Video Game Review: Donkey Konga

Donkey Konga

(Namco Limited)

The first video game I ever purchased, and no doubt the initiation of many gamers of our Halo-fed generation, was that awe-inspiring trifecta of pixilated pleasures: the Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet combo pack. While some wondered how so much power could fit into a single plastic cartridge and others mulled over what drug-fortified madness put two Italian plumbers in a world of angry, portly mushrooms, the rest of us stopped thinking altogether and rocked the Power Pad. That Power Pad, an ungainly gray spread dotted with red and blue circles (with white shine marks for pseudo-3-D flair) was the portal wherein one could enter into the high-octane dope-pumping wonderland of events like the “110 Meter Hurdles” and “Long Jump.” The key was not the gameplay, which sucked to oblivion, but the ability to interact with a device that demanded more bodily exertion than simply one’s thumbs and index fingers.

Over the decades, video games, unlike winged turtles, have evolved, and Dance Dance Revolution and its many clones have produced any variety of special pads and controllers to stomp and pound in order to produce rhythmic beats. The newest entry into the market, Namco Limited’s Donkey Konga, does not deviate very far from the DDR-established formula of following the beats, but it one ups its competitors with one resonant feature: bongo drums. The pads are ultra-plush and springy, and even after an hour of play, my hands felt no pain. The bongo controller also features a sensor between the two pads to detect hand claps, which are also elemental to the action.

As with any decent song-based game, a plethora of aurally pleasant tunes is crucial to Donkey Konga’s success. There are over thirty songs at your drumming disposal, and while your standard Nintendo classics and children’s singalongs are available, so are a range of pop ditties more familiar to the college kids of today. You can unleash your inner Roger Taylor to Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” or dispose of your inner Travis Barker on Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.” Granted, the licensing department at Namco seems to have failed in acquiring the rights to the actual songs, but these covers are more than passable and it took a while to even notice that it’s not actually the Mighty Mighty Bosstones playing “The Impression That I Get.”

Unfortunately, the game suffers in the arena of mini-games, that ever crucial asset that modern gamers demand. The first game I’ve unlocked (after acquiring coins through the game’s single-player “Street Performance” mode) involves climbing a series of ropes to gather bananas, but the controls were so unresponsive and clumsy that I doubt I’ll play it again. Also the game costs a reasonable $50, but if you want any social value to come of this, you’ll have to buy a second set of bongos at $30. That’s a hefty price tag, so I can’t recommend Donkey Konga beyond those who are already into DDR-style games or those who want to get into them. But for those millions, Konga will resurrect the glorious days when Power Pad was king.

—Ben B. Chung