Donkey Kong (video game)

From Nintendo

Donkey Kong
Scene from the first level.
Publisher:	Nintendo
Developer:	Nintendo
Designer:	Shigeru Miyamoto
Platform:	Arcade, NES, Virtual Console
Genre:	Platform
Release Date:	Febraury 1, 1981 December 1, 1981

Donkey Kong is one of the most notable games that Nintendo has ever created. It made Nintendo what it is today, with innovative platforming mechanics and intresting characters such as, Mario and Donkey Kong. It also features cut scenes, which were almost completely absent back in the early 80's.

It also featured an item that helped you extremely, a Hammer, that would start to smash the ground at a very fast pase destroying any barrels that Donkey Kong threw at him. If you didn't have a hammer, than you would have to jump over them. Once you got to the top, you would have to hit the switch to to make donkey kong drop. He would then climb up multiple times until finnaly he would be defeated, where you would save the kidnapped Pauline.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Levels 2 Development 3 Impact 4 Trivia 5 See Also 6 External Links

[edit] Gameplay

In Donkey Kong, the player assumes control over Mario, or Jumpman as he was called at the time. The player can jump in order to jump over barrels, gaps, and other hazards. If the player jumps into a hammer, Jumpman will swing the hammer infront of him, allowing him to defeat any enemies in front of him.

[edit] Levels

The following are a list of levels present in the original arcade installment. The most famous of the levels and unarguably the most recognizable among fans and casual players alike is the girder level, which also happens to be the first area in the game.

The girder level consists of six slanted construction site platforms. Donkey Kong sits at the top, thrusting barrels towards Mario, or Jumpman, who must make his way up, jumping over the thrown barrels by climbing up the ladders.

The second level consists of multiple locks which Mario must pass over in order to break them. Once all are broken, the next stage will start, which is considered the elevator stage.

Here, Mario must make his way up the elevators, avoiding the multiple obstacles in his way. This level was recreated as a stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, called 75m. The three levels mentioned are featured in almost all Donkey Kong installments, though the arcade game featured an exclusive level called the Pie Factory.

In the Pie Factory, you're required to jump over pies on a conveyor belt. It's one of the most beloved levels, partially because it's only available in the original arcade game, making it a rare place to play on.

[edit] Development

Once Nintendo of America, or NOA saw how successful the arcade business was going, they asked Nintendo of Japan, or NOJ to create a hit arcade game. They came up with Radar Scope, which when released in america, ended up being a huge failure. They needed a game that would either "Make or Break" the company by using the Radar Scope arcade units. They requested that NOJ created another game using the same arcade unit. Yamauchi, the company's president asked Shigeru Miyamoto, the only person available, to create a game. So after having a talk with the company's engineers, Miyamoto was ready to create a game. He designed the whole game, composed the music, and created the characters - Jumpman, Donkey Kong, and Pauline. Once the Yamauchi saw the game, he called up NOA's president and told him that they had a hit, so they sent it over to the U.S. Almost everyone at NOA, except the president, had serious doubts about the game. The sales manager even said that he hated it for being to diffrent from the common Maze and shooter games at the time. Others stated that they needed to change the name, but the president refused.

Arcade Games
Mario Series
Donkey Kong | Donkey Kong Jr. | Mario Bros. | Donkey Kong 3 | Mario Kart Arcade GP | Mario Party Arcade | Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Other Nintendo Arcade Games
Killer Instinct
Third Party Arcade Games
Pong | Contra | Space Invaders

Nintendo then convinced to Bars to have the game, and over a week's period, the game was a huge success, so Nintendo requested 2,000 more arcade units from Japan.

[edit] Impact

The game introduced two famous characters: Mario, and Donkey Kong. The game also introduced the hammer that Mario used to destroy the boxes Donkey Kong threw at him, which is used in the Super Smash Bros. Series.

[edit] Trivia

• The "daaa da da da daaaaaaa" music derives from the TV show Dragnet.

[edit] See Also

• Donkey Kong GB

[edit] External Links

• Donkey Kong at Nintendo.com
• Donkey Kong at Virtual Console Reviews