710 Steve G. dreamcastmagic@gmail.com Donkey Konga I can deal with the \"slower\" internet speeds, neon-free streets and the lack of live digital TV via cell phones. But one thing, I will always jealously glare at Japan because we don’t have arcades here. They pretty much died in the mid 90\'s and aren\'t coming back in the foreseeable future. All is not lost because games like Samba de Amigo and Beatmania bring the arcade home in near perfect form. So it was with glee that I picked up Donkey Konga a good 2+ years after its original US release. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. Rhythm games, and especially ones that require a special controller are always a blast to play even though it’s not perfect. DK didn’t KO with this one either. (sorry, had to) Gameplay: Like the zillions of oddly quite unique games before it, this Namo developed title relies on the user and their sense of rhythm (or lack thereof). You\'ll be pounding beats to the left, the right, both sides at once and clapping your hands in between! You\'ll be doing it in a few different gameplay modes but they are all similar. Beats come down a track from right to left at varying speeds based on difficulty level, and you must pound or clap at the correct time. It’s a simple gameplay mechanic which is endlessly fun. Controls: It’s a rhythm game; it’s all about the controls. Do they work? Well do they? Yes! I can happily report that they do and quite well. Since the game requires the included bongos, I’ll go into detail about them starting with the quality, which as you might have guessed it, is fantastic. The bongos feel airy, but have a good weight to them. They are made of sturdy plastic, and painted to look like two barrels from, you guessed it, Donkey Kong. Smack in the middle is the clap sensor which is exceedingly accurate and picked up every clap I made, even the ones off beat *sigh*. Graphics: With the power the Gamecube has in rendering, it’s quite disappointing to see such bland and frankly ugly onscreen visuals. Sure, a game doesn\'t need crazy characters jumping around in the background ala Samba de Amigo, or a guy doing insane dance moves, Dance Dance Revolution. But it certainly adds to the experience. And at the end of the day, Donkey Konga is really an eye sore. The very functional on screen display showing your stats was a good start. But what’s actually going on behind that isn\'t. Because nothing is going on. You’re treated to a static image that is out of focus and features familiar bouncing animated gif-like creatures around at the bottom of the screen from Donkey Kong Country. Simply ugly, unattractive and this screams of bad game design. Sound: A rhythm game needs good music, it’s sad, but I need to be frank. The music is just “ok”. Sure, it has a handful of Nintendo themes from Mario, Zelda and Kong. But aside from those you’re mostly treated to 2nd rate singing by random people. Yep, you heard me. They didn’t license real music! Of course maybe you like beating plastic drums to the Pokemon theme song. The saving grace of this sorry set is it’s strong Latin songs and a few classics like “Louie” which are decently sung. I should also point out that you can unlock new drum sounds. My favorite is the NES drum. It sounds, retro cool. Replay: Donkey Konga is like most rhythm games I’ve played. It got old after a few hours, but it’s something I can easily come back too over and over. If I ever invested in more Bongos it would make for a hell of a party game. But I’m not sure that will ever happen given its many drawbacks, including limited selection of titles which use the bongos and their size, since they are kind of large. Donkey Konga has some big faults, but its underlying gameplay and gimmick (pounding on bongos) is so fun I can overlook the so-so selection for the price it’s selling for now. This game is a smart choice for any one who likes to have fun. 710 Steve G. dreamcastmagic@gmail.com 2007.03.20 - The Realm of Gaming">