Today's please-play-play-better-in-person video: DK Bongo Blast

You can use the bongos instead

I'm starting to think Nintendo didn't have a long term game plan for waggle.

They probably thought the Wii was going to fail and now that it's selling like crack their trying to figure out what the hell to do with it.

You know cc123, that remark may not be too far off the mark. Nintendo hasn't had a hit in years, and they were probably thinking that this was their last shot before going to way of Sega.

Not that this is a terrible problem to have. I'm sure most companies wouldn't mind stumbling into a goldmine.

Noah
Galvanize Me™

This could easily be the worst first party release yet.

loll all you wii owners can destroy your wrists with DK, but I'll be playing Manhunt 2 in less than a month so I don't care. At least Rockstar can think up fresh and brilliant ideas.

I assume that this game, much like Smash Bros Brawl, will support the GC port, and be playable with the Bongos (not like SSBB).

By the way, I think that this is a really neat idea. Nintendo is incredible with innovation, and it's been proven to sell with the Wii.

Noah
http://blog.galvanizeme.com

@ Noah

It's true that Nintendo has faltered with the past two generations, but you have to recognize that even though they took last place this previous gen, they still made alot of money. Then there is the whole DS thing, which is my book I would consider a "hit".

I don't really know what you guys were expecting. This is what they told it it would be. Although I complained about it then it. It really isn't all that different from playing with the bongos anyway. move your right hand up and down to go right, both up and down to jump, left hand to move left. Its the exact same motions. You just aren't hitting anything.

Nintendo made way too much money on the Gamecube to go the way of Sega, as you put it. It may not have won the majority of the market share in it's time, but it was far from a failure financially, which at the day is what matters.

I still don't get why people call the GC a failure and say there were no hit games? Nintendo made a ton of money and had numerous multimillion hit sellers. The reason this looks like an oversimplified racer that will *probably* get boring pretty quick is because it's exactly that. And that's what they said it was going to be.

I would rather Bongo support.

The Gamecube may not have been a failure per se, but it was 3rd place out of 4 (dreamcast being last) all sales considered in that generation. Reason why it was a failure? Same reason the N64 was a failure. Declining sales rates of previous consoles of their own. They LOST customers with the N64, and LOST even more with the Gamecube, and didn't bring many, aside from young children, in. Profits aren't everything in success. Established customer bases are more important, and Nintendo was quickly losing their customer installment.

Ugh, this looks boring. Just give us Mario Kart Wii already.

If Nintendo makes another DK game, it needs to be another platformer. That's the only time I've ever liked Donkey Kong, lol.

Aberu:
True, install base is important. But the thing is, the number of GameCubes sold, worldwide, wasn't much less than Xbox (~22 million to ~24 million). And both were less than N64 (~33 million), so does that mean both Xbox and GameCube were failures?

@Aberu
They didn't lose customers with the N64, they lost 3rd party support because Nintendo went with cartridges against it's Super Nes CD system wich Sony turned into the Playstation brand. The N64 had numerous titles that sold over a million and thats a fact that cant be downplayed. You see Nintendo survived on their own software and a couple other 3rd and 2nd parties offerings that went on to sell a million copies. Just investigate the Players Choice titles for the N64 and you'll see my point. The N64 was the first console with standard 4 player jacks,rumble feedback,an analog stick,and superior graphics with controllable camera angles that became the industry standard.

i was actually excited about this game thinking it was going to be a diddy kong racing like game





damn it.....


@4

the wii gets man hunt 2 also... and the wii version is going to be better, go ahead and be jealous if you must

looks like a stupid kiddy game, something that probably was far into development and instead of scrapping it they ported it up to wii and are hoping for best. we are not in key demographic for this game so totally shrug it off. Little kids are totally going to be intrested in this and enjoy it for what it is, sort of like how kirby air ride on cube is garbage to hardcore gamers but 4 years olds think its AWESOME FUN...

@ Adv2k1

Uh, 90% of all gamers, most likely yourself included, all got into gaming with "Stupid Kiddy Games". The gamer that played Putt Putt and Super Mario is the same kid that is pwning your ass in Halo and Virtual Fighter.

So stop with the "kiddy" bullshit already you jaded piece of fuck.

Blaster Master

I believe every new (generation of) console has superior graphics. To find the first console to do this, we have to find the very first second-generation console. This would take us back a couple of decades prior to the N64.

It's a Nintendo game. People will buy it anyway. Of course, with a title like "Bongo Blast", you can't expect this to appeal to real gamers.

On the bright side, it does make Excite Truck look a whole lot better. Funny... arcade driving games generally don't get much in the way of sales, but "kart" games sell like crazy.

Heh, awesome power of apples...

The article is implying that the controls are all wrong and it's another "waggle" game where you move the remote around.....how exactly should it control? Is there some other way to make the Wii-mote act like a drum stick sort of thing that doesn't involve making a drum hitting motion? If moving the Wii-mote around to control games is stale and boring already then I guess the dpad and the analog stick are decades past their prime? This game looks mighty lame but not for the reasons the article is implying.

Some games misuse and abuse the control scheme. Some games mix-and-match good control with bad. Some games master the control with no problems.

SSX, Zelda, Tiger Woods, Madden, and Super Paper Mario have shown me that the Wii can feature great control. I'm not concerned.

I agree with voiceofop, though, how else would you like the Wii to replicate the control of Bongos?

People's comments are bordering on ignorant. People are complaining about the spastic controls and making this out to be something that's wrong with the Wiimote.

