If you grew up in the 90’s and early 2000’s and owned the video game console Nintendo, than you more than likely played the game “Donkey Kong”. The game featured a big, strong donkey which you could control through several different missions. Some of the games included the son Donkey Kong Junior and his sidekick Diddy Kong, both characters quickly capturing the hearts of all gamers.
Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Country were both highly popular and influential games in the gaming community. Being able to engage in a number of different exciting levels and finishing off with a hectic and brutal fight against the levels’ boss were the main aspects of this fun game. The video game was quite popular inside of our household and was played often by my brother and I. However, ridding of our Nintendo gaming system in the early 2000’s, the playing of this game was no longer an option in our home.
However, the option of playing this game was brought back to life in the year 2010 by using the WII gaming system. I was hesitant to purchase the game at first since I bought the WII mainly for the exercise and sports games. I hadn’t tried playing an actual video game on my WII yet, but figured the Donkey Kong remake would be the perfect way to start.
I quickly ran over to the video game store “Gamestop” and purchased Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii gaming system. I hurried back to my home, excited as ever to relive my childhood gaming experience. Popping in the disc to the WII, I began playing the game momentarily. I quickly discovered that the remake of the original Donkey Kong video game was not nearly the same. A lot had changed within the two games, but looking back on it I believe it was maybe the gaming system rather than the game itself.
I say this because the game play is entirely different. If you are not experienced with the WII gaming system controllers, then you will find it difficult to play this game. I also believe that the remake made this game significantly easier to beat. I was almost able to complete the entire game in one day, while the Nintendo version was a lot harder and took months to complete. I do not think it has anything to do with my age or gaming experience either; if I were to play the old Nintendo game I would still find myself struggling in a number of different areas.
For me, the remake of the original Donkey Kong Country was a bust. I don’t recommend it for those who are still equipped with a Nintendo gaming system. However, if you are unable to play the original, then trying out the WII version will be your only option. Just expect to have an easier game but with almost the exact same characters and levels. I believe children of the new era will have no problem enjoying the game, but would enjoy the original much better.
