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The Water Temple in Ocarina of Time. The swimming section of Metal Gear Solid 2. The disappearing blocks in Heat Man's level of Mega Man 2. The entire game of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.

While all annoying moments, none of them NONE can even come close to matching the sheer anger I experienced during the Treacherous Twister level in DK: King of Swing. There has never been a more annoying moment in videogame history, in my opinion. Even after ridding the level of all enemies, it's nearly impossible to navigate the vertical set of platforms without constantly falling to your doom. It's moments like this that will make you want to never play DK: King of Swing again (if you had the patience or interest to check it out in the first place).

Nintendo seems to think that innovation is always a good thing. There have been instances where they're right (the DS hardware, the potential for the Revolution controller), and there's been instances where they've been completely wrong (Virtual Boy, the Power Glove). DK: King of Swing falls more into the latter category. The L and R triggers are used for almost every in-game control function. Pressing them on the ground will make him walk in the indicated direction, while pressing them in the air will allow him to swing on pegs and pegboards. Holding both and releasing them will make him jump, and this can double as an attack if charged. And with that, I've explained what you'll be doing for the entire duration of DK. Lots and lots and lots of L and R.

While a novel concept, the execution is certainly flawed. Navigating the mostly vertical levels is a chore, as the very nature of them causes a lot of "starting from square one" moments. You'll work your way up a huge, difficult series of vertical pegs, only to fall all the way to the bottom, negating any progress made. There are also plenty of enemies to worry about, and the fact that you're almost constantly swinging makes it hard to avoid them at times. There are two basic ways of attacking them - DK can either throw rocks or perform charge jumps. The rocks tend to work better, as it's easier to keep your distance. Charge jumps, on the other hand, have a fairly short range and it's easy to overestimate their ability, hurting DK in the process. At the end of each of the five worlds, you'll encounter a boss fight that generally involves DK charge-jumping into their face until they're dead.

As usual, there's plenty of banana-collecting to be found in this DK title. These can be used to either replenish one of Kong's three hearts, or you can "go bananas" and be temporarily invincible. These are not a story element like they were in the first Donkey Kong Country. Unlike that title in which King K. Rool stole all the bananas he's stolen a bunch of medals for some reason. He then took the flying egg machine that he stole from Dr. Robotnik and flew across 25 levels, scattering them everywhere. That's the general plot of the game. And oh yeah, Wrinkly Kong apparently died at some point, because she's a ghost now.

This game is a perfect example of why Nintendo should be hesitant about green-lighting any game just because it's "innovative." Sure, you only use L and R...but is that always a good thing? It ends up being extremely annoying, as well as extremely difficult. I've been playing games constantly for over 15 years, and I got stuck on certain levels for hours at a time. I can't imagine how an 8 or 9 year old casual gamer would fare at this title.

Innovative? Not in a good way. Frustrating? Extremely. Worth a purchase, or even a rental? Probably not.

Graphics: C+

Sound: B

First Play: D+

Last Play: D

Gameplay: D

Overall: 63% D