It's always weird to consider that Donkey Kong was Mario's first enemy - long before Bowser was even a twinkle in Nintendo's eye. Of course, DK's conception as a severely agitated, barrel-throwing gorilla was retconned just as fast as it began after the release of the primate's self-titled arcade game designed to rob you of loose change. Since then, he's become a beloved mainstay mascot for Nintendo, having been loaned-out to Rare for several years in what many consider to be a golden age for the character, before returning to his creators for the bizarre rhythm action Donkey Konga series. Ironically, the only games to feature both DK and Mario together since their concurrent début has been in spin-off party games like Mario Kart - such is his popularity now though, that sharing the stage with other Nintendo icons just isn't necessary. That tie though. It needs to go.
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
