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Tie Me Kangaroo Down
Game's Ratings
Overall
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8.8
9
9
8
8
5
8
07-13-15 05:48 AM
Ferdinand is Offline
| ID: 1185715 | 1125 Words
| ID: 1185715 | 1125 Words
Ferdinand
Level: 59
POSTS: 388/878
POST EXP: 59889
LVL EXP: 1582462
CP: 57385.9
VIZ: 3420159
POSTS: 388/878
POST EXP: 59889
LVL EXP: 1582462
CP: 57385.9
VIZ: 3420159
Likes: 4 Dislikes: 0
Kangaroo. In 1982 a small Japanese company(at the time) called Sun Electronics, later Sunsoft, saw all of the success that Nintendo was having with Donkey Kong and decided to enter the fray themselves. Their contribution : Kangaroo. Drawing on a similar theme, it's basically a platformer rescue game in the same vein as the aforementioned title. In this scenario, the Monkeybiz Gang have kidnapped your baby and you must face an obstacle course of crazy monkeys, big apes, and falling apples in order to complete the rescue. I remember first playing this at my local bowling alley, Bowl-Aire Lanes. They always had the newest, best arcade releases. It was the first place I would ever see or play Super Mario Brothers a few years later. And Gauntlet. And Super Off-Road..et cetera. Nowadays the parking lot is overgrown with weeds and it sits empty. Time marches on.. GRAPHICS for many games released around the same time were really just starting to come into their own. And for the time it was released, these are pretty decent. They can seem a bit grainy at times and once in a while you may catch a little flicker when it gets really busy on screen, but it's nothing that detracts from the overall game I don't think. The characters are colorful and decently rendered plus there are a good variety of objects represented in the game so it doesn't get too dull. Compared to other classic gems released the same year like Donkey Kong Jr, Dig Dug, Ms Pac-Man, and Robotron, the graphics stand up quite well I would say. And the fruit bonuses that your Kangaroo can snag for extra points look delicious. I give it a 9/10, SOUND for games in 1982 was really hit or miss. At the time still, most arcade games didn't really have much of a soundtrack. Kangaroo never quits. The in-game music is pleasant and is taken from an old marching tune originally written for piano. When you complete a level you hear a rendition of Oh Susanna, and when the bells ring they play 'Westminster Quarters'(think grandfather clock). Another 9/10 ADDICTIVENESS is an attribute that Kangaroo has plenty of as well. It's an easy enough game to figure out, but a challenging game to master. There are four unique levels that loop with increasing difficulty, but the fact that there are different obstacles to overcome on each keeps it fresh. You need a different strategy for each level. And, after the levels loop, you can throw those out the window because you'll have to come up with new ones to combat the increased difficulty and different placement of the enemies. An 8/10 is my verdict.. STORY may be an area where Kangaroo suffers a little. I mean, monkeys kidnapped your baby and you have to duck and jump over obstacles while traversing platforms and climbing ladders to get to the top and complete the rescue. Sounds a little familiar. You're never told what would actually motivate chimps to kidnap a baby kangaroo but I guess you just have to use your imagination on that one. Ransom maybe? There is a big ape who also wears boxing gloves that will appear from time to time. His goal is to try to steal the kangaroo's boxing gloves unless you can punch his lights out first so maybe there's some sort of rivalry going on there but it's never explained. There is a story, albeit a very contrived-seeming one, only a 5/10. DEPTH is a solid 8, You have four levels of play. On the first, second, and fourth, You must avoid or punch monkeys and flying apples to get to the top and progress to the next level. On the third however, your baby is being held up by monkeys in a cage. In a race against time you have to punch all the monkeys out of the way to lower the cage so you can save your baby. If you take too long, after five monkeys climb to the top they will unleash a virtual avalanche of apples onto our gloved hero. On each level there are bonus fruit positioned throughout. After you collect them, you can ring a bell by jumping into it and cause the fruit to re-spawn as different fruit worth more bonus points.