D2K
Arcade for the Intellivision
Publisher:
Elektronite
Grade:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed
by Brett Weiss
The
follow-up to DK Arcade (also known as
D1K Arcade), which was a stunningly complete
rendition of Donkey Kong (1981), D2K Arcade is nothing less than the best
home version of the coin-op classic every released for any system.
There are two game modes in this immensely
satisfying, professionally produced cartridge (no recycled materials were used), the first of which (Game 1,
natch) is an excellent rendition of Donkey
Kong (the same as D1K Arcade), complete with intro, intermissions, and all four levels of play:
Barrels (a.k.a. Girders), Pie Factory (a.k.a. Conveyor Belt), Elevators, and
Rivets.
Yes,
that’s right, ColecoVision and NES owners, your versions of the
game—with their missing screen (Pie Factory) and lack of interstitial
animations—now take a back seat this classy new cartridge (though, to be fair, the CV and NES versions have better graphics). And don’t get me
started on the two-screen abomination that was Coleco’s Donkey Kong for the Intellivision, which galled gamers with its
clumsy controls, ugly graphics, and tortured sound effects.
Speaking
of audiovisuals, D2K Arcade looks and
sounds better than it has any right to. From the “How high can you get?” text
mantra to DK falling on his head (with eyes bulging) at the end of the Rivets
screen, D2K Arcade captures virtually
everything that made the original a great, fun, challenging, cartoon-like
classic. (Nitpickers may point out that the blocky, mono-colored damsel in
distress is only slightly more appealing in appearance than homely Mabel in the
otherwise excellent Beauty and the Beast,
but this is a small gripe).
In addition to the standard Donkey Kong port, D2K Arcade features
an indispensable, incredibly cool Game 2 (the default mode, since it's the primary selling point of the cartridge), which consists of five new game boards (plus two
standard Donkey Kong levels), each of
which incorporates classic components (along with some new elements), but
arranges them in decidedly different ways for new challenges and thrills. New
screens include: Twisted Girders, The Mixer, The Refinery, Triple Elevators, and
The Eliminator.
Another
admirable, depth-infusing addition to D2K
Arcade is the inclusion of three selectable characters. There’s Mario, of
course, but gamers can now play as: Toni (Mario’s younger brother), who runs
fast; and Bruno (Mario’s older brother), who’s a little slow, but can climb
ladders while holding a hammer! For those of you wondering, Mario’s “real”
fraternal twin brother, Luigi, does not appear. (In terms of visuals, Toni and
Bruno are merely palette-swapped Marios).
I find it extremely rewarding to play new games for
old systems, especially ones as high in quality as D2K Arcade, which has crisp
controls (even with the sometimes-problematic Intellivision control disc),
stunning graphics, faithfully recreated sound effects (plus some added
surprises—the game talks WITHOUT AN INTELLIVOICE), and endless hours of entertaining
and challenging gameplay. Excellent production values for the packaging (box,
color manual, labeled cartridge, keypad overlay) add to the fun and
collectability of this quality release
If
you’re like me and still have an Intellivision, I can’t recommend D2K Arcade highly enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment