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Game Name: Donkey Kong
Designer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo (Arcade), Coleco (Atari 2600), Atari (Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit)
Year Of Release: 1981
Platform: Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit
Genre: 2D Platform
Number Of Players: 1 or 2 players
Controller: Joystick

Donkey Kong was an arcade game originally released by Nintendo, which was developed for home use on the Atari 2600 by Coleco and for the Atari 7800 and 8-bit home computers by Atari. It was considered the first 2D platform game.

Gameplay[]

The player moves Mario up and around four different building structures to reach his girlfriend Pauline and rescue her from the crazy ape Donkey Kong. In each of the structures, there are various dangers that Mario must navigate his way past (rolling barrels, moving fireballs, elevators, deadly bouncing springs, cement pies, burning oil drums, and conveyor belts), and there is a bonus that counts down that rewards the player with points when he reaches his goal before it hits zero. On the first three screens, Mario must reach the top; on the fourth screen, he must remove eight rivets in order for the floor to collapse and for Donkey Kong to fall to his doom.

Home Versions[]

Of the home versions released for the Atari systems, the Atari 2600 version by Coleco is well-noted for having only two screens of the original game's four. The Atari 7800 version had three screens, and the Atari 8-bit version had all four.

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