Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong | |
---|---|
Logo since 2024 | |
Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
Original work | Donkey Kong (1981) |
Owner | Nintendo |
Years | 1981–present |
Films and television | |
Film(s) | The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) |
Animated series | |
Games | |
Video game(s) | List of games |
Audio | |
Original music | "Aquatic Ambience" "DK Rap" |
Miscellaneous | |
Theme park attraction(s) | Super Nintendo World |
Related franchise(s) |
Donkey Kong[a] is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. The franchise follows the adventures of Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla. Donkey Kong games include the original arcade game trilogy by Nintendo R&D1; the Donkey Kong Country series by Rare and Retro Studios; and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series by Nintendo Software Technology. Various studios have developed spin-offs in genres such as edutainment, puzzle, racing, and rhythm. The franchise also incorporates animation, printed media, theme parks, and merchandise.
Miyamoto designed the original 1981 Donkey Kong to salvage unsold arcade cabinets following the failure of Radar Scope (1980). It was a major success and was followed by the sequels Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) and Donkey Kong 3 (1983). The franchise went on a hiatus as Nintendo shifted its focus to the spin-off Mario franchise. Rare's 1994 reboot, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country, reestablished Donkey Kong as a major Nintendo franchise. Rare developed Donkey Kong games for the SNES, Game Boy, and Nintendo 64 until they were acquired by Microsoft in 2002; subsequent games have been developed by Nintendo, Retro Studios, Namco and Paon. The most recent major game was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in 2014.
The main Donkey Kong games are platformers in which the player must reach the end of a level. Donkey Kong was initially the antagonist, but became the protagonist starting with Country. The original games featured a small cast of characters, including Donkey Kong, Mario, Pauline, and Donkey Kong Jr. Rare's games expanded the cast with friendly Kongs, such as Diddy, Cranky, Funky and Dixie, and the Kremlings, an army of antagonistic crocodiles led by Donkey Kong's nemesis King K. Rool. Mario, the protagonist of the 1981 game, became Nintendo's mascot and the star of the Mario franchise, and Donkey Kong characters appear in Mario games such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis. Donkey Kong has also crossed over with other franchises in games such as Mario & Sonic and Super Smash Bros.
Outside of video games, the franchise includes the animated series Donkey Kong Country (1997–2000), a themed area in Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios, soundtrack albums, and Lego construction toys. Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises, with more than 65 million units sold by 2021. The original game was Nintendo's first major international success and established it as a prominent force in the video game industry. The franchise has pioneered or popularized concepts such as in-game storytelling and pre-rendered graphics, inspired other games (including clones), and influenced popular culture.
History
[edit]1981–1982: Conception and first game
[edit]In the late 1970s, the Japanese company Nintendo shifted its focus from producing toys and playing cards to arcade games. This followed the 1973 oil crisis having increased the cost of manufacturing toys and the success of Taito's Space Invaders (1978). In 1980, Nintendo released Radar Scope, a Space Invaders-style shoot 'em up.[1] It was a commercial failure and put the newly established subsidiary Nintendo of America in a financial crisis. Its founder, Minoru Arakawa, asked his father in-law, the Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi, to provide a new game that could salvage the unsold Radar Scope cabinets.[2] Most of Nintendo's top developers were preoccupied, so the task went to Shigeru Miyamoto, a first-time game designer.[3][4]
Supervised by Gunpei Yokoi,[3] Miyamoto settled on a love triangle with the characters Bluto, Popeye, and Olive Oyl from the Popeye franchise, but Nintendo was unable to obtain the license.[4] Bluto evolved into a gorilla, an animal Miyamoto said was "nothing too evil or repulsive".[5] He named the character Donkey Kong—donkey to convey stubborn and kong to imply gorilla.[6] Popeye became Mario, the new protagonist, while Olive Oyl became Pauline, the damsel in distress.[4] Miyamoto named "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film King Kong as influences.[5] As he lacked programming expertise, he consulted technicians on whether his concepts were possible.[7] Four programmers from Ikegami Tsushinki spent three months turning Miyamoto's concept into a finished game.[8]
Donkey Kong was one of the earliest platform games,[b] following Mario as he ascends a construction site to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong.[10] It was released in July 1981 and became Nintendo's first major international success. The windfall of $280 million rescued Nintendo of America from its financial crisis and established it as a prominent brand in America.[11][12] Donkey Kong achieved further success in 1982, when Nintendo released a Game & Watch version and licensed it to Coleco for ports to home consoles.[13][14] It grossed $4.4 billion across various formats, making it one of the highest-grossing games of all time.[15] In 1982, Universal City Studios filed a lawsuit alleging Donkey Kong violated its trademark of King Kong. The lawsuit failed when Nintendo's lawyer, Howard Lincoln, discovered that Universal had won a lawsuit years prior by declaring that King Kong was actually in the public domain. The victory cemented Nintendo as a major force in the video game industry.[16][17]
1982–1994: Sequels and first hiatus
[edit]Miyamoto and his team used game mechanics and levels that could not be included in Donkey Kong as the basis for a sequel. Miyamoto wanted to make Donkey Kong the protagonist, but the sprite was too big to easily maneuver, so he created a new character, Donkey Kong Jr. The team still wanted Donkey Kong on top of the screen, so they conceived a plot in which Mario had caged him and Donkey Kong Jr. had to save him.[18] To develop Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), Nintendo reverse-engineered Ikegami's Donkey Kong code, making it the first game that Nintendo developed without outside help. Following Donkey Kong Jr.'s release, Ikegami sued Nintendo for copyright infringement. In 1990, the Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of Ikegami, and the companies reached a settlement.[8]
Donkey Kong 3, released in 1983, features shooter gameplay that departs from its predecessors. Instead of Mario, the player controls Stanley, an exterminator from the Game & Watch game Green House (1982) who must fend off Donkey Kong and a swarm of bees.[19] Donkey Kong 3 was unsuccessful,[20] as was an edutainment game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Donkey Kong Jr. Math (1983).[21] Sega obtained the license to develop a Donkey Kong game, but the game—which featured a playable Donkey Kong as a parking attendant—was canceled after Sega's David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama arranged a management buyout from Gulf and Western Industries in 1984.[22][23]
The franchise went on an extended hiatus,[20] while the spin-off Mario franchise found success on the NES, cementing Mario as Nintendo's mascot.[4] Donkey Kong's appearances in the years following Donkey Kong 3 were limited to cameos in unrelated games.[24] The 1987 Official Nintendo Player's Guide advertised a Donkey Kong revival for the NES, Return of Donkey Kong, which was never released.[20] In 1994, the first original Donkey Kong game in more than 10 years, Donkey Kong (often referred to as Donkey Kong '94), was released for the Game Boy. It begins as a remake of the 1981 game before introducing over 100 puzzle-platforming levels that incorporate elements from Donkey Kong Jr. and Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988).[25][26]
In the early 1990s, Philips obtained the license to use five Nintendo characters in games for their CD-i console, resulting in Hotel Mario (1993) and three The Legend of Zelda games (1993–1994). Donkey Kong was among the five characters, and Riedel Software Productions worked on a CD-i Donkey Kong game between 1992 and 1993. The project was canceled, and developers who worked on it do not remember many details beyond its basic game engine.[27] The Nintendo data leak included a prototype for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) featuring a protagonist who resembles Stanley.[28] Its title, Super Donkey, suggested that Yoshi's Island began as a Donkey Kong game before it was altered to star the Mario character Yoshi.[29]
1994–1996: Rare and Donkey Kong Country
[edit]
Around 1992, Rare, a British developer founded by the brothers Tim and Chris Stamper, purchased Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) Challenge workstations with Alias rendering software to render 3D models.[30][31] At the time, Nintendo was embroiled in a console war with Sega, whose Genesis competed with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).[32] Nintendo wanted a game to compete with Sega's Aladdin (1993), which featured graphics by Disney animators,[33][34] when Lincoln learned of Rare's SGI experiments during a trip to Europe.[35] After impressing Nintendo with a demonstration,[32] Tim Stamper—inspired by Mortal Kombat's use of digitized footage in place of hand-drawn art—suggested developing a platform game that used pre-rendered 3D graphics.[31][36]
Nintendo granted the Stampers permission to use the Donkey Kong intellectual property;[36] some sources indicate that the Stampers obtained the license after Nintendo offered them its catalog of characters and they chose Donkey Kong,[30][32] though the designer Gregg Mayles recalled that it was Nintendo that requested a Donkey Kong game.[33] Nintendo figured licensing Donkey Kong posed minimal risk due to the franchise's dormancy.[36] Rare's reboot, Donkey Kong Country, featured side-scrolling gameplay that Mayles based on the Super Mario series.[33] It was the first Donkey Kong game neither directed nor produced by Miyamoto,[37] though he provided support and contributed design ideas.[33]
Donkey Kong Country was one of the first games for a mainstream home video game console to use pre-rendered graphics,[32] achieved through a compression technique that allowed Rare to convert 3D models into SNES sprites with little loss of detail.[33] Because Donkey Kong did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it, introducing Donkey Kong's sidekick Diddy Kong (who replaced Donkey Kong Jr.) and the antagonistic Kremlings.[33][38] After 18 months of development,[32] Donkey Kong Country was released in November 1994 to acclaim, with critics hailing its visuals as groundbreaking.[39][40][41][42] It was a major success,[35] selling 9.3 million copies and becoming the third-bestselling SNES game.[34][43] It reestablished Donkey Kong as a major Nintendo franchise and heralded Donkey Kong's transition from villain to hero.[44] Following the success, Nintendo purchased a large minority stake in Rare.[35]
Rare began developing concepts for a Donkey Kong Country sequel during production,[45] and Nintendo green-lit the project immediately after the success.[44] Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, released in 1995, features Diddy rescuing a kidnapped Donkey Kong and introduces Diddy's girlfriend Dixie Kong. Diddy's Kong Quest was designed to be less linear and more challenging,[46][47] with a theme reflecting Mayles' fascination with pirates.[47] Like its predecessor, Diddy's Kong Quest was a major critical and commercial success, and is the sixth-bestselling SNES game.[48] Following Diddy's Kong Quest, the Donkey Kong Country team split in two, with one half working on Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996).[49] Featuring Dixie and a new character, Kiddy Kong, as protagonists, the Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! team sought to incorporate 3D-esque gameplay and Zelda-inspired role-playing elements. Although it was released late in the SNES's lifespan and after the launch of the Nintendo 64, Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! sold well.[50]
1995–2002: Franchise expansion
[edit]Separate Rare teams developed the Game Boy games Donkey Kong Land (1995), Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996), and Donkey Kong Land III (1997), which condensed the Country series' gameplay for the handheld game console.[34] Rare's Game Boy programmer, Paul Machacek, chose to develop Land as an original game rather than as a port of Country after convincing Tim Stamper it would be a better use of resources.[51] A port of Country was eventually released for the Game Boy Color in 2000.[52] Rare also developed a tech demo for a Virtual Boy Donkey Kong game, but it never progressed due to the system's commercial failure.[34]
The first Donkey Kong game for the Nintendo 64, Diddy Kong Racing, was released as Nintendo's major 1997 Christmas shopping season product.[53] Rare originally developed it as a sequel to its NES game R.C. Pro-Am (1988), but added Diddy Kong to increase its marketability.[54] Diddy Kong Racing received favorable reviews and sold 4.5 million copies.[54][55] Two of Diddy Kong Racing's playable characters, Banjo the Bear and Conker the Squirrel, would go on to star in the Banjo-Kazooie and Conker franchises.[56]
Rare began working on Donkey Kong 64, the first Donkey Kong game to feature 3D gameplay, in 1997.[57] They conceived it as a linear game similar to the Country series, but switched to a more open-ended design using the game engine from their 1998 game Banjo-Kazooie after 18 months.[34][58] Donkey Kong 64 was released in November 1999, accompanied by a US$22 million marketing campaign.[59] It was Nintendo's bestselling game during the 1999 Christmas season and received positive reviews,[60][61] though critics felt it did not match the revolutionary impact of Donkey Kong Country.[62][63][64]
At E3 2001, Nintendo and Rare announced three Donkey Kong projects: the GameCube game Donkey Kong Racing and the Game Boy Advance (GBA) games Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers and Diddy Kong Pilot.[65][66][67] However, development costs were increasing and Nintendo opted not to acquire Rare.[68] In September 2002, Microsoft acquired Rare for $375 million,[69] making Rare a first-party developer for Xbox.[30] Nintendo retained the rights to Donkey Kong under the terms of the acquisition.[70] Donkey Kong Racing was canceled,[65] and Rare reworked Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers and Diddy Kong Pilot into It's Mr. Pants (2004) and Banjo-Pilot (2005).[71][72]
2002–2010: After Rare
[edit]After Microsoft acquired Rare, Nintendo relegated Donkey Kong to spin-offs and guest appearances in other franchises, such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros.[73][74] In 2003, Nintendo and Namco released Donkey Konga (2003), a spin-off rhythm game. It was designed for the DK Bongos, a GameCube peripheral that resembles bongo drums.[75] Nintendo of America executive Reggie Fils-Aimé opposed releasing Donkey Konga, concerned it would damage the Donkey Kong brand, but it sold well and received positive reviews.[76][77] It was followed by Donkey Konga 2 (2004) and the Japan exclusive Donkey Konga 3 (2005).[74]
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the first main Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong 64,[74] was released for the GameCube in 2004.[78] It returned to the Donkey Kong Country style of platforming, controlled using the DK Bongos.[79] It was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi as the debut project of Nintendo EAD Tokyo.[80][81] Koizumi sought to create an accessible game with a simple control scheme to contrast with more complex contemporary games.[81] It received positive reviews, but was a commercial disappointment.[74] A Wii version, featuring revised Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, was released in 2008 as part of the New Play Control! line.[82] A racing game that used the DK Bongos, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, was developed by Paon for the GameCube, but was moved to the Wii with support for the peripheral dropped.[83] It was released in 2007 to negative reviews,[84] with criticism for its controls.[85][86]
Despite the acquisition, Rare continued to develop games for Nintendo's handheld consoles since Microsoft did not have a competing handheld.[30] It developed ports of the Country games for the GBA and Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo DS with additional content, released between 2003 and 2007.[87][88][89][90] Meanwhile, Paon also developed DK: King of Swing (2005) for the GBA and DK: Jungle Climber (2007) for the DS, which blend Country elements with puzzle gameplay inspired by Clu Clu Land (1984).[91] Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a spin-off series that acts as a spiritual successor to the Game Boy Donkey Kong, was developed by Nintendo Software Technology. It began with a 2004 GBA game and continued with the DS sequels March of the Minis (2006), Minis March Again! (2009), and Mini-Land Mayhem! (2010).[92] In contrast to other post-Country games, Mario vs. Donkey Kong restored Donkey Kong's villainous role.[93]
2010–present: Retro Studios and second hiatus
[edit]In 2008, Miyamoto expressed interest in a Donkey Kong Country revival. Producer Kensuke Tanabe suggested that Retro Studios, which had developed the Metroid Prime series, would be suitable.[94] With Donkey Kong Country Returns, Retro sought to retain classic Country elements while refining them to create a new experience and introducing new game mechanics such as surface-clinging and simultaneous multiplayer.[95][96] Returns, the first original Country game since Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, was released for the Wii in 2010.[44] It sold 4.21 million copies in under a month and received positive reviews,[97][98] with critics considering it a return to form for the franchise.[99][100][101] Monster Games developed a Nintendo 3DS version in 2013,[102] while a high-definition remaster developed by Forever Entertainment is scheduled for the Nintendo Switch in 2025.[103]
Retro developed a sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, for the Wii U. The Wii U's greater processing power allowed for visual elements that the team had been unable to accomplish on the Wii, such as lighting and translucency effects and dynamic camera movement.[104][105] Tropical Freeze was released in 2014 to favorable reviews,[106] but it sold poorly in comparison to Returns.[107] It achieved greater success when it was ported to the Switch in 2018, outselling the Wii U version within a week of release.[108] Following Tropical Freeze, the Donkey Kong franchise went on another hiatus,[109] outside of Mario vs. Donkey Kong games: Tipping Stars (2015) and Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge (2016) for the Wii U and 3DS,[110][111] and a remake of the first Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2024) with new levels and cooperative gameplay for the Switch.[112]
Nintendo and Vicarious Visions, with consultation from Miyamoto, worked on a Donkey Kong game for the Switch for six months. Codenamed Freedom, the project was an open-world 3D platformer that emphasized traversal, with grinding on vines as a core mechanic. It was canceled in 2016 after Activision Blizzard, Vicarious Visions' parent company, redirected its developers' focus to the Call of Duty franchise.[113][114] Nintendo Life reported in 2021 that Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development was working on a Switch Donkey Kong game.[109]
Story and characters
[edit]The original Donkey Kong features three characters: Donkey Kong, a large, antagonistic gorilla; Mario, the overall-wearing protagonist; and Pauline, Mario's girlfriend. Donkey Kong follows Mario as he ascends a construction site to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, his escaped pet ape.[10] In the sequel, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario imprisons Donkey Kong in a cage. The game introduces Donkey Kong's son, the diaper-wearing Donkey Kong Jr.[115][116] Mario, Pauline, Donkey Kong, and Jr. return in the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong,[117] in which Mario again must rescue Pauline from the Kongs.[26] The Game Boy game was the first Donkey Kong game to depict Donkey Kong wearing a red necktie bearing his initials, "DK".[118]
Beginning with Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong's role shifted from the antagonist to the protagonist.[44] Rare's Kevin Bayliss redesigned him;[119] alongside the red tie from the Game Boy game, he was given what GamesRadar+ described as "menacing, sunken eyes and [a] beak-like muzzle",[118] and Bayliss designed him as blocky and muscular to make animating him easier.[119] Rare's games characterize him as the descendant of the Donkey Kong character from the arcade games, who appears as the elderly Cranky Kong.[120] Cranky Kong provides scathing, fourth wall-breaking humor in which he unfavorably compares current games to older ones like the original Donkey Kong.[121][122] Donkey Kong Jr. was retired, and Nintendo's stance on whether Rare's Donkey Kong is a grown-up Donkey Kong Jr. or a separate character has been inconsistent.[120]
Rare's games moved the franchise's primary setting from a city to Donkey Kong Island,[123] an idyllic isle.[62] Because Donkey Kong did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it with new characters.[33] Donkey Kong Country introduced Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong's sidekick and nephew. Diddy's design was based on a spider monkey;[124] he was created as a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr. but retooled into a separate character at Nintendo's request.[33] Other supporting Kong characters that Rare introduced include Funky Kong, a surfer; Candy Kong, Donkey Kong's girlfriend; Dixie Kong, Diddy's girlfriend; Kiddy Kong, a large toddler; Tiny Kong, Dixie's sister; and Lanky Kong, a buffoonish orangutan.[125]
The franchise's main antagonist is King K. Rool, an anthropomorphic reptilian introduced in Donkey Kong Country.[126] K. Rool leads the Kremlings, an army of crocodiles who seek to steal Donkey Kong's hoard of bananas.[52] Polygon summarized K. Rool as an archetypal game villain who "often wears disguises and invents strange gadgets for his elaborately evil schemes",[127] such as dressing as a pirate captain in Donkey Kong Country 2.[128] Other villains include the Tiki Tak Tribe, a race of floating masks that play music to hypnotize animals into stealing the banana hoard,[129][130] and the Snowmads, Viking invaders who summon a dragon to take over Donkey Kong Island.[105]
Mario, the protagonist of the 1981 game, went on to headline the Mario franchise. Although the franchises largely remain separate, they take place in the same fictional universe, and Donkey Kong and other Donkey Kong characters frequently appear as playable characters in Mario spin-offs such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis.[131][132][133] Two Rare characters, Banjo the Bear and Conker the Squirrel, were introduced in Diddy Kong Racing ahead of starring in their own games,[56] Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001).[56][134]
Gameplay
[edit]Original series
[edit]Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. are early examples of the platform game genre. In both games, the player must guide the playable character (Mario in the first game, Donkey Kong Jr. in the second) to scale four levels while avoiding obstacles. The player jumps to dodge incoming obstacles (such as barrels) or cross gaps and climbs ladders or vines to reach the top of the level.[135][115] In the first game, Mario can destroy obstacles by obtaining a hammer power-up,[136] while in the second, Donkey Kong Jr. can do so by knocking pieces of fruit down from vines.[115] Points are awarded for dodging or destroying obstacles, collecting items, and completing stages quickly.[136] The player begins each game with three lives,[115] which they lose if they touch an obstacle or fall from a distance.[136]
Donkey Kong 3 departs from this gameplay: it is a shooter game in which the player controls Stanley, an exterminator who must prevent Donkey Kong from stirring up insects in his greenhouse. The player fires bug spray at Donkey Kong and enemy insects that attempt to steal Stanley's flowers. They complete levels by spraying Donkey Kong enough to force him to the top of the screen or by killing all the insects.[137]
The 1994 Game Boy game begins with the four stages from the original Donkey Kong, but after completing the fourth, the player is presented with over 100 additional stages that introduce puzzle-platform gameplay in which Mario must scout each level within a time limit to locate a key.[138] Mario can pick up and throw objects and enemies, similar to Super Mario Bros. 2, and perform acrobatics to reach otherwise inaccessible areas of the levels.[25] This gameplay would serve as the basis for Mario vs. Donkey Kong,[138] which introduces stages in which Mario must guide six Mini-Mario toys to a toy box while protecting them from hazards.[139] Mario vs. Donkey Kong's sequels make guiding the Mini-Mario toys the focus, with each stage requiring the player to do so with touchscreen controls.[140] This gameplay has been frequently compared to the strategy video game Lemmings (1991).[141]
Donkey Kong Country
[edit]The Donkey Kong Country series features platforming gameplay in which players complete side-scrolling levels to progress, reminiscent of Nintendo's Super Mario series.[33] The player begins in a world map that tracks their progress and provides access to the themed worlds and their levels. They traverse the environment, jump between platforms, and avoid enemy and inanimate obstacles.[142] Each world ends with a boss fight with a large enemy.[143] The Country series is known for its high difficulty level and emphasis on momentum, requiring players to react to oncoming obstacles quickly to maintain flow.[144][145][146]
Players control one of the various playable Kongs, depending on the game: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Kiddy Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong.[52][147][148] The Rare games each feature two protagonists, with one protagonist carrying over to the sequel while another is introduced.[44] The Retro Studios games star Donkey Kong with other characters as his sidekicks.[149][150] Players primarily control one Kong, with the second increasing their health.[148] In the Retro Studios games, other characters ride on Donkey Kong's back to provide special abilities; for instance, Diddy's jetpack allows him to temporarily hover.[148]
Country's game mechanics include blasting out of barrel cannons,[151] vehicle sequences with minecarts and barrel-themed rockets,[148][151] levels in which the characters and foreground environments appear as silhouettes,[152] and swinging vines.[151] Barrels return from the original series and can be used as weapons or broken to uncover power-ups.[153] One barrel variant releases a partner Kong when thrown.[143] Each level contains collectibles such as bananas, letters that spell out K–O–N–G, balloons, and puzzle pieces. These items can be found within the main level or by discovering hidden bonus stages, where they are earned via completing a challenge.[149][154]
In certain levels, the player can free an animal that provides the Kongs with special abilities, similar to the Super Mario series' Yoshi.[155] Recurring animal friends include Rambi, a rhino that can charge into enemies and find hidden entrances; Enguarde, a swordfish that can defeat enemies underwater; and Squawks, a parrot who carries the Kongs or assists in finding collectibles.[52][156] Outside the main gameplay, the Rare games' world map contains areas where players can converse with non-player characters, such as Cranky, who provide advice, collectibles, and save points.[157] The Retro Studios games feature shops (run by Cranky in Returns and Funky in Tropical Freeze) where the player can purchase items like power-ups and lives.[149][158]
Other games
[edit]Some games without the Country branding contain similar gameplay. The Donkey Kong Land trilogy condenses the SNES Country gameplay for the Game Boy, with different level design that accounts for the system's low-quality display.[159][160] Donkey Kong 64 blends Country elements with "collect-a-thon" gameplay reminiscent of Super Mario 64 (1996) and Banjo-Kazooie (1998),[62][161] while Jungle Beat's score attack emphasis challenges players to complete levels with as many points as possible.[162] DK: King of Swing and DK: Jungle Climber are aesthetically similar to the Country games, but require players to use the shoulder buttons to grab and climb pegboards to reach the end of a level.[163]
Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast are kart racing games that play similarly to the Mario Kart series, though Diddy Kong Racing features an adventure mode with boss fights and Barrel Blast has the player shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuk alternatively to accelerate.[56][164] The Donkey Konga trilogy was developed by the Taiko no Tatsujin developers and features the same gameplay:[165][166] the player must hit scrolling notes to the beat of the music with accurate timing, with stylized notes corresponding to different buttons. Players build combos by hitting two or more notes; the combo ends when they miss a beat.[167]
Music
[edit]The music for Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. was composed by Yukio Kaneoka, one of Nintendo's earliest audio engineers. Kaneoka wanted to take players on an adventure with a "pretty melody", which he compared to those in Walt Disney Productions films. He faced resistance from the designers, who wanted comical music to reflect the games' tone.[168] Hirokazu Tanaka, a sound engineer who later garnered recognition for his work on Nintendo's Metroid and Pokémon franchises, also contributed.[169]
The Donkey Kong Country series features atmospheric music that mixes natural environmental sounds with melodic and percussive accompaniments.[170] It was primarily composed by David Wise, who worked at Rare from 1985 to 2009.[171][172] After Wise moved with a portion of the Diddy's Kong Quest team to work on Project Dream, Eveline Novakovic—who composed a portion of the first Country—handled the majority of Dixie Kong's Double Trouble.[49] Wise composed a replacement soundtrack for the 2005 GBA port of Dixie Kong's Double Trouble after Rare had problems converting Novakovic's score.[173] Wise drew inspiration from Koji Kondo's Super Mario and Legend of Zelda music, Tim and Geoff Follin's Plok! (1993) soundtrack, and 1980s synthesizer-heavy rock music, dance music and film soundtracks.[171] He aimed to imitate the sound of the Korg Wavestation synthesizer.[170] Novakovic attempted to give levels a sense of purpose and drew inspiration from film composers such as Alan Silvestri and Klaus Doldinger.[49]
Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope adapted Wise's Country soundtracks for the first two Donkey Kong Land games,[174][175] while Novakovic adapted the Dixie Kong's Double Trouble soundtrack for Donkey Kong Land III.[49] Novakovic was set to compose music for Donkey Kong 64,[176] but shifted to working on sound effects.[49] She was replaced by Kirkhope,[176] who composed alongside the Banjo-Kazooie games and Perfect Dark (2000).[161] Nintendo Life described Kirkhope's Donkey Kong 64 score as closer in spirit to his work on Banjo-Kazooie than Wise's Country music.[177] Donkey Kong 64's introduction features the "DK Rap", a comedy rap song which introduces the Kong characters. It was written by Donkey Kong 64's director, George Andreas, scored and recorded by Kirkhope, and performed by Andreas and Chris Sutherland, with other Rare staff joining on the chorus.[178]
Wise was unavailable during the development of Donkey Kong Country Returns, so Kenji Yamamoto took over.[44] At the request of Miyamoto and Iwata, the Returns soundtrack mostly comprises rearrangements of tracks from the original Donkey Kong Country,[145] plus some new material by Yamamoto. He focused on what Tanabe felt made Donkey Kong Country's music iconic, such as piano arrangements and the bassline.[95] Wise left Rare during Returns' development and collaborated with Yamamoto on the Tropical Freeze soundtrack. Technological advances allowed Wise to achieve a "1940s big band jazz" sound that he had been unable to produce on the SNES.[172] Beyond the Country series, Wise composed the Diddy Kong Racing soundtrack.[179] Other composers who have contributed to Donkey Kong games include Mahito Yokota, who composed for Jungle Beat,[180] and Lawrence Schwedler, who composed for Mario vs. Donkey Kong.[181]
Other media
[edit]Crossovers
[edit]Donkey Kong is represented in every game in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. Donkey Kong debuted in the original Super Smash Bros. (1999) as the only heavyweight fighter, with slow but powerful attacks.[182] Diddy Kong was added as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008),[183] while King K. Rool was added in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018).[127] Smash games also feature Donkey Kong stages and music.[184][185]
Donkey Kong appears in Mario & Sonic, an Olympic Games-themed crossover between Mario and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, as a playable character;[186] in the Wii version of Punch-Out!! (2009) as the final boss;[187] and in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017), a crossover between Mario and Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids franchise, as the protagonist of an expansion pack.[188] Activision's toys-to-life game Skylanders: SuperChargers (2015) includes Donkey Kong as a playable character in the versions released on Nintendo platforms.[189]
Animated series
[edit]A Donkey Kong cartoon aired as part of CBS's hour-long Saturday Supercade programming block in 1983. The cartoon follows Mario and Pauline as they attempt to capture Donkey Kong after he escapes from a circus. Game Informer described the series as "abysmal... filled with bad puns and ridiculous situations".[190] Soupy Sales voiced Donkey Kong,[191] while Peter Cullen and Frank Welker (who later garnered recognition for voicing Optimus Prime and Megatron in the Transformers franchise) voiced Mario and Donkey Kong Jr.[190][192] Donkey Kong is also a recurring character in Captain N: The Game Master, a DIC Entertainment series that ran on NBC for 34 episodes between 1989 and 1991.[193][194]
Donkey Kong Country, a television series produced by the French-Canadian company Medialab Technology, ran for 40 episodes between 1997 and 2000, bridging the gap between Dixie Kong's Double Trouble and Donkey Kong 64.[195][196] Reflecting the games' pre-rendered 3D graphics, Donkey Kong Country was produced using computer animation,[196] accomplished with motion capture technology.[197] The series adopts a sitcom approach and follows Donkey Kong as he attempts to protect a magical artifact, the Crystal Coconut, from King K. Rool.[196][198] Donkey Kong Country was produced with little input from Nintendo, and was the final Western series that Nintendo licensed before it shifted to producing and importing anime.[195] The series was popular in France and Japan, though less so in the United States.[196] Retrospectively, Hardcore Gaming 101 criticized the series for lacking the adventure of the Country games,[196] while GameSpot called its aged animation "nightmare fuel" and "visually disturbing".[198]
Printed media
[edit]The first issue of Blip, a short-lived American comic book published by Marvel Comics in 1983, features a story in which a foolish news reporter attempts to interview Mario during the events of the original Donkey Kong. The story characterizes Donkey Kong as the result of a failed experiment to breed construction-worker gorillas.[199] Blip marked Mario's first appearance in a comic book, years before Valiant Comics' Nintendo Comics System series in the 1990s.[200] The British comics publisher Fleetway Publications published a promotional Donkey Kong Country comic in the UK in 1995,[201] while Michael Teitelbaum wrote children's book adaptations of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Country 2.[202]
Film
[edit]Elements from the Donkey Kong franchise feature prominently in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023),[203] an animated film produced by Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal Pictures.[204] Mario (Chris Pratt) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) seek the Kongs' help to stop Bowser (Jack Black) from invading the Mushroom Kingdom. Seth Rogen and Fred Armisen voice Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong, while other Kongs make cameo appearances and the "DK Rap" plays during Donkey Kong's introduction.[205] Donkey Kong was redesigned for the first time since Donkey Kong Country, combining elements of Rare's design and his original arcade-era design.[206][207] The Super Mario Bros. Movie received mixed reviews,[208] and Rogen received criticism for voicing Donkey Kong in his regular speaking voice.[209] The film earned over $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing film based on a video game.[204]
In November 2021, prior to The Super Mario Bros. Movie's release, reports emerged that Illumination was developing a Donkey Kong film with Rogen set to reprise his role.[210] In April 2023, Rogen said he saw "a lot of opportunity" in the prospect.[211] Eurogamer wrote that Diddy and Dixie's brief cameo in The Super Mario Bros. Movie was obvious setup for a Donkey Kong film.[203]
Theme parks
[edit]In September 2021, Nintendo and Universal Destinations & Experiences announced a Donkey Kong-themed expansion of the Super Nintendo World themed area at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe. The area, Donkey Kong Country, is set to open at Universal Studios Japan in 2024 and at Universal Epic Universe in 2025, and will expand the size of Super Nintendo World by 70%.[212][213] It was designed with consultation from Miyamoto and will include a roller coaster, Donkey Kong's Crazy Cart, based on the Tiki Tong boss fight from Donkey Kong Country Returns. The area will also feature a K–O–N–G letter collection game and offer Donkey Kong merchandise and food.[214][215]
Merchandise
[edit]Donkey Kong merchandise includes clothing,[216] toys such as plushes and Amiibo figures,[217][218] breakfast cereal[190] and soundtrack albums.[219][220] The Lego Group began producing Donkey Kong Lego construction toys in 2023 as a subseries within its Lego Super Mario product line.[221] The initial four sets, based on the Donkey Kong Country games, were released in August 2023.[222]
Legacy
[edit]Sales
[edit]Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises,[223] with sales reaching 65 million units by March 2021.[224] Five Donkey Kong games (Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Donkey Kong 64, and Donkey Kong Country Returns) have shipped over a million copies in Japan alone,[225] and several have been added to Nintendo's Player's Choice and Nintendo Selects bestseller lines.[226][227] Excluding rereleases and arcade games, the SNES version of Donkey Kong Country is the franchise's bestselling game, with 9.3 million copies sold worldwide, while DK: King of Swing is the worst-selling, with 280,000 copies sold worldwide.[43]
Effect on the industry
[edit]If you can't imagine a world without Super Mario Brothers, without the NES, and maybe even without Nintendo at all, then you can't imagine a world without Donkey Kong. Both as a remarkable piece of game design and a commercial breakthrough for the single most important gaming company in Japan, Donkey Kong changed the world, and 30 years later we're still feeling its effects.
The original Donkey Kong is regarded as one of the most important video games of all time.[244][245] Its success established Nintendo as one of the video game industry's leaders and helped it avoid the video game crash of 1983.[244][245] Computer and Video Games called Donkey Kong "the most momentous" game of 1981, as it "introduced three important names" to the industry: Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Mario.[246] Donkey Kong also paved the way for the NES,[247] which rejuvenated the crashed Western game industry and shifted the home console market's dominance from the US to Japan.[248] The NES was largely based on the Donkey Kong arcade hardware;[247] Nintendo took a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet to the semiconductor chip manufacturer Ricoh for analysis, which led to Ricoh producing the NES's Picture Processing Unit.[249]
Donkey Kong inspired many games, including clones such as Crazy Kong (1981) and Hard Hat Mack (1983),[250] that featured a mix of running, jumping, and vertical traversal.[251] These were initially referred to as "Donkey Kong-type" or "Kong-style" games, but eventually came to be known as platformers.[251][252] While Donkey Kong was not the first platform game, VG247 wrote "it was the first to matter" by establishing the genre's template.[253] Furthermore, Donkey Kong's spirited graphics, humor, and contextualization of the gameplay with a story distinguished it from contemporary arcade games.[10] Although text-based adventure games and computer role-playing video games preceded it, Donkey Kong is regarded as the first game to use graphics to tell a story,[254] which GamesRadar+ said provided an unprecedented level of narrative depth.[244]
Donkey Kong Country's pre-rendered graphics featured a level of detail unprecedented in console games at the time,[255][256] and inspired many imitators.[24] It inspired games such as BlueSky Software's Vectorman (1995),[257] Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot (1996),[258] HAL Laboratory's Kirby Super Star (1996),[259] and Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team's Sonic 3D Blast (1996).[260] Country's influence has carried into more modern games such as Mekazoo (2016) and Kaze and the Wild Masks (2021);[261][262] the Australian Broadcasting Corporation credited it for demonstrating 2D games that could remain relevant after the introduction of 3D.[263] Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (2019)—developed by Playtonic Games, whose staff includes Rare alumni that worked on Country—was noted for its gameplay similarities to Country,[264] though Playtonic declined to label it a spiritual successor.[265]
The Country games established Rare as a leading video game developer and set the standard for its work.[30][266] Country originated conventions characteristic of Rare's later output, including an emphasis on collecting items,[52] irreverent humor,[121] visual appeal, and tech demo-like design.[266] Conversely, Donkey Kong 64 has been blamed for precipitating 3D platforming's decline in popularity for its excessive emphasis on collecting items.[267][268] Electronic Gaming Monthly wrote that whereas Super Mario 64 had "breathed life into the 3D platforming genre", Donkey Kong 64 had "sucked it all out".[269] Jonas Kaerlev, who developed the 3D platformer A Hat in Time (2017), said Donkey Kong 64 gave the genre a reputation for tedium that contributed to a decline in interest.[268]
Cultural impact
[edit]Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic video game characters,[270][271] and journalists have described him as a mascot for both Nintendo and the video game industry.[272][273][274][275] In 2007, the Monster Jam racing series obtained the license to use Donkey Kong's appearance for a monster truck. The truck debuted in a December 2007 show in Minneapolis and toured with Monster Jam throughout 2008.[276] Donkey Kong appears as an antagonist in the film Pixels (2015), which pays homage to classic arcade games,[277] while the film War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) features treacherous apes nicknamed "donkeys", which director Matt Reeves confirmed was a reference to Donkey Kong.[278]
The original Donkey Kong is a popular competitive video game. The Daily Telegraph called it "the most fiercely contested video game of all time",[279] while Polygon wrote that achieving the highest score "is probably the most coveted arcade game world record".[280] The King of Kong (2007), a documentary film directed by Seth Gordon,[281] brought Donkey Kong's competitive culture to prominence.[280] It follows two players, Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell, in their respective attempts to obtain and maintain the world record.[281] The Telegraph described Donkey Kong competition as bitter and said the heated rivalries between players contribute to the game's lasting appeal.[279] The Donkey Kong Country games are also popular in the video game speedrunning community.[282]
IGN said that Donkey Kong Country's soundtrack contributed to an increased appreciation for video game music as an art form, and musicians such as Trent Reznor and Donald Glover have praised it.[283] Glover sampled "Aquatic Ambience" in his 2012 song "Eat Your Vegetables", to which Wise expressed approval.[284] OverClocked ReMix has released Donkey Kong remix albums including contributions from Wise, Beanland, and Kirkhope.[285] Curse of the Crystal Coconut, a 2020 pirate metal album by the Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm, contains numerous references to the Donkey Kong franchise, including its title; those who pre-ordered the album had a chance to win an Alestorm-branded Nintendo 64 with a copy of Donkey Kong 64.[286]
Donkey Kong has been noted for its active fandom.[123][287] Nintendo Life described one fansite, DK Vine, as "highly respected".[109] The franchise's lack of storytelling has led fans to theorize its fictional chronology. Kotaku described one theory, which postulates that Donkey Kong Jr. was killed in a violent, off-screen conflict to explain his absence in the Country series, as "a fascinating example of how fandoms can run away with the smallest bits of narrative available" to rationalize inconsistencies.[123] A team of fans led by animator Alex Henderson released DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut, an animated tribute short film, in 2021 to commemorate the franchise's 40th anniversary and the Donkey Kong Country television series' 25th anniversary.[288] Several voice actors from the Country television series reprised their roles for DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle, a follow-up animation released in 2023.[289]
In the years following the original Donkey Kong's release, the phrase "it's on like Donkey Kong" entered pop culture vernacular.[290] The phrase has been used in television series, films, music, and news headlines;[291][292] it is typically used to say something is "going down".[293] It was popularized by the rapper Ice Cube, who used the phrase in his song "Now I Gotta Wet'cha" (1992), though it is unclear if he coined it.[293][294] Nintendo filed a trademark request for the phrase with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in November 2010 as part of its marketing push for Donkey Kong Country Returns.[291]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Japanese: ドンキーコング, Hepburn: Donkī Kongu, [doŋ.kiː koŋ.ɡɯ]
- ^ Although Universal's Space Panic preceded Donkey Kong by a year, Red Bull wrote that Donkey Kong is generally considered the first "true" platform game for introducing the ability to jump.[9]
- ^ Sales breakdown:
- ^ Sales breakdown:
- ^ Sales breakdown:
- ^ Sales breakdown:
- ^ Sales breakdown:
- ^ Sales breakdown:
- ^ Sales breakdown:
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Parish, Jeremy (January 21, 2014). "35 Years Ago, Nintendo's First Brush With Video Disaster". USGamer. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Sheff 1994, p. 103–105.
- ^ a b Sheff 1994, p. 106.
- ^ a b c d e Nix, Marc (September 14, 2010). "IGN Presents: The History of Super Mario Bros". IGN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ a b Sheff 1994, p. 47.
- ^ Sheff 1994, p. 48–49.
- ^ Sheff 1994, p. 47–48.
- ^ a b McFerran, Damien (February 26, 2018). "Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Gaming, Nodwin (March 23, 2017). "The evolution of platform games in 9 steps". Red Bull. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c Paumgarten, Nick (December 12, 2010). "Master of Play". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ Ziesak 2009, p. 2029.
- ^ Sheff 1994, p. 111.
- ^ a b Epstein 2019, p. 196.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (September 18, 2010). "Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Weinberger, Matt (August 15, 2015). "The 11 top-grossing video games of all time". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ Sheff 1994, p. 127.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (December 14, 2005). "History of Videogame Lawsuits". 1Up.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Horowitz 2020, p. 90–91.
- ^ Jackson, Steven (June 9, 2011). "Donkey Kong 3". Retro Gamer. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c Parish, Jeremy. "10 interesting things about Donkey Kong". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (May 10, 2018). "The Definitive Ranking of Donkey Kong Games". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (December 30, 2016). "Random: Sega Almost Released A Parking Attendant Game Starring Donkey Kong". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Kent 2001, p. 343.
- ^ a b Parish, Jeremy (November 21, 2019). "Donkey Kong Country turns 25: Gaming's biggest bluff". USGamer. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Parish, Jeremy (February 18, 2014). "Daily Classic: Donkey Kong's Unlikely Game Boy Reinvention". VG247. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Minotti, Mike (August 8, 2015). "The RetroBeat: Donkey Kong '94 for the Game Boy is Nintendo's forgotten masterpiece". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ Szczepaniak, John (July 29, 2023). "FEATURE Like Zelda And Mario, Donkey Kong Was Supposed To Get A Philips CD-i Game - What Happened?". Time Extension. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 25, 2020). "Alleged Nintendo "gigaleak" reveals eye-opening prototypes for Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Kart, Star Fox 2 and more". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Leah J. (July 27, 2020). "Everything Revealed In Nintendo's Largest Gigaleak Ever". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e McLaughlin, Rus (July 28, 2008). "IGN presents the history of Rare". IGN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Undercover Lover 1994, p. 54.
- ^ a b c d e McFerren, Damien (February 27, 2014). "Month of Kong: The making of Donkey Kong Country". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hunt, Stuart (June 22, 2021). ""Yes, we did go to the zoo and observe the gorillas": The making of Donkey Kong Country". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e DF Retro: Donkey Kong Country + Killer Instinct - A 16-Bit CG Revolution! (YouTube). Digital Foundry. December 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c IGN staff (March 1, 2001). "GameCube developer profile: Rare". IGN. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c Waugh, Eric-Jon Rossel (August 30, 2006). "A short history of Rare". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- ^ Langshaw, Mark (August 18, 2012). "Retro corner: 'Donkey Kong Country'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ Zwiezen, Zack (November 25, 2019). "Nintendo was worried Donkey Kong Country was 'too 3D'". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Semrad et al. 1994, p. 34.
- ^ McDonnell 1995, p. 102.
- ^ Atko & Andy 1994, p. 37.
- ^ Storm 1994, p. 78–80.
- ^ a b c d Gray, Kate (April 25, 2022). "Feature: The best (and worst) selling games of Nintendo's biggest franchises". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Goergen, Andy (February 12, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country, through the years". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ Milne 2018, p. 64.
- ^ The Feature Creature 1996, p. 41.
- ^ a b Milne 2018, p. 66.
- ^ Antista, Chris (October 14, 2010). "New screens honor the legacy of Donkey Kong Country - but WHY?". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Yarwood, Jack (June 22, 2021). "A 'Rare' interview with Donkey Kong Country composer Eveline Novakovic". FanByte. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ Milne 2022, p. 23.
- ^ Bailey, Dustin (July 1, 2022). "Donkey Kong Got His Original Game Boy Spin-Off Because It Was Too Hard to Port Donkey Kong Country". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e DiRienzo, David (January 25, 2015). "Donkey Kong Country". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ EGM staff 1997, p. 26.
- ^ a b Watts, Martin (February 23, 2014). "Month Of Kong: The Making Of Diddy Kong Racing". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c d MacDonald, Keza (April 12, 2007). "Diddy Kong Racing". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ IGN Staff (July 25, 1997). "Donkey Kong Swings to 64DD". IGN. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
- ^ Hunt 2007, p. 29.
- ^ Zuniga 1999, p. 219–224.
- ^ "Donkey Kong 64 Critic Reviews for Nintendo 64". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ IGN Staff (January 13, 2000). "Nintendo Dominates Videogame Sales". IGN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c Taruc, Nelson (November 22, 1999). "Donkey Kong 64 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (November 24, 1999). "Donkey Kong 64 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ EGM staff 2000, p. 178.
- ^ a b Watts, Martin (February 28, 2014). "Month Of Kong: Whatever Happened To Donkey Kong Racing?". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- ^ Harris, Craig (May 19, 2001). "E3: Hands on: Diddy Kong Pilot". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ Harris, Craig (May 21, 2001). "Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers". IGN. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (August 4, 2015). "Rare Co-Founder Has No Idea Why Nintendo Didn't Buy The Studio Outright". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ Crossley, Rob (October 27, 2010). "Activision's deal to steal Rare". Develop. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ "Nintendo confirms Rare sale". Eurogamer. September 23, 2002. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ IGN staff (August 12, 2004). "It's Mr. Pants". IGN. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Craig (April 21, 2004). "Banjo-Pilot". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ DiRienzo, David (April 17, 2015). "Donkey Kong 64". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Hernandez, Pedro (May 31, 2010). "My Favorite Nintendo Character: Donkey Kong Part 2". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Castro, Juan (September 23, 2004). "Donkey Konga". IGN. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (May 7, 2022). "Former Nintendo America boss Reggie secretly 'hated' Donkey Konga". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Donkey Konga for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Cole, Michael (March 22, 2005). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ DiRienzo, David (April 17, 2015). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ Whitehead, Thomas (November 2, 2016). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Hitting the North American Wii U eShop This Week". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ a b IGN staff (June 14, 2004). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Info". IGN. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ Totilo, Stephen (October 2, 2008). "Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat Wii Re-Make to Use Wii Remote, Nunchuk". MTV. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ "Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Hands-on". IGN. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- ^ "DK Barrel Blast Review". IGN. October 15, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Reddick, Stuart (March 23, 2009). "Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Review (Wii)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (June 10, 2003). "Donkey Kong Country details". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 21, 2004). "Donkey Kong Country 2 Hands-On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Calvert, Justin (October 21, 2005). "Donkey Kong Country 3 Hands-On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Craig (January 23, 2007). "Diddy Kong Racing DS Hands-On". IGN. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Kaluszka, Aaron (September 10, 2007). "DK Jungle Climber". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Ronaghan, Neal (March 10, 2015). "The Eternal Struggle of Mario vs. Donkey Kong". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Totilo, Stephen (November 25, 2010). "Review: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem Is More Donkey Kong Than 2010's Other Big Donkey Kong Game". Kotaku. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Iwata, Satoru (December 1, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns - Codename: Fate". Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Harris, Craig (June 17, 2010). "E3 2010: Kensuke Tanabe and the Metroid palm tree". IGN. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ Milne 2022, p. 24.
- ^ Purchese, Robert (January 28, 2011). "Nintendo's fab Donkey Kong Country sales". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ "Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ McShea, Tom (November 22, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ Troup, Christina (November 19, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns review for Wii". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (November 19, 2010). "Wii review: Donkey Kong Country Returns review". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ Mitchell, Richard (May 17, 2013). "Deja Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D". Engadget. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Middler, Jordan (June 18, 2024). "Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is coming to Nintendo Switch". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (June 27, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze full E3 interview". USgamer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Reeves, Ben (December 24, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Nintendo answers our burning questions". Game Informer. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ Sadev, Ishaan (February 21, 2014). "Snow May Have Frozen Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze's Sales". Siliconera. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (May 8, 2018). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Switch sales show why these ports of Wii U games exist". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c McFerran, Damien (May 13, 2021). "Rumour: The Next Donkey Kong Is Being Developed By The Super Mario Odyssey Team". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Olney, Alex (March 5, 2015). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Review (3DS eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Whitehead, Thomas (June 8, 2016). "Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Review (3DS eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Scullion, Chris (September 14, 2023). "GBA title Mario vs Donkey Kong is being remade for Switch". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Blake, Vikki (May 5, 2024). "Activision's Vicarious Visions worked on a cancelled 3D Donkey Kong game". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Middler, Jordan (May 5, 2024). "Activision studio Vicarious Visions was working on a Donkey Kong game, it's claimed". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Berube, Justin (January 7, 2019). "Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Jr. (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Reed, Phillip J. (September 16, 2012). "Donkey Kong Jr. Review (3DS eShop / NES)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ van Duyn, Marcel (June 17, 2011). "Donkey Kong Review (3DS eShop / GB)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ a b Mackey, Bob (February 26, 2014). "It's On Like... Him: How Donkey Kong's design has evolved over three decades". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Wood, Austin (January 19, 2021). "Original Donkey Kong Country drafts reveal the characters that might have been". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Henry (February 21, 2014). "The History of Donkey Kong". GamesRadar+. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Henry (September 23, 2014). "Nintendo trivia - 64 little known facts about the gaming giant". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Irving, Mike (June 19, 2022). "Cranky Kong works out that new-fangled Twitter thing". VG247. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c k, merritt (November 21, 2019). "The Donkey Kong Timeline Is Truly Disturbing". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Milne 2022, p. 18–20.
- ^ Bertoli, Ben (April 29, 2018). "Every Kong, Ranked". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Astrid (August 9, 2018). "Twitter Really Wants to F*ck King K Rool, and so Do I". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Friedman, Daniel (January 8, 2019). "Why King K. Rool is dominating Smash fans' attention, and affection". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Dinh, Tri Do (October 20, 2022). "Donkey Kong Country 2 creates an atmosphere like no other I Why I Love". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Gibson, Ellie (November 19, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Shive, Chris (May 29, 2013). "Pocket Power: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Housman, Andrew (April 7, 2023). "Bringing Donkey Kong To The Super Mario Bros. Movie Gave Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto A New Perspective". /Film. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Scullion, Chris (August 27, 2022). "The Complete History of Mario Kart Games". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Jakobs, Benjamin (October 10, 2021). "Super Mario Party: Alle Charaktere freischalten" [Super Mario Party: Unlock All Characters]. Eurogamer (in German). Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 1, 2018). "As Banjo-Kazooie turns 20, we remember Rare's answer to Super Mario 64". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
- ^ Berube, Justin (June 16, 2018). "Arcade Archives Donkey Kong (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Frear, Dave (June 18, 2018). "Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (July 28, 2008). "Donkey Kong 3 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Thomas, Lucas M. (June 27, 2011). "Donkey Kong Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 17, 2006). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Craig (September 25, 2006). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Sources comparing Mario vs. Donkey Kong's gameplay to Lemmings include:
- Harris, Craig (September 25, 2006). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- Reed, Kristan (March 7, 2007). "Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- Saas, Don (March 5, 2015). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- Vore, Bryan (November 14, 2010). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem Review". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Nintendo Power staff 1994, p. 8–17.
- ^ a b Scary Larry 1994, p. 51.
- ^ Sheffield, Brandon (May 30, 2011). "Turning Nintendo: The Donkey Kong Country Returns interview". Game Developer. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Iwata, Satoru (December 1, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns - White-knuckled Action". Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ^ Riendeau, Danielle (December 24, 2014). "Best of the rest 2014: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze deserves more love than it got". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Kalata, Kurt (January 25, 2016). "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Horwitz, Jeremy (May 1, 2018). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze review — a Funky-fresh Switch update". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c Whitehead, Thomas (February 17, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Review (Wii U)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Goergen, Andy (February 17, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Wong, Kevin (July 19, 2016). "I Wish I'd Found This Donkey Kong Country Secret As A Kid". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (September 22, 2010). "Donkey Kong Country Returns Hands-On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Milne 2022, p. 18.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (January 23, 2019). "Super NES retro review: Donkey Kong Country". US Gamer. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (February 20, 2007). "Donkey Kong Country Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (February 17, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Kalata, Kurt (January 25, 2016). "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Veloria, Lorenzo (April 18, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D preview - New screens and details". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Hayhoe 2022, pp. 65–67.
- ^ "RVG Interviews: Paul Machacek". Retro Video Gamer. May 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Power, Tom (December 6, 2019). "As Donkey Kong 64 turns 20, the devs reflect on its design, the infamous DK Rap, and how a shocked Shigeru Miyamoto created the Coconut Shooter". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Cole, Michael (March 22, 2005). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Harris, Craig (August 31, 2007). "DK Jungle Climber Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Metts, Jonathan (October 28, 2007). "Donkey Kong Barrel Blast". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Chrissy (September 20, 2007). "Taiko No Tatsujin [import] review". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Torres, Ricardo (May 11, 2004). "Donkey Konga E3 2004 Hands On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Donkey Konga Playtest". IGN. December 12, 2003. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Yukio Kaneoka – 1985 Developer Interview". Shmuplations. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Kiya, Andrew (February 16, 2021). "Metroid and Pokemon Composer is Releasing Demo Tapes". Siliconera. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Wise, David (December 2004). "The Tepid Seat - Rare Music Team" (Interview). Rare. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007.
- ^ a b Greening, Chris (December 2010). "Interview with David Wise". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Gera, Emily (March 5, 2014). "Synth, big band jazz and the remaking of Donkey Kong Country's amazing sound". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Kalata, Kurt (January 15, 2016). "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Zverloff, Nick (April 17, 2013). "Donkey Kong Land". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (May 21, 2020). "David Wise and Grant Kirkhope Remember Composing Goldeneye 007, Meeting Miyamoto, and Rare's Golden Age". VG247. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Kirkhope, Grant. "Donkey Kong 64 Video Game Music Compositions". Grant Kirkhope. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Donaldson, Andrew (June 17, 2009). "Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo 64) Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ James B (October 26, 2012). "Grant Kirkhope Interview Part 2 – DK Rap featured". Nintendo Nation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ Elston, Brett (December 21, 2010). "Game music of the (holi)day: Diddy Kong Racing". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ Van Zelfden, Alex (May 1, 2008). "The Music of Super Mario Galaxy". IGN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Norman, Jim (February 19, 2024). "Mario vs. Donkey Kong's OG Composers Talk Making The Jump From GBA To Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "Smash Moves: Donkey Kong". IGN. January 15, 2002. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Kietzmann, Ludwig (August 22, 2007). "Diddy Kong joins Smash Bros. Brawl roster". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Labella, Anthony (December 24, 2014). "Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) Stage List". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Green, Jake (April 17, 2019). "Super Smash Bros Ultimate music list - every song in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, full soundtrack". USGamer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Jones, Jason B. (October 20, 2009). "Mario & Sonic Go Back to the Olympics". Wired. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Wong, Kevin (January 5, 2016). "Every Punch-Out!! Opponent, Ranked". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Gilliam, Ryan (June 27, 2018). "Donkey Kong Adventure is a lot more Mario + Rabbids, for better and worse". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Snider, Mike (June 16, 2015). "Nintendo stars Donkey Kong and Bowser to invade new 'Skylanders' game". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c Reeves, Ben (November 25, 2011). "A Look Back At The '80s Donkey Kong Cartoon". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ "Saturday Supercade (1983)". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (June 23, 2010). "Optimus Prime Talks About Being the First Voice of Mario". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Scullion, Chris (September 21, 2019). "Feature: 10 Strangest Moments In Captain N: The Game Master". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Drucker, Michael (February 1, 2007). "Captain N The Game Master - The Complete Series". IGN. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Paprocki, Matt (June 5, 2020). "Inside Nintendo's weird attempts at making movies and TV shows". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e DiRienzo, David (May 18, 2014). "Donkey Kong Country (Cartoon)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Solomon, Charles (June 1, 1999). "An Emmy Awards Debate: What Makes 'Donkey Kong' Run?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ a b Bonthuys, Darryn (July 14, 2022). "Nightmare Fuel Donkey Kong Country TV Series Is Free To Watch On YouTube And Amazon". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Reeves, Ben (December 17, 2012). "Mario's First Comic Book Appearance". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (December 7, 2012). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #396". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Szczepaniak, John (September 30, 2021). "Check out this forgotten Donkey Kong Country comic from the UK". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Zverloff, Nick (April 17, 2013). "Donkey Kong Land". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Phillips, Tom (April 11, 2023). "Here's where the Mario movie series may go next". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (April 30, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Officially Smashes $1 Billion Globally". Variety. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Busch, Caitlin; Grebey, James; Weiss, Josh (April 5, 2023). "Our Favorite 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Easter Eggs: Game References, Cameos & More". SyFy Wire. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Frederiksen, Eric (November 29, 2022). "The Super Mario Movie Features A Redesigned Donkey Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto Says". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Leston, Ryan (November 28, 2022). "Shigeru Miyamoto Reveals Why Donkey Kong Got a Redesign For The Super Mario Bros. Movie". IGN. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Campbell, Evan (April 4, 2023). "Review Roundup For The Super Mario Bros. Movie". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Jiang, Sisi (April 3, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Fans Knock Seth Rogen For Barely Trying". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (November 3, 2021). "Another source points to potential Donkey Kong movie with Seth Rogen". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Rogen: 'A lot of opportunity' for Donkey Kong spinoff". Madison. April 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Scullion, Chris (September 28, 2021). "Super Nintendo World's Donkey Kong expansion is officially opening in 2024". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (May 2, 2024). "Super Nintendo World to Open at Universal Epic Universe in 2025 With Donkey Kong Country and a Mine-Cart Ride". IGN. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (September 28, 2021). "Super Nintendo World Adding Donkey Kong Land At Theme Park In Japan". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 5, 2023). "First Details of Donkey Kong Country Theme Park at Super Nintendo World Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Bitner, John (November 3, 2023). "Massive Savings On Merch Today Only - Mario, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Studio Ghibli, And More". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Newton, James (October 16, 2010). "This Plush Donkey Kong Can Be Yours Down Under". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Dickens, Anthony (November 3, 2023). "List of Donkey Kong amiibo - Guide". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Elston, Brett (April 28, 2009). "17 videogame soundtracks ahead of their time". GamesRadar+. p. 3. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Kombo (May 4, 2012). "Donkey Kong Country, Streets of Rage, New Adventure Island, The Legend of Kage". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (April 28, 2023). "Donkey Kong Lego Sets Join The Super Mario Lineup". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Abbott, Benjamin (April 28, 2023). "New Lego Donkey Kong sets are a nostalgia overload for longtime fans". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Martin, Garrett (January 9, 2023). "The 10 Best-Selling Nintendo Franchises of All Time". Paste. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (September 29, 2021). "The Donkey Kong Series Has Surpassed 65 Million Sales Worldwide". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ CESA 2021, pp. 155–160.
- ^ "Nintendo Beefs up its Player's Choice Line". GameSpot. May 17, 2006. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Nunnely-Jackson, Stephany (March 1, 2016). "Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong Games join Nintendo Selects line later this month". VG247. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Sheff 1994, p. 121.
- ^ a b c CESA 2021, p. 173.
- ^ a b Kent 2001, p. 352.
- ^ a b c CESA 2021, p. 170.
- ^ CESA 2021, p. 167.
- ^ a b CESA 2021, p. 168.
- ^ a b CESA 2021, p. 164.
- ^ a b c CESA 2021, p. 163.
- ^ CESA 2021, p. 166.
- ^ CESA 2021, p. 174.
- ^ CESA 2021, p. 171.
- ^ "Fiscal Year Ended March 2024 Earnings Release/ Financial Results Briefing (Online) - Financial Results Explanatory Material" (PDF). Nintendo. May 7, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ CESA 2021, p. 162.
- ^ a b CESA 2021, p. 165.
- ^ Bishop, Sam (January 31, 2019). "Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze passes 4 million units sold". Gamereactor. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Fahs, Travis (July 6, 2011). "The Secret History of Donkey Kong". Game Developer. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c Loveridge, Sam (April 12, 2013). "The 50 most important games of all time". GamesRadar+. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Latson, Jennifer (June 2, 2015). "How Donkey Kong and Mario Changed the World". Time. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ Glancey 1996, pp. 15–16.
- ^ a b 【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第6回:業務用ゲーム機の挫折をバネにファミコンの実現に挑む [How the Famicom Was Born – Part 6: Making the Famicom a Reality]. Nikkei Electronics (in Japanese). September 12, 1994. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (August 21, 2017). "The Famicom Legacy". VG247. Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ 【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第7回:業務用機の仕様を家庭用に、LSIの開発から着手 [How the Famicom Was Born – Part 7: Deciding on the Specs]. Nikkei Electronics (in Japanese). December 19, 1994. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Buchanan, Levi (March 11, 2008). "Top 10 Donkey Kong Imitators". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Altice 2015, pp. 53–80.
- ^ CVG 1983, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (July 26, 2014). "Five Critical Moments in Platform Game History". VG247. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ "Gaming's most important evolutions". GamesRadar. October 8, 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ Rogers, Tim (November 27, 2019). "Let's remember Donkey Kong Country, 25 years later". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Hernandez, Pedro (August 17, 2011). "Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Elston, Brett (September 30, 2010). "Game music of the day: Vectorman". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Moriarty, Colin (October 4, 2013). "Rising to greatness: The history of Naughty Dog". IGN. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
- ^ Sao, Akinori (October 10, 2017). "Kirby Super Star developer interview - SNES Classic Edition". Nintendo. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ Mean Machines Sega staff 1996, p. 25.
- ^ Priestman, Chris (July 28, 2015). "Donkey Kong Country-inspired platformer Mekazoo will have tag team-style local co-op". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ Peeples, Jeremy (March 26, 2021). "Review: Kaze and the Wild Masks". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ "Good Game Stores - Feature: Reboots". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. February 26, 2013. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Davenport, James (June 28, 2019). "Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is basically Donkey Kong Country on PC". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Dring, Christopher (June 14, 2019). "Playtonic: "We are never using the term spiritual successor again"". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Dransfield, Ian (December 2, 2014). "Twenty years on, 'Donkey Kong Country' is still as terrible as it ever was". Vice. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Green, Andy (June 10, 2013). "A Hat in Time Developer Claims Donkey Kong 64 Was Instrumental In Killing off Collection Platformers". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ a b McElroy, Griffin (June 9, 2013). "A Hat in Time Hopes to Atone for the Platforming Sins of Donkey Kong 64". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ EGM staff 2005, p. 50.
- ^ Reeves, Ben (December 20, 2013). "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Top 50 video game characters of all time announced in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition". Gamasutra. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (March 11, 2005). "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". IGN. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Donkey Kong Turns 25". Wired. August 15, 2006. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (July 9, 2014). "It's Donkey Kong's 33rd birthday today". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "The 12 greatest arcade machines of all time". GamesRadar+. June 29, 2009. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Donkey Kong Truck Hits Monster Jam". IGN. December 7, 2007. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Calvert, Darren (July 23, 2015). "Donkey Kong Nearly Missed Out On Pixels Stardom". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Collura, Scott (December 10, 2016). "War for the Planet of the Apes: Trailer commentary by director Matt Reeves". IGN. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Rowe, Sam (September 10, 2014). "Donkey Kong: the game that refuses to be beaten". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Good, Owen S. (May 8, 2016). "Donkey Kong's all-time record broken again, with a 'perfect' game (update)". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Peter Travers (August 7, 2007). "The King of Kong: Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (November 21, 2019). "Donkey Kong Country team reflects on the game's 25th anniversary". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ IGN (August 6, 2023). The Most Emotional Video Game Music in the Unlikeliest of Places. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (May 24, 2018). "Random: Childish Gambino sampled Donkey Kong Country and David Wise definitely approves". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ Sorlie, Audun (November 6, 2009). "Original Donkey Kong Country Composers Contribute to OverClocked ReMix's Serious Monkey Business". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (June 4, 2020). "Random: Pirate Metal Band Alestorm's Latest Album Features Several Donkey Kong References". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Priestman, Chris (December 2, 2014). "First Part Of Fan-Made "A Tribute To Donkey Kong Country" Is Out Now". Siliconera. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Devore, Jordan (September 15, 2021). "DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut is an inspired animated tribute to Donkey Kong Country". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Reynolds, Ollie (May 10, 2023). "Random: OG Donkey Kong Country TV Series Cast Reunites For Animated Short". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Elston, Brett (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo trying to trademark "It's on like Donkey Kong"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Schreier, Jason (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo Trademarks 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'". Wired. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Gross, Doug (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo seeks to trademark 'On like Donkey Kong'". CNN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Purewal, Sarah Jacobsson (November 11, 2010). "Nintendo Wants to Trademark 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'". PC World. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Nunnely-Jackson, Stephanie (November 10, 2010). "Nintendo says, "It's on like Donkey Kong"". VG247. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
Works cited
[edit]- 2021CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Papers). Tokyo: Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2021. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5.
- "The 10 Most Overrated Games". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 190. Lombard: Ziff Davis. May 2005. p. 50. ISSN 1058-918X.
- Altice, Nathan (2015). I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN 9780262028776.
- Atko; Andy (December 1994). "Donkey Kong Country". Total!. No. 36. Bath: Future Publishing. pp. 36–39. ISSN 0964-9352.
- "Big Buzz for an X-Mas Boom". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 101. Lombard: Ziff Davis. December 1997. p. 26. ISSN 1058-918X.
- "Cover story: Sonic 3D". Mean Machines Sega. No. 45. London: EMAP. July 1996. pp. 22–25. ISSN 0967-9014.
- "Donkey Kong 64". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 127. Lombard: Ziff Davis. February 2000. p. 178. ISSN 1058-918X.
- Epstein, David (June 27, 2019). "Chapter 9: Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology". Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5098-4351-0.
- The Feature Creature (January 1996). "Up in the Treehouse". GamePro. No. 88. Oakland: IDG Communications. pp. 40–42. ISSN 1042-8658.
- Hayhoe, Benjamin (July 7, 2022). "The Making of: Donkey Kong Land". Retro Gamer. No. 235. Bournemouth: Future plc. pp. 64–67. ISSN 1742-3155.
- Horowitz, Ken (July 30, 2020). Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1476684208.
- Glancey, Paul (1996). The Complete History of Computer and Video Games. London: EMAP. ISSN 0261-3697.
- "Gorilla Keeps on Climbing! Kong". Computer and Video Games. No. 26. Peterborough: St Ives. December 1983. pp. 40–41. ISSN 0261-3697.
- Hunt, Stuart (October 2007). "The History of Donkey Kong". Retro Gamer. No. 43. Bournemouth: Imagine Publishing. p. 29. ISSN 1742-3155.
- Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games. New York City: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
- McDonnell, Chet (January 1995). "Aping Mario?". Next Generation. No. 1. Brisbane: Imagine Media. p. 102. ISSN 1078-9693.
- Milne, Rory (May 14, 2018). "The Making of: Donkey Kong Country 2". Retro Gamer. No. 181. Bournemouth: Future plc. pp. 64–67. ISSN 1742-3155.
- Milne, Rory (September 1, 2022). "The Evolution of Donkey Kong Country". Retro Gamer. No. 237. Bournemouth: Future plc. pp. 18–27. ISSN 1742-3155.
- "Now playing". Nintendo Power. No. 66. Redmond: Nintendo of America. November 1994. pp. 102–107. ISSN 1041-9551.
- Scary Larry (December 1994). "Nintendo went ape". GamePro. Vol. 6, no. 12. Needham: International Data Group. pp. 51–53. ISSN 1042-8658.
- Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Sushi-X (November 1994). "Review crew: Game of the month". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 7, no. 11. Lombard: Sendai Publications. p. 34. ISSN 1058-918X.
- Sheff, David (1994). Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World (1st Vintage books ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 9780307800749. OCLC 780180879.
- Storm, E. (November 1994). "Donkey Kong Country". Diehard GameFan. Vol. 2, no. 11. Agoura Hills: DieHard Gamers Club. pp. 76–81. ISSN 1092-7212.
- Undercover Lover (December 1994). "Gorilla game design". GamePro. Vol. 6, no. 12. Needham: International Data Group. pp. 54–55. ISSN 1042-8658.
- Ziesak, Jörg (2009). Wii Innovate – How Nintendo Created a New Market Through Strategic Innovation. Munich: GRIN Verlag. p. 2029. ISBN 978-3-640-49774-4. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- Zuniga, Todd (December 1999). "Show Me the Monkey! Donkey Kong 64". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 125. Lombard: Ziff Davis. pp. 219–224. ISSN 1058-918X.