Latest news with #Pauline
The Star
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
There's a lot to dig in Donkey Kong Bananza
A gorilla surfs on a slick disc of ice. A purple talking rock transforms into a 13-year-old girl. A giant blue eel reveals he's a music aficionado. There's a lot going on in Donkey Kong Bananza . In the 44 years since Nintendo introduced Donkey Kong to arcades as a barrel-rolling character with resting ape face, the wild beast has gone through quite the metamorphosis. In this lavishly animated extravaganza, he displays some human attributes and a penchant for mining gold. He listens. His eyes grow big and, sometimes, he appears to empathise. But mostly, he's the muscle that pounds, digs and slaps like the Incredible Hulk in fur, oversized necktie and ragged britches. Here, the battle is against three cliche corporate ape villains who want to get to the Earth's core, where a special wish will be granted. Donkey Kong wants to get there, too, if only for the bananas. Down, down, down he dives through miles-long pipes in an ominous Dante-like descent. Yet it's joyful, too, because he is accompanied by Pauline, a freckle-faced dreamer who wants to return to the world above. She's the constant optimist, urging Donkey Kong on when sharp thorns, burning lava or icy water sap his energy. Pauline, played by Kate Higgins, should be given her own abilities and agency. What she does have is the power of song, which helps Donkey Kong briefly transform into a brute with super strength. Her Broadway-style belting begins the process of vanquishing bosses like Abracajabya, a monstrous plant with thorn-tentacles that seek the simian like a homing missile. (The unusual enemy names seem like nods to T.S. Eliot.) Before they depart a level, Donkey Kong proudly pounds his chest like a drum, and Pauline sings, enthralling the area's denizens. A standout was Zebra Bananza , a conga-inspired tune by Pauline that sounded like a mix of Idina Menzel and Gloria Estefan. There are more than 100 songs to collect and play back. In the shop, clothes you can purchase for Pauline give the beast – not her – even more power. Playing co-op with another person allows Pauline to throw large stone exclamations like 'Wow!' They're quite destructive. But solo players who want more from Pauline are out of luck. It's easy (and generally a delight) to get lost in these worlds, especially in the Forest Layer, which houses a hotel in a tree, the trunk holding a garden and pool. In another area, exploration is rewarded with a dusty Donkey Kong arcade machine. Although the levels are limited in scope, Bananza has open-world-style terrain. You can dig almost wherever you want for fossils, which can be exchanged for upgrades or gold to be used as exploding bombs. All the burrowing, however, can lead to terrible disorientation. The camera becomes wonky, and it's difficult to find a way out of the mazelike hole you've dug. Because of this, I often avoided tunneling for items, sticking with those visible aboveground. In each town's centre, I met giant, wise beings on thrones who are also sometimes DJs. A pink headphone-wearing ostrich elder with a mane of bananas asks for help finding two halves of a vinyl album. Place them both on a massive turntable, and the ostrich offers you the power of flight. Yes, in this fantasy, flightless birds can fly. Aloft, Donkey Kong looked somewhat like the winged monkeys from The Wizard of Oz . He's more tentative, but the wings still get the pair over pink lava and closer to the planet's core. For me, the most exciting method of travel was a simple mine cart on a rail that puffed rainbow-colored smoke. As it cranked along, I could grab and pitch golden nuggets at a huge Tyrannosaurus rex head. I didn't want to stop because the game's inventiveness rarely did. While Bananza 's plot was awfully thin, Donkey Kong and Pauline always beckoned me back to this amusement park of earthly delights. – ©2025 The New York Times Company (Donkey Kong Bananza is available on the Nintendo Switch 2.) This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry and Donegal marriage ‘holding up' as All-Ireland final tension builds
And while no one has, as yet, been consigned to the spare bedroom, depending on how the big game pans out it might well have an occupant soon enough! The north Kerry couple from Lisselton have been here before. They were married prior to the 2014 final between Kerry and Donegal when they held a GAA style wedding. The couple made their grand entrance to the wedding reception on that special day to The Sunday Game theme tune. Of course, it comes as no surprise when one considers Pauline is part of Kerry football royalty being a niece of the late, great Tim Kennelly and cousin to All-Ireland winners, Noel and Tadgh. It's the kind of famous footballing link that lets Robert know exactly where he is. The hop ball started the second that Donegal beat Meath in the semi-final knowing Kerry were waiting. The couple attended both semi-finals in a show of solidarity with one another. However, the battle lines have now been drawn as Pauline and Robert retreat to their respective shades of green and gold. 'He is sitting next to me at night playing 'Jimmy's Winning Matches' on TikTok. The slagging has well and truly started but we're holding up,' Pauline told The Kerryman. 'It's so long since we last met in a big game so we're having great craic. It's lovely to see the flags up around the place. At least we can agree on the colour,' she laughs. Pauline feels Donegal are going to be hard to beat. But on the flip side, an easy semi-final win over Meath won't do them any favours. Robert has been digging Pauline over the fact Kerry always get 'an easy run' to the final every year. 'We'll be absolutely going, 100 per cent. Robert supported me in the semi-final, and I supported him in Donegal's semi-final. We came out on the good side of it. We'll meet up with Robert's family in Dublin before heading to Croker. They're all mad about Michael Murphy, they want it to be his year. If it was any other year I would agree with him,' she said. Being Tim Kennelly's niece naturally means football is that bit more personal to Pauline. Tim was a member of the star-studded Kerry side of the 1970s and '80s, captaining Kerry to All-Ireland glory in 1979 on an occasion that is still top of the Kennelly family's memory list. 'I would have been younger when he was in his prime. We always knew how famous he was. Even the amount of people that still talk about him today, they idolise him. We would have remembered the great times mom and dad had going to matches. They had great stories from travelling around the country watching Tim. 'I know my late mother and Tim are probably looking down at us and laughing at all this carry on. It's great for the family to have that connection. Hopefully, we can bring back Sam Maguire to Kerry. It's also been a great year for our local club man (Ballydonoghue) Jason Foley. He is having a super year for Kerry,' Pauline said.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Donkey Kong Bananza review: Great ape to the rescue
Though notionally Bananza is a 3D platformer, the traditional gameplay of the series has been superseded by Donkey Kong's newfound destructive power that enables him to punch his way through the landscapes. Nintendo took inspiration from Minecraft for the building abilities in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but here the Mojang influence manifests in the tunnelling, burrowing and smashing. DK and his new sidekick Pauline – yes, that Pauline, the damsel Mario rescued in the original 1981 coin-op – together explore sprawling open worlds in search of crystal bananas. But the fruity rewards aren't sitting around just a delicately timed double-jump away as might have been the case in previous Donkey Kong platforming games. Instead, they largely lie hidden beneath the ground in secret rooms found only when DK drills into the earth with his fists, bashing his way through layers of rock, earth and sand like a wrecking machine. Every level consists of an unbreakable base layer on which Nintendo's developers – the same team who made 2017's sublime Super Mario Odyssey – have constructed rolling hills, cliffs and buildings. You could approach Bananza as a conventional platformer, jumping, rolling and walloping your way around the surface as you search for goodies and clobber enemies. But you quickly learn that what lies beneath is more interesting. Why try to dodge prickly foes or navigate sliding platforms when you can just excavate around them, boring in any direction with a flurry of fists? As you bash through the rock, you'll stumble on stashes of gold, collectibles, side-quests and those coveted concealed bananas. Theoretically, you could take the time to leave most of the levels in ruins, bar a few indestructible objects that preserve the path to the next mission. Pauline acts as your cheerleader, sitting on your shoulder and offering encouragement. Co-op play using an additional controller lets Pauline help with the demolition of the environment. If you use Nintendo's GameChat service (free for now but requiring a subscription from next March), a second player can join in from another console, even a Switch 1, locally or remotely. However, DK generates enough destructive chaos by himself and co-op play has only a limited effect, one that's not very satisfying except for maybe the youngest gamer. A greater problem linked to Kong's underground adventures is that digging down leads to the camera closing in and frequently blocking out the overground layers. Nintendo tries to alleviate the issues with DK's sonar-based ground-pound that briefly illuminates nearby collectibles and the terrain. But you're often flailing blindly in the dark, surrounded by bland brown textures until you poke your way towards daylight. It feels very unlike Nintendo to accept such a flawed presentation style, even if the gleeful invention on show above ground masks the problem. Nonetheless, DK's adventures rarely fail to slap an irrepressible smile on your face and the diversity of tasks always keeps your attention. Each level comes stuffed with collectibles and mini-games testing specific skills such as puzzle-solving or timed combat challenges featuring rock-flinging and enemy smashing. Later ability transformations such as the rhino invite you Metroidvania-style to revisit previous locations for more secrets. Donkey Kong Bananza might be considered too easy for most players – even the boss battles barely raise a sweat – and overall doesn't occupy the same rarified air as Super Mario Odyssey. Yet the bulldozing ape ably showcases the power of Switch 2 and earns a place alongside Mario Kart World as an essential purchase for owners of the new console.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Donkey Kong Bananza timeline explained: is it a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey?
The storyline of Donkey Kong Bananza has sparked numerous fan theories but what is the truth of the DK timeline and is Pauline the same one from Super Mario Odyssey? Nintendo has always played fast and loose when it comes to story connections between games, but that hasn't stopped fans from trying to apply logic to the increasingly nonsensical. The most notorious example is the The Legend Of Zelda, which encompasses multiple timelines and obscure multiplayer spin-offs. Nintendo has admitted it only considers this timeline 'to an extent' during development, as it doesn't want to restrain creativity based on whether or not a version of Link triumphed over Ganon in 1998. Donkey Kong first appeared in the 1981 arcade game of the same name, alongside Pauline (no, it wasn't Princess Peach) and 'Jumpman' (later renamed as Mario). You might think an ape who throws barrels at a plumber doesn't have much complex lore to stew over, and you'd be very correct, but the latest entry Donkey Kong Bananza has thrown up some curveballs for anyone who loses sleep over the origins of Cranky Kong. Before we dive in, here's a warning that there will be significant spoilers for the ending of Donkey Kong Bananza below. Very significant spoilers, in fact, so please don't ruin the (excellent) ending for yourself by mistake. While Donkey Kong Bananza isn't heavy on narrative, there's one major twist towards the end of the game. Void Kong may have been sold as the game's big baddie, but King K. Rool is the true final boss. The classic DK nemesis, who was last featured in 2007's Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber on the Nintendo DS, is found trapped underground, before inevitably escaping. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. King K. Rool steals the Banandium Root and after Donkey Kong and Pauline defeat him, he steals it once again and uses it to corrupt a human city on the surface (aka New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey). When you beat him again, he is sent flying away. After completing the post-game content, Donkey Kong and Pauline use the Banandium Root to ascend to the surface, as the latter wishes to sing onstage at City Hall. 'Grandmother will be so proud,' she remarks. The final shot shows artwork of Pauline performing onstage in New Donk City. While the game features a 13-year-old Pauline, it's not clear if it's the same Pauline who is the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. In fact, there's some evidence (albeit, tenuous) to suggest Donkey Kong Bananza is actually a sequel to Mario's adventure, and not an origin story for the singing mayor, as many originally assumed. Throughout Donkey Kong Bananza, teenage Pauline makes various references to her grandmother, who we never see. In one key scene, where the pair encounter Diddy and Dixie Kong in the Racing Layer, Pauline tells DK, 'I'm glad you got to see your friends again! But if I don't get home, Grandma will worry.' The identity of Pauline's grandma is never confirmed but there are several convincing theories. However, to understand the madness, some context is required on the history of Cranky Kong, aka Donkey Kong's alleged grandfather. While there has been conflicting details over the years, the prevailing theory is that the Donkey Kong who kidnapped Pauline in the original arcade game is actually Cranky Kong. In Donkey Kong Bananza, there's even some evidence to support this, as the elder ape makes a reference to an old rival who wore overalls. 'In my day, rivals had charisma… even in overalls!' he remarks. This is a reference to Mario, or Jumpman as he was known in the arcade version of Donkey Kong. The sequel was 1982's Donkey Kong Jr., which (if we're following the Cranky theory) features Cranky and Wrinkly Kong's son, as he tries to save his kidnapped father from Mario – in a reverse spin on the original premise. A bone of contention is whether the Donkey Kong depicted in 1994's Donkey Kong Country is actually Donkey Kong Jr. or Donkey Kong Jr.'s son. However, according to the Donkey Kong Country manual, Donkey Kong is referred to as Cranky's grandson. Essentially, this means the Donkey Kong depicted in Rare's Donkey Kong Country and onwards is actually the third generation of Donkey Kong, aka the son of Donkey Kong Jr. and another unknown Kong. With this context in mind, it's easier to imagine that there are also multiple generations of Pauline at play. In the arcade game, Pauline is only referred to as 'the Lady' or 'Beautiful Girl' and is seen with blonde hair. This is a different look from the mayor Pauline in Super Mario Odyssey, who has brown hair. While this might be a simple character redesign, or a flight of fancy with some hair dye, references to the original blonde Pauline can be seen on billboards within New Donk City. Again, it might be a nod disconnected from any narrative cohesion, but the New Donk City Festival in Super Mario Odyssey – where Mario replicates the arcade Donkey Kong game under spectacular fireworks – is referred to as the 'story of our city's beginnings'. As such, this implies New Donk City was established after the original arcade game. By extension it's possible Mayor Pauline is a descendant of the blonde Pauline, i.e. Pauline in Bananza is the daughter of Mayor Pauline and the granddaughter of the original arcade Pauline. The evidence for this is super thin but it could mean both Bananza protagonists are third generation offspring of parents with very limited imagination when it comes to naming their children. This is certainly the most satisfying theory, but there's also a strong chance the teenage Pauline is a younger