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Donkey Konga - Nintendo's Drumming Oddity Analyzed
Thanks to Game Informer for its hands-on look at Nintendo's GameCube rhythm game Donkey Konga, the newly Japanese-released title "that has you pounding on a drum controller to match up with beats on-screen." As well as conga-ing in time to the beat of songs which include "a few classic Nintendo tunes including the Mario Theme, DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64, as well as other western songs like the original Mambo No. 5, and La Bamba", the player has other actions to do: "A special star-like icon indicates that you need to clap your hands together (the conga controller features a nifty sound detection device.)" Lik Sang has a few more pictures, including what's inside the drum controller, and Game Informer conclude by praising the quirky title and musing: "While Nintendo hasn't officially announced it for the US, we've heard rumors that it may appear stateside in the second quarter of 2004."
I'm really enjoying these games that require you be physically active. I hope this game is successful, I'd like to see more of them.
I wonder if games like this could be used to teach music? Certainly this has to have an effect on hand-eye co-ordination. "Games are a waste of time -- my ass.
"Derp de derp."
I'm all for musical games, but the DK Rap makes me want to smash my head against the wall (rhythmically, of course).
This is to be followed by Super Mari-Oboe
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Hey Luuuuucy! You got some gamin' to do!
This game being insanely fun. Better yet, make it a drinking game as well!!
On a side note, the DK rap that gets stuck in my head is the one from Smash Brothers Meele. You know, the one where you are fighting the Mini DKs. Yea, that's the one.
What, me Tweet?
They have video of it here, and they have an index of their stories about it here (The index also links to screenshots)
...except the controller would have to revolve and have forty buttons.
It would quickly be copied in a much less tasteful manner by the Mike Portnoy edition.
Am I the only person that thinks "music" and "dancing" games are just not entertaining? On top of that, you don't make any real music or do any real dancing. To me they are nothing more than a computer controlled version of Simon Says.
I haven't played most of them, but I have found myself quite obsessed with Amplitude and Frequency. Most of the other 'rhythm' games don't appeal to me. That being said, Amplitude and Frequency are not games that I play with friends, either (though my gf occasionally watches).
Mario Party is an example of a game that everyone loves, even those not playing. I remember I once threw Parappa the Rappa into the PS at one of our parties (it came on a demo disc). Five minutes in everyone was asking, "Is that all you do? Um, something else please". It didn't really seem like a "party" game like Mario, although I didn't mind Parappa for a while by myself. Perhaps it was our 25+ demographic.
I find Mario Party completely boring with any less than 3 people, but once we hit that magic number it's quite fun. Lately, though, we've all been playing Mario Kart:DD!!, which is another example of a game that is very limited in the single player aspect but is very fun with 3 or 4 people (2 players is fun for a while, but if one person is significantly better than the other it gets old quickly). Super Monkey Ball seems a little better in the single player component while still offering a lot of fun as a party game.
Again, though, I don't really see anyone playing the dance and rhythm games with friends, though part of this might be the fact that I don't know anyone that admits to owning these games. My gf joked about getting Karaoke Revolution when she saw an ad for it on TV, but I'm still about 99% sure she thought it was pretty rediculous.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
...here are the lyrics to the DK Rap.
Goo goo g'joob.
IBM beat Nintendo to this one! The "Quest for Fame" game for the PC had on screen cartoonish graphics that showed a high schooler's bderoom, in which you practiced with your V-Pick (virtual guitar pic). The V-pick was a triangular piece of plastic that contained two contacts, when you made a strumming motion the contacts touched and this was read by the PC's parallel port. They played classic rock songs from Aerosmith and others but featuring Aerosmith. You got scored as to how close your timing was compared to the song. After getting a passing score you graduated from bedroom to garage band to road house to club and finally to stadium where you "rocked" with Aerosmith. A lot of fun but I never got past the garage band level.
http://www.rockthisway.de/game_questforfame.htm
Schnapple
"or does the inside of it look like a uterus? Anybody remember what a uterus looks like?"
:I
I'm a test tube baby you insensitive clod.
I just wish there was an area at the bottom of the screen where the beats you have to perform are written in standard music notation: it would definitely help with having kinds being able to sight read etc. etc.
-- the cake is a lie
After watching about 4 of the movies, I started to attempt to play along with the game on "air bongos". If that's not a sign of a good game, that you play along with a preview video... then I don't know what is.
I'm an American living in Japan, and I can't even imagine what part of this is considered odd. Is it because it's drums? Because it's Donkey Kong? Because it's portable?
" Am I the only person that thinks "music" and "dancing" games are just not entertaining? "
Probably not.
"On top of that, you don't make any real music or do any real dancing."
Unfortunately, that's the result of making the games much harder. I used to play Beat Mania when it first appeared in the arcades in Japan. The difficulty level was really low, which meant that you could hit notes during the intervals between notes without a score penalty. Most of my gaming ended out being "make a new interesting song by adding lots of embellishments to the core song". Damn fun, and I noticed each person embellished differently so each player made slightly different music. With the newer Bemani's, though, they gave a score penalty to any note struck besides the ones on screen, meaning each player played the exact same song.
There are music games that are entertaining, and that allow for personal expression as opposed to pure Simon Says, but they are getting fewer and farther between.
the original Mambo No. 5
You mean Mambo 5.0?
I am usually a big fan of these kinds of games. I picked up the Taiko no Tatsujin controller set alongside my PS2. I own both versions of Samba de Amigo as well as two pairs of the official maracas controllers. Whenever I'm near a game center, I usually stop in to play through a few songs on Guitar Freaks. And so on.
I had the chance to play Donkey Konga in the store the other day (Nintendo seems to be doing a huge push for this game in Japan--most stores had several pallets of the controllers). I was really not that impressed. I can't really explain why, but it just wasn't as fun as most of those other music games I enjoy. I'm sure the clapping feature would be intersting with two people (the commercials make sure to point out this use), but it wasn't as much fun slapping my hands against the tiny congo controller as it is drumming away on the taiko or shaking the maracas.
Of course, the Gamecube does have a lack of these kinds of games, so maybe it will be a big success for Nintendo. Don't think I'll be buying it though.