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Donkey Kong Country Returns |OT| Retro Studios Has Done It Again!
- Thread starter Tricky I Shadow
- Start date
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
Urgh, I don't like the sound of that! I hope the game doesn't increase difficulty to the point where it's no longer enjoyable.The Xtortionist said:
I found all Donkey Kong Country and even Donkey Kong 64 to some extent difficult and stressful. I mean look at Retro's track record too - they like making hard games (Metroid Prime 2 and 3). The combination of a traditionally difficult series and a developer that loves to make hard games make this game quite annoying for me.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
I don't understand why all games don't have difficulty levels in 2011. On some games I want a challenge, on others I just want to play through and have a nice experience with it.
It should be a standard, IMO. Even for games like Demon's Souls (which I loved the challenge of and wouldn't've wanted easier).
It should be a standard, IMO. Even for games like Demon's Souls (which I loved the challenge of and wouldn't've wanted easier).
Brainiac 8
Member
I finally went back to DKCR and I'm now working my way through mirror mode. Thank god you still have check points. Some of these levels are killer to get through without getting hit.
QueenOfThorns
Member
I love this game. DKC2 is still platforming perfection, and I doubt another DKC will ever top it, but for what it is I really liked it.
Only DKC and Demons Souls can make me so god damned angry, yet in a way where I want to play it until I finally beat a level.
I still haven't beaten the final world. I think I'm going to wait to play it again either on Dolphin, or the Wii U so that I can escape motion control hell. Whoever decided you shouldn't be able to use the classic controller needs to be fired.
Only DKC and Demons Souls can make me so god damned angry, yet in a way where I want to play it until I finally beat a level.
I still haven't beaten the final world. I think I'm going to wait to play it again either on Dolphin, or the Wii U so that I can escape motion control hell. Whoever decided you shouldn't be able to use the classic controller needs to be fired.
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
I did 6-2 this evening (cart level) on my first attempt in one go.
JESUS did it feel good, haha. Had a few close calls.
JESUS did it feel good, haha. Had a few close calls.
DICKS AHOY
Banned
I find DKC2 tighter than DKCR by virtue of having two 'nimble' characters, but I'll still give credit to Returns for making DK way more manageable than he was in DKC. The edges of platforms and shadows were also helped make him play smoother than in previous games, though I guess my obsessive-compulsive habit of roll-jumping over every edge in the old games to gauge where the sometimes-vague boundaries ended makes that advantage in Returns a bit mute.Datschge said:
Have Retro given anymore hints what their next game is beyond being 'something people want them to do'? Because while I'm probably in the minority, I know I sure as hell want a DKCR2 from them.
So I finally got around to playing this.
AND IT IS SO FUCKING GOOD.
I have never been so pleasantly surprised about a game's quality in a very long time. The level design is incredibly inventive and perfectly done. The gameplay has an incredible sense of rhythm and finesse. And it's got a very serious challenge level that will really require you to learn the game's mechanics and its levels. The temple levels are very, very difficult but they are so, so good.
Music Madness is probably my favorite level in the game. Outside of maybe Q Entertainment's stuff, I've never seen music and gameplay paired so well.
And all of this is coming from somebody who has pretty much zero nostalgia or attachment to the old DKC games. DKCR stands on its own merits as one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time.
That's right. I said it. And I'm not taking it back.
AND IT IS SO FUCKING GOOD.
I have never been so pleasantly surprised about a game's quality in a very long time. The level design is incredibly inventive and perfectly done. The gameplay has an incredible sense of rhythm and finesse. And it's got a very serious challenge level that will really require you to learn the game's mechanics and its levels. The temple levels are very, very difficult but they are so, so good.
Music Madness is probably my favorite level in the game. Outside of maybe Q Entertainment's stuff, I've never seen music and gameplay paired so well.
And all of this is coming from somebody who has pretty much zero nostalgia or attachment to the old DKC games. DKCR stands on its own merits as one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time.
That's right. I said it. And I'm not taking it back.
