Donkey Kong PAL prototype (with Pie Level) released!

[nensondubois]

http://www.lupinthethird.net/forums/index.php?topic=1492.0

[God-Zilla]

Thanks for sharing! Cool discovery!

[todesengel]

Is this just a rip of the ROM that's preloaded on the PAL Wii anniversary edition?

[nensondubois]

Presumably, yes.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

What's the level order? Is it the Japanese 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc. level order, or the US: 1-4, 1-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 order?

[Greg2600]

Yes, this is not a prototype, it's the hacked rom.

[Enigmus]

I'm still wondering why anyone would leak it to a fansite for Lupin the 3rd instead of a website relevant to NES discussion.

Also, the link could count as piracy, seeing as it leads to a page with a download link for a ROM that's currently at retail.

[Leo_A]

There is some discussion of this release at the tail end of this thread, including a video, for anyone that is interested.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148605&page=2&highlight=Donkey

[TheDomesticInstitution]

If the ROM thats being linked here is the same one that was on the VC, then it's the Japanese release. The American version has a different level order. This looks pretty much the same as the N64 port. And the sounds are slightly different too- the pitch is wrong on many of them. Anyway, just saying. If someone where to ever make a NES repro that included the American level order, I'd buy it.

[Tempest]

From what I've read it's the European VC rom and it was hacked to add the extra level and animation. Why Nintendo decided to hack the original game for the European release is beyond me, but they did something similar with Mario Bros. Still, it would be neat to have, I'll have to try and add it to my Wii sometime in here.

Tempest

[PingvinBlueJeans]

If someone where to ever make a NES repro that included the American level order, I'd buy it.
Isn't that basically what this (http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=103) is? Or does the RetroZone cartridge not have the correct order?

[InsaneDavid]

Isn't that bascially what this (http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=103) is?

Ever since stumbling upon that page, it just irritates me. "Here's a commercially available "new" release that Nintendo is currently selling! Let's sell it too!"

[theclaw]

Ever since stumbling upon that page, it just irritates me. "Here's a commercially available "new" release that Nintendo is currently selling! Let's sell it too!"

Better that, than be forced to buy a European Wii when I already own two US ones. What else would I play on it? Another Code R?

[InsaneDavid]

Better that, than be forced to buy a European Wii when I already own two US ones. What else would I play on it? Another Code R?

I say be glad it's dumped and leave it at that.

[buzz_n64]

Sure a repro is not the same as the real thing, but if there is no real thing, then I'm interested. A European Wii is out of the question.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Isn't that basically what this (http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=103) is? Or does the RetroZone cartridge not have the correct order?

I don't know, but I bet not. It's probably the same level order that all these other hacks or Nintendo releases have. I'd love to be proven wrong. Anyway I just emailed them to find out.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Got a reply today about the retrozone cart of Donkey Kong:


Mark,


It appears to have the Japanese layout as the second level is the Cement
Factory, which I have yet to pass so I'm not sure what the third level is.

Thanks.

[InsaneDavid]

"Mark,

It appears to have the Japanese layout as the second level is the Cement
Factory, which I have yet to pass so I'm not sure what the third level is.

Thanks."

Wow... I can understand on the arcade version where even getting there is good for an average player but really? It's a stupid easy dash on the NES since Donkey Kong stays put in the middle and doesn't move back and forth at the top.

I've heard the game gets glitchy around the third or fourth loop due to the clumsy hacking Nintendo did to get the stage inserted.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Wow... I can understand on the arcade version where even getting there is good for an average player but really? It's a stupid easy dash on the NES since Donkey Kong stays put in the middle and doesn't move back and forth at the top.

I've heard the game gets glitchy around the third or fourth loop due to the clumsy hacking Nintendo did to get the stage inserted.


He must never play the game, because that's pretty bad. Can't be as easy as the NES version of Galaga though (compared to the arcade).

[Enigmus]

Better that, than be forced to buy a European Wii when I already own two US ones. What else would I play on it? Another Code R?

Homebrew Channel, FCEUGX, and the (illegal) ROM from the link above.

Problem solved.

[InsaneDavid]

I've been playing the dump quite a bit and caught two more seemingly random glitches on this play session. The first one was after completing the fourth stage (rivets), when the game was resetting back around to the first stage (girders). When the screen went black after the ending intermission a teal colored "3" was shown all on its own in the upper right. Turns out it was my extra lives counter as the stage built around it and it turned the proper white color.

The other glitch came up on my second game, after looping the game three times up until the fourth cement factory stage in my previous game. Upon starting to climb the last ladder the entire screen flickered and the following graphical glitches were displayed...

http://www.classicplastic.net/digitalpress/DonkeyKongOriginalEdition001.jpg

The level continued to operate properly and upon completion and loading of the next stage the glitched tiles went away.

I don't know if these problems would come up on actual NES hardware but it wouldn't surprise me. Those looking to order a copy of this on a cartridge may want to tread lightly and be aware of the possible glitches.

[badinsults]

Or, you know, you could get it on the Virtual Console for a fraction of the price. :p

BTW, there is a large thread about this port on Lost Levels:

http://forums.lostlevels.org/viewtopic.php?t=2460&start=0

[SparTonberry]

Yes, if Nintendo would put the game on the Virtual Console THEN you could get it for a fraction of the price. :P

[ColecoFan1981]

Yes, if Nintendo would put the game on the Virtual Console THEN you could get it for a fraction of the price. :P
The USA Donkey Kong arcade level order is:
Level 1: 1, 4
Level 2: 1, 3, 4
Level 3: 1, 2, 3, 4
Level 4: 1, 2, 1, 3, 4
Level 5+: 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4

And for Donkey Kong Junior the level order here is:
Level 1: 1, 4
Level 2: 1, 2, 4
Level 3: 1, 3, 4
Level 4: 1, 2, 3, 4
Level 5: 1, 2, 1, 3, 4 (same as arcade DK L4)
Level 6+: 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4 (same as arcade DK L5)

~Ben

[NE146]

The USA Donkey Kong arcade level order is:
Level 1: 1, 4
Level 2: 1, 3, 4
Level 3: 1, 2, 3, 4
Level 4: 1, 2, 1, 3, 4
Level 5+: 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4

It's kind of ironic that U.S. players never got to see the Pie Level or the Elevator stages in their easy (and slow) difficulty level.. by the time they get to them, the game difficulty is already up. :p

Still though, nowadays I do prefer the USA level order.. it just has more variety.

[ColecoFan1981]

It's kind of ironic that U.S. players never got to see the Pie Level or the Elevator stages in their easy (and slow) difficulty level.. by the time they get to them, the game difficulty is already up. :p

Still though, nowadays I do prefer the USA level order.. it just has more variety.
On certain home computer versions of the game (notably the 1983-84 AtariSoft ports), you can skip to the 3rd or 5th levels. The Apple II and DOS versions allow you to skip to the levels where you can play the mud factory board after the girders (choose "H" for Hard which starts you at Level 3, or "E" for Expert which starts you at Level 5).

For the Atari 8-bit and XE versions, the level of difficulty on the level select screen is represented by these five icons (names are as described in the official Atari 800 Donkey Kong instruction book):
Level 1 = Barrel
Level 2 = Mad Spring
Level 3 = Sand Pile
Level 4 = Firefox
Level 5 = Hammer

~Ben

[stardust4ever]

I bought a Donkey Kong Complete Edition repro from RetroUSB a while back and it plays wonderfully in my NES toaster.

Funny nobody brought up this thread yet. I certainly don't want to be the one to bump it with my first post on Digital Press:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7909

As late as 2009, people were still talking about whether or not a true-to-the-original console port existed, and this is as good as it gets. As to whether this game was a hack or an unreleased prototype, I still have the feeling that Nintendo couldn't be bothered to entirely reprogram a 20+ years old game from scratch. I imagine that at some point during the NES lifespan, Nintendo had the completed code for a complete version of the game, and decided it wasn't worth releasing.

Aswald claimed he visited a friend's house in the late 1990's and played a completed version of NES Donkey Kong with all four levels intact.
There is a 4-screen version for the NES. It has the intermissions, and such. Unfortunately, I've only seen it and played it at one person's house, and have never seen another copy since; but be assured, it wasn't a "bootleg" copy, and it really does exist. It's just very difficult to find. I just can't help but wonder if his friend was sitting on a Holy Grail Donkey Kong proto, or if it was just a normal copy...