Thoughts on Donkey Kong 3

[Nester the Lark]

About a week ago, I started playing the NES version of Donkey Kong 3 on the Switch Online app. I don't remember the last time I played it, but I think I didn't bother because I usually hear negative opinions about it. It has a reputation for being shallow, repetitive, or not a good Donkey Kong game.

While it's true that going from a platform game series to a shooter is a strange turn to take (and oddly ironic considering that Donkey Kong was originally a replacement for a shooter), I have to say, I've found it to be a surprisingly fun, and very addictive game. As a shooter, it's actually quite creative. How many games are like a mix of Galaga, Defender and Donkey Kong? You have to attack DK while also defending plants from being stolen by angry bugs, and you can win each stage by either chasing off DK or killing all of the flying insects. Also, the cartoonish style makes it an early example of a "cute-em-up."

Admittedly, it can feel a little repetitive (it doesn't have the variety of DK and DKJr), but it's a single-screen shooter from 1983, so there's really only so much you can expect. It does feel like it needs something a little more, though. Perhaps a bonus stage every few levels would've helped. (Even Galaga from 1981 had those.)

Still, I feel like that's another reason why DK3 deserves to be revisited. I would like to see an updated version that fleshes out the ideas, and adds new elements. Plus, Stanley deserves another chance to be a hero, right?

I don't know if there's much discussion to be had here, but I just wanted to express my opinion. Do you guys have any thoughts about Donkey Kong 3? Does it deserve its reputation? Should Stanley be brought back like Pauline so he can appear in Mario sports games?

[nocturnal YL]

It's challenging, to say the least. It's quite difficult to dodge things, given the way it's controlled.

[Evie ❤✿]

Mar 27, 2021 10:03:40 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

About a week ago, I started playing the NES version of Donkey Kong 3 on the Switch Online app. I don't remember the last time I played it, but I think I didn't bother because I usually hear negative opinions about it. It has a reputation for being shallow, repetitive, or not a good Donkey Kong game.

While it's true that going from a platform game series to a shooter is a strange turn to take (and oddly ironic considering that Donkey Kong was originally a replacement for a shooter), I have to say, I've found it to be a surprisingly fun, and very addictive game. As a shooter, it's actually quite creative. How many games are like a mix of Galaga, Defender and Donkey Kong? You have to attack DK while also defending plants from being stolen by angry bugs, and you can win each stage by either chasing off DK or killing all of the flying insects. Also, the cartoonish style makes it an early example of a "cute-em-up."

Admittedly, it can feel a little repetitive (it doesn't have the variety of DK and DKJr), but it's a single-screen shooter from 1983, so there's really only so much you can expect. It does feel like it needs something a little more, though. Perhaps a bonus stage every few levels would've helped. (Even Galaga from 1981 had those.)

Still, I feel like that's another reason why DK3 deserves to be revisited. I would like to see an updated version that fleshes out the ideas, and adds new elements. Plus, Stanley deserves another chance to be a hero, right?

I don't know if there's much discussion to be had here, but I just wanted to express my opinion. Do you guys have any thoughts about Donkey Kong 3? Does it deserve its reputation? Should Stanley be brought back like Pauline so he can appear in Mario sports games?

I'm a fan of arcade-style games like you and Mario Bros., so Donkey Kong 3 (and the Arcade Archives version) appeals to me too. In my opinion it's fun, but one of those games if you grind a lot can get a tad boring until you next feel like playing it.

Thinking about it, to some extent those games are kind of lost to time now (although a lot of smart phone games like the famous/infamous Flappy Bird got popular and arcade gaming is not dead, it's probably just not as mainstream anymore when there was a (larger?) culture of going to arcades with friends); I remember an article possibly by Chris Covell about the Game Boy game Peetan; that it felt more like an old era game than a new one. This was also something raised in Nintendo Online Magazine if I remember rightly about Balloon Fight GB.

This said I've only really grinded a few games, and my own self-identification as liking arcade-style games only came relatively recently for me.