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4,675 Videogames: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Manufacturers | Top 100 Videogames | See All 18,125 International Arcade Museum coin-operated listings
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Donkey Kong
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4,675 Videogames: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Manufacturers | Top 100 Videogames | See All 18,125 International Arcade Museum coin-operated listings
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Manufacturer:
Nintendo Year: 1981 Class: Wide Release Genre: Platform Type: Videogame Monitor:
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1 Maximum number of Players: 2 Gameplay: Alternating Control Panel Layout: Single Player Controls:
Sound: Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp) |
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Donkey Kong DescriptionJumpman -- known today as Mario -- must traverse levels (structures) to save his girlfriend, Pauline, from Donkey Kong before time runs out. The levels include Girders, Rivets, Elevators, and Conveyor Belts. Mario must avoid flames, barrels, and bouncing rivets to reach his goal.Cabinet InformationThere are two different American cabinet styles. The most common is the light blue variety, but the first Donkey Kong machines were red.Nintendo also produced cabaret or "mini" versions of this game. Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter EggsThe first version of Donkey Kong that was released in America (red cabinet version) had a trick that could be done on the barrell board. Move Mario up a ladder (so that his hands are at the top of the ladder) and the barrells will not come down on Mario. Only a barrell thrown from Donkey Kong or a fireball can get Mario when doing this. The best way to tell if your Donkey Kong machine has this older version of the software is to watch the title screen during the demo. Underneath the name, and Donkey Kong himself, you will see the copyright of Nintendo. If it reads: "1981 Nintendo" you have the older version (the regular version of the program reads "1981 Nintendo of America"). This is important to check because many of the cabinets that had the older version of the program got updated with new chips. The early cabinets also had a trick that could be done with a drinking straw to give unlimited gameplay. A straw inserted in the middle outside section of the upper hinge would turn sideways inside the machine and be positioned just above the credit switch. By jiggling the straw up and down, you could get up to 99 credits in seconds.Game PlayYou are a workman named Mario who climbs girders and ladders and will stop at nothing to save his stolen love from the clutches of the giant ape.Using the joystick and the Jump button, you maneuver Mario over rolling barrels, away from falling barrels, over or away from fireballs and cement tubs, away from bouncing rivets, up and down ladders, along girders and conveyor belts, onto elevators, over rivets to remove them and over dangerous crevices, to get to where the ape holds the girl captive. For additional points, Mario gathers umbrellas, hats, purses and other bonus items that the girl has dropped on her way to the top of the building. Mario can also grab a hammer (by jumping up to it) to smash barrels, fireballs, and cement tubs for additional points but the hammer can only be used for a limited amount of time. On the Girder, Elevator and Conveyor Belt levels, whenever Mario reaches Pauline, Donkey Kong will grab her and carry her off to the next higher level. But on the Rivet level, Mario must remove all the rivets on each and every floor by running or jumping over them. After all the rivets are removed, Donkey Kong will fall head first onto a stack of girders and be knocked out and then Mario and Pauline will be together again for good. Afterwards, the game starts over again with increased difficulty. Hacks
MiscellaneousSPINOFFS: Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. (Mario appears in these games with his brother Luigi)VAPS Arcade CensusThere are 6,975 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 4,013 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 65,105 machines (3,796 unique titles).Very Common - There are 507 known instances of this machine owned by Donkey Kong collectors who are members. Of these, 423 of them are original dedicated machines, 24 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet, and 60 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired. For Sale - There are 22 VAPS members with Donkey Kong machines for sale. There is one VAPS member with an extra Donkey Kong circuit board for sale. VAPS members are totally independent of VAPS and the International Arcade Museum, and we are unable to recommend, endorce, or guarantee any person or company selling games or game parts. Wanted - Very Popular - There are 60 VAPS members currently looking for Donkey Kong. This game ranks a 98 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records. This game ranks a 90 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often wanted, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.
TechnicalThere are two versions of this boardset. One is a four board sandwich layout with a bunch of plug connectors, and the other is a two board sandwich layout with a 22/44-pin edge connector.TriviaMario was originally a carpenter, not a plumber as he became later with the introduction of Mario Bros. The word "donkey", in Donkey Kong, is a play on the Japanese word for "stupid". Pauline is the name of Mario's girlfriend in Donkey Kong. In the Japanese version, her name is Lady, but she got her name changed when Nintendo released the Famicom version.Another story on how the game's name evolved was that it was supposed to be "Monkey Kong", but due to a barely legible fax transmission, the screenprinters created thousands of pieces of artwork that read "Donkey Kong" instead. Since the manufacturers were in a rush to get the game released, they opted to change the game's title rather than wait for the artwork to be reprinted. This game appeared in an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood where a young boy explains a little to Fred Rogers what the game is about and how it is played. A modern version of Donkey Kong was made called Donkey Kong 94 for Super Game Boy. This version begins exactly the same as the original with the same four stages (with updated graphics and play mechanics). But when you finish these levels, instead of repeating them over, the player is taken to 96 more levels, each with tons of puzzles to solve. Legacy
Manuals
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