Donkey Kong by Kimberly Keyes Stark 

Donkey Kong by Kimberly Keyes Stark

Donkey Kong Screenshot

As a child I used to love watching the original 1933 movie classic King Kong on television. It was pretty exciting seeing a giant ape battle dinosaurs and giant spiders while carrying away a screaming Fay Wray. It all culimated in that famous climax where King Kong climbs up to the top of the Empire State Building while carrying Fay Wray (while she was screaming all this time) and having to fend off airp lanes who were shooting and bombing the giant ape.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into a video arcade one day in the early 1980's and discovered Donkey Kong, a videogame whose plot is a direct rip-off of King Kong. The object of the game is this: Donkey Kong has kidnapped a woman named Pauline. As her boyfriend, Mario, you must rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong's clutches.

However, that is easier said than done. In the first screen, Mario must go up a series of ramps while Donkey Kong throws barrels in an attempt to stop him. Mario has to be careful of which ladder to use while climbing since some of them are broken. Mario can jump over a barrel for extra points. At some spots, there is a hammer. If Mario jumps up to that hammer, he can use it temporar ily to smash a few barrels. Sometimes a barrel will choose to go down a ladder instead of sticking to rolling straight down the level and if Mario happens to be on a ladder when it happens, he'll lose a life.

Once Mario successfully reaches to the top where Pauline is held, a heart appears over the couple. However, the reunion is short-lived because Donkey Kong will grab Pauline and climb another ladder until he is out of sight.

This is where Donkey Kong stood out from other arcade games of the period. Most arcade games tended to repeat the same screen layout and only made the action harder. In the case of Donkey Kong, the screen layout changes for the next three levels. At the second stage, Pauline is held at the top of this girder structure while Donkey Kong is guarding her directly underneath. Mario must remove the rivets holding the girder structure together while avoiding fireballs that seem to move autonomously.

At the thrid stage, Mario must move around a series of elevators while avoiding both fireballs and the jackhammers that Donkey Kong throws. At the fourth stage, Mario is stuck in a pie factory as he moves around on conveyor belts.

After the fourth stage, the game goes back to the first screen but the action gets much harder. Needless to say, I found this game totally addicting. It was cool to relive the plot of a classic movie in a videogame (even though Donkey Kong was not an official King Kong spin-off).

Like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong's success in the video arcades also led to a Saturday morning cartoon series. I've never seen an episode of it because I still had bad memories of the one time that I watched an episode of the Pac-Man series and found it to be completely stupid. That experience led taught me to stay away from any television cartoon adaptation of any other videogame.

Donkey Kong was not only the first successful game for Nintendo but it also introduced two characters who would later go on to become two of Nintendo's most famous characters--Mario and Donkey Kong.

The origins of the name Donkey Kong has become disputed in recent years. While it's obvious that the "Kong" part of the name is a reference to the King Kong movie, it's not clear why the word "Donkey" is used since there are no donkeys in this game. One story holds that the game was originally supposed to be called "Monkey Kong" but due to a barely legible fax transmission, the screenprinters created thousands of pieces of artwork that read "Donkey Kong" instead. Since the manufacturers were in a rush to get the game released, they opted to change the game's title rather than wait for the artwork to be reprinted.

Another story says that the word "Donkey" in Donkey Kong is a play on the Japanese word for "stupid".

A third story holds that "donkey" was used because the powers-that-be at Nintendo had been consulting a Japanese-English dictionary that stated that "donkey" meant "stubborn, wily, and goofy."

One fact that is not disputed is that Donkey Kong was created by a programmer at Nintendo named Shigeru Miyamoto, who would later become a revered figure in the videogame industry based on his creation of not only Donkey Kong but Donkey Kong Junior, Mario Bros. (which jump-started the Mario franchise that is still churning out new Mario-themed games to this day), and The Legend of Zelda.

Donkey Kong was the first big hit for Nintendo and it led to two sequels and a spin-off. Donkey Kong and Mario would appear again in Donkey Kong Junior. After that game, Donkey Kong and Mario pretty much went their own separate ways. Donkey Kong 3 was released with Mario being replaced by a new hero named Stanley. Mario was paired with his brother Luigi in the spin-off Mario Bros.

Since then, Donkey Kong and Mario have appeared on separate home video titles. They only appear in the same game in a party game (such as the Mario Party series) or in a sports title (such as Mario Golf and Mario Tennis). But their days of being sparring partners are basically over.

That's why I still get a kick out of playing Donkey Kong, where I can relive the first appearance of two popular videogame characters as they square off against each other. Donkey Kong is still just as addicting today as it was back when it was first released in 1981.

Unforunately, Pauline has pretty much disappeared since her first and only appearance in Donkey Kong. While Mario and Donkey Kong have evolved from being crude 2-D pixel figures to full 3-D shaded creatures, Pauline is forever stuck as a crude 2-D pixel figure. One can only imagine what Pauline would look like had she undergone a full 3-D shaded makeover.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is based on one person's biased opinions of which videogames should be considered to be classics and why. It is not meant to provide a complete history of the videogame industry, the latest videogame news, technical support, or hints on how to play a certain videogame. None of the videogame manufacturers or programmers mentioned here have endorsed or supported this blog in any way, shape, or form.

NOTE: If there are any errors or updates to what I have written about Donkey Kong, please send an e-mail to [link=mailto:kstarkREMOVE-ALL-CAPS-IF-NOT-SPAM@erols.com]kstarkREMOVE-ALL-CAPS-IF-NOT-SPAM@erols.com[/link] (remember to remove the capital letters from my mailing address before sending or else it will get rejected) and I'll edit this piece when time permits.

