Product Description

One day, DK and Diddy discover a pair of odd barrels on a deserted beach. After showing the barrels to Cranky Kong, they learn the barrels are really a legendary musical instrument that plays music not only when you drum on it, but also when you clap. Donkey Kong christens the instrument the DK Bongo, and he and Diddy decide that they will become famous musicians, get rich, and buy all the bananas they could ever want

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11691 in Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Model: 45496961299
• Released on: 2006-09-08
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: GameCube
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 5.75" h x 12.00" w x 8.00" l, 2.84 pounds

Features

• Non-stop musical mayhem as you drum along to 30 songs, from childhood classics to modern hits
• Help Donkey and Diddy Kong clap their way through old and new songs, following the rhythms of the tune
• Earn coins for keeping up with the beat, then use the coins to buy new sounds and add new elements to the music
• Multiplayer action for 1-4 players
• Includes Bongo Controller

Customer Reviews

Great fun - Great songs
I picked up Donkey Konga (the first one) after I got Donkey Konga 2, because of the great song list in Donkey Konga. The graphics aren't quite as good, but it's just as much fun!

In essence you get 30 reproductions of songs to sing along with - from classics like Louie Louie to classic music songs, from Legend of Zelda to the Pokemon theme song. I really LOVE this song collection and think they provide songs that all ages will enjoy.

There are different levels of gameplay, from beginner to advanced. In fact, if you do really well, you can earn remix versions of songs and buy truly advanced versions to play along with. Plus, there are multiplayer versions that let multiple players play together or in competition with each other.

There are mini-games to test your skills, and a shop where you can trade in your earned points for new bongo sets.

I've heard some people say they get bored after a few months of playing the same songs over and over again. Heck, most games out there only keep your interest for a week or two! Plus, half the fun here is simply playing along. If you were in a band, would you complain on tour that you were tired of playing the same songs? :)

Really, you get all the fun of Donkey Konga 2 plus a far better song set. The minor drop in graphics really isn't a big deal at all. Of course it'd be great if, like with the XBox, you could simply download new song sets that you enjoyed. That way they could let you buy one game, and then download whatever types of songs you liked to sing. Kids could download the kid songs, adults could download the classic rock songs, and teens could go for the pop-hip-hop stuff. But until Nintendo gets its online act together, I don't mind them coming out with a whole series of Donkey Konga games, each with a different song set. I'll gladly collect them all!

Nintendo jumps on the rhythm-game bandwagon...
...and not surprisingly, it's well done and a lot of fun.

The phenomenom of rhythm- and music-based games has been going strong in Japan since Dance Dance Revolution hit arcades there in the mid to late 1990s. Even today you'll find arcades packed with games where you can play guitar, be a DJ, play a huge taiko drum, play a trap set or any number of other variations. Not to mention, each of these games has many (sometimes dozens) of home versions.

Unfortunately, with the exception of DDR, these games are hard to find in the U.S, at the arcade and at home. Only recently are developers starting to realize the profit potential of a genre that appeals to all ages and both genders.

So here we have Donkey Konga, Nintendo's first rhythm game, and it comes with a pair of bongos - a good deal for $50. The bad news is that, despite looking like bongos, they don't play like bongos. The heads are rubbery and soft, not tight like real bongos, and they don't make a bongo sound, except through your TV speakers. So if you had planned to jam on these sans GameCube, forget it.

The good news is the game is competent and a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, given the "kiddie" premise. There are about 30 songs, which, unlike the J-pop and original songs in DDR, will be familiar to almost everyone. I especially like the classical music and the new versions of old Nintendo theme songs. There's also oldies, swing, pop and rock.

Basically, like any rhythm game, the goal is to watch scrolling symbols and hit the drum at the right time - either one or the other, both at once, or clap your hands together (or, easier, slap the side of the drums). Surprisingly, even the middle level (equivalent to "standard" in DDR) has some pretty tough songs. Even if you can pass them, you'll have trouble getting all "greats" (equivalent to "perfect" in DDR).

The only thing I'm really wanting in this game is perhaps a bigger songlist. Thirty songs will get mighty boring after too long, I predict. But I'm hoping this won't be the last game to utilize the bongos - and I hope it sells well enough to convince other developers to make rhythm games.

I have actually PLAYED this game
I find the other reviews for this item to be pretty baseless, since they don't indicate any knowledge of the game. I played this game earlier today, in fact, and so I feel compelled to add a few actual facts to the review page.

Some people are wary of this game because it involves a really unusual peripheral, and Nintendo doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to strange new peripherals (Powerglove, anyone?). But you know what? This one works. The drums register every hit, and have a very satisfying give when you hit them (the tops are not stretched taut like real drums).
The microphone also does not miss any claps.

And, of course, you also get the game Donkey Konga with the drums--which, by the way, is a full-fledged, totally COOL rhythm game. It offers multiple difficulty levels (monkey, chimp, etc...I think the highest is "gorilla") and multiple play modes. The J-pop from the Japanese version has been replaced with some very recognizeable licensed tunes--like "Wild Thing!" Perfect!

Last but not least...there are other games coming out that will use the drums. Later this year there will be Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (a side-scrolling platformer) and in Spring of 2005, there will be a pinball game (um...kind of. You'll see what I mean) called Odama. Both use the drums. Jungle Beat uses them instead of a controller, and Odama will have some truly bizarre 2-player action that involves the drums.

So, you may have to get by on Donkey Konga for two months, but trust me, it WON'T be hard. This is one to preorder. Your friends and family will be seriously jealous of you--expect to have to share once everyone you know becomes hooked.