Games for Lunch: New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
In a nutshell: A game designed for a bongo controller minus the bongo controller = just a game.
7/6/2009 1:43 PM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: May 4, 2009
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E10+
Official Web site
0:00 I
loved the original GameCube game, but the bongo-beating action made it hard to play for an extended period of time. I'm worried the game won't be as fun without them, though.
0:01 For a last-generation game, the initial menus look pretty good on my new widescreen HDTV. A lot better than
New Play Control! Pikmin, anyway. Also, the game lets me use a Mii to identify my save file. Let's see the GameCube version do THAT!
0:02 The game tells me to shake the Nunchuk and Remote. When I do, a spotlight appears against a leafy green curtain, which moves to reveal ... Donkey Kong! Two small, white monkeys bid him to move forward, which I do with a gentle tilt of the analog stick. The A button jumps over obstacles. Huh ... I figured I'd be shaking the controller to emulate tapping the bongos. I guess by "New Play Control" they really mean "the Old Play Control that platform games had before that wacky bongo controller."
0:03 I have to do clap DK's hands to get a monkey out of a tree, but the game doesn't tell me how to do this. In the GameCube version, you actually clapped in real life. Here, it seems you jump and hit B to do a ground-pound. Oh, the monkey tells me I can also clap by tilting the analog stick and shaking the Remote. I like how you can choose the direction of your claps ... pretty sure that wasn't an option in the original.
0:06 I rescue a few more monkeys with a few more claps, then "Beat on a Barrel Tree" to "test [my] strength." The title drops down into DK's hands!
0:08 Jumping around, collecting bananas, clapping near bushes to get launched by helpful launcher monkeys. I seem to remember more bouncing and midair banana collection in the original game. Maybe it's coming later.
0:10 Got some combo action going, swinging from flower to flower and collecting big banana bunches midair for a point bonus. When I finally land on an enemy, the game zooms in and has me shake the controllers to beat them down. I must admit, there's a nice, tactile feeling to this.
0:11 I take a bite out of the HUGE banana bunch at the end of the level, then shake the controllers as fast as possible to gobble up smaller bunches. I end up with a banana count of 224. I have no idea if that's good or not.
0:13 While the level design hasn't changed since the GameCube version, the new controls seem to be messing with the gameplay. For instance, I remember being able to "clap" in midair to collect bananas in a circle. Now my claps are directional, so I collect fewer bananas. Frustrating.
0:15 Floating down a windy section on a giant red parachute now. Controlling this with drums was fun. Controlling this with analog stick is ... a tad simple.
0:17 I love the way the frogs puff up like balloons when I clap near them. The graphics are just full of life.
