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Donkey Kong Country Returns |OT| Retro Studios Has Done It Again!

Glix

Member
farnham said:
i dont think nintendo has that many funds.

Don't they have, like, 17 Scrooge McDuck vaults? And thats just the DS money! They used the Wii cash to fill the inside of Mt. Fuji.

What the hell are you talking about?
 

HYDE

Banned
Glix said:
Don't they have, like, 17 Scrooge McDuck vaults? And thats just the DS money! They used the Wii cash to fill the inside of Mt. Fuji.

What the hell are you talking about?

I have just packed to go treasure hunting, Mount Fuji here I come.

Edit: Oh shit, almost forgot my metal detector.
 
Socreges said:
It prevents, you mean, because it's so unintuitive? That shouldn't be seen as a strength.

Because the roll-jump move is a game breaker, it's nice to play with it in time trial, but it's better to leave the standard play cleaner. It's a platform game and you should spend more time running and jumping than doing crazy moves.
 

daakusedo

Member
I couldn't imagine that Donkey kong was so fast.
Each actions follow so well, in that regard, the time trials are very addictive.
A situation I think of is in the level with tsunami. You roll,jump on an ennemy, grab a vine, fall on a tiny platform that let you the minimum space to roll again and continue forward all that in few seconds.Feels good.
 

hyduK

Banned
Anticitizen One said:
Really? How was Rare able to grow so fast in the 90s to work on several different things?
Rare was never really working on that many different games....even during the N64 days they pretty much just made two games and reskinned them each a few times.

I do agree Retro needs more funding though. DKCR would have been better handled by another company...Retro is better off handling re-imaginations of old series' (ie. Metroid Prime) than updating old concepts.
 

hyduK

Banned
RockmanWhore said:
Because the roll-jump move is a game breaker, it's nice to play with it in time trial, but it's better to leave the standard play cleaner. It's a platform game and you should spend more time running and jumping than doing crazy moves.
What? Roll-jump was a huge part of the original trilogy, why dumb it down?
 

MYE

Member
hyduK said:
Rare was never really working on that many different games....even during the N64 days they pretty much just made two games and reskinned them each a few times.

Oh god
 

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
hyduK said:
Rare was never really working on that many different games....even during the N64 days they pretty much just made two games and reskinned them each a few times.
You must talk for a different Rare.
 

hyduK

Banned
MYE said:
Hey, don't get me wrong....Banjo Kazooie, Tooie, DK64 (yes, even DK64), and Conkers were some of my favorite games of that gen. But Rare wasn't the most eclectic developer around.

(I realize he's talking about NES now, and I'll admit they were doing A LOT of different games at that time...but again, it's hardly comparable to game development now).
 
hyduK said:
Hey, don't get me wrong....Banjo Kazooie, Tooie, DK64 (yes, even DK64), and Conkers were some of my favorite games of that gen. But Rare wasn't the most eclectic developer around.

(I realize he's talking about NES now, and I'll admit they were doing A LOT of different games at that time...but again, it's hardly comparable to game development now).

Actually I was referring to 90s Rare from snes n64 heyday
 
Went back to SMG2 after finishing this earlier today. Controls feel so sloppy compared to DK. 3D platformers will never be as good as 2d.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
schennmu said:
Went back to SMG2 after finishing this earlier today. Controls feel so sloppy compared to DK. 3D platformers will never be as good as 2d.

DKCR is intentionally giving the player a lot more leeway to smooth things out than most 2D platformers, period.

For example, when you just fall short of hitting a platform, DK will slide up a bit when hitting the side of it, then continue forward a few pixels more to make the landing.

I think some people who don't like it are being fooled by the fact that the big ape has serious mass to make him feel large and heavy; but this game goes beyond what most 2D platformers, nevermind 3D, have ever done to make it play like butter.
 

Neiteio

Member
Blast Corps, Goldeneye, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Conker's Bad Fur Day... These are all UNIQUE. Some had sequels/spiritual sequels that were similar to their predecessors (i.e. Banjo-Tooie, Perfect Dark, etc), but already that's six unique game types that popped up in Rare's N64 era alone. Hell, they even had a fighter in the form of Killer Instinct Gold.

With more funding and staff, and a disciplined creative approach, Retro could get multiple teams working on multiple projects as well. And then we can have our DKCR2, our 2.5D Metroid Dread and our original IP, all at the same time. Here's hoping that Nintendo realizes these guys in Texas are keeping some of their most important franchises relevant and they ought to put their monetary muscle behind them.
 
Kaijima said:
DKCR is intentionally giving the player a lot more leeway to smooth things out than most 2D platformers, period.

For example, when you just fall short of hitting a platform, DK will slide up a bit when hitting the side of it, then continue forward a few pixels more to make the landing.

I think some people who don't like it are being fooled by the fact that the big ape has serious mass to make him feel large and heavy; but this game goes beyond what most 2D platformers, nevermind 3D, have ever done to make it play like butter.


2d games will always be more precise than 3d. Jumping onto enemies in SMG2 sucks so much!
 
Ben2749 said:
I got this the other day, and I've played up to the second level of the second world (Beach), both with a friend, and then again by myself.

I'm really liking it, but so far I still prefer the DKC games. But it's OK, as I never expected to prefer this, as the DKC games (DKC2 in particular) are some of my favourite games of all time.

I really wish that Kremlings were in this, as it doesn't feel like DKC game without them, but the gameplay is rock solid.

I think DKC2 still has the best design in terms of level layout, and hidden secrets (bonus barrels and DK coins), but I'm really enjoying finding the puzzle pieces in DKCR, and I'm looking forward to doing some Time Trial runs.

Overall, I think this is a much better game than New Super Mario Bros. Wii (and DS), which I found to be uninspired on account of them taking zero risks and not really introducing anything new.
Keep playing. I think your opinion may change a few worlds in.
 

Model 500

Member
Didn't get the chance to play co-op today so just popped the game in for a quick spin in SP. Played the first two levels, I'm loving the controls! Can't wait for tomorrow's co-op sessions :)
 
Beat the final boss yesterday. Pretty awesome game overall, and
it's not even over yet! World 9! :D

Still have to go back to levels and collect the puzzle pieces.
 

totowhoa

Banned
Shadowlink said:
Pretty awesome game overall, and
it's not even over yet! World 9! :D

DEFINITELY get all the KONG pieces
to open up world 9
, but just a heads up: Don't get yourself too excited for it.
 

Sidzed2

Member
Well, this is without a doubt the best 2D platformer I have played in years. It's gorgeous, inventive and polished to a shine. Bravo, Retro.

About the only negative I could rustle up, and its a very subjective point, truth be told, is that DKCR is just a little bit lacking in style. From the bland menus to the uninspired level names and enemies, there's something very 'Nintendo-Generic' about the whole thing.

Say what you will about Rare now, but when they made DKC2, they imbured those cartoony visuals with a whole lot of character. The music, the enemies, the bosses and overall aesthetic were jovial, with more than a little bit of menace. It gave their DKC trilogy a bit of an edge.

Now, with DKCR, everything has been Nintendo-fied and I can't help but feel that the tiniest bit of the series' soul has been lost in the transition.
 

AniHawk

Member
Yep, presentation counts. It can make a bad game seem better and a good game seem great. Even comparing DKCR to Metroid Prime, it's lacking in presentation. Sure, the game looks good (levels are beautiful and everything animates nicely), but Metroid Prime was on an entirely different level.
 

AniHawk

Member
Sipowicz said:
is this game good or shit?

and how hard is it? are we talking lost levels? battletoads?

Game's alright. It's not a shit game, but there are a lot of shitty things about it.

So it's a good Retro game, basically.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Sipowicz said:
is this game good or shit?

and how hard is it? are we talking lost levels? battletoads?
on a scale of shit game to good game, this is a good game

difficulty is about a 6.
 

udivision

Member
Nintendo doesn't make hard-

Oh, okay, I'm not gonna do that again. This game was more challenging than I thought it was going to be, and I'm all the happier for it. That's the beauty of pessimism.
 

Sipowicz

Banned
thanks guys. i'm probably going to get it over christmas. besides, it's not as if i can get kirby instaead :(

Tiktaalik said:
The downside is the controls. I gotta side myself with the anti-waggle brigade on this one. I essentially agree with Amirox here on the fact that in a platformer it's best to have as tight of controls as possible


my view on this is that it depends on the game. prinny has a bit floaty controls but it doesn't ever mar your enjoyment of the game, unlike shittle big planet say. likewise loco roco 2 and kirby canvas curse dont offer you full control but it doesn't matter because they're well suited for it.
 

Shikamaru Ninja

任天堂 の 忍者
AceBandage said:
Increasing staff just to make more games means quality will begin to suffer.
We may not get a lot from Retro, but what we do get is of the highest quality because they are a great group of people that just focus on one major project at a time.

Exactly. Keeping development teams talented, compact, and efficient is the genius ticket of keeping quality high and everyone with long-term jobs. Nintendo grows their teams slowly. I mean if just "adding more people" would work, don't you think Nintendo would have quadrupled EAD Tokyo before anyone and anything else.
 

MYE

Member
Sidzed2 said:
Now, with DKCR, everything has been Nintendo-fied and I can't help but feel that the tiniest bit of the series' soul has been lost in the transition.

What is nintendo-fied?:lol
 
Kandinsky said:
My god the music in this game is almost as bad as the controls, bring back Wise for DKCR2 please.

