Nintendo is going full throttle with Gamecube Wii-makes in Japan starting with Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, the first game in the Wii de Asobu series. When I heard about this I imagined Nintendo slapping on the shaking from Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast, but Nintendo is going for classic controls with Wii version. You move Donkey Kong with the nunchuck, not tapping bongos or waggling, and you jump by pressing the A button. Motion control is used to make Donkey Kong punch and battle a boss with controls similar to Wii Sports’ Boxing game. Visually, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat has the same graphics, but it has been updated with a widescreen mode. Beating the bongos was the best part of Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat and this remake seems to have removed what made the game innovative in the first place. If you’re interested in importing Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat is scheduled to come out in Japan, and right now only Japan, on December 11 for 3,800 yen ($35). The price is a notch cheaper than your regular Wii game and if Nintendo decides on releasing this in North America I expect it to fall in the $30 price range.
Pikmin comes out a few weeks later on December 25 also for 3,800 yen. Nintendo isn’t adding much to Pikmin either. You control Captain Olimar with the analog stick, press A toss Pikmin, and press B to assemble them. Like Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat Pikmin gains a widescreen mode on the Wii. It doesn’t sound like anything significantly has changed compared to the Gamecube version which typically retails for under $20 in the USA. I love Pikmin, but I’ll pass on this too.
Images courtesy of Nintendo.