Small Mailman
Member
Such a campy group of bad guys. I miss them.Mortrialus said:
One of the most bad ass crew of villains in video game history. I remember reading through the strategy guide thinking how cool it would be if there was a game where you could play as them.
Lord_Byron28
Member
I played it right before DKCR and there were quite a bit of leap of faiths it asked you to do.Red UFO said:
_Alkaline_
Member
ZealousD said:
Music Madness is indeed greatness.
Feel free to give my recent post a read. It's not about MM, but rather the one next door (Switcheroo).
PigSpeakers
Member
I've gone back and started playing DKC2 after buying a cheap SNES copy. I am not enjoying it half as much as I used to. I feel like a lot of times I die because for whatever reason I couldn't jump, bad hit detection, and animal "friends".
DKCR is definitely hard, but I felt like anytime I died it was my fault. I think that was the aspect I most enjoyed from that game. And when it's hard it is so extremely challenging. But I managed to beat that one, waggle and all.
DKCR is definitely hard, but I felt like anytime I died it was my fault. I think that was the aspect I most enjoyed from that game. And when it's hard it is so extremely challenging. But I managed to beat that one, waggle and all.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention one thing.
Anytime I hit the maximum number of lives, I started humming a little tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14IRDDnEPR4
Anytime I hit the maximum number of lives, I started humming a little tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14IRDDnEPR4
AbsoluteZero
Banned
I'm having a hard time nailing the rhythm of the head bops to launch yourself upward at the maximum height.
The Xtortionist
Member
AbsoluteZero said:
Practice on one of the invincible guys in the Ruins world.
AbsoluteZero
Banned
Also, out of curiosity, anyone else play with Nunchuck + Wii Remote instead of just the Remote itself? I couldn't stand the 'chuck for NSMB but somehow it feels right here.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Yeah, Mote+Chuck was how I played the whole game.AbsoluteZero said:
AbsoluteZero said:
You're probably hitting it too late. I don't know if it was input lag on my TV or something but I had better success with the bounces when I started hitting the button earlier.
AbsoluteZero said:
It's the way I did it.
I can't imagine playing it any other way. Rolling is better because you only use one hand and doing all the different punches feels better.
Hobbestetrician
Member
Chuck+Mote is the way to play DKCR and sideways is the way to play NSMBW.AbsoluteZero said:
The Xtortionist
Member
Seik said:
No shame man, I've beaten the game four times with one of those times being a coop playthrough in one sitting.
TheExplodingHead
Banned
ZealousD said:
DKCR was pretty much my GOTY 2010, so I agree 100%. Main thing (if I had to narrow it down) was the pitch perfect level design and focus on timing and memorization, mainly in respect to the Time Attacks. For my money only Super Meat Boy and a few Mega Man's rival it from a speedrunning greatness perspective.
That said, on my first playthrough my fav's were probably Music Madness, Prehistoric Path, and Flutter Flyaway. But once I was speedrunning a bunch of Cliffs/Factory/Lava stages became my favorites. I really hope Retro gets another go at this and can fully take control of the game and push it well past DKCR1.
The Xtortionist
Member
Seik said:
Only one of the playthroughs was in one sitting, and it took about 5 hours to 100%. It was basically two lifelong gamers/best friends tearing ass. Great times.
lucablight
Member
First of all I want to say I'm a HUGE fan of the original Donkey Kong Country games. I played all 3 of them to completion on the SNES when I was a kid and I loved them. I was very excited when I heard about this game because I thought I could finally relive those experiences again especially after reading the reviews. I've finished the first two worlds so far and I have to say I'm rather disappointed. This game feels soulless when compared to the original trilogy and some of the design choices are strange to say the least.
1.) The original DKC games are famous for their awesome and epic soundtracks. Sure there's a few remixes in this game but overall the best way to sum up the music in this game so far is........boring. I don't feel anything when I hear the music in this game. It's like it's just there. I wish they would have brought back David Wise for this. This is my biggest disappointment by far. I played Xenoblade right after turning this off and the difference a great soundtrack can make to a game became so obvious it wasn't funny.
2.) The controls are very strange. I don't understand the decision to have waggle to roll at all. It feels very clunky. I know this one has probably been mentioned a million times but not having Diddy as a playable character is disappointing.
3.) The enemies lack personality. I used to love reading through the enemy bios of the unique enemy designs in the original trilogy. What do we get in this? Random crabs? The enemies lack the charm and charisma of the Kremlins.
4.) I used to love listening to Cranky Kong ramble on about how things were better in his days and how kids are spoiled by stereo sound and 16 bit graphics. Now what do we get? -Love Cranky. SERIOUSLY WTF? That is very out of character. Did the designers even play the old games when they were coming up with the dialogue?
Don't get me wrong it's a good game. It's just that it lacks the charm and charisma that made the original trilogy so great. Do the complaints I have stay ever present or will things get better?
1.) The original DKC games are famous for their awesome and epic soundtracks. Sure there's a few remixes in this game but overall the best way to sum up the music in this game so far is........boring. I don't feel anything when I hear the music in this game. It's like it's just there. I wish they would have brought back David Wise for this. This is my biggest disappointment by far. I played Xenoblade right after turning this off and the difference a great soundtrack can make to a game became so obvious it wasn't funny.
2.) The controls are very strange. I don't understand the decision to have waggle to roll at all. It feels very clunky. I know this one has probably been mentioned a million times but not having Diddy as a playable character is disappointing.
3.) The enemies lack personality. I used to love reading through the enemy bios of the unique enemy designs in the original trilogy. What do we get in this? Random crabs? The enemies lack the charm and charisma of the Kremlins.
4.) I used to love listening to Cranky Kong ramble on about how things were better in his days and how kids are spoiled by stereo sound and 16 bit graphics. Now what do we get? -Love Cranky. SERIOUSLY WTF? That is very out of character. Did the designers even play the old games when they were coming up with the dialogue?
Don't get me wrong it's a good game. It's just that it lacks the charm and charisma that made the original trilogy so great. Do the complaints I have stay ever present or will things get better?
The Hermit
Member
lucablight said:
Regarding the music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdzIPhttE50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzF79H23By8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ioj3queVo0&feature=related
All your complaints are basically summed that this isn't DKC 4. Which is exactly how I felt the first time I played and stopped playing it after a while.
But later I decided to give it a second chance and play it for the game it was and not the game it wasn't... and its fucking amazing.
Read the thread and you will notice that a lot of people had the same reaction as you and me, but kept playing and it eventually grew on them. So my advice is that you keep playing... btw world 7 is one of the best worlds in a DKC game ever, so don't skip it yet!
goldenenergy
Member
I got this day one, played through the first four worlds, and set it aside. I finally got around to finishing the game this weekend, and HOLY DAMN the game gets so much better starting with the fifth world (Forest). I mean, the first half is good and all, but the second half is much, much better I think. Starting with Forest, every world is pretty much better than the last.
I also think this game totally destroys the original DKC games (although to be fair, I think those games weren't really that good).
Final thoughts:
- My favorite level is probably the last level of the Cliff world (forget what it's called, but it's mostly climbing). So fun!
- Volcano was my favorite world overall. So many cool levels, so many WOW! moments.
- Minecart levels work better in this than the original DKC games--but the minecart levels in this game can still be frustrating sometimes.
- I loved the "rocket barrel" levels from a design point of view (especially the last one, in the Volcano world), but the controls could have been better, they seemed too sensitive to me, too twitchy.
- Visual design was so awesome.
- Character design is considerably less tacky than the original games, thank God.
- I wish the last boss had been tougher, I found him more tedious than anything else.
- Speaking of the last boss, did the opening section of that level, the vertical rocket barrel part, remind anyone of the Final Mission from Metal Slug 3?
- I kinda want to unlock the Golden Temple level--but what I have to do seems so daunting, I'll probably never get around to it...
I also think this game totally destroys the original DKC games (although to be fair, I think those games weren't really that good).
Final thoughts:
- My favorite level is probably the last level of the Cliff world (forget what it's called, but it's mostly climbing). So fun!
- Volcano was my favorite world overall. So many cool levels, so many WOW! moments.
- Minecart levels work better in this than the original DKC games--but the minecart levels in this game can still be frustrating sometimes.
- I loved the "rocket barrel" levels from a design point of view (especially the last one, in the Volcano world), but the controls could have been better, they seemed too sensitive to me, too twitchy.
- Visual design was so awesome.
- Character design is considerably less tacky than the original games, thank God.
- I wish the last boss had been tougher, I found him more tedious than anything else.
- Speaking of the last boss, did the opening section of that level, the vertical rocket barrel part, remind anyone of the Final Mission from Metal Slug 3?
- I kinda want to unlock the Golden Temple level--but what I have to do seems so daunting, I'll probably never get around to it...
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
I love this game but fuck fuck fuck that final boss. Why the hell do I not get Diddy back unless I restart the entire level after each death?
Nocturnowl
Member
I was with you until I discovered thatThe_Technomancer said:
the hand clap can be easily avoided by jumping on one of the hands while it waits in the corner, oddly enough on my second run through a few weeks back I had tremendous trouble with the chicken walker boss and its mostly random pattern of stupidity
Chuckpebble
Member
The_Technomancer said:
Connect second controller.
Throw Diddy on your back.
Profit.
Its good for two reasons. You lose Diddy after 3 hits, not two. You always restart with Diddy. Of course, dying eats 2 balloons. Kinda balanced because of that. I discovered this by accident when my 3yo asked if she could join me during the level 7 boss, who was whooping me easily until that point, I might add.
LeonSKennedy90
Banned
More like fuck that final boss for being such a boring end to an otherwise fantastic game
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Okay, the player should never ever ever ever ever ever ever have to make a rolling start to jump to the next platform when the platform under you is crumbling. Ever!
Even with a classic controller its just too finnicky.
Even with a classic controller its just too finnicky.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Yeah, going for the KONG letters in Precarious Plateau, and the G requires that you somehow land on an enemies head without hitting the platform in order to be able to make the next jump...its driving me insaneudivision said:
Necronomikon
Member
It's an awesome game!! Most fun I had in a Wii game since Mario Galaxy! Specially if you're playing with a friend (2 players co-op mode), you just can't stop laughing at the stupidities each one makes.
Great game! Retro really pulled it off nicely! Hopefully we'll get a sequel or another iteration on Wii U!
Great game! Retro really pulled it off nicely! Hopefully we'll get a sequel or another iteration on Wii U!
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Thirty fucking lives...Lathentar said:
If I have to leverage one real complaint against this game its not even what I just complained about so much as how Donkey has next to no ability to jump sideways from a standstill. It screws me over in level after level.
Nonono.Myriadis said:
DKC2 is in a league of its own. 3 is the bastard child of the original trilogy, it has almost none of the charm of the first 2, the enemy designs are worse, the levels are worse, the music is forgettable. Put it this way...if it was Mario DKC2 would be SMB3, and DKC3 would be SMB2 (us version, of course).
I actually consider DKC to be ALMOST as good as DKC2. DKC2 wins based on difficulty + level design having a slight edge. But the music, locales, enemies, etc. were otherwise on par.
Oh, and I realize I'm responding to something posted months ago...so I hope you since changed your mind.
I think the biggest flaws with 3 and R were in the charm. If I were making a DKC supergame, with 8 worlds chosen from across the whole series, the best enemies, music...I can honestly say that NOTHING out of 3 or R would make the cut (and I quite enjoyed R).
Hobbestetrician
Member
Probably the hardest KONG letter in the game.The_Technomancer said:
Nocturnowl
Member
The games percentage scale exceeds 100% and goes to 200%, 100% itself is pretty respectable though and certainly an achievement. Now if you collected everything, did mirror mode on every stage and as a bonus got shiny gold medals for all stages than it's far more than simply being an achievement. I sure as hell can't, those unseen images in the gallery torment me, damn you mirror mode!Sinthetic said:
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
It wouldn't be a problem if I didn't get exactly one chance to make it with DiddyJimWood27 said: