Editing Donkey Kong (character) (section)

===Commentary===
Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic video game characters,<ref name="USG: Bluff" /><ref name="GI: TFPreview">{{cite magazine |last1=Reeves |first1=Ben |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze/b/wii_u/archive/2013/12/20/three-hours-chilling-with-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze.aspx |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=December 20, 2013 |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209005109/https://www.gameinformer.com/games/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze/b/wii_u/archive/2013/12/20/three-hours-chilling-with-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="GamasutraGuinness">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/68759/TOP_50_VIDEO_GAME_CHARACTERS_OF_ALL_TIME_ANNOUNCED_inGUINNESS_WORLD_RECORDS_2011_GAMERrsquoS_EDITION.php |title=Top 50 video game characters of all time announced in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition |work=[[Gamasutra]]|date=February 16, 2011 |access-date=April 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022093831/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/68759/TOP_50_VIDEO_GAME_CHARACTERS_OF_ALL_TIME_ANNOUNCED_inGUINNESS_WORLD_RECORDS_2011_GAMERrsquoS_EDITION.php |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and has been listed as one of the greatest.<ref name="GamasutraGuinness" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Dyer|first1=James|last2=McComb|first2=David|last3=Plumb|first3=Alistair|last4=Scarborough|first4=David|date=2010|url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-greatest-video-game-characters/default.asp?film=48 |title=The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=April 20, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114015106/http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-greatest-video-game-characters/default.asp?film=48 |archive-date=November 14, 2012}}</ref> The original ''Donkey Kong'' was Nintendo's first major international success and established it as a prominent force in the [[video game industry]];{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=111}}<ref name="Time: Changed">{{cite magazine |last1=Latson |first1=Jennifer |title=How Donkey Kong and Mario Changed the World |url=https://time.com/3901489/donkey-kong-anniversary/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=November 28, 2023 |date=June 2, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112080217/https://time.com/3901489/donkey-kong-anniversary/ |url-status=live}}</ref> its success was attributed to the popularity of Donkey Kong as a character.<ref name="IGN: MarioHistory" /> ''Donkey Kong'' featured a level of narrative depth unprecedented in games at the time,<ref>{{cite web |title=Gaming's most important evolutions |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/?page=3 |website=[[GamesRadar]] |access-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319153722/http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/?page=3 |archive-date=March 19, 2012 |page=3 |date=October 8, 2010}}</ref><ref name="GRadar: Important">{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Sam |title=The 50 most important games of all time |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/4/ |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |access-date=November 28, 2023 |page=4 |date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=September 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907120525/https://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/4/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and gave Nintendo its first marketable characters.<ref name="NWRMarioBook" /> Donkey Kong was more popular than the protagonist, Mario, and he was the overwhelming focus of merchandise.<ref name="NWR: ImportanceMerchandise">{{cite web |last1=Berube |first1=Justin |title=The Importance of Video Game Merchandise Preservation |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/68380/the-importance-of-video-game-merchandise-preservation |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=April 24, 2025 |date=September 3, 2024}}</ref> However, Nintendo soon began to push Mario as a leading character,<ref name="NWRMarioBook">{{cite web |last1=Berube |first1=Justin |title=The History of Mario Book Review |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/38088/the-history-of-mario-book-review |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=April 26, 2025 |date=July 17, 2014}}</ref> and Donkey Kong's popularity faded. ''[[Game Informer]]''{{'s}} Ben Reeves wrote that ''Donkey Kong Country'' reestablished Donkey Kong's independent identity.<ref name="GI: TFPreview" />

