A port of Donkey Konga
The North American port of Donkey Konga, which has a track listing different from the original Japanese version.
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Cute little rythym game but doesn't tell you the controls unless you have the manual...the notes are off beat a lot of the time but it's still really fun to sit down and play with a friend :)
(Re-logging this because I originally logged the Japanese version when I played the NTSC version)
I know it gets clowned on, but I fucking LOVE Donkey Konga. It was honestly just a stupidly fun game and, despite coming at a pretty directionless time for Donkey Kong, it was supremely enjoyable.
I know it gets clowned on, but I fucking LOVE Donkey Konga. It was honestly just a stupidly fun game and, despite coming at a pretty directionless time for Donkey Kong, it was supremely enjoyable.
dongo kongo
So basically this game is very taiko-like, which makes sense given the fact that namco was put behind the wheel here and the gameplay is basically the same, just with don-chan turned into dong and taiko drums turned into bong. I don't know for sure if this is an exact fork of the taiko engine but I'd be willing to bet it is. Visually this game is certainly something, as unlike taiko which uses clean stylized 2D art for all the assets and animations, Donkey Konga over here instead uses animated renders of DK and the crew. Obviously it's not the first time the series has done that given DKC and all, but with the high fidelity of the gamecube it basically makes things look entirely comprised of weird animated gifs. Flash game vibes. I dig it though, it gives the game a bit of an absurd strangeness to it all that i vibe with a lot.
In terms of being an actual rhythm game, it's aight. Using a mic as an input for a rhythm game sounds like a horrible idea (and in most cases it is), but here they knew the limitations and it works pretty well. I don't like having to take both hands off the drum to clap for the clap notes though. No matter which regional version of the game you choose to play, this game isn't that difficult even on the hardest difficulties.
The USA setlist is very bizarre. Mostly pop music, though they kept the anime section somewhat alive with the 4kids pokemon and kirby themes (awesome). There's some cheeseball songs like rock lobster and whip it in here that I eat up, and some songs that I don't really understand why they are in like Rock This Town or On the Road Again. Also a lot of like childrens music, shit like bingo and the happy birthday song too.
I'd say overall it stands out on its own both compared to the other 2 donkey konga 1s and US donkey konga 2 as it has its own kinda vibe. Considering the fact that it's pretty much 1/3rd of everything you can play on the bongos you might as well at least give it a shot even if you aren't the biggest rhythm gamer man
So basically this game is very taiko-like, which makes sense given the fact that namco was put behind the wheel here and the gameplay is basically the same, just with don-chan turned into dong and taiko drums turned into bong. I don't know for sure if this is an exact fork of the taiko engine but I'd be willing to bet it is. Visually this game is certainly something, as unlike taiko which uses clean stylized 2D art for all the assets and animations, Donkey Konga over here instead uses animated renders of DK and the crew. Obviously it's not the first time the series has done that given DKC and all, but with the high fidelity of the gamecube it basically makes things look entirely comprised of weird animated gifs. Flash game vibes. I dig it though, it gives the game a bit of an absurd strangeness to it all that i vibe with a lot.
In terms of being an actual rhythm game, it's aight. Using a mic as an input for a rhythm game sounds like a horrible idea (and in most cases it is), but here they knew the limitations and it works pretty well. I don't like having to take both hands off the drum to clap for the clap notes though. No matter which regional version of the game you choose to play, this game isn't that difficult even on the hardest difficulties.
The USA setlist is very bizarre. Mostly pop music, though they kept the anime section somewhat alive with the 4kids pokemon and kirby themes (awesome). There's some cheeseball songs like rock lobster and whip it in here that I eat up, and some songs that I don't really understand why they are in like Rock This Town or On the Road Again. Also a lot of like childrens music, shit like bingo and the happy birthday song too.
I'd say overall it stands out on its own both compared to the other 2 donkey konga 1s and US donkey konga 2 as it has its own kinda vibe. Considering the fact that it's pretty much 1/3rd of everything you can play on the bongos you might as well at least give it a shot even if you aren't the biggest rhythm gamer man