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[olimario]

Donkey Konga Get!
This game really is a lot more fun than I expected. I'm also a lot better at the game than I thought I would be. Once you get into the music and stop focusing on hitting the right thing at the right time the game gets easy. You really do, like the old Konga image says, just have to 'feel the beat'.

I have golds on most of the Monkey and Chimp songs and I've purchased 3 games to play in the DK arcade and a few different drum sets. I had no clue the game would have all of these extras so it's really exciting unlocking everything. I can't wait to unlock the hardest songs.

And the game has such a broad appeal. I've played it with my girlfriend, her family, and my father has shown interest in it. I know my brother will get a kick out of it next time he visits. I just need an extra set of Kongas! Not too much longer now.

The song list rocks more than I thought it would, too. I know every song on the list which is a big plus and even the songs I find annoying (Rock Lobster) are made tolerable because of the fact that you're playing a game along with them.

The latin music and the Hungarian song are the best by far. So much fun to play.

 

[impirius]

A few things after my first full evening of Donkey Konga:

- The slider for bongo/song audio balance is appreciated
- Why is there a baby cooing in the title song?
- I thought the kids songs would be silly fun... they're just intolerable. It's at or near Barney levels. If only there was a "I'm over six years old" option that nixed the kid songs and cooing
- I would love to see some genre-based song packs. I can't get enough of that one latin song... a whole disc of them would be perfect.

All in all, it's great fun. Between DK, Katamari, and Pikmin 2, I'm having a very good time.

 

[olimario]

A few things after my first full evening of Donkey Konga:

- The slider for bongo/song audio balance is appreciated
- Why is there a baby cooing in the title song?
- I thought the kids songs would be silly fun... they're just intolerable. It's at or near Barney levels. If only there was a "I'm over six years old" option that nixed the kid songs and cooing
- I would love to see some genre-based song packs. I can't get enough of that one latin song... a whole disc of them would be perfect.

All in all, it's great fun. Between DK, Katamari, and Pikmin 2, I'm having a very good time.

The kids songs could have been made much better, but they do get the job done I think.
I had A LOT of fun with BINGO. I love how the claps match the blanks in the song. Really cool.

I hope the pump out the future volumes and sell them for 10 buck a pop. I would eat those UP! Themed ones would be perfect. I hope somebody asks NOA about future Konga plans.

You and I are having fun with the same game selection right now. :rock

 

[Alcibiades]

Bought two copies for me and my girl. Cant wait for Taiko now. But Donkey Konga looks cool I'll post my impressions tommorrow or something. But so far i think its all good and its selling really well so far.

someone on GAF mentioned their Toys 'R Us got 20 on Tuesday, well I think my Best Buy got 20 on Tues. also (that's how many the store had) along with 5 extra Bongo sets (I bought a Bongo set and will pick up the game tomorrow at a local shop I have credit at). As far as I can tell, I was the first one to pick up something Donkey Konga related.

I think it's selling slow where I'm at hopefully things will pick up in October.

 

[etiolate]

I want a donkey kong shot glass!

 

[Bog]

PROTIP: You don't need to clap (and shouldn't, for the harder, faster songs). Instead, just smack the sides of the bongos. Your mic will pick it up, but it won't pick up on your friends' bongo mics.

No thanks, I'd like to actually play the game.

 

[Mejilan]

That makes no sense. How is tapping the side of the bongo less "playing" than clapping over the mic?

BTW, you can also snap your fingers instead of clapping or tapping. I think it picked up a fart too, once.

 

[olimario]

PRO TIP
For the long lines of clapping, I've found making a really high pitched machine gun noise will get you the most coins.

 

[Mejilan]

BTW, the B-I-N-G-O song does make for a fantastic time. VERY cleverly built.

 

[Vargas]

I am having a blast playing this game. I seem to be going back to the Pokemon theme for some reason.

 

[cvxfreak]

I am having a blast playing this game. I seem to be going back to the Pokemon theme for some reason.

Can you tell me the first few lines or so of the theme?

 

[olimario]

Can you tell me the first few lines or so of the theme?

I want to be the very best
Like no one ever was
To catch them is my real test
To train them is my cause!

I will travel across the land
searching far and wide
Each pokemon to understand
The power thats inside



I've played that one way too much

 

[miyuru]

PRO TIP
For the long lines of clapping, I've found making a really high pitched machine gun noise will get you the most coins.

Haha me and my buddy were playing the Pokemon theme on the second difficulty, and there't this one long clap part. For clapping we started making grunts and yelling, the mic's so damn sensitive (well on default). So when I played it, I just screamed into the mic as loud as I could for like 10 seconds hahah! COINS COINS COINS

 

[sc0la]

What in the fucking hell did Namco do to the Mario and Zelda themes?

The zelda theme is the fucking shit on Donkey Konga. I smiled so big when the saxophone started wailing. DK needed more of this, funky, latin or jazzy remixes of Nintendo songs. I would have liked rainbow road, mario Sunshine end theme, some yoshi's story, etc etc. and the original DK Country song (I hate the rap) in addition to the licensed music.

 

[impirius]

The kids songs could have been made much better, but they do get the job done I think.
I had A LOT of fun with BINGO. I love how the claps match the blanks in the song. Really cool.

I hope the pump out the future volumes and sell them for 10 buck a pop. I would eat those UP! Themed ones would be perfect. I hope somebody asks NOA about future Konga plans.

You and I are having fun with the same game selection right now. :rock

Yeah, as grating as the kids songs are, Bingo is just such a natural fit... I can't help but play it. What I Like About You is another perfect song, as is Rock Lobster.

Since the Japanese DK2 is another eclectic mix, and Nintendo isn't even sure if they're releasing that in the States, it looks like the dream of themed volumes will remain just that. Our only hope is an online petition. Hey, it saved the Dreamcast

Y'know, it's only September and there are already three wonderful games competing for play time. The next few months are going to be a complete gaming overload.

 

[tt_deeb]

I'm enjoying this game too along with Pikmin 2. I haven't played games for so long but I'm finally getting back in the swing. I love what they did with the themes, especially Zelda's (as previously mentioned)

 

[Superbone]

I've got to agree with everyone here. The game is a total blast. My kids and I are having a fantastic time with it. Great way for my kids to learn rhythm too.

I just put in a pre-order for 2 extra bongo sets so I can play multiplayer with my kids. The guy at EBGames says the extra bongos have been tough to come by and that there is a shortage of them. He says people are putting in orders for multiple sets.

This could turn out to be a hit for Nintendo. Go to the EBGames website and you can already see something like 30 user reviews for the game and they're all glowing.

 

[cvxfreak]

Oh, the first Pokemon theme.

Jappanese Pokemon > English

 

[Alcibiades]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/techn...ep30,1,2854838.story?coll=chi-homepagebiz-utl

By Levi Buchanan
Special to the Tribune
Published September 30, 2004

The new "Donkey Konga" defines the brilliance of Nintendo. Nobody asked for a Donkey Kong-themed drum game, but after playing it for 10 minutes, gamers will wonder why they hadn't before. Armed with a set of digital bongo drums (included with the game), players help the big gorilla bang along with a variety of pop songs, classics and Nintendo themes.

As the music plays, a line of symbols on-screen tells you when to slap the left and right drums, as well as when to clap, which is picked up by a built-in microphone. "Donkey Konga" offers a solid single-player challenge mode, where you can unlock multiple songs and mini-games by hitting high scores. However, this mode has an expiration date. You can only slam with "Wild Thing" and "We Will Rock You" so many times.

Now, if you have three friends with congas (an unlikely situation, but who knows), you have yourself a real party game. Four people jamming to "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is a sight -- and a lot of racket.

it looks like some non-gaming press might give it better marks than the gaming press, highlighting the allure of the game to casual and non-gamers maybe...

I've got to agree with everyone here. The game is a total blast. My kids and I are having a fantastic time with it. Great way for my kids to learn rhythm too.

I just put in a pre-order for 2 extra bongo sets so I can play multiplayer with my kids. The guy at EBGames says the extra bongos have been tough to come by and that there is a shortage of them. He says people are putting in orders for multiple sets.

This could turn out to be a hit for Nintendo. Go to the EBGames website and you can already see something like 30 user reviews for the game and they're all glowing.

if you can still cancel those pre-orders for Bongos, I'd try to hit Best Buy (my BB got 5 of them, and they were/are sitting in the back when I went in to go pick up one). There was a clueless employee and I had to find a coupon book with the game listed to give him the SKU and he saw on the computer there were 5 in stock (in addition to 20 Donkey Konga paks). I bought an extra bongo set there and I think I'm going to go pick up another (or two) tomorrow so I can do the 4-player game.

Also, it's $29.99 at Best Buy, and $34.99 at Gamestop/EB. Not a big loss, but certainly something to think about IMO.

 

[Alcibiades]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/entertainment/9806150.htm?1c

a technology mail-bag, here is the leading question:

Q. I have a 5-year-old child and I wanted to get him a video-game system for Christmas. But which one? PlayStation or XBox? This is the most popular question I'm asked, and right now, I couldn't advise anyone to buy a brand new PS2 or XBox because new systems (PS3 and XBox2) are due out next year. If you can find one used, great.

But for a small child, I would lean towards Leapster, a great educational and fun handheld device, or the often-overlooked GameCube system.

Nintendo has just released a new Donkey Kong game, called Donkey Konga, that uses bongos. My two sons -- 4-year-old Trey and 6-month-old Khamani -- are quite attached to it.

