Donkey Kong Junior (Arcade, 1982) 
This smash hit sequel to 1981's
Donkey Kong provided Mario's second appearance, as well as his only role as the player's antagonist. It also provided the debut of Snapjaw, whom Rare would one day transform into Klaptrap. It inspired two different Game & Watch titles, and has been re-released for numerous consoles.
Though one might not suspect so at first glance,
Donkey Kong Junior would, in fact, seem to be one of the most morally relativistic video games ever made. The entire narrative is one big gray area as far as right and wrong are concerned. I mean, we know Donkey Kong is a menace to society. He did, after all, kidnap a woman and rampage through a construction site. There can be little doubt that Mario did the right thing in putting him behind bars. Besides, Mario is just an all-round friendly and peaceable guy to begin with; he's a valiant hero, not a sadistic villain. On the other hand, however, we have DK Junior, who only wants to be reunited with his father. The young ape is forced to fight doggedly in order to pick up the pieces of his broken family. And, as long as the Kongs planned to leave the city and return to the jungle, it would probably be all right to let the elder DK go free.
Hard to know whose side to take. So, in order to take our mind off all this heady philosophy business, here's a video of the absolutely terrible Atari 2600 version of
Donkey Kong Junior. Enjoy!
04-10-2010, 10:29 AM 
