It's great, for a one-off. Maybe your friends can play it, for amusement. Maybe Not. Would have been good with m-player.
User Rating: 8.3 | Donkey Kong Jungle Beat GC
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat has been on my 'Most Wanted' list for some time, and it was great to get it off that list and actually get it in person! By that, I mean buying it. Starting it up, it comes up with an interactive tutorial. It's great fun once it starts, and leads into the main screen. The setup of Dk:JB is simple. Each barrel (D,K,J and B) as four worlds, each one requiring to get to a different novelty-sized fruit. There are 2 worlds, in which to get as many 'beats', displayed as bananas, as possible. You run out of beats, from being hit, and it's GAME OVER! At the end, there is a boss fight, in which all the beats you collected count as your health meter, so it's a good idea not to get hit! At the end, all the beats are counted up, and given a medal- Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. (I won't say the numbers, that'd spoil the fun!) If you get a certain number of medals, you'll get new worlds/barrels. The game is very innovative, using the bongos as sheer gaming machines. It's excellent fun to use, and makes a change form the old d-pad and analog sticks! This means the game is very basic and makes it excellent to pick-up and play. You can ride different characters throughout the game, each with their own control style, and this makes a good vary of gameplay. The end of each level leaves you wondering what the game will make you do next; Survival, long jump, flying mini-bosses etc. ...And now for the butchering. The obvious one is that it's TOO SHORT. The game is very easy to complete, even to get golds each and everytime. After you've defeated the final boss, it leaves you wondering "Is that it?! £30 for 5 hours!", which is very frustrating. There is very little replay, unless you want all the Platinum crests, but that can be frustrating as well. All you get for the Platinum crests is some new music. There's no multiplayer, which would have made the game last a little longer, but I don't think much could have been done. Nintendo have tried to attempt a new game, and for that they should praised like Gods, but it's too short and with no replay-ability, makes this a poor buy. If you want it, rent it or borrow it, unless you have money to splash out on it. Who cares?! Get it ANYWAY! 
