Source: infendo.com

Source: infendo.com

This week we get a trio of completely unrelated games. Get indigestion with the new WiiWare Major League Eating: The Game, bug out with Donkey Kong 3, or go commando with Ninja Commando.

My pick has to be Donkey Kong 3.  I loved this arcade game and it’s a measly 500 points.  What do you think of the games this week?  And why do some publishers insist on putting “The Game” in their game’s title?

[Full descriptions after the jump.]

Major League Eating: The Game - WiiWare - 1,000 Wii Points
The ultimate chomp-off is about to begin. Grab your Wii Remote controller and dig into 12 different foods as you compete against the greatest major-league eaters in the world. This isn’t just a race to stuff your face—you’ll need strategy to master a smorgasbord of digestive attacks, defenses and counters. These include the Mega Burp, Gas Attack, Antacid and more. And don’t forget to keep an eye on your Barf-O-Meter, because if the food hits the plate twice, you’re out. Unlock more than 10 characters in single-player career mode, go gut-to-gut against your friends in versus mode, or compete online using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Online play supports friend codes, random matchmaking and leader boards.  [Published by Mastiff]

Donkey Kong 3 - 1986 - NES - 500 Wii Points
Based on the third game in the enormously popular arcade series, Donkey Kong 3 introduces an exterminator named Stanley as he desperately tries to protect the flowers in his greenhouse from Donkey Kong. Armed only with a can of bug spray, Stanley must force Donkey Kong higher and higher into the greenhouse rafters until Donkey Kong is off the screen and the next stage is reached. Not surprisingly, Donkey Kong isn’t going to move without a fight, so he sends wave after wave of bugs, bees and other creatures toward Stanley. Not only must Stanley repel the insects in order to save the flowers, but he’ll also have to keep an eye out for projectiles thrown by Donkey Kong himself. If Stanley is good enough, he’ll be able to grab a can of more powerful bug spray and really get Donkey Kong moving. It all adds up to frantic fun that anyone can enjoy.  [Published by Nintendo]

Ninja Commando - NEOGEO - 1992 - 900 Wii Points
Players choose from among three ninjas—Joe, descended from the Koga ninja; Rayar, a woman who has learned the ways of the Iga ninja; and Ryu, descendant of the famous ninja Fuma Kotaro—as they pursue the merchant of death known as Spider, who plans to use a time machine to bring havoc to the world. The battle spans seven time periods, including the Stone Age, the Egyptian era and the Japanese Civil War era. Each hero features a variety of attack options in addition to their own normal attacks, including a deadly attack that inflicts damage upon all enemies on the screen, special ninja-arts attacks performed by inputting specific commands, and a powerful attack unleashed by taking on the “shape of the beast” when three scrolls have been collected. The game also supports two-player cooperative play, so you’re welcome to bring a friend and enjoy taking on the evil Spider together. [Published by ADK]

Source: infendo.com

A Redmond source e-mailed Infendo Tuesday with a tip about one of those E3 surprises Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime mentioned on GameTrailers TV earlier this year.

Here is the tip, as sent to Infendo:

“I had my friend at Nintendo check around for any mention of big games, and per their investigation, the new game announcement is Donkey Kong Country, in 2D! Yes, it is going back to its SNES roots. This … will expand one of their popular franchises, as they mentioned several months ago.”

The source did not specify which console the supposed game is being developed for, but seemed to indicate Wii as the primary suspect. As always, file this under the “rumor” category until E3.

