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Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze: Review Thread

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Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
This is hilarious to read and doesn't make any sense.

LOL...I'll never understand this. It reminds me of the rubes who beg for good TV shows to end after two seasons because they're worried it won't be quite as good in subsequent seasons.
 

nkarafo

Member
I can't believe the stuff some reviewers come up with to justify average scores when this is clearly a high quality game that is improved over DKCR in every aspect... Its like they can't find something really bad about it and that makes them angry or something.

So lets give this game a painfully average score, just because, eh? Whatever, it doesn't have shotguns, right? Derp, i like shotguns in games, this doesn't have one, what?
 

LOCK

Member
Some of the scores are lower than what you expect when you read them.

Some reviews are just against the consensus and have elements not related to the game.

Sounds like your average AAA release. lol
 

VanWinkle

Member
I can't believe the stuff some reviewers come up with to justify average scores when this is clearly a high quality game that is improved over DKCR in every aspect... Its like they can't find something really bad about it and that makes them angry or something.

So lets give this game a painfully average score, just because, eh? Whatever, it doesn't have shotguns, right? Derp, i like shotguns in games, this doesn't have one, what?

This type of post annoys me so much. "If you don't like everything about a family-oriented 2D platformer from Nintendo, you must be a mentally challenged dudebro."
 

modsbox

Member
Did you see the newer load time videos???

Seems only loading the first level the first time causes a big load time.

What I have seen from the levels after that is that it's very similar to Returns.

The load times seem fine to me but if you hated them in Returns, you won't like them.

This was on a disc version by the way.

Have not seen the new loading time videos. If it's just the first level that's bad, no problem by me. I thought they were fine in DKCR but was afraid if they were that bad consistently it would really irritate me.

Thanks for the heads up; I've been trying to avoid binging on the videos because I don't really want to see much of the game until I'm actually playing it.
 
This game doesn't hold up to my absurdly high expectations driven purely by SNES nostalgia even though it modernizes and outclasses the originals in every way

6/10
 

Lijik

Member
Edge's review is pretty good and well worth a read, serves as a nice example for why you shouldn't fixate on scores too much because their 7 doesn't read like other 7 scores. I don't see why some were bugged by the Jungle Beat point the reviewer made at the end, all they were saying is that Jungle Beat's gameplay felt more fitting to the character you play as which i'd agree with, the combination of stringing together platforming combos with the environment and decimating enemies with furious strikes was fitting for a character like Donkey Kong, can't really see Mario pulling that angle off.

Yeah I thought the Edge review was written quite well and nails in describing what Retro is aiming for, while also noting some flaws
 

Exile20

Member
I am so glad that so many people played the Wii and 3ds one so they know better than to trust some of these reviews
 
Nintendo uses GamePad - lol fuckin gimmicks just give me a normal controller none of this touchscreen bullshit

Nintendo doesn't use GamePad - WTF Nintendo doomed lol shit console
 
This game doesn't hold up to my absurdly high expectations driven purely by SNES nostalgia even though it modernizes and outclasses the originals in every way

6/10
Yeah but Kremlins man and pre rendered backdrops, can't compete against that.
Googly eyed Pirate Crocs are super moody compared to googly eyed Viking animals for kiddies.

DKC2 is still the GOAT, that might change later this week, yes I said Kremlins on purpose
 
Probably already been said but I find it hilarious when reviewers mark down games for being too similar to previous entries all the while they hand out 9's every year for AC, CoD and Fifa...
 
Yeah but Kremlins man and pre rendered backdrops, can't compete against that.
Googly eyed Pirate Crocs are super moody compared to googly eyed Viking animals for kiddies.

DKC2 is still the GOAT, that might change later this week, yes I said Kremlins on purpose
Googly-eyed pirate crocs are my jam, man.

Dude.
 

VanWinkle

Member
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.
 
This type of post annoys me so much. "If you don't like everything about a family-oriented 2D platformer from Nintendo, you must be a mentally challenged dudebro."
Unfortunately you have to take this silliness in with the good. Rabid fandom brings these kinds of threads down. Essentially, if the game doesn't get a 9 or higher then, "I'll never read/take said publication seriously again." :/
 

Deku Tree

Member
Probably already been said but I find it hilarious when reviewers mark down games for being too similar to previous entries all the while they hand out 9's every year for AC, CoD and Fifa...

They can't stab themselves in the foot by pissing off their major advertising partners.
 
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.
Why?

It saves battery this way. Some PS4 games don't have sound coming out of the controller. Should we deduct points for that?
 

jimi_dini

Member
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.

It wouldn't have been a problem on Wii, if they literally did NOTHING with the motion controls. It would have been a huge plus (for this specific game).

Just because you have a hammer doesn't mean that you have to use that hammer on everything.
 

Robin64

Member
Was just listening to this game's version of Stickerbrush Symphony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNQcoxE1okQ

Amazing flute work and I love how they left in the flute "errors" that you get. I say errors like that as they aren't really, just a result of live flute playing, but they could have tidied them up and didn't. Which is amazing!
 

Frolow

Banned
Why?

It saves battery this way. Some PS4 games don't have sound coming out of the controller. Should we deduct points for that?

The sound speaker on the DS4 isn't the main selling point of the system, unlike the Wii U Gamepad. So when a major title doesn't even utilize the controller in any significant way it's a little disappointing.
 
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.

I dont think you understand what "old-school" means.

Any gimmickry would be a distraction from the point of the game.
 
The sound speaker on the DS4 isn't the main selling point of the system, unlike the Wii U Gamepad. So when a major title doesn't even utilize the controller in any significant way it's a little disappointing.
One can still use off tv. So the gamepad is used whenever you want.
 
Probably already been said but I find it hilarious when reviewers mark down games for being too similar to previous entries all the while they hand out 9's every year for AC, CoD and Fifa...

8's and 9's mean that they'd usually give the game a 7, but the publisher advertises on their site or something.
 
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.
...why? I'd rather the screen be blank than just replicating the image on the TV. It's just bright and distracting. Maybe they did this so they didn't have to render the game twice, and could use more of the Wii U's power?
 

73V3N

Banned
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.

The problem?
that's not a problem.
 
...why? I'd rather the screen be blank than just replicating the image on the TV. It's just bright and distracting. Maybe they did this so they didn't have to render the game twice, and could use more of the Wii U's power?

If I recall it correctly, mirroring on the gamepad is performance free.
 
"Maybe it's the way Donkey Kong doesn't quite land with the firm-footedness you'd expect from a Nintendo platforming mascot. "

I'm imaging a man with absolutely no reference point to platformers besides some post-2000 indie titles and no damn business reviewing this genre

I mean how is it possible for someone who has played Donkey Kong in real life to actually believe that, to start their review with that

How fucking hrrrhrng

that's like saying CS GO lacks the precision you'd expect from a shooter... it's not like it's one of the most precise shooters in gaming or anything... if there's a review opener that ever damn near read like a lie it's that right there.

but whatever. Good set of reviews. Even the Gamespot one isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. That one sentence just really fucked with me.

GO PLAY CALL OF DUTY YOU BASTARDS
 

MYeager

Member
This type of post annoys me so much. "If you don't like everything about a family-oriented 2D platformer from Nintendo, you must be a mentally challenged dudebro."

That's because it completely disregards and minimizes any criticisms the reviewer might've had.

As someone who loves Nintendo 2D platformers I read the review and I get what he's saying. He makes it sound like the level design isn't creative, doesn't flow well, or do much to make use of the new abilities. It seems like he explained his position and as a fan of platform games mentions things that would possibly bother me. The reviews praising the game allow me to consider that it may have bothered him personally more than others and allow me to temper my expectations accordingly.

I'd get it if he wasn't able to convey what he disliked in the review why there's be hate but I thought he explained his opinion well.
 

Breemin

Member
Its funny to see the reviews saying how the GamePad is not used.

It actually is, its used as a second screen option. Which is something very useful for a lot of Wii U owners.
 

kunonabi

Member
Good God, does EVERY Wii U exclusive have to be tied to the fate of the platform?

yup, which means reviewers get free reign to dock a point or two for it whenever they want. It's disgusting that sales potential is a "valid" review metric now.
 

Ansatz

Member
"- Dull, derivative level design"

This must be from a presentation standpoint, because mechanically from the little I've seen in trailers the game is top class.
 

Into

Member
I really do not see how a system's failure to sell should in any way be counted for or against a game.

Whether DKCTF craters through the planet's earth core and sells 22 copies or sells 22 million copies and saves the Wii U, it should not matter either way.

It almost seems like a way for reviewers to show they are "in the know" when it comes to hardware sales.
 

Zornack

Member
It wouldn't have been a problem on Wii, if they literally did NOTHING with the motion controls. It would have been a huge plus (for this specific game).

Just because you have a hammer doesn't mean that you have to use that hammer on everything.

Motion controls inherently distract.

Putting something, ANYTHING, it doesn't have to be control related but could just be information, on the touch screen does not.
 

DSmalls84

Member
Glad to see positive reviews across the board, but I was picking it up regardless. Loved DKC on the SNES and Returns on 3DS.
 

Timