Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast

How does one describe Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast? To put it simply, the game is a barrel-rocket racer involving gorillas and lizards as they scurry around floating tracks strewn through jungles, volcanoes and other interesting locales. In other words, it could only be another game from the minds of Nintendo.

Nintendo's fashion-savvy ape takes center stage for the first time on the Wii after settling for second-billing status in various Mario titles. DK is not alone, however; family members Diddy and Dixie, as well as Kritter, Kip, and Kass from the Kremling family, are all playable choices. Even more kin-folk from both families are locked away safely until later stages.

The game menu offers several choices for playing Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. A tutorial for learning the gameplay mechanics is probably where most gamers will want to begin. There is a Free Run option good for for solo outings and learning the race tracks. A Time Trial competition for achieving the best time around a track is also available. More direct competition is offered in either Single Race mode or the Jungle Grand Prix for circuit racing. Split-screen multiplayer is available in Single Race and Jungle Grand Prix mode. Sadly, the developers did not include online play.

Nintendo originally designed Barrel Blast for GameCube's DK Bongos peripheral, but opted to postpone the game in order to incorporate the Wii controllers. Since drumming on bongos and drumming with Wii controllers use a similar motion, the translation doesn't feel tacked on. The mechanics of blasting through a race are very simplistic. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck are drummed until the racer achieves "max speed". The rocket-barrels are automatically guided around the track, which removes a great deal of difficulty - there is no way to fall off or even slam into the track barrier.

So what is the trick, you ask? The race track is littered with a wide variety of obstacles from barrels (of the non-rocket variety) to hornets to huge black spheres with gray spikes. Maneuvering around these obstacles requires drumming either the Wii Remote or Nunchuk to move left or right, respectively. Jumping over obstacles is performed by quickly raising both controls at the same time. Along the way, players must try to grab as many bananas as possible. Bananas are collected to build up power for a "Wild Move", which is essentially a nitrous boost executed with the Nunchuk's analog stick. Balloons placed along the track also grant special items that either assist the racing efforts of players or hinder an opponent. Initiating the less-than-honorable 'bonk your competitor in the head' move with the A button can also help push opponents to the rear. The first kritter around the track in three laps wins.

In the early stages, the controls seem responsive and easy to use. Although the method for accelerating and moving may seem a bit alien, as they are very unique, they become very easy to master. Like nearly all racing games, knowing the track is the key to success; being aware of obstacles that lie in wait can only increase one's chances of winning. As in Mario Kart, the smart use of items can greatly assist racers on the track. Barrel cannons are especially valuable for taking the lead as they will propel racers ahead a distance. The best method for winning seems to be grabbing bananas and "Wild Moving" through the track.

The sheer simplicity of the gameplay is due in part to the slow pace of the races themselves. The game provides little sense of speed except when boosting or using the cannons, and in those cases players can usually enjoy the ride effortlessly. Even younger children will find movement around the tracks relatively easy to accomplish. The obstacles become afterthoughts with time and offer mere nuisances. The real challenge, as is the case with most racing games of this nature, lies in the skill of one's opponents. Stage 2 will cover the game's A.I. in greater detail as higher difficulty levels are unlocked.

Barrel Blast moves along with a very smooth framerate. The animations of the characters are limited, as one might expect of Mario Kart-type racers. The environments so far have been colorful and diverse in the cartoon form typical of the Mario universe. The music consists of largely rehashed pieces from previous iterations of Donkey Kong while the sounds effects are clear and well-defined. The overall presentation seems sufficient for this type of game, even though some might be disappointed that a Wii game isn't visually up to par with the last Donkey Kong game, Jungle Beat for GameCube.

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast is a fun game, but is it too simplistic? Will replay value suffer from the lack of depth? Come back for Stage 2 as we separate the gorillas from the lizards in the Jungle Grand Prix.