Source: infendo.com

Taken a few months back at the Computer Game Museum in Berlin, Germany.

sweetness…

Source: videogamesblogger.com

This religious / game-inspired Donkey-Kong-as-Jesus painting called “The Last Supper (The Genie in a Baby Room Edition)” was painted by artist Misha, and was originally shown at the 2006 I Am 8-Bit show. It turns out the $75 painting is now allegedly hanging in Christina Aguilera’s baby nursery. — Via Gaygamer

Source: videogamesblogger.com

In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat you can feel the beat of a completely new Donkey Kong adventure as you drum and clap your way through vast jungle kingdoms.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat takes the big ape through an incredible new adventure, using the most unexpected controllers: The bongos. The totally unique action game let’s you put your hands together and beat the bongos to control Donkey Kong and his powerful combos. You’ll guide DK by drumming your way through fantastic jungle environments, full of ravenous enemies and challenging obstacles. Battle enormous beasts, collect bananas, get in boxing matches with rivals and even ride animals and vehicles in a jungle gone wild!

System: GameCube
Genre: Platformer, Action
Release dates: December 16th 2004 (JPN), February 4th 2005 (EUR), March 14th 2005 (USA)
Players: 1
Save: 3 Blocks
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher: Nintendo
Creator: Yoshiaki Koizumi
Origin: Japan
Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+) for Cartoon Violence

Nintendo first introduced the GameCube’s bongo controller for play with the Donkey Konga musical drumming game series. The last game that ended up using them is the platformer Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Jungle Beat comes bundled with a set of DK Bongos (or, if you already have the bongos from Donkey Konga, there’s a standalone version). The game uses the drums to control Donkey Kong’s (DK’s) actions. Hitting the left drum causes DK to move left, while hitting the right drum causes him to move right. Hitting both drums at the same time causes Donkey Kong to jump. Clapping one’s hands also causes Donkey Kong to clap, which has various consequences depending on the situation. Also notable is that control over Donkey Kong is granted to all plugged in controllers, allowing other players to perform these actions as well.

With these percussion-based controls you can shepherd Donkey Kong around the perils and pit-traps of a hazardous jungle environment by thumping the DK Bongo controller — tap, clap or perform a drum roll to negotiate each enemy-infested area. Outwit belligerent beasts, collect bananas, take to the boxing ring and even ride animals and vehicles on your safari sojourn!

Watch the Donkey Kong Jungle Beat launch trailer.

As a result of its control method the game has rather unique gameplay. It’s a platformer where the goal isn’t simply to get to the end of the level. The goal is to get as many points, or “beats,” as possible. Beats are obtained by grabbing bananas during gameplay, and lost by getting hurt or falling. The player can obtain additional beats by performing combos while grabbing the bananas. For example, three combo moves will earn four beats for each banana collected. Combos can go as high as 30, meaning that 31 beats can be earned from a single banana. Time records can also be earned for stages and for racing sections of stages.

DK can perform a variety of moves, including backflips, the ground-pound, vine swinging, corner hopping, and wall jumping. He can also use other objects and animals in the game to add to the combo score. When performing “combo-moves”, a counter is started, rising with each successive combo move acquired before landing. The combo counter is lost when DK is hurt or falls, and all beats are lost.

The level system consists of many different “kingdoms”. Each kingdom contains three platforming levels. The first two may contain racing and puzzle elements, which the final “boss” stage contains a fight against a large enemy. There are many different types of bosses, including other gorillas in a Punch-Out!!-style bout. The gameplay relies heavily on timing and rhythm elements, such as clapping at exactly the right time to get all of the bananas in an area, or to incapacitate the boss.

Clapping or making any other noise that the microphone in the Bongos picks up makes DK clap his hands. The hand clap produces two rings, a small red one and a giant green one. Enemies in the small red ring are usually defeated, and those in the larger green ring are usually stunned. Any bananas in the small red ring are grabbed in a chain, each incremented in value relative to the last. (e.g., If you’ve done 3 combo moves when DK clap-grabs 5 bananas, the bananas are worth 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.) This makes for a surprisingly deep combo system.

Watch the Donkey Kong Jungle Beat TV ad.

What are Donkey Kong Jungle Beat’s main features?

* An action/adventure platformer game like no other! Grab a DK Bongos controller and use it to guide Nintendo’s mascot Donkey Kong through wild jungle environments brimming with ravenous enemies and challenging obstacles.

