Believe it or not, this actually was NOT a bootleg, rather officially licensed by Nintendo! However it was meant to be kept in Japan only, but when Nintendo moved headquarters, and Falcon started selling them overseas.
"Crazy Kong is an arcade game developed by Falcon, released in 1981 and similar to Nintendo's Donkey Kong. Although commonly believed to be a bootleg version, it was officially licensed for operation only in Japan when Nintendo couldn't keep up with domestic demand, and is based on different hardware." Source: Wikipedia
When Falcon broke the agreement and brought it to the US, it genuinely became a bootleg. Also, I wonder if Nintendo paid Ikegami Tsukinshi (the original coders of the Donkey Kong arcade game) (royalties or whatnot) for these Falcon clones? If they were supposed to and didn't then Nintendo themselves may have been guilty of bootlegging- crazy (no pun intended) to think of.
The story of that one is that the Edgar Rice Burroughs's estate forced Taito to change Jungle King due to the character's likeness to Tarzan. I actually did play Jungle King in the wild before the change happened. There is also a third version titled Pirate Pete.
I'm thinking of making custom Basic fun and My Arcade mini arcade cabinets of these bootleg games and other retro games using the cabinet itself and switch the roms . I'll try my best to do it since I'm not good with working on electronics.
There is a hack for crazy kong ...in the 1st screen get up to the next girder level...stand near the edge and jump off to the right.youll advance to the next screen.not every machine will do that and you need to be standing in the right place.
Another really great review! I’ve never heard of this one and would really like to try it out, also, any chance you can review the Piranah clone as well?
Another cool video! I’ve heard of this game, but I’ve never seen Crazy Kong in the arcade. Are these audio and graphical glitches emulation artifacts, or is this how it actually looked/sounded in the arcade?
Donkey Kong as well as Donkey Kong Jr. in Europe have all 4 screens right from the beginning. Growing up there I thought the game was broken when I first played the US version, which concludes with the 4th screen after the first (as all American Donkey Kong players will know). Suppose the hidden hammer was more a glitch than an Easter Egg. I seem to remember you can also drop the hammer (like another glitch), and when falling down it'll kill everything in its way. Last, you could finish the first screen prematurely by climbing the right ladder from the first to the second girder, stand up on top of the ladder - one leg clear of it, then jump to the right. If dome right Mario (formally known as Jumpman 😉) would "fall out" of the screen. It's finished and you get the bonus awarded, which barely counted down at that point. On Donkey Kong you would have lost a life.
@@GenXGrownUp Now you made me play even more. 😄 I managed the quick elevator jump on the original Donkey Kong, although wasted 5 Marios. 😁 Then I found yet another clone, also called Crazy Kong. Felt like a clone of the Crazy Kong you show here. The emulator says "Scramble hardware" (from the game Scramble, not "scrambleD hardware"), while the game here saying "Crazy Climber hardware". I could also do the jump (shortcut) out of the first screen there. Clone of a clone? There Donkey Kong looks like after a nuclear strike into the face. Most amazing thing, once you jumped for the first time a random piece of upbeat music is playing. What's played is not related to the screen. Just random every time. It even keeps playing when Donkey Kong falls, and also breaks his neck like you mention for this game discussed here. So upbeat music for a funeral. 😆 I played all in MAME. File names are ckong (your game here) and ckongs (with an S at the end). Please try that if you haven't yet. It's even more quirky in my opinion because of the upbeat music. If you cannot find it, I should have it on my MAME roms page at ankman.de/ somewhere.
The demand for Donkey Kong was overwhelming Nintendo's production capacity so they entered into a licensing agreement with Falcon to produce Krazy Kong for a limited market (Brazil I think) Eventually Falcon began selling Krazy Kong machines outside of their agreement with Nintendo because it was so profitable. I have it loaded onto a Super Retro-Cade and it's fun for a game or 2. Definitely easier than the original game.
Um, actually... 😉 They did get in hot legal water with Nintendo for overstepping the bounds of their agreement. They started distributing outside the agreed-upon regions, and even went on to clone DK Jr., but that was without N's blessing.
@@GenXGrownUp That is also true. Nintendo themselves got in trouble for Donkey Kong Jr.- in making it they reverse-engineered the original Donkey Kong code which Ikegami Tsukinshi owned (Nintendo had contracted with them for the arcade game) and were sued for it.
There's a few different versions of Crazy Kong and this is probably the worst one. The best version says Falcon II or something like that. It has Kong in a cage animations and the first level is not green. I actually played this machine as a kid at a local convenience store, long before I seen a real DK cabinet. It is a great game with lots of little tricks to find, like dropping your hammer on the pie stage. I even watched an older kid get to the kill screen one day.