''[[USgamer]]''{{'s}} Jeremy Parish wrote that ''Country'' "brought back [Donkey Kong] in true '90s style".<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> It positioned him as a competitor to Sega's [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]] and other "hip anthromorph" platformer mascots,<ref name="HG101: DKC" /><ref name="LAT: Battle">{{Cite web|last=Kronke|first=David|date=October 15, 1994|title=It's gonna be a video jungle out there: Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-15-ca-50485-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918185341/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-10-15/entertainment/ca-50485_1_video-game-technology|archive-date=September 18, 2015|access-date=April 28, 2025|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> and was credited with helping Nintendo pull ahead of Sega towards the end of the [[16-bit era]]'s [[console war]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kelion|first=Leo|title=Sega v Nintendo: Sonic, Mario and the 1990's console war|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27373587|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=April 29, 2025|date=May 13, 2014|archive-date=July 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702174225/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27373587|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Nintendo World Report''{{'s}} Pedro Hernandez said the first two ''Country'' games cemented Donkey Kong as one of his favorite Nintendo characters.<ref name="NWR: Fav" /> He found Donkey Kong endearing for his "innocence and humanity" in his attempts to help and feel accepted, and fascinating due to his in-universe history and expansive family.<ref name="NWR: FavPt2" /> Critics enjoyed Donkey Kong's gameplay dynamic with Diddy Kong,<ref name="IGNDKC">{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Lucas M.|date=20 February 2007|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review|work=[[IGN]]|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/donkey-kong-country-review|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823012726/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/donkey-kong-country|archive-date=23 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Marriott|first=Scott Alan|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' review (SNES)|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2475&tab=review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114125055/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2475&tab=review|archive-date=14 November 2014|publisher=[[AllGame]]}}</ref> although ''[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]''{{'s}} David DiRienzo found their differences mostly superficial.<ref name="HG101: DKC" />

The ''Country'' games also received criticism.<ref name="IGNDKC" /><ref name="GSpy: Overrated" /><ref name="Vice: Terrible" /> ''[[GameSpy]]''{{'s}} staff was dismayed that Nintendo retained the ''Country'' Donkey Kong design, which they felt was inferior to the unruly yet endearing arcade design.<ref name="GSpy: Overrated">{{Cite web|last=''GameSpy'' staff|date=19 September 2003|title=25 most overrated games of all time|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25overrated/index18.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508010107/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25overrated/index.shtml|archive-date=8 May 2006|access-date=11 June 2022|website=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref> ''GamesRadar+''{{'s}} Bob Mackey said the design looked fine when considering the limitations of 1994 rendering technology but expressed surprise that Nintendo continued to use it without major alterations. He wrote that by 2014, it had become "increasingly bizarre to see this product of mid-90s technology dropped into games with real-time visuals that handily outclass Rare's pre-rendered relics".<ref name="GRadar: DKDesign" />

After Rare's departure from the franchise, Donkey Kong's standing declined. ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''{{'s}} Garrett Martin wrote that his popularity peaked in the early 1980s and mid-1990s, and only ''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' came close to matching the sales of the arcade and SNES games.<ref name="PasteFranchises">{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Garrett |title=The 10 Best-Selling Nintendo Franchises of All Time |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/nintendo/best-selling-nintendo-franchises |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=April 29, 2025 |date=February 28, 2025}}</ref> ''IGN''{{'s}} Jesse Schedeen said that, by 2009, Donkey Kong was only kept relevant by his ''Super Smash Bros.'' appearances, as his name had become "almost synonymous with gimmicky games" like ''Donkey Konga''.<ref name="IGNOverrated">{{cite web |last1=Schedeen |first1=Jesse |title=Top 10 Most Overrated Videogame Characters |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/04/24/top-10-most-overrated-videogame-characters |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=April 26, 2025 |date=April 24, 2009}}</ref> Schedeen called him one of the most overrated video game characters,<ref name="IGNOverrated" /> and ''[[Vice Media|Vice]]''{{'s}} Ian Dransfield said that games starring Donkey Kong were outclassed by those starring Mario and [[Rayman (character)|Rayman]].<ref name="Vice: Terrible">{{cite web|last=Dransfield|first=Ian|title=Twenty years on, 'Donkey Kong Country' is still as terrible as it ever was|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/donkey-kong-at-20-years-old-442/|website=[[Vice Media|Vice]]|access-date=April 28, 2025|date=December 2, 2014|archive-date=May 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531001349/https://www.vice.com/en/article/exm9bn/donkey-kong-at-20-years-old-442|url-status=live}}</ref>

