Donkey Konga (Video Game 2003)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

drums | donkey kong | character name in title

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Genres:

Music | Animation | Comedy

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Certificate:

E

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

27 September 2004 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nintendo, Nintendo of America

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Spun-off from Donkey Kong Country (1994)

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Soundtracks

"September"
Performed by Earth Wind & Fire

User Reviews

Donkey Konga brings us a new way of playing games - using bongos!

The main reason I got my GameCube a few years ago was because of this game called "Donkey Konga". I remember the Japanese trailer for it and ever since then I really wanted it. I got my GameCube and Donkey Konga in a bundle and it worked out quite cheap. Why on earth did I get this game though? Well, there were two reasons. The first was that you play using bongos and the second is that it is a good reaction game (I like these). If you have ever played PaRappa the Rapper 2 on PlayStation 2 then the style is similar. In Donkey Konga, of course it is a lot more fun when using the bongos.

You can play the game with or without the bongos. The bongos are more fun but the controller works good as well. I use the triggers on the controller for left and right (yellow and red) and the A button for claps. It feels more comfortable with this control scheme (can be changed in settings of the game) as you feel you get a reaction from the controller. So, whenever I play on my own or against someone I don't mind using the controller or the bongos. Both are fun.

The game is a really good party game. You can play it on your own for many hours and go through all the songs or even better - play against someone else. You can have up to four players around the television and they can use controllers or if you have bought extra bongos then you can use them. Donkey Konga is definitely up there with my best multiplayer games. Of course, I always win in these games but then I would love to challenge some others who love this game to death. Think you can beat me? Well, of course we will never find out unless Nintendo release some wacky online version of this.

It is by far easy to get used to. Anyone can play this game. When you first pop the disc in and jump straight into the game you will probably miss a few times or press the wrong buttons (I didn't know what the pink colour meant in the game). Anyway, yellow is left on the bongos, red is right on the bongos and pink is both of them at the same time. There is also one more crazy symbol which is a pale blue and has spikes coming out of it. This is the indication of you needing to clap into the microphone of the bongos. A good and fun way, don't you think? Having a good reaction will help (especially when you play on a higher difficulty). Some songs are slow paced, some are fast and some have a mixture of slow and fast tempos. The beats of the songs are usually when you interact. Kids and adults will sure have fun with this for sure.

Is it worth playing over and over? Well, that really depends. I gave the gameplay an 9/10. The reason for such a high score is because it is great on multiplayer but on your own, still great but not fun fun. This is one for the family and friends. Of course you'll need to keep playing in order to unlock stuff such as new sounds for the bongos, new difficulties and minigames.

Visually there isn't much to say as graphics aren't a main focus to this game. Anyway, it looks clean and there are no jagged edges. The backdrops are good, Donkey Kong and Diddy looking good and the menus look real good too. It's a jungle themed game - that's it.

There are quite some decent songs on here. The sequel, Donkey Konga 2 has a few good songs but nothing beats the original game's tracks. We have tracks from Queen, Jackson 5, Blink 182 and also tracks from video games such as Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Oh, don't forget the Game Boy Tetris track as well. That's a good remix. Some good songs which will be sure to keep you occupied for many hours.

If you are looking for a game the whole family can participate in then Donkey Konga is the game. Probably one of the best music games available for the GameCube. It's worth it for the multiplayer but I doubt you'll be playing that much on your own after you've unlocked everything.