New DK bongo game does away with pesky bongos
by Justin McElroy 
{ Apr 19th 2007 at 11:30AM }
We enjoyed everything about the series of Donkey Kong-based bongo games on the GameCube with one small exception: That darn bongo controller. Now, thanks to the announcement of Donkey Kong Bongo Blast on the Wii you can enjoy all the bongo action without putting your poor hands and wrists through the stress of actually having to play the bongos.Details on the game, which was originally revealed a year ago for the 'Cube, were found in Famitsu scans by The Wiire. (The only thing worse than bongos: Titles created specifically for the Wii.) The new bongo title is a racing game where you'll shake the Wiimote and Nunchuk to accelerate, shake one harder than the other to turn and lift both to jump. Now, doesn't that sound a lot more fun than playing with some dumb old bongos? There's a four-person multiplayer mode, so you can spare your friends the palm soreness too! There's no mention of the game supporting the GameCube's bongo controller and we sure hope it stays that way when the game's released in Japan on June 28. We don't know if there will be a U.S. release yet, but we'll keep our reddened, bongo-battered fingers crossed.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MP @ Apr 19th 2007 11:42AM
what's with all the bongo hate? so what if it supports wii controller and old bongos if you have them?
Fatass of Kickassness @ Apr 19th 2007 11:41AM
that quite possibly may be the worst control scheme I've EVER hear of.
Corosato @ Apr 19th 2007 11:46AM
Wow....drugs are bad
Intentless @ Apr 19th 2007 11:48AM
A. Why is it still called DK bongo when it has nothing at all to do with the bongos... B. I love the wii but that just sounds horrible....
Konny @ Apr 19th 2007 11:50AM
LAME! ... its like having guitar hero WITHOUT the guitar.. whats the freakin point? Might as well play air-guitar.
Dave @ Apr 19th 2007 11:55AM
At #2, he was being sarcastic. I love Donkey Konga 1, 2 and Jungle Beat. Great, imaginative games.
the_insider @ Apr 19th 2007 12:01PM
That control scheme sounds bad. Shaking harder to go faster sounds like a pain (Rayman *cough* *cough*) and not like something you can play for more than a few minutes. Can't imagine how Bongo's would be more painful.
vidGuy @ Apr 19th 2007 11:57AM
That sounds horrible. Bring back the bongos!
Really, the bongos made many a drunken evening for me and my group. Very fun.
Matthew @ Apr 19th 2007 12:02PM
I'll still use my bongos, I'll just hit the bongo with my Wiimote and nunchuck as drumsticks
LongshotX @ Apr 19th 2007 12:04PM
That sounds like it'll make for more terrible control schemes on the oH! so REVOLUTIONARY WII. VIVA LA REVOLUTION, my ass!
vidGuy @ Apr 19th 2007 12:09PM
Longshot, have you played Tiger Woods, SSX Blur, Madden, or Zelda on the Wii? All of those have benefited by the Wii's control scheme and are a ton better with the remote than a traditional controller (with the only exception, IMO, being Zelda's sword slashing). Wii control is going to be hit and miss. Just because a few games' controls suck doesn't mean the control hardware is broken.
LongshotX @ Apr 19th 2007 12:14PM
@VidGuy
Actually I have. Sorry, I've given the Wii plenty of shots to show me what it's really made of, and guess what I know exactly what it is: it is a special ingredient Sony is fond of using, its called HYPE! The Wii to me is B-B-b-b-b-o-r-i-n-g! Oh would you mind giving me some more games that uses the GODLY Wii control scheme?
JodyAnthony @ Apr 19th 2007 12:16PM
vidGuy, longshotx has never played a wii game. hell, I dont think he plays games at all. he seems to just lurk on joystiq 24 hours a day posting his "clever" negative remarks about wii constantly.
http://www.jodyanthony.com
Jack of No Trades @ Apr 19th 2007 12:20PM
Im on LongshotX's side.
Yes, Nintendo gave us an alternate control scheme, but is it truely better? Not really.
vidGuy @ Apr 19th 2007 12:22PM
His comments are sad, really. I've owned a Wii since day one, played on it for probably close to 150 hours, and own 8 games. I usually don't buy a system at launch, play so many hours, or buy so many games that quickly. The Wii is just that good.
Is the Wii a replacement for traditional games with super-impressive graphics? No. But it is a damn good complement and well worth the price. The Wii's control opens up whole new dimensions of gaming, and it is really a shame to see someone spread propaganda to those who would otherwise try the system out.
Kye @ Apr 19th 2007 12:23PM
Well played JodyAnthony,
well played.
