Wikipedia

User:TheJoebro64/drafts/DK

< User:TheJoebro64‎ | drafts
Donkey Kong
Logo since 2010
Created byShigeru Miyamoto
Original workDonkey Kong (1981)
OwnerNintendo
Years1981–present
Print publications
ComicsSuper Mario-Kun
Films and television
Film(s)The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Animated series
Games
TraditionalLCD games
Video game(s)
Audio
Original music"DK Rap"
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)Super Nintendo World
Related franchise(s)

Donkey Kong[a] is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. The franchise follows the adventures of Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla. Donkey Kong series include the original arcade game trilogy by Nintendo R&D1; the Donkey Kong Country series by Rare and Retro Studios; and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series by Nintendo Software Technology. Various studios have developed spin-offs in other genres such as racing and rhythm. The franchise also incorporates animation, comics, merchandise, and theme parks.

Miyamoto designed the original 1981 game to salvage unsold arcade cabinets following the failure of Radar Scope (1980). Donkey Kong was a major success and was followed by the sequels Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) and Donkey Kong 3 (1983). The franchise then went on a hiatus as Nintendo shifted its focus to the spin-off Mario franchise. Rare's 1994 reboot, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country, reestablished Donkey Kong as a major Nintendo franchise. Rare developed Donkey Kong games for the SNES, Game Boy, and Nintendo 64 until they were acquired by Microsoft in 2002; subsequent games have been handled by Nintendo, Retro Studios, Namco, and Paon.

The main Donkey Kong games are platformers in which the player must reach the end of a level. Donkey Kong was initially the antagonist, but became the protagonist starting with Country. The original games featured a small cast of characters, including Donkey Kong, Mario, Pauline, and Donkey Kong Jr. Rare's games expanded the cast with friendly Kongs, such as Diddy, Cranky, Funky, and Dixie, and the Kremlings, an army of antagonistic crocodiles led by Donkey Kong's nemesis King K. Rool. Mario, the protagonist of the 1981 game, went on to become Nintendo's mascot and the star of the Mario franchise, and Donkey Kong characters frequently appear in Mario games like Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis. Donkey Kong has also crossed over with other franchises in games such as Mario & Sonic and Super Smash Bros.

Donkey Kong is one of the bestselling video game franchises, selling over 65 million units by 2021. The 1981 game was Nintendo's first major international success and established it as a prominent player in the video game industry. The franchise has pioneered or popularized concepts such as in-game storytelling and pre-rendered graphics, inspired other games (including clones), and influenced popular culture.

History edit

See also: List of Donkey Kong video games

1981–1982: Conception and first game edit

 
Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto in 2013

In the late 1970s, the Japanese company Nintendo shifted its focus from producing toys and playing cards to arcade games. This followed the 1973 oil crisis having increased the cost of manufacturing toys and the success of Taito's Space Invaders (1978). In 1980, Nintendo released Radar Scope, a Space Invaders-style shoot 'em up.[1] It was a commercial failure and put the newly established subsidiary Nintendo of America in a financial crisis. Its founder, Minoru Arakawa, asked his father in-law, the Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi, to provide a new game that could salvage the unsold Radar Scope cabinets.[2] Most of Nintendo's top developers were preoccupied, so the task went to Shigeru Miyamoto, a first-time game designer.[3][4]

Supervised by Gunpei Yokoi,[3] Miyamoto settled on a love triangle with the characters Bluto, Popeye, and Olive Oyl from the Popeye franchise, but Nintendo was unable to obtain the license.[4] Bluto evolved into a gorilla, an animal Miyamoto said was "nothing too evil or repulsive".[5] He named the character Donkey Kong—donkey to convey stubborn and kong to imply gorilla.[6] Popeye became Mario, the new protagonist, while Olive Oyl became Pauline, the damsel in distress.[4] Miyamoto named "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film King Kong as influences.[5] As he lacked programming expertise, he consulted technicians on whether his concepts were possible.[7] Four programmers from Ikegami Tsushinki spent three months turning Miyamoto's concept into a finished game.[8]

Donkey Kong was one of the earliest platform games,[b] following Mario as he ascends a construction site to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong.[10] It was released in July 1981 and became Nintendo's first major international success. The windfall of $280 million rescued Nintendo of America from its financial crisis and established it as a prominent brand in America.[11][12] Donkey Kong achieved further success in 1982, when Nintendo released a Game & Watch version and licensed it to Coleco for ports to home consoles.[13][14] It grossed $4.4 billion across various formats, making it one of the highest-grossing games of all time.[15] In 1982, Universal City Studios filed a lawsuit alleging Donkey Kong violated its trademark of King Kong. The lawsuit failed when Nintendo's lawyer, Howard Lincoln, discovered that Universal had won a lawsuit years prior by declaring that King Kong was actually in the public domain. The victory cemented Nintendo as a major player in the video game industry.[16][17]

1982–1994: Sequels and first hiatus edit

Miyamoto and his team had designed game mechanics and levels for Donkey Kong that could not be included, so they used them as the basis for a sequel. Miyamoto wanted to make Donkey Kong the protagonist, but the sprite was too big to easily maneuver, so he created a new character, Donkey Kong Jr. The team still wanted Donkey Kong on top of the screen, so they conceived a plot in which Mario had caged him and Donkey Kong Jr. had to save him.[18] To develop Donkey Kong Jr., Nintendo reverse-engineered Ikegami's Donkey Kong code, making it the first game that Nintendo developed without outside help. Following Donkey Kong Jr.'s release in 1982, Ikegami sued Nintendo for copyright infringement. In 1990, the Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of Ikegami, and the companies reached a settlement.[8]

Donkey Kong 3, released in 1983, features shooter gameplay that departs from its predecessors. Instead of Mario, the player controls Stanley, an exterminator from the Game & Watch game Green House (1982) who must fend off Donkey Kong and a swarm of bees.[19] Donkey Kong 3 was unsuccessful,[20] as was an edutainment game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Donkey Kong Jr. Math (1983).[21] The franchise went on an extended hiatus,[20] while the spin-off Mario franchise found success on the NES, cementing Mario as Nintendo's mascot.[4] The 1987 Official Nintendo Player's Guide advertised a Donkey Kong revival for the NES, The Return of Donkey Kong, which was never released.[20] In 1994, the franchise's first original game in more than 10 years, Donkey Kong (often referred to as Donkey Kong '94), was released for the Game Boy. It begins as a remake of the 1981 game before introducing over 100 puzzle-platforming levels that incorporate elements from Donkey Kong Jr. and Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988).[22][23]

1994–1996: Rare and Donkey Kong Country edit

 
 
Rare founders Tim and Chris Stamper (left) directed the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (right) game Donkey Kong Country (1994), which reestablished Donkey Kong as a major franchise.

Around 1992, Rare, a British studio founded by the brothers Tim and Chris Stamper, purchased Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) Challenge workstations with Alias rendering software to render 3D models.[24][25] At the time, Nintendo was embroiled in a console war with Sega, whose Genesis competed with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).[26] Nintendo wanted a game to compete with Sega's Aladdin (1993), which featured graphics by Disney animators,[27][28] when Lincoln learned of Rare's SGI experiments during a trip to Europe.[29] After impressing Nintendo with a demonstration,[26] Tim Stamper—inspired by Mortal Kombat's use of digitized footage in place of hand-drawn art—suggested developing a platform game that used pre-rendered 3D graphics.[25][30]

Nintendo granted the Stampers permission to use the Donkey Kong intellectual property;[30] some sources indicate that the Stampers obtained the license after Nintendo offered them its catalog of characters and they chose Donkey Kong,[24][26] though the designer Gregg Mayles recalled that it was Nintendo that requested a Donkey Kong game.[27] Nintendo figured licensing Donkey Kong posed minimal risk due to the franchise's dormancy.[30] Rare's reboot, Donkey Kong Country, featured side-scrolling gameplay that Mayles based on the Super Mario series.[27] It was the first Donkey Kong game neither directed nor produced by Miyamoto,[31] though he provided support and contributed design ideas.[27]

Donkey Kong Country was one of the first games for a mainstream home video game console to use pre-rendered graphics,[26] achieved through a compression technique that allowed Rare to convert 3D models into SNES sprites with little loss of detail.[27] Because Donkey Kong did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it, introducing Donkey Kong's sidekick Diddy Kong (who replaced Donkey Kong Jr.) and the antagonistic Kremlings.[27][32] After 18 months of development,[26] Donkey Kong Country was released in November 1994 to acclaim, with critics hailing its visuals as groundbreaking.[33][34][35][36] It was a major success,[29] selling 9.3 million copies and becoming the third-bestselling SNES game.[28][37] It reestablished Donkey Kong as a major Nintendo franchise and heralded Donkey Kong's transition from villain to hero.[38] Following the success, Nintendo purchased a large minority stake in Rare.[29]

Rare began developing concepts for a Donkey Kong Country sequel during production,[39] and Nintendo green-lit the project immediately after the success.[38] Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, released in 1995, features Diddy rescuing a kidnapped Donkey Kong and introduces Diddy's girlfriend Dixie Kong. Diddy's Kong Quest was designed to be less linear and more challenging,[40][41] with a theme reflecting Gregg Mayles' fascination with pirates.[41] Like its predecessor, Diddy's Kong Quest was a major critical and commercial success, and is the sixth-bestselling SNES game.[42] Following Diddy's Kong Quest, the Donkey Kong Country team split in two, with one half working on Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996).[43] Featuring Dixie and a new character, Kiddy Kong, as protagonists, the Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! team sought to incorporate 3D-esque gameplay and Zelda-inspired role-playing elements. Although it was released late in the SNES's lifespan and after the launch of the Nintendo 64, Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! sold well.[44]

1995–2002: Franchise expansion edit

Separate Rare teams developed the Game Boy games Donkey Kong Land (1995), Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996), and Donkey Kong Land III (1997), which condensed the Country series' gameplay for the handheld game console.[28] Rare's Game Boy programmer, Paul Machacek, chose to develop Land as an original game rather than as a port of Country after convincing Tim Stamper it would be a better use of resources.[45] A port of Country was eventually released for the Game Boy Color in 2000.[46] Rare also developed a tech demo for a Virtual Boy Donkey Kong game, but it never progressed due to the system's commercial failure.[28]

 
 
Rare developed further Donkey Kong games for the Game Boy (left) and Nintendo 64 (right) throughout the late 1990s.

The first Donkey Kong game for the Nintendo 64, Diddy Kong Racing, was released as Nintendo's major 1997 Christmas shopping season product.[47] Rare originally developed it as a sequel to its NES game R.C. Pro-Am (1988), but added Diddy Kong to increase its marketability.[48] Diddy Kong Racing received favorable reviews and sold 4.5 million copies.[48][49] Two of Diddy Kong Racing's playable characters, Banjo the Bear and Conker the Squirrel, would go on to star in the Banjo-Kazooie and Conker franchises.[50]

Rare began working on Donkey Kong 64, the first Donkey Kong game to feature 3D gameplay, in 1997.[51] They conceived it as a linear game similar to the Country series, but switched to a more open-ended design using the game engine from their 1998 game Banjo-Kazooie after 18 months.[28][52] Donkey Kong 64 was released in November 1999, accompanied by a US$22 million marketing campaign.[53] It was Nintendo's bestselling game during the 1999 Christmas season and received positive reviews,[54][55] though critics felt it did not match the revolutionary impact of Donkey Kong Country.[56][57][58]

At E3 2001, Nintendo and Rare announced three Donkey Kong projects: the GameCube game Donkey Kong Racing and the Game Boy Advance (GBA) games Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers and Diddy Kong Pilot.[59][60][61] However, development costs were increasing and Nintendo opted not to acquire Rare.[62] In September 2002, Microsoft acquired Rare for $375 million,[63] making Rare a first-party developer for Xbox.[24] Nintendo retained the rights to Donkey Kong under the terms of the acquisition.[64] Donkey Kong Racing was canceled,[59] and Rare reworked Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers and Diddy Kong Pilot into It's Mr. Pants (2004) and Banjo-Pilot (2005).[65][66]

2002–2010: After Rare edit

 
The Donkey Kong games released for the GameCube were designed to use the DK Bongos peripheral (pictured).

After Microsoft acquired Rare, Nintendo relegated Donkey Kong to spin-offs and guest appearances in other franchises, such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros.[67][68] In 2003, Nintendo and Namco released Donkey Konga (2003), a spin-off rhythm game. It was designed for the DK Bongos, a GameCube peripheral that resembles bongo drums.[69] Nintendo of America executive Reggie Fils-Aimé opposed releasing Donkey Konga, concerned it would damage the Donkey Kong brand, but it sold well and received positive reviews.[70][71] It was followed by Donkey Konga 2 (2004) and the Japan exclusive Donkey Konga 3 (2005).[68]

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the first main Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong 64,[68] was released for the GameCube in 2004.[72] It returned to the Donkey Kong Country style of platforming, controlled using the DK Bongos.[73] It was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi as the debut project of Nintendo EAD Tokyo.[74][75] Koizumi sought to create an accessible game with a simple control scheme to contrast with more complex contemporary games.[75] It received positive reviews, but was a commercial disappointment.[68] A Wii version, featuring revised Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, was released in 2008 as part of the New Play Control! line.[76] A racing game that used the DK Bongos, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, was developed by Paon for the GameCube, but was moved to the Wii with support for the peripheral dropped.[77] It was released in 2007 to negative reviews,[78] with criticism for its controls.[79][80]

Despite the acquisition, Rare continued to develop games for Nintendo's handheld consoles since Microsoft did not have a competing handheld.[24] It developed ports of the Country games for the GBA and Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo DS with additional content, released between 2003 and 2007.[81][82][83][84] Meanwhile, Paon developed DK: King of Swing (2005) for the GBA and DK: Jungle Climber (2007) for the DS, which blend Country elements with gameplay inspired by Clu Clu Land (1984).[85] Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a spin-off series that acts as a spiritual successor to the Game Boy Donkey Kong, began with a 2004 GBA game and continued with several sequels.[86] In contrast to other post-Country games, Mario vs. Donkey Kong restored Donkey Kong's villainous role.[87]

2010–present: Retro Studios and second hiatus edit

In 2008, Miyamoto expressed interest in a Donkey Kong Country revival. The producer Kensuke Tanabe suggested that Retro Studios, which had developed the Metroid Prime series, would be suitable.[88] With Donkey Kong Country Returns, Retro sought to retain classic Country elements while refining them to create a new experience and introducing new game mechanics such as surface-clinging and simultaneous multiplayer.[89][90] Returns, the first original Country game since Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, was released for the Wii in 2010.[38] It sold 4.21 million copies in under a month and received positive reviews,[91][92] with critics considering it a return to form for the franchise.[93][94][95] Monster Games developed a Nintendo 3DS version in 2013.[96]

Retro developed a sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, for the Wii U. The Wii U's greater processing power allowed for visual elements that the team had been unable to accomplish on the Wii, such as lighting and translucency effects and dynamic camera movement.[97][98] Tropical Freeze was released in 2014 to favorable reviews,[99] but it sold poorly in comparison to Returns.[100] It achieved greater success when it was ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2018, outselling the Wii U version within a week of release.[101] Following Tropical Freeze, the Donkey Kong franchise went on another hiatus,[102] outside of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games Tipping Stars (2015) and Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge (2016) for the Wii U and 3DS.[103][104]

Nintendo Life reported in 2021 that Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development was working on a Switch Donkey Kong game.[102] Nintendo announced the first Switch-exclusive Donkey Kong game, a remake of the first Mario vs. Donkey Kong with the addition of cooperative gameplay, in 2023; it is scheduled to be released in February 2024.[105]

Story and characters edit

Main article: List of Donkey Kong characters
See also: Characters of the Mario franchise

The original Donkey Kong features three characters: Donkey Kong, a large, antagonistic gorilla; Mario, the overall-wearing carpenter protagonist; and Pauline, Mario's girlfriend. Donkey Kong follows Mario as he ascends a construction site to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, his escaped pet ape.[10] In the sequel, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario imprisons Donkey Kong in a cage. The game introduces Donkey Kong's son, the diaper-wearing Donkey Kong Jr.[106][107] Mario, Pauline, Donkey Kong, and Jr. return in the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong,[108] in which Mario again must rescue Pauline from the Kongs.[23] The Game Boy game was the first Donkey Kong game to depict Donkey Kong wearing a red necktie bearing his initials, "DK".[109]

