Conker's Bad Fur Day 2 Needs to Happen
By Dalton Cooper 26 January 2016
Conker’s Bad Fur Day was a cult classic on the Nintendo 64, and one writer wants to see the titular Conker the Squirrel return for a full-fledged sequel.
The original Conker’s Bad Fur Day on the Nintendo 64 is one of my favorite games of all time. I love its deceptively cute art style, its satire of 3D platformers and pop culture, its hilarious script full of unique characters, and its addicting multiplayer mode. Conker’s Bad Fur Day is amazing, and to this day, there’s really nothing else like it. So my question is: Why not make a sequel?
It’s true that Conker’s Bad Fur Day wasn’t a massive sales success on the Nintendo 64. The game released at a time when people were gearing up for the GameCube (and to a greater extent, the PS2), and its hard M rating limited its appeal to many Nintendo 64 owners. However, Conker’s Bad Fur Day has since developed a dedicated cult following, and there is clearly demand for another game in the series, if the negative reception to the Conker E3 2014 Project Spark tease is any indication.
I have been waiting for a true sequel in the series for well over a decade now, and I am sure many other fans have as well. Microsoft has done nothing significant with the IP since the purchase of Rare, besides the 2005 Xbox remake Conker: Live & Reloaded. That remake had gorgeous visuals and an interesting multiplayer mode, but also suffered from being heavily censored compared to the original release. The original game’s multiplayer was also much more unique and entertaining in my opinion, and I think there was a missed opportunity for Rare to simply expand on the multiplayer modes that came before.
So beyond an okay remake of the original that released 11 years ago and his brief stint in Project Spark, Conker the Squirrel has mostly been ignored by Microsoft and Rare. What’s sad about this is that we’ve actually come close to a full-fledged Conker’s Bad Fur Day sequel being developed in the past, with Rare Replay shedding light on the cancelled Conker Gettin’ Medieval game. Ideas were also developed at Rare for a sequel that was to be called Conker’s Other Bad Day, but that never fully materialized.
So far, the closest thing that the gaming community has received to an actual followup to Conker’s Bad Fur Day is the aforementioned and episodic Project Spark game called Conker’s Big Reunion. The way this was released didn’t sit well with fans, as hardcore Conker enthusiasts like myself have been waiting for an actual sequel, not some strange Project Spark DLC. Ultimately, the negative reception to it caused Conker’s Big Reunion to be cancelled before Team Dakota could finish all the episodes.
Most people would probably give up hope for a franchise after these developments, but, as it turns out, there are now new rumblings of a Conker’s Bad Fur Day prequel. Supposedly entitled Young Conker, the existence of this project was recently leaked. Unfortunately, nothing is really known about it except that it is rumored to have a Teen rating, which worries me, as that may keep it from feeling like a true Conker game. After all, Conker’s Bad Fur Day is known for its excessive vulgarity and horrific violence, and it just wouldn’t be the same experience without that adult-oriented content.
So even if Young Conker is finished and released with a Teen rating, I am afraid I will still be left wondering why there’s not a true sequel to Conker’s Bad Fur Day. What I want is a game that retains the spirit of the original, and doesn’t shy away from the hard M rating that is an important part of the franchise’s identity. I want multiplayer that echoes the variety from the original game, but heavily expanded with more maps for each individual mode and online multiplayer support.
In a hypothetical Conker’s Bad Fur Day 2, Rare could potentially revisit some of the ideas that have been abandoned during previous attempts to create a sequel to Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Conker’s Other Bad Fur Day already had a pretty extensive plot planned out, which would have explored Conker’s life as a king. It could also incorporate elements of the multiplayer-focused Conker Gettin’ Medieval game as well.
I think it is time for Conker’s Bad Fur Day 2. The original game is nearly 15 years old, and I feel as though there are still many stories to tell starring foul-mouthed red squirrel. Hopefully Rare decides to move forward with a true sequel to the original game, and not one that is slapped with a Teen rating or is released as DLC for a completely unrelated project. I know I’m not the only one that would love a chance to play as Conker again, but until something official is announced, Conker fans are all left asking the same question: Why isn’t there a proper sequel to Conker’s Bad Fur Day?
What do you think about Conker’s Bad Fur Day? Would you like to play a sequel to the game, or would you rather Rare focus on developing new IP like the pirate multiplayer game Sea of Thieves? Sound off in the comments below and leave us your thoughts on the potential of another game starring Conker the Squirrel.
