Blade Was the First Superhero Movie to Look Like the Future

Superhero theater was on living support when Blade first appeared in 1998. Batman &amp, Robin had turned the music into a parody the year before, Marvel Comics was cracked and hungry, and a shared visual world seemed unthinkable. Characters were losing their relevance. Then Wesley Snipes stepped across a blood-soaked floor wearing black leather, carrying a]… ]

The second Superhero video to look like the prospect, Blade, first appeared on Den of Geek.

Nintendo‘s breakthrough name was never Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda, but somewhat Donkey Kong, with the eponymous monkey headlining the agency’s 1981 arcade game that helped Nintendo create a prominent hold in the American gambling industry. Donkey Kong has since grown a device for the business, whether playing in Mario-led opera games or his own collection of starring games for Nintendo‘s numerous portable and home consoles. This has continued into the bank’s budding Nintendo Switch 2 time, with the game’s Donkey Kong Bananza the most favourably buzzed-about name from the Switch 2’s start library.

Although Donkey Kong’s number of games he primarily stars in aren’t as many as some of his other Nintendo counterparts, he has a long history in the video game industry. With that said, Donkey Kong has starred in at least one game on virtually every major Nintendo system and remains a cornerstone property for the company. Without including his supporting character ensemble appearances, these are the top ten Donkey Kong games.

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10. Donkey Kong 64 ( 1999) )

We’re starting off this list with a relatively divisive entry, as many have not inaccurately derided 1999’s Donkey Kong 64 as an overstuffed collect-a-thon on the Nintendo 64. The game does, to the credit of many critics, allow you to replay many of the same levels with different characters, which was also done without the same amount of backlash in Super Mario 64 DS‘s 2004 version, but that ignores the point. Indeed, not only catapulting Donkey Kong and his friends into the world of 3D platforming, Donkey Kong 64 rose above its contemporaries in the genre.

Donkey Kong 64 has an underappreciated depth, notably in its rich level design and atmospheric musical score, which was composed by Grant Kirkhope. What a lot of retrospective reviews also don’t take into account is that there was a ton of 3D platforming slop flooding the market after the success of Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, slop that Donkey Kong 64 clearly stood a cut above during its release. Donkey Kong 64 deserves far more love than it receives these days, or at least a less dubious reputation, despite its many flaws.

9. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat ( 2005 )

Nintendo home consoles have a longstanding legacy of quirky peripherals, a tradition that was continued by the Nintendo GameCube at the dawn of the 21st century. In 2004’s Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the peripheral was given a more optimized gameplay experience after introducing the DK Bongos, a bongo drum peripheral for the GameCube and 2003’s Donkey Konga. The game continues the rhythm-based gameplay from Donkey Konga, albeit within a side-scrolling platformer controlled by the drums.

Jungle Beat is one of the most playable Donkey Kong games ever in terms of difficulty and logical usage. More than just providing a unique mechanic in moving across the levels, there is something fundamentally cathartic about pounding on a set of bongos to pummel an imposing boss. Given the possibilities presented by Nintendo’s continued motion control support, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, a forgotten Donkey Kong entry due to its signature peripheral, should receive an update.

8. Donkey Kong vs. Mario ( 2004 )

While Mario and Donkey Kong may be nominal buddies now, palling around throughout various Nintendo sports titles, Mario Kart, and Mario Party, there was a time when they were bitter rivals. The spiritual follow-up to 1994’s Donkey Kong on the original Game Boy, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, takes on that antagonistic past in 2004. The game’s offbeat story has Mario own and run his own toy factory, which is raided by Donkey Kong for the factory’s popular line of wind-up Mini-Mario figures.

With the addition of the Mini-Marios that must be navigated safely, Mario vs. Donkey Kong ups the ante over the 1994 Game Boy game’s puzzle-solving gameplay and traversal. The game received a surprise remake on the Nintendo Switch in 2024, making the controls more intuitive to the modern console while significantly upping the technical presentation. While we’re certainly happy that Donkey Kong and Mario once again play nice, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a fresh take on one of video game’s oldest conflicts.

7. Donkey Kong Country Returns ( 2010 )

After completely revitalizing the Metroid franchise, developer Retro Studios did the same for Donkey Kong with 2010’s Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii. Returning to the side-scrolling platforming that made Rare’s original Donkey Kong Country trilogy such a big hit on the Super Nintendo, the game features Donkey and Diddy Kong taking on a brand-new Tiki Tak Tribe. In a change-up from previous titles in the series, the game also allows for two-player simultaneous co-op, with the second player controlling Diddy.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a good, hurm, franchise hurm, though its execution has some flaws. Boasting a faster pace than the original trilogy, the Wii revival is markedly more difficult than many games in the series, something that highlights how frustrating the console’s motion controls can be. The game’s visual presentation was slightly improved thanks to slightly improved remasters on the Nintendo 3DS and Switch, even though its gameplay flaws are still present, and these remasters don’t really improve the overall experience.

6. Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble in Donkey Kong Country 3! ( 1996 )

One final Donkey Kong Country game for the SNES was released in 1996’s Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble, which was released at the twilight of the Super Nintendo’s lifecycle and after the Nintendo 64 had already been released. Just as Donkey Kong Country 2 ditched Donkey Kong himself, its sequel also discards Diddy, replacing him with the new playable character Kiddy Kong. In a northern region with a geography that is influenced by Canada and Scandinavia, Dixie and Kiddy set out to save Donkey and Diddy from Baron K. Rorol.