Beginning with Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong's role shifted from the antagonist to the protagonist.[38] Rare's Kevin Bayliss redesigned him;[110] alongside the red tie from the Game Boy game, he was given what GamesRadar+ described as "menacing, sunken eyes and [a] beak-like muzzle",[109] and Bayliss designed him as blocky and muscular to make animating him easier.[110] Rare's games characterize him as the descendant of the Donkey Kong character from the arcade games, who appears as the elderly Cranky Kong.[111] Cranky Kong provides scathing, fourth wall-breaking humor in which he unfavorably compares current games to older ones like the original Donkey Kong.[112][113] Donkey Kong Jr. was retired, and Nintendo's stance on whether Rare's Donkey Kong is a grown-up Donkey Kong Jr. or a separate character has been inconsistent.[111]

Rare's games moved the franchise's setting from a city to Donkey Kong Island,[114] an idyllic isle.[56] Because Donkey Kong did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it with new characters.[27] Donkey Kong Country introduced Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong's sidekick and nephew. Diddy's design was based on a spider monkey; he was created as a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr. but retooled into a separate character at Nintendo's request.[27] Other supporting Kong characters that Rare introduced include Funky Kong, a surfer; Candy Kong, Donkey Kong's girlfriend; Dixie Kong, Diddy's girlfriend; Kiddy, a large toddler; Tiny Kong, Dixie's sister; and Lanky Kong, a buffoonish orangutan.[115]

The franchise's main antagonist is King K. Rool, an anthropomorphic reptilian introduced in Donkey Kong Country.[116] K. Rool leads the Kremlings, an army of crocodiles who seek to steal Donkey Kong's hoard of bananas.[46] Polygon summarized K. Rool as an archetypal game villain who "often wears disguises and invents strange gadgets for his elaborately evil schemes",[117] such as dressing as a pirate captain in Donkey Kong Country 2.[118] Other villains include the Tiki Tak Tribe, a race of floating masks that play music to hypnotize animals into stealing the banana hoard,[119][120] and the Snowmads, Viking invaders who summon a dragon to take over Donkey Kong Island.[98]

Mario, the protagonist of the 1981 game, went on to become the star of the Mario franchise. Although the franchises largely remain separate, they take place in the same fictional universe, and Donkey Kong and other Donkey Kong characters frequently appear as playable characters in Mario spin-offs such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis.[121][122][123] Two Rare characters, Banjo the Bear and Conker the Squirrel, were introduced in Diddy Kong Racing ahead of starring in their own games,[50] Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001).[50][124]

Gameplay edit

Original series edit

Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. are early examples of the platform game genre. In both games, the player must guide the playable character (Mario in the first game, Donkey Kong Jr. in the second) to scale four levels while avoiding obstacles. The player jumps to dodge incoming obstacles (such as barrels) or cross gaps and climbs ladders or vines to reach the top of the level.[125][106] In the first game, Mario can destroy obstacles by obtaining a hammer power-up,[126] while in the second, Donkey Kong Jr. can do so by knocking pieces of fruit down from vines.[106] Points are awarded for dodging or destroying obstacles, collecting items, and completing stages quickly.[126] The player begins each game with three lives,[106] which they lose if they touch an obstacle or fall from a distance.[126]

Donkey Kong 3 departs from this gameplay: it is a shooter game in which the player controls Stanley, an exterminator who must prevent Donkey Kong from stirring up insects in his greenhouse. The player fires bug spray at Donkey Kong and enemy insects that attempt to steal Stanley's flowers. They complete levels by spraying Donkey Kong enough to force him to the top of the screen or by killing all the insects.[127]

The 1994 Game Boy game begins with the four stages from the original Donkey Kong, but after completing the fourth, the player is presented with over 100 additional stages that introduce puzzle-platform gameplay in which Mario must scout each level within a time limit to locate a key.[128] Mario can pick up and throw objects and enemies, similar to Super Mario Bros. 2, and perform acrobatics to reach otherwise inaccessible areas of the levels.[22] This gameplay would serve as the basis for Mario vs. Donkey Kong,[128] which introduces stages in which Mario must guide six Mini-Mario toys to a toy box while protecting them from hazards.[129] Mario vs. Donkey Kong's sequels make guiding the Mini-Mario toys the focus, with each stage requiring the player to do so with touchscreen controls.[130] This gameplay has been frequently compared to the strategy video game Lemmings (1991).[131]

Donkey Kong Country edit

 
The Donkey Kong Country logo used from 1994 to 2005

The Donkey Kong Country series features platforming gameplay in which players complete side-scrolling levels to progress, reminiscent of Nintendo's Super Mario series.[27] The player begins in a world map that tracks their progress and provides access to the themed worlds and their levels. They traverse the environment, jump between platforms, and avoid enemy and inanimate obstacles.[132] Each world ends with a boss fight with a large enemy.[133] The Country series is known for its high difficulty level, requiring players to execute precise jumps or react to oncoming obstacles quickly.[134][135]

Players control one of the various playable Kongs, depending on the game: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Kiddy Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong.[46][136][137] The Rare games each feature two protagonists, with one protagonist carrying over to the sequel while another is introduced, while both Retro Studios games star Donkey Kong. Players primarily control one Kong, with the second increasing their health.[137] In the Rare games, the player can switch between characters if they are both on the screen. In the Retro Studios games, other characters ride on Donkey Kong's back to provide special abilities; for instance, Diddy's jetpack allows him to temporarily hover.[137]

Country's distinctive game mechanics include blasting out of cannons resembling barrels, vehicle sequences with minecarts and barrel-themed rockets,[137] levels in which the characters and foreground environments appear as silhouettes, and swinging ropes. Barrels return from the original series and can be used as weapons or broken to uncover power-ups. One variant, DK Barrels, releases a partner Kong when thrown. Each level contains collectibles such as bananas, letters that spell out K–O–N–G, balloons, and puzzle pieces. These items can be found within the main level or by discovering hidden bonus stages, where they are earned via completing a challenge.

In certain levels, the player can free an animal that provides the Kongs with special abilities, similar to the Super Mario series' Yoshi.[138] Recurring animal friends include Rambi, a rhino that can charge into enemies and find hidden entrances; Enguarde, a swordfish that can defeat enemies underwater; and Squawks, a parrot who carries the Kongs or assists in finding collectibles.[46][139] Outside the main gameplay, the Rare games' world map contains areas where players can converse with non-player characters, such as Cranky, who provide advice, collectibles, and save points.[140] The Retro Studios games replace these with shops run by Cranky in Returns and Funky in Tropical Freeze where the player can purchase items like power-ups and lives.

Other games edit

Some games without the Country branding contain similar gameplay. The Donkey Kong Land trilogy condenses the SNES Country gameplay for the Game Boy, with different level design that accounts for the system's low-quality display. Donkey Kong 64 blends Country elements with "collect-a-thon" gameplay reminiscent of Super Mario 64 (1996) and Banjo-Kazooie (1998), while Jungle Beat's score attack emphasis requires players to complete levels with as many points as possible. DK: King of Swing and DK: Jungle Climber are aesthetically similar to the Country games, but require players to use the shoulder buttons to grab and climb pegboards to reach the end of a level.

Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast are kart racing games that play similarly to the Mario Kart series, though Diddy Kong Racing features a story-driven campaign and Barrel Blast has the player shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuk alternatively to accelerate. The Donkey Konga trilogy was developed by the Taiko no Tatsujin developers and thus features nearly identical gameplay: the player must hit scrolling notes to the beat of the music with accurate timing, with colored notes corresponding to different buttons. Players build combos by hitting two or more notes; the combo ends when they miss a beat.

Music edit

Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. were composed by Yukio Kaneoka, one of Nintendo's earliest audio engineers. Kaneoka wanted the music to take players on an adventure with a "pretty melody", which he compared to those in Walt Disney Productions films. He faced some resistance from the designers, who wanted comical music to reflect the games' tone, but was ultimately able to compose as he pleased.[141] Hirokazu Tanaka, a sound engineer who would later garner recognition for his work on Nintendo's Metroid and Pokémon franchises, also contributed.[142]

The Donkey Kong Country series features atmospheric music that mixes natural environmental sounds with prominent melodic and percussive accompaniments.[143] It was primarily composed by David Wise, who worked at Rare from 1985 to 2009.[144][145] Because Wise moved with a portion of the Diddy's Kong Quest team to work on Project Dream, Eveline Novakovic—who composed a portion of the first Country—handled the majority of Dixie Kong's Double Trouble.[43] Wise composed a replacement soundtrack for the 2005 GBA port of Dixie Kong's Double Trouble after Rare ran into problems converting Novakovic's score.[146] Wise drew inspiration from Koji Kondo's Super Mario and Legend of Zelda music, Tim and Geoff Follin's Plok! (1993) soundtrack, and 1980s synthesizer film soundtracks, rock, and dance music,[144] and wanted to imitate the sound of the Korg Wavestation synthesizer.[143] Novakovic attempted to provide levels with a sense of purpose and drew inspiration from film composers like Alan Silvestri and Klaus Doldinger.[43]

Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope adapted Wise's Country soundtracks for the first two Donkey Kong Land games,[147][148] while Novakovic adapted the Dixie Kong's Double Trouble soundtrack for Donkey Kong Land III.[43] Novakovic was set to compose music for Donkey Kong 64,[149] but shifted to working on sound effects after a direction change.[43] She was replaced by Kirkhope,[149] who composed it alongside the Banjo-Kazooie games and Perfect Dark (2000).[150] Nintendo Life described Kirkhope's Donkey Kong 64 score as closer in spirit to his work on Banjo-Kazooie than Wise's Country music.[151] Donkey Kong 64's introduction features the "DK Rap", a comedy rap song which introduces the Kong character abilities. It was conceived and written by Donkey Kong 64's director, George Andreas, scored and recorded by Kirkhope, and performed by Andreas and Chris Sutherland, with other Rare staff joining in on the chorus.[152]

Wise was unavailable during the development of Donkey Kong Country Returns, so Kenji Yamamoto took over.[38] At the request of Miyamoto and Iwata, the Returns soundtrack mostly comprises rearrangements of tracks from the original Donkey Kong Country,[153] though Yamamoto composed some new material. He focused on what Tanabe felt made Donkey Kong Country's music iconic, such as piano arrangements and the bassline.[89] Wise left Rare during Returns' development and collaborated with Yamamoto to compose the Tropical Freeze soundtrack. Technological advances allowed Wise to achieve a "1940s big band jazz"-style sound that he had been unable to produce on the SNES.[145] Beyond the Country series, Wise composed the Diddy Kong Racing soundtrack. Other composers who have contributed to Donkey Kong games include Mahito Yokota, who composed Jungle Beat,[154] and Lawrence Schwedler, who composed Mario vs. Donkey Kong.[155]

Other media edit

Crossovers edit

Donkey Kong is represented in every game in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. Donkey Kong debuted in the original Super Smash Bros. (1999) as the game's only heavyweight fighter, sporting slow but powerful attacks.[156] Diddy Kong was added as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008),[157] while King K. Rool was added in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018).[117] Smash games also feature Donkey Kong stages and music.[158][159] Additionally, Donkey Kong appears in Mario & Sonic, an Olympic Games-themed crossover between Mario and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, as a playable character;[160] in the Wii version of Punch-Out!! (2009) as the final boss;[161] and in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017), a crossover between Mario and Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids franchise, as the protagonist of an expansion pack.[162] Activision's toys-to-life game Skylanders: SuperChargers (2015) includes Donkey Kong as a playable character, exclusive to the versions released on Nintendo platforms.[163]

Animated series edit

A Donkey Kong cartoon aired as part of CBS's hour-long Saturday Supercade programming block in 1983. The cartoon follows Mario and Pauline as they attempt to capture Donkey Kong after he escapes from a circus. Game Informer described the series as "abysmal... filled with bad puns and ridiculous situations".[164] Soupy Sales voiced Donkey Kong,[165] while Peter Cullen and Frank Welker (who later garnered recognition for voicing Optimus Prime and Megatron in the Transformers franchise) voiced Mario and Donkey Kong Jr.[164][166] Donkey Kong was also a recurring character in Captain N: The Game Master, a DIC Entertainment-produced series that ran on NBC for 34 episodes between 1989 and 1991.[167][168]

Donkey Kong Country, a television series produced by the French-Canadian company Medialab Technology, ran for 40 episodes between 1997 and 1999, bridging the gap between Dixie Kong's Double Trouble and Donkey Kong 64.[169][170] Reflecting the games' use of pre-rendered 3D graphics, Donkey Kong Country was produced using computer animation,[170] accomplished with motion capture technology.[171] The series adopts a sitcom approach and follows Donkey Kong as he attempts to protect a magical artifact, the Crystal Coconut, from King K. Rool.[170][172] Donkey Kong Country was produced with little input from Nintendo, and it was the final Western-produced series that Nintendo licensed before it shifted to producing and importing anime.[169] The series was popular in France and Japan, though less so in the United States.[170] Retrospectively, Hardcore Gaming 101 criticized the series for lacking the adventure of the Country games,[170] while GameSpot called its aged animation "nightmare fuel" and "visually disturbing".[172]

Printed media edit

The first issue of Blip, a short-lived American comic book published by Marvel Comics in 1983, features a story in which a foolish news reporter attempts to interview Mario during the events of the original Donkey Kong. The story characterizes Donkey Kong as the result of a failed experiment to breed construction-worker gorillas.[173] Blip marked Mario's first appearance in a comic book, years before Valiant Comics' Nintendo Comics System series in the 1990s.[174] The British comics publisher Fleetway Publications published a promotional Donkey Kong Country comic in the UK in 1995,[175] while Michael Teitelbaum wrote children's book adaptations of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land, and Donkey Kong Country 2.[176]

Film edit

 
Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Elements from the Donkey Kong franchise feature prominently in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023),[177] an animated film produced by Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal Pictures.[178] A major subplot involves Mario (Chris Pratt) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) seeking the Kongs' help to stop Bowser (Jack Black) from invading the Mushroom Kingdom. Seth Rogen and Fred Armisen respectively voice Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong, while other Kongs make cameo appearances and the "DK Rap" plays during Donkey Kong's introduction.[179] Donkey Kong received his first redesign since Donkey Kong Country for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, combining elements of Rare's design and his original arcade-era design.[180][181] The Super Mario Bros. Movie received mixed reviews,[182] and Rogen received criticism for voicing Donkey Kong in his regular speaking voice.[183] The film was a major box-office success and earned over $1 billion, making the highest-grossing film based on a video game.[178]

In November 2021, prior to The Super Mario Bros. Movie's release, reports emerged that Illumination was developing a Donkey Kong film with Rogen set to reprise his role.[184] In April 2023, Rogen said he saw "a lot of opportunity" in the prospect.[185] Eurogamer opined that Diddy and Dixie's brief cameo appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie was obvious setup for a Donkey Kong film.[177]

Theme park attraction edit

In September 2021, Nintendo and Universal Destinations & Experiences announced a Donkey Kong-themed expansion of the Super Nintendo World themed area at Universal Studios Japan. The area, set to open in 2024, was designed with consultation from Miyamoto; it will include a roller coaster and offer Donkey Kong merchandise and food. It is expected to expand the size of Super Nintendo World by 70%.[186][187]

Merchandise edit

Licensed Donkey Kong merchandise includes clothing,[188] toys such as plushes and Amiibo figures,[189][190] breakfast cereal,[164] and soundtrack albums.[191][192] The Lego Group began producing Donkey Kong-themed Lego construction toys in 2023 as a subseries within its Lego Super Mario product line.[193] The initial four sets, based on the Donkey Kong Country games, were released in August 2023.[194]

Reception and legacy edit

Commentary edit

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-nonpareil-donkey-kongqix-revi/144178722/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald-donkey-kong-overview/144179930/

Sales edit

Donkey Kong is one of the bestselling video game franchises. Cumulative sales reached 65 million units by March 2021.[195]

Year Game Platform(s) Sales estimate
1981 Donkey Kong Arcade, ColecoVision, Game & Watch 14.6 million[c]
1982 Donkey Kong Jr. Arcade 30,000[197]
1983 Donkey Kong 3 5,000[197]
1994 Donkey Kong Country Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance 10.26 million[d]
1995 Donkey Kong Land Game Boy 4 million[199]
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Super Nintendo Entertainment System 4.37 million[e]
1996 Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! 3.5 million[202]
1999 Donkey Kong 64 Nintendo 64 2.4 million[90]
2005 DK: King of Swing Game Boy Advance 280,000[37]
2010 Donkey Kong Country Returns Wii, Nintendo 3DS 6.5 million[f]
2014 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Wii U, Nintendo Switch 4.06 million[g]

Effect on the industry edit

Like Mario, Donkey Kong is closely tied to Nintendo's history. His first game was the one that launched Nintendo into success in the video game world. While it's unfortunate that Nintendo hasn't done much with the character in the last few years it is clear that Donkey Kong's fame has already been cemented into the video game world as an iconic video game character, formidable foe, and all-around lovable lug.

Nintendo World Report[68]

The original Donkey Kong is regarded as one of the most important video games of all time.[206][207] Its success established Nintendo as one of the video game industry's leaders and helped it avoid the video game crash of 1983.[206][207] Computer and Video Games called Donkey Kong "the most momentous" game of 1981, as it "introduced three important names" to the industry: Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Mario.[208] Donkey Kong also paved the way for the NES,[209] which rejuvenated the crashed Western game industry and shifted the home console market's dominance from the US to Japan.[210] The NES was largely based on the Donkey Kong arcade hardware;[209] Nintendo took a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet to the semiconductor chip manufacturer Ricoh for analysis, which led to Ricoh producing the NES's Picture Processing Unit.[211]

Donkey Kong inspired many games, including clones such as Crazy Kong (1981) and Hard Hat Mack (1983),[212] that featured a mix of running, jumping, and vertical traversal.[213] These were initially referred to as "Donkey Kong-type" or "Kong-style" games, but eventually came to be known as platformers.[213][214] While Donkey Kong was not the first platform game, VG247 wrote "it was the first to matter" by establishing the genre's template.[215] Furthermore, Donkey Kong's spirited graphics, humor, and contextualization of the gameplay with a story distinguished it from contemporary arcade games.[10] Although text-based adventure games and computer role-playing video games preceded it, Donkey Kong is regarded as the first game to use graphics to tell a story,[216] which GamesRadar+ said provided an unprecedented level of narrative depth.[206]

Donkey Kong Country's pre-rendered graphics featured a level of detail unprecedented in console games at the time,[217][218] and inspired many imitators.[219] It inspired games such as BlueSky Software's Vectorman (1995),[220] Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot (1996),[221] HAL Laboratory's Kirby Super Star (1996),[222] and Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team's Sonic 3D Blast (1996).[223] Furthermore, it established Rare as a leading video game developer and set the standard for its work.[24][224] It originated conventions characteristic of Rare's later output, including an emphasis on collecting items,[46] irreverent humor,[225] visual appeal, and tech demo-like design.[224] Conversely, Donkey Kong 64 has been blamed for precipitating 3D platforming's decline in popularity for its excessive emphasis on collecting items.[226][227] "As ... Super Mario 64 breathed life into the 3D platforming genre," Electronic Gaming Monthly wrote, "Donkey Kong 64 sucked it all out".[228]

Cultural impact edit

See also: Donkey Kong high score competition

Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic video game characters,[229][230] and journalists have described him as a mascot for both Nintendo and the video game industry.[231][232][233][234] In 2007, the Monster Jam racing series obtained the license to use Donkey Kong's appearance for a monster truck. The truck debuted in a December 2007 show in Minneapolis and toured with Monster Jam throughout 2008.[235] Donkey Kong appears as an antagonist in the film Pixels (2015), which pays homage to classic arcade games,[236] while the film War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) features treacherous apes nicknamed "donkeys", which director Matt Reeves confirmed was in reference to Donkey Kong.[237]

 
 
Donkey Kong high score competitors Steve Wiebe (left) and Billy Mitchell (right) feature in the documentary The King of Kong (2007).

The original Donkey Kong is a popular competitive video game. The Daily Telegraph called it "the most fiercely contested video game of all time",[238] while Polygon wrote that achieving the highest score "is probably the most coveted arcade game world record".[239] The King of Kong (2007), a documentary film directed by Seth Gordon,[240] brought Donkey Kong's competitive culture to prominence.[239] It follows two players, Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell, in their respective attempts to obtain and maintain the world record.[240] The Telegraph described Donkey Kong competition as bitter and said the heated rivalries between players contribute to the game's lasting appeal.[238]

IGN said that Donkey Kong Country's soundtrack contributed to an increased appreciation for video game music as an art form, and musicians such as Trent Reznor and Donald Glover have praised it.[241] Glover sampled "Aquatic Ambience" in his 2012 song "Eat Your Vegetables", to which Wise expressed approval.[242] OverClocked ReMix has released Donkey Kong remix albums including contributions from Wise, Beanland, and Kirkhope.[243] Curse of the Crystal Coconut, a 2020 pirate metal album by the Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm, contains numerous references to the Donkey Kong franchise, including its title; those who pre-ordered the album had a chance to win a Alestorm-branded Nintendo 64 with a copy of Donkey Kong 64.[244]

Donkey Kong has been noted for its active fandom.[114][245] Nintendo Life described one fansite, DK Vine, as "highly respected".[102] The franchise's lack of storytelling has led fans to theorize its fictional chronology. Kotaku described one theory, which postulates that Donkey Kong Jr. was killed in a violent, off-screen conflict to explain his absence in the Country series, as "a fascinating example of how fandoms can run away with the smallest bits of narrative available" to rationalize inconsistencies.[114] A team of fans led by animator Alex Henderson released DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut, an animated tribute short film, in 2021 to commemorate the franchise's 40th anniversary and the Donkey Kong Country television series' 25th anniversary.[246] Several voice actors from the Country television series reprised their roles for DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle, a follow-up animation released in 2023.[247]

In the years following the original Donkey Kong's release, the phrase "it's on like Donkey Kong" entered pop culture vernacular.[248] The phrase has been used in television series, films, music, and news headlines;[249][250] it is typically used to say something is "going down".[251] It was popularized by the rapper Ice Cube, who used the phrase in his song "Now I Gotta Wet'cha" (1992), though it is unclear if he coined it.[251][252] Nintendo filed a trademark request for the phrase with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in November 2010 as part of its marketing push for Donkey Kong Country Returns.[249]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Japanese: ドンキーコング, Hepburn: Donkī Kongu, [doŋ.kiː koŋ.ɡɯ]
  2. ^ Although Universal's Space Panic preceded Donkey Kong by a year, Red Bull wrote that Donkey Kong is generally considered the first "true" platform game for introducing the ability to jump.[9]
  3. ^ Sales breakdown:
    • Arcade: 60,000[4]
    • ColecoVision: 6 million[196]
    • Game & Watch: 8 million[13]
  4. ^ Sales breakdown:
    • SNES: 9.3 million worldwide[37]
    • Game Boy Advance: 960,000 in the US[198]
  5. ^ 2.21 million in Japan,[200] 2.16 million in the US[201]
  6. ^ Sales breakdown:
  7. ^ Sales breakdown:
    • Wii U: 1.98 million[205]
    • Switch: 2.08 million[205]

