What is the best home port of Donkey Kong?

[StragglyMarlin5]

I know there was a thread for this a while back but maybe some peoples opinions have changed and ive added a couple more options to the list.

So vote and comment what you voted for and why. here is the old thread http://atariage.com/...of-donkey-kong/, im new to this site and cant seem to get the poll to work

<form method="post" action="http://poll.pollcode.com/k11ao"><table border=0 width="341" bgcolor="EEEEEE" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0"><tr><td colspan="2" height="10"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><b>What is the best home port of Donkey Kong?</b></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="1" id="k11aoanswer1"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer1">Atari 8-bit </label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="2" id="k11aoanswer2"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer2">Atari 2600 </label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="3" id="k11aoanswer3"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer3">Atari 7800</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="4" id="k11aoanswer4"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer4">intellivision</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="5" id="k11aoanswer5"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer5">Colecovision</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="6" id="k11aoanswer6"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer6">Coleco Adam</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="7" id="k11aoanswer7"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer7">Commodore 64</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="8" id="k11aoanswer8"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer8">Apple II</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="9" id="k11aoanswer9"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer9">NES/Famicom</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="10" id="k11aoanswer10"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer10">Amstrad CPC</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="11" id="k11aoanswer11"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer11">ZX Spectrum</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="12" id="k11aoanswer12"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer12">Game and Watch</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="13" id="k11aoanswer13"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer13">Coleco Table Top</label></font></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><input type="radio" name="answer" value="14" id="k11aoanswer14"></td><td> <font face="Verdana" size="2" color="000000"><label for="k11aoanswer14">Other</label></font></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" height="10"><center><input type="submit" value=" Vote ">  <input type="submit" name="view" value=" View "></center></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" align="right"><font face="Verdana" height="5" size="1" color="000000">pollcode.com <a href="http://pollcode.com/"><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="000000">free polls</font></a> </font></td></tr></table></form>

Edited May 4, 2013 by StragglyMarlin5

[Osgeld]

if you are going to reference some old thread please provide a link, I do not feel like digging though

 

Your search for the term donkey kong returned 1000 results

Edited May 4, 2013 by Osgeld

[StragglyMarlin5]

sorry about that

[StragglyMarlin5]

if you are going to reference some old thread please provide a link, I do not feel like digging though

 

sorry bout that, the link is now up

[Osgeld]

my only memory of the atari 2600 (which constitutes the atari 8 bit option if you wanna get into it) was how disgusted I was in how poor it was (keeping in mind I was so young I only have a scarce memory of it), the only other versions I have played was arcade, apple II and coleco

 

so for home ports I would say coleco, apple II, then atari 2600

 

honestly thanks to the CV port and arcade,... I hate DK rather play CDi zelda

Edited May 4, 2013 by Osgeld

[high voltage]

My first version was the VCS version, I never even knew an arcade version was around. I thought it was great.

My favourite nowadays is the GB version.

[+Gemintronic]

I don't have strong feelings about DK. I remember thinking it was one of the more graphically impressive ports considering the platform. That and Star Trek were impressive to me. Er, except I actually enjoyed playing Star Trek!

[Taskmaster99]

Colecovision. Looked more like the arcade compared to the 2600 gingerbread man looking Donkey Kong. Even though he was on the wrong side of the screen.

[Cobra Kai]

The upcoming 7800 version will be the definitive home port, and there really shouldn't be much argument against it.

[Tempest]

If we're going purely on stuff that was officially released then IMHO it goes Atari 8-bit > ADAM > TI-99 > NES.

 

The Atari 8-bit version has all four screens and plays great. The ADAM version also has 4 screens, but the controls are a little 'stiff' to me. The TI-99 has 4 screens and controls better than the ADAM (and looks a little better IMHO) but is missing the springs on the elevator board (which makes it pointless IMHO). The rest are all missing the fourth screen so that disqualified them for me (although the updated NES one is my new #1 if you want to count that).

[+nanochess]

I remember how much fun was Donkey Kong for me.

 

I'm waiting seriously for the Donkey Kong Arcade port for Colecovision being made by Opcode Games.

[Cynicaster]

My favorite port is MAME.

 

Seriously though, I had the 2600 version growing up and have tried several other versions since. Never really played the arcade version until last year. I've concluded that DK is one of those games where once you get into the original arcade version, nothing else compares. It's about more than graphics and making sure all four screens are included (which seems to be surprisingly rare... I mean, no pie factory on NES? WTF is up with that? Garbage!). DK is a game of nuance and technique, and it never seems to really get replicated properly. I actually used to hate on it because I have become so sick of all the attention it gets due to "King of Kong" madness, but it really is a masterpiece of a game, if I'm being completely honest.

 

I really like the Gameboy version, but that game is more of a platform puzzler than a port. I think they should have called that game something else, or at least tacked on a "subtitle", because it's a completely different game.

[borntorun]

I was blown away by the Atarisoft version for the Commodore 64 when I first played it. The graphics are great, and all four screens are included along with some animations. The Atari 8-Bit version is my second favorite, and it controls the best, in my opinion.

[akator]

MAME is by far the most used version here.

 

If it's not MAME, it's usually the ColecoVision version. I played the hell out of Donkey Kong, DK Jr., Zaxxon, Venture, and Pitstop on the ColecoVision in the early 80s so I have fondness for those versions. The "technically superior" home versions for the ADAM, Atari computers, C64, and NES will sometimes get played when I stumble across them in my collection or on a flash cart, but it is rarely my intended mission and more an impulse decision.

