Donkey Kong  Jungle Beat
STORY: No real back story to speak of. All that’s known is that our main man…er gorilla… Donkey Kong, needs to run, fly, and swim his way through all the fruit kingdoms and take on the respective kingdoms King. Only by defeating all the kings, can Donkey Kong become King of the Jungle! Yea, there was room for improvement here. Maybe a little video as to why Donkey Kong decides to go and beat up on Ninja Kong would have been appropriate. 6.0/10

GAMEPLAY: As you defeat each King, all of your bananas you earned through the level (or beats as they’re called in the game) determine how many crests you get. There are three crests. For beating a King you automatically get a bronze, for getting 600 beats, you  get a silver, and for getting at least 800 beats you get a gold crest. Now as you get more crests, you unlock more kingdom barrels. In order to get a gold crest, you have to be pretty handy with your bongos. If DK is constantly in the air and performing special moves such as riding helibirds, jumping off walls, bouncing off vines and swinging on vines, his combo increases, any bananas obtained while DK has a built up combo, the more they are worth. Bananas are worth more if they are collected in a special matter. If DK runs over a banana, its worth only one beat. But if he jumps over it and claps, its worth two beats. This may sound like a waste of effort, but if you can get DK to jump over the banana, collect it, then jump off the wall and swing on a vine to collect several over head, your beat count increases significantly, making it easier to get gold crests. 10/10

GRAPHICS: What does wow times wow equal? I think it equals the fabulous graphics on Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Some of DK’s moves are a little static, like the image of DK in Donkey Konga. But this is to be expected when Donkey Kong has to go from neutral position to clapping in a split second. I’d say that this is my only complaint, but its not a complaint really, its merely an observation, an aspect of the game that couldn’t be avoided. But other then that, everything looks fantastic. Every single kingdom looks great, whether it takes place in a volcano-like setting immersed in lava, or deep beneath the sea with turtles the size of mini vans. The fur effects on DK and other various enemies looks great, this was the sort of quality I would expect to find as a special effects character in a motion picture. Every single character looks very real, which I guess is a result of the great fur effects and great fluid motions in general. 9.9/10

MUSIC AND SOUND: No real voice acting to speak of, only the grunts of DK and each of the baddies. The music is very fresh and entertaining to listen to. Another game where I can say that the music is "fun to listen to."One could even say that the music is very appropriate for each respective level. One level has DK running through a landscape that is under bombardment, in this level, the music is very dramatic. In another level, DK is swimming in the sea, and the music is very soothing and relaxing. Games are much more enjoyable, I think, when it is scored correctly. I mean, the music in StarFox Adventures was the only thing that kept me playing. Another category well done. 9.9/10

CONTROLS: I had my doubts as to how the DK bongos were going to work on this title. I thought it would take me at least a week to learn how to jump and run, etc…But the game's creators made a sort of introductory level called the “Opening Ceremony” where the basics are taught. After a while, you learn how to pick up bananas with style. This allows you to get really creative with the bongos, which I found extremely entertaining. As fun as Donkey Konga, but with more to work off of. I had no complaint whatsoever with the use of bongos, which I actually prefer to a normal controller. More games using the DK bongos is eagerly anticipated. 10/10

Tanooki’s Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Fun fun fun, anybody who has a set of DK bongos should go out and get this game. Anybody who doesn’t have a set of DK bongos (what’s wrong with you?!) should go and invest in a set. After all, Donkey Konga 2 will be here before you know it!