Retro Review--Donkey Kong (Wii Virtual Console)

Man, I love me some Donkey Kong. There are certain games from my childhood that are embedded in my brain permanently, both for their gameplay and their unmistakable sounds. From the moment the ominous intro music starts, Donkey Kong brings me right back to 1981.


Sadly, however, the Virtual Console version of Donkey Kong fails to fully complete my nostalgic trip back to my childhood, as the version available for the Wii is the NES version, not the arcade one.

 This is bad, because the NES version, for those that don;t remember, is missing one of the four levels (the conveyor belt one).  This game has only three levels, and it’s also missing the intro where Donkey Kong jumps on the girders before Mario starts making his way up to Princess Paulina.

It’s not all bad--the base mechanics and graphics are fine, and the signature sounds are all still there. This version also offers two levels of difficulty, for those that like their barrels to be coming fast and furious.

So, if you’re looking to take a trip down memory lane, you can download Donkey Kong on virtual console for five bucks. Just keep in mind, you won’t be able to go all the way down memory lane. But, a short walk is better than no walk at all.

3 out of 5 Incomplete Trips to the Past

Grab Pac-Man on the New Chrome Web Store

If you aren't using Google's Chrome web browser by now, you should be. Not only is Chrome a great, simple browser, but Google just launched an app store featuring hundreds to apps that will make your browser feel like your smart phone. Many of the apps are free, and a couple cool free ones feature everyone's favorite ghost-chomping hero, Pac-Man. The first is Pacman Classic Arcade, whihc is a recreation of the original, and the second is Google Pacman, which features a board designed like the Google logo.

Both apps are free, and when you download them to Chrome, they become buttons you can click when you open a new browsing tab. To find them on the app store, just do a search for Pac-Man.

Sure, you can find these game elsewhere as well, but it's nice to have them just a click away when you're already using the Chrome browser.