Overall, Nintendo is much more dedicated to making kid-friendly games. Most of the fare I see on PS2 and XBox is definitely tilted towards (money-spending) teens and young adults.

 

[Bog]

Oh, the first Pokemon theme.

Jappanese Pokemon > English

W
R
O
N
G

 

[Rocket Punch]

Wow this game sure is fun, after I got over the dorky feeling of banging bongos I can't want to get another pair and have people try them with me. The songs are pretty cool tho I wish there were more. I really hope Nintendo is smart and release more songs for this game. And the bongos are so cute! Am I the only one that plays sideways with them, I find it easier fitting them between my legs that way

 

[impirius]

2-player jam session mode is great... each player gets his own 'part'. DK could be the new Smash Bros. or Mario Kart, provided I can get my hands on more bongos.

 

[GDJustin]

I want this game badly... but videogamedepot STILL doesn't have it in stock.... another konga-less weekend, or forfeit my employee discount and just go buy it for retail? ARGH!

 

[Superbone]

if you can still cancel those pre-orders for Bongos, I'd try to hit Best Buy (my BB got 5 of them, and they were/are sitting in the back when I went in to go pick up one). There was a clueless employee and I had to find a coupon book with the game listed to give him the SKU and he saw on the computer there were 5 in stock (in addition to 20 Donkey Konga paks). I bought an extra bongo set there and I think I'm going to go pick up another (or two) tomorrow so I can do the 4-player game.

Also, it's $29.99 at Best Buy, and $34.99 at Gamestop/EB. Not a big loss, but certainly something to think about IMO.

Thanks for the info, efralope. I actually did call my local Best Buy yesterday and they didn't have them. I wasn't aware Gamestop/EB were selling them for $5 more. I did see in the paper today that Fry's Electronics is selling the game + bongos for only $40 through Tuesday!

 

[Alcibiades]

Thanks for the info, efralope. I actually did call my local Best Buy yesterday and they didn't have them. I wasn't aware Gamestop/EB were selling them for $5 more. I did see in the paper today that Fry's Electronics is selling the game + bongos for only $40 through Tuesday!

on Tue. my Best Buy said they were only getting the $50 one, why they had already (clueless employee).


on Wed. my bud went and they told him the same thing, so I went myself, grabbed a Nintendo Coupon Book they had lying around, and asked them to check the SKU number on their computer. Looks like they had 5 and didn't even notice. It took the employee a while, but he grabbed one from the back for me.

Then, today, I went again, and they had one out, and when I asked them to bring me another one, they brought out the DK-bundle one. I told them I wanted Bongos only, and they said that's all they had in the back. Luckily, I had an employee in the computer department before hand check the SKU and they still had the 4 they had left on Wed.

So, I had the media employee check for himself, and then he saw the stock count on the screen and relented and went to the back.

If you want, ask them to check something on their inventory computer with the SKU number: 6746104 (DK Bongos, not the bundle).

Call the media department and ask them to check it on their computer, they could have missed them since the boxes are so similar.

 

[akascream]

http://img74.exs.cx/img74/7352/DSC04442.jpg

I really like how you put the drums up in front of that pic, with the blurred tv actually running the game in the background. Really shows that most people that take pictures of thier shit at home to put on the internet really don't have that sensetive artistic side.

 

[aparisi2274]

When I play I keep them in between my legs. It secures the bongos and I can smack the crap out of them, and if I need to clap I just smack the side of my desk or something. Its not to uncomfortable, but it does its job

 

[drohne]

piss poor music game with a cute peripheral. the lines it has you playing are completely unmusical even on gorilla difficulty. interactivity is at an absolute minimum. aside from oye como va, the music is intolerable. the visuals are completely charmless. the bongos keep slipping off my lap at moments of intense activity. having to buy the gorilla difficulty songs is an irritation. even without the wee plastic drums, frequency is both vastly more musical and vastly more of a game.

there's some challenge at the highest difficulty level, but really it's just a matter of acclimating to the prompts. i don't think i'll stick with it that long. i can't return it, but i bet i can trade it back in to gamerush at a profit. i won't bother with taiko either. this game sucks.

 

[drohne]

mainly i hate listening to horrible cover versions of decent songs. jesus, whose brilliant cost-cutting measure was this? does taiko do the same thing? they're all fairly bad, but i can't even get ten seconds into "right here right now" without quitting back to the menu. i liked that song when i was a kid. fuck this game in the face.

 

[drohne]

uh...am i allowed to retract an opinion that strongly worded? it is simplistic, and the music does suck, but i've found myself completely addicted to it anyway. i've been playing it for hours, my hands are sore, and my eyes won't focus. unless there's some point to earning all golds on gorilla, though, i'm almost completely done with the game. still. i like it.

 

[AniHawk]

I'm finally getting into it. At first I wasn't THAT good. Now I'm moving on to stuff like Busy Child on Chimp (which I found to be really fun once you get the beat).

