live is your thing. [July 2005, p.63]
70 GamerFeed
Some slow down, a questionable camera, a nasty control glitch, and the excessive back tracking seriously hampers the overall gameplay experience.
68 WHAM! Gaming
The single player section is definitely a letdown, but the multiplayer mode makes up for it in a big way.
67 Electronic Gaming Monthly
Though the fragging may hold your interest for a while, it's far from revolutionary, and the rest of the game feels like a rodent-encrusted relic from 2001.
65 PALGN
Rare obviously know how to work their system. It's just a shame they've lost their flair for gameplay. This game overall displayed a total drought of ideas. It's a shame that such a good game be dealt such a troublesome fate.
65 Game Power Australia
The multiplayer option will provide stress relieving entertainment, however its has some lopsidedness in the characters and teams that will also become a cause for frustration without the nostalgia to keep you going.
64 Gaming Illustrated
This was a great concept on paper but somehow they managed to take what was a original game with great characters and a interesting story and turn it in to a lifeless soulless game.
60 games(TM)
Live & Reloaded is an odd package indeed. A great-looking port of a decent yet dated adventure isn’t going to help Microsoft get a return on its $375 million acquisition. Luckily, the online multiplayer and its new content could write a different story. [Aug 2005, p.94]
60 GameShark
Reloaded must first stand on its single-player experience. There it pales in comparison to the king of Xbox action/adventure platformers: "Psychonauts."
60 VideoGamesLife
The sheer carnage you’re able to unleash can verge on the glorious, and the copious amounts of vehicles available in some sections certainly boosts variety. But the only thing we can really recommend Conker: Live & Reloaded for is it’s single player mode.
50 Computer Games Magazine
The problem with Conker: Live and Reloaded isn't so much that it's bad as that it's superfluous. [Sept 2005, p.89]
50 Gamestyle
Live and Reloaded is a fun and entertaining package for a short while in single player, but dated gameplay and some technical issues ensure that it won't last long.
40 EuroGamer
Something Microsoft should have put out at a budget price from the beginning, because the single-player story mode is without question one of the worst platform games we've had the misfortune of playing in years, while the multiplayer is merely adequate next to the best in online console gaming.