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Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze |OT| There's always money in the banana stand

Neiteio

Member
I can see that. I think most would agree that something you discover on your own is more fulfilling than something that's thrown in your face, like the same track playing on yet another bramble stage would have been. I can imagine the surprise on a hardcore DKC2 fan's face when they go in blind to Twilight Terror and stick around for the music.

Aquatic Ambiance may be similar. Even though the track is eventually used in its intended context, players can discover hints of it much earlier in Mangrove Cove if they spend a bit of time in the water.
I literally just replayed that level like 10 minutes ago. I didn't stick around in that pool long enough to hear Aquatic Ambiance, but when I heard the Mangrove Cove (Underwater) theme in the next pool of water, it made me think back to that first pool and wonder if something was different. That's a great touch that the first appearance of Aquatic Ambiance is right in the first level, in that first pool of water. :)

The first level is excellent, by the way. Replaying it made me appreciate it anew. It has that great Easter egg right out of the gate with the TVs playing DKCR inside the crashed plane, then you go straight into your first swimming section, and you have nice secrets like the banana stash under the sand, and then you learn how to pull up handles, you witness the dynamic camera angles going up the tree, you're going in and out of the water, and you meet all kinds of enemies -- ones you can board like platforms (the plants), hopping ones like the grasshoppers and hares, ones you can pick up and throw, ones that take multiple hits (the Waldough in the crate), etc. There's a part that prompts you to try Kong-Pow, and some foreground to background action at the end. It's such a dense first level, and it takes you on a mini-journey -- down a waterfall, over sandy dunes, through crashed airplanes, over and under dangling/drifting debris, across stacks of cargo, through the canopies and more.

Mangrove Cove sets the bar VERY high -- and then remarkably, each subsequent level proceeds to offer up its own self-contained adventure, its own satisfying narrative that feels like a complete episode in its own right. The whole game is just so robust in this respect.
 
I think I'm in the small minority who actually really like the rocket barrel levels.

I LOVE them. Every single rocket barrel level in this game is a blast to play. They're also better than every rocket barrel stage in Returns and I loved them in that game as well.

The rocket barrel level in
World 5
is one of my favorite stages in the entire DKC franchise. Heck, it's one of my favorite levels in ANY game, period.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
They are a bit less cruel with two hits. But the one hit death flight was a bit of a thrill as well. A real momento mori experience.

I also feel a bit a bit silly playing 2-2 four times looking for the secret exit now... Lol
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
I don't dislike the rocket levels but the core of these games is so great that I usually just don't feel excited to have a level that goes away from it. But 2 hits help them a lot. Thought despite saying that I always dug the minecart.

I liked Returns and all but this is clicking with me so much more for some reason. I may need to replay that soonish as I'm not sure if the waggle roll got to me THAT much or if it's all in the level design. But man, this game.
 

kraznk1d

Member
Anyone have any tips for high-bouncing with Diddy off a roll jump and retaining momentum? I'm doing time trials for 1-2 and the part near the beginning with Tucks on a ship is kicking my ass. I can't get through cleanly to save my life. Always end up killing my momentum with what I'm guessing is an early jetpack trigger.

This game is weird in that both dixies propellor and diddys jet pack act INSTANTLY to kill your momentum. If you use the precision A tapping that you learned playing as donkey you wont be able to do diddy or dixie trials. What you have to do is hit a AFTER you hit an enemy. There is some leeway here where in the very beginning part of your new bounce if you press A, your bounce will go full height, if not itll resort to the normal bop. Train your brain to press A AFTER your brain is sure you already hit the enemy without being TOO late obviously. To do this best id suggest going to 2-K bopopolis and practice as solo DK with the owls. Train yourself to press A after you hit the owl, and not even a split second before, and see if you do a full bounce or not. Trust me on this one.
FYI dont try this on the first owl of 2-K or any of the owls that you hit directly out of a barrel, The same timing doesnt work for barrel jumps.
 
Weirdly enough I'm really loving the theme for the 3rd boss, despite it being quite different to Wise's regular work (though I guess there's a bit of Diddy Kong Racing in it). Starts off a tad generic, but it quickly builds into a really catchy beat that I've had on repeat for the past day when I'm not at work or playing more levels.

Really loving how
Savannah Plains
and
Juicy Jungle
seem to mix a ton of different Jungle Beat and DKC2 tropes together, making for a neat cohesive experience despite those two games being very different to one another. Lost Mangrove reminds me more of the jungle and swamp levels from DKC2 while
Sea Breeze Cove
reminds me mostly of DKC's simple but atmospheric water levels mixed with Rayman Origins of all things.
Autumn Heights
is absolutely meant to harken back to DKC3.

Definitely prefer locales that evoke memories of previous games than just feeling like a straight remake of them like Returns sometimes did in that regard.

EDIT:
Can I take screenshots through the standard method if I'm using Wii Remote + Nunchuk?
You should be able to reach Miiverse and get the option to upload a screenshot without the Wii U pad, yeah.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Those flying penguins in 2-K can fuck right off. So hard to time them to hit the bear afterwards
 
Random shots I took -- I just love the sculpted look of the levels in World 2:

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01saqn7.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01i7qu8.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_016arxg.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01omq9b.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01jtq2r.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01aiqzd.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01k5qia.jpg

wiiu_screenshot_tv_01iwrm8.jpg

Lovely shots Neiteio. The start of World 2 looks absolutely stunning to me.

It’s just so European....and the use of colours is so pleasing to the eyes! ♥
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
j9MBOV1B6SNtT.jpg


a lot of dongs were deflated along the way, but yeay
 

kizmah

Member
I never played DKCR so enlighten me please. Collecting all the letters unlocks K-levels. But what does collecting all the puzzle-pieces do?
 

DeVeAn

Member
I died more time on 6-tilting springs level then I have the whole game. I am so pissed I want to cry. I keep dying on the moving spring boards ahhhhhhhh.
 
Man, this game is just glorious. Absolutely worth the wait. I'm at the fifth island now, and even without buying/using any of Funky's items, the game does feel a little easier - well, a little less punishing - than DKC Returns overall (including the K levels... especially the K levels, actually), but it's no less fun or ridiculously well-designed. Or maybe it just feels easier because my DKC reflexes are still honed from 100%ing DKCR 3D last June?

Can't wait to see what the rest of the game has in store for me!

I never played DKCR so enlighten me please. Collecting all the letters unlocks K-levels. But what does collecting all the puzzle-pieces do?

Unlocks new images in the image gallery, adds to the % completed on your file, and makes you feel accomplished for having found them all. That's about it, but it's totally worth it!
 
This thread is torture. GAH!!! I hate everyone playing this!!! ;__;

I haven’t even played the game yet, but from listening to every single track like 5 times each, reading every comment in this thread, watching tons of people play full levels and even watching two streams of people playing the whole game, along with the fact that I know the game controls perfectly like Returns, I’ve come to the conclusion that this very well might be the greatest 2D platformer of all time, finally dethroning Donkey Kong Country 2......and that also would automatically make it one of my favourites games of all time! Returns got quite close to beating Donkey Kong Country 2, but it was let down by the soundtrack and good, but not amazing atmosphere/art style. Tropical Freeze looks like it takes everything good from Returns and Donkey Kong Country 2 to create something incredibly special. It really seems like a perfect game to me and looks like the jump in quality from Donkey Kong Country to Donkey Kong Country 2.

Hurry up and announce Tropical Freeze as a pack in Nintendo!
 

kizmah

Member
Unlocks new images in the image gallery, adds to the % completed on your file, and makes you feel accomplished for having found them all. That's about it, but it's totally worth it!

Unlocks concept art and dioramas.

Thank you. I am not really killing myself to get all of them first time around. Clearing the stages and collecting letters is the priority right now. Then again, in the slower levels where I can take my time I try to explore and find everything I can. I'm not one of those gamers rushing to get to the end. Nor am I a completionist in the sense that I do want to unlock all the stages but not necessarily every collectible.
 
If all the quality games on the system currently aren't enough for you to spend money on it then it's your own fault. This sort of sentiment is repeated far too often in EVERY Wii U game OT and it gets pretty tiring.

Well it’s hard to justify the asking price when all I care about is Tropical Freeze and 3D World and when I think the console has no future at all at the moment......I couldn’t give a shit about Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
 

HyperHip

Member
Made it to world 4 and this is my first DK since DKC3.

I'm impressed with how this game poops over the snes ones, only gripe I have so far are the bonus level not having enough variety.

And the boss fights, I'm actually excited for boss fights in a Nintendo platformer.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Nr 1 on my friend list on the time trial in 2-K (1:19.42) come at me brohans
 

Madao

Member
i blazed through the game today in about 11 hours. only got 66% done so i have to come back later.

people weren't joking when they said the music was gonna be the best part of the game. i was somewhat sleepy before i started playing because i slept too few hours yesterday and i just couldn't stop playing for all 11 hours straight. only stopped for food and pee breaks.
i'd say i like this game more than DKCR already. only thing i didn't like is how it has fewer levels than DKCR.
 
