Donkey Kong Jr. Math
Donkey Kong Jr. Math was the third game released in the Donkey Kong series, and the second to feature Donkey Kong Jr.. It was released in 1983 for the NES. Donkey Kong will hold up a sign, and Donkey Kong Jr. must find the numbers and math sign to get to that number to get a point.
Donkey Kong Jr. Math was met with negative reviews and the worst selling launch-title for the system, yet was later released as a remake called Donkey Kong Jr. + Jr. Math Lesson which included both Donkey Kong Jr. Math and Donkey Kong Jr.. This game was recreated as an obtainable item in the game Animal Crossing and it was released for the Wii Virtual Console for 500 Wii Points (five dollars) in North America on September 3, 2007.
Gameplay
The game features a one and two player mode. In the single player mode, the player's goal is to enter the answers to mathematical questions in order to receive points. The questions include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In the two player mode, both players control two Donkey Kong Juniors (a normal brown one and a pink one) that are on a race to create a math formula that equals the number shown by Donkey Kong. The gameplay is similar to that of Donkey Kong Jr.; players climb vines to reach higher areas. To create the math formulas, the player has to collect the numbers and the symbol(s) in the correct order that can be reached by using the vines.
Characters
Playable
Non-Playable
- Donkey Kong
- Bird
Reception
Donkey Kong Jr. Math was a critical and commercial failure. Nintendo spokesman Tom Sarris said that it "wasn't a big hit", including that no one was very enthusiastic about the game. He felt that if it was well received, it would lead to more educational titles. Andy Slaven, the author of the game, derided Nintendo for combining a positively received license with math, which is generally unfavorable with children. Wikipedia:Inside Higher Ed's David Epstein did not find this game to be fun, while Bob Mackey from 1UP.com called it the worst NES launch title, criticizing it for a lack of value. He commented that Donkey Kong Jr. moves as well as an infant would in real life. Skyler Miller from Allgame said that the game was a creative use of Donkey Kong Jr.'s graphics and gameplay.
The game had a poor reception from IGN. Lucas M. Thomas found the controls poor and the execution to be bland and flawed. Frank Provo of GameSpot found out it became boring quickly; he also criticized the math problems that would be easy for young children and boring for older ones. Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead commented that it gave him an "ironic smile" as a reminder of the NES era, though he couldn't justify paying five dollars for it.
The game also received criticism for its qualities as an educational game.
External Links
- Donkey Kong Jr. Math at the Classic Nintendo Wiki.
