Building the ultimate Donkey Kong Collection, all games, all consoles…

Nintendo is celebrating the 45th Anniversary of Donkey Kong today, so I've hit the digital badlands of eBay. That original date refers to everyone's favorite gorilla's first outing in arcades, but I'm taking things back to the home console this week. Looking to build the ultimate Donkey Kong collection in time for the big boy's birthday? I've got you covered.

Below, you'll find every major Donkey Kong game released into our hands and homes (though I've omitted re-releases in the form of compilations, mini-games, virtual consoles, digital bonuses, and DSI-only downloads), alongside eBay's average sold price at the time of writing. chickenroad-game.rodeo

In short, it's everything you need to start plugging some holes in your collection or start right from scratch with the cheapest pickups. We're taking this banana-train all the way through to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 to boot - where the games listed will run alongside their lowest prices on the web right now.

Before Cranky Kong gets ahead of me, just note that some of the prices below may seem a little high at first glance. That's because this is a full average of all recently sold listings - whether it's pristine in box or simply a cart in a bag.

Donkey Kong Game and Watch games

Donkey Kong NES games

Donkey Kong SNES games

Donkey Kong Game Boy games

N64 Donkey Kong games

Donkey Kong Game Boy Advance games

Donkey Kong GameCube games

Donkey Kong Nintendo DS games

Donkey Kong Wii games

Donkey Kong 3DS games

Donkey Kong Wii U games

Donkey Kong Nintendo Switch games

Donkey Kong Nintendo Switch 2 games

A new action RPG released on Steam sparked heated discussion among other game developers after its creator argued that using generative AI to expedite development was essential, but insisted reliance on the tech could be reduced with more money coming in.

Bluesky user Aura/Moom, or game dev and animator Aura Triolo, flagged the Steam AI disclosure of Bahast, a new "dark fantasy idle ARPG." (Triolo only shared the blurb, but other people quickly dug up the game.)

The disclosure reads: "This game uses AI in various places. A a [sic] solo developer it was nearly impossible to put out this game in a meaningful time frame or act on feedback without leveraging AI as a tool. I'm happy to reduce AI usage if the game is financially stable enough through your support! Thank you in advanced [sic] if we ever get that opportunity."

This stance has been a sticking point in discussions of gen AI in games and game development. GamesRadar+ spoke to over 30 developers about the topic, and heard myriad arguments against gen AI as a tool despite claims of greater efficiency. (An incoming follow-up report will focus more on the perspectives of indie developers, who were likewise negative on the tech.)

Industry figures like Epic Games head Tim Sweeney insist that AI-aided development will be essential going forward.

Bahast's claim prompted fierce rejection from many developers online. "'If you pay me maybe I'll use LESS AI' is a new desperate plea I haven't seen before," writes Triolo.

"The 'I'm just a little solo dev' thing also really doesn't work for us solo/tiny devs who have made things without using the art-stealing-cheat-machine," replies David Lindsey Pittman of Eldritch maker Minor Key Games.

"Just learn to scope and stop being a whiny baby," says Alexandre Stroukoff, half of Squeakross studio Alblune.

"I'm literally unemployed and I still make all of my assets by hand," adds solo developer Mtgames. "Why? Because it's FUN."

"If you exclude Steam's publishing fee, and the $5 I spent to get TIC-80 Pro back in 2019, I have not spent a single penny developing either Prism Indigo or Prism Warriors," chimes in Ryan Nurse, solo dev at Altrix Studios, maker of the retro Prism games like the upcoming Prism Warriors DX. "Not to preach to the choir or anything but 'I have no money' is a bullshit excuse to use genAI in your game."

A recent survey found that relatively few Steam users have a major issue with AI in games, though its conductor warned that using AI will still cost you sales, and the relevant question and surveyed demographic don't seem to perfectly match the broader audience.

Sony says AI is "exciting," great for "synthetic assets," and an "important foundational technology supporting our strategy."

The collective industry isn't too happy with Sony right now after the company's decision to unilaterally move away from physical discs in 2028. Despite uproar from multiple corners, including studios both indie and triple-A, one consultant warns we shouldn't count on Sony walking back this choice.

"I sympathize with physical media fans, but Sony will not reverse this decision. They knew what the online reaction would look like, and they now wait for this storm to pass," Dr Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, tells IGN as he weighs up the numbers.

"Sony has over 120 million active PlayStation users. Around 50 million people subscribe to PlayStation Plus," he comments. "As a thought experiment, let's say 500,000 cancel in protest, that would be just 1% of that business gone. Of course, not enough for Sony to start rethinking. Digital is just too lucrative."

As much as I try to maintain optimism, my pragmatic side agrees with Toto's argument here. Sony will have punched these numbers many times, looking at the impact from all sorts of angles, and come to the most cost-effective solution. Digital simply allows the corporation to maximize profits and control distribution to a greater degree.

There are a lot of regular PlayStation players who have already transitioned to an entirely non-physical library, bolstered by the robust selection on PlayStation Plus. This shift won't change how they acquire or play their games, and it'll take large numbers of that install base canceling their subscriptions in order for a protest to matter within Sony. (Of course, even people who don't buy physical games benefit from the presence of physical games immensely.)

I say this as someone who believes we should do it anyway, because physical media matters.

Sony's already begun transitioning a disc manufacturing plant over to another industry, so at least some jobs have been protected in the wake of all this.

PlayStation's disc-less future could "heavily influence" Xbox and Nintendo's approach to physical games, former Sony boss says, calling the decision "dramatic."