User Reviews (1 - 11 of 23)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

My son LOVES this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: June 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

My son spotted this game and the bongos at Toys R Us and started playing. I had a hard time getting him out of the store! He cried like crazy.(he just turned 5 and usually doesn't do that)I told him we'd go back and play again someday. Well, he kept bugging me and my husband everyday to PLEASE take him up there to play it.
(We have a Super NES that was mine and we have Donkey Kong 1,2,and 3 that he constantly plays, so he is familar with it)
So, I bought a game cube 2nd hand for 45 bucks and bought the game/Bongo combo at Toys R Us. He has played it ever since we got home (4 hours now) with no sign of slowing down. I'm sure it will keep him happy for a long time.
This game actually gives your arms a workout with all of the drum beating and clapping. I also can be in the other room and know "what he is up to" as long as I hear the drums beating, LOL. I'm glad I bought this.

A very fun action platformer from Nintendo.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: March 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I purchased Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with the Bongos the first day that it came out. After a few minutes of learning the bongo based controls I was having a good old time indeed. As strange as playing a Donkey Kong Country type game with bongos sounds, controlling Mr. Kong is actually a fairly intuitive and very fun experience. With a tap to the right bongo the character runs to the right. With a tap to the left bongo, Donkey Kong runs to the left. Hit both bongos and he leaps to the air, hit both bongos while in the air and Donkey Kong will slam to the ground. Add a clap or a tap to the side of the bongos and a shock wave radiates from Donkey Kong and stuns enemys, allows Donkey Kong to grab any near by banannas, as well as causes Donkey Kong to swing from the hands of friendly monkeys hidden in cleverly placed floating bushes. Even if it does take you a bit longer than others to figure out what it is that you are doing with a set of bongos in front of you, the game is very forgiving for the first few levels. The level system in place uses barrels as worlds. Each barrel that you unlock holds four levels named after various fruits. A level will include two sub levels and a boss encounter. The sub levels end when you bite into the large fruit at the end of the level, once you bite into the fruit Donkey Kong will enter the fruit and collect as many beats as you can beat on the bongos in a period of five to ten seconds. The boss encounters range anywhere between a boxing match with a fellow primate, to a pinapple throwing contest with a robotic elephant with a cannon for a trunk. There are 18 levels in all to unlock, and from what I noticed the levels get progressively harder to the end of the game. In order to unlock these levels, you will have to collect medals that can be aquired with a decent or amazing score after each level. In order to receive medals, it is your job to get the highest possible bananna, or beat score for each level, so that you may unlock the bronze silver gold and platinum medals needed to complete the game. A beginner will most likely start out by getting scores around 300 to 500 beats, which will get a bronze and a silver medal. In order to get the gold and platinum medals you will have to get beat scores of 800 and 1,200. So, to boost those beat scores through the roof you will have to take advantage of the very cool combo system available. Basically, the longer you keep Mr. Kong off of the ground, the higher your combo will get. Run straight ahead, jump off of a ledge, then bounce off of a wall, grab onto a vine, swing on the vine and jump off and catch a near by hovering bird and you will be up to a combo of four. The higher your combo is, the more the beats are worth. And since this game is all about collecting the highest beat score for each level, you will definitely want to learn how to rack up those beafy combos of ten or more. Graphically, DKJB is definitely a beautiful game. Each level is bright and colorful, which fits into the whole jungle theme that Nintendo was going for here. The game runs at a solid 60 frames per second which keeps everything running nice and smooth. All of the characters are very detailed and animated realistically. The audio is also done very well. Each level has a unique tune playing in the background that you may not notice due to the non-stop bongo playing. The sound affects are also done quite well. My only complaint with this game is the fact that it takes roughly seven to ten hours to complete the game the first time through, quite possibly less than this for seasoned gamers. Once you get the bronze through platinum medals for each of the eighteen levels, the game is over. There is no cool un-lockable content, and there are no mini games or anything to that nature available after the game is completed. Other than that slight dissapointment, I have had a blast with this game. Beginers enjoy DKJB because it is relatively simplistic to pick up the bongos and jump right into the action. Advanced players enjoy the game because of the awesome combo system that can easily bring your beat scores well beyond the 1,200 mark. I personally enjoy the game because it is very fun and puts a smile on my face every time that I play. It is a goofy and whacky game that only Nintendo could come up with, and I must honestly say that it does the trick. I have already gotten the bronze through platinum medals on each of the 18 levels and I do believe that I will continue to play this game, simply because it is so much fun. I would recommend picking Donkey Kong Jungle Beat up for yourself or anyone who enjoys video games in general, it is a blast to play!