This game is addicting, and I wouldn't have spent the $45 on it originally. After getting my family to play it, it's even more fun. I hope if I leave the GC out in the living room long enough, maybe my dad will start picking it up on his own like he used to with the Game Boy (Link's Awakening) and the N64 (SM64).

 

[olimario]

My mom has played it and liked it, and she's hard of hearing.
WHen she hears music its only the beats.

And my girlfriend likes it.
It has such a broad appeal.

 

[ChrisReid]

Did some 4 player finally. It's really great.

 

[ToyMachine228]

I just picked up my copy last night. I plated it for about half an hour. I can't wait to play it with my girlfriend.

 

[DSN2K]

I might pick it up in december

 

[dog$]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/techn...ep30,1,2854838.story?coll=chi-homepagebiz-utl

it looks like some non-gaming press might give it better marks than the gaming press, highlighting the allure of the game to casual and non-gamers maybe...

You do know who Levi Buchanan is, right?

 

[Alcibiades]

You do know who Levi Buchanan is, right?

nope, until just right now I googled that name and saw he's done a lot of strategy guides...

 

[dog$]

He was also Knightmare from GameFan; not exactly a figurehead for non-gaming press

 

[bionic77]

I was never planning on getting this game, but my sister surprised me and sent me a copy yesterday for my birthday present. Personally I would have preferred she had gotten me Pikmin2 or Burnout 3, but beggars can't be choosers.

The first I noticed while playing this game is you must look incredibly gay while playing it. Maybe even worse then DDR. Then again, it IS a lot of fun because I just turned it on to see what it was like and ended up playing for a good 2 hours. I really wish they had liscensed the real songs as well, maybe that would have been impossible for tech reasons but I was actually expecting to hear Queen sing "We will rock you". I also thought that some of the songs were pretty lame (the kids songs in the beginning actually). All in all it seems like a really cool game, something I personally would have never picked up but a good game nontheless.

 

[LakeEarth]

Most DDR songs are covers too, so I guess I wasn't that suprised that Donkey Konga had covers... the "Knock on Wood" song was real close though.

 

[ToyMachine228]

So, now that Donkey Konga is out...Does anyone want to post the song list of Donkey Konga Vol 2 in Japan? Any word on a Vol 2 in North America?

 

[djtiesto]

You know, I'm just not feeling this game... the music could've been much better and more suited to the game... Like put in some Femi/Fela Kuti, Steve Lawler style tribal house, more percussive styles of music. I'd love to hear something like Cave-Carnival for instance. I got this for my bro for his birthday... he's one of those kids who needs to buy every hyped up Gamecube game (that's why we have stuff like Eternal Darkness), so naturally he was nagging me for this - and he didn't even play very much, he played like 3 games then went back to UT2004

 

[ToyMachine228]

I'm not a rap fan...In fact, I hate rap, hip hop, and R&B. But for some reason, I just think that some rap songs would be good to have in Donkey Konga Vol 2 if there ever is a North American Vol 2. Start with Rapper's Delight.

 

[Rocket Punch]

Has a Donkey Konga vol 2 been released in Japan?? I sure want... GIMME GIMME!!!
NOW!

 

[mosaic]

I like that it has some old style stuff and kid songs. I'll gladly buy a part 2 with more of the same with no hesitation. My personal wish would be for a rendition of Personal Jesus, but I doubt kid-friendly Nintendo would license a song like that. So hey, how about a disc loaded down with Nintendo game themes? (Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, F-Zero, Pokemon, Earthbound, etc)

Also, anyone know if there's a stand for these damn things? The only comfortable way I've found to play is sit cross legged on the floor with em between my legs, but that hurts my back and ass after a while.

 

[Superbone]

Finally found some stand-alone bongos at Fry's for $29.99. They also had the Pelican brand bongo's (supposedly 10% bigger drum head) but since I knew the quality of the Nintendo brand drums, stuck with them.

2 player was a lot of fun. Haven't tried with all three yet. Is Jam session the only mode for more than 2 players?

 

[BuddyC]

Has a Donkey Konga vol 2 been released in Japan?? I sure want... GIMME GIMME!!!
NOW!

Yes.

 

[AniHawk]

I've been slowly getting into Gorilla mode. I've mastered (well, nearly mastered) Chimp. Got a 250 combo on All the Small Things, and 733 coins.

The thing that kills me are the overlapping clap/drum beats. Drives me nucking futs.

 

[Alcibiades]

I just played a few songs on Chimp, then went straight into Gorilla, now that's all I do.

I'd never even think of doing that if it wasn't for someone in here saying they went straight to Expert mode in F-Zero GX. I'd already done Novice, but then I skipped intermediate and really like how much quicker I was forced to become better, so now I go with higher difficulties in some games...