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Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman (since renamed Mario) must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady (now named Pauline), from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo’s most popular characters. Donkey Kong is one of the earliest examples of the platform game genre; it is sometimes said to be the first platform game, although it was preceded by Space Panic. In contrast to Space Panic, however, Donkey Kong was the first platform game to feature jumping, introducing the need to jump between gaps and over obstacles or approaching enemies, setting the template for the platform genre. Competitive video gamers and referees stress the game’s high level of difficulty compared to other classic arcade games. Winning the game requires patience and the ability to accurately time Jumpman’s ascent. In addition to presenting the goal of saving the Lady, the game also gives the player a score. Points are awarded for finishing screens; leaping over obstacles; destroying objects with a hammer power-up; collecting items such as hats, parasols, and purses (apparently belonging to the Lady/Pauline); and completing other tasks. The player typically receives three lives with a bonus awarded for the first 7,000 points, although this can be modified via the game’s built in DIP switches. The game is divided into four different one-screen stages. Each represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed, one stage being 25 meters higher than the previous. The final screen occurs at 100 m. Later ports of the game omit or change the sequence of the screens. The original arcade version includes: Screen 1 (25 m), Jumpman must scale a seven-story construction site made of crooked girders and ladders while jumping over or hammering barrels and oil barrels tossed by Donkey Kong. The hero must also avoid fireballs which generate when barrels run into the oil drum at the bottom of the site. Players routinely call this screen “Barrels”. Screen 2 (50 m), Jumpman must climb a five-story structure of conveyor belts, each of which transports cement pans. The fireballs also make another appearance. This screen is sometimes referred to as the “Factory” or “Pie Factory” due to the resemblance of the cement pans to pies. Screen 3 (75 m), Jumpman rides up and down elevators while avoiding fireballs and bouncing objects, presumably spring weights. The bouncing weights (the hero’s greatest danger in this screen) emerge on the top level and drop near the rightmost elevator. The screen’s common name is “Elevators”. This screen appears as an unlockable stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Screen 4 (100 m), Jumpman must remove the eight rivets which support Donkey Kong. The fireballs remain the primary obstacle. Removing the final rivet causes Donkey Kong to fall and the hero to be reunited with Lady/Pauline. This is the final screen of each level. Players refer to this screen as “Rivets”. The player loses a life if: Jumpman collides with a barrel, fireball, flaming oil barrel, spring weight, cement pan, or Donkey Kong himself Jumpman falls off the structure or through open rivet holes The bonus timer reaches 0. These screens combine to form levels, which become progressively tougher. For example, Donkey Kong begins to hurl barrels faster and sometimes diagonally, and fireballs get speedier. The victory music alternates between levels 1 and 2. The 22nd level is unofficially known as the kill screen, due to an error in the game’s programming that kills Mario after a few seconds, effectively ending the game. With its four unique levels, Donkey Kong was the most complex arcade game at the time of its release, and only the second game to feature multiple levels (the first was Gorf by Midway Games).Donkey Kong Jr. is a 1982 arcade-style platform video game by Nintendo. It first appeared in arcades, and, over the course of the 1980s, was later released for a variety of platforms, most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game’s title is written out as Donkey Kong Junior in the North American arcade version and various ports to non-Nintendo systems. Its eponymous star, Donkey Kong Jr., also called simply Junior[3] or abbreviated as DK Jr.,[4] is trying to rescue his father Donkey Kong, who has been imprisoned. Donkey Kong’s cage is guarded by Mario, in his only appearance as an antagonist in a video game. This game is the sequel to the video game Donkey Kong, which featured Mario as the hero and Junior’s father as the villain. Plot: Mario (known as Jumpman in Donkey Kong) has captured Donkey Kong and placed him in a cage as punishment for kidnapping his girlfriend Pauline.