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ Parish, Jeremy (January 21, 2014). "35 Years Ago, Nintendo's First Brush With Video Disaster". USGamer. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Sheff 1994, p. 103–105.
  3. ^ a b Sheff 1994, p. 106.
  4. ^ a b c d e Nix, Marc (September 14, 2010). "IGN Presents: The History of Super Mario Bros". IGN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Sheff 1994, p. 47.
  6. ^ Sheff 1994, p. 48–49.
  7. ^ Sheff 1994, p. 47–48.
  8. ^ a b McFerran, Damien (February 26, 2018). "Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Gaming, Nodwin (March 23, 2017). "The evolution of platform games in 9 steps". Red Bull. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Paumgarten, Nick (December 12, 2010). "Master of Play". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  11. ^ Ziesak 2009, p. 2029.
  12. ^ Sheff 1994, p. 111.
  13. ^ a b Epstein 2019, p. 196.
  14. ^ McFerran, Damien (September 18, 2010). "Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Weinberger, Matt (August 15, 2015). "The 11 top-grossing video games of all time". Business Insider. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Sheff 1994, p. 127.
  17. ^ Oxford, Nadia (December 14, 2005). "History of Videogame Lawsuits". 1Up.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Horowitz 2020, p. 90–91.
  19. ^ Jackson, Steven (June 9, 2011). "Donkey Kong 3". Retro Gamer. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Parish, Jeremy. "10 interesting things about Donkey Kong". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  21. ^ Parish, Jeremy (10 May 2018). "The Definitive Ranking of Donkey Kong Games". Polygon. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  22. ^ a b Parish, Jeremy (February 18, 2014). "Daily Classic: Donkey Kong's Unlikely Game Boy Reinvention". VG247. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  23. ^ a b Minotti, Mike (August 8, 2015). "The RetroBeat: Donkey Kong '94 for the Game Boy is Nintendo's forgotten masterpiece". VentureBeat. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d e McLaughlin, Rus (July 28, 2008). "IGN presents the history of Rare". IGN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Undercover Lover 1994, p. 54.
  26. ^ a b c d e McFerren, Damien (February 27, 2014). "Month of Kong: The making of Donkey Kong Country". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hunt, Stuart (June 22, 2021). ""Yes, we did go to the zoo and observe the gorillas": The making of Donkey Kong Country". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d e DF Retro: Donkey Kong Country + Killer Instinct - A 16-Bit CG Revolution! (YouTube). Digital Foundry. December 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c IGN staff (March 1, 2001). "GameCube developer profile: Rare". IGN. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  30. ^ a b c Waugh, Eric-Jon Rossel (August 30, 2006). "A short history of Rare". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  31. ^ Langshaw, Mark (August 18, 2012). "Retro corner: 'Donkey Kong Country'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  32. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (November 25, 2019). "Nintendo was worried Donkey Kong Country was 'too 3D'". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  33. ^ Semrad et al. 1994, p. 34.
  34. ^ McDonnell 1995, p. 102.
  35. ^ Atko & Andy 1994, p. 37.
  36. ^ Storm 1994, p. 78–80.
  37. ^ a b c Gray, Kate (April 25, 2022). "Feature: The best (and worst) selling games of Nintendo's biggest franchises". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  38. ^ a b c d e Goergen, Andy (February 12, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country, through the years". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  39. ^ Milne 2018, p. 64.
  40. ^ The Feature Creature 1996, p. 41.
  41. ^ a b Milne 2018, p. 66.
  42. ^ Antista, Chris (October 14, 2010). "New screens honor the legacy of Donkey Kong Country - but WHY?". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  43. ^ a b c d e Yarwood, Jack (June 22, 2021). "A 'Rare' interview with Donkey Kong Country composer Eveline Novakovic". FanByte. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022. Cite error: The named reference "FanByte: Novakovic" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  44. ^ Milne 2022, p. 23.
  45. ^ Bailey, Dustin (July 1, 2022). "Donkey Kong Got His Original Game Boy Spin-Off Because It Was Too Hard to Port Donkey Kong Country". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  46. ^ a b c d e DiRienzo, David (January 25, 2015). "Donkey Kong Country". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  47. ^ EGM staff 1997, p. 26.
  48. ^ a b Watts, Martin (February 23, 2014). "Month Of Kong: The Making Of Diddy Kong Racing". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  49. ^ "Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  50. ^ a b c MacDonald, Keza (12 April 2007). "Diddy Kong Racing". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  51. ^ IGN Staff (July 25, 1997). "Donkey Kong Swings to 64DD". IGN. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  52. ^ Hunt 2007, p. 29.
  53. ^ Zuniga 1999, p. 219–224.
  54. ^ "Donkey Kong 64 Critic Reviews for Nintendo 64". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  55. ^ IGN Staff (January 13, 2000). "Nintendo Dominates Videogame Sales". IGN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  56. ^ a b Taruc, Nelson (November 22, 1999). "Donkey Kong 64 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  57. ^ Casamassina, Matt (November 24, 1999). "Donkey Kong 64 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  58. ^ EGM staff 2000, p. 178.
  59. ^ a b Watts, Martin (February 28, 2014). "Month Of Kong: Whatever Happened To Donkey Kong Racing?". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  60. ^ Harris, Craig (May 19, 2001). "E3: Hands on: Diddy Kong Pilot". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  61. ^ Harris, Craig (May 21, 2001). "Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers". IGN. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  62. ^ McFerran, Damien (August 4, 2015). "Rare Co-Founder Has No Idea Why Nintendo Didn't Buy The Studio Outright". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  63. ^ Crossley, Rob (October 27, 2010). "Activision's deal to steal Rare". Develop. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  64. ^ "Nintendo confirms Rare sale". Eurogamer. September 23, 2002. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  65. ^ IGN staff (August 12, 2004). "It's Mr. Pants". IGN. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  66. ^ Harris, Craig (April 21, 2004). "Banjo-Pilot". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  67. ^ DiRienzo, David (April 17, 2015). "Donkey Kong 64". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  68. ^ a b c d e Hernandez, Pedro (May 31, 2010). "My Favorite Nintendo Character: Donkey Kong Part 2". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  69. ^ Castro, Juan (September 23, 2004). "Donkey Konga". IGN. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  70. ^ Robinson, Andy (May 7, 2022). "Former Nintendo America boss Reggie secretly 'hated' Donkey Konga". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  71. ^ "Donkey Konga for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  72. ^ Cole, Michael (March 22, 2005). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  73. ^ DiRienzo, David (April 17, 2015). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  74. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (November 2, 2016). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Hitting the North American Wii U eShop This Week". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  75. ^ a b IGN staff (June 14, 2004). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Info". IGN. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  76. ^ Totilo, Stephen (October 2, 2008). "Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat Wii Re-Make to Use Wii Remote, Nunchuk". MTV. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  77. ^ "Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Hands-on". IGN. September 25, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  78. ^ "Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  79. ^ "DK Barrel Blast Review". IGN. October 15, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  80. ^ Reddick, Stuart (March 23, 2009). "Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Review (Wii)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  81. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (June 10, 2003). "Donkey Kong Country details". GameSpot. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  82. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 21, 2004). "Donkey Kong Country 2 Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  83. ^ Calvert, Justin (October 21, 2005). "Donkey Kong Country 3 Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  84. ^ Harris, Craig (January 23, 2007). "Diddy Kong Racing DS Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  85. ^ Kaluszka, Aaron (September 10, 2007). "DK Jungle Climber". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  86. ^ Ronaghan, Neal (March 10, 2015). "The Eternal Struggle of Mario vs. Donkey Kong". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  87. ^ Totilo, Stephen (November 25, 2010). "Review: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem Is More Donkey Kong Than 2010's Other Big Donkey Kong Game". Kotaku. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  88. ^ Iwata, Satoru (December 1, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns - Codename: Fate". Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  89. ^ a b Harris, Craig (June 17, 2010). "E3 2010: Kensuke Tanabe and the Metroid palm tree". IGN. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  90. ^ a b Milne 2022, p. 24.
