Tag: Donkey Kong
The DK drama continues
New evidence has been uncovered that suggests Billy Mitchell did indeed cheat to attain his record-breaking Donkey Kong scores — the ones which Twin Galaxies removed from its record boards because they were allegedly achieved via emulation rather than original arcade hardware, and for which Mitchell is suing the...
News New Mario Bros. Movie Footage Shows Off Seth Rogen As Donkey Kong
"You got the cat box!"
A new 30-second clip from the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie has just been released, and it focused on the character of Donkey Kong, voiced by Seth Rogen. In the clip, we see Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) drop into an arena filled with 'Question Mark' boxes. His first tussle with DK ends with him getting a savage beat-down,...
News Enguarde The Swordfish Almost Returned In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Just keep swimming
Donkey Kong has had some fantastic animal companions over the years, and when Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze breezed onto the Wii U, and later Switch, it brought back with it a very small selection of animal companions. But in an interview published in the latest issue of Retro Gamer (via Nintendo Everything) creative...
News Early Donkey Kong Design Document From Miyamoto Showcases 'Popeye' Origin
"I yam what I yam an' tha's all I yam"
If you've swotted up on your gaming history, then you'll perhaps already know that the original Donkey Kong from 1981 (lord almighty...) actually started life as a Popeye the Sailor Man project, featuring the main man himself alongside Olive Oyl and antagonist Bluto. As the tale goes, Nintendo had failed to...
Random More Kong Cameos Spotted In The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The DK Crew are here
If you're hoping to see more Kongs in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie, you're in luck. Eagle-eyed fans appear to have spotted Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong and Swanky Kong (Donkey Kong Country 3) in the new Donkey Kong promotional poster. Diddy made his first appearance in Donkey Kong Country (1994) and Dixie followed in Donkey...
Poll What Do You Think Of Donkey Kong's New Look In The Mario Movie?
Inspired by the "original character"
One character we weren't necessarily expecting to see in the latest Mario Movie trailer was the king of the jungle, Donkey Kong. During the short Nintendo Direct, Shigeru Miyamoto introduced Donkey Kong's voice actor Seth Rogen and also mentioned how the character had a new look: Shigeru Miyamoto: "It's been...
Random Billy Mitchell Claims Doctor Won't See Him Due To Donkey Kong Cheating Accusations
According to court documents
By this point, if you've heard of Donkey Kong, then you've also probably heard of Billy Mitchell. The former 'King of Kong' held multiple world records in arcade games such as Pac-Man and the aforementioned, but many have since been called into question, with some accusing him of playing via Multiple Arcade Machine...
Random This New PC Platformer Is Designed To Be Played With DK Bongos
And it's free!
Nintendo has long been a pioneer of creative controllers. There was, of course, the Wii remote which revolutionised mainstream motion-based gaming, the N64 controller which finally let you play a game with three hands, and, the crème de la crème, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat's DK Bongos. Many of us still have a pair or two of these...
News Nintendo Has Filed A New Trademark For The Donkey Kong Series
Could DK be returning?
Try not to go bananas over this, but Nintendo has filed a "new" trademark for the Donkey Kong series. This one is seemingly a little different from the usual ones. Instead of another stock-standard renewal, it actually seems to have been updated to mention "downloadable programs for portable and electronic consoles". It's...
Random Retro Enthusiasts Accomplish World's First Donkey Kong 2P Kill Screen
"There's a kill screen comin' up!"
If you're familiar with the classic Donkey Kong arcade game, then you'll have undoubtedly heard of the kill screen. For those not in the know, the game essentially features a level known as the 'kill screen', whereby the in-game timer will be so low that's it's impossible to complete the stage as a result of a...
Random Donkey Kong's Birthplace Indicates He May Enjoy A Spot Of Tea
According to Burger King, at least
Donkey Kong has been a mainstay in the Mario series for an extremely long time. The name was first given to the ape who wreaked havoc in the original Donkey Kong arcade game (who we now know to be Cranky Kong), but the Donkey Kong we now know and love is the son of Donkey Kong Jr. This dapper tie-wearing ape has...
News Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Artist Talks About "Frustrating" Zelda Rumours
Not-so Funky mode
Back when Retro Studios was riding high on the success of the Metroid Prime trilogy, not many expected them to jump off of the space bounty hunter's ship and into the jungle in Donkey Kong Country Returns. This fantastic platformer rebooted the Donkey Kong Country series from the SNES with beautiful visuals, tight platforming, and...
News Get Your Funky Kong On With This Donkey Kong Country Ska Album
In a ska-bound land
David Wise's work on the Donkey Kong Country series soundtracks is arguably some of the most iconic of the SNES era. The original set the tone, from the 'Main Theme' to 'Aquatic Ambience' to 'Gan-Plank Galleon'. And because of Wise's excellent work, we've all heard of 'Stickerbush Symphony' from Donkey Kong Country 2 and the...
News Reggie "Hated" Donkey Konga And Was Worried It Would Hurt The DK Brand
"I pushed back hard"
Update [Sat 7th May, 2022 12:30 BST]: G4 has now uploaded the full interview with Reggie - adding some much-needed context to that line about how much he "hated Donkey Konga". It turns out, he was just protective and was worried about the music rhythm series ruining the Donkey Kong brand. In the end, though, he admits it sold...
Feature The Best (And Worst) Selling Games Of Nintendo's Biggest Franchises
It was the best of games, it was the blurst of games
Have you ever wondered what the best-selling Super Mario game is? How about the worst-selling Donkey Kong game? How many copies do you reckon a Fire Emblem game usually sells? And is Animal Crossing more popular than Metroid? All of these questions and more are about to be answered, because we...
News Nintendo Renews Zelda, Metroid, And Donkey Kong Trademarks
Remember to keep your expectations low
Nintendo has swept in with another round of trademark renewals, including some big-hitting franchises. And Mach Rider. While this is probably business as usual for the big N, these freshly-filed games have a couple of things in common. So, like any sensible humans, let's have fun and speculate! Spotted by one...
Feature The Many Faces Of Donkey Kong, Nintendo's 40-Year-Old Gorilla
Four decades of DK
Nintendo’s monkey of manifold mantles – one Donkey Kong, Esq. – recently turned 40. Forty years young and still so vital, but it could be reasonably argued that the ol’ Kongmeister has been undergoing a bit of an identity crisis for most of his lifespan. The man-ape has turned from heel to face to heel more times than The...
Retro Remember When Acclaimed Novelist Martin Amis Rubbished Donkey Kong?
"Donkey, your days are numbered. The knackers’ yard awaits you"
One of the most influential and acclaimed novelists of his generation, award-winning writer Martin Amis – famous for books such as Money, London Fields and The Information – isn't the kind of name you'd perhaps expect to see on a site about video games, but in the early '80s, Amis...
Rumour Seth Rogen Will Apparently Star In A Solo Donkey Kong Movie
Well, it'll sure be interesting
It's fair to say that when the cast for the upcoming Super Mario Movie was revealed it led to a lot of chatter online. For one thing, it'll be strange that a series of characters from a fantastical Nintendo world will have the voices of some of Hollywood's biggest stars; it's sure going to be intriguing when the film...
News Check Out This Forgotten Donkey Kong Country Comic From The UK
Warning: Lots of images contained within!
Here's a bit of Donkey Kong trivia for you, and no mistake. The Donkey Kong Jungle Action Special was an officially licensed British comic based on Donkey Kong Country for the SNES and published in 1995 by Fleetway Editions. Richard Burton (no, not that one) is listed as the Managing Editor – comic fans...
News The Donkey Kong Series Has Surpassed 65 Million Sales Worldwide
As of March 2021
Nintendo has revealed that, as of March 2021, the Donkey Kong series of games have sold a whopping 65 million units worldwide. You probably know the story by now, but Donkey Kong was first brought to life by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto back in 1981, when the very first game in the series hit arcades. The game saw Jumpman, who...
News It's Official, Super Nintendo World Is Getting A Donkey Kong Expansion
"Set to open in 2024"
It seems the worst kept secret has finally been confirmed - Super Nintendo World is getting a Donkey Kong-themed "expansion" and it's set to open in 2024. According to an official Nintendo press release, this new area will allow park guests to walk through "lush" jungles where Donkey Kong and his friends live. There'll also be...
Random Donkey Kong Blows? Of Course, And It's All Down To Shigeru Miyamoto
"We were like "What did we do wrong? What is he finding?'"
In a recent episode of Reece Reilly's Kiwi Talkz podcast, former Retro Studios developer and senior designer on Metroid Prime Mike Wikan revealed some interesting tidbits about his time working on Nintendo properties at the Austin-based studio. This included a fun anecdote involving Nintendo...
News This "Super Rare" Anniversary Edition Game & Watch Unit Just Sold For A Very Low Price
Requested by Gunpei Yokoi and bought for about $9k
We've seen a lot of retro Nintendo products selling for some insane prices in recent times, but this one is a bit different. Despite being a "never before seen for sale" Game & Watch, it's just sold for the "very low" price of ¥1,001,000 (around US$9100 / €8000). Quite reasonable, really...
Guide Best Donkey Kong Games Of All Time
Every DK game ranked for your pleasure
While Mario is the undisputed man when it comes to all things Nintendo, let it never be forgotten that it was Donkey Kong who gave the plumber a leg-up in the world of video games. The ape's original game not only conquered the arcade and introduced the world to the character who would become Nintendo's mascot,...
News DKC Artist Steve Mayles Shares Gorgeous New Piece To Celebrate Donkey Kong's 40th
"Nostalgic for Kongs"
Today marks Donkey Kong's 40th anniversary, with the original game hitting Japanese arcades back on 9th July 1981. To celebrate the occasion, ex-Rare staffer Steve Mayles – now of Playtonic Games – has shared a lovely piece of new artwork featuring our favourite ape duo. You can see the full piece for yourself in Steve's...
Rumour There's Supposedly A New Donkey Kong Animation In Development
"DK is being taken seriously at the big N again"
Donkey Kong has been missing in action since the port of Tropical Freeze arrived on the Nintendo Switch in 2018. More recently though, there have been rumours about Nintendo EPD (the team behind Super Mario Odyssey) working on a new video game entry in the DK series. Leaker Zippo
Random This Penny Has Diddy Kong Engraved On Abe Lincoln's Shoulder
Diddy Kong 'graving
Well, here's a story to fill your random Nintendo ephemera quota for the day: someone has micro-engraved Diddy Kong onto a 1 cent coin. You know, as you do. As shown off by @VolksDK on Twitter, a friend (later identified in the Twitter thread) used a process known as 'ion milling' which apparently strips layers of atoms and...
News "Donkey Kong Country" Concept Art For Super Nintendo World Surfaces Online
"one of Nintendo's worst kept secrets"
There have been rumours for ages now about Super Nintendo World receiving a Donkey Kong expansion of sorts. Dataminers previously uncovered evidence of DK stickers within the Universal Studios' Super NIntendo World mobile app, and now, a Donkey Kong fan account on Twitter has shared some concept art of the...
Rumour The Next Donkey Kong Is Being Developed By The Super Mario Odyssey Team
Update: Another source chimes in
Update: Highly-respected Donkey Kong fansite DK Vine has chimed in on our report, and adds the following information: Development of the new Donkey Kong game purportedly began around 2017 or 2018, when Nintendo decided to bring Donkey Kong back internally for the first time since Nintendo EAD's Donkey Kong Jungle...
Random Updated Diddy Kong Render (With Fur) Spotted On Nintendo's Japanese Website
Looking good, Diddy
We've heard pretty much nothing from the Donkey Kong crew since the re-release of Tropical Freeze on the Switch in 2018, but today we've potentially got some exciting news for all of you Kong fans around the globe. Well, maybe... According to eagle-eyed DK enthusiast and Twitter user BlueCatBanjo73, Nintendo has updated the
News Aerial Photos Provide Further Hope That Super Nintendo World's Donkey Kong Land Is Real
New evidence supports our suspicions
Earlier this week, a report from VGC revealed that Japan's Super Nintendo World theme park contains a mysterious locked door that appears to be a tease for a new, upcoming area. Thanks to newly-spotted aerial photographs shared online, we can now see that there's more than enough reason to believe a new area...
News Japan's Super Nintendo World Has A Mysterious, Locked Donkey Kong Door
A new DK area on the way?
Just days ahead of the park's official opening, it's been discovered that Japan's Super Nintendo World contains a locked Donkey Kong door, hinting at a future park expansion. VGC reports that the mysterious door is located and 'hidden' towards the north of the park, featuring "a very DK-
News New Letter Details Why Donkey Kong 64's Innovative "Stop 'N' Swop" Feature Was Removed
"We must ask that you remove this feature"
Stop 'N' Swop was undoubtedly one of the N64's biggest mysteries, and even now, we're still learning new things about it decades later. With six coloured eggs and an ice key scattered across Banjo-Kazooie, it was designed as a means of unlocking special content in the sequel, Banjo-Tooie. It was never used...
Video 27 Years Later, Early Donkey Kong Country Concept Sketches Are Revealed To The World
Rambi, Kremlings, and other characters also shown
Back in the '90s, Rare had quite a reputation for being secretive about its internal practices. Though it has opened up significantly since being acquired by Microsoft, it's one of the reasons why we get interesting stories still
Video We've Ranked All 55 Kongs From Donkey Kong, For Science
Wait, how many?
Donkey Kong is a franchise that has been passed around numerous developers over the years, resulting in a lovely array of different genres and interpretations of the series. It also had a TV show made about it, which is something that some people would probably like to forget. After being banded around for 30 years as of 2021 it's...
News Dataminers Uncover Donkey Kong Stickers In Super Nintendo World Mobile App
You know him well
Where would Mario be without his old pal Donkey Kong? With this in mind, dataminers have supposedly uncovered evidence of DK stickers within Universal Studios' Super Nintendo World mobile app. There have been rumours circulating for some time now about a possible DK ride, so could this latest discovery be a sign of things to come?...
Feature How A Donkey Kong Clone Almost Scuppered Nintendo's Ambitions In The West
This Kong be CRAZY
The following feature is an excerpt from Ken Horowitz's excellent Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games and has been reproduced here with the kind permission of both Horowitz and the publisher. 1981's arcade smash-hit Donkey Kong created a surge in revenue that lifted Nintendo’s prospects for its North...
Video Donkey Kong '94 - The 101 Level Sequel to Arcade DK
It's on like (101 stages of) Donkey Kong
Nintendo's legacy owes so much to the original Donkey Kong; after all, this was the game that introduced the world to Mario. They could have played it safe with a Game Boy conversion – it still would have been impressive to have an arcade game in the palm of your hands – but Nintendo decided that wasn't...
News Beyond Donkey Kong Digs Deep Into Nintendo's Often Overlooked Arcade Heritage
New book sheds light on a coin-op legacy
While Nintendo has long been a major force in the realms of domestic and portable video gaming, it's important to remember that the release that truly put the Japanese firm on the map was an arcade one: 1981's Donkey Kong. Shigeru Miyamoto's first masterpiece transformed Nintendo from a coin-op also-ran into...
PSA It's Diddy's Kong Quest, Not Diddy Kong's Quest
But you already knew this, right?
Towards the end of last month, Nintendo added even more classic games to its Super Nintendo online service. The highlight for most was Rare's 1995 release Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. As happy as Nintendo is to see everyone enjoying this absolute gem once again, the company's official UK Twitter...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #62 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
A Kong time ago...
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the video game cover contest that pits regional variants against each other in a fight for your vote. Last time we observed a thrilling duel between Okamiden North American / European cover and the Japanese variant. Ultimately, it was an easy victory for Japan with over 70% of your votes going to the...
And we would go bananas for a new entry
If there's one series we would love to see make a return, it's gotta be Donkey Kong Country. The last mainline outing was the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Wii U in 2014, and it was then enhanced for the Switch in 2018. So, who is willing to help out on a new Donkey Kong Country game?...
News King Of Kong's Stars Rack Up Personal Best Scores Within Days Of Each Other
"The basement dwellers can talk from their keyboards"
2007's King of Kong is one of the seminal video game documentaries. It charted the epic battle between legendary high-score holder and hot sauce-maker Billy Mitchell and the underdog Steve Wiebe. At the conclusion of the movie, Wiebe had made gaming history and the film has gone on to become a...
News Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong And Pac-Man Scores Are Reinstated By Guinness World Records
"I wanted to clear my name"
A few years ago, scorekeeping organisation Twin Galaxies stripped Billy Mitchell of his scores following accusations of cheating. It has now been revealed that those scores have been reinstated by Guinness World Records, which means Mitchell is once again officially recognised as the first person to register a 1 million...
News Robbie Lakeman Is Apparently The New Donkey Kong World Record Holder
A former King of Kong returns to top spot
Nintendo's arcade game Donkey Kong is nearly 40 years old and there's still a competitive scene for it. What's even more impressive, in fact, is that the top players continue to set new high scores. According to a recent tweet by the one and only Billy Mitchell, the former champ Robbie Lakeman has returned...
Random Pirate Metal Band Alestorm's Latest Album Features Several Donkey Kong References
Something tells us they're big fans
It's always pretty cool seeing Nintendo games being referenced in your favourite films or music, so take a look at Curse of the Crystal Coconut, the new album from Scottish metal band, Alestorm. You can probably think of one reference immediately - yes, the Crystal Coconut is an item found in Donkey Kong 64, used...
News After 10 Years Away, The Original "King Of Kong" Is Making A Comeback
"It seemed only fitting to get back into the swing of things"
Steve Wiebe became a star overnight thanks to the documentary film The King of Kong back in 2007, but for the past decade, he has been content to step aside and allow other players to take their shot at high-score glory. However, Wiebe – who is now recognised as the first person to...
News Blimey, Donkey Kong Country 2 Looks Lovely In HD
The SNES classic gets a new lick of paint
Thankfully, fans of the Donkey Kong Country series have been treated rather well over the past few years, with Donkey Kong Country Returns and its sequel Tropical Freeze launching across all of Nintendo's latest systems. We can't sing the praises of Tropical Freeze enough - se
News Mario Kart Tour's Jungle Tour Brings Some Familiar Faces To The Races
You know them well
A recent update to Mario Kart Tour added multiplayer team racing and custom matchmaking to the mobile game, but now the Jungle Tour is live and it's bringing back some fan-favourite members of the Kong clan to race alongside Mario and company. DK and Diddy already feature as playable characters, but as you can see from the...
