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What is the Donkey Kong Universe?
One of the questions we're frequently asked is why we don't report on one game, or why we do report on another. The answer is we only report on "Donkey Kong Universe" games. What is the Donkey Kong Universe, or DKU? It's a term invented by us to help differentiate games featuring characters spawned from Rare Ltd.'s version of Donkey Kong, and Shigeru Miyamoto's original design. Why don't we include both as one series? One of the reasons is because they're so different in look and feel. The Donkey Kong Arcade games had little to no plot, while Rare's Donkey Kong games feature an ongoing tale (or tales) in an ever changing world. Rareware's Donkey Kong Country was the start of the reinvention of Donkey Kong, and that's the reason we look at it as the first DKU game.
Since it can get confusing, here are three easy steps to know whether it's a DK game or not.
1: Features the modern incarnation of Donkey Kong Junior, aka the Donkey Kong of today.
Rare's version of Donkey Kong is actually an adult version of Donkey Kong Junior from the Arcades (the character of Cranky Kong is his father, the original Donkey Kong). The current DK Jr., as seen on the right, is usually seen in a rendered form, although there are a few examples (i.e. Super Smash Bros.) where promotional art shows him as a drawing. Consider Rare's DK to be the Kevin Bacon of the Donkey Kong Universe, as everything can be traced back to him in six degrees or less. For an example, take the character of Moggy Bear from Banjo-Kazooie. He was in the game with Banjo, who in Diddy Kong Racing with Diddy, who was in Donkey Kong Country with Donkey. While this could be another way to tell if a game is DKU, it can certainly provide inaccurate results, which brings us to a better way in number two.
2: If a game involves a character introduced in a DK or Spinoff Game.
The DK, Banjo and Conker games are considered by the staff to be the three main franchises of the DKU. What these games say, goes. Cameo games, such as Smash Bros. or Mario Party, are nonetheless DKU, but as far as new characters go, they have no foothold in the grand scheme of things. If a character from any of the "Main" games appears in a game, then that game is DKU. An example, for tradition's sake: In, say, Jet Force Genemi 2, you pass by a bush only to have Wizpig leap out, shout "Hoo Haa", and get hit by a bus. That would make the game DKU. This is because Wizpig was introduced in Diddy Kong Racing, a Kong game. Just so we're clear, by Kong games we mean a game that gives a Rare kong top billing, ala DK and Diddy; by Spinoff games we mean a game starring a character that was introduced in a Rare Kong game or another spinoff game; and by cameo game, we mean a game that isn't made by Rare or whoever the other grand master of the DK series will be, usually which involves characters from either Mario or several gaming franchises. Thus, characters like Waluigi, Roy, etc., cannot make a game DKU. Got that?
3: If the game is made by Rareware and shows a certain type of relation to other characters, even if none appear.
This is the third and final example, and to this date it hasn't occured once yet. While other companies have made DKU games (Camelot, HAL, Hudson Soft, etc.), Rare is what we consider to be the grand masters. They created the franchise, and they rule it with an iron fist. This can also be the most confusing example as well. Let's say they made a game starring an ape character called "Pepito Kong." Pepito Kong looks similar to their other Kong designs, and yet no DKU only characters appear in the entire game. This would still be considered DKU, as it's a Rare Kong. We'd have to use discretion, and maybe even ask Rare themselves if the game takes place in the "DKU" with games like DKC and Banjo-Kazooie. For example, if they just made a game starring a bunch of albino animals, it wouldn't be DKU if there were no DKU only characters. If they made a game starring another "Bear" character, that would also lead to many questions. One offspring example of this can be found in Squaresoft and Nintendo's Super Mario RPG. There are characters called "Chained Kong" and "Guerilla" in this game that look like Rare's Kong characters. However, since this game was not made by Rare and made by "other" guys (plus took place in a different dimension), it can't be considered DKU.
Confused yet? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. You see, they still make games with the "classic" versions of Donkey Kong Senior and son to this day. These games, even if they are post-DKC, are not DKU. However, the classic version of Donkey Kong Junior DOES appear in the DKU game Mario Tennis, but only as a younger version of the current DK Jr., who is in the game. The classic DK Jr. can be considered a "DKU cameo" character, even if he is the same character as Rare's DK. Hoo-boy.
One quick note before we wrap things up here. You see, in the DKU games there are different dimensions where characters live. The Mario gang lives in what we refer to as the Mushroom Dimension, where DK often visits for his many cameo games. The term "Donkey Kong Universe" is NOT the term we use to describe the dimension Donkey Kong and friends live in. Since they live in "our" dimension, we often just refer to it as "our dimension." The reason we used the name Donkey Kong Universe is based off of what DC Comics does with their superhero world. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Steel, Green Lantern, etc. all live in the "DC Universe." It's not literally a universe, just the reality in which the series takes place. If you need any help understanding the concept of dimensions, watch reruns of the show Sliders. That should partially explain it to anybody who isn't dimension smart or a sci-fi buff.
While we hope we didn't confuse you too much, this is how you tell whether a game is DKU or not. Now please don't ask us why we're not covering Final Fantasy VIII because Square also made a Mario game and Mario is in games with Donkey Kong. We'll spank you if you do, and not in the good way.
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Donkey Kong Universe is an independent game news source with no affiliation to Nintendo, Microsoft, or any other developer. All original content copyright © 1999 - 2008 File Two Productions.
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