The Kongversation: Donkey Kong Universe Discussion

The celebration of Donkey Kong Land III is here! Weird and sloppy might be how you like your romantic interests, but is it any way to make a Donkey Kong platformer? Hyle and the elusive David Lynch are in a race against time to try and understand what the hell is going on with the concluding chapter of the Donkey Kong Land trilogy.

Spurred on by the irresponsible journalism and subsequent colorful responses that the last episode generated, the Kongversation discusses ingrained, yet unfair, criticisms of the Donkey Kong Universe from cranky fans and the grumpy gaming media. I can't wait to see what unsourced headlines this episode will be responsible for!

On an episode with a longer title than Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie, Craig Duncan, Studio Head of Rare, joins the Kongversation for a wide-ranging interview. Everything from Sea of Thieves to Craig's (shocking!) favorite Donkey Kong game gets discussed. It's the best Kongversation interview with a Rare Studio Head that's ever been, ever ever ever, on any episode.

Monkeys and crocodile men seem to be back in fashion in gaming, but not in the way we've grown accustomed to. On this episode of the Kongversation, we look at the next round of games inspired by Rare's classics: FortuneFish's Kroko Bongo and Chameleon Games' Tamarin.

Oh no! Sonic Mania? Has the Kongversation finally run out of Donkey Kong Universe-related topics to yammer on about? Not so fast, Barry Allen! The concept of Sonic diehards making good and churning out the best Hedgehog game in years has intrigued the Kongversation. Sonic expert Josh "The Geek Critique" Wallen and local weirdo Nick "Spuzzwick" Prol join Hyle to talk abou the joys of Sonic Mania, a...

For the full effect of this episode, follow along with the DK Vine Gallery at https://www.dkvine.com/games/gallery/artwork/! Cameron leads a look at how the art style of the Donkey Kong series has evolved since Donkey Kong Country. Rare, Nintendo, Paon, and Retro have all had varying takes, but has the soul of Donkey Kong survived all these years later?

WHY? Well, that you have such an exasperated reaction should tell you why! Mitchell Wolfe returns to the Kongversation to discuss ways the stigma of Super Smash Bros. can be removed in light of the psychic scars and lingering disappointment over the most recent iteration. Don't worry: The answer isn't "put more Donkey Kong characters in the game". Although, you know, they should put more Donkey Ko...

It's the long-awaited sequel to the Kongversation's Season One classic, "BEARS"! In "ANIMALS", Hyle and Nick discuss the importance of Animal Buddies in the Donkey Kong series. Naturally, this includes exhaustively cataloging each and every one for over three hours. This episode is longer than the natural lifespan of some of these Buddies!

Once upon a time there was going to be a Game Boy Advance follow-up to Diddy Kong Racing called Diddy Kong Pilot. After spending a few years in development hell, it eventually saw release only as a Banjo-Kazooie game called Banjo-Pilot. So what happened? Surprisingly, it's not what you think! This is the tumultuous story of Redneck Kong, K. Rool hunting for the city of El Dorado, Mario as a suppor...

Court court court court court! Introducing the DKU Tribunal, where Hyle Russell and Jeff Onan convene to determine the legality of several games' place in the shared Donkey Kong Universe. On this episode, we examine Yooka-Laylee, Fairytale Play Theatre, Tracky Train, Mini Mario and Friends: amiibo Challenge, and the modern Killer Instinct!

Beyond World 5! Or should that be... bee-yond World 5? No, and I'll ask you kindly to turn around and listen to another podcast if that's the type of wordplay you want to bring to this listening experience.

The crowds of E3 have dispersed, but the Kongversation's Call Sack is bulging! Let's answer all of the previously unheard listener messages on the DK Vine Hotline from March to the present. Have something you'd like to say? 1-202-630-VINE (8463)!

The final stories, anecdotes, and chicanery from E3 2017, as told by Hyle, Cameron, and Mitchell Wolfe!

We discuss more E3 news from Rare and Sea of Thieves before moving on to the Big N and the Invisible DK. Never before has one character's presence been felt so much at an E3 without ever once appearing...

From the DK Vine Party House, Hyle and Cameron talk about Sea of Thieves, the Xbox One X, and everything else worth noting from Microsoft's E3 2017 Media Briefing! In my humble opinion, it needed more Fake Paid Actors ™ .

Right before E3, let's get in one last Kongversation concerning Yooka-Laylee. Joined by Josh "The Geek Critique" Wallen, we talk the outer space/pirate port mash-up Galleon Galaxy. In space, no one can hear your audio being picked up on the other person's microphone!

On the precipice of flying out to Los Angeles, Hyle and Cameron sit down to talk about what we're definitely going to see, what we're likely to see, what we're probably not going to see, and just what we'd like to see at gaming's premiere swap meet of international viruses.

Diddy Kong: Sidekick. Hero. Star. And, uh, back to sidekick again. This is the 23 year story of the little monkey that could, from his first appearance in Donkey Kong Country all the way to the time he rode a pony in Mario Sports Superstars. Are you in the mood? This time, you will be.

This week on the Kongversation: Hyle's alcohol dependency grows! Mitchell admits that he finds gambling "interesting"! The Ape Raper is torn between love and career! How will our heroes cope with their own demons? Find out now by listening to the Kongversation!

Head into the muck with Hyle and TheCartoonGamer himself, Malik McLeod! Moodymaze Marsh is one of Yooka-Laylee's most realized worlds yet. With more shopping carts and tentacles than a Japanese adult book store, this episode will ooze its way into your heart (and pants).

Do you like Donkey Kong? Do you like jokes? If so, then you might love this episode, where we discuss the newest book of jokes, "Donkey Kong: The Most Hilarious Donkey Kong Jokes".

For d-ice-cussion on Glitterglaze Glacier, Hyle is joined this episode by Geekscape reporter Adam "The_acz" Lemuz. The best thing about a world based on Disney's "Frozen"? None of the snowmen are actually voiced by Josh Gadd.

Now that Yooka-Laylee is out, the Kongversation begins to discuss the meat of the game both tender and tough. For starters, Cameron is here to give his first impressions, while Hyle shares more thoughts he hadn't yet articulated. Warning: This episode contains Yooka-Laylee spoilers through the end of the first world!

Yooka-Laylee is coming out in just a couple of days, but its sprint to the finish line has been suddenly beset by a barrage of arrows being launched from fans and critics alike. On this episode, Hyle and Matt discuss the criticisms and the controversies in the final moments of Yooka's life in the womb. Should we be worried about Yooka's ultimate reception... and its quality?

Hyle has gotten his hands on an early copy of Yooka-Laylee and is ready to give a spoiler free assessment of his first several hours of playing. Does it live up to the two years of hype? Stoned Yooka-Laylee mugshot render designed by /u/Xhogar from off of reddit!