* Control is in the bongos! Tap the right drum to walk right and the left one to walk left. To run, you’ll have to play a drum roll, and whacking both drums at once makes the great ape jump. Clapping or tapping the sides of the bongos makes Donkey Kong emit destructive sound waves and a slew of other things!

* Precise and intuitive context-sensitive controls, depending on the timing of your drumming.

* Use the simple controls for a world of great game moves — jump around on elastic vines, ride animals pals, pound enemies with your fist and more.

* Interact with all sorts of enemies, obstacles and challenges with the bongos — from soaring in a homemade parachute to bouncing off the walls like a pinball.

* This jungle’s gone wild! Battle enormous beasts, collect bananas, put together combo strings, and even get in boxing matches with rivals!

* 3D levels pay homage to the classic side-scrolling style of classic 2D platformers.

* Runs in progressive scan and supports Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound.

* On-screen help nudges players in the right direction.

Watch a Donkey Kong Jungle Beat gameplay video.

As a conclusion let’s rate this game on its fun-basis.

FUN FACTOR - 9.0
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat has 16 platformer levels of varying locales, challenges, and difficulty, as well as boss fights, that will all seem to pass by far too quickly. This is because of how much fun they are to play through thanks to the GameCube Bongo controller that will make you drum and clap like a crazed monkey with a grin on your face. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat director Yoshiaki Koizumi sums it up best when he said: “We didn’t need a superfluous story for the game. The only thing Donkey Kong needs is to be the best, and to become the king of the jungle.” It definitely shows the development team did some quality work on Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, they even went on to create Super Mario Galaxy! With a focus on on presentation and easy gameplay, the game delivers with a high fun factor as Kong runs, jumps, rides and swims across his fantastically designed kingdom. If you can get your hands on the game and bongos, definitely try it out its unique concept.

Graphics - 8.5
The game’s animations are smooth and the colorful visuals are clean and move around slick, the 60FPS framerate takes care of that, whether you’re zoomed in on Kong or zoomed far out on the varied environments during chase scenes. There are plenty of special effects and the character models consist of a high polygon count and will have glossy reflections and/or fur shading. While the game is basically a 2D side-scroller with 3D graphics, you definitely won’t mind with the attention to detail everything’s been given.

Audio - 8.0
The game’s music consists of tropical upbeat tunes (no pun intended). The cartoon-like sound effects fit the title perfectly. Overall it’s a very charming game to listen to.

Ingenuity - 9.0
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat introduces a new kind of game control. Ditch your control pads and joysticks, because bongos are what you’ll be playing with! It’s amazingly fun as you’ll use it to control DK on-screen. Tap the drums to run in different directions (simply drum faster to run faster), hit both drums together to jump, and clap your hands (the bongos include a sound sensor) to summon an enemy-stunning shockwave. Part of Jungle Beat’s fun lies in its surprisingly deep combo system. You can rack up huge scores by stringing together moves in the air while gathering bananas, gain enough bananas and you can unlock the next level, after defeating the bosses first of course.

Worried about waking the neighbors from making to much noise playing the game? Don’t worry, alternatively from drumming and clapping loudly, you can make the bongos respond with just a light tap and if you don’t want to clap — tapping the sides of the bongos works just as well. You can also alter the sensitivity of the sound sensor. it’s all incredibly intuitive and you’ll be playing the game like a pro within minutes.

Replay Value - 7.0
Expect to play through the game in up to four hours. You’ll have to earn bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals on each level in order to unlock more stages. Luckily the gameplay is so addictive you’ll be playing it again and again to improve your banana grabbing skills and scores.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Donkey Kong kidnaps the princess and takes her captive… will Mario be able to save her!? This Donkey Kong: The Movie spoof attempts to answer that very question. “On no! A barrel!”

Via Filefront

Source: infendo.com

Look at those graphics!  Hard to believe it’s on Wii, right?  Well, that’s because it isn’t.

Donkey Kong made his debut as a monster truck on Saturday, December 8, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Fans in attendance had no idea they were about to see the unveiling of the newest truck on the Monster Jam circuit.  Before the event, the Donkey Kong truck was hidden in a huge barrel and was revealed at the opening of the show by busting out of the barrel to the delight of the screaming crowd. Fans, both young and old, went bananas as the 10,000 pound monster truck tore up the track. 

Anyone representing Infendo Nation in attendance?

[More pics after the break]

Source: infendo.com

It may be doing business in stylish new places and selling consoles to fresh new faces, but Mario, Zelda and Metroid still run the show at Nintendo. Over the last year, fans have been treated to proper new titles from each of Nintendo’s three elite franchises, not to mention an additional handheld Zelda.

The last time this happened? Try 199-never.

But as great as it’s been, it is also representative of a trend that needs to change. Mario, Link and Samus can only carry the company so far, as recent disappointments have proven. So why not look to your bench, Nintendo? You’ve got other great players dying to get time on the field.

From my humble estimation, these are the five franchises most capable of an innovative “revolution” and an immediate contribution on Wii.

Kid Icarus

The Kid Icarus series chronicles the adventures of Pit, a brave young angel armed with the sacred Bow of Palutena, the Goddess of Light, and the leader of her army. In addition to his charming character design, Pit is essentially an amalgam of the attributes of Nintendo’s biggest characters. Nintendo Power marveled over Pit in issue 204, raving that he could “jump like Mario, collect items like Link and shoot enemies like Samus.”

Kid Icarus is an extremely interesting concept for a video game series; battle demons and mythological monsters in an ancient Greek setting to save the Goddess of Light. The potential for such a premise to catapult Kid Icarus into the Nintendo elite is obvious, but unfortunately, the series has only had two games to date. The original Kid Icarus debuted on the NES in 1987 and offered a unique hybrid of classic Nintendo gameplay elements. The series continued on the original Game Boy with Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters in 1991. Since then, Pit has been forced to sit the bench.

But if there were ever a time to get him back in the game, it is now. Legions of fans agree; Kid Icarus could be an incredible experience on Wii. Imagine an immense, beautiful world similar to Hyrule in Twilight Princess, only with a fourth dimension, of sorts: unlike Link, Pit is not bound by the constraints of gravity. He could soar through the sky for airborne battle, darting from cloud to cloud and aiming at enemies effortlessly thanks to the Wii remote. Massive ancient Greek landscapes and oceans, enormous enemy combatants, gigantic sea beasts; the series is practically demanding a reinvention on Wii.

F-Zero

There isn’t a racing franchise faster or more stylish than the futuristic F-Zero. Cast centuries into the future, F-Zero features brutally fast racing action complimented by pulse-inducing musical scores and console-pushing technology. The series embraces its unique setting by utilizing a cast of over-the-top characters including anthropomorphic mutants, caped super-heroes, evil villains and even futuristic musicians and fashion models. Chief among them is perhaps Captain Falcon, the mysterious bounty hunter as popular for his appearances in the Smash Bros. series as for his F-Zero racing.

The series began with the original F-Zero, a launch title for the Super NES in 1991, and new entries into the series have appeared on each Nintendo console since. Except, of course, Wii and DS. Combine these recent absences with the implications of recent comments from Nintendo executives, and the future of the series has suddenly been called into question. Shigeru Miyamoto in particular has been quite vocal about his disappointment with the latest game, F-Zero GX, a critically successful commercial failure entrusted to outside development studios by Nintendo.

Nagging problems and poor sales aside, the core of F-Zero GX offered one of the best gameplay experiences on GameCube, and the game’s issues are certainly addressable. A Wii version could add individual difficulty modes to expand the potential audience. This would make the game more enjoyable for the mainstream, but also keep the game’s traditionally maddening difficulty level intact for F-Zero veterans. Implement stat-filled online leaderboards and fast-paced competition modes to extend the replay value. Improve on the offline local multiplayer, and we’re already making serious headway.

We haven’t even gotten into all the possibilities for responsive new controls and enhanced speed and visuals on Wii. Super Mario Galaxy has teased our appetite for pretty Wii games; a new F-Zero would be like a smorgasbord feast.

Star Fox

Like F-Zero, the Star Fox series began as a technological achievement on the Super NES. When the original game released in 1993, it was a visual wonder. Using the Super FX graphics chip, Star Fox was one of the first games to simulate 3D graphics on a console. But there was more to Star Fox than groundbreaking visuals; the gameplay was smooth, fast, responsive and incredibly addictive. When a Nintendo 64 sequel was released four years later, it improved upon everything the original had introduced, establishing the new franchise as one of Nintendo’s best and brightest for the future.

From there, everything went wrong. The third installment, Rare’s 2002 Star Fox Adventures on GameCube, was considered blasphemy by Star Fox faithful. Gone was the intense on-rails shooting of the first two games, and in its place was an adventure game best described as a second-rate Zelda. And while it was certainly a beautifully done adventure title, it just wasn’t a Star Fox game. The downward spiral continued three years later when Nintendo hired Namco for the next game, Star Fox: Assault. Though it was hyped as a return to form, it also had laborious ground missions which abruptly broke the intensity of the game, and although the recent Star Fox: Command on DS showed signs of improvement, Nintendo still seems to be struggling with the idea of keeping Star Fox on-rails.

But if Nintendo were to finally swallow the “on-rails pill” and bring Star Fox back to what initially made it special, the Wii could provide an astounding new level of interactivity to the Star Fox experience. As with any game in which shooting enemies is an objective, blasting enemy fighters could be a remarkably smooth and precise exercise on Wii, and like F-Zero, Star Fox could push the Wii to achieve a dramatic sense of speed and graphical prowess. Just as Nintendo achieved with Super Mario Galaxy, it would be technically easy to free up lots of processing power in space levels for gorgeous planetoids, meteors and space fighters through gorgeous lighting, particles and textures.

An on-rails, fast-paced, gorgeous looking Star Fox on Wii with online leaderboards? It would be a must-have, period.

Mega Man

Sure, he isn’t technically a member of the Nintendo family. But Mega Man is sort of like that drunken uncle who used to come around all the time before he lost control of his life. Now, he stumbles around the house, filled with potential but too lost to actually fulfill it, barely recognizable and an embarrassing shell of what he used to be.

And maybe that was a bit harsh, but in the case of most of the countless spin-offs the franchise has spawned, you would have no idea it was a Mega Man game if not for the title on the box.

Maybe I am simply part of a stubborn minority, but when I buy a Mega Man game, the last thing I want is a contrived Japanese RPG with a grotesquely cliched anime presentation. I want a challenging 2D action-platformer filled to the brim with robotic enemies, weapon upgrades and a cool little guy with a blue suit and a blaster for an arm. And I really don’t think I’m the only one.

Super Paper Mario has proven there is still a market for simple 2D games on a console. They may be basic and they may be archaic, but considering Wii Sports, it seems consumers wouldn’t really mind. And speaking of Super Paper Mario, what if Capcom did a similarly styled Mega Man game? Imagine blasting through traditionally designed Mega Man stages in all their 2D glory until a boss battle, when the game would shift into a first-person perspective similar to that of Metroid Prime.

Capcom could even keep the formula simpler. Maybe a 2D Mega Man with cursor-based aiming as implemented in Geometry Wars? Players could aim wherever they wanted Mega Man to blast while simultaneously doing some deliciously sweet 2D platforming. Or perhaps add points-scoring for online leaderboards? And pretty explosions? How about keeping it pick-up-and-play, too?

Evolution is a great thing for a video game franchise to embrace, but there is a difference between evolution for the sake of improvement and evolution for the sake of complete reinvention. Mega Man, that little blue bomber we fell in love with two decades ago and captivated gamers for years, deserves better.

Donkey Kong

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Once one of the Nintendo elite, Donkey Kong has since been relegated to exist in perpetual mediocrity, appearing exclusively in vaguely interesting spin-offs, disappointing racers and niche rhythm games. But when considering his origins, it is easier to understand how Donkey Kong has lost his way. Despite achieving status as one of the most iconic characters in early gaming history, he didn’t make his playable debut until the Super NES when third-party Rare put him in his now-trademark red tie and let him loose to stomp through the jungle in one of the best platformers ever made.

And since? Well, things haven’t fared as well.

But like Mega Man and Star Fox before, simplicity is all it would take to resurrect Donkey Kong back to his former greatness. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the oft-overlooked GameCube gem, had the right idea. But it implemented that idea with a bongo-pounding gimmick that, while incredibly fun, practically guaranteed it would become a niche title. A similar platformer could do well on Wii, but this time around, inject a little more Donkey Kong Country into the formula. Mine carts, rideable jungle critters and some sweet barrel blasting is all it would take to get fans back on board. Perhaps even more so than the previous four franchises, it wouldn’t take much to get Donkey Kong back on track. Give him the proper world to work in on Wii, and the lovable, legendary ape would likely take care of the rest.

And maybe add some online leaderboards. I like online leaderboards.

Source: infendo.com

If it has achieved anything, the recently released Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast has proven Nintendo-produced Wii software is certainly not immune from negative criticism.

Dave Rudden of GamePro called Donkey Kong’s latest outing “offensive to all senses” and warned its “rancid nature…is likely to give you acid reflux.” IGN’s Mark Bozon bluntly called it a “waste of a game,” and Alex Navarro of GameSpot claimed it is nothing more than a “fifth-rate Mario Kart clone” with “frustrating AI and (a) total lack of personality.”

To say this game has received atrocious reviews would be an understatement. But while most critics have accurately honed in on the problems crippling Barrel Blast, they have been unnecessarily harsh with their criticisms. Despite the abundance of areas in which Barrel Blast whole-heartedly disappoints, there are some enjoyable qualities to be found within the game.

Not many, but some.

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast is essentially a kart-racer without the karts. Donkey Kong and his pals blast through the jungle on rocket-barrel devices identical in appearance to the GameCube bongo controllers for which the game was originally planned. In the move to Wii development, however, bongo-pounding as a means of control was scrapped in favor of Wiimote waggling.

Players guide Donkey Kong characters by shaking the Wiimote and nunchuk. Players must drum them both simultaneously to reach “max speed,” at which point the racer will move forward automatically. In this regard, Barrel Blast is basically on rails; once max speed is reached, players need only steer their character through the course, which is done by shaking the nunchuk to move left and the Wiimote to move right. Players can also jump by flipping both controllers upward simultaneously. As gimmicky as it sounds - and it certainly is - it is a generally precise and unquestionably fun control scheme.

In a move sure to frustrate owners of the bongo controllers, Nintendo chose not to include bongo-support for Barrel Blast. There is no mistake about it; there should have been an option for their use, period.

From a gameplay standpoint, Barrel Blast is fairly unique. Unlike Mario Kart, the objective in Barrel Blast is not to avoid obstacles, but to crash through them. Players must collect as many bananas as they can as they steer through the courses; for every 50 bananas collected, the player is rewarded with a speed burst called a “wild move.” These are used by pulling back on the analog stick to charge your racer and letting go to quickly blast forward. From a control standpoint, it actually feels quite satisfying. But these bursts are generally useless on their own, and they are only effective when combinations are strung together. This is achieved by smashing through barrels cleverly scattered throughout the course, which is easily the best aspect of the game. This also invites some interesting strategy: collect bananas, charge up a burst and quickly string together barrel-smashes to continue the speed burst.

