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A History of Mario

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The Donkey Kong Years

The Donkey Kong Years

1981-1983

Pre-DK
Well picture this, it was back in 1981 and the gaming world was about to change forever. Back in the 1970s a man named Shigeru Miyamoto entered Kanazawa Munici College of Industrial Arts and Crafts. He seemed to be a poor student who lacked in attendance. But it was not until 1977 the Miyamoto would recognize his role in gaming and the world. In 1977, he was hired as a Nintendo staff artist which interested him. His major achievement would come in 1981 when Hiroshi Yamauchi, who ran a company known as Nintendo, asked him to begin his first video game which would come to be known Donkey Kong!

Donkey Kong
Here's the game that started the whole era for the Mario Brothers! This game was a major hit in the Arcade gaming industry. This game was sure to fail says arcade industry officials but as you can see from DK Jr., DK 3, and the Donkey Kong Country games for the SNES system this statement was sadly mistaken. DK was released in the arcade version in 1981; DK was also released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1986. For many gamers that have not played the original Donkey Kong, they saw Donkey Kong as a hero whom fought against the evil King K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country. This is true but in the 1980s he was seen as an enemy. In the first DK game, he captured a woman named Pauline and then climbed up a construction site. What is Pauline to do? She must wait and hope that her hero, Jumper Man, saves her and beats her captor.

Jumper Man and the Beast
Jumper Man is the hero of the story. He was dressed with blue suspenders (like a painters cloths) and had a red shirt underneath. You controlled him as he climbed up these construction sites and at the same time dodged barrels which were being rolled down by Donkey Kong at the top level. In the end of the game, DK was locked back up in the cage where he belonged.

Basic Game Stats
As I stated above: The release dates
  • Arcade Version - 1981
  • NES - 1986
Then there were three... the character guide and importance:
  • Donkey Kong - The main enemy of the game. He captures Pauline which results in Jumper Man having to save her
  • Jumper Man - This character whom will reverberate throughout the 90's and even today taking on the name "Mario." In this game he has to save Pauline from Donkey Kong
  • Pauline - A woman who is taken captive by Donkey Kong. Mario's girlfriend way before he turned to Peach. ; )
The Game: Controlling You
Sounds weird eh? Well it's true. It's possible that the game is quite easy to others but for some it can get quite complicated. As you move up the levels of the construction site, you need to jump over barrels or jump over barrels while still on the platform. If you die after three times in a row you start to get angry! You are at the point where you just want to rush and save the girl. This leads to you moving JM (Jumper Man) faster and not paying attention to the threat the looms around you... I cannot stress this enough that YOU CANNOT DO THAT! So take this small section as advice. Thanks!

Donkey Kong 2
1982

Yup you guessed it...
Since Donkey Kong was such a success, why not make a sequel? Miyamoto decided to make Donkey Kong Jr. which was of course the second in the series. I like the fact the DK's son is in this game, makes the players want more.

Donkey Kong Jr.
Also known as Donkey Kong 2, was also released in Arcade version and yes, NES. The game is pretty predictable but interesting. DK's son is out for revenge since his father's capture. His target is Jumper Man. The setting of this game is in a jungle. Mario has limited activity in this game which you will find out below. But before all that you must know the release dates for the two systems

Release Dates and the Systems
  • Arcade - 1982
  • Nintendo Entertainment System - 1986
Yeah, wicked information: P but I suppose it is important to the right gamer. Sergeant Mario: In this game, Mario only sends out the enemies to try and kill Jr. Perhaps this game could be titled as the boring side of the Nintendo era!

Comparing the activity of Jumper Man and Jr:
Jumper Man - Sends enemies to attack DK Jr. on vines
--WOW!--
DK Jr. - Climbs vines. Kind of like a safety measure from JM. (Reminds me of the outraged ape in past cartoons.)


The Happy Ending... or is it?
Great job in fighting off DK Jr. and now Jr. frees his father from the cages and he and DK go swinging in the jungle to live happily. If you doubted that would happen then you are correct!

Donkey Kong 3
1983

Is it true? I thought that DK and his son were happy together; also that DK and Jr. had learned their lesson to not mess with Jumper Man or his woman! But how ironic that it's not their fault after all. So, what is?

Problems Arise...
So you thought it was all over? You thought DK and Jr. were gone? You're half right. The problem was caused by bees and flies. But I suppose it can all be traced back to DK. The story is that DK angers these bees and flies which results in them flying into people's houses and causing chaos. It's up to Stanley the bugman to help the people in the town and protect him in the process.

Donkey Kong 3 - The Details
DK 3 came into the world in 1983 and was played in Arcade version and then moved to NES in later years.
  • Arcade- 1983
  • NES - 1987



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