This was designed for use with the fucking BONGOS for crying out loud! What the hell did you expect?

Nintendo just saw a way to make this accessible to more people than JUST the 25 that actually bothered getting the bongo drums, by having the option to use the Wiimote & nunchuk instead. If the controls are spastic, blame them on the Bongo focus and leave the Wiimotes out of it.

I could care less about the "wrist movement". I'm just predicting that the relatively light hardware on the Wii will allow for more innovative games that wouldn't see the light of day on the PS3 or the 360. Note that "innovative" does not mean "it uses the WiiMote".

This game is going to be horrible from the looks of the map and gameplay. No items?

Mario Kart please....

And oh yeah when Nintendo decides to fucking create a DK game where DK goes on an ADVENTURE maybe just maybe I'll be interested in anything having to do with DK.

And the what the fuck is with "DK". Are they not allowed to say Donkey Kong because of Rare? if so thats pretty pathetic.

This game is so innovative. It will absolutely pwn Mass Effect, Halo3, and FFXIII put together.

Seriously, when can we stop comparing the Wii to other systems. It is COMPLETELY different. The Wii is for 20 minutes of lighthearted fun with the kids and big-budget Nintendo games with Zelda, Mario, and Samus in them.

The PCS360 is for big time big budget hardcore epic wicked realistic badass games that your really young kids and wives wouldn't even be able to get through the menus, let alone play. But they kick ass for us geeks that are into them and cannot be substituted for with pokemon. When the hell are we going to stop trying to say Rayman, Paper Mario, and DK bongos or whatever the hell are/aren't better than Mass Effect, Gears of War, and Oblivion. The Wii is the console version of the DS, just like Nintendo has been saying all along.

The Wii is mostly for people who would suck at most PS360 games. It is accessible to more people, easier to play in short bursts, kid friendly, etc. Granted it will have its Manhunts and Metroids, but if you can't see that it is geared towards non-"gamers" then you are f-ing retarded.

Comparing the Wii to the PS360 is like comparing the movie "Happy Feet" to "300". I'm not trying to say one is better or gayer or whatever than the other. But I will say that they shouldn't be compared and will be enjoyed mostly by different people.

Yes, cause no game console has ever had a game with bad controls. This has nothing to do with Wii innovation, or waggle controls. It's simply a bad game with bad controls. It happens on every console. Always has, always will.

Jake I can't figure out if your post is supposed to be sarcastic or not...

anyway yeah this game is for bongos so of course it makes no sense.

game DOES look lame though, either way.

You're right Jake, the 360 is for "big time big budget hardcore epic wicked realistic badass games" which is why I just pre-ordered Ratatouille.

@JonnyBoy2U: Had you paid any attention to game instead of just jumping in right now, you'd have known the game has items. Also, just to bring you up to speed the game also has animal buddies ala the original platformers.
Paon seems to use "DK" in their titles, which is probably their preference since "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat" used "Donkey Kong" just fine.

And um, didn't DK go on adventures in King of Swing, and Jungle Beat? I know those games came out 2 years ago or so and in Jungle Beat he was just being an asshole to furry creatures for no good reason, but damn man, it's like your brain ignored everything Donkey Kong until right now.

"When the hell are we going to stop trying to say Rayman, Paper Mario, and DK bongos or whatever the hell are/aren't better than Mass Effect, Gears of War, and Oblivion."

When did anybody anywhere try to do such a thing?

"The Wii is mostly for people who would suck at most PS360 games."

I'd agree with that... but saying the Wii is only for those people is another thing, especially since, in all likelihood, a large percentage of Wii owners have been gaming for years.

"But they kick ass for us geeks that are into them and cannot be substituted for with pokemon."

I agree; that's why the Wii, with it's combination of DS-styled light-hearted games, Nintendo's heavy hitters, and some interesting 3rd party offerings is a great SUPPLEMENT to the PS360.

JonnyBoy2U:
"And the what the fuck is with "DK". Are they not allowed to say Donkey Kong because of Rare? if so thats pretty pathetic."
You're kidding, right? Nintendo fully owns the Donkey Kong franchise, including all new characters added in Rare's game.
"DK" is just used because it's shorter.

Tell me, have any of you actually played the game first hand to know the control scheme does work, or are you just going on baseless assumptions and your hatred of the DK series (or perhaps Rare?)? Some of you make good points, but then call it a bad game. It makes sense, to me at least, that if you were to play the game then make your comments, it might be more effective.

@ Grey Acumen

That's the root of this problem; Nintendo wanted to make it more accessible than to (it probably had to be a couple million) the people who bought the bongos, especially considering that there is no assurance that those who bought Bongos also bought a Wii

hence; a truly tacked-on control scheme

Twilight Princess and Super Paper Mario were graceful gamecube-to-wii-"ports" but this is just misguided

Oh, and i think DK Jungle Climber for DS this September is a proper platformer, although i'm not sure

Wrist strap alert!!! Cover your TVs!!!

Uhhh... this would be great in multiplayer. Single player would be boring in like ten seconds.

"The Wii is mostly for people who would suck at most PS360 games."

Or for those that simply aren't interested... I don't own a 360, but i've always been the guy that beats all his friends in Halo even though I didn't own it. Its just something different. It doesn't make you a better or worse gamer simply because you play on it. Plenty of people who will be playing Metroid and Manhunt would do just fine on the ps360. Don't overgeneralize.