That factoid about another company making the original DK was surprising after it resurfaced a few years ago. It’s still rumored as the reason that Nintendo never rereleased the original arcade version until the Arcade Archives release. It also surprised me to find out that Nintendo went back and revamped the NES version, bringing back the cement factory level for some random promotional release for the Wii and 3DS.
I like both games but Donkey Kong Jr is more fun for me. Playing as the adorable little Kong holds up better after all these years and it’s amusing to see Mario playing the heavy for once. I’m pretty sure my brother, a DK fan from back in the day, had the Game & Watch version of DK Jr at some point too.
Fascinating bit of DK history. Though if I read this right, Miyamoto provided a detailed design document, and the contractor made it into reality. To me, it sounds like Miyamoto had too much involvement to say he didn't "develop" it. Without knowing the full gaming industry inside baseball, my lingo would be to say Nintendo/Miyamoto designed it, the contractor programmed it, and they jointly developed it.
There's a rough analogy here to how the Simpsons sent away storyboards to Korea from the very beginning, where it was turned into actual animation.
Agree with the reviews. DK Jr. is a MUCH better game. I had a used copy of DK Classics that I bought late and cheap in the NES lifespan with some allowance money, and I remember really only playing DK Jr. and seeing DK itself as a curiosity, almost like how Mario Bros. was included in the Mario Advance games.
I think in those days I would average playing through DK Jr. maybe 3x before getting bored. In more recent times I still play it occasionally, but I'm definitely turning it off after one playthrough.
Hmmm, maybe I didn't read this as thoroughly as I thought. I like what you're saying, though, and that does make sense.
That first level in Donkey Kong is so iconic and wonderful, but yeah, other than that, I have no desire to play through the rest of the game. Donkey Kong Jr. is the clear winner.
That factoid about another company making the original DK was surprising after it resurfaced a few years ago. It’s still rumored as the reason that Nintendo never rereleased the original arcade version until the Arcade Archives release. It also surprised me to find out that Nintendo went back and revamped the NES version, bringing back the cement factory level for some random promotional release for the Wii and 3DS.
I like both games but Donkey Kong Jr is more fun for me. Playing as the adorable little Kong holds up better after all these years and it’s amusing to see Mario playing the heavy for once. I’m pretty sure my brother, a DK fan from back in the day, had the Game & Watch version of DK Jr at some point too.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the random DK promo for Wii and 3DS. So strange!
Looks like we all agree on DK Jr. being the MVP here!
Fascinating bit of DK history. Though if I read this right, Miyamoto provided a detailed design document, and the contractor made it into reality. To me, it sounds like Miyamoto had too much involvement to say he didn't "develop" it. Without knowing the full gaming industry inside baseball, my lingo would be to say Nintendo/Miyamoto designed it, the contractor programmed it, and they jointly developed it.
There's a rough analogy here to how the Simpsons sent away storyboards to Korea from the very beginning, where it was turned into actual animation.
Agree with the reviews. DK Jr. is a MUCH better game. I had a used copy of DK Classics that I bought late and cheap in the NES lifespan with some allowance money, and I remember really only playing DK Jr. and seeing DK itself as a curiosity, almost like how Mario Bros. was included in the Mario Advance games.
I think in those days I would average playing through DK Jr. maybe 3x before getting bored. In more recent times I still play it occasionally, but I'm definitely turning it off after one playthrough.
Hmmm, maybe I didn't read this as thoroughly as I thought. I like what you're saying, though, and that does make sense.
That first level in Donkey Kong is so iconic and wonderful, but yeah, other than that, I have no desire to play through the rest of the game. Donkey Kong Jr. is the clear winner.
Huh. The big N didn’t even develop the original DK. My mind was not ready to be this blown.
Yeah, it's strange, although I like Spouting Thomas' theory below about what might have actually happened.