Though Donkey Kong Country 3 may be the weakest entry of the original trilogy, it is by no means a bad game and brings some fresh changes to the series, specifically, an open hub map and vehicles. Even with the protagonist swapping to introduce Kiddy, the game just doesn’t feel as inspired as its two predecessors. A solid if seemingly obligatory coda to the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Donkey Kong Country 3 retains the core appeal as it goes through well-worn territory.

5. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ( 2014 )

Cranky Kong, who has been relegated to serving as a supporting character for years, makes his Wii U playable debut in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in 2014. The game has Donkey Kong’s birthday party interrupted by the attacking Snowmads, an army of arctic animals plotting to conquer Donkey Kong Island and plunge it into endless winter. The Kongs fight their way back to the center of their home island, defeat the Snowmads, and defrost their home from its recently icy condition.

Tropical Freeze is an all-around improvement over Donkey Kong Country Returns, significantly refining the gameplay mechanics and level design. The difficulty is unchanged at the same time as it was when the overall number of levels dropped from its predecessor. A solid addition to the series, the definitive Tropical Freeze experience is its enhanced remaster on the Nintendo Switch, adding Funky Kong as a playable character.

4. Donkey Kong Country ( 1994 )

The original Donkey Kong Country was a huge deal when it debuted on the Super Nintendo that year, to anyone who was present and playing video games in 1994. With its crisp, pre-rendered graphics, there was nothing else that looked that good on the console market at the time, helping steer the industry towards more 3D aesthetics. King K. Rool and his nephew Diddy discover their purloined fruit when they make their first appearance on Donkey Kong Island and steal his enormous stash of bananas.

If it was just about that initial wow factor from its pre-rendered presentation, we wouldn’t still be talking about Donkey Kong Country over 30 years after its launch. Beyond just its stunning visuals, the game completely redefined Donkey Kong and established him as a key Nintendo trademark. That legacy stems from a combination of impressive technical presentation, an instant-classic score composed primarily by Grant Kirkhope, and an engaging side-scrolling platformer experience that this first game all brings to the table.

3. Donkey Kong ( 1994 )

Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, which was released in 1994, appears to be a smoother, more intuitive port of the classic 1981 arcade game of the same name. However, after completing the four levels from the arcade title, the 1994 game expands into a full-on adventure as Donkey Kong kidnaps Mario’s girlfriend Pauline again and hightails it across 97 additional levels in nine-themed worlds. Donkey Kong Jr. joins Donkey Kong in attempting to stay one step ahead of Mario while the mustached plumber learns a new set of moves to keep up with the apes.

The Game Boy Donkey Kong is a love letter to both the original arcade and its 1982 sequel Donkey Kong Jr. while ambitiously building upon these foundations. The game’s underlying structure is more of a puzzle-solving experience than a platforming one, with the level design demonstrating this more as players advance. That helps elevate 1994’s Donkey Kong tremendously from similar games in the franchise and a refreshing twist on a familiar premise.

2. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest ( 1995 )

If Donkey Kong Country had changed the way we thought of side-scrolling platformers, its 1995 sequel Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest used that as a starting point for the ultimate side-scrolling Donkey Kong experience. As the title suggests, Diddy steps up as the protagonist, teaming up with his newly introduced girlfriend Dixie Kong to rescue Donkey from Kaptain K. Rool. The pair uses their unique abilities to cross 52 levels and rescue Diddy’s uncle on Crocodile Isle before heading to the pirate warlord’s hideout on Crocodile Isle.

Donkey Kong Country 2 is one of those cases where bigger does actually mean better, with more secrets, more animal buddies to temporarily control, and more enemy types to take down. More ambitious levels are being created, and the depth and breadth of each play made by Diddy and Dixie significantly exceed that of its predecessor. An all-around improvement over the original Donkey Kong Country, the sequel stands as the apex of side-scrollers and one of the best games that developer Rare ever made.

1. Donkey Kong Bananza ( 2025 )

Donkey Kong Bananza, which was released a full month after the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch, outperformed Mario Kart World in terms of gameplay. This praise is well-earned, with Donkey Kong Bananza successfully catapulting its heroic ape into a full-on 3D platformer experience built around the character’s notable strength by placing him in destructible environments. No matter how much money the environment costs, Donkey Kong and a teenage Pauline battle the evil VoidCo mining company, which is attempting to extract Banandium Gems from Ingot Isle.

From its immersive level design, side-scrolling detours straight out of the original Donkey Kong Country in a fun and emotional tribute, and a redesigned Donkey Kong character design with plenty of personality, Donkey Kong Bananza repositions DKas a marquee Nintendo franchise. Bananza is just a lot of fun despite its celebration of the entire history of Donkey Kong, with its key gameplay mechanic of literally tearing through environments acting incredibly therapeutic. This game lets players go nuts and bash and smash everything around them. Donkey Kong Bananza is Nintendo’s best 3D platformer since at least 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, and it is the most unashamedly enjoyable Donkey Kong game ever. It is a subtle rehash of what is possible for a Donkey Kong game.

The post Donkey Kong Video Games Ranked from Fun to Absolute Bananas appeared first on Den of Geek.