"Donkey Konga" was one of my favorite childhood games, and it so happens that it was one of the biggest games that made me want to get a GameCube. So naturally, when I heard there was a sequel, I badly wanted to play it (I also wanted to play the threequel, but that never came over to America, sadly. Good thing I was able to emulate it in the future, though). I sank even more time into the sequel than I did to the first one, and to this day, it's still a game I love.
"Donkey Konga 2" brings with it a lot of what made the original game so fun: the responsive controls, the ease of picking up and playing the game, and the solid difficulty balance. The big difference with this game, though, is the songs: true to the game's title across other regions ("Donkey Konga 2: Hit Song Parade"), the setlist is comprised mostly of songs that were very popular at the time, ranging from rock to pop to R&B. The game was so wildly different from the first that it became the first (and only) "Donkey Kong" game to be rated T for Teen in America. Even if the weird attempt at being "cool" might turn some people off, I actually like it. I think the setlist is filled with some great picks, the change in aesthetic style actually works well for the game, and I also think the new minigames and extra content are far more memorable than what was in the first game.
The only critique I can give is that, much like the first one, I wish that the "Gorilla" difficulty versions of songs were available from the start. It can get bland having to play the easier versions of the songs on constant repeat just to get the harder versions of the songs.
Overall, though, "Donkey Konga 2" is a compelling sequel to "Donkey Konga," and it's a game absolutely worth playing. Even though the setlist might be polarizing to some, it's still a game that's way too much fun to pass up on, especially if you have friends to enjoy the multiplayer with.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"