  91. ^ Purchese, Robert (January 28, 2011). "Nintendo's fab Donkey Kong Country sales". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  92. ^ "Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  93. ^ McShea, Tom (November 22, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  94. ^ Troup, Christina (November 19, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns review for Wii". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  95. ^ Robinson, Andy (November 19, 2010). "Wii review: Donkey Kong Country Returns review". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  96. ^ Mitchell, Richard (May 17, 2013). "Deja Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D". Engadget. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  97. ^ Parish, Jeremy (June 27, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze full E3 interview". USgamer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  98. ^ a b Reeves, Ben (December 24, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Nintendo answers our burning questions". Game Informer. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  99. ^ "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze". Metacritic. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  100. ^ Sadev, Ishaan (February 21, 2014). "Snow May Have Frozen Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze's Sales". Siliconera. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  101. ^ Phillips, Tom (May 8, 2018). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Switch sales show why these ports of Wii U games exist". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  102. ^ a b c McFerran, Damien (May 13, 2021). "Rumour: The Next Donkey Kong Is Being Developed By The Super Mario Odyssey Team". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  103. ^ Olney, Alex (March 5, 2015). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Review (3DS eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  104. ^ Whitehead, Thomas (June 8, 2016). "Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Review (3DS eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  105. ^ Scullion, Chris (September 14, 2023). "GBA title Mario vs Donkey Kong is being remade for Switch". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  106. ^ a b c d Berube, Justin (January 7, 2019). "Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Jr. (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  107. ^ Reed, Phillip J. (September 16, 2012). "Donkey Kong Jr. Review (3DS eShop / NES)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  108. ^ van Duyn, Marcel (June 17, 2011). "Donkey Kong Review (3DS eShop / GB)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  109. ^ a b Mackey, Bob (February 26, 2014). "It's On Like... Him: How Donkey Kong's design has evolved over three decades". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  110. ^ a b Wood, Austin (19 January 2021). "Original Donkey Kong Country drafts reveal the characters that might have been". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  111. ^ a b Gilbert, Henry (February 21, 2014). "The History of Donkey Kong". GamesRadar+. pp. 1–2. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  112. ^ Gilbert, Henry (September 23, 2014). "Nintendo trivia - 64 little known facts about the gaming giant". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  113. ^ Irving, Mike (19 June 2022). "Cranky Kong works out that new-fangled Twitter thing". VG247. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  114. ^ a b c k, merritt (November 21, 2019). "The Donkey Kong Timeline Is Truly Disturbing". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  115. ^ Bertoli, Ben (April 29, 2018). "Every Kong, Ranked". Kotaku. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  116. ^ Johnson, Astrid (August 9, 2018). "Twitter Really Wants to F*ck King K Rool, and so Do I". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  117. ^ a b Friedman, Daniel (January 8, 2019). "Why King K. Rool is dominating Smash fans' attention, and affection". Polygon. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  118. ^ Dinh, Tri Do (October 20, 2022). "Donkey Kong Country 2 creates an atmosphere like no other I Why I Love". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  119. ^ Gibson, Ellie (November 19, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  120. ^ Shive, Chris (May 29, 2013). "Pocket Power: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  121. ^ Housman, Andrew (April 7, 2023). "Bringing Donkey Kong To The Super Mario Bros. Movie Gave Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto A New Perspective". /Film. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  122. ^ Scullion, Chris (August 27, 2022). "The Complete History of Mario Kart Games". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  123. ^ Jakobs, Benjamin (October 10, 2021). "Super Mario Party: Alle Charaktere freischalten" [Super Mario Party: Unlock All Characters]. Eurogamer (in German). Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  124. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (1 July 2018). "As Banjo-Kazooie turns 20, we remember Rare's answer to Super Mario 64". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  125. ^ Berube, Justin (June 16, 2018). "Arcade Archives Donkey Kong (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  126. ^ a b c Frear, Dave (June 18, 2018). "Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  127. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (July 28, 2008). "Donkey Kong 3 Review". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  128. ^ a b Thomas, Lucas M. (June 27, 2011). "Donkey Kong Review". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  129. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 17, 2006). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong Review". GameSpot. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  130. ^ Harris, Craig (September 25, 2006). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Review". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  131. ^ Sources comparing Mario vs. Donkey Kong's gameplay to Lemmings include:
  132. ^ Nintendo Power staff 1994, p. 8–17.
  133. ^ Scary Larry 1994, p. 51.
  134. ^ Sheffield, Brandon (May 30, 2011). "Turning Nintendo: The Donkey Kong Country Returns interview". Game Developer. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  135. ^ Iwata, Satoru (December 1, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns - White-knuckled Action". Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  136. ^ Kalata, Kurt (January 25, 2016). "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  137. ^ a b c d Horwitz, Jeremy (May 1, 2018). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze review — a Funky-fresh Switch update". VentureBeat. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  138. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (February 20, 2007). "Donkey Kong Country Review". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  139. ^ Bramwell, Tom (February 17, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze review". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  140. ^ Kalata, Kurt (January 25, 2016). "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  141. ^ "Yukio Kaneoka – 1985 Developer Interview". Shmuplations. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  142. ^ Kiya, Andrew (February 16, 2021). "Metroid and Pokemon Composer is Releasing Demo Tapes". Siliconera. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  143. ^ a b Wise, David (December 2004). "The Tepid Seat - Rare Music Team" (Interview). Rare. Archived from the original on 26 January 2007.
  144. ^ a b Greening, Chris (December 2010). "Interview with David Wise". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012.
  145. ^ a b Gera, Emily (5 March 2014). "Synth, big band jazz and the remaking of Donkey Kong Country's amazing sound". Polygon. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  146. ^ Kalata, Kurt (January 15, 2016). "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  147. ^ Zverloff, Nick (17 April 2013). "Donkey Kong Land". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  148. ^ Oxford, Nadia (May 21, 2020). "David Wise and Grant Kirkhope Remember Composing Goldeneye 007, Meeting Miyamoto, and Rare's Golden Age". VG247. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  149. ^ a b Kirkhope, Grant. "Donkey Kong 64 Video Game Music Compositions". Grant Kirkhope. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  150. ^ Cite error: The named reference GR: DK64 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  151. ^ Donaldson, Andrew (June 17, 2009). "Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo 64) Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  152. ^ James B (October 26, 2012). "Grant Kirkhope Interview Part 2 – DK Rap featured". Nintendo Nation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  153. ^ Cite error: The named reference Iwata: Action was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  154. ^ Van Zelfden, Alex (May 1, 2008). "The Music of Super Mario Galaxy". IGN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  155. ^ Norman, Jim (February 19, 2024). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong's OG Composers Talk Making The Jump From GBA To Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  156. ^ "Smash Moves: Donkey Kong". IGN. January 15, 2002. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  157. ^ Kietzmann, Ludwig (August 22, 2007). "Diddy Kong joins Smash Bros. Brawl roster". Engadget. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  158. ^ Labella, Anthony (December 24, 2014). "Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) Stage List". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  159. ^ Green, Jake (17 April 2019). "Super Smash Bros Ultimate music list - every song in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, full soundtrack". USGamer. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  160. ^ Jones, Jason B. (October 20, 2009). "Mario & Sonic Go Back to the Olympics". Wired. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  161. ^ Wong, Kevin (January 5, 2016). "Every Punch-Out!! Opponent, Ranked". Kotaku. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  162. ^ Gilliam, Ryan (June 27, 2018). "Donkey Kong Adventure is a lot more Mario + Rabbids, for better and worse". Polygon. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  163. ^ Snider, Mike (June 16, 2015). "Nintendo stars Donkey Kong and Bowser to invade new 'Skylanders' game". USA Today. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  164. ^ a b c Reeves, Ben (November 25, 2011). "A Look Back At The '80s Donkey Kong Cartoon". Game Informer. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  165. ^ "Saturday Supercade (1983)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  166. ^ McFerran, Damien (June 23, 2010). "Optimus Prime Talks About Being the First Voice of Mario". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  167. ^ Scullion, Chris (September 21, 2019). "Feature: 10 Strangest Moments In Captain N: The Game Master". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  168. ^ Drucker, Michael (February 1, 2007). "Captain N The Game Master - The Complete Series". IGN. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  169. ^ a b Paprocki, Matt (June 5, 2020). "Inside Nintendo's weird attempts at making movies and TV shows". Polygon. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  170. ^ a b c d e DiRienzo, David (May 18, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country (Cartoon)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  171. ^ Solomon, Charles (1 June 1999). "An Emmy Awards Debate: What Makes 'Donkey Kong' Run?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  172. ^ a b Bonthuys, Darryn (July 14, 2022). "Nightmare Fuel Donkey Kong Country TV Series Is Free To Watch On YouTube And Amazon". GameSpot. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  173. ^ Reeves, Ben (December 17, 2012). "Mario's First Comic Book Appearance". Game Informer. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  174. ^ Cronin, Brian (December 7, 2012). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #396". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  175. ^ Szczepaniak, John (30 September 2021). "Check out this forgotten Donkey Kong Country comic from the UK". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  176. ^ Zverloff, Nick (17 April 2013). "Donkey Kong Land". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  177. ^ a b Phillips, Tom (April 11, 2023). "Here's where the Mario movie series may go next". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  178. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (April 30, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Officially Smashes $1 Billion Globally". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  179. ^ Busch, Caitlin; Grebey, James; Weiss, Josh (April 5, 2023). "Our Favorite 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Easter Eggs: Game References, Cameos & More". SyFy Wire. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  180. ^ Frederiksen, Eric (November 29, 2022). "The Super Mario Movie Features A Redesigned Donkey Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto Says". GameSpot. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  181. ^ Leston, Ryan (November 28, 2022). "Shigeru Miyamoto Reveals Why Donkey Kong Got a Redesign For The Super Mario Bros. Movie". IGN. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  182. ^ Campbell, Evan (April 4, 2023). "Review Roundup For The Super Mario Bros. Movie". GameSpot. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  183. ^ Jiang, Sisi (April 3, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Fans Knock Seth Rogen For Barely Trying". Kotaku. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  184. ^ Robinson, Andy (November 3, 2021). "Another source points to potential Donkey Kong movie with Seth Rogen". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  185. ^ "Rogen: 'A lot of opportunity' for Donkey Kong spinoff". Madison. April 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  186. ^ Scullion, Chris (September 28, 2021). "Super Nintendo World's Donkey Kong expansion is officially opening in 2024". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  187. ^ Makuch, Eddie (September 28, 2021). "Super Nintendo World Adding Donkey Kong Land At Theme Park In Japan". GameSpot. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  188. ^ Bitner, John (November 3, 2023). "Massive Savings On Merch Today Only - Mario, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Studio Ghibli, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  189. ^ Newton, James (October 16, 2010). "This Plush Donkey Kong Can Be Yours Down Under". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  190. ^ Dickens, Anthony (November 3, 2023). "List of Donkey Kong amiibo - Guide". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  191. ^ Elston, Brett (28 April 2009). "17 videogame soundtracks ahead of their time". GamesRadar+. p. 3. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  192. ^ Kombo (4 May 2012). "Donkey Kong Country, Streets of Rage, New Adventure Island, The Legend of Kage". GameZone. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  193. ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (April 28, 2023). "Donkey Kong Lego Sets Join The Super Mario Lineup". Game Informer. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  194. ^ Abbott, Benjamin (April 28, 2023). "New Lego Donkey Kong sets are a nostalgia overload for longtime fans". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  195. ^ Craddock, Ryan (September 29, 2021). "The Donkey Kong Series Has Surpassed 65 Million Sales Worldwide". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  196. ^ Sheff 1994, p. 121.
  197. ^ a b Kent 2001, p. 352.
  198. ^ Keiser, Joe (2 August 2006). "The century's top 50 handheld games". Next Generation. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007.
  199. ^ McFerran, Damien (13 March 2010). "Feature: The Making of the Nintendo Game Boy". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  200. ^ "Japan Platinum Game Chart". The Magic Box. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  201. ^ "US Platinum Videogame Chart". The Magic Box. 27 December 2007. Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  202. ^ Bertoli, Ben (February 4, 2015). "The Best Donkey Kong Country Ever Made". Kotaku. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  203. ^ Nintendo 2011, p. 5.
  204. ^ Nintendo 2014, p. 4.
  205. ^ a b Bishop, Sam (January 31, 2019). "Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze passes 4 million units sold". Gamereactor. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  206. ^ a b c Loveridge, Sam (April 12, 2013). "The 50 most important games of all time". GamesRadar+. p. 4. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  207. ^ a b Latson, Jennifer (June 2, 2015). "How Donkey Kong and Mario Changed the World". Time. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  208. ^ Glancey 1996, pp. 15–16.
  209. ^ a b 【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第6回：業務用ゲーム機の挫折をバネにファミコンの実現に挑む [How the Famicom Was Born – Part 6: Making the Famicom a Reality]. Nikkei Electronics (in Japanese). September 12, 1994. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  210. ^ Parish, Jeremy (August 21, 2017). "The Famicom Legacy". VG247. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  211. ^ 【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第7回：業務用機の仕様を家庭用に、LSIの開発から着手 [How the Famicom Was Born – Part 7: Deciding on the Specs]. Nikkei Electronics (in Japanese). December 19, 1994. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  212. ^ Buchanan, Levi (March 11, 2008). "Top 10 Donkey Kong Imitators". IGN. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  213. ^ a b Altice 2015, pp. 53–80.
  214. ^ CVG 1983, pp. 40–41.
  215. ^ Parish, Jeremy (July 26, 2014). "Five Critical Moments in Platform Game History". VG247. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  216. ^ "Gaming's most important evolutions". GamesRadar. October 8, 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  217. ^ Rogers, Tim (27 November 2019). "Let's remember Donkey Kong Country, 25 years later". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  218. ^ Hernandez, Pedro (17 August 2011). "Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  219. ^ Parish, Jeremy (21 November 2019). "Donkey Kong Country turns 25: Gaming's biggest bluff". USGamer. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  220. ^ Elston, Brett (September 30, 2010). "Game music of the day: Vectorman". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  221. ^ Moriarty, Colin (4 October 2013). "Rising to greatness: The history of Naughty Dog". IGN. Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  222. ^ Sao, Akinori (10 October 2017). "Kirby Super Star developer interview - SNES Classic Edition". Nintendo. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  223. ^ Mean Machines Sega staff 1996, p. 25.
  224. ^ a b Dransfield, Ian (2 December 2014). "Twenty years on, 'Donkey Kong Country' is still as terrible as it ever was". Vice. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  225. ^ Cite error: The named reference GRadar: Trivia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  226. ^ Green, Andy (June 10, 2013). "A Hat in Time Developer Claims Donkey Kong 64 Was Instrumental In Killing off Collection Platformers". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  227. ^ McElroy, Griffin (June 9, 2013). "A Hat in Time Hopes to Atone for the Platforming Sins of Donkey Kong 64". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  228. ^ EGM staff 2005, p. 50.
  229. ^ Reeves, Ben (December 20, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze". Game Informer. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  230. ^ "Top 50 video game characters of all time announced in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition". Gamasutra. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  231. ^ Casamassina, Matt (March 11, 2005). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". IGN. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  232. ^ "Donkey Kong Turns 25". Wired. August 15, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  233. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (July 9, 2014). "It's Donkey Kong's 33rd birthday today". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  234. ^ "The 12 greatest arcade machines of all time". GamesRadar+. June 29, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  235. ^ "Donkey Kong Truck Hits Monster Jam". IGN. December 7, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  236. ^ Calvert, Darren (July 23, 2015). "Donkey Kong Nearly Missed Out On Pixels Stardom". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  237. ^ Collura, Scott (10 December 2016). "War for the Planet of the Apes: Trailer commentary by director Matt Reeves". IGN. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  238. ^ a b Rowe, Sam (September 10, 2014). "Donkey Kong: the game that refuses to be beaten". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  239. ^ a b Good, Owen S. (May 8, 2016). "Donkey Kong's all-time record broken again, with a 'perfect' game (update)". Polygon. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  240. ^ a b Peter Travers (2007-08-07). "The King of Kong : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  241. ^ IGN (6 August 2023). The Most Emotional Video Game Music in the Unlikeliest of Places. Retrieved 12 August 2023 – via YouTube.
  242. ^ Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (24 May 2018). "Random: Childish Gambino sampled Donkey Kong Country and David Wise definitely approves". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  243. ^ Sorlie, Audun (November 6, 2009). "Original Donkey Kong Country Composers Contribute to OverClocked ReMix's Serious Monkey Business". Original Sound Version. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  244. ^ Craddock, Ryan (June 4, 2020). "Random: Pirate Metal Band Alestorm's Latest Album Features Several Donkey Kong References". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  245. ^ Priestman, Chris (December 2, 2014). "First Part Of Fan-Made "A Tribute To Donkey Kong Country" Is Out Now". Siliconera. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  246. ^ Devore, Jordan (September 15, 2021). "DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut is an inspired animated tribute to Donkey Kong Country". Destructoid. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  247. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (May 10, 2023). "Random: OG Donkey Kong Country TV Series Cast Reunites For Animated Short". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  248. ^ Elston, Brett (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo trying to trademark "It's on like Donkey Kong"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  249. ^ a b Schreier, Jason (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo Trademarks 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'". Wired. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  250. ^ Gross, Doug (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo seeks to trademark 'On like Donkey Kong'". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  251. ^ a b Purewal, Sarah Jacobsson (November 11, 2010). "Nintendo Wants to Trademark 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'". PC World. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  252. ^ Nunnely-Jackson, Stephanie (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo says, "It's on like Donkey Kong"". VG247.

Works cited edit

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:TheJoebro64/drafts/DK&oldid=1215836742"