Rejoice Arcaders, for after so many years of wondering if we would ever get an official release of the original Donkey Kong arcade game from Nintendo, here it is. And not only that, but Nintendo has Don James himself to talk quite a bit about it.
And not only that but we get yet another hidden Nintendo Gem that not too many people would know about: Sky Skipper!
I do wonder – if only for RayGunn’s sake – if this means we will get a DKJr, as well as…Donkey Kong 3! Goodness knows, Stanley the Bugman needs some love too!
Here it is… After 4 years, I’ve brought back the original- The Arcade Archives podcast! I thought, with it being Super Mario Month, let’s start back at the very beginning of the history of Mario- when he was known as Jumpman! That’s right we’re talking Donkey Kong! Now, this is the first of three podcasts devoted to the big gorilla- next is Donkey Kong Jr.(one of the greatest sequel games of all time) and of course, my personal favorite- Donkey Kong 3!
SHOW NOTES-
Check out Donkey Kong VCS! an ARCADE PERFECT port on the Atari 2600!
By Joe Musashi
Get the roms to play this game on your Stella- the Atari 2600 emulator
With the Arcade Archives podcast almost here- I thought, RayGunn- why not whet the appetite a bit and and look at all the ports of Donkey Kong- everything from the arcade to the ZX Spectrum!
Thanks to wingnut4427 and The Gaming History Resource for this amazing video! And be sure to go to their YouTube channel check out more great games!
What versions did you own and/or play on?
Let us know in the comments section, or on our Facebook page!
I love YouTube. It’s like a library of the past- and if you put in the right search words, you can find some amazing things! Things like Video Game All Stars!
The showStarcadewas lightning in a bottle! This show is what revitalized the children’s game show in the early 1980’s. What made it popular? VIDEO GAMES! Competing in video game challenges on the show, and winning an actual arcade game was what kids wanted ( and still do ). Other Shows tried to capture that same excitement that Starcadedid. We did a piece on The Video Game Challenge about four years ago. that looked like it was headed for syndication lake Starcade did- but sadly, never made it past the pilot (if it did, please let us know- we would like to put more up her at the Archives!)
Cut to today, and I’m looking for some arcade footage to put up on the site, and this little nugget pops up on the screen. And I’m floored.This description is from the YouTube Chanel-
In 1983 and 1984 I produced and directed a local Colorado Springs TV show called “Video Game All Stars,” which aired on KOAA TV, channels 5 and 30, the NBC affiliate. There were only 3 episodes produced. I consulted with my friend, experienced TV professional Larry Frost before getting started, and then hired Wes Rogers to host the first episode. He interviewed players and did a few stand-ups.
Highlights of this show include the early 1980s coin-op video games, the big Eighties fashions, hairstyles and the players’ funny descriptions of how they beat the games.
What fascinates me most about this, is that its a local show- and it looks it! And I mean that in a good way! From the old videotaped look to it, to the interviewers that you can tell DON’T PLAY GAMES… It screams early 1980s more so than even Starcade does. It’s so…rural. It’s like a group of friends got together and said “Let’s make a TV show about something popular, even though we know nothing about the subject!” Very typical back then- remember: there was no internets to cheat with back then! You learned about the subject as you rolled with the interviews! And the kids! They were so into playing games ant telling you about the experience- because it was so new! Some highlights of the episode include-
What you like most about playing games!
Tips on Tron!
Tips on Frogger!
The future of the arcade (and boy, was this guy wrong!)
New game reviews!
But the best part- is… THE COMMERCIALS!
The local arcade footage is nothing short of awesome!
With names like QuarterFlash, and The 5 Center, I wish I had gone to these arcades!
Let me know what you think- Let me know in the comments section below!
My wife’s family were planning a huge reunion for the beginning of August In Oregon. In doing research on Sunriver and it’s surrounding areas I found out that they had an arcade in Bend, about 25 miles from where I was! Not just any redemption style with new kiddie games and a Galaga, But a REAL WORKING classic video arcade! And on August 4th, I had the opportunity to go to Bend (A beautiful town, by the way) and visit The Vector Volcano. And it was awesome! The owners, Brett and Danielle were very nice and they were excited to see all the old Arcaders in and enjoying their favorites and the young Arcaders playing games that were popular long before they were born! The place was packed when I was in, and whole families were having a great time (even some of mine!)
The room is styled like an arcade right out of the early 80s! The attention to detail was amazing! The game selection would keep anyone busy for a very long time! Brett has been collecting since 1996, and it shows! Every screen clean, crisp, and vibrant, and the cabinets and their artwork have held up well- they look almost new! And all the games were working great! What I liked the most was his selection of the lesser known games- watch the video below and you will catch glimpses of Tapper, Cheyenne, Tutankham, Bubbles, Popeye, Zookeeper, and more! The even had a jukebox that played 45s in the back!
Here’s a list of the games they had while I was there-
I want to thank Brett and Danielle for allowing me to do this video review! and if you are visiting Bend Oregon , WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING? GET DOWN TO THE VECTOR VOLCANO TODAY!