Fun as all get out

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: September 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Who'd have thought that bongos (and clapping) would be a good interface for a platformer? Not me. I played this in a store and was hooked pretty quickly.

The interface is great - multiple taps on the left bongo to go left, right to go right, and both at once to jump, along with a few other combos. You clap which makes DK clap, which sends out sound waves in a certain radius that can affect other things.

So simple, yet so good. The multipliers with the fruits are a great device -- run over a banana and it counts as one, run over 5 and they count as 5, but jump into the perfect position to clap and collect them all at once and you can score 20.

So I'm clapping and banging on the drums and it's a total blast, and I realize I'm actually working up a sweat playing the game. And like most Nintendo first-party games, the gameplay is near perfectly solid, the gameplay is set up in that toally addictive Nintendo style where you don't want to stop.

The best Video game!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is cool.You should buy it is worth your money.You will like it.Control is in the bongs!Hit the drums to make DK Run,Jump,do backflips,pound the ground,leap off the walls,and last but not least you can poop on people and barf.

Beat The Game!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 17
Date: June 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Donkey Kong has been recognized as a huge part of the world of video games. His his debut back in the 1980's, he has really been recognized as both a hero and a felon on the video game market. Yet, the 1990's really brought Kong down to his knees. With the status of Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo, he was recognized as a more challenging player on the video game scene. Yet, Nintendo has constantly tried to recapture that Donkey magic several times, and most of the time it didn't work. Now, Nintendo really does have something that can beat him back to the top of the brass chain of video games.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for the Nintendo Gamecube, is a very unique kind of video game that has been developed. Riding the heels of those bongo drums from the Donkey Konga game, they are also used here to control D.K. through outrageous worlds and chapters to unlock. The unfortunate problem is that you have to buy the bongos with it, you can't play it on the regular controller. Still, the graphics are similar like to the 2-D atmosphere from Donkey Kong Country, with a little bit more of an appeal. The bongos for the game, which I just thought were a gimmick, are very easy to pick up and control our hero through many outrageous stages and challenges, including boss stages where they can be the case of you tossing fruit to the enemies, or a fist fight between you and the kongs. The gameplay was absolutely surprising and the enjoyment of the game really works very well.

All in all, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is really a great game for all gamers alike for the Nintendo Gamecube. This is a game where you really let your fingers rest, and you hands beat all the work. I really think this is a must have for Gamecube owners, and I also think there should be some more games for this that Nintendo should beat those drums too than just a couple.

Graphics: B 1/2+

Sound: B

Control: A-

Fun & enjoyment: B+

Overall: B 1/2+

Dance to the Jungle Beat

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

So we've entered a whole new genre of game play. One that throws out the hand-held controller and replaces it with...BONGOS. I first heard Nintendo was making this game and laughed about it. Well, my mind was changed once I played the game. No, this isn't a game with an in-depth story, or any story for that matter. No, it's not a difficult game you will spend hours upon hours before defeating. This game is one thing and one thing only, fun. And you will have fun playing it, I promise you that. It takes a bit to get used to this Bongo style of game control, but how original.

If you're looking for a game that you can lock yourself up in your room and not return for a few days until you have defeated it, look elsewhere. But, if you're looking for a game that you and all your friends (if you have any) can pull out for a good laugh and a few hours of fun. This game will deffinitely accomplish that much. As I said before, this game isn't difficult...game play wise, but it does take some skill and coordination.