(even though I always thought that the second one looked like a tomato, maybe it is?) As the monkeys climb up and down their tree they'll step out onto the limbs(platforms) and attempt to hit Kangaroo with an apple that they hurl at you. You have to be able to recognize whether it's coming at you high or low to decide whether you must either jump, duck, or try to punch the apple. If you can get to them before they can manage to get a throw off though, you can punch their lights out too. But if you take too long the big ape appears. He can't kill you but he can steal your gloves, which leaves you at the mercy of tossed apples for a few seconds. If you can manage to get behind him though you can send him flying off the screen with a good one and rack up nice bonus points...He always comes right back for more however. DIFFICULTY I will put at an 8 as well. There really is a lot going on in this game. You need to punch, jump, duck, and climb without much room for error really to achieve success. I would really compare it to it's contemporaries like Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Jr in that respect. Hard enough to kill you. A lot, when you first start playing. After you begin to be able to anticipate what the monkeys will do it becomes easier though. But as soon as you become comfortable the game speeds up again. The one MAJOR drawback for me with this game is the fact that the same action is used to jump as is used to climb. Up on the joystick. Occasionally I find myself jumping on accident and getting killed. Thankfully on Vizzed I can configure my controller to make it a separate button push. I would recommend anyone else do the same. OVERALL I score the game an 8.5. It was right on par with other games of the same genre and era. It's a fun, challenging, pleasant, gaming experience in my opinion. You may have never heard of it but it did actually have it's own short-lived cartoon and was ported to the Atari 2600 and 5200 but that was it. You never know though. The monkeybiz gang may yet return some day to harass innocent marsupials once more. Thanks for reading. How 'bout them apples? GRAPHICS for many games released around the same time were really just starting to come into their own. And for the time it was released, these are pretty decent. They can seem a bit grainy at times and once in a while you may catch a little flicker when it gets really busy on screen, but it's nothing that detracts from the overall game I don't think. The characters are colorful and decently rendered plus there are a good variety of objects represented in the game so it doesn't get too dull. Compared to other classic gems released the same year like Donkey Kong Jr, Dig Dug, Ms Pac-Man, and Robotron, the graphics stand up quite well I would say. And the fruit bonuses that your Kangaroo can snag for extra points look delicious. I give it a 9/10, SOUND for games in 1982 was really hit or miss. At the time still, most arcade games didn't really have much of a soundtrack. Kangaroo never quits. The in-game music is pleasant and is taken from an old marching tune originally written for piano. When you complete a level you hear a rendition of Oh Susanna, and when the bells ring they play 'Westminster Quarters'(think grandfather clock). Another 9/10 ADDICTIVENESS is an attribute that Kangaroo has plenty of as well. It's an easy enough game to figure out, but a challenging game to master. There are four unique levels that loop with increasing difficulty, but the fact that there are different obstacles to overcome on each keeps it fresh. You need a different strategy for each level. And, after the levels loop, you can throw those out the window because you'll have to come up with new ones to combat the increased difficulty and different placement of the enemies. An 8/10 is my verdict.. STORY may be an