It got rid of Mario in favor of Stanley the Bugman, who would shoot insecticide at DK. Some could chalk this up to the arcade “crash” that started in ’83, but the game was also a deviation from what made the first two games great. After this, Donkey Kong’s arcade era would come to an end, not with a bang, but with a whimper.ĭonkey Kong 3 was released in 1983 and fell flat with arcade goers. It sold around 30,000 units in 1982 and netted the company a healthy profit. This follow-up was a huge success but failed to outsell the original Donkey Kong. Jr swings between vines, avoids enemies, and navigates projectiles. The game incorporated new level types as well as an uptick in difficulty. After his exploits in the original game, DK is captured by Mario and imprisoned in a circus cage. as you work your way through hazardous levels to save your dad, the original Donkey Kong. The game reversed the roles of the DK and Mario and is the only video game in history to portray Mario as a villain. The subsequent game was Donkey Kong Jr., released in 1982. The Arcade EraĪfter the success of Donkey Kong, there was no question that Nintendo would make a follow-up game. There will undoubtedly be games we don’t mention in this rundown, but fear not, we will be adding a list of every game in the DK universe at the end of this article. We are going to walk through each era and give a broad description of the games therein. Gamesĭonkey Kong’s long and storied history has seen many eras and types of games. It’s safe to say that Nintendo’s first official foray into the arcade scene was a smash hit. Over the lifetime of the game, it sold more than 132,000 units, netting Nintendo a total of $280 million. In 1981, Nintendo sold more than 60,000 cabinets, sometimes selling up to 4,000 cabinets per month. So much so that the owners requested more cabinets and, oh, did Nintendo reply. They quickly became the most popular arcades in both. The cabinet was placed in two bars in Seattle as a test. Arcade games were very straightforward: there are dots on the screen, shoot them before they get to you. Nowadays we have games like Mass Effect or The Last of Us that revolve around stories. He went so far as to write a back story for the characters and created short “cut scenes” for the game. Miyamoto was ambitious in creating the game. Can you imagine playing Popeye Country with the SNES? Donkey Kong Arcade Game Luckily for everyone, Nintendo couldn’t secure the rights, and Donkey Kong, Mario (originally Jumpman), and Pauline were created. Players would take the role of Popeye to traverse increasingly dangerous levels to save Olive Oyl and defeat Bluto. In fact, the game was originally meant to be a Popeye game. Miyamoto took inspiration for the idea from several different sources including Popeye and, of course, King Kong. That engineer’s name was Shigeru Miyamoto and the game he created was Donkey Kong. But Nintendo didn’t give up, and they tasked a young engineer with remaking the cabinet into something that would catch on in the States. While the cabinet was a huge hit in Nintendo’s native Japan, it fell flat with American audiences. In 1980, they released Radar Scope, an arcade shooter in the vein of Galaga or Space Invaders. They had made a fortune with Game & Watch, one of the very first handheld gaming systems, but they were ready to enter the arcade industry. In the early 80s, the arcade market in America was booming and Nintendo wanted in on the action. We are also excluding any appearances outside of video games, so we won’t be mentioning the slightly unsettling late 90s animated show, probably for the best. So, only games that feature DK as the lead need apply. For the sake of sanity, we are going to narrow it down to his solo career. You could fill a book with all the games, spin-offs, cross-overs, and cameos DK has made over the years. Quick Facts Creator (person) Shigeru Miyamoto Release Date Original price $19.99 Operating System Nintendo Developed By (company) Nintendo History of Donkey Kongĭonkey Kong has been a fixture on Nintendo consoles and exclusives for decades. So, let’s dive in and look at the long and storied history of everyone’s favorite tie-wearing ape. The success of Donkey Kong paved the way for Mario and the NES to reach meteoric heights. Mario may be the face of the company, but there is another character that Nintendo can thank for its establishment in the global gaming picture: Donkey Kong.ĭonkey Kong was Nintendo’s first mega-hit, and it allowed the company to gain a foothold in the North American arcade market. That is thanks in large part to the world-famous mascot, Mario. Today, Nintendo is one of the most recognizable names in gaming.
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