Donkey Kong 3

This is another under the radar gem, this game was the third and final sequel in the classic Donkey Kong run. I know this is a bizarre entry that doesn't exactly follow suit with the other two, but as I've said before this game came out at a time before sequels to just about anything had set rules. When you look at the classic Donkey Kong franchise it is rather colorful as each entry was always different, like the second sequel that game retained the same point A to B contained platform action format but with a much different approach.

This third sequel isn't a platform actioner but a shooter, yes like I said didn't want to follow suit instead wanted to change genres. Personally, I'm fine with that because they didn't want to have too much of the same thing, yeah, it's true they could of sticked to the genre the franchise is best known for, but it would have just been too much the same game just in a different dress.

It's true this game wasn't a big hit like the first two, this game could of easily of been another stand-alone game from Nintendo could have called it "Bug Zapper", or at least something that fits its theme and the person coming down wouldn't of been Donkey Kong but you could of made it a giant Spider like Shelob from "The Lord of the Rings". I don't know that could also have been a tough sell but either way I fine with this game because of one important thing it does which is being fun.

It sort of makes sense they switched it up not just to do something different but back then the space shooter games were a very big thing back in the 80's. Though here this isn't a shooter set in space but on Earth, which I like something different and here you're not shooting at invading aliens but invading bugs along with Donkey Kong that want to invade your green house for some weird reason. I like that you're not a ship, but a gardener named Stanley who is just simply protecting his green house.

The graphical presentation is very good as usual as it's the kind of presentation you'd expect from "Nintendo" with it's colorfulness but also Saturday Morning cartoon liveliness. There is a decent number of enemies, from your main villain Donkey Kong but also his minions where are killer man-eating hornets.

Evil oversized caterpillars who are kind of the blockers because when you spray them their stunned, only with the enhanced spray you can wipe them out for good.

Giant mosquitoes those are the tough ones to look out for as they not just two hit kill enemies but when destroyed they shoot out tiny mosquitoes in spread formation, the safe zone is the middle.

You really have a dark death in the game, if you get nailed by any of the bugs they just come down and eat you till there's nothing left, I'll admit seeing that just motivated me to keep alive in the game.

This game can be very frantic as there is just so much you need to constantly pay attention to and just a very narrow amount of time of doing. You are constantly trying to defend your flowers from being taken by the bugs that are just coming at you in all different directions, keeping Donkey Kong from dropping in on you, all while trying to survive doing it all. You have this platform pyramid which has three platforms bottom, middle, and top, this was a unique feature at the time because it gives and makes you constantly switch to offense and defense, which you need to do all the time as that swarm and Donkey Kong constantly come at you along with your plants.

Really like that the formatting of the stages which are different from each other, which means a new challenge to adjust and contend with. With the first stage you have all platforms whole, the second your mid platform is broken up. Stage three is the showdown with "Donkey Kong", you only have two platforms to work with and up and you have two obstacles to deal with from a network of vines which caterpillar's crawl and Donkey Kong throwing coconuts at you.

There is one power up which is the bug spray upgrade which gives you spray a longer range and more powerful kick; however this only lasts for a temporary amount of time so don't pull any punches or waste time in its use.

Overall, it's a good sequel in my book, if not the best sequel let along final entry but at least it wasn't a bad final entry unlike most others in franchises. Like most video game sequels may or may not be your type of flower, it's at least worth a sniff.

Rating: 3 stars.

In the last of the original Donkey Kong trilogy, things are really out of whack. Instead of playing Mario, you play Stanley (I have no idea who he is). And your setting is a greenhouse. This was the worst of the first three Donkey Kong games. There are no great obstacles to beat, only bugs for the most part. Not to mention that the graphics are not really great. Don't bother with this game if you ever track down a copy. It's not worth it.

Unlike "Donkey Kong", and "Donkey Kong Jr", "Donkey Kong 3" simply sucks! In the third game of the Donkey Kong series, you don't play as Mario nor Donkey Kong Jr but you play as some odd character called Stanley the bugman (stupid huh?), and instead of a construction site, or a jungle for levels (just like the first 2 Donkey Kong games) the action takes place in a greenhouse. There isn't any obstacles to go through, All I can remember is that Stanley had a spray can but I don't really remember what it had to do with the object of the game (I do know it had something to do with Donkey Kong) There were also bugs for enemies. That's about it. Nothing special about this game. If you ever see this game, I warn you: Don't play it. It sucks!

Donkey Kong 3 is often the oddball of the original arcade trilogy - and that's exactly what makes it interesting. Instead of playing as Mario or Donkey Kong Jr., you're Stanley the Bugman, defending your greenhouse from rampaging insects... and a very aggressive Donkey Kong. Yes, really.

This entry ditches the platforming of the previous games in favor of a fixed shooter-style gameplay, where your goal is to spray Donkey Kong off the screen with bug spray while fending off waves of pests. It's a wild concept that feels more like Galaga meets Donkey Kong - and once you accept the genre shift, it's actually a lot of fun.

The graphics are crisp for the era, and the frantic pace keeps the arcade energy alive. It may not have the legacy of its predecessors, and Stanley never became a franchise mascot, but Donkey Kong 3 deserves credit for doing something different - and doing it well.

If you're a fan of retro arcade games or curious about the stranger corners of Nintendo's history, this one's worth a look.