Donkey Konga Bounces to Stores

Press Release

September 28, 2004, 12:50 pm EDT
Total comments: 7

Drop that controller (like it's hot)!

Drop That Controller! Nintendo's New Game, Donkey Konga,Goes Bonkers for Bongos

Musical Competition of Donkey Konga Will Be the First to Use New Bongo Peripheral

REDMOND, Wash.--Sept. 28, 2004--For years, video games have been

governed by simple rules of control: Press one button to do this,

press another button to do that. Now, Nintendo shatters that model by

introducing the most novel video game accessories ever: bongos. Yes,

bongos!

Donkey Konga(TM), now available exclusively for Nintendo

GameCube(TM), combines the new DK Bongos controller with well-known

musical selections to foster a wild, clapping, tapping and laughing

party atmosphere. Players compete by thumping their bongos to the beat

of songs like "What I Like About You," "Whip It" and "All the Small

Things." The better your rhythm, the better your score.

"If you like music and video games, you'll love this addictive new

game, available just in time for the start of the holidays," says

George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of

marketing and corporate communications. "Once you play Donkey Konga,

we know you won't be able to keep your hands off the drums."

Each DK Bongos controller has a left and right drum. The on-screen

musical action instructs players to tap one or both drums to the beat

of the selected song or follow the beat with a clap, which is picked

up by a built-in microphone. As each player has a different

arrangement for each song, when players synch up to the music, it

sounds great. When they don't, it's hilarious.

Even people who've never before played a video game can grasp

Donkey Konga instantly and start having fun. The game's side-splitting

nature is best revealed in musical bongo jam sessions between up to

four friends, family members or co-workers.

Single-player modes offer their own musical tests of skill,

challenging players to earn coins and unlock special sound effects,

such as barnyard animal noises, dogs barking or effects from classic

Nintendo video games.

Donkey Konga is available now at an MSRP of $49.99, which includes

one DK Bongos controller. Additional DK Bongos controllers can be

purchased separately at an MSRP of $29.99. The standard Nintendo

GameCube controller also can be used with the game.

Talkback

CalibanSeptember 28, 2004

Just got it an hour ago and I say it's quite a nice game. I even had a friend to try multiplayer and it is even better. Just one notice, be prepared for a little workout on your hands.

3rdrocketSeptember 28, 2004

yeah mine have smoke coming off them

nickmitchSeptember 28, 2004

Wouldn't droppiing the controller risk breaking it?

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorSeptember 28, 2004

i have one MASSIVE complaint already.......

The fricken high scores don't have name entry. THAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF! Why do game makers do this, especially with rhythm games. DDR is the same thing...all individual song records are just recorded with no sign of who accomplished the feat.

Argh

WindrunnerSeptember 28, 2004

My only complatint so far is that it doesn't have any rankings in multiplayer. If there's 4 of us playing (tonight with 2 of my employees and my fiancee), we could never tell who did the best without doing math in our heads. Boo to that. Once in a while it would give a statue to someone, but usually not.

A small complaint, though... I think it's possibly the greatest party game ever made.

joshnickersonSeptember 30, 2004

I just got it yesterday, and I'm having a blast with it.
My only complaint is the song selection IS rather limited. I dig most of 'em, but there's a few on there that I literally have to mute the TV in order to play. Hopefully this game will be big enough that Nintendo will release an expansion next year (and hopefully they'll have sense enough NOT to charge a full $50 for it).