[5] Donkey Kong Jr. must rescue his father from Mario by working his way through a series of stages. Mario attempts to stop DK Jr. by releasing animals and putting obstacles in his way. When DK Jr. succeeds at the final level, Donkey Kong is freed and kicks Mario into the distance, leaving him to an unknown fate. Gameplay Like its predecessor, Donkey Kong, Jr. is an arcade-style platform game. There are a total of four stages, each with a unique theme. DK Jr. can run left and right, jump, and grab vines/chains/ropes to climb higher on the screen. He can slide down faster by holding only one vine, or climb faster by holding two. Enemies include “Snapjaws,” which resemble bear traps with eyes, bird-like creatures called “Nitpickers”, and “Sparks” that roam across the wiring in one of Mario’s hideouts. To pass the first three stages, DK Jr. must reach the key at the top. In the fourth stage, DK Jr. must push six keys into locks near the top of the stage to free Donkey Kong. After a brief cutscene, the player is taken back to the first stage at an increased difficulty. DK Jr. loses a life when he touches any enemy or projectile, falls too great a distance, or falls off the bottom of the screen. Additionally, he loses a life if the timer counts down to zero. The game ends when the player loses all of his or her lives.This unique game has the distinction of having the first mechanical head on a pinball machine. His name is Rudy, and he not only follows the ball during play with his eyes but harasses you with a flurry of comments as the game proceeds. This game was designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry Demar with art accolades going to John Youssi. 10,750 games were made. The object of the game is to advance the clock to midnight. This makes Rudy fall asleep. If you’re skillful enough to shoot the ball into Rudy’s mouth, he wakes up, spits the ball out, and your next goal is to shoot the ball into the trap door for a jackpot. The mystery mirror contains different objectives to achieve. Completing the mirror awards “super frenzy” where all contacts award higher points. Another unique feature of the game is the left plunger, which shoots the “steps” when activated for various awards. The best part of the game is Rudy, though. He taunts you through the whole game.The player controls Mario throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario’s abilities can be changed by picking up certain items; for example, Mario is able to shoot fireballs if he picks up a Fire Flower. The player takes on the role of the main protagonist of the series, Mario. Mario’s slightly younger brother, Luigi, is only playable by the second player in the game’s multiplayer mode, and assumes the same plot role as Mario. The objective is to race through the Mushroom Kingdom, survive the main antagonist Bowser?s forces and save Princess Toadstool. The player moves from the left side of the screen to the right side in order to reach the flag pole at the end of each level. A prevalent rumor that it is possible to jump over the flag pole was later confirmed by GameTrailers. The game world has coins scattered around it for Mario to collect, and special bricks marked with a question mark (“?”), which when hit from below by Mario, may reveal more coins or a special item. Other “secret” (often invisible) bricks may contain more coins or rare items. If the player gains a red and yellow Super Mushroom, Mario grows to double his size and can take one extra hit from most enemies and obstacles, in addition to being able to break bricks above him. Players are given a certain number of lives (and may gain additional lives by picking up green and orange ‘1-Up’ mushrooms, collecting 100 coins, or defeating several enemies in a row with a Koopa shell), which are lost when Mario takes too much damage, falls in a pit, or runs out of time; the game ends when all lives are lost. Mario’s primary attack is jumping on top of enemies, though many enemies have differing responses to this. For example, a Goomba will flatten and be defeated, while a Koopa Troopa will temporarily retract into its shell, allowing Mario to use it as a projectile. These shells may be deflected off a wall to destroy other enemies, though they can also bounce back against Mario, which will hurt or kill him. An alternate way to damage enemies is with the Fire Flower, an item which, when picked up, changes the color of Mario’s outfit (or only increases his size if a red and yellow mushroom had not been used previously) and allows him to shoot fireballs. A less common item is the Starman, which often appears from concealed or otherwise invisible blocks. This makes Mario temporarily invincible to most hazards and capable of defeating enemies on contact. The game consists of eight worlds with four sub-levels called “stages” in each world. The final stage of each world takes place in a castle where Bowser or one of his decoys are fought. The game also includes some stages taking place underwater, which contain different enemies. In addition, there are bonuses and secret areas in the game. Most secret areas contain more coins for Mario to collect, but others may contain “warp pipes” which allow Mario to advance to later worlds in the game, skipping over earlier ones.
