Donkey Kong

While Mario has become the face of Nintendo, and perhaps video games as a whole, it’s important to remember that it was in a Donkey Kong game that he really became an icon. Since then, our beloved ape has bounced between being friend and foe of the plumber, as well as broken free to star in his own series of games with an expanded cast of friends and enemies. It’s been a long time since we’ve been graced with one of his banana-fueled adventures, so we decided this was as good a time as any to look back at Dinkey…

Screenshot: Universal Studios JapanAt Universal Studios Japan, Super Nintendo World’s “jumping” Donkey Kong ride puts visitors in the mine-cart action of the video game, broken tracks and all. That’s right, you’ll be experiencing a very realistic simulation of being in Kong’s cart and jumping onto a completely different rail on this coaster set to open at Universal Studios Japan.What Was Your First Experience with Super Mario Bros? | io9 InterviewTheme Park attraction trackers CoasterTalk revealed a look at the tech in…

Tetris is one of the most popular and enduring video games of all time, with versions on just about every console, computer and gadget. Many of these iterations have endings baked into story modes and the like, but the original endless mode was considered unbeatable by humans, until now. A 13-year-old boy has become the first person to ‘beat’ the NES version of Tetris, 34 years after it originally released back in 1989, as announced by YouTuber aGameScout.The reason we put ‘beat’ in quotes is due to the nature of the…

Gif: Universal Studios Products and ExperiencesUniversal Studios Resorts has unveiled its first look at its new Donkey Kong County area at the theme park in Osaka, Japan.“Even AI Rappers are Harassed by Police” | AI UnlockedInspired by Nintendo’s Donkey Kong franchise, the highlight of the new area is a coaster themed to the games complete with a mine cart ride vehicle. The area is just a warp pipe away from the Super Mario Bros. section of Super Nintendo World and transports you to the jungles where Kong is King. Take a…

Japan will soon become a hotter ticket for many fans. Universal Studios has revealed that a Donkey Kong Country area will open in Spring 2024. Nintendo and Universal (which hosts the theme park at its Osaka location) haven't shown off actual footage of the new zone yet. Instead, they opted to make the announcement with .Perhaps the main attraction of the new area is a ride called Mine Cart Madness, named after in the 1994 SNES game Donkey Kong Country. After being blasted out of a barrel cannon, you'll take a mine cart…

In 1983, Nintendo faced a make-or-break moment. Its first video game system, the Famicom, had just launched in Japan and plans were in motion to bring it to American audiences next. But the move from arcade cabinets into living rooms required a delicate marketing operation. Nintendo of America needed to convince Western audiences that coin-op games were experiences worth owning, rather than special attractions meant to be caged away in arcades like animals in a petting zoo. To accomplish that feat, the emerging…

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular round up of the latest toy news! This week Lego goes back to the Koopa Kingdom for new Super Mario sets, Star Trek’s Spot the Cat gets the 1:6 scale Data accessory he deserves, and the Suicide Squad goes... Little People. Check it out!This Week's Toys Are Straight From a Multiverse of Marketing MadnessImage: LegoLego Super Mario Larry’s and Morton’s Airships Expansion SetIt’s been a good few years for Nintendo with the success of the Switch and games like Animal Crossing and The…

When the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) launched, it was an instant success following some of the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Nintendo sold out of the system of the initial shipment of 300,000 systems within hours, making it one of the most successful console launches in history. Given the time of the system’s release, the SNES gave us a groundbreaking chance to play video games at home relatively inexpensively. The system offered now-classic games and follow-ups to some of the best NES…

Having seemingly exhausted 40 years worth of games starring a certain heroic plumber, Lego is now looking to draw inspiration from other adjacent Nintendo franchises for new sets to add to the Lego Super Mario collection, starting with Donkey Kong and all of his Kong kin.What Was Your First Experience with Super Mario Bros? | io9 InterviewAlthough the world was first introduced to both Mario (then known as Jumpman) and Donkey Kong in the 1981 arcade hit of the same name, it would be the plumber who would go on to become…

Ever wanted to feel as small as Mario did when confronted by his original, seven-foot tall gorilla nemesis? On Monday, the Strong National Museum of Play shared its new plans to create an enormous, 20-foot-tall Donkey Kong arcade cabinet. Even though it will be close to four times as big as the 1981 original, the cabinet will indeed be playable, no quarters required. What Was Your First Experience with Super Mario Bros? | io9 InterviewNintendo is notoriously protective of its intellectual property, but museum staff…