Customer Reviews

Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Okay ... okay... I get it now. This version of DONKEY KONG is NOT THE ARCADE version - it's a port of the NES version for that home system back in the day. So that is why the elusive 4th level seen in the arcades is not here. DONKEY KONG is a great game even at 3 levels, but consider that a previous GAME BOY edition had the cement/pie factory and 96 ADDITIONAL LEVELS AS WELL!

I'm still holding on to my $5 e-reader version as well as my e-reader versions of DONKEY KONG JR and DONKEY KONG 3! Why couldn't all 3 of these games been put into this cart? RETRO gaming is wonderful, but not when you feel cheated somehow. I suggest the true NES classics like SUPER MARIO BROS or LEGEND OF ZELDA! There's more bang for your buck!

The one star I gave this product is a negative one because this game is missing one level --- the "pie factory" level. And let's face it, making it to each new level until finally reaching the final pie level was exciting. But for whatever reason Nintendo has left the final level out of the game making this yet another incomplete console version of the arcade classic. You would think Nintendo, the company the originally made the arcade Donkey Kong, could create a faithful replica of the arcade classic for it's own console platforms, but I guess not. Nintendo needs to get its act together.

Why should you go out and use your money on this when the Donkey Kong 64 video game already has the arcade version? The Pie Factory level isn't in the game, but you can play it whenever you want (Without using 25 cents to play it on an arcade) with the missing level if you get DK64.

The only cost is to make it to the Frantic Factory level and unlock Donkey's Gorilla Grab. Then you can play it with all four levels for free!

Both games cost about the same, but DK64 gives you the whole game with a gigantic Banjo-Kazooie-like adventure for the same cost. Plus, beating Donkey Kong in DK64 unlocks a very important item in the game (Nintendo Coin).

I don't know why Nintendo even made this game, but it would've made more sense to just use Donkey Kong Jr. instead.

Some people have commented that this was the worst game they ever played, and "since when is Mario called Jump Man?" Well, if you're old enough to remember this game's original release, then you remember that the human character's name in Donkey Kong was Jump Man. At this early stage in video game history, he wasn't named "Mario" yet. I'm not sure if "Jump Man" became "Mario" in Donkey Kong Jr. or if it was Mario Bros. Nobody lied to you or ripped you off -- you simply didn't know the history of the game.

All of the "Classic NES Series" games for the GBA (characterized by the red stripe across the top of the box front) are exact replicas of these games, as they were originally released on the NES. There are no revamped graphics, there are no bonuses or hidden extras (as far as we know). It's just like they took the original NES cartridge, and shrunk it down to a GBA cartridge. No other changes were made, period.

If you're looking to take a trip back in time and play the TRUE original versions of these games without tracking down an original NES... then this game (and other "Classic NES Series" titles) are for you.

In my opinion, this is a great idea... but knowing how small and simple these games are, compared to how much can be packed onto a GBA cartridge, I think it would have been nice if they DID add in bonuses and extras. For example, it would be awesome if we had the option to play the original game as it was in 1985, or if we could choose to play the same game with brand new graphics, new music, or even more stages. Or better yet, put a bunch of different games on ONE cartridge. As much as I love these classics, I can't justify paying $20 for EACH one when you darn well know they could have packed probably dozens or even hundreds of these old NES games onto one GBA cart. I'd be willing to pay much more than $19.99 for that.

At the very least, they should have added in the "pie factory" board which did not appear in the NES or Coleco Vision versions, but did appear in the arcade version (and I believe it IS in the Game Boy Color version).

DONKEY KONG is believe it or not, one of the most classic games ever made and with good reason. It has nice fun gameplay but it won't really keep you busy for a while. First released in the Arcade and then the NES it is a grand classic that most gamers might find appealing.

Unfortunately this is the "Classic NES Series" and not the "Classic Arcade Series". Donkey Kong on the original NES only had three levels. Once you completed the third stage and saved Pauline the game started from Level One only harder. But the Arcade Version had four levels. The fourth level was a Pie Factory but from the NES version it's missing and sadly that means in the GBA version it is also missing.

The graphics look the same as they did in the early 80's. This is nice although as with all the other classic games some things had to be made smaller or squashed down to fit your GBA screen. It's barely noticeable in this at least.

The other problem with Donkey Kong is simply the fact that its been released other times as well. Animal Crossing has this exact version, and there's an E-Reader as well (although that's Donkey Kong Jr.). Also, you can find a version for the Gameboy (released previously in 1994).

So while Donkey Kong really is a Classic game is it really worth fishing out 20 dollars? My answer, no. Save your money and buy a different classic. Donkey Kong is grand but there isn't enough in this game to make a gamer want to buy it.

Even 20+ years after its initial release (and countless hours and quarters later), when I think of "video games," the game that comes to mind first is Donkey Kong. But I'm disappointed that Nintendo continues to omit an entire level (the infamous "pie factory" stage) from every home version of DK that it produces. Their excuse about cartridge space constraints is absolutely ludicrous, as they later put out an NES cartridge that contained both DK and DK Jr., and they both seemed to fit just fine. You're telling me they didn't have room for one more screen when it was just DK on the cartridge? As I recall, even the ColecoVision version had the missing stage! Anyway, despite that, if you don't have a home version of DK (and don't want to shell out $500-$1,000 for your very own arcade cabinet), this is the one to get. Despite its incompleteness, it's still a ton of fun, even two decades later.

This is a good game, but it only has 3 levels that are easy. There are very few enemies, and mario is very slow and can't jump high. I wouldn't recommend you waste your money on this, because it gets boring really fast.

I really like this game but I won't be buying it simply because it has a level missing and doesn't even have Donkey Kong Jr. which is the superior game. If they could release both on one NES cart back in the '80's, why can't they at least do it with the GBA in the year 2004???? Nintendo, I'm a big fan of yours but C'mon.

This game is okay if you want to play the classic NES version fo Donkey Kong. A much better alternative, however, is the GameBoy version which came out in 1994, which I purchased then and which has received an immense amount of game play in the last decade from me and my family and friends. The 1994 version has all four familar levels and then continues Mario's chase of Donkey Kong out of the 1920's era big city and into the forest, the jungle, the desert, and other locales, and is to me the definitive version and I always hoped Nintendo would do something similar with Donkey Kong, Jr. but to my knowledge they never have.

Donkey Kong is an arcade classic great and a milestone in gaming history

But I do not understand why Nintendo did not release a Compilation of it's many early arcade games... or a compilation of it's early NES classics

Instead, Nintendo releases single games in individual seperate carts at unreasonably high prices

An Arcade Compilitation of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, Donkey Kong III and Mario Bros would of been much more apreciated than a singular NES version of Donkey Kong wich isn't even an arcade Perfect version

Video Games consumers should not buy this game or any of the individual Classic NES series when Nintendo could of crammed all of those Classics into 2 or 3 carts instead

for shame on you Nintendo!