Sans “wild moves,” however, the game is incredibly slow. Even at “max speed,” the racers feel as though they are crawling through the course. If not for the speed burst elements and the challenge of stringing together combos, the gameplay would be a disaster. In fact, the game doesn’t fully capitalize on its strengths until it is played in Expert mode. This is not because of an increased difficulty level, but because it makes Barrel Blast much faster and places more barrels on the courses. Rookie mode is ultimately a slow-moving snooze-fest, and although Pro mode ramps things up, none of the game’s modes come close to reaching their potential unless played in Expert difficulty.

The problem is that Expert mode is initially locked. Players will have to endure through the lesser difficulty levels to unlock it, which is something many gamers simply may not feel is worth the trouble.

Any good racer should offer a robust selection of modes, and in that regard, Barrel Blast is quite impressive. The Jungle Grand Prix offers four cups - Topaz, Sapphire, Diamond and Platinum - to work through, and in addition, players can choose to participate in a Single Race on any of the courses. Both modes offer up to four-player split-screen multiplayer. There is also a classic Time Trial mode, as well as an unlimited Free Run mode in which players can race through any course without time constraints to learn the nuances of each track. In addition, players can learn the basics of the controls by completing Cranky’s Flight School, or master the control mechanics in Candy’s Challenges, which offers a decent selection of increasingly difficult missions.

As great as this may sound, there are several caveats preventing Barrel Blast from being as good as it should be. Though there are four different cups with 16 total tracks, there are actually only seven unique courses. The other nine are merely “remixes” of the original seven; for example, the DK Jungle course in the Topaz Cup is later recycled in the Sapphire Cup as DK Jungle Falls, with minor changes only in difficulty and obstacle placement.

The game’s strength lies in its ability to attract multiplayer sessions, and to its credit, it is almost impossible to not have fun with Barrel Blast’s multiplayer modes. But the lack of online support is a glaring omission. In a launch title like Excite Truck, the choice to omit online races and leaderboards was at least remotely understandable. But for Barrel Blast to release almost a year later with no WiFi or WiiConnect24 support is simply inexcusable.

In terms of its presentation, Barrel Blast is a mixed bag. The game supports 480p and true 16:9 widescreen, and there are also some very nice visual effects scattered throughout. While the game looks great in motion, however, it suffers from occasionally blurry textures and a generally “GameCubey” look in its character models and environments. Given that the game was originally developed for GameCube, this is understandable. But considering the impressive visuals beginning to appear in Wii games, it is worth noting that Barrel Blast should look much better than it does on Nintendo’s hardware.

Chief among the game’s weaknesses in presentation, however, is the fact that it often feels forced and spread thin. When Barrel Blast utilizes familiar locales, elements, characters and remixed music from the SNES classic Donkey Kong Country, the racing is made infinitely more appealing. It is easier to embrace the concept when confronted with familiar, long-cherished Donkey Kong Country elements, and when they are used, the game feels much more enjoyable. But strange item selection, seemingly non-sensical tracks - why is Donkey Kong racing through space or a temple in the sky? - and forgettable characters suggest the Donkey Kong franchise simply isn’t robust enough to support the types of spin-offs that the Mario franchise is capable of.

This is most painfully evident in the character selection. Though the selection is adequate in number - there are 16 racers in all - does anyone actually want to race as Kalypso the Kremling or the horribly designed Lanky Kong? One of the reasons Mario Kart has succeeded as a franchise is because each of the racers on the roster is a beloved Nintendo icon. But with the exception of Donkey Kong, Diddy, Dixie, Cranky and rival King K. Rool, there are simply no memorable characters to choose from in Barrel Blast.

And since when is Tiny Kong not tiny? Her taller, reworked frame in Barrel Blast makes her look absolutely bizarre.

If there is a single non-human personality in the Nintendo universe capable of breaking through to the masses on Wii, it is unequivocally Donkey Kong. But he is at his best when kidnapping damsels and platforming through the jungle in pursuit of bananas. Otherwise, the lovable apes falters.

It’s not difficult to remember the days when a new Donkey Kong release actually meant something. Here’s hoping Nintendo remembers it, too. Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast gets two stars out of four.