The Kongversation: Donkey Kong Universe Discussion

In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, you could obtain a hood ornament called "The Spirit of Pants". But on this episode of the Kongversation, we argue that Mr. Pants is the true spirit of Rare. Honoring 20 years of the greatest puzzle game of all time, Hyle and Freezer examine the in-universe history of Rare's underwear mogul and television presenter who's appeared and been alluded to across their sh...

2004 was a year in flux for Donkey Kong as the franchise swung between its past and future, with one of the most memorable and successful new releases of the year being... Donkey Kong Country 2? Hyle and Cameron break down the brilliant, thrilling, surprising, and occasionally infuriating changes the Game Boy Advance remake made to the beloved adventure on Crocodile Isle!

The Geek Critique returns to the Kongversation to help Hyle grapple with a newly relevant question now that Banjo-Tooie is on Nintendo Switch Online: What is it about the game that's historically kept it from clicking with fans of even the original Banjo-Kazooie, or inspired rabid devotion that eclipses all else? With NSO making it easier than ever to get into it and helping to mitigate the issues...

All three Donkey Kong Land games have finally arrived on Nintendo Switch Online! Hyle and Malik discuss why these counterparts to the classic Donkey Kong Country titles are so important to DK fanatics of the 1990s, then share some obscure or little-discussed Donkey Kong Land trivia!

Donkey Kong 64 turned 25 years old on November 22, 2024. Celebrated DK64 fan and annual 101% streamer of the game Courtney joins the show to discuss the Kongs' sole 3D platforming adventure (thus far), the complicated position it holds within the fandom, and how the Donkey Kong 64 Randomizer has breathed life into it for a new generation! (Unlike Wrinkly Kong.)

What made Donkey Kong Country such a unique, groundbreaking cultural event for Nintendo fans in 1994? Yes, it was the graphics, music, sound, and game design. But as Hyle and Dustin argue, it was also the instruction booklet's unique sense of humor. The Kongversation opens up Dan Owsen's manual masterpiece!

Broadcast live on https://twitch.tv/dkvine on the 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong Country's release in the Americas, Hyle and Malik reflect on three decades of DKC dominance!

The original Donkey Kong Country introduced or reinvented several all-time classic video game characters. But out of the 17 core, singular characters in the game, where do they rank? Hyle and Jeff put the Kongs, Animal Buddies, and Bosses of DKC through Tier Maker to see how they stack up to each other... using only the criteria of their performance and presentation in that very first game!

Broadcast live on https://twitch.tv/dkvine after the first ever Donkey Kong-themed Nintendo Direct, Hyle and Josh discuss Shigeru Miyamoto's walkabout in Donkey Kong Country at Super Nintendo World!

Escape to a tranquil forested valley in the foothills of Donkey Kong Island. A dense temperate grove of pines, ape-eating plantlife, and cascading lakes of spiders. You don't need to be a vulture to appreciate the culture of the trees and the towns within Vine Valley!

EGX x MCM Comic Con was held in London during the last weekend of October with three big DKU-related panels and playable demos of the upcoming Yooka-Replaylee and Dunk Dunk (also featuring playable Yooka and Laylee). DK Vine correspondent Dray was on the scene and they're now on the Kongversation to talk about the 30 Years of Donkey Kong Country panel, news from Playtonic, and the latest from Rare...

It's the third Mario Party game on the Nintendo Switch. It's the second in a row that excludes Diddy Kong. It's a series that Hyle and David long burned out on. And yet... is it their favorite Mario Party in 25 years? Either they're full of hot air or there's plenty to explore in Super Mario Party Jamboree for even the most jaded Mario Party cynic!

Hyle and Cameron discuss Rare's Craig Duncan's promotion to head of Xbox Game Studios and Joe Neate and Jim Horth's taking over operations at Rare. We also weigh what that means for the future of the studio and its beloved properties!

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past several days, you know that Banjo-Tooie is coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Hyle and Dustin discuss the surprising announcement that took Rare and DKU fandom off-guard and also what this means for the rest of Rare's Nintendo library!

Was the long-awaited return of Captain Flameheart in Sea of Thieves a flaming inferno or but a smoldering cinder? Hyle and Jeff discuss Season 13 of Sea of Thieves, which saw the inclusion of the Burning Blade World Event, Skeleton Camps, and... Ellie the elephant? Just a little clickbait for the algorithm there. We're having a good time.

DK Vine has not been to the new Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan. But we have plenty to SAY about the new Nintendo Museum! Specifically, all of the surprising Donkey Kong Universe inclusions and references found within its two stories... including Diddy Kong Racing and Banjo-Kazooie!

20 years later, Hyle and Dustin PANsplain the DK Bongos and the Donkey Kong series' brief but defining turn toward rhythm games with the Spotlight episode on the original Donkey Konga!

In the first Kongversation "Game Pitch" episode, Hyle, Jeff, and Dustin lay out their unified vision for a new Donkey Kong-related title that would propel a once-forgotten supporting character with renewed cultural cache to unimagined heights: Swanky Kong's Pizza Buffet!

Hyle and Malik bid fair winds to Stinky Ape Summer 2024 with a LIVE Talk Like a Pirate Day episode! First broadcast on https://twitch.tv/dkvine, it's a discussion on every single pirate Kremling from off of Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Land 2. Why are the Kremling Kuthroats the best video game antagonists in history?

Super Mario Party Jamboree was playable at PAX West, which coincided with the announcement that Pauline would be making her Mario Party debut in the game. Coincidentally, DK Vine's resident Pauline simp was on hand to give us some show floor first impressions!

It's Mr. Machacek! Rare's longest-tenured employee joins the Kongversation to trade in the QA for some Q and As and discuss his storied career. From programming Donkey Kong Land and It's Mr Pants to devising Stop 'N' Swop across Rare's N64 titles, we get to the heart (and into the pants) of some long-standing rumors and misconceptions from the last 36 years!

Leave it to the Kongversation to spend three hours talking about the beaver. The Gnawty, that is. The very first enemy seen in the Donkey Kong Country series. A hapless rodent for all seasons in Banjo-Kazooie! And a right bother in Donkey Kong 64. Are Gnawties iconic, or are they just a dam joke?

It's DK Vine's silver jubilee! First broadcast live on https://twitch.tv/dkvine on August 22, 2024, Hyle and Mitchell reflect on how a Donkey Kong and Rare website founded in 1999 has stubbornly refused to die. Featuring messages from the DK Vine staff and friends of the show, it's a celebration of the enduring power and communal bonds of fandom!

To better understand where Conker ended up, we need to first understand where he came from. Hyle and Dustin explore his hometown of Willow Woods, as seen in Conker's Pocket Tales, and piece together how it fits in with the lands of Bad Fur Day and the rest of the Donkey Kong Universe!

30 years ago, an iconic video game character was born in the English Midlands, becoming Rare's breakout star and growing to be an adopted Nintendo mainstay standing alongside their homegrown favorites. Hyle and Cameron discuss the design evolution of Diddy Kong, from his earliest days as a new look for Donkey Kong Jr. to his status as a Video Game Hero today!