Dual Review: Donkey Konga 2

Donkey Konga 2
Fierce Deity and Tanooki Koopa

Fierce Deity

After being totally surprised by how much I enjoyed the original, Donkey Konga 2 became a definite buy for me. Though I had heard some bad things about the song list, I came into the game with an open mind towards whatever music was included. With hours upon hours of playing the game under my belt, I came to the conclusion that, in the case of Donkey Konga and Donkey Konga 2, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Graphics:

To be honest, I don’t think there was much improvement over the original. If there was any at all, it’s barely noticeable. However, the good thing is that Donkey Konga 2 doesn’t really need good graphics to be a good game. As with the original, the menus are easily navigated through and the notes are clear as day while playing through songs. Perhaps the only reason I rated this a bit higher than the original is because of the whole badge system. Instead of being an unknown drummer who set the high score, you can now select a badge from an unlockable supply to make your own personal mark on the game. Best of all, the badges aren’t just limited to Donkey Kong ones, as they also include Star Fox, Pikmin, Mario, and Legend of Zelda icons.

Sound and Music:

Yet again, this is the category that most people will be paying a lot of attention to, especially since you’ll play through the song list over and over again until the game wears itself out. However, unlike the original, this is the category that really let me down. Instead of nice blend of all musical genres, DK2 is loaded with pop, hip-hop, and R&B songs, with room for only a few rock, techno, and classical songs. Worst of all, the only Nintendo related song is the Donkey Konga 2 Theme, which is worse than the original Donkey Konga Theme. It’s not good when you actually dread playing certain songs, especially when they are one of the harder ones and you have to play them multiple times to clear them. In an attempt to try and open up the Donkey Konga series to a wider variety of people through the song list, Nintendo has managed to somewhat alienate those who loved the original.

Storyline:

Simply put, it’s just as bad as the original’s. One day at drum practice, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong begin arguing over each other’s playing. Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong happen to walk by and see the two embroiled in a heated exchange. Dixie settles the dispute by showing off her elite skills. That’s when Cranky comes up with a brilliant idea: It’s time for the Kongs to go on tour! Just like the original, the storyline DOES exist, so it deserves at least one point.

Gameplay:

Even though the song list is very forgettable, the gameplay is able to hang through it and still remain as good as it was in the original. However, this time around there are many new modes of play to enjoy, all of which I’ll cover later in this review. The heart of the gameplay is still at its finest. Your goal is to beat the bongos accordingly to the notes that show on the screen during each song. Do well and you’ll clear the song, but it may take a little extra effort to get a 100% on each musical choice. After you’ve cleared a song, you’ll get coins that you can use to purchase new bongo sounds and the hardest difficulty of songs. The best new addition to the gameplay is the ability to do more with friends. Not only can you battle each other or work together in a concert like the original, but you can also go through a sort of co-op mode in the single player area. By being able to play a lot more different modes with your friends, a new and more enjoyable layer of depth has been added to the game.

Controls:

The following is taken from my review of Donkey Konga, since in all honesty, there’s no reason for me to write about the exact same controls yet again:

Donkey Konga is a unique game, because in order to play it you’ll need the DK Bongos. Actually, that statement isn’t entirely true, because you CAN use the GameCube controller. The only thing wrong with it is that you’ll suck terrible at the game even if you try. So more or less, the fact that you can use the controller is pretty pointless. Anyway, this won’t be a problem if you purchase the game, because the DK Bongos are included with it. As for the bongos, they are pretty responsive and don’t need to be hit very hard to pick it up. However, the microphone in the bongo is pretty sensitive. At one point when Pirate Yoshi and I were playing, he quit clapping because his bongo was picking up my claps. Sometimes the microphone even counts a slight touch on the side of the bongos as a clap. There is an option to set the sensitivity of the bongos, but finding the right setting is near impossible.

Replayability:

If anything, this category is the saving grace of this game. Without the immense amount of replay this game offers, I would definitely say that it’s not as good as the original. However, that’s not the situation. As I stated in the gameplay category, there is much more that you can do with your friends in this title, which is why I’m giving the extra points to this category and not gameplay. Along with that, there are new single player modes called “Beat Mix.” Basically, they are the same songs you’d play in single player, except every time you replay the song, the notes are different. This makes clearing the hard mode songs a bit more difficult, as there is no longer a certain pattern of notes to memorize. Just like the original, there are also a few mini-games you can play. This time around they include an insane bongo-mashing game to see who can clear the given notes the fastest. The other is a rhythm keeper game in which you are given a set beat and have to repeat it multiple times, first with notes shown and then without any guidance. Lastly, there ARE more songs in this title than the original. While I’m not a big fan of a lot of them, I will give credit to the game for having a higher song count than the original.