area where Kangaroo suffers a little. I mean, monkeys kidnapped your baby and you have to duck and jump over obstacles while traversing platforms and climbing ladders to get to the top and complete the rescue. Sounds a little familiar. You're never told what would actually motivate chimps to kidnap a baby kangaroo but I guess you just have to use your imagination on that one. Ransom maybe? There is a big ape who also wears boxing gloves that will appear from time to time. His goal is to try to steal the kangaroo's boxing gloves unless you can punch his lights out first so maybe there's some sort of rivalry going on there but it's never explained. There is a story, albeit a very contrived-seeming one, only a 5/10. DEPTH is a solid 8, You have four levels of play. On the first, second, and fourth, You must avoid or punch monkeys and flying apples to get to the top and progress to the next level. On the third however, your baby is being held up by monkeys in a cage. In a race against time you have to punch all the monkeys out of the way to lower the cage so you can save your baby. If you take too long, after five monkeys climb to the top they will unleash a virtual avalanche of apples onto our gloved hero. On each level there are bonus fruit positioned throughout. After you collect them, you can ring a bell by jumping into it and cause the fruit to re-spawn as different fruit worth more bonus points.(even though I always thought that the second one looked like a tomato, maybe it is?) As the monkeys climb up and down their tree they'll step out onto the limbs(platforms) and attempt to hit Kangaroo with an apple that they hurl at you. You have to be able to recognize whether it's coming at you high or low to decide whether you must either jump, duck, or try to punch the apple. If you can get to them before they can manage to get a throw off though, you can punch their lights out too. But if you take too long the big ape appears. He can't kill you but he can steal your gloves, which leaves you at the mercy of tossed apples for a few seconds. If you can manage to get behind him though you can send him flying off the screen with a good one and rack up nice bonus points...He always comes right back for more however. DIFFICULTY I will put at an 8 as well. There really is a lot going on in this game. You need to punch, jump, duck, and climb without much room for error really to achieve success. I would really compare it to it's contemporaries like Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Jr in that respect. Hard enough to kill you. A lot, when you first start playing. After you begin to be able to anticipate what the monkeys will do it becomes easier though. But as soon as you become comfortable the game speeds up again. The one MAJOR drawback for me with this game is the fact that the same action is used to jump as is used to climb. Up on the joystick. Occasionally I find myself jumping on accident and getting killed. Thankfully on Vizzed I can configure my controller to make it a separate button push. I would recommend anyone else do the same. OVERALL I score the game an 8.5. It was right on par with other games of the same genre and era. It's a fun, challenging, pleasant, gaming experience in my opinion. You may have never heard of it but it did actually have it's own short-lived cartoon and was ported to the Atari 2600 and 5200 but that was it. You never know though. The monkeybiz gang may yet return some day to harass innocent marsupials once more. Thanks for reading. How 'bout them apples? |
Vizzed Elite
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 03-20-14
Location: 'Sconnie
Last Post: 3051 days
Last Active: 3047 days
Popsickles |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 03-20-14
Location: 'Sconnie
Last Post: 3051 days
Last Active: 3047 days
07-13-15 06:03 AM
Eirinn is Offline
| ID: 1185716 | 43 Words
| ID: 1185716 | 43 Words
Eirinn
Level: 154
POSTS: 4488/7900
POST EXP: 1300417
LVL EXP: 46093523
CP: 69368.0
VIZ: 1836533
POSTS: 4488/7900
POST EXP: 1300417
LVL EXP: 46093523
CP: 69368.0
VIZ: 1836533
Likes: 1 Dislikes: 0
"How 'bout them apples" xD Nice one.
As always, good work man. This may well be your best work yet, it's engaging and held my interest throughout. Never once felt dragged out and covered all of the important details. Keep it up. As always, good work man. This may well be your best work yet, it's engaging and held my interest throughout. Never once felt dragged out and covered all of the important details. Keep it up. |
Vizzed Elite
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 07-18-12
Last Post: 2070 days
Last Active: 2070 days
Eirinn |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 07-18-12
Last Post: 2070 days
Last Active: 2070 days
Post Rating: 1 Liked By: Ferdinand,
07-13-15 06:21 AM
Ferdinand is Offline
| ID: 1185718 | 13 Words
| ID: 1185718 | 13 Words
Ferdinand
Level: 59
POSTS: 389/878
POST EXP: 59889
LVL EXP: 1582462
CP: 57385.9
VIZ: 3420159
POSTS: 389/878
POST EXP: 59889
LVL EXP: 1582462
CP: 57385.9
VIZ: 3420159
Likes: 0 Dislikes: 0
Vizzed Elite
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 03-20-14
Location: 'Sconnie
Last Post: 3051 days
Last Active: 3047 days
Popsickles |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 03-20-14
Location: 'Sconnie
Last Post: 3051 days
Last Active: 3047 days
07-13-15 12:19 PM
endings is Offline
| ID: 1185775 | 24 Words
| ID: 1185775 | 24 Words
endings
Level: 58
POSTS: 660/829
POST EXP: 193341
LVL EXP: 1514003
CP: 19865.5
VIZ: 1245887
POSTS: 660/829
POST EXP: 193341
LVL EXP: 1514003
CP: 19865.5
VIZ: 1245887
Likes: 1 Dislikes: 0
One of the first games I ever played. I used to get my mom to move the kangaroo while I pressed the buttons lol |
Trusted Member
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 04-30-13
Last Post: 36 days
Last Active: 29 days
A reviewer prone to flashbacks |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 04-30-13
Last Post: 36 days
Last Active: 29 days
Post Rating: 1 Liked By: Ferdinand,
07-13-15 10:44 PM
gamerforlifeforever is Offline
| ID: 1186079 | 51 Words
| ID: 1186079 | 51 Words
gamerforlifeforever2
Level: 172
POSTS: 2180/10186
POST EXP: 560803
LVL EXP: 67592824
CP: 98006.2
VIZ: 3384714
POSTS: 2180/10186
POST EXP: 560803
LVL EXP: 67592824
CP: 98006.2
VIZ: 3384714
Likes: 0 Dislikes: 0
This is definitely the best review I've seen you make. Like Eirinn said, it's very engaging. I remained interested through the whole review, and now I think I may have to try it out at some point. Awesome job man! This review definitely deserves a 5! Keep up the good work! |
Vizzed Elite
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 07-04-12
Location: Somewhere in Ohio
Last Post: 278 days
Last Active: 277 days
Ultimate Pokemon Fanboy, Member of the Year 2016, and Vizzed's #1 My Hero Academia fan |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 07-04-12
Location: Somewhere in Ohio
Last Post: 278 days
Last Active: 277 days
07-13-15 10:51 PM
Ferdinand is Offline
| ID: 1186084 | 43 Words
| ID: 1186084 | 43 Words
Ferdinand
Level: 59
POSTS: 400/878
POST EXP: 59889
LVL EXP: 1582462
CP: 57385.9
VIZ: 3420159
POSTS: 400/878
POST EXP: 59889
LVL EXP: 1582462
CP: 57385.9
VIZ: 3420159
Likes: 1 Dislikes: 0
gamerforlifeforever2 : Thanks man. Like my review said, you can compare it to Donkey Kong and maybe Popeye and Jr DK too as far as what to expect. It won't blow your mind but it has it's charm. Thanks for checking out my review. |
Vizzed Elite
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 03-20-14
Location: 'Sconnie
Last Post: 3051 days
Last Active: 3047 days
Popsickles |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 03-20-14
Location: 'Sconnie
Last Post: 3051 days
Last Active: 3047 days
Post Rating: 1 Liked By: gamerforlifeforever,
07-18-15 11:24 PM
janus is Offline
| ID: 1187968 | 47 Words
| ID: 1187968 | 47 Words
janus
SecureYourCodeDavid
SecureYourCodeDavid
Level: 124
POSTS: 1653/4808
POST EXP: 565097
LVL EXP: 21503018
CP: 62683.2
VIZ: 465183
POSTS: 1653/4808
POST EXP: 565097
LVL EXP: 21503018
CP: 62683.2
VIZ: 465183
Likes: 1 Dislikes: 0
Wow, I loved this review. Your style makes everything flow smoothly, your structure is solid, you give it plenty of details AND you both make comparisons with games of the time and with similar games. I will give you a 5 once I get my quota back. |
Site Staff
YouTube Video Editor
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Registered: 12-14-12
Location: Murica
Last Post: 81 days
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YouTube Video Editor
the unknown |
Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'
Registered: 12-14-12
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Last Post: 81 days
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Post Rating: 1 Liked By: Ferdinand,