Evan @ Apr 19th 2007 12:25PM
I have fond memories of the Bongos. (Well, I don't actually remember because I was drunk, but I know we enjoyed them!) Nintendo: please bring back the Bongos!
JodyAnthony @ Apr 19th 2007 12:29PM
the bongos were awesome. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was in my top 10 favorite games of last generation
Dan @ Apr 19th 2007 12:32PM
I love my bongo controllers. Please, Nintendo! Let me use them on Wii games - and DK BONGO Blast in particular!
Bangbang... @ Apr 19th 2007 12:33PM
I havent played Tiger Woods or SSX Blur, but Madden and Zelda on the wii are nothing special. The motion controls are just used in the place of buttons and add nothing to the game. This quote from a Game Informer interview pretty much sums up how I feel about motion controls as they are today.
"I think as developers, we think in terms of, “OK, if I move the controller right, I can turn my car right,” or “If I tilt the controller to the left, I can make my airplane tilt left,” and I think that we need to get above that and think, “What else can can we do? We have this functionality that’s built into the standard game controller, so it doesn’t need to replace that, per se.” We should try to add something with added value, if you will—something with a totally new paradigm in terms of the functionality. So I hope that people will in the future begin to think, “How can we use this to convey emotion?” or “How can we use this to provide an input that’s unique and separate from the button and lever control scheme?” " -Yosuke Hayashi
Long story short, bring back the damn bongos.
LongshotX @ Apr 19th 2007 12:34PM
No I'm a avid DS Lite user and Xbox 360 user. I love games and all types platformers e.g. NSMB, SMW, Sonic Rush, shooters and tactical shooters e.g. Unreal Tournament 2004, Gears of War, GRAW, Rainbow Six, shoot em' ups e.g. Ikaruga, RS, and Geometry Wars, and Real Time Strategy games like Warhammer, Starcraft, Warcraft, and Battle for Middle Earth; I also enjoy RPGs like Final Fantasy, Grandia, and Valkyrie Profile, and action adventure games like Castlevania, Metroid, etc.
...So don't knock this Gamer.
What I don't like is the constant defense of a Console namely the Wii, which in my opinion is pure HYPE. I mean I waited for the REVOLUTION and it must of flew right over my head, because I have yet to see one game be truly revolutionary, sorry ZELDA:TP wasn't nearly as revolutionary as either Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker. What you have with the Wii is a sorry excuse for Next Gen gaming. A sorry attempt to cash in on mediocrity, and DAMMIT Nintendo your plan has succeeded. Good for you but not good for gaming...my 2 cents.
Jack of No Trades @ Apr 19th 2007 12:35PM
vidGuy
Wiimote is not better than Traditional.
Traditional is not better than Wiimote.
Both offer different experiences.
Lets leave it at that.
perfectchaos @ Apr 19th 2007 12:36PM
all the people out there bashing the control scheme because it SOUNDS bad might want to wait to actually PLAY the game to make a control judgement...just a thought.
Noshino @ Apr 19th 2007 12:41PM
vidGuy
Sorry, was thinking of buying one, HUGE nintendo hype...played it at my friend's house, it was lame.
but I do agree with you on one of your points..."worth the price" yah, you get what you pay for =/
"and it is really a shame to see someone spread propaganda to those who would otherwise try the system out."
err...you are also spreading propaganda, but on the pro side. That's what comments are all about, propaganda. Besides, do you really buy a product right away without checking reviews? or asking friends, relatives, or reps about the product?
Sorry if it was a bit rude, but you shouldn't have done so in regards of the other person's comment (LongshotX)
perfectchaos
"23. all the people out there bashing the control scheme because it SOUNDS bad might want to wait to actually PLAY the game to make a control judgement...just a thought."
so you think because someone says something bad about the Wii, its because they haven't tried?....lame excuse?
sigh, I love Nintedo, but lately it has been working off the hype surrounding it, I hate both the DS and Wii....Nintendo is turning into Apple, at the point where w/e Nintendo releases will be bought...
JodyAnthony @ Apr 19th 2007 12:42PM
"Wiimote is not better than Traditional.
Traditional is not better than Wiimote.
Both offer different experiences.
Lets leave it at that."
Needed repeating.
JodyAnthony @ Apr 19th 2007 12:44PM
"Nintendo is turning into Apple"
except for nintendo items are affordable, heh.
32_Footsteps @ Apr 19th 2007 12:45PM
Add me to the list of gamers who want to show the bongos some love. Part of this is due, oddly enough, to cooking. See, I like to cook, and as a consequence, my hands have had to toughen up. Slice a few fingers, burn your palms a few times getting stuff out of the oven, and your hands get tougher to compensate.
I then would turn around and play Donkey Konga longer than anyone I know could. It'd be close the first song or two, but I'd have the endurance to keep playing for hours while everyone else is fearing a blister after 10 minutes.
I have to say, too many gamers will be able to wimp their way through a bongos game without bongos.
chris furniss @ Apr 19th 2007 12:54PM
no. screw you, nintendo for making me shake a damn controller to play a game. screw you so hard.
Tuatara @ Apr 19th 2007 1:16PM
W00T!!! They plugged TheWiire!! ^_^
dsub @ Apr 19th 2007 1:22PM
I saw it coming from a mile away when the Wii was announced.
same old games. new controller.
Meh.
Come on Nintendo. Super Mario Galaxy couldn't come out soon enough. At least that appears to be a somewhat "new" approach to the Nintendo formula.
dsub @ Apr 19th 2007 1:24PM
LongshotX-
I couldn't agree with you more.
samfish @ Apr 19th 2007 1:47PM
Boo! Bring back the bongos, sez I.
Do people really get blisters using the bongos, though? I can't imagine that. I've always been fine.
...that said, I'd MUCH rather have a new 2D DKC...where you actually play as Donkey Kong, for once.
mepaco @ Apr 19th 2007 2:00PM
If you don't like the Wii controls that's fine. But why bash people that do? And you really can't see any value in them? Does anyone really think that aiming weapons in Zelda (like the bow) was better with an analog stick than with the Wiimote? Hell, for the first time in years I really enjoyed Madden, especially the running game. To me, it has added a whole new dimension to the gameplay.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that it just doesn't work well in all games. But that means it is the developer's fault for tacking it on when it is unnecessary. The controller still has regular buttons that work just fine. It doesn't mean that the whole motion control thing is crap.
Avinash_Tyagi @ Apr 19th 2007 2:05PM
So really where is the news in this? of course there will be support for the bongos, but hello, not everyone owns Bongos, you guys are such huge morons, of course they're going to make a wiimote control scheme for those who don't own the bongos and aren't going to go out and buy them, duh, simple Logic.
David @ Apr 19th 2007 2:26PM
I think Nintendo should have both Wiimote controlers and the old Bongos option of play.
J @ Apr 19th 2007 4:24PM
actually the Wii controls would hurt your wrists more than the bongo. With the bongos at least something is absorbing your force, whereas with Wii control the force is directed straight to your wrists. Just my thought.
waLLy @ Apr 19th 2007 5:25PM
keep the bongo compatibility. no reason for it to be either/or.
Adam @ Apr 19th 2007 6:08PM
They had damn well BETTER include the bongos. Why did I spend a hundred bucks on that shit (Donkey Konga 2 and Jungle Beat bundles, 50 bucks each)? I want THIS to use bongos, and I want Donkey Konga 3, or I want a goddamn refund.
HOVA uk @ Apr 19th 2007 6:51PM
what kind of sick bastard doesn't like bongos..
and leave the wiire alone.. they have a great website/podcast running over there..
shame, i will just buy the bongos and play the old bongos game..
Alex @ Apr 19th 2007 9:57PM
No Bongos? No thank you. I was excited for this game (even back when it was a Cube game), but now with this new control scheme, I'm not so game.
bm @ Apr 20th 2007 12:54AM
Hahaha, oh, the bitterness of Sony/MS fanboys tastes sweet indeed.
Face it, it's inevitable. The Wii is going the way of the DS, its install base is soaring and the larger it becomes, the more developers will flock to the console. "Ohh but but gimmick blabla" lulz. Your pretty shiny consoles are owned, even if you won't accept it. ;)
Rubang B @ Apr 20th 2007 5:08AM
@Bangbang..., I'm sorry but that Yosuke Hayashi quote was the dumbest thing I've ever seen. It would have made sense if and only if he could convey EMOTION through the press of a button. If he has a magical emotion button, then he can talk all the shit he wants about the lack of a magical emotion motion in Wii controls. Ooh, emotion motion... I'm a superstar in a superstar machine!
And I agree with JONT that neither control scheme is particularly better than the other, but I must point out that with the classic controller the Wii offers both traditional and motion control schemes, and having more options is better. Right now 360 has traditional down, with no motion options, and PS3 has a jack of all trades master of none approach. With their half-assed motion and lack of rumble, they can't do either control scheme justice.
And the bongos were rad.
DragonBomber @ May 18th 2007 4:19PM
$5 new boxed Bongos @ GameStop. Four bongos, DK Konga 2 (new) and DK Jungle Beat (used) set me back only $50 total. They expect us to give in to our impulse natures. Fight it! ;) How else could Sony be selling ANY $600 game machines? :(