Software:Donkey Kong Land III

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game


Donkey Kong Land III
North American box art
Developer(s)Rare
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Gary Richards
Huw Ward
Writer(s)Leigh Loveday
Composer(s)Eveline Fischer
SeriesDonkey Kong
Platform(s)
ReleaseGame Boy
Game Boy Color
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Donkey Kong Land III is a 1997 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. A port for the Game Boy Color was released only in Japan in 2000 under the name Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong.[lower-alpha 1] Like its predecessors, Donkey Kong Land III served as the portable version of and follow-up to its SNES counterpart, in this case Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, was enhanced for the Super Game Boy, and was packaged with a "banana yellow" cartridge.

The game has since been re-released via the Nintendo 3DS' Virtual Console in 2014.[3][4] The game was also later added to the Nintendo Classics service in early December 2024, following the re-releases of its two predecessors from late November.[5]

Gameplay

While the level environments and themes are the same as Donkey Kong Country 3, the level designs are all unique.[6]

Plot

A contest has begun with big prizes for the first person who discovers the Lost World. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have already left to find it, leaving a disgruntled Dixie Kong behind. Deciding to prove herself every bit as capable as them, Dixie partners up with her toddler cousin Kiddy Kong. Baron K. Roolenstein and the Kremling Krew are also searching high and low for the fabled land.

Development

Donkey Kong Land 3 was coded by Ian Manders. Manders started at Rare in 1994 with his first project being Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run. The game used the same engine that Robert Harrison wrote from the ground up for Donkey Kong Land 2. Manders said that programming the game was a challenge as he was new to the tighter constraints for which the CPU of the Game Boy allowed.[7]

The game deviates more from its console counterpart Donkey Kong Country 3, if not more than the first game which had new enemies in addition to new scenery and level design. Harrison stated that this was because most of the attention was being made for games for the Nintendo 64 at Rare and that using an existing game engine allowed for more original elements to be made for the game.[7]

On 28 January 2000,[8] less than three years after the game's North American and European releases, Nintendo released an updated Game Boy Color version of the game in Japan. Titled Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong, it was not released outside of Japan. This version is the same as the Game Boy version, but lacks some animations and dialogues.[1] This version was also released on the 3DS Virtual Console in Japan in 2014,[9] and again on the Japanese Nintendo Classics service in December 2024.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings81.25%[10]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Hyper82/100[11]
Nintendo Power7.1/10[12]
Nintendojo8.5/10[13]
Nintendo Life9/10[14]

Donkey Kong Land III received a score of 81.25% at GameRankings based on four reviews.[10]

Nintendojo and Nintendo Power praised the games sprites with the former citing fluid animation and both complimenting that the character sprites stood out on the screen. Nintendo Power's reviewers found that the Game Boy screen became too blurry during scrolling stages.[13][12] Nintendo Power recommend players to play the game via the Super Game Boy to alleviate these issues.[12] Both reviews complimented the abundance of content in the game.[13][12] Hyper praised the visuals and game control while saying it lacked challenging gameplay. The reviewer found the game did did not offer a lot of surprises, while stating that "no one ever expected it to."[11]

Nintendo Power and Nintendo Life described the game as the best of the Donkey Kong game for the Game Boy to date and the best of the Donkey Kong Land series respectively.[12][14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "'Donkey Kong Land 3'". NinDB. http://www.nindb.net/game/donkey-kong-land-3.html. 
  2. ↑ "Nintendo - Customer Service / Game List". Nintendo. https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/gamelist.jsp?revealed=false&dsie=&dc=false&sh=donkey%20kong%20land&gf=&pf=&wifi=false&ww=&dw=&mic=&pap=&vc=&man=&rf=&nf=&pp=&sf=&ef=. 
  3. ↑ "Nintendo Download: 26th February (North America)" (in en-GB). 2015-02-26. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/02/nintendo_download_26th_february_north_america. 
  4. ↑ "Nintendo Download: 30th October (Europe)" (in en-GB). 2014-10-27. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/10/nintendo_download_30th_october_europe. 
  5. ↑ Vuckovic, Daniel (December 4, 2024). "Donkey Kong Land III lands on Nintendo Switch Online today". https://www.vooks.net/donkey-kong-land-iii-lands-on-nintendo-switch-online-today/. 
  6. ↑ "Donkey Kong Land III" (in en-US). Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-land-iii/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Thorpe & Carroll, p. 30.
  8. ↑ "Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong for GBC". Gamespot.com. http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/action/donkeykonggbdinkykongdixieykong/index.html. 
  9. ↑ "Software: Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong and Dixie Kong" (in ja). Nintendo. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/eshop/vc/qbcj/index.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Donkey Kong Land III". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/564414-donkey-kong-land-iii/index.html. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Stepnik, March (December 1997). "Byte Size". Hyper (Australia) (50). 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "Now Playing". Nintendo Power (101). October 1997. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Segers, Andre. "Donkey Kong Land 3". Nintendojo. http://www.nintendojo.com/archives/reviews/GB/view_item.php?953658003. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Frear, Dave (October 31, 2014). "Donkey Kong Land III". Nintendo Life. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/donkey_kong_land_iii_gameboy. 

Notes

  1. ↑ Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong (ドンキーコングGB ディンキーコング&ディクシーコング, Donkī Kongu Jī Bī: Dinkī Kongu & Dikushī Kongu)

Sources

  • Thorpe, Nick; Carroll, Martyn. "30 Years of the Game Boy". Retro Gamer (196). 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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