| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Review Archive >
Video Games
> Results: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat may look like a rather generic 2-D platformer, much like the old SNES Donkey Kong Country games, but you'd be dead wrong to think that. Put down that controller. You'll be pounding on the barrel-shaped bongo drums to guide videogaming's most famous gorilla on a quest to eat bananas. Really, that's the whole story of the game. Donkey Kong wants to get as many bananas as he can and woe be to any jungle critter that gets in his way!
Controls are very simple and work surprisingly well. Tap the right bongo to make DK walk right. Tap it repeatedly and he'll start running. Same goes for the left bongo. Hit both bongos at the same time and Donkey Kong jumps. The microphone in the middle of the bongos senses when you clap or tap the sides of the drums, so when you do that, Donkey Kong will clap and send a shockwave out to stun enemies. Clapping can also activate things and perform other special actions in certain situations, so clap often! You can use the GameCube controller as well, but it's not near as responsive and intuitive as the drums are.  But that's only the start of it. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is easy to get the hang of, but requires a lot of technique to master. Each level is broken up into two sub-levels and a boss. At the end of each level your score is equal to the number of bananas you have collected. You lose bananas when you are hit, and when you lose all your bananas it's game over. Any bananas left over after you beat the boss get counted as your score. You can earn bronze, silver, gold, and platinum crests depending on how many bananas you collect in each level. Unlock new levels by getting more crests. To increase your banana score there are special things you can do. If you collect bananas while in the air rather than on the ground, your banana count gets multiplied. Also, clap to reach adjacent bananas instead of just walking up to them for a better score. Finally, if you do a string of special moves while not touching the ground (like wall jumps and vine swings), your combo meter increases and multiplies how many bananas you collect. All the levels are designed so that you can string along combos while in the air for a maximum score. It's kind of like how if you memorized a level in an old Genesis Sonic game, you could play through it without stopping running at all! The stages in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat are short enough and full of fun so that you won't mind replaying them again and again to master them. Boss battles are enjoyable, too. Most notable are the fights against rival gorillas that play out like the classic Punch Out game. Dodge by clapping and deliver a flurry of one-two punches by pounding on the bongos. You'll fight many of the same bosses in different stages, but they all gain new attacks so you'll still have to be on your toes.  Graphics are absolutely beautiful. You can even see Donkey Kong's fur! Sometimes the view pans out so far that details can be hard to see, though. Music is delightful and full of familiar jungle rhythms. Play control is both unique and intuitive. Plenty of replay value to get a higher score. You may have to take a break every now and then because pounding on those bongos can get exhausting after a while! Jungle Beat comes packaged with or without the bongos. If you want to play a familiar 2-D genre in a whole new way, Donkey Kong's your gorilla! 
It's Nintendo, so you know it's family friendly. True, you can make Donkey Kong punch the snot out of hapless jungle critters, but it's no worse than a Popeye cartoon. Kids will enjoy moving Donkey Kong around by pounding the drums and older players will appreciate the techniques involved in getting a high score. Younger players may need help from an older gamer to set the sensitivity of the bongo microphone if needed. If you can stand the constant drumming and clapping in the TV room, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a game full of fun. Did you know that one of my little brother's first words was "Donkey Kong?"
Support GamerDad and buy it from Amazon! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "Donkey Kong" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat |
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
