Donkey Kong

"Without question, one of the best Gameboy games of all time. Shigeru Miyamoto's original masterpiece is brought to fruition."

I like puzzle games. I like platform games. I LOVED Super Mario Brothers 2. Put 'em all together and you have DONKEY KONG! Not Donkey Kong COUNTRY, just DK, the puzzle/platform game that got released right before DKC(and was thus ignored in the ensuing rush to the Super Nintendo section.) Fortunately, many took a second look later on when they saw the new SNES peripheral called the Super Game Boy. What a coincidence...DK was the first GameBoy game to work with it! But Super Game Boy compatability is merely the first in a long line of reasons to praise this game. Starting with the

GRAPHICS, the epitome of tile-based perfection. You really do have to play this on a Super Game Boy to fully appreciate how nicely the graphics people did their work. When the princess is carried into a door, the ''Help!'' bubble decreases in size, as if to simulate being carried farther and farther away. Cool stuff. And despite the small screen, there are a LARGE number of frames used for all of Mario's various moves. And don't get me started on the main monkey DK. (Try running into him for a skull-shattering experience.)His final form at the very end of the game is HUGE. And there are the little enemies-well drawn, well animated, and well THWACKed by Mario in various ways. All to a rather nice

MUSICal score. Finally, Gameboy music that doesn't grate on the ears! Maybe it's because the old Donkey Kong sounds translate so well into the Gameboy FM processor. Maybe it's because that scary sounding tune that plays before every boss fight is just too good to forget. Or maybe it's because Shigeru Miyamoto's name was on the credits, and when he's involved, nothing, least of all

GAMEPLAY, can go wrong. We have over 100 levels here, starting with the first four original DK arcade levels! Seldom, if ever, is a level design repeated. In fact, practically every stage stands out as unique in its own way. Probably because there's such a vast array of things to do in this game! Mario himself can jump, do a backflip, throw things, walk on his hands, swim, swing from vines, climb ladders, pull and push levers, and generally do all the things a REALLY VERSATILE platform hero should do. He's assisted by hammers, bridge builders, trampolines, floating platforms, and very often from the enemies themselves. In fact, the best part about this game is finding out how many enemies and obstacles can actually HELP you in beating a really tough-to-figure-out level. But the level is almost never TOO tough to figure out; the solution presents itself more often sooner than later. The control is excellent. No, seriously, it's EXCELLENT. In another minor miracle, the two-button Gameboy pad has been stretched to its limits in terms of all the things you can make your plumber sprite do. You WILL slip around a bit, but ONLY if you try to get all fancy and do unnecessary things, like backflipping onto a platform you could have just walked or jumped normally onto. In fact, some levels are deliberately designed to make you think of a DIFFERENT way of getting from point A to point B. The levels play as though designed by a master craftsman, and wouldn't you know it, they were! Pleasantly challenging, this game will not be a waste of yours or anyone else's money. BUY IT NOW! It should be rather cheap at the moment. Emulate only if you're an unpaid game reviewer like me:)

Nintendo Logic: Okay, Mario's just broken a whole bunch of rules. First, any videogame shmuck should be able to fall a measly 30 feet without dying. How many times did Mario fall down from a great height in his previous games without getting scratched? Second...mushrooms are supposed to make you BIGGER, not smaller. Think positive, my Italian friend! Third...since when have you been hanging out with that girl?
She ain't Princess Toadstool, I can tell you that much. She almost looks human, in fact. You pervert. Everybody knows REAL videogame heroes always get girls that have the proportions of a cube. You gonna try for Lara next, sicko?

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/02/00, Updated 05/02/00