''GamesRadar+''{{'s}} Scott McCrae said being a Donkey Kong fan was difficult due to the hiatuses between major games,<ref name="GRadar: Bananza" /> and ''[[TheGamer]]''{{'s}} Adam Starkey said that Donkey Kong had "unfairly remained in Mario's shadow" in the decades following Rare's departure.<ref name="TheGamerBetter">{{cite web |last1=Starkey |first1=Adam |title=Donkey Kong Deserved Better On His 40th Anniversary |url=https://www.thegamer.com/donkey-kong-40th-anniversary-nintendo-deserved-better/ |website=[[TheGamer]] |access-date=April 28, 2025 |date=July 31, 2021}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]''{{'s}} Logan Plant wrote that before ''Donkey Kong Bananza''{{'s}} announcement it seemed as if Nintendo did not care about Donkey Kong.<ref name="IGNBananza">{{cite web |last1=Plant |first1=Logan |title=Donkey Kong Bananza: First Hands-On Preview |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/donkey-kong-bananza-first-hands-on-preview |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=April 28, 2025 |date=April 3, 2025}}</ref> Starkey noted that his 40th anniversary in 2021 passed without acknowledgement from Nintendo, which he joked was "grounds for a HR complaint".<ref name="TheGamerBetter" /> He felt one could not celebrate Mario without acknowledging Donkey Kong and found it odd that Bowser had usurped Donkey Kong's role as Mario's nemesis, given the characters' history.<ref name="TheGamerBetter" /> Journalists expressed excitement for Donkey Kong's return in ''Donkey Kong Bananza'',<ref name="GRadar: Bananza" /><ref name="IGNBananza" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rutherford |first1=Sam |title=Donkey Kong Bananza hands-on: A funky fresh take on Nintendo's favorite ape |url=https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-hands-on-a-funky-fresh-take-on-nintendos-favorite-ape-130057272.html |website=[[Engadget]] |access-date=April 4, 2025 |date=April 4, 2025 |archive-date=April 5, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405183348/https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-hands-on-a-funky-fresh-take-on-nintendos-favorite-ape-130057272.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' felt its emphasis on destruction was a natural fit for his character.<ref name="Poly: Preview">{{cite web |last1=Frushtick |first1=Russ |date=April 3, 2025 |title=Donkey Kong Bananza is not just Mario Odyssey with a gorilla |url=https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch-2/552075/donkey-kong-bananza-hands-on-preview-impressions |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |archive-date=April 5, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405190507/https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch-2/552075/donkey-kong-bananza-hands-on-preview-impressions |url-status=live }}</ref>

Donkey Kong's 2025 redesign was divisive.<ref name="VGC: Redesign" /><ref name="NLife: NewDesign" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jenkins |first1=Dwayne |title=‘Mario Kart 9’ Had Its Big Reveal, Yet Some Players Are Upset About Donkey Kong: “What the Hell Did They Do to Him?” |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mario-kart-9-had-its-big-reveal-yet-some-players-are-upset-about-donkey-kong-what-the-hell-did-they-do-to-him/ |website=[[Vice Media|Vice]] |access-date=April 24, 2025 |date=January 16, 2025}}</ref> After it was teased alongside ''Mario Kart World'', ''TheGamer''{{'s}} Stanley Henley complained that it turned him into a generic "ugly inflatable", reflecting a trend for "aesthetic simplicity over visual flavor" in brands.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Henley |first1=Stanley |title=The New Donkey Kong Seems Ugly And Bad |url=https://www.thegamer.com/the-new-donkey-kong-seems-ugly-and-bad/ |website=[[TheGamer]] |access-date=April 22, 2025 |date=January 17, 2025}}</ref> ''Vice''{{'s}} Anthony Franklin II called the redesign "awesome" following its reveal in the ''Donkey Kong Bananza'' trailer, which they felt demonstrated that fans were too hasty to judge it,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Franklin II |first1=Anthony |title=‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ is a Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusive that Proves You Can’t Judge a Character Model by its Blurry Debut |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/donkey-kong-bonanza-is-a-nintendo-switch-2-exclusive-that-proves-you-cant-judge-a-character-model-by-its-blurry-debut/ |website=[[Vice Media|Vice]] |access-date=April 22, 2025 |date=April 2, 2025}}</ref> and ''GamesRadar+'' described it as "peak Donkey Kong... He's got the goofy look, but still has the ability to look super intense".<ref name="GRadar: Bananza">{{cite web |last1=McCrae |first1=Scott |title=Nintendo made sickos like me wait 26 years, but Donkey Kong Bananza's 3D platforming exceeds my wildest dreams |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/platformer/nintendo-made-sickos-like-me-wait-26-years-but-donkey-kong-bananzas-3d-platforming-exceeds-my-wildest-dreams/ |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |access-date=April 25, 2025 |date=April 21, 2025}}</ref> Bayliss felt there was nothing to debate and that fans should embrace change.<ref name="VGC: Redesign" />