All in all, Donkey Konga 2 is just as good as the original. While the song list definitely took a hard hit, the vast amount of replay value is able to cancel it out and give balance back to the game. With that said, I’m left to think only one thing: When does Donkey Konga 3 come out?

Graphics: 6.0/10
Sound and Music: 9.0/10
Storyline: 1.0/10
Gameplay: 9.7/10
Controls: 9.5/10
Replayability: 9.5/10

Final Score: 9.0/10

Tanooki Koopa

STORY: Donkey and Diddy Kong are not having a lot of luck with their new found bongos, and begin to yell at one another. Cranky, hearing they’re arguing comes over and suggests that the two should go on tour in order to increase they’re skills. Dixie Kong offers to come along and help where she can (she’s been secretly practicing the bongos and unbeknownst to our heroes, she’s better then both of them put together!) 2.0/10

GAMEPLAY: This game is much like the original, but with a few twists. Now instead of just one “OK” beat, you have two. If you get so many consecutive beats in a row or “combo”, a fairy will come out for a time and help rack up your score. This time around you can mark your own work with a badge, of which there are numerous ones to unlock. Like before all songs in Gorilla mode need to be bought, and after they have been bought, you can play Gorilla Beat-Mix. The beat-mix is a nice little addition where the beats for a song change for each level. The notes for Habanera will constantly change whenever you start the song over. An all-new feature also added to this title is Free-Style Mode, which in my opinion is pretty worthless. With the exception of Free Style Mode, all this sounds well and good, but one aspect of the new Donkey Konga that I don’t like is the end of a song in Battle Mode. Instead of seeing who can get more beats in a roll, its been turned into a rock, paper, scissors game which is completely ridiculous. 7.0/10

GRAPHICS: Once again the creators weren’t looking to wow us with graphics, but I did appreciate the pleasant sceneries that appear behind the main game-play. But as before everything has a bright and chipper feeling about it, which comes in handy when you fail to get gold on Pieces for the 47th time. 6.0/10

MUSIC AND SOUND: I have mixed feelings on how to score this one, while this title had a decent song selection; it also had titles that I didn’t like. Nintendo is trying to please to wide an audience with these games. I think most will agree with me that Nintendo should cough up some money and make versions of this game such as: Donkey Konga Rock, Donkey Konga Techno, Donkey Konga Pop, etc… But the fact that some of the music on here I wouldn’t listen to on my radio doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy playing some of them. But I know Nintendo can do better. I would score this a tad lower, but the new Bongos available for purchase jacked the score back up, I mean who cant have fun playing a friend while one of you has Kitty Cat Bongos and the other has Sea Mammal Bongos? Exactly. 8.0/10

CONTROLS: Same as in Donkey Konga, there is nothing hard about using the DK Bongos. These bongos are still in my opinion, one of the more innovative thing Nintendo has come up with. They are fun and easy to use. You may start out thinking its impossible, (all of us who are good at this game have been there at some point) it’s just a skill that comes with time, but well worth the wait! 10/10

MULTIPLAYER: This game can obviously stand on its own as a single player game, I mean who couldn't waste several hours beating the bongos until their hands are raw? But with a friend or several friends this game can make any boring afternoon into a smash hit party thats similar to mudbutt...Difficult, yet a pleasing experience when it's all said and done... 10/10

Tanooki’s Overall Score: 9.2/10

Despite having some features that weren’t necessary, this game is one I know I’ll enjoy throughout my whole life as a gamer. More Donkey Konga please!

FAVORITE SONGS

Predictable: It’s an upbeat tune that is fun to play…over and over and over…

Shiny Happy People: Despite the name of the song making me laugh every time, I happen to be a fan of REM, so I had to have this on here.

Sidewalks: Not quite sure what it is about this song, but I find myself playing it about as often as I played the two above.

Habanera: Definitely my favorite song out of all the others just because it's A) classical and B) has a certain elegance to it. Combine this with the fact that its not littered with stupid lyrics about being "young and restless" or "hitting your man up style."

Contact: Yet another song that doesn't include stupid lyrics, but instead of being classical, this one is a techno song. It starts off slow like a heartbeat at first, but then picks up in pace as the song progresses. I'm generally a fan of techno anyway, so it's no surprise that I choose this as another favorite.

Trepak: Big surprise that my third choice is yet another classical song....right? Actually, you'd be surprised at how much I thought about whether to choose this song or REM's Losing My Religion. However, when it comes down to it, I do prefer classical music over most other styles....not to mention the song is uber-fast and a blast to play with people who are playing the game for the first time.