So, is this game worth full price if I'm not really desperate for more games to play at the moment? Like, is it THAT good? Or should I wait for a price drop later on and pick it up when I'm bored? Worth doing a full play-through in co-op?
 

Deku Tree

Member
So, is this game worth full price if I'm not really desperate for more games to play at the moment? Like, is it THAT good? Or should I wait for a price drop later on and pick it up when I'm bored? Worth doing a full play-through in co-op?

Oh yeah most definitely worth the full price. It is a must buy. That good and more.
And good luck waiting for a price drop on a Nintendo game.
 

maxcriden

Member
Ha, I have all the trades and its pretty much my favorite comic ever. I just waiting to double dip on the 1200 page omnibus this summer.

Sweet. I've read a bunch of it when I was into comics. I kind of fell out of the comics scene a few years ago...I still have some trades lying around, those, Shade, and Asterios Polyp...maybe a couple issues of The Walking Dead. Grant Morrison was my favorite comic writer though, and I loved stuff like The Invisibles and All-Star Superman.
 

Deku Tree

Member
i blazed through the game today in about 11 hours. only got 66% done so i have to come back later.

people weren't joking when they said the music was gonna be the best part of the game. i was somewhat sleepy before i started playing because i slept too few hours yesterday and i just couldn't stop playing for all 11 hours straight. only stopped for food and pee breaks.
i'd say i like this game more than DKCR already. only thing i didn't like is how it has fewer levels than DKCR.

Yes the levels are fewer but they're also longer.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Grassland Groove (3-1) is right up there with Music Madness for me. Fantastic!
 
Just beat the game, figured I'd jot down my thoughts.

PROS:

1. Music: David Wise is a musical genius yadda yadda yadda. Nothing could be said here that we don't already know. This will probably go down as the best soundtrack of the year.

2. Level Design: As with DKCR, this is top notch level design...when not dealing with #1 in the cons below. When the game is being fair, it's a complete pleasure to play through.

3. Secrets: The amount of hidden puzzle pieces, secret exits, and
Mysterious relics
is great. Not only are there plenty of things to do after beating the game (including time trial), but the secrets are very well hidden. It will probably take me a long, long time to 100% this game, and I'll probably resort to using a guide or two.

4. Art style: Retro is the king of atmosphere, and here they show they can keep a lighthearted touch with some really nice graphics. The general aesthetic is beautiful, and on an actual TV instead of my computer screen the colors practically fill the room.

5. Controls/Physics: You definitely feel like a heavy ape, in a good way. The exception here are the water levels. Man, the swimming controls are awful in this game...

6. First Level in the Savannah World: The stage that EatChildren made a thread about a few weeks ago. I think it might be my favorite platformer stage ever...I was so impressed from the beginning to the end of that level.

CONS:

1. Cheap Deaths: I know many here will be like "No, this is a hardcore platformer like the old days! It's not cheap it's just difficult!" I disagree. For example, compare this game to the last level of Super Mario 3D World. In 3D World, the last level is incredibly difficult. It's probably the hardest Mario level yet. However, at every stage of the level, you know exactly what you need to do. There aren't any tricks hiding behind any corners, nor any memorization or "AHA! Bet you didn't see that coming" nonsense. It's just perfectly crafted difficulty that requires precision platforming skills.

This game, on the other hand, just throws things at you and asks you to forgive them because "Oh, well at least now I know that the platform will randomly jump" or "Oh wow, I guess I was supposed to grab the LEFT side of the vines." That kind of thing is fine if you're going for puzzle pieces or KONG letters, not to just play through the level. It's pseudo-difficulty and bad design. It's not really a problem until the latter half of the game, and especially in the last world.

2. Lack of Variety: I feel like most of the worlds had the same aesthetic to them. I know there was a savannah world, and a mountain world, etc. but they all felt the same to me. I think it's because of all the trees filled in every world. I don't remember having this feeling with DKCR. In fact, the only levels that weren't covered in trees and shrubbery in this game were the ones in the last world...taken from DKCR.


All in all, I think Retro has crafted another fantastic platformer. I don't think it quite reaches the heights of DKCR, though, mostly because of the 2 reasons mentioned above. However, the game is still worth every penny and I haven't lost any faith in Retro as a studio. I can't wait to see what they'll be making next.
 