These are fun to explore. I know the classics like the back of my hand, but digging through the lesser-known knock-offs makes me appreciate the originals that much more. Thanks for watching, Randy.
Fun review of a crappy game. Many of these 'copies to the original' ran on older game hardware; hence the reduced color, animation, and sound. According to an article on Wikipedia, Crazy Kong used Crazy Climber or Scramble boards.
Believe it or not, this actually was NOT a bootleg, rather officially licensed by Nintendo! However it was meant to be kept in Japan only, but when Nintendo moved headquarters, and Falcon started selling them overseas.
I learned that just recently and even mention it in our Donkey Kong 40th Anniversary pod: genxgrownup.com/donkey-kong-40th/ 😁
On the physical marquis, it was called "ConGorilla". I played this at a local pizza shop. 😁
ConGorilla was one of the many cabinet variants, but not the only one.
I loved Crazy Kong. It was a hard game to find in the arcades.
I don't remember seeing it in proper arcades; only ever in gas stations & truck stops. 🚚
"Crazy Kong is an arcade game developed by Falcon, released in 1981 and similar to Nintendo's Donkey Kong. Although commonly believed to be a bootleg version, it was officially licensed for operation only in Japan when Nintendo couldn't keep up with domestic demand, and is based on different hardware."
Source: Wikipedia
_Copy-paste powers are strong in this one._
When Falcon broke the agreement and brought it to the US, it genuinely became a bootleg. Also, I wonder if Nintendo paid Ikegami Tsukinshi (the original coders of the Donkey Kong arcade game) (royalties or whatnot) for these Falcon clones? If they were supposed to and didn't then Nintendo themselves may have been guilty of bootlegging- crazy (no pun intended) to think of.
Wikipedia is not a scholastic legal source.
I used to play this when I was a kid like 7-8. Wow haven’t thought about this in a long time
Hey, that's what the internet is for! Thanks for watching, Ryan.
Crazy Kong was awesome. I could only play it at my local grocery store
I'm not sure I would go so far as to call it awesome, but it's certainly easier! 😅
Hi Jin, another clone I know of is Jungle Hunt/Jungle King.
Those are pretty respectable ones.😁
@@GenXGrownUp Oops sorry, I put Jin and not Jon, dam the I and O being so close on the keyboard in dark room LOL
@@alanjacobs5215 No worries. I figured it out.😘
The story of that one is that the Edgar Rice Burroughs's estate forced Taito to change Jungle King due to the character's likeness to Tarzan. I actually did play Jungle King in the wild before the change happened. There is also a third version titled Pirate Pete.
I'm thinking of making custom Basic fun and My Arcade mini arcade cabinets of these bootleg games and other retro games using the cabinet itself and switch the roms . I'll try my best to do it since I'm not good with working on electronics.
Do it!
I didn't know about the disappearing hammer!
I thought I was going crazy (ha) at first. _"Did I use the other hammer and forget?"_ 😊
Oh man, you should try "Big Kong". That bootleg is fucking creepy. And I really mean that.
If I try that one I'm going to check it out sight-unseen for maximum effect.
@@GenXGrownUp you should try Donkey Kong II - Jumpman Returns. Which is not a bootleg but an AMAZING hack rom. You should defenitely check it out.
There is a hack for crazy kong ...in the 1st screen get up to the next girder level...stand near the edge and jump off to the right.youll advance to the next screen.not every machine will do that and you need to be standing in the right place.
Somehow even crazier than before.
This only works in Crazy Kong Part II
@@hellacia8151And the original Donkey Kong
@@jesuspadronpuyol745 Oh yea I noticed it, though I think that version is only available on switch
An arcade cabinet of Crazy Kong is at the Funstop arcade.
Whereabouts is that, Alan?
@GenXGrownUp I meant Funspot which is located in Laconia, New Hampshire.
Another really great review! I’ve never heard of this one and would really like to try it out, also, any chance you can review the Piranah clone as well?
Thanks, 382. Wow, you're the second to request Piranha -- so it's now on my list! Thanks for watching and for the suggestion. 😊
@@GenXGrownUp No problem!
Coming tomorrow. 🐟
YAY!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
You're welcome. Thanks for the suggestion!
Falcon did release a second port for Crazy Kong, it had fixed graphics.
👌
Purple pseudo 🪜 ladders? Disembodied souls of barrels ?! They weren’t lying when they said crazy…
Haha! It all checks out.
Another cool video! I’ve heard of this game, but I’ve never seen Crazy Kong in the arcade. Are these audio and graphical glitches emulation artifacts, or is this how it actually looked/sounded in the arcade?
This is exactly what you (and I) experienced in 82 when you played Crazy Kong!
@@GenXGrownUp Wow, that’s “crazy”. 😉 I guess it shows how little effort they put into these clones.
It's the creepiest version of Donkey Kong ever... and I've played it on the Intellivision!
Ahh! Scary! 👻
Donkey Kong as well as Donkey Kong Jr. in Europe have all 4 screens right from the beginning. Growing up there I thought the game was broken when I first played the US version, which concludes with the 4th screen after the first (as all American Donkey Kong players will know).
Suppose the hidden hammer was more a glitch than an Easter Egg.
I seem to remember you can also drop the hammer (like another glitch), and when falling down it'll kill everything in its way.
Last, you could finish the first screen prematurely by climbing the right ladder from the first to the second girder, stand up on top of the ladder - one leg clear of it, then jump to the right. If dome right Mario (formally known as Jumpman 😉) would "fall out" of the screen. It's finished and you get the bonus awarded, which barely counted down at that point. On Donkey Kong you would have lost a life.
Yep. There are all little details we have shared across several videos. Sounds like you belong here.
@@GenXGrownUp Now you made me play even more. 😄
I managed the quick elevator jump on the original Donkey Kong, although wasted 5 Marios. 😁
Then I found yet another clone, also called Crazy Kong. Felt like a clone of the Crazy Kong you show here. The emulator says "Scramble hardware" (from the game Scramble, not "scrambleD hardware"), while the game here saying "Crazy Climber hardware". I could also do the jump (shortcut) out of the first screen there. Clone of a clone?
There Donkey Kong looks like after a nuclear strike into the face. Most amazing thing, once you jumped for the first time a random piece of upbeat music is playing. What's played is not related to the screen. Just random every time. It even keeps playing when Donkey Kong falls, and also breaks his neck like you mention for this game discussed here. So upbeat music for a funeral. 😆
I played all in MAME. File names are ckong (your game here) and ckongs (with an S at the end). Please try that if you haven't yet. It's even more quirky in my opinion because of the upbeat music.
If you cannot find it, I should have it on my MAME roms page at ankman.de/ somewhere.
I know of another bootleg I really want you to react to! It's called Piranha. It's a Pac-Man bootleg.
Hey, Danny. Thanks for watching and for the suggestion. Two viewers have requested Piranha now, so it's going on the list! 😊
Thanks!
Coming tomorrow. 🐟
Not a bootleg… it’s official
Some real bootleg versions of Crazy Kong have a Easter egg bug that allow you to jump off the screen and clear the level.
Cool.
@@GenXGrownUp That's in crazy kong part 2
Did you know that Ms. Pac-Man is a clone of Pac-Man?
Oh, absolutely. Good ol' Crazy Otto!
The demand for Donkey Kong was overwhelming Nintendo's production capacity so they entered into a licensing agreement with Falcon to produce Krazy Kong for a limited market (Brazil I think) Eventually Falcon began selling Krazy Kong machines outside of their agreement with Nintendo because it was so profitable. I have it loaded onto a Super Retro-Cade and it's fun for a game or 2. Definitely easier than the original game.
Wow. Surprised these guys never got sued by Nintendo back in the day...
It was licensed by Nintendo (see Rene Figueroa's comment)
@@QunMang Ah. I see it now. Thanks for clearing that up. Cheers.
Um, actually... 😉 They did get in hot legal water with Nintendo for overstepping the bounds of their agreement. They started distributing outside the agreed-upon regions, and even went on to clone DK Jr., but that was without N's blessing.
@@GenXGrownUp That is also true. Nintendo themselves got in trouble for Donkey Kong Jr.- in making it they reverse-engineered the original Donkey Kong code which Ikegami Tsukinshi owned (Nintendo had contracted with them for the arcade game) and were sued for it.
There's a few different versions of Crazy Kong and this is probably the worst one. The best version says Falcon II or something like that. It has Kong in a cage animations and the first level is not green. I actually played this machine as a kid at a local convenience store, long before I seen a real DK cabinet. It is a great game with lots of little tricks to find, like dropping your hammer on the pie stage. I even watched an older kid get to the kill screen one day.
These are fun to explore. I know the classics like the back of my hand, but digging through the lesser-known knock-offs makes me appreciate the originals that much more. Thanks for watching, Randy.
Nice
Thanks
Fun review of a crappy game. Many of these 'copies to the original' ran on older game hardware; hence the reduced color, animation, and sound. According to an article on Wikipedia, Crazy Kong used Crazy Climber or Scramble boards.
Thanks, Baud. You beat me to it - I was going to mention how many clones and knockoffs use the Scramble hardware. That must've been pretty versatile.
Ding
Dong
@@GenXGrownUp ding