I will warn those who will play though, this game requires a lot of clapping that makes your hands sore, and at points you are to hit the bongos as fast as you can, which will make your shoulders and arms very tired. Needless to say it is all worth it. One other thing, this game is quite beautiful graphically and has some very well done levels and environments.

So go ahead, try something new, play the bongos, play donkey kong, laugh, play, live, and most of all, don't be so skeptical about these silly new gaming ideas.

YOU DON'T NEED THE BONGOS TO PLAY BUT THEY MAKE THE GAME BET

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

THE KID'S REVIEW FROM MARCH 28 ENTITELD THEY,VE DONE IT AGAIN IS WRONG. YOU DON'T NEED BONGO'S TO PLAY, BUT IF YOU PLAY WITHOUT THE BONGOS THEY CHANGE THIS GAME TO 3 STARS. BUY IT WITH THE BONGOS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THEM AND PICK UP DONKEY KONGA TOO. YOU'LL SAVE ABOUT 20 DOLLARS IF YOU BUY THE BONGOS AND DONKEY KONG JUNGLE BEAT SEPERATE IT WILL COME TO 80 DOLLARS. IF YOU BUT THE GAME WITH THE BONGOS INCLUDED YOU WILL SAVE 30 BUCKS.

BY TEXX

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a great videogame anyone can enjoy. It blends music, beat, rythm, and adventure into one small disc. The people at Nintendo have really done a good job with this addition to the Donkey Kong series. The play style is amazing and the boss fights are done perfectly. If you've enjoyed other Donkey Kong games including Donkey Konga, it is certain that you will enjoy this. You can play the game using a normal controller, but I would recommend the D.K. Bongos if you want the full experience. Donkey Kong Jjungle Beat is a great game to add to your collection, and for a good price even including the D.K. Bongos.

The Best Game Ever!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is totally awesome. The bongos are the best thing to come along in a while. Buy this game and you will a happy person. 2-D action platformer you play with bongos, what could be better; answer: nothing.

Innovation and a slick combo system have me wanting more!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Now if only this game will be popular enough to produce a sequel. It should be, for how good it is.

This game is the most innovative game I have seen since Katamari Damacy for PS2, innovation including but not limited to the cool bongo controller. As for me I don't have the bongos, but even with a standard controller the controls feel fresh. The game only uses four buttons, and that includes directions. And it works. Its control is spot-on, and is just a joy to play.

To advance in this game you collect crests of multiple colors, and before long you will find that to advance you need to take advantage of one of this game's biggest assets - its beat system. The 'beats' you collect work as both your score and your life meter. The cool thing about them is the combo system. Combos multiply the beats you pick up by how many tricks you have done, and a combo doesn't end until DK lands his feet firmly on the ground. Many of the stages are designed so DK doesn't have to land for a long time, making for some thrilling combos. Just pick up a banana and you earn 1 beat, but pick it up along with other bananas as part of a combo, and you may earn much more.

Using combos to earn the most beats you can in each stage, and the crests you earn for doing so, are what give this game tons of replay value. And using the combo system is just so fun that it keeps you wanting to come back for more. Some of the stages (maybe all of them, I don't know) let an expert earn many, many more beats than you need for the best crest, while some stages are challenging enough that I, having played the game A LOT, still have not come close to the best crests.

I want to but I can't complain about the length; there are 32 platforming levels and 18 bosses. Actually those 18 bosses are 5 different bosses that repeat a lot, but that's alright; each time you meet one it has new moves to throw at you. The bosses are worth mentioning and were quite fun to learn, though only 1 of the 18 seemed difficult even at first. As for the length I want more, but this game's length is average or better; there is a lot to this game. But it is so good that I have played it tons, and now I want more. I beg Nintendo for a sequel. :)

The graphics are beautiful, and seamless as they switch modes and distances. The challenge isn't that great until you earn your way into the tougher stages, but the challenge of earning every crest has some very tough spots, and is still out of my reach (a good thing). I would say, with or without the bongos (your choice), buy this game.

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions