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

E

EmCeeGramr

Member
kremlings own. donkey kong fights ugly looking crocodile things who are sometimes army sergeants and pirates or muscle men. why is he fighting some ugly pieces of anthropomorphized wood?

out, bad-taste-havers
 
G

Gram Negative Cocci

Member
agrajag said:
I think some people are forgetting that Donkey (in his modern iteration) and Diddy are also the children of Rare design.
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I was under the impression that the only contribution Rare made to the new Donkey design was his tie? To their credit, that was a perfect ]contribution.
 
A

agrajag

Banned
Gram Negative Cocci said:
I was under the impression that the only contribution Rare made to the new Donkey design was his tie? To their credit, that was a perfect ]contribution.
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This was Nintendo's version before Rare re-designed him.

donkey-kong.jpg
 
R

Rich!

Member
Gram Negative Cocci said:
I was under the impression that the only contribution Rare made to the new Donkey design was his tie? To their credit, that was a perfect ]contribution.
Click to expand...

What you see now (in DKC:R, any recent game) is Rare's design of Donkey Kong. Which is exactly why Nintendo had to credit Rare in Mario Kart 64 and subsequent games for his design.

Seriously. Have a look at the credits for Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart Wii. Rare is credited for the modern DK design. Haven't watched the credits for DKCR so I wouldnt know if they're credited in there too, but they most likely are.
 
A

agrajag

Banned
All this time I thought the DKC TV series was animated by some french canadian studio and had no bearing on Rare's games, but I guess I stand corrected and Rare animated the cartoon, so their DK design is horrible. Thanks for clearing that one up for us, Gram.
 
G

Gilby

Member
richisawesome said:
What you see now (in DKC:R, any recent game) is Rare's design of Donkey Kong. Which is exactly why Nintendo had to credit Rare in Mario Kart 64 and subsequent games for his design.

Seriously. Have a look at the credits for Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart Wii. Rare is credited for the modern DK design. Haven't watched the credits for DKCR so I wouldnt know if they're credited in there too, but they most likely are.
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I seem to remember from another thread someone saying Miyamoto actually came up with the DKC design for donkey and diddy kong.
 
K

Kard8p3

Member
Gilby said:
Agreed DK 94 was fantastic. I've never played any Mario vs DK games, but weren't they originally based on this?
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Yeah it was amazing. I think it still might be my favorite DK game out of all the games he's been in. I remember wanting this game simply because I loved the box art.

The original Mario Vs DK was in the style of 94 and according to an EGM I was looking through the other day it originally started as a remake of 94.
 
K

Kard8p3

Member
Baiano19 said:
Whoa, I was watching some videos of it... its really fucking awesome!
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You haven't played it? It's really an amazing game so I'd recommend tracking it down and giving it a shot. If I remember right it has 101 levels of amazing goodness. It also has some really great music for a gameboy game.
 
F

flak57

Member
Gilby said:
I seem to remember from another thread someone saying Miyamoto actually came up with the DKC design for donkey and diddy kong.
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Nope. Although I remember the tie being Miyamoto's idea.
 
A

agrajag

Banned
flak57 said:
Nope. Although I remember the tie being Miyamoto's idea.
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Well, like I pointed out, he had the tie before the DKC games, he was already donning the tie in '94, if not earlier than that.
 
F

flak57

Member
agrajag said:
Well, like I pointed out, he had the tie before the DKC games, he was already donning the tie in '94, if not earlier than that.
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Keep in mind DK94 was in development at the same time as DKC. DKC was released in 94.
 
A

agrajag

Banned
flak57 said:
Keep in mind DK94 was in development at the same time as DKC. DKC was released in 94.
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Yeah, I was trying to find any images of DK with a tie prior to DK94 and I couldn't. Leads me to believe that the tie is probably Miyamoto's idea and he had both studios give DK a tie in the games.
 
A

agrajag

Banned
_Alkaline_ said:
You know what are fucking awesome?

Those five critters that form a tower and try to suicide slam you.

Those are fucking awesome.
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I spent like 15 minutes trying to figure out if there was any other trick to killing them besides running away and letting them fall. Died many times. :lol



One thing I hate about the game: totally unnecessary and unskippable chest-thumping animations at the start of bonus levels.
 
B

BuggyDClown

Member
I'll add my two cents. Overall would I choose old enemies over the new one? Hells yes.

Now I'd say this isn't in every aspect. I love some of the new enemies and feel they fit greatly. Especially when considering the concept of the story. I really liked the animals involvement.

I do think the pig is dumb and would love the return of my barrels. Though I still laugh at it and yell Pig point every time I get to one. Just because it's absurd and utterly ridiculous. There was no real reason for it.

I would have to say the Boss battles in the old DKC games were way better. Not all of them, but I have a lot more memorable ones in the old games, these feel, well a little boring. I dont really feel motivated to defeat them as I did in the old games. I used to feel like I was fighting against an enemy, not avoiding them. They are more of a nuisance then an opponent.

I would like to see better bosses, possible Kremlings and well. King K Rool. It's just not the same without him. I fought that fat green bastard for years when I was younger and I have plenty of rage left after the hundreds of accumulated deaths especially in DKC2.

Breakdown
Enemies: Indifferent. They fit the theme and style some are awesome some are very forgettable. None felt like real enemies though, as if they were out to get me.
Bosses: Very meh. Please give me some to hate and fear
Main Villain: Really? Bring me back King K. Rool any day. He is King for a reason.

I absolutely love this game in every respect, but if theres something that really makes this game feel lacking especially when it comes to mood its from the enemies, not the art design.

The moodiness of the old games largely stems from the enemies. Not just the bolder and many times darker settings or colors. The enemies in DKCR are just not out to get you, either are the bosses. They are just in your way.

The old games you knew you had to defeat every kremling you saw every enemy you encountered. You wanted to, not because they were in the way, but because it was you or them. They weren't waiting around for you to come, they really made you feel under attack at times. Like your Island has truly been taken over and your'e fighting your way through it. Not working your way around it.

I want to defeat my enemy because they are one, instead of just an obstacle to overcome. This is where I hope Retro gets the change in the future to take it up a notch. If we ever get a DKCR2 I couldn't want anything more from it than this.
 
B

BuggyDClown

Member
LevityNYC said:
A lot of people that don't like the Kremlings are the same people that never played DKC2.
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Thats a shame, could be the best of the bunch. Though I some times opted for 1 or 3 when I was younger due to difficulty. I still think I was way better wat games when I was playing during the NEX-N64 era than now. Games just used to be so much harder. DKCR is difficult, but I want it on SNES levels. They should just pull out the extra hearts. Make it a real challenge.

Then again I HAD to get good when I was younger. Lack of progress and only saving at checkpoints forced you to get good through repetition and fear of losing progress. Nowadays it's much easier knowing you have autosaving to fall back on.

Bring back candy kong!
 
A

agrajag

Banned
Hmm, for me DKC1-3 are a breeze compared to DKCR. Have you played those games recently? I think you've just become better without realizing it.
 
B

BuggyDClown

Member
agrajag said:
Hmm, for me DKC1-3 are a breeze compared to DKCR. Have you played those games recently? I think you've just become better without realizing it.
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Yeah replayed them leading up to DKCR. Maybe its lag from playing on a HDTV? I felt like my reaction time and skills just aren't good anymore. Got my but kicked. Especially DKC 2.

I've been breezing through DKCR in comparison. Not to say there haven't been levels of difficulty and compared to many platformers today its very challenging. I just want it to be tougher? Haha I dont know.

I suppose reading about how hard it was going to be, seeing game sites say they had to use the super guide or w.e it is I really got my expectations a little too high.
 
S

Socreges

Banned
I think I'll put the game to rest for a while. Got a deal with a friend to trade it for SMG2 (temporarily) anyhow.

Just beat 9-1. What an amazing level. I died so many freaking times, but I never stopped enjoying myself. I'd only curse myself, not the game.

Pretty disappointing that there wasn't more to the 'world', but oh well. I didn't feel like there was a shortage of levels in the game.

I don't think I'll bother with the mirrored levels, or even the time trials for that matter... or even the jigsaw pieces. Beating 9-1 is as 'complete' as I care to make it. Might as well move on to other games now. SMG2 comes next so why bother delaying.
 
A

AniHawk

Member
The rocket barrel levels suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Other than that, W7 was as good as W6, with Switcheroo making it an improvement.
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Why did this guy have nipples? Reptiles shouldn't have nipples!

Klump2.jpg


Still I think the Kremlings were better enemies than the Tikis, and it continues the legacy of big apes fighting reptilian creatures, be it dinosaurs or Godzilla.
 
D

DieNgamers

Member
MoxManiac said:
:lol at people praising the kremlings. Rare is and was always the worst character designer in the industry.
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Ha! I actually think the opposite. They made a huge amount of characters that people who played the games still "love" and remember. Banjo, Kazooie (+ pretty much every character in the game), Conker (in my opinion the game as a whole has some of the best/craziest actual characters ever), Diddy, Cranky Kong, King K Rool etc. If you combined the whole family of memorable characters in their games you'd have a f***ing army!
The Kremlings are super crazy crocodiles, invading Kong Island to steal bananas and destroy the Kongs! What's not to love?

On-topic: I'm totally stuck in one of the levels of the lava world right now..I guess I'll have to collect some baloons again. 4 just don't cut it. This game is so awesome!
 
B

Barrow Roll

Member
schennmu said:
Horrible. The old DK games were just freak shows with Donkey Kong being the only exception. Crappy 90's CG now oozes with atmosphere. You heard it first on GAF.
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:lol

Yes, that's exactly what my post was stating. You're a better detective than Batman.

Banana Slamma.
 
T

toastyToast

Member
Bought this today, I was planning on holding off for a while but when I saw it staring me down I couldn't resist.

Up to the boss of world 2, pretty easy so far but the levels are getting more interesting. The music is somewhat disappointing so far
there was a cool remix of Aquatic Ambiance in that whale level
and DK and Diddy's sound bites are pretty lame (or maybe I'm used to the old ones).

The game is a ton of fun and the controls are a lot more responsive than I thought they'd be. I'll try out co-op next time my nephew comes over.

In closing, fuck yeah, Donkey Kong.
 
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