Congo Bongo?

nesjess

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So we upgraded from a 48-1 to 60-1 at my work and one of the additional games is Congo Bongo.

Honestly, I've never played this game before and, from what I've read, it was Sega's answer to Donkey Kong.

So is this game any good? Or is it not worth the time? I was thinking of getting a game in at lunch today.

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It's a very weird game, IMO. You pretty much have to make sure you line up your player correctly on the (virtual) 3D space, or you'll miss jumps, get hit by coconuts, etc. It's a lot of trial and error and not very forgiving. Once you get you bearings, though, it can be pretty fun. It's no DK, but what is?
 
It is a fun game but the controls are a little awkward. Like Kangaroo, I've heard that this title is someone's answer to Donkey Kong as well. If true, they did a far better job that Kangaroo.
 
I like it. It was also the first machine I ever bought! I used to play the C64 version quite a bit.

It was developed by the same company that programmed Donkey Kong (Ikegami - who also did Zaxxon and a host of others). Note the high score entry, bonus timer, demo mode sequence, etc. Legend has it that it was developed after Nintendo didn't fulfill some verbal agreement about licensing payment for DK.
 
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It's a great game, but the 60 in 1 version isn't nearly as good as the real thing. I really enjoy playing it. It's not that hard to get used to the joystick movements. It is a little odd that it's an 8 way joystick that will only react like a 4 way during game play.

great game
 
I like it. It was also the first machine I ever bought! I used to play the C64 version quite a bit.

It was developed by the same company that programmed Donkey Kong (Ikegami - who also did Zaxxon and a host of others). Note the high score entry, bonus timer, demo mode sequence, etc. Legend has it that it was developed after Nintendo didn't fulfill some verbal agreement about licensing payment for DK.

Thanks for the feedback guys! I look forward to playing it.

I did notice the high score, bonus and demo mode were very similar to DK. Man Steve, what don't you know about Japanese gaming? :)

It's a great game, but the 60 in 1 version isn't nearly as good as the real thing. I really enjoy playing it. It's not that hard to get used to the joystick movements. It is a little odd that it's an 8 way joystick that will only react like a 4 way during game play.

great game

I know any 60-1/MAME version can never be as good as the original, but what is different in the 60-1 version of Congo Bongo?
 
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It's a great game, but the 60 in 1 version isn't nearly as good as the real thing. I really enjoy playing it. It's not that hard to get used to the joystick movements. It is a little odd that it's an 8 way joystick that will only react like a 4 way during game play.

great game


Very good point - the dedicated cabinet has the joystick mounted to the CP rotated 45 degrees, a-la Q*Bert. It would probably be difficult to play if the joystick isn't mounted as such.
 
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Very good point - the dedicated cabinet has the joystick mounted to the CP rotated 45 degrees, a-la Q*Bert. It would probably be difficult to play if the joystick isn't mounted as such.

Thanks, that answers my question. :)

When I first saw the gameplay screen, I did think it looked like a cross between Q*Bert and DK.
 
the sounds and the pace at which everything goes is slightly off from my experience.

everytime I have built a 60 in 1 I love playing CB on it.
 
the sounds and the pace at which everything goes is slightly off from my experience.

everytime I have built a 60 in 1 I love playing CB on it.

Yeah, that pretty much applies to most of the games on the 48-1/60-1. I think MAME is a more accurate emulation depending on your setup.

But I digress, I'm going to get a game in once one of my co-workers gets off the machine. Haha.
 
I love the game.

The last dedicated cabinet I saw was in the wild at a still-then operational arcade. The marquee light was super bright, the monitor was super bright, and the machine was making a very loud hum. It frankly looked scary, like too much juice was being pumped into it. But I got brave enough to to try and play it...and was rewarded with a pretty good shock to my right hand!
 
I love the game.

The last dedicated cabinet I saw was in the wild at a still-then operational arcade. The marquee light was super bright, the monitor was super bright, and the machine was making a very loud hum. It frankly looked scary, like too much juice was being pumped into it. But I got brave enough to to try and play it...and was rewarded with a pretty good shock to my right hand!

I have a pretty nice one. A couple of times I almost sold it, but I am glad I did not.
 
I have a pretty nice one. A couple of times I almost sold it, but I am glad I did not.

Yeah, I think you wanted to possibly trade it for my MBWB before I decided to sell it. Haha. Maybe I should have made that trade. I guess I'll find out after I play the game. ;)
 
I just played one game.

@tron guy You're right, the controls are kind of weird and will take some time getting used to. In L-1, I quickly realized you can't jump up onto a higher block, only climb. I ended up bouncing off and falling to my death.

@ENDOFLINE You were right about those Rhinos. They were the end of me. I thought going in a foxhole would protect me, but I just got bulled over. :)

I like the look and feel of the game though and how it scrolls to the next unique level. I'll definitely try to play some more and see what kind of score I can get.
 
you can go in the hole and be safe, but you have to hold the jump button down. That will make you duck
 
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