Donkey Konga…wow, man. Just wow. Nintendo has never really been known for music games, they’ve mostly been on Sony systems. My brother’s ravenous, but short-lived desire for “Pa Rappa Tha Rapper” comes to mind. However Nintendo has decided try anything once and has co-developed a music game with Namco around everyone’s beloved barrel-flinging primate.

In keeping in theme with the title, Donkey Konga utilizes a pair of conga drums which the player strikes with their hands in time with the beat on the screen, as well as clapping which is picked up by a microphone in the drums. Picture, if you will, Dance Dance Revolution, but sitting on your hindquarters and banging away on some drums. …I could do that. Really, it is a sedentary DDR – a red circle onscreen means to hit the left drum, yellow circle for the right drum, pink for both, and an asterisk-spark kind of symbol means to clap. Naturally, there are pieces where you have to smack the drums obsessively to keep in time with the music, signifying Nintendo’s true desire to get a toehold in the “crystal meth aficionado” market.

As Mark looked at the screen from behind his Player 1 controllers, he realized they were right: Sooner or later, the rhythm WAS going to get him.

Nintendo and Namco seem to understand that some people playing this game might not be under conditions promoting seeing the living room coffee table turn into a thousand winged snakes before their eyes, so they’ve put a good deal of effort into making the music worthwhile to listen to. Pop hits are present in the game, as well as videogame themes like a remixed Mario Bros. theme and the signature songs for Legend of Starfree and Kirby. These, along with the all-new theme worked out for Konga add up to 32 tracks of percussive fun, with add-on packs rumored to be available to the player in the future.

I share the doubts out there as to the peripheral itself. Naturally, one hopes it’s strong enough to take the beatings commanded by the game, but will it become so popular and addictive that people won’t mind the sore palms and bruises that may surface? Nintendo is marketing the game pretty well – charging the standard MSRP of any other game for the disc and a controller bundled together. Between good pricing and the overall attractiveness, Donkey Konga will either be a rather successful hit, or a really cheap form of anger management with the option for single player sessions, or multiplayer group therapy. Either way, the consumer wins!

Mike Twomey