Description
Released in the arcades in 1981, Donkey Kong was not only Nintendo's first real smash hit for the company, but marked the introduction for two of their most popular mascots: Mario (originally "Jumpman") and Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong is a platform-action game that has Mario scale four different industrial themed levels (construction zone, cement factory, an elevator-themed level, and removing rivets from girders) in an attempt to save the damsel in distress, Pauline, from the big ape before the timer runs out. Once the rivets are removed from the final level, Donkey Kong falls, and the two lovers are reunited. From there, the levels start over at a higher difficulty.
Along the way, Mario must dodge a constant stream of barrels, "living" fireballs, and spring-weights. Although not as powerful as in other future games, Mario can find a hammer which allows him to destroy the barrels and fireballs for a limited amount of time. Additionally, Mario can also find Pauline's hat, purse and umbrella for additional bonus points.
Donkey Kong is also notable for being one of the first complete narratives in video game form, told through simplistic cut scenes that advance the story. It should also be noted that in versions of the game for early 1980's consoles, Donkey Kong only used 2-3 of the original levels, with the cement factory usually omitted.
Alternate Titles
- "Donkey Kong-e" -- e-Reader Title
- "DK" -- Common Abbreviation
- "Crazy Kong" -- Donkey Kong's name in Japan
- "ドンキーコング" -- Japanese Spelling
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The Press Says
| The Video Game Critic |
Atari 8-bit |
Aug 23, 2006 |
A |
100 |
| Computer Games |
Atari 8-bit |
Feb, 1984 |
A |
100 |
| The Good Old Days |
NES |
Aug 15, 2006 |
5 out of 6 |
83 |
| Fragland.net |
Game Boy Advance |
Jan 11, 2005 |
81 out of 100 |
81 |
| VideoGame |
Atari 2600 |
Jun, 1991 |
     |
80 |
| Eurogamer.de |
Wii |
Jan 19, 2007 |
3 out of 5 |
60 |
| GameSpot |
Wii |
Nov 21, 2006 |
4.6 out of 10 |
46 |
| Abandonia |
PC Booter |
Apr 15, 2008 |
2 out of 5 |
40 |
| IGN |
Wii |
Dec 01, 2006 |
4 out of 10 |
40 |
| Virtual Console Reviews |
Wii |
Nov 19, 2006 |
2 out of 5 |
40 |
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Trivia
The name Donkey Kong is not Japanese, as it is widely believed. Instead, it is a combination of two words: The first word is supposed to stand for something that is hard to deal with: A mule, or donkey. The second word stems from King Kong. Hence, Donkey Kong.
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