This is easily one of the best controlled games I’ve ever played...yes that includes the motion controls!

And the music is fantastic too! It's not as good as the first two in the trilogy, but it’s still very awesome!
 

Vanille

Member
one_kill said:
Speed runs are so tricky. I'm only getting silver and bronze medal times.

Yeah, I feel like Retro could have been a little bit more lenient with the gold medal times. You pretty much have to memorize every inch of every level. I just don't have the patience for that shit.
 

LevityNYC

Banned
Sidzed2 said:
Well, this is without a doubt the best 2D platformer I have played in years. It's gorgeous, inventive and polished to a shine. Bravo, Retro.

About the only negative I could rustle up, and its a very subjective point, truth be told, is that DKCR is just a little bit lacking in style. From the bland menus to the uninspired level names and enemies, there's something very 'Nintendo-Generic' about the whole thing.

Say what you will about Rare now, but when they made DKC2, they imbured those cartoony visuals with a whole lot of character. The music, the enemies, the bosses and overall aesthetic were jovial, with more than a little bit of menace. It gave their DKC trilogy a bit of an edge.

Now, with DKCR, everything has been Nintendo-fied and I can't help but feel that the tiniest bit of the series' soul has been lost in the transition.

Pretty much this.

The very generic jungle music is also a bit of a problem.
 
I cropped the boxart into a wallpaper for widescreen monitors. It's not as nice as, say, a high-res shot of Sunset Shores, but I liked it well enough to share:

 
AniHawk said:
Yep, presentation counts. It can make a bad game seem better and a good game seem great. Even comparing DKCR to Metroid Prime, it's lacking in presentation. Sure, the game looks good (levels are beautiful and everything animates nicely), but Metroid Prime was on an entirely different level.

I say it weighs in favor of Donkey Kong actually. Metroid Prime had great music and the levels were ace, but the enemies themselves were just generic bug things half the time. And one of the bosses was just a sentient pile of rocks. Donkey Kong's only weakness is the recycled music.
 

Kolgar

Member
Kyleripman said:
I cropped the boxart into a wallpaper for widescreen monitors. It's not as nice as, say, a high-res shot of Sunset Shores, but I liked it well enough to share:

Very nice, thanks! Looks great as my desktop.

Also... this game is challenging.
 

AniHawk

Member
Gram Negative Cocci said:
I say it weighs in favor of Donkey Kong actually. Metroid Prime had great music and the levels were ace, but the enemies themselves were just generic bug things half the time. And one of the bosses was just a sentient pile of rocks. Donkey Kong's only weakness is the recycled music.

Metroid Prime had a lot more going for it than that. The sounds the aliens made when you killed them (even if they were just bugs), the effects on Samus's visor, the design of the environments, and the creature/art/character design was far superior to DKCR. And of course, there's the music, which is fantastic. I'm not a fan of Metroid Prime, or its boss fights or anything of that sort, but as far as presentation goes, it's outstanding. It's in a completely different league.
 

Vanille

Member
Gram Negative Cocci said:
I say it weighs in favor of Donkey Kong actually. Metroid Prime had great music and the levels were ace, but the enemies themselves were just generic bug things half the time. And one of the bosses was just a sentient pile of rocks. Donkey Kong's only weakness is the recycled music.

And the enemies in DKCR were just generic animals and drums. At its best, Metroid Prime quite easily has the edge.
 
I think the presentation choices they went with make sense within the context of Donkey Kong. They even did us the gracious favor of disregarding the kremlings entirely. In their stead we get cool things like dead parasauralopuses. And I don't see how you can discount the amount of detail in the environments, the superlative animation quality, and the way the level dynamically reacts to your actions and then say the presentation is lacking.
 
Vanille said:
And the enemies in DKCR were just generic animals and drums. At its best, Metroid Prime quite easily has the edge.

I honestly don't care for most of the enemy renditions in prime. It wasn't until Prime 3 that I felt they got the space pirates right, for instance. The tikis are a superior replacement to the kremlings, and I like how things like the frogoons are actively hunting flies as they get in your way.
 
Gram Negative Cocci said:
I honestly don't care for most of the enemy renditions in prime. It wasn't until Prime 3 that I felt they got the space pirates right, for instance. The tikis are a superior replacement to the kremlings, and I like how things like the frogoons are actively hunting flies as they get in your way.

Echoes had the most faithful representation of the Pirates. All three were considerably different though from the traditional Zebesian design.
 
I really can’t even fathom how anyone here could think this game lacks presentation. The amount of detail is simply off the charts here! For it's genre it's simply incredible and doesn't really get any better...it's Godly!

And of course it’s not going to match the detail of the Metroid Prime trilogy, what a silly comparison. It's a platformer! The genre has restrictions, and yet Retro Studios still managed to push the quality to a new level!
 
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