Donkey Kong and Mario Coming to iPad via HTML5
By 
It might really show my age here, but I remember playing Donkey Kong II as a kid and it was the joy of my life. If your first reaction when watching the new Tron movie was ‘man I miss arcades’, you will be as thrilled as I am to hear Donkey Kong II is being ported to HTML5 by veteran developer Martin Kool.
I’m well aware that there have been considerable attempts at reproducing this classic using Flash and other technologies, but unlike the other options, HTML5 works natively on all mobile devices. I don’t need a plug-in, a workaround or a prayer in order to make it work.
Martin Kool is no stranger to game development, having already ported a series of classic Sierra adventure games to iOS using HTML5. The game remakes received so much attention that Kool ended up receiving a Cease & Desist letter from Activision that was later resolved, allowing the games to remain with a few reasonable conditions being met. Kool’s commentary on this experience is apt, concluding that this kind of attention means consumers and companies alike are starting to recognize the power and potential of HTML5 as a gaming platform.
For those of you who want to keep tabs on this talented and self-proclaimed technology geek, keep your eyes peeled for news coming out of the OnGameStart conference happening in Poland on the 21st and 22nd of this month. Kool will be there speaking on the trends in HTML5 gaming and what they may mean for mobile platforms like iOS and Android.
The initial game release will be for the iPad only with no support for the iPhone.
Even though Nintendo hasn’t aggressively pursued those porting this game in the past, Kool and others wonder if this time may be different given the tension they have with Apple currently.
