Post by Fryguy64 on Feb 26, 2005 19:47:04 GMT -5
This went down quite well when I did it for Minish Cap, so I thought I'd do it for another game that us Euro gamers got before the US.... Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat for Gamecube.
First things first, this is not some gimmicky idea to draw the life out of the Gamecube bongos. The bongos are needed to play this game because it's the only way you can play it and still enjoy it. Secondly, the reason for this is because it's an arcade-style points grabber at heart.
Moving DK seems awkward. Tapping the right or left bongo repeatedly to get him moving, and tapping both to make him jump never feels right. But it doesn't matter most of the time, because walking and jumping is for people who can't play the game properly. This game is about soaring through the air, timing your action commands (claps) and subtle movements with absolute precision so you never need to touch the floor. As you throw your gorilla around through the level, being tossed by monkeys, rebounding off walls, bouncing off the heads of enemies, you build up Combo points. As soon as your feet touch the ground any bananas you've gathered will be added to your counter with a multiplier bonus for your combo.
Bananas can be collected by walking into them, or clapping when near them. Clapping is best, as DK will grab all the bananas in a circle around him, giving you a higher combo than if you had just collected them normally. Do this during one of your many leaps through the level and your score will be huge. Bananas act as all of your collectables in one - they are your health, your score, your method of unlocking new levels... so getting a high combo improves your chances later on.
Each kingdom is made up of four levels, and each level is split into three stages. If you lose all of your bananas during a level then you have to start those three stages again - and this is a failing when you get stuck on the boss because you can't work out his attack pattern. Another failing is the repetition of bosses. There are four basic boss types - pig, bird, elephant and Kong. They start easy and get harder as you go, but their attack patterns remain nearly identical. In true DKC style, all except the Kongs change colours and names between difficulties... the Kong fights are different enough from each other, but provide some of the hardest parts of the game. Getting the dodge command down is vital, requiring timing equal to that of anything Donkey Konga could throw at you.
The enemy and stage designs are strangely familiar - recalling the odd, chunky style of Yoshi's Story. Mix it with a bit of Donkey Kong Country and you get something that ultimately works... especially on later levels where Nintendo's imagination has created some beautiful landscapes (the warzone kingdom populated by ninjas springs to mind). You do start to wonder later in the game why so little of the game takes place in the jungle, despite the title. In fact, most of it seems to take place in the snow, in volcanos, or under the sea.
Your animal buddies have changed since DKC, as you might have expected. Your most commonly used mode of transport will be the Helibird (grabbing it during a leap is one of the best ways to lengthen your combo). You will also ride around on Mooshin the mountain goat fairly regularly, with entire levels revolving around him sometimes. Ressar the squirrel will parachute you to Earth, and Shachee the killer whale lends a hand rarely. Still, it's the little monkeys you want to look out for. Listen out for their clapping, as that often signals a secret... and it's also always in tune with the music.
Like I said, this is an arcade game at heart, and a fantastic one. The rhythm is perfectly judged, and the feeling of sending a gorilla soaring through the air, timing your leaps and racking up a massive combo is unmatched by anything else. It hasn't so much got faults as it has things that could have been a bit better. What is there is brilliant, and I still have move levels to unlock. Who knows what I'll find?
*Clap Clap*
First things first, this is not some gimmicky idea to draw the life out of the Gamecube bongos. The bongos are needed to play this game because it's the only way you can play it and still enjoy it. Secondly, the reason for this is because it's an arcade-style points grabber at heart.
Moving DK seems awkward. Tapping the right or left bongo repeatedly to get him moving, and tapping both to make him jump never feels right. But it doesn't matter most of the time, because walking and jumping is for people who can't play the game properly. This game is about soaring through the air, timing your action commands (claps) and subtle movements with absolute precision so you never need to touch the floor. As you throw your gorilla around through the level, being tossed by monkeys, rebounding off walls, bouncing off the heads of enemies, you build up Combo points. As soon as your feet touch the ground any bananas you've gathered will be added to your counter with a multiplier bonus for your combo.
Bananas can be collected by walking into them, or clapping when near them. Clapping is best, as DK will grab all the bananas in a circle around him, giving you a higher combo than if you had just collected them normally. Do this during one of your many leaps through the level and your score will be huge. Bananas act as all of your collectables in one - they are your health, your score, your method of unlocking new levels... so getting a high combo improves your chances later on.
Each kingdom is made up of four levels, and each level is split into three stages. If you lose all of your bananas during a level then you have to start those three stages again - and this is a failing when you get stuck on the boss because you can't work out his attack pattern. Another failing is the repetition of bosses. There are four basic boss types - pig, bird, elephant and Kong. They start easy and get harder as you go, but their attack patterns remain nearly identical. In true DKC style, all except the Kongs change colours and names between difficulties... the Kong fights are different enough from each other, but provide some of the hardest parts of the game. Getting the dodge command down is vital, requiring timing equal to that of anything Donkey Konga could throw at you.
The enemy and stage designs are strangely familiar - recalling the odd, chunky style of Yoshi's Story. Mix it with a bit of Donkey Kong Country and you get something that ultimately works... especially on later levels where Nintendo's imagination has created some beautiful landscapes (the warzone kingdom populated by ninjas springs to mind). You do start to wonder later in the game why so little of the game takes place in the jungle, despite the title. In fact, most of it seems to take place in the snow, in volcanos, or under the sea.
Your animal buddies have changed since DKC, as you might have expected. Your most commonly used mode of transport will be the Helibird (grabbing it during a leap is one of the best ways to lengthen your combo). You will also ride around on Mooshin the mountain goat fairly regularly, with entire levels revolving around him sometimes. Ressar the squirrel will parachute you to Earth, and Shachee the killer whale lends a hand rarely. Still, it's the little monkeys you want to look out for. Listen out for their clapping, as that often signals a secret... and it's also always in tune with the music.
Like I said, this is an arcade game at heart, and a fantastic one. The rhythm is perfectly judged, and the feeling of sending a gorilla soaring through the air, timing your leaps and racking up a massive combo is unmatched by anything else. It hasn't so much got faults as it has things that could have been a bit better. What is there is brilliant, and I still have move levels to unlock. Who knows what I'll find?
*Clap Clap*
