This column is meant to take a quick look at two different games of the past that share some sort of a common bond (genre, company, control style) and discuss how one is in need of more recognition, while the other was overly praised (hopefully followed by some interesting discussion). For this first week I'm going to look at two games that use a musical controller.

Underrated: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat



I hardly know anyone that has played this game but those who have love it. While not a musical game per say, DK: JB offered Gamecube owners a reason to dust of their bongo's (of Donkey Konga fame) and enjoy a unique platforming experience. Tap the left and right bongos to make DK run in appropriate direction, hit both simultaneously to jump, and clap to make DK clap (which has various consequences depending on the situation, including backflips, the ground-pound, vine swinging, corner hopping, and wall jumping ). Sounds simple, right? Actually it is. It's the tight control scheme that make this game so great. It sounds dumb on paper, but controlling DK with the bongos is awesome fun that you need to experience for yourself first hand.

Another great thing about DK: JB is the difficulty. While just about anyone one can easily play and beat the game, getting high scores in all the levels is ridiculously challenging, requiring you to use perfectly timed combo-stringing skills. This had me coming back for more, weeks after I had completed the game. Which brings me to the only downside of the game, it's length. One can easily breeze through the 18 kingdoms in a mere few sittings. But unless you only play games to beat them, this shouldn't be a deterrent, as it takes hours upon hours of honing your mad bongo skills to go back and gold medal every level.

Why you probably missed it

Unfortunately, DK: JB came at the end of the Gamecube's life cycle. That coupled with the fact that the Bongo controller was required to really enjoy it pretty much sentenced it to the bargain bin right from the get go. That doesn't mean you should miss it again now on the Wii though. It can be had for less than $20 on eBay (including bongos), so what are you waiting for?

Overrated: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock



Wait, don't start flaming yet, hear me out. GH3 is a good game, but a great game it is not. Many herald it as the “best music game eva!” but I strongly disagree. First lets start with the good. The game features a solid song list with a lot less of the cover song crap. Also, for the first time, online play and DLC. Hurray. However, everything else is less than innovative. The background graphics still look silly, and fail to draw you into the game (plus no character creator). The battle mode is broken. Boss fights, while cool in concept, don't play that well. The formula for the career mode is really getting stale. Also, for a game titled “Legends of Rock”, only one real legend is featured.

The game really feels like Guitar Hero 2.5, with a lot of the new features seeming half baked or rushed. Yeah it still a ton of fun at it's, but it could have been so much more and thats what truly disappointed me. Thankfully, the competition stirred with Rockband seems to be leading to good things for the series, so hopefully GH4 will return it to glory.

Why it received near universal praise:

GH2 really brought Guitar Hero into the mainstream eye, so it's no surprise that it's sequel would draw a lot of attention. Also, a lot of people had missed the GH wagon and this was their first exposure to the series so they didn't realize how little it has evolved since the first one. And then are the GH fanatics that will buy and cherish what crap you throw at them.

Side note: Imagine if they ever made a platforming game using the GH controller, how sick would that be?