Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat - IGN Hands On

O

olimario

Banned
VIDEOS
http://media.cube.ign.com/media/682/682919/vids_1.html

IMAGES
http://media.cube.ign.com/media/682/682919/imgs_1.html


ARTICLE
http://cube.ign.com/articles/573/573949p1.html

The levels themselves are full of variety and are meant to be played through as quick romps. Platform elements, such as leaping between platforms and vines make up the brunt of the stages -- at least the ones we've played through so far -- but there are enemies running about here and there as well. Although precise jumping can be a bit difficult, you can make Donkey Kong bop on enemy heads in succession in order to knock them out. Or you you can clap to render a group of enemies immobile. Some of the larger enemies require that you first figure out how to knock them out. Donkey Kong then jumps atop them and you smash the congas to beat them up.
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:D
 
Are these two Donkey Kong games the only use the bongos will get? I'm debating whether to take the plunge.
 
Mason said:
Are these two Donkey Kong games the only use the bongos will get? I'm debating whether to take the plunge.
Click to expand...

Donkey Konga
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat hits next year (out in japan)
Donkey Konga volume 2 hits next year (out in japan)
Donkey Konga volume 3 announced for Japan
Odama (shown at E3 2004)


Bongos come with the games.
 
olimario said:
Donkey Konga
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat hits next year (out in japan)
Donkey Konga volume 2 hits next year (out in japan)
Donkey Konga volume 3 announced for Japan
Odama (shown at E3 2004)


Bongos come with the games.
Click to expand...

Don't forget the first two releases from Japan. I have those two, haven't gotten the domestic one yet. And doesn't the PAL version have a different playlist as well?
 
I just watched some of the video and the game is so beautiful...
The music is wonderful...
And the flow of the game is marvelous.

I can't wait to play this and I can't wait to see what the Tokyo studio comes up with next. Very talented bunch, it seems.
 
TOMORROW
TOMORROW
I LOVE YA
TOMORROW
YOU'RE ONLY A DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY AAAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAAAAY
except i have to play fucking street racing syndicate for a uk review. god damn the english.
 
There's no reason not to include something, being that the controller could easily be used if you didn't have the bongos...

I really like that juggling minigame in Konga, for example. Something like that would be cool.
 
How much is Donkey Konga + the bongos? I've seen just the bongos for $50 at several places. CompUSA had the bongos and the game for $50. Was that just a good deal or does every set of bongos come with the game and I just wasn't paying attention? It was clearly marked on the package at CompUSA.
 
Mason said:
How much is Donkey Konga + the bongos? I've seen just the bongos for $50 at several places. CompUSA had the bongos and the game for $50. Was that just a good deal or does every set of bongos come with the game and I just wasn't paying attention? It was clearly marked on the package at CompUSA.
Click to expand...

The Kongas alone go for $35, I think.
The game + the kongas is $50.
 
Kobun Heat said:
TOMORROW
TOMORROW
I LOVE YA
TOMORROW
YOU'RE ONLY A DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY AAAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAAAAY
Click to expand...
No kidding :(

Here's hoping it's here when I wake up in the morning - stupid UPS.
 
For some reason NCSX needed to confirm the shipping rate with me. Presumably it got hiked above what they had put it down at originally, but damned if it didn't happen the day the DSL goes down :( Still, should ship tonight.
 
Me? I think they should have reworked the DK mythology and had King K Rool kill the kong family. Then you could use the bongos to crush skulls.
 
So, whoever buys this, let us know how long it is. My remaining concern.

The game can actually be played without the conga controller, although we've had a hard time getting used to playing this way. When played via the GameCube controller, you have to rapidly press the B button in order to make Donkey Kong move in the direction in which you're pushing the analogue stick. A is used to jump with the C stick used to clap. It may be possible to get used to this control setup, but we aren't particularly interested in trying it out further, as we're having so much fun playing with the congas.
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Hm, interesting.
 
Unison said:
There's no reason not to include something, being that the controller could easily be used if you didn't have the bongos...

I really like that juggling minigame in Konga, for example. Something like that would be cool.
Click to expand...


wouldn't that be akin to using a controller in a rhythm game rather than a dancepad? i.e., yeah you can do it, but who the hell would?
 
Unison said:
I hope the drums work in some optional way in the new Zelda game.
Click to expand...
bongos plugged into the second controller port and you use it to play Link's instrument (ocarina for example).
 
levious said:
women sweat the kongas... debate no further.
Click to expand...

This is true. Every woman except one who's entered my apartment since I got Donkey Konga on the release date has ended up playing. Not because I mention it to them--they just see the controller sitting under the TV and ask what it is.
 
bitwise said:
wouldn't that be akin to using a controller in a rhythm game rather than a dancepad? i.e., yeah you can do it, but who the hell would?
Click to expand...

People who have Zelda but not the bongos, obviously...
 
shibbs said:
I must say that looks quite fun. They wont be selling this with the bongos right?
Click to expand...
It is now, according to EB Games.

I'm hoping that UPS will have left a little bundle of Donkey Kong love when I return home.
 
