(That is, unless you go by the retcon, introduced in Super Smash Bros. ThereвЂ™s also Cranky Kong, the вЂњoriginalвЂќ Donkey Kong from the arcade game, thereby making the Donkey Kong in this game technically a grown up version of Donkey Kong Jr. The games star Donkey Kong and his little baseball cap wearing buddy Diddy Kong. And while what we got might not have quite been that (in fact, DKCВ would go on to be known for being overhyped by as many people who loved it), for a brief moment, the necktie-wearing gorilla was king, and Donkey Kong CountryВ left its mark on gaming history and on the minds of a generation of adolescent gamers nonetheless. For kids of the era, November 20th seemed like the eve of a revolution. Regardless of any real impact this marketing blitzkrieg might have had, as the days leading up to Thanksgiving 1994 winded down, people got excited.

Nintendo even put out a promotional video with a bunch of baseball cap-endowed, long-haired wiener kids talking about how awesome the game would be. It was on gigantic, imposing displays and marquees at Wal-Mart and Babbages. From the moment images of the new Donkey KongВ game utilizing the new Silicon Graphics rendering technology were released, Donkey Kong CountryВ was the talk of the town вЂ“ it was everywhere. So Rare came up with the next best thing. Unfortunately, the mere facsimiles possible on extant hardware at the time were rough, difficult to make, and not really facilitative to platformers. Now came the most crucial part: the hype.ДЄt this point, whether developers wanted to embrace it or not, 3D was coming, and coming quickly. Now Nintendo had their concept and the development team to see it realized. This relationship would be most clear later on with games like the Mortal KombatВ clone Killer InstinctВ and their legendary first-person shooters for the N64, but thatвЂ™s a different story altogether. Rare would be a portal through which Nintendo could still communicate with the steadily Westernizing American gaming populace while still publishing under NintendoвЂ™s banner. Enter England-based Rare studio, who had already turned a few heads in the previous gen with games like Snake Rattle вЂnвЂ™ Roll, Marble Madness, and the infamous Battletoads. Things were really starting to change in the 90s, and it seemed pretty clear that Nintendo was looking ahead and saw a glimpse of a future where Japan didnвЂ™t have a total monopoly on gaming. But how would they go about making such a game? How would they create a platformer distinct from Mario, but with the same sensibilities and level of quality? And thatвЂ™s when Nintendo remembered they already had a critter-and what better way to have one of those вЂњ800lb gorillaвЂќ games for the Holiday season than one starring an 800lb gorilla? But as Mario went on sabbatical, quietly plotting his revenge in the form of an earth-shattering 3D comeback, Nintendo needed an ace, something to compete with the Sonics, theВ Sparksters, theВ Bubsys, and all the other cool, happening, accessorized critters trying to get a slice of what was once exclusively MarioвЂ™s pie. Even the once almighty Mario dared not show his face during what is now affectionately referred to as the вЂњвЂtude eraвЂќ, letting Yoshi take the reigns (quite ironically) in his second 16-bit outing.

Suddenly, unless you were a hip anthromorph, you just werenвЂ™t rad enough to helm a platforming franchise. Sonic had hit the scene, and his sense of style and attitude dazzled young gamers in a way Mario couldnвЂ™t compete with anymore. Instead, Jumpman, who we later learned was an Italian plumber named Mario, found stardom with Donkey KongВ and would become the face of gaming itself in the 80s, while Donkey himself was relegated to being a special guest appearance.Д«ut in the 90s, things began to change. But Donkey KongвЂ™s eponymous villain never got to claim the success of his franchise.

It was a phenomenon like few things were up till then, and it was the foundation upon which Nintendo built its vast empire. Before there were вЂњgamersвЂќ, at least as we know them today, people played Donkey Kong. The name alone has a particular resonance far beyond gaming culture.

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