Donkey Kong bids a surprisingly hasty adieu to the console expressly designed to showcase his exploits. Donkey Kong 3 would be the final game dedicated to the big ape util 1994. And not really the most impressive swan song.

Mario recovers from his brief descent into villainy and lays down the groundwork for the platforming concepts that would make him (and his green sibling) long-term fixture of video gaming. But the difference in timing between the game's arrival in Japan and the west created a tremendous gulf in public perception of this arcade classic...

A look into the history of a game that almost was something completely different, in a sense: Nintendo's Popeye, the held-over take on the arcade platformer that Donkey Kong was meant to be. Sort of. It's an interesting slice of Nintendo history, as we wrap the NES releases of the company's trio of Famicom launch titles.

The companion piece to Donkey Kong, this pint-sized (not really) sequel showed up on both Famicom — and NES three years later! — day-and-date with dad. The two make a tidy pair, though for various small reasons, Jr. doesn't quite live up to his vaunted papa's legacy. These minor quibbles don't keep Nintendo's second chapter in the Mario and Donkey Kong legacy from meriting some praise, though!