10 Video Game Spin-Offs Nobody Asked For (That Were AWESOME)

When developers Rare left Nintendo to sign with Microsoft, there was no greater impact than the one it had on the Donkey Kong franchise.

After revitalising it for the 1990s with the Country games and Donkey Kong 64, the series was now out at sea without its appointed and trusted captain to guide it. With Mario and Zelda leading the 3D platforming space for the company, DK and friends had to find a new niche to occupy.

As the rhythm genre became more popular, developers Bandai Namco had a proposition for Nintendo that nobody could’ve predicted.

I mean, what screams Donkey Kong more than smashing your hands on a bizarre bongo-controller to the beat of Blink 182? Strangely though, it worked. Donkey Konga was that combination of Nintendo simplicity and charm that made DK’s take on the growing interest in music games interesting; requiring clapping and tapping on one of the most unique looking peripherals ever.

Donkey Kong could’ve become a good humoured RPG, banana-based FPS or even some kind of RTS or something but the route of music game was a warm surprise. Donkey Konga birthed two sequels and a spin-off of it’s own in Jungle Beat that used the bongo controller in a more traditional 2D platform setting.