Cheat Index - Donkey Konga GameCube Review

If you’re reading this site, odds are you’ve adopted the philosophy that Nintendo is the King Midas of the gaming industry. If they didn’t invent the genre, they’ll set out to improve it with their memorable mascots and well-trained eye for design. So when Nintendo announced they’d be trying their golden hand at the music genre with the peripheral driven Donkey Konga, fans took notice. Unfortunately, with the game being out since December and still no concrete signs of a US release, it’s looking less and less likely that we'll ever see Donkey Konga hit the states. Lucky for you, I’ve spent some quality time with this kongariffic little package, and I’m here to let you know if this one’s worthy of an import, or better off as a treasure of the orient.

First off, as with most music games, visuals don’t need to be mind blowing to still deliver a AAA experience. Unfortunately, it’s obvious Namco didn’t even try with this one. This game could have literally been pulled off on the SNES. The game switches between a static beach and jungle background with characters from the Donkey Kong universe dancing to the beat. Well, apparently nobody ever taught these apes to bust a move as they basically just cycle through a 2D 5-frame animation endlessly. The actual HUD and gameplay icons are functional, but once again a major visual bore. Furthermore, menus are purely text driven and as bland as they could possibly get.

Again, music games don’t need to use visuals as a crutch, but that doesn’t excuse developers from ignoring them completely. Think back to Samba de Amigo, Dance Dance Revolution, and Parappa the Rapper. All of those games featured simplistic gameplay strictly reliant on your HUD, but they still provided you with a zany atmosphere to pump you up along the way, regardless of if you were paying attention to it or not. I would have loved to have seen a presentation similar to 1080 Avalanche where you’re guided around a fitting locale (such as a tiki bar) as you select your options, but sadly, this isn’t the case with Donkey Konga.

Full Review