Indeed, this game is truly awesome. I just blazed my way through the first four levels, a huge grin on my face the entire time.

I suggest that those of you truly interested in it avoid any discussion/movies regarding the boss fights - they're just so cool and figuring out how to defeat them is half the fun.

My only fear is that Jungle Beat may end up being a little short, but I should have a reasonable idea of its length later tonight.
 
Kobun Heat said:
TOMORROW
TOMORROW
I LOVE YA
TOMORROW
YOU'RE ONLY A DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY AAAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAAAAY
except i have to play fucking street racing syndicate for a uk review. god damn the english.
Click to expand...

A WINNER IS YOU
 
Scrow said:
bongos plugged into the second controller port and you use it to play Link's instrument (ocarina for example).
Click to expand...
I believe an early Konami PS2 RPG did something like this. Used the Guitar Freaks controller maybe?

JackFrost2012 said:
Why would you use the bongos to play an ocarina. Please think about what you're saying.
Click to expand...
Of course that is not what he literally meant. But as someone who has used a dance pad to hit a home run with my feet, using bongos for an ocarina sounds hot.
 
JoshuaJSlone said:
I believe an early Konami PS2 RPG did something like this. Used the Guitar Freaks controller maybe?
Click to expand...
Yup, Ephemeral Fantasia.

Played a bit more of JB in between classes. So far I've gone through 12 stages, each consisting of two platforming levels and a boss fight. After the first four boss fights, they start to recycle each boss, giving them a new level layout and a higher difficulty.

Throughout the game you collect bananas, which also double as your health. At the end of each stage, the game tallies up your banana count, awarding you medals (bronze, silver and gold) based off the amount you've got left. These medallions are then used to unlock additional stages.

Hmm, what else? Occasionally, the game will run through an instructional video after a stage, highlighting techniques (for that specific level) that you may have overlooked. Though it's entirely gameplay footage, the videos are stylized to appear olde-time, in that the color is faded and the image fuzzy - you can even hear the projector running.

The "Press Any Button To Continue" epilepsy warning screen appears upon boot, though (obviously) in Japanese.

Graphically, the game is just stunning. The only nitpick I have is that DK's shadow appears jagged after one specific boss fight. That's it. There are some wonderful graphical effects here, ranging from gelation to bubbles to fur shading.

The levels are colorful and varied, as is the gameplay.

Again, I'm going to express concern over the game's length. As I said above, I've gone through 12 stages (in the course of about two hours, maybe) and it appears that I've only got one level left.
 
The game just yells "screw Rare!"

I hav to admit, the Donky Kong franchise was getting a bit stale, but Jungle Beat just proves the ape hasn't lost his groove (and thankfully, he isn't piled with a ton of friends like a certain hedgehog).

Brilliant fur-shading :)
 
I almost forgot to mention, but Jungle Beat includes one of my favorite additions to the Donkey Kong Universe -
ninjas!
 
BuddyChrist83 said:
I almost forgot to mention, but Jungle Beat includes one of my favorite additions to the Donkey Kong Universe -
ninjas!
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me?
Are they normal ninjas or monkey ninjas?
:lol
 
If I get Donkey Konga for Christmas, I'll look into picking this up...but I don't see myself picking it up otherwise, considering that it is a little short.

Should be interesting to see how the entire experience ends up once it ends.
 
olimario said:
Are you kidding me?
Are they normal ninjas or monkey ninjas?
:lol
Click to expand...
Monkey ninjas, of course. And they're little bastards, to boot.

Turns out I've got a few stages left, all together, it looks like there's
16 normal stages and a boss-specific level. There may be one or two more boss-specific levels left, but I don't think there's much beyond that.
 
Remember how Mario vs. DK made everyone think it was ultra-short and then pulled double the amount of levels out of its butt? Maybe DKJB is the same way...
 
Unison said:
Remember how Mario vs. DK made everyone think it was ultra-short and then pulled double the amount of levels out of its butt? Maybe DKJB is the same way...
Click to expand...
Here's hoping. But
I've already seen the credits roll once, so I'm thinking that what I'm to now is the bonus content.
Also, every group of stages is represented by a barrel, each with a letter on it.
After beating D,K, J and the moon (boss-specific) barrel, B is unlocked. I'm currently working my way though that right now, but I need more medallions so that I can progress to the next stage.

The later levels get challenging, not to mention that you'll spend a lot of time replaying levels to 100% it all.
 
How did I know this was going to be short? It's been my oncern all the way through this game's development, but I have no idea where the throught came from. Clearly it was accurate anyway.

Are the medals hard to get? I hope you haven't got any golds yet (unless a first level gold is like just getting through the last level), that should give more length.
 
Mama Smurf said:
Are the medals hard to get? I hope you haven't got any golds yet (unless a first level gold is like just getting through the last level), that should give more length.
Click to expand...
I've gotten a few golds, but not many. The levels get progressively harder and you'll have to explore some to get all the bananas neccesary for gold - there's definitely a high replay factor.

Also, by some miracle, the DK Rap is nowhere to be found :D
 
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