[LidLikesIntellivision]

The upcoming 7800 version will be the definitive home port, and there really shouldn't be much argument against it.

I also think it will be the best port. I'm waiting the second batch to join.

But this game has DKI and DKII.

As you can see I really enjoy the game!

The intellivision is very well served here.

http://youtu.be/nuqAc12_pNA

[Vic George 2K3]

MAME Donkey Kong is NOT a port...it's just an emulator running the original arcade machine's game engine.

[akator]

MAME Donkey Kong is NOT a port...it's just an emulator running the original arcade machine's game engine.

 

No shit, Sherlock. Next you'll be announcing that gravity is why apples fall from from trees.

[Satoshi Matrix]

The 2010 version of Donkey Kong for NES/Famicom aka the "Pie level edition" that includes all four boards. This is the best version of Donkey Kong for consoles.

[Reaperman]

The 2010 version of Donkey Kong for NES/Famicom aka the "Pie level edition" that includes all four boards. This is the best version of Donkey Kong for consoles.

I've never played that one, but from everything I've seen of the extra level, and the old NES version, that one gets my vote. Someday I'll pick up a repro of it, I just can't really justify the expense at this second (mostly because I'm not on an 'NES kick')

[LidLikesIntellivision]

The 2010 version of Donkey Kong for NES/Famicom aka the "Pie level edition" that includes all four boards. This is the best version of Donkey Kong for consoles.

Interesting!

 

http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=103

[Satoshi Matrix]

It's part of my Top 25 Powerpak Killer Apps editorial.

 

http://satoshimatrix.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/top-25-powerpak-killer-apps-nes/

[BassGuitari]

Having played the Atari 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision, Atari 800, TI99/4a, Apple II, and NES versions, as well as the new Intellivision version, I think my favorite version is...

 

...the NES version. Go on, get your boos out. Of those versions, it looks and feels closest to the arcade version, despite missing the pie factory (why does everyone have such a hard-on for the pie factory?). I'm not nearly a big enough Donkey Kong fan to care about that, and odds are I wouldn't live long enough to get there anyway.

 

The TI99/4a version surprised me at how good it was when I first picked it up (it receives so little attention, I just assumed it was pretty blah). The sound is weak, but it has probably the best graphics of all these versions except the NES...and it has the pie factory. (No springs in the elevator level, though.)

 

The Atari 800 isn't as pretty, but it's probably the most complete of these original releases (which excludes D2K on the Intellivision). Unfortunately for me, it's hard as balls.

 

The Colecovision version is overrated as hell, imo. It's functional, and is certainly a step up from the 2600 and Intellivision versions, but there are better versions. And oddly, it is often praised by the same people who bash the NES version despite it having some of the same faults (only three screens).

 

The Apple II version is okay. Not bad, but not one of my favorites, among either DK ports or Apple games in general. The 2600 version is neat for what it is and plays very nicely. The less said about the Intellivision version (by Coleco), the better.

 

I played D2K at MGC a little over a month ago...and i kind of wish I'd bought a copy.

 

As far as straight arcade ports go, the best version currently available is probably the homebrew version for the Color Computer 3, or maybe the "hacked" NES version that includes the pie factory. I think D2K is the most interesting, though, with all its extra features and DK2 screens.

[NE146]

Obviously the port Opcode is doing will be the best. But looking at just what we have, I'd say the Atari 8-Bit version is one of the top, although it transforms the game from less a "nuance" game into more of a fast action game. It does stuff that annoys me however like making the fireballs on the pie level pop out on the opposite half of the playfield. Most of the strategy on that board requires you to stay on one side of the oil barrel so all the fireballs come out on that same side. The 8-bit versions ignorance of that nuance pretty much throws that whole idea out the window. It also throws out the WRONG amount of fireballs.. heck I think you get 5 fireballs on stage 3 when you're only supposed to get 3. On that note the NES version also ignores several of these nuances as well and gameplay techniques which are a HUGE part of the arcade game which makes it even more maddening to play since it looks and sounds so close as well. I will say the NES version appeals only to those who don't really have a clue (or are only semi-familiar) with how to play the arcade version.

 

Aside from that, the Colecovision definitely gets the nod. Although it hasn't aged well, it was THE version that blew all our minds in how much it really looked like the arcade years before there was ever a Famicom/NES. Sure there were computer ports at the time that did it better.. but you those weren't exactly widespread in the consumer market.

 

The version in DK64 on the N64 is pretty good supposedly, but man what a pita to unlock it, and get to play it.

 

. (why does everyone have such a hard-on for the pie factory?). I'm not nearly a big enough Donkey Kong fan to care about that, and odds are I wouldn't live long enough to get there anyway..

 

You know that the Pie factory is only the 2nd level right? (Since the NES version follows the original japanese stage order) i.e. It even comes BEFORE the elevators/rivets stages. So you gotta be pretty bad not to reach it if it was in there.

Edited May 4, 2013 by NE146

[BassGuitari]

You know that the Pie factory is only the 2nd level right? (Since the NES version follows the original japanese stage order) i.e. It even comes BEFORE the elevators/rivets stages. So you gotta be pretty bad not to reach it if it was in there.

 

No, I didn't know that. The only time I've ever actually gotten to it was in the TI version, and I had to go through the other screens a couple of times before I got to it.

[sqoon]

I recently bought Donkey Kong Pie Factory from the Retro NES site. It is close to arcade, but is still missing the 'How High Can You Get?' intermissions.

 

That said, D2K on Intellivision has the intermissions and is a sweet game in its own right.