Konga me impressed

Kid-tendo?
It's not "Dance Dance Revolution," but it'll make you shake your kongas. The folks at Nintendo have done it again -- and by that I mean make yet another cutsie, animal-themed video game that has the addictive and innovative gaming qualities of anything currently out on the market. "Donkey Konga" takes the best interactive qualities of DDR, testing a player's rhythm skills in time to catchy pop tunes, and removes the "man, I feel like a jerk" aspect of having to jump around on some Power Pad rip-off. As silly as it may sound, video games and conga drums go surprisingly well together. While entertainment conglomerates Sony and Microsoft have gone the way of GTA, appealing to the more mature audiences' lust for violence and "realistic" graphics; Nintendo has sought to focus more on innovating game play and "stylized" graphic schemes that to many turn out a bit too "cartoony." Still, as with the sleeper hit "Monkey Ball" and the now institutionalized "Mario Party" franchises, Donkey Konga seeks to establish Nintendo as a system that provides "guilty pleasure" gaming -- titles that perhaps one doesn't brag about owning, but beckons even the most cynical of roommates to give into the fact that dammit, it's fun. 10 minute party
We at the Weekend decided to put Konga to the test -- is it really the party-in-a-bongo experience Nintendo claims? The plan: get a Gamecube, plug in some bongos, throw the staff into the room with some pizza and document the results. Utilizing 3 of the 4 controller slots for drumming, we opted for the more peaceful of the multiplayer modes, "Jam Session," where the gang drummed hypnotic behind the scrolling barrels of rhythm without any urge for competition. For some, developing our own technical mastery was both an impediment to the game's enjoyment and its sweet reward at the same time. "I'm horrible at it," Adam Aasen, Weekend editor in chief, said under a cacophony of rattling plastic. "That was tough." Yet, while we improved our musical skills, for some the constant motion of the notes became too much to bear. "My eye is throbbing," reviews editor Karen Green said. But worse was the sight of the staff attempting to make beautiful music together. "Watching people play this game is like singing songs on the short bus," senior Gene Westbrook said. Still, the game's addictive qualities got the better of us. The sheer power of its call even beckoned the hard-working IDS daily staff out from its Sunday night duties. "I thought you were just going to do one?" I asked Chris Jesse, one of the IDS photo editors. "Yeah … (mumble, mumble)" he grunted while attending to the bongo. The specs
The game itself comes well-priced -- roughly the same as any conventional new release -- only in addition to the disc comes a giant set of bongo controllers. Still, regrettably, to get a full feel for the game one needs to shell out another $30 for a second set of bongos. Nevertheless, the second pair is worth the sacrifice. Since the game is absurdly easy for first time gamers -- there are only four actions that can be played, hitting either the right, left, both bongos simultaneously or clapping -- anybody can join in the fun. Game play isn't extremely deep at a first glance. Clearing the first two difficulty levels can be accomplished in roughly a week -- if one plays in moderation arguably a touch longer, though the logic of the kongas seems to dictate that one gives into gaming gluttony. However, there is a deluge of unlockable features that can only be "purchased" by earning coins during game play, making the true lifespan of the game (from a single player's perspective) span a month or two -- again, excluding gamaholics. Yet the true testament to Donkey Konga's genius is not its ability to provide for an easy way to pass the time, but to provide for easy group entertainment. Since it operates with a repertoire of pop hits such as "Rock Lobster," "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "Whip it" -- with a few salsa numbers such as "Para los Rumberos," classical favorites the likes of "Hungarian Dance in G Minor" and a bossa nova rendition of the "Mario Brothers Theme"; the game easily substitutes for your average karaoke machine at parties. Its simple controls keep the gamer-intimidation factor away from those who don't own a console and makes battle mode create instant "I got next" tournament play. But bottom line, the control scheme and fun factor make the game virtually idiot proof. If Nintendo needed a college-oriented marketing angle for the game, I've got it right here: Nothing matches a good beer bonga like the sounds of a "Donkey Konga."