King Kong, programmed by Karl T. Olinger for Tigervision in 1982, openly copies Donkey Kong's first stage: climbing ladders while dodging bombs to rescue a girl at the top, with the barrels replaced by what critics of the time unaffectionately described as a row of toilets with lit fuses. Its existence was no accident: Universal Studios, which was suing Nintendo and Coleco over Donkey Kong claiming it infringed on its King Kong rights, gave Tiger Electronics the license to manufacture this cartridge and an electronic toy, as a way of demonstrating in court that its own King Kong products were suffering because of Nintendo's gorilla's existence. Its crude gameplay and obvious resemblance made it, more than a memorable game, a key piece for understanding one of the most curious lawsuits in video game legal history.
If you liked this one
