Playing Donkey Kong Country online: Gorilla Glacier (World 4) 08/10/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: donkey kong, donkey kong country, gorilla glacier, walkthrough
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Welcome to Hell Gorilla Glacier
The overview map pictures I am borrowing from Super Mario Wiki to illustrate the different worlds are getting smaller and smaller, apologies. Here is what you need to know about Gorilla Glacier:
- It is world number 4 in Donkey Kong Country and is set in the snowy peaks of Donkey Kong Island
- We are at the halfway point of our journey, giving Rare the perfect excuse to crank up the difficulty level through the roof. We die a lot in here
- In order to get to Candy Kong’s stall and save our progress in the world, we need to beat FIVE stages in a row (!)
- Three of those five stages feature icy surfaces and you know what that means in the world of platforming: slippery surfaces and unresponsive controls ahoy. Fun fun fun!
Playing Donkey Kong Country online: Vine Valley (World 3) 19/09/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: donkey kong, donkey kong country, nintendo, vine valley, walkthrough
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Welcome to Vine Valley
No pretty official artwork for this world I’m afraid, so a map of Vine Valley will have to do. Check out that 16-bit sunset. Two new courses are introduced in Vine Valley, the pine forest and the tree top village. In the latter part of the world we see the return of some of my favourites (temple and jungle) and some of my ambivalents (water stage). I have fond memories of Vine Valley overall and our replay does not disappoint: plenty of different challenges to keep up the interest and no particular rage-quit moments.
Playing Donkey Kong Country online: Monkey Mines (World 2) 13/09/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: donkey kong, donkey kong country, monkey mines, walkthrough
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Welcome to Monkey Mines
Get off my face!
World 2 of Donkey Kong Country is set on a rocky cliff brimming with gloomy caves and mines that appear to be much, much bigger on the inside (who exactly is doing the drilling and what natural resources are being exploited in Donkey Kong Island is unclear; you would think Donkey Kong should be a little more aware of what goes on in his home turf).
Four of Monkey Mines’ levels (Winky’s Walkway, Mine Cart Carnage, Bouncy Bonanza and Stop & Go Station) are set underground, giving Rare the chance to employ all sorts of dazzling smoke and lightning tricks to great effect. I mean, they are still 16-bit special effects but they look the part and give great atmosphere to the stages. The last level, Millstone Mayhem, is set in a temple heavily inspired by Mayan architecture but devoted to some unidentified Kremling deity. There is only one other temple level in the whole game (World 4, Temple Tempest), but both offer a solid challenge and are fondly remembered by DKC fans.
Playing Donkey Kong Country online: Kongo Jungle (World 1) 04/09/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: donkey kong country, donkey kong country online, kongo jungle, nintendo
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Booting up Donkey Kong Country is the equivalent of an instant time warp. Watching the Rareware (Rareware!) logo appear, followed by a huge, shiny fuck-off Nintendo billboard sign while a 20th Century Fox-esque fanfare plays, I am instantly transported to the simpler times of Christmas ’94. THIS is how you let players know you mean business from the very first credits:
Playing Donkey Kong Country online: A brief character guide 27/08/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: cranky kong, diddy kong, donkey kong, donkey kong characters, donkey kong country, kremlings
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For the purpose of any readers coming to the Donkey Kong franchise with fresh eyes, here is a small reference guide for some of the most memorable characters in the Kong universe. I have only included those who appear in the original Donkey Kong Country, as the Kong family tree has continued to grow bigger with each installment, reaching a ridiculous point with that bloated fart that is Donkey Kong 64. But that is another story!
How to Play Donkey Kong Country online: A Prologue 24/08/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: donkey kong, donkey kong country, how to play snes online, nintendo, online play, Super Nintendo, ZSNES
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After deciding to revisit Donkey Kong Country on a co-operative multiplayer mission with my friend Aldara, we set out to find out the best way of doing so. The English Channel between us means the original (and preferred) option, my slightly oxidated Super Nintendo with my trusty 20 year old DKC cartridge slotted in, is sadly out of the question. The DKC trilogy, although available on the Wii Virtual Console for a long time, is now conspicuously absent from the Wii U’s and in any case VC games do not offer online play, just local multiplayer. So yes, Nintendo’s inability to offer a truly competitive online experience for their back catalogue is forcing us to resort to SNES emulation via our PCs.
Playing Donkey Kong Country online: Gorillas in the web 23/08/2014
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: donkey kong, donkey kong country, online play, Super Nintendo, walkthrough, ZSNES
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Lately I have been on a vintage gaming binge, prompted by two very retro ‘current’ games I am going through, ‘Dragon Quest VI: Dreams of Reverie’ for the Nintendo DS and ‘Strider’ for the PS3. Admittedly, these games have been published in 2011 and 2014 respectively, but all the marketing in the world cannot hide their old school DNA.
That Japanese ‘Strider’ cover…
There is something comforting about retro games, whether you have played them before or not. If you have, there is an uncanny sense of reawakening, like any self-respecting 90s gay listening to Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ nowadays. And if you come to the game with new eyes, ears and hands, you can admire the craft of a gaming era gone by, where games were simpler but by no means easier and achievements were something that existed only in your head before Microsoft spoiled it for everyone (NEVER FORGET).
10 thoughts on how to play Mario Kart 7 online 19/02/2012
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: mario kart 7, nintendo, online
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Rev up those thumbs because Mario Kart is back to help Nintendo pull ahead in the tight portable console race against the new Sony kid on the block. With a new stereoscopic paint lick but a largely unchanged chassis, all eyes are set on Mario Kart 7′s online multiplayer to determine whether it will give the 3DS an easy lead or leave it lagging behind. Has Nintendo learnt from their noob mistakes of previous online experiences? Is the game still fun, infuriating, or a bit of both? Here are 10 things you will learn about life, yourself and Mario Kart 7 when you play it online.
Super Mario 3D Land review – Out of the box 19/01/2012
Posted by jspanero in Game Reviews.Tags: nintendo 3ds, super mario 3D land
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A Nintendo system without a Mario game is like a Meryl Streep film without a crying close-up: a lot of things going for it but essentially incomplete. This is why Nintendo’s latest hardware offering, the intriguing 3DS, had been feeling a lot more River Wild than Sophie’s Choice in its first eight months of shelf life. However, November finally saw the release of the awkwardly yet fittingly titled new Mario game Super Mario 3D Land. Forget Mii-infested Pilotwings and rehashes of old legends: it’s been a long and complicated birth but the real launch title of the N3DS is at last with us.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi Profile: The real Child of Eden (II) 02/08/2011
Posted by jspanero in Features.Tags: Child of Eden, Lumines, Meteos, Q Entertainment, Tetsuya Mizuguchi
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In the second part of this Tetsuya Mizuguchi profile, we have a look at his most relevant games published under Q Entertainment, including some of his external collaborations and his latest masterpiece Child of Eden.
Heart Games 