version of the mayor in Super Mario Odyssey, which would place Donkey Kong Bananza as a prequel. That would mean Pauline in Super Mario Odyssey is possibly the granddaughter of Arcade Pauline, and Nintendo just skipped a generation for some reason. More Trending A question in Super Mario Odyssey supports this theory somewhat. During a quiz for a power moon, Pauline asks Mario 'which of these things did I actually do a long time ago?' where the correct answer is 'captured by ape'. While many assumed this was a reference to the events of the original arcade game and Cranky Kong, it's possible this refers to Void Kong and Donkey Kong Bananza's events – which is a nice bit of recontexualisation. Perhaps the most disturbing ramification of all this is, if you buy into the theory of multiple generations, is where does this leave Mario? Is Jumpman the grandfather of the Mario seen in Super Mario Odyssey? Is he an immortal being untethered to time itself? Perhaps thankfully, these are not questions which Bananza concerns itself with. Based on the inclusion of King K. Rool, Donkey Kong Bananza is set after the events of all three Donkey Kong Country games, and 1999's Donkey Kong 64. Redditor Espurreyes, who subscribes to the theory that Donkey Kong Bananza is a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey, has laid out a convenient timeline of the main Donkey Kong games above. Of course, there's not enough evidence from Nintendo to roll out a definitive chronology of Donkey Kong's lineage, or exactly when all the games are set, but if you enjoy pondering the family tree of a fictional ape dressed in a tie, consider your needs served. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: The average Nintendo fan is around 30 years old according to new data MORE: New Fire Emblem for Nintendo Switch 2 teased on LinkedIn claim fans MORE: Ubisoft confirms new Ghost Recon as it responds to Stop Killing Games petition
Metro
2 days ago
- General
- Metro
World's longest-serving KFC worker dies aged 74 after 47 years at same branch
A woman who worked at KFC for 47 years, serving up an estimated 5,000,000 drumsticks, has died after a battle with cancer. Pauline Richards, 74, started at the branch in Taunton in Somerset in 1978 and was known as 'Miss KFC' to her loyal customers. She worked nearly every possible role – cleaner, cashier, supervisor, manager and team leader – during her almost 50 years of service. Her tenure at the branch set a record for the longest-serving KFC employee in the world. Tributes have been paid to the cult hero, who was known for her banter, with customers remembering her as an 'absolute legend'. One customer wrote: 'She was a beautiful soul and will be sadly missed.' Her passing prompted Taunton Town Council to issue a statement as well, which said they were extremely saddened by her passing. 'She was an excited and incredibly deserving recipient of one of our Civic Awards back in March this year. Our thoughts are with her family and all of those who knew and loved her,' they added. Other local businesses have chimed in with their condolences, including Spud Shack, who said: 'She will be very missed by everyone in Taunton. Pauline was very well known in the town for her dry sense of humour when dealing with people who were a tad intoxicated!' Some customers said they remembered her for decades, writing: 'I feel I've known all my life, you fed me many a night on the town, during my teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and now 50s. 'A lovely hard-working lady, who will be sadly missed by many, I'm sure, thank you, Pauline, till we meet in the KFC in the sky.' Speaking previously, Pauline told of her love of the job and how children used to give her sweet nicknames. 'When I go out for a break, children would shout over to me 'Hello Miss KFC' and call me 'Mum' and 'Nan',' she previously said. 'Even on a Friday and Saturday night here, you get customers and some young boys start singing my name out and they are pleased to see me. 'When I'm not in, they (the customers) are asking where I am. If I've been out, I get people asking why I'm not working tonight.' Three generations of the Richards family have worked in the Taunton KFC, including Pauline's daughter and grandson. But Pauline, latterly based at the branch in East Street, said her daughter left before long because 'it wasn't her cup of tea.' Pauline's youngest colleague was just 17 years old, and she said she gets on well with youngsters, especially young men who she says often lean over the counter to give her a kiss on the cheek. She also didn't have to pay for a drink in the local pub for two years. 'A lot of people on a night out come in looking for me. I go to a pub down the road and I see them down there. When I walk in the door, they get up from their seat like I am the Queen of Sheba,' she previously joked. More Trending A KFC spokesperson previously said Pauline was 'an important role model in her local community and created a legacy the Colonel would be proud of'. Locals are hoping to set up a memorial to her, with one man suggesting a bench in her honour. 'Perhaps somewhere in Vivary Park, in a sunny spot as she brought a ray of sunshine to us that met her in KFC over the years & made us all smile with her customer service banter,' they wrote. Kathryn York, Chief People Officer at KFC, previously said: 'Pauline is a truly incredible team member who has brought buckets of enthusiasm, dedication, and heart to our restaurants for nearly five decades.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Boy, 10, dies in Minehead bus crash and six children remain in hospital
