Ok, first things first: this is the first game I have ever reviewed, so please be a bit patient! Ok, I’ve given each section a rating out of 10. 10 is good, and 1 is bad, got it? No? Tough! Let’s go!

Controls:
I HAD to do this first. There are two options for controlling Donkey Konga, so I’ll give each method a rating separately:

Method 1:
This is the best method of the two. It involves the Donkey Bongos that come with the game. When a red mark hits the left hand side of the screen, hit the right drum. Yellow is for left, purple is for both drums, while a white explosion type marker signals a clap. This is the easiest system to use, and by far the most fun! However, extra Bongos for 2-4 player bashes cost about £30 each, bah.

Score: 8

Method 2:
This one uses the controller. I have only tried this method once, to find I hate it! You use different buttons for each marker. If this had been the only method that worked with the game (i.e, no Bongos), I think the game would score much lower. This is a good method for the Shy Guys out there.

Score: 2

Graphics:

Well, this is how it works. The game displays icons scrolling through the screen (marquee style) and you have to hit or clap depending on the icon. The icons themselves are very clear and easy to see; there is little chance of screwing up because you thought the red was a yellow or whatever. The backgrounds are very nice to look at, although you won’t really notice them as you’ll be busy with smaller round icons on the screen! Donkey Kong and some other characters are nicely animated, although a couple look like gif images that were found on the Internet. Overall, functional and pretty, but characters could’ve been a bit better.

Score: 7 ½

Sounds:

There are thirty songs in this game. Even if you haven’t heard of all of them, you’ll find some you’ll have heard of, and at least one you like. Even though I recognized the cool Mario Bros. tune, I’ve never heard of 99 Red Balloons, but it’s my favorite song in the whole game! The only song you will learn to loathe is the background to the menus. NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, can learn to like that tune. Otherwise, generally pleasant. You won’t find anything offensive such as Eminem; all swear words have been replaced, and there is thankfully only one rap song, namely the DK rap!

Score: 8 ½

Characters:

There are three of the Kongs in the whole game, Cranky, Donkey, and Diddy. I’ve never played a single Donkey Kong game in my life, but even I know who the big green croc in one of the mini-games is.

Score: 6 ½

Fun Factor!:

Difficult. It is really down to the control method you use. With just a controller, Donkey Konga is as dull as Athens 2004 (reviewed by Crazy Packers Fan) – however, with the Bongos, this game can be as much fun as Mario Kart Double Dash with four players! The only grumbles I have are the three mini-games. I mean, fair enough, I like the juggling one, that has real skill to it, but the Vine Climb goes too slowly for me (you’re also restricted by the top of the screen, annoyingly) and the Whack-K. Rool is not exactly original, or anything even approaching fun. Surely they could’ve done something better, like put in a level of Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (the platformer game) even though the game won’t be out until next year over here in good ol’ England. Seriously though, the songs are fun, but the mini-games are missing that little bit of Mario Party-style madness! Not too high a score then.

Score: 7 ½

Longevity:

Seriously, 30 songs sound like a lot, but it isn’t that many, really. There are three difficulty levels, which offer some variety, and a couple of extra modes to play them in. But unless you really love this game, there is no reason to go back apart from the multiplayer. So… not a good score then.

Score: 4 ½

Multiplayer:

This depends on how many people you’ve got, and how many Bongos there are. It is very good with four people bongoing away, but with four controllers things get very dull very fast. Also, when in three-player mode, a computer plays the fourth players’ notes, which sounds good, but just doesn’t feel right when you’re playing. Also note that the computer players will NEVER MISS A BEAT, and will always, without fail, score a “Great”, which I personally find unfair and very aggravating. Otherwise, very good try by Nintendo.

Overall:
Out of 100%: 86%

Sorry, it might seem a bit low (or a bit high, to none Bongoers), but there are some little niggles in there that just don’t go away. When the game is good though, it is VERY good, but those niggles I mentioned spoil it for me!

Finally, this game is a party game, so you’d better be prepared to shell out for those extra Bongos, £30 each! Bit of a rip-off, it may sound like, but these Bongos are very sturdy and take a lot of punishment! Very fun to use. Also, they can be used in a few upcoming games: Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, and the Strategy-War/Pinball hybrid game: Odama, not to mention the obvious Donkey Konga 2.

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