DONKEY KONG GAMES AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

GAME BOY ADVANCE E-READER

Donkey Kong--This is the original classic arcade hit that started the entire Donkey Kong/Mario Bros. empire (a.k.a. Nintendo).

e-Reader Mario Party--Donkey Kong appears among the e-Reader cards in this game.

GAME BOY ADVANCE

Donkey Kong Country--This is a port of the original 3-D SNES adventure game starring Donkey Kong.

Game & Watch Gallery 4--It's a port of a series of handheld games that Nintendo made in the 1980's. It includes the Game & Watch version of Donkey Kong 3.

Mario Golf--Donkey Kong is among the golfers that you can select.

Mario Kart Super Circuit--Donkey Kong is among the drivers that you can select in this racing game.

GAME BOY COLOR

Donkey Kong--It's a slightly updated version of the original arcade game. (Also includes a cameo appearance by Donkey Kong Junior.)

Donkey Kong Country--This is a port of the original 3-D SNES adventure game starring Donkey Kong.

Mario Golf--Donkey Kong is among the golfers that you can select.

Mario Tennis--Donkey Kong is among the tennis players that you can select.

GAME BOY

Donkey Kong Land--It's an adventure game starring Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong Land 2--It's a sequel to Donkey Kong Land.

Donkey Kong Land 3--It's another sequel to Donkey Kong Land.

GAME CUBE

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour--Donkey Kong is one of the golfers that you can select.

[link=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B 00009WAUD/theunicornwithan/]Mario Kart Double Dash[/link]--Donkey Kong is among the drivers that you can select in this racing game.

Mario Party 4--Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this party game.

Mario Party 5--Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this party game.

Super Smash Bros. Melee--Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this fighting game.

SUPER NINTENDO

Donkey Kong Country--This is a 3-D action adventure game starring the big ape.

[link=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00002SVG2/theunico rnwithan/]Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest[/link]--It's a sequel to Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble--It's another sequel to Donkey Kong Country.

Super Mario Kart--Donkey Kong is among the drivers that you can select in this racing game.

NINTENDO 64

Donkey Kong 64--It's a 3-D action adventure game starring the big ape.

[link=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000K1AF/theu nicornwithan/]Mario Golf[/link]--Donkey Kong is one of the golfers that you can select.

Mario Kart 64--Donkey Kong is among the drivers that you can select in this racing game.

Mario Party--This is the title that started the entire popular Mario Party series. Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this party game.

Mario Party 2--Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this party game.

[link=ht tp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005AW1W/theunicornwithan/]Mario Party 3[/link]--Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this party game.

[link=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004U1QY/theu nicornwithan/]Mario Tennis[/link]--Donkey Kong is one of the tennis players that you can select.

Super Smash Bros.--Donkey Kong is one of the characters that you can select in this fighting game.


RELATED PURCHASES

Buckner and Garcia's "Pac-Man Fever" CD--Includes "Do the Donkey Kong" as well as the "Pac-Man Fever" title track, "Froggy's Lament," "Ode to a Centipede," "Hyperspace," "The Defender," "Mousetrap," and "Goin' Bezerk."

King Kong on VHS and DVD--This is the classic 1933 movie that inspired the videogame. Fay Wray screams and screams as King Kong carries her off and falls in love with her. The first hour kind of drags but once King Kong enters into the picture, it's a total thriller as King Kong fights off giant dinosaurs, spiders, and pteradactyls. It contains the famous finale when King Kong carries his lady love to the top of the Empire State Building as airplanes swoop around him. Even though this movie was made back in 1933, the special effects still hold up pretty well. Avoid the mediocre 1976 remake--the only real reason to watch that version is to see King Kong climb up to the top of the now-demolished World Trade Center. Then, again, if you really want to see the World Trade Center in a movie, you'd be better off watching any other movie that was shot on location in New York City prior to September 11, 2001.



DONKEY KONG LINKS

ClassicGaming.com's Game of the Week--It's a story devoted to Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong--A brief history of Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong Database--This site is devoted to the Donkey Kong cartoon series.

Donkey Kong's Jungle Vine--It's an ultimate fan site that's devoted to Donkey Kong. It includes the latest news on Donkey Kong's latest videogame appearances along with essays on Donkey Kong. There is even an Artwork section where fans can submit their original art featuring the giant ape.

The Donkey Kong Megasite--It's another ultimate fan site that's devoted to Donkey Kong. It includes information on all the Donkey Kong games as well as his appearances in other videogames, information on the Donkey Kong cartoon series, all kind of downloads, and much more.

Donkey Kong World--It's another ultimate fan site that's devoted to Donkey Kong. This site focuses more on the many Donkey Kong console games that have been released over the past several years.

The Donkey Kong Tribute Page--It's a short story on how this one person has managed to obtain and refurbish a vintage Donkey Kong machine. It also provides advice to others who wish to do the same.

The Internet Movie Database's Information on Donkey Kong--Includes information on both videogames and the TV cartoon series.

The Killer List of Video Games' Donkey Kong Exhibit

Matthew Barney Versus Donkey Kong--This story compares the Donkey Kong videogame to director Matthew Barney's film Crewmaster 3.

Nintendo--The official site of the company that's responsible for Donkey Kong as well as other classic games like Donkey Kong Junior and Mario Bros.

Phosphor-Dot Fossils: Donkey Kong--A brief history of Donkey Kong..

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