Exile20

Member
Well it’s hard to justify the asking price when all I care about is Tropical Freeze and 3D World and when I think the console has no future at all at the moment......I couldn’t give a shit about Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
You do know there are other games other than kart and smash. Bayonetta 2, x,pikmin3, tw101, zombu u, etc.

Do people still thing all the wiiu has is Mario universe? Wow.....
 

Deku Tree

Member
Just beat the game, figured I'd jot down my thoughts.

PROS:

1. Music: David Wise is a musical genius yadda yadda yadda. Nothing could be said here that we don't already know. This will probably go down as the best soundtrack of the year.

2. Secrets: The amount of hidden puzzle pieces, secret exits, and
Mysterious relics
is great. Not only are there plenty of things to do after beating the game (including time trial), but the secrets are very well hidden. It will probably take me a long, long time to 100% this game, and I'll probably resort to using a guide or two.

3. Art style: Retro is the king of atmosphere, and here they show they can keep a lighthearted touch with some really nice graphics. The general aesthetic is beautiful, and on an actual TV instead of my computer screen the colors practically fill the room.

4. Controls/Physics: You definitely feel like a heavy ape, in a good way. The exception here are the water levels. Man, the swimming controls are awful in this game...

5. First Level in the Savannah World: The stage that EatChildren made a thread about a few weeks ago. I think it might be my favorite platformer stage ever...I was so impressed from the beginning to the end of that level.

CONS:

1. Cheap Deaths: I know many here will be like "No, this is a hardcore platformer like the old days! It's not cheap it's just difficult!" I disagree. For example, compare this game to the last level of Super Mario 3D World. In 3D World, the last level is incredibly difficult. It's probably the hardest Mario level yet. However, at every stage of the level, you know exactly what you need to do. There aren't any tricks hiding behind any corners, nor any memorization or "AHA! Bet you didn't see that coming" nonsense. It's just perfectly crafted difficulty that requires precision platforming skills.

This game, on the other hand, just throws things at you and asks you to forgive them because "Oh, well at least now I know that the platform will randomly jump" or "Oh wow, I guess I was supposed to grab the LEFT side of the vines." That kind of thing is fine if you're going for puzzle pieces or KONG letters, not to just play through the level. It's pseudo-difficulty and bad design. It's not really a problem until the latter half of the game, and especially in the last world.

2. Lack of Variety: I feel like most of the worlds had the same aesthetic to them. I know there was a savannah world, and a mountain world, etc. but they all felt the same to me. I think it's because of all the trees filled in every world. I don't remember having this feeling with DKCR. In fact, the only levels that weren't covered in trees and shrubbery in this game were the ones in the last world...taken from DKCR.


All in all, I think Retro has crafted another fantastic platformer. I don't think it quite reaches the heights of DKCR, though, mostly because of the 2 reasons mentioned above. However, the game is still worth every penny and I haven't lost any faith in Retro as a studio. I can't wait to see what they'll be making next.

I am excited to find out too !!!
 
You do know there are other games other than kart and smash. Bayonetta 2, x,pikmin3, tw101, zombu u, etc.

Do people still thing all the wiiu has is Mario universe? Wow.....

Oh please, I know what I‘m talking about. None of the other games interest me apart from Bayonetta 2 somewhat.
 

Exile20

Member
On amazon in every region(I checked .jp .ca .fr .jp .co.uk) except japan, the game is either number 1 or at lowest I believe number 20 in overall videogames. In japan, it is number 72.

I really thought japan was eat up this "hardcore" game.
 

Nakayumi

Member
I'm on the fence whether I should pick this one up or not. The screens posted here and listening to Wise's godlike soundtrack makes me feel I should. But if the difficulty is anything like the first one I'm afraid I will have more time getting frustrated and annoyed than get enjoyment out of it. I'm not particularly good at 2D platformers, and get frustrated by them easily. However, I LOVED the original series and still play 'em from time to time. What say you GAF?
 
I'm on the fence whether I should pick this one up or not. The screens posted here and listening to Wise's godlike soundtrack makes me feel I should. But if the difficulty is anything like the first one I'm afraid I will have more time getting frustrated and annoyed than get enjoyment out of it. I'm not particularly good at 2D platformers, and get frustrated by them easily. However, I LOVED the original series and still play 'em from time to time. What say you GAF?
get dem banana coins and get dem items
 
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