''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' is a 2007

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

for

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

. The game was shown at E3 2006 convention in May for the

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

under the title of ''DK: Bongo Blast'', but this version was ultimately cancelled in favor of a Wii release. It was released for the Wii in Japan and the United States in 2007, and in

PAL regions The PAL region is a television publication territory that covers most of Europe and Africa, alongside parts of Asia, South America and Oceania. It is named PAL because of the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) television standard traditionally used in ...

in 2008 with the title ''Donkey Kong Jet Race''. The game was originally developed to be controlled using the

DK Bongos GameCube accessories include first-party releases from Nintendo, and third-party devices, since the GameCube's launch in 2001. First-party and licensed Controllers GameCube controller The GameCube controller was released alongside the console ...

for the GameCube. ''Barrel Blast'' was faced with generally negative reviews after its release, with critics criticizing the replaced bongo control scheme with that using the

Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...

and

Nunchuk is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person w ...

, as well as the last-generation visuals.

Gameplay

''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' is a

where the player can handle the selected character using the

and

, replacing the DK Bongos that initially were to be used. To accelerate, the player must shake the Wii Remote and

alternatively, lift them simultaneously to jump and use the motion sensor to beat rivals and obstacles using items, while the character will be guided by the route of the tracks, including automatically travelling around curves. Players can learn to race at Cranky's flight school where Cranky gives eight lessons on how to play the game, acceleration, use of elements and Wild Moves. The main mode of play is a Grand Prix similar to that of ''

Mario Kart is a series of racing games developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses from the ''Mario'' series as well as other gaming franchises such as ''T ...

''. Also, like ''

Mario Kart Arcade GP is an arcade sub-series of Nintendo's '' Mario Kart'' series, developed and published by Namco and later Bandai Namco Games under license from Nintendo. In all installments, for an additional fee, a player's data can be saved on a magnetic ca ...

'', more than one track will take place in a given area with three courses in DK Jungle, having three of the sea, three from the mountain, two are of the Desert, two are from the snow courses, and two are of the Temple of Heaven, and one in outer space. Like other racing games, ''Barrel Blast'' includes a Time Trial Mode where players can choose this race on one track for the best time, and have save ghost data stats.

(2007) ''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' Manual There are 16 characters to choose from in total; eight members of the Kong family, and eight Kremlings. These include

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

Diddy Kong is a fictional character who appears in games belonging to the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' video game franchises, debuting in the 1994 ''Donkey Kong'' series game, ''Donkey Kong Country''. Nintendo designer Kevin Bayliss commented Diddy Kong wa ...

, Dixie Kong,

Lanky Kong is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, t ...

Tiny Kong is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, ...

Funky Kong is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, t ...

Wrinkly Kong is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters hav ...

, and

Cranky Kong is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, t ...

representing the Kong side, with

Kritter is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, ...

, Kip, Kass, Klump, Kalypso, Kludge, Kopter, and King K. Rool representing the Kremling side. Additional Donkey Kong series characters, such as

Rambi the Rhino is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, ...

Enguarde the Swordfish is a series of video games published by Nintendo since 1981 and created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong and Mario have both had the roles of protagonist and antagonist in the series. Other characters have included other Kongs, ...

, Zinger, and Necky, make cameo appearances as items.

Development

''Barrel Blast'' was developed by

Paon is a Japanese video game developer. The company was founded in August 2004 as DP Inc. and merged with Paon Corporation, Ltd. in March 2015 to form Paon DP. Paon Corporation was founded on January 20, 1999. Through a partnership with Nintendo, ...

who previously worked on '' DK: King of Swing'' and '' DK: Jungle Climber'' for Nintendo. In June 2005, an issue of ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' reported that Nintendo was in development with a Wii-bound sequel to the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise. The publication offered no details on the next-generation title. Nintendo appeared to be drawing on the majority of its big licenses to lure in next-generation gamers. Lending credibility to its Kong news, ''Famitsu'' also reported that new versions of '' Super Smash Bros.'', ''

Super Mario (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...

'', ''

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...

'', ''

Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirate (Metroid), Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the powe ...

'', and ''

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles ''Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles'' is a series of video games within the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise developed by Square Enix. Beginning in 2003 with the game for the GameCube, the series has predominantly been released on Nintendo gaming ha ...

'' were in development for Revolution, all of which were confirmed by Nintendo at

E3 2005 E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...

before that month. The game was announced at Nintendo's Japanese conference in 2006. The game was later shown to the public at E3 2007 as named ''Donkey Jet'' and ''DK: Bongo Blast''. The game was originally developed to be controlled using the

for the

; the left and right drums would steer in their respective directions, and rolling both drums accelerated movement. When the game was moved to the

, the DK Bongos were replaced with the

and Nunchuk, having the player shake the controller in place of hitting the drums. The player can also raise the remote and Nunchuk to jump, and use the motion sensing to punch opponents and obstacles, and to use items.

Reception

''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' received negative reviews.

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

and

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

gave it 4.5 out of 10 each, and ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' was the harshest by calling it "the worst game of 2007".The Worst Games of 2007: Part 2
- ''

'' Based on 34 reviews, ''Barrel Blast'' garnered a metascore of 46 out of 100 according to Metacritic. A number of reviews lamented the decision to replace the bongo control scheme with that using the Wii Remote and nunchuk, as well as the dated visuals. It was criticized for "slow racing, shallow gameplay, and an overall boring experience" by IGN. ''GameSpot'' labeled the game a fifth-rate ''

'' clone. The highest rated Metacritic review, by ''

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...

'', called it a "mundane racer".

GameTrailers ''GameTrailers'' (''GT'') was an American video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including trailers and gameplay footage of upcoming and recently released v ...

criticized the game for its imprecise controls, lack of online mode, and the fact that the Bongo Controls were left out of the game.

Notes

References

External links