Customer Reviews

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with Bongos

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My son spotted this game and the bongos at Toys R Us and started playing. I had a hard time getting him out of the store! He cried like crazy.(he just turned 5 and usually doesn't do that)I told him we'd go back and play again someday. Well, he kept bugging me and my husband everyday to PLEASE take him up there to play it.
(We have a Super NES that was mine and we have Donkey Kong 1,2,and 3 that he constantly plays, so he is familar with it)
So, I bought a game cube 2nd hand for 45 bucks and bought the game/Bongo combo at Toys R Us. He has played it ever since we got home (4 hours now) with no sign of slowing down. I'm sure it will keep him happy for a long time.
This game actually gives your arms a workout with all of the drum beating and clapping. I also can be in the other room and know "what he is up to" as long as I hear the drums beating, LOL. I'm glad I bought this.

I eagerly purchased Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with the Bongos as soon as it was released. After a few minutes of tinkering with the bongo based controls, I found myself happily adventuring through another great Donkey Kong title. As strange as playing a Donkey Kong Country style game with bongos sounds, controlling Mr. Kong is a fairly intuitive and very fun experience. With a rhythmic tap to the right bongo the character runs to the right. With a tap to the left bongo, Donkey Kong runs to the left. Hit both bongos simultaneously and he leaps into the air. Hit both bongos while in the air and Donkey Kong will quickly slam to the ground. Add a clap or a tap to the side of the bongos and a shock wave radiates from Donkey Kong, which stuns enemies, allows Donkey Kong to grab any near by bananas, or causes Donkey Kong to swing from the hands of friendly monkeys hidden in cleverly placed floating bushes.

Even if it does take you a bit longer than others to become comfortable playing a videogame with a set of bongos, the game is very forgiving for the first few levels. The level system in place uses barrels as worlds. Each barrel that you unlock holds four levels named after various fruits. A level will include two sub levels and a boss encounter. The sub levels end when you bite into an over sized fruit at the end of the level. Once you bite into the fruit, Donkey Kong enters the fruit and collects as many beats as you can quickly beat on the bongos in a period of five to ten seconds.

The boss encounters range anywhere between a boxing match with a fellow primate, to a pineapple throwing contest with a robotic elephant with a cannon for a trunk. There are 18 levels in all to unlock, and from what I noticed the levels progressively increase in difficulty throughout the game. In order to unlock every level, you will have to collect medals that can be acquired with an average or amazing score after each level. In order to receive medals, it is up to your bongo slapping hands to get the highest possible banana, or beat score for each level, so that you may unlock the bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals needed to complete the game.

A beginner will most likely achieve scores around 300 to 500 beats, which will earn a bronze or a silver medal depending on the score. In order to earn the gold and platinum medals you will have to get beat scores of 800 to 1,200 beats. So, to boost those beat scores through the roof you will have to take advantage of the very cool combo system available. Basically, the longer you keep Mr. Kong off of the ground, the higher your combo will get. Run straight ahead, jump off of a ledge, bounce off of a wall and grab onto a vine, swing off of the vine and catch a near by hovering bird and you will be up to a combo of four. The higher your combo is, the more the beats are worth. Since this game is all about collecting the highest beat score for each level, you will definitely want to learn how to rack up those beefy combos of ten or higher. The higher the combo, the better the score. In my opinion, this aspect of Donkey Kong Jungle beat is the reason I love this game. It is incredibly rewarding to play through each level, finding ways to earn those high combos.

Graphically, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is definitely a beautiful game. Each level is bright and colorful, which fits into the whole jungle theme that Nintendo was going for here. The game runs at a solid 60 frames per second which keeps everything running nice and smooth. All of the characters are very detailed and animated realistically. As for the audio, each level has a unique tune playing in the background that you may not notice due to the non-stop bongo slapping. The sound affects are also spot on. This game does not compare to the brilliant sound tracks and effects of Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, but it certainly is good enough.

My only complaint with this game is the fact that it takes roughly seven to ten hours to complete the first time through, quite possibly less than this for seasoned gamers. Once you get the bronze through platinum medals for each of the eighteen levels, the game is over. There is no hidden content to be found, and there are no mini games or anything of that nature available after the game is completed. However, the developers have hidden enough combo possibilities in each level to keep high score enthusiasts busy for quite a while. This game is always fun to pick up and play, especially with friends and family.

Beginners enjoy Donkey Kong Jungle Beat because it is easy to pick up the bongos and jump right into the action. Advanced players will find interest in this game due to the rewarding combo system that can easily bring your beat scores well beyond the 1,200 mark. I personally enjoy this game because at a basic level, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is intuitive and fun to play. It is an off the wall, odd little game that only Nintendo could come up with, and I must honestly say that it does the trick. I have already gotten the bronze through platinum medals on each of the 18 levels and I do believe that I will continue to play this game, simply because it is so much fun. I would recommend picking Donkey Kong Jungle Beat up for yourself or anyone who enjoys video games in general. It is a blast to play!

Who'd have thought that bongos (and clapping) would be a good interface for a platformer? Not me. I played this in a store and was hooked pretty quickly.

The interface is great - multiple taps on the left bongo to go left, right to go right, and both at once to jump, along with a few other combos. You clap which makes DK clap, which sends out sound waves in a certain radius that can affect other things.

So simple, yet so good. The multipliers with the fruits are a great device -- run over a banana and it counts as one, run over 5 and they count as 5, but jump into the perfect position to clap and collect them all at once and you can score 20.

So I'm clapping and banging on the drums and it's a total blast, and I realize I'm actually working up a sweat playing the game. And like most Nintendo first-party games, the gameplay is near perfectly solid, the gameplay is set up in that toally addictive Nintendo style where you don't want to stop.

This game is cool.You should buy it is worth your money.You will like it.Control is in the bongs!Hit the drums to make DK Run,Jump,do backflips,pound the ground,leap off the walls,and last but not least you can poop on people and barf.

So we've entered a whole new genre of game play. One that throws out the hand-held controller and replaces it with...BONGOS. I first heard Nintendo was making this game and laughed about it. Well, my mind was changed once I played the game. No, this isn't a game with an in-depth story, or any story for that matter. No, it's not a difficult game you will spend hours upon hours before defeating. This game is one thing and one thing only, fun. And you will have fun playing it, I promise you that. It takes a bit to get used to this Bongo style of game control, but how original.

If you're looking for a game that you can lock yourself up in your room and not return for a few days until you have defeated it, look elsewhere. But, if you're looking for a game that you and all your friends (if you have any) can pull out for a good laugh and a few hours of fun. This game will deffinitely accomplish that much. As I said before, this game isn't difficult...game play wise, but it does take some skill and coordination.

I will warn those who will play though, this game requires a lot of clapping that makes your hands sore, and at points you are to hit the bongos as fast as you can, which will make your shoulders and arms very tired. Needless to say it is all worth it. One other thing, this game is quite beautiful graphically and has some very well done levels and environments.

So go ahead, try something new, play the bongos, play donkey kong, laugh, play, live, and most of all, don't be so skeptical about these silly new gaming ideas.

THE KID'S REVIEW FROM MARCH 28 ENTITELD THEY,VE DONE IT AGAIN IS WRONG. YOU DON'T NEED BONGO'S TO PLAY, BUT IF YOU PLAY WITHOUT THE BONGOS THEY CHANGE THIS GAME TO 3 STARS. BUY IT WITH THE BONGOS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THEM AND PICK UP DONKEY KONGA TOO. YOU'LL SAVE ABOUT 20 DOLLARS IF YOU BUY THE BONGOS AND DONKEY KONG JUNGLE BEAT SEPERATE IT WILL COME TO 80 DOLLARS. IF YOU BUT THE GAME WITH THE BONGOS INCLUDED YOU WILL SAVE 30 BUCKS.

BY TEXX

Now if only this game will be popular enough to produce a sequel. It should be, for how good it is.

This game is the most innovative game I have seen since Katamari Damacy for PS2, innovation including but not limited to the cool bongo controller. As for me I don't have the bongos, but even with a standard controller the controls feel fresh. The game only uses four buttons, and that includes directions. And it works. Its control is spot-on, and is just a joy to play.

To advance in this game you collect crests of multiple colors, and before long you will find that to advance you need to take advantage of one of this game's biggest assets - its beat system. The 'beats' you collect work as both your score and your life meter. The cool thing about them is the combo system. Combos multiply the beats you pick up by how many tricks you have done, and a combo doesn't end until DK lands his feet firmly on the ground. Many of the stages are designed so DK doesn't have to land for a long time, making for some thrilling combos. Just pick up a banana and you earn 1 beat, but pick it up along with other bananas as part of a combo, and you may earn much more.

Using combos to earn the most beats you can in each stage, and the crests you earn for doing so, are what give this game tons of replay value. And using the combo system is just so fun that it keeps you wanting to come back for more. Some of the stages (maybe all of them, I don't know) let an expert earn many, many more beats than you need for the best crest, while some stages are challenging enough that I, having played the game A LOT, still have not come close to the best crests.

I want to but I can't complain about the length; there are 32 platforming levels and 18 bosses. Actually those 18 bosses are 5 different bosses that repeat a lot, but that's alright; each time you meet one it has new moves to throw at you. The bosses are worth mentioning and were quite fun to learn, though only 1 of the 18 seemed difficult even at first. As for the length I want more, but this game's length is average or better; there is a lot to this game. But it is so good that I have played it tons, and now I want more. I beg Nintendo for a sequel. :)

The graphics are beautiful, and seamless as they switch modes and distances. The challenge isn't that great until you earn your way into the tougher stages, but the challenge of earning every crest has some very tough spots, and is still out of my reach (a good thing). I would say, with or without the bongos (your choice), buy this game.

This game is totally awesome. The bongos are the best thing to come along in a while. Buy this game and you will a happy person. 2-D action platformer you play with bongos, what could be better; answer: nothing.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a great videogame anyone can enjoy. It blends music, beat, rythm, and adventure into one small disc. The people at Nintendo have really done a good job with this addition to the Donkey Kong series. The play style is amazing and the boss fights are done perfectly. If you've enjoyed other Donkey Kong games including Donkey Konga, it is certain that you will enjoy this. You can play the game using a normal controller, but I would recommend the D.K. Bongos if you want the full experience. Donkey Kong Jjungle Beat is a great game to add to your collection, and for a good price even including the D.K. Bongos.

I purchased this game for my nephew who is in 1st grade. He loves the game. The graphics are colorful, the bongo controls work great. It even works with my new Wii. Overall its an easy but good game. If you can get it for under [...] your getting a deal.