Typically, if one is going to create a ROM hack of a title, it only stands to reason that you don't want to draw the attention of the 800-pound gorilla that owns the 800-pound gorilla-- especially when those gorillas are named Nintendo and Donkey Kong, respectively.

However, that's exactly what Jeff Kulczycki did. He not only created a sort of sequel/expansion to the original Donkey Kong coin-op, titled "Donkey Kong II: Jumpman Returns," or "D2K" for short, but even told them of what he was doing in the hopes of making it "official."

In an interview with CoinOpSpace.com (with a transcript available at Rotheblog), Kulczycki is asked if he had "any conversation with Nintendo about using the characters, code, etc. in a game you intended to sell for profit, and if so, did you have their blessing?"

"Good question," he says. "I can share some details. Yes there was contact with Nintendo… I did send them the game and a 'promo package' with artwork and concept sketches and a bunch of stuff… Things seemed positive at first but unfortunately nothing ever came of it. They have strict policies about accepting outside submissions."

He adds, "If you all like the game then let Nintendo know… It would be nice to get them on board 'officially'."

It would certainly be interesting to see, especially if Nintendo decided to use it for Virtual Console Arcade or WiiWare. However, I have my doubts about such a thing happening. But you heard the man: if you like what you see, let Nintendo know!

And if you are unfamiliar with the game itself, you can learn more about it at Jeff's ROMHACK, and you can see it in action on YouTube: