Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode 8 Review — Four-and-a-Half Vulcans

Spoilers for winter 3 show 8 are included in this Star Trek: Weird New Worlds review. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that even the best tv shows have regular shows. Because we don’t find them very often, Star Trek: Odd New Worlds viewers are more spoilt than most. In fact, poor incidents of this series tend to]… ]

Four-and-a-Half Spartans: Star Trek: Odd New Worlds Season 3 Episode 8 Review — Four-and-a-Half Vulcans 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. Since then, Donkey Kong has become a fixture for the business, either as a supporting figure for Mario-led outfit game or as a member of his own collection of starring names for Nintendo‘s numerous portable and home consoles. This has continued into the company’s fledgling Nintendo Switch 2 era, with the console’s Donkey Kong Bananza the most positively buzzed-about title from the Switch 2’s launch library.

Although Donkey Kong has a long history in the video game industry, his number of games aren’t nearly as many as some of his other Nintendo counterparts. 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. Not including his supporting character ensemble appearances, these are the top 10 best Donkey Kong games ranked.

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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. To the credit of many critics, the game does allow you to replay many of the same levels with different characters, which the 2004 Super Mario 64 DS also did without much controversy, but that overlooks 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. It is undoubtedly not without its flaws.

9. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat ( 2004 )

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. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, a forgotten Donkey Kong entry due to its iconic peripheral, should receive an update given the possibilities presented by Nintendo’s continued motion control support.

8. Donkey Kong vs. Mario vs.

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.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong raises the bar from the traversal and puzzle-solving gameplay from the 1994 Game Boy game, adding a fresh dimension with the presence of the Mini-Marios that must be navigated safely. 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. The game features Donkey and Diddy Kong confronting a new villain, the Tiki Tak Tribe, who was originally featured in Rare’s original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, which was a huge hit on the Super Nintendo. 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, good, and successful return to form for the franchise, 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. Although the game’s gameplay flaws are still present, the slightly improved remasters on the Nintendo 3DS and Switch don’t significantly 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 tail end 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 its geography inspired by Scandinavia and Canada, Dixie and Kiddy set out to save Donkey and Diddy from Baron K. Rool.

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 being a supporting character for years, makes his playable debut in 2014’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U, joined by a returning Dixie. 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 before, and there are fewer levels overall. 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. The plot of the video game is straightforward: King K. Rool storms Donkey Kong Island and plunders the enormous stash of bananas, prompting the ape and his nephew Diddy to retrieve their purloined fruit in his first appearance.

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, a classic 1981 arcade game of the same name, initially appears to be a smoother, more intuitive port of the classic 1981 arcade game. 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 is more of a puzzle-solving experience than a platforming one at its core, 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 )

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, the 1995 sequel, used that as a springboard to create the ultimate side-scrolling Donkey Kong experience, if Donkey Kong Country had revolutionized how we thought of side-scrolling platformers. 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 how differently Diddy and Dixie each play affect one another creates a much richer and deeper experience than 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 being incredibly cathartic. 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.

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