Donkey Kong Barrel Blast (Wii)

Main Review
It's time for the Donkey Kong Barrel Blast review, for the Wii.

This has to be the most underrated game I have ever played. All of the gaming websites tell you to stay away from this game. Both GameSpot and IGN gave this game a 4.5 out of 10; to them, I say, did you even play this game, or just give the box art a short glance?

Are you freaking kidding me?! GamePro gave this game the title of Worst Game Of 2007? Have they even heard of Sonic And The Secret Rings? How about Carnival Games? What a bunch of bull.

(sighs) I have to admit, I thought this game looked like crap because of what I've heard and read, so to Nintendo, I appologize. This game surprised me at how fun it really was. It may look like a Mario Kart clone... and in some aspects, it is, but if you can get past that speed bump, you might be surprised as well.

The game starts out at the main screen where it nudges you to play the tutorial first, and I'm glad it did. I suggest you start with it as well. The tutorial is not that long; it took about 5 to 10 minutes for me.

Barrel Blast is like Mario Kart in the way that there is no story, you can use items to your advantage, and it's a racer, although that last fact is just stupid if you're trying to diss the game. "Oh, it's a racer, just like Mario Kart; therefore, it's total crap."

You get six characters to start out with; three from the Kong family, and three from the Kremling family. As you win your races, you will receive new characters for either the Kong or Kremling family, based on who you race with. So if you race with one of the Kong characters, you will receive more Kong characters, and vice versa.

As you start to race, you will notice that the game sort of, kind of plays on rails. Well, not really, but the track* have boundaries, and will lead you on where you need to go. I actually liked this feature, because you really can't tell where the track is at times.

Barrel Blast uses rocket- propelled barrels that are strapped onto your character to race with, and the controls are one of the biggest surprises that caught me off guard: they work really well. To have your character speed up to hit his or her max speed, you have to hit your barrels one after the other by simulating the motion of hitting them. To manuever left and right, either punch down with the Wiimote or Nunchuck respectively. To jump, punch down with both the Wiimote and Nunchuck at the same time. This is where the controls can be annoying; if you're trying to speed up in a rush, sometimes the sensors will not read it correctly, and your character will jump instead of try to speed up.

Now wait a minute... I want to know who invented these barrels; seriously, you have rocket- propelled BARRELS that allow you to fly, and the way to interact with them is by hitting them? Other important things don't work like that.

This Review's Comedy Skit
(FreQuenczy walks up to his television and hits it. At this, it turns on, and he gives a look of disbelief.)

(FreQuenczy then walks up to his car and hits it. At this, the engine turns on, and he gives another look of disbelief.)

(We then cut to the park; RedToa94 is reading a book when he suddenly stops.)

RedToa94: Oh come on! No! Ugh, why?!

(FreQuenczy runs up to him.)

FreQuenczy: I'm sorry, Coach. We're getting killed out there. I can't do it!

(RedToa94 puts a hand on FreQuenczy.)

RedToa94: Now you listen here: you will go out there, do your job, and make a (indistinct.) Am I clear?!

FreQuenczy: YES SIR! (runs off)

Main Review
Okay... maybe they do.

The graphics are not the best. Nintendo did a good job of coloring up the place, but it seems like they didn't take the time to put too much detail into it. Maybe they were rushing it. The graphics look better than the Nintendo 64, but not as good as the GameCube. It's like it was meant for a console in between those two. The N60Cube... wow, that was lame.

The sense of speed in this game is... okay; not the greatest, but not the worst. I think they could have sped it up just a bit. Maybe this game was intended for younger audiences, so they could build up their confidence and start to play Mario Kart.

There are also missions you can play, and by completing them, you will be rewarded with new characters. There's also time trials, where you can race yourself, or your friends to see who can receive the fastest time, Single Race, where you can just do a quick race and not the whole Grand Prix, and Free Race, where you have unlimited laps so you can practice on those harder track*.

Closing Verdict
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is a surprisingly good game. The controls are very well balanced and easy, the gameplay is fun, and that Donkey Kong charm is everywhere. The only downsides were the graphics were outdated, even for the Wii, and there is no online mode. But overall, this game was a nice surprise.

This game gets a 3.25 out of 5, with the title of Good.

Other Game Information
Developer: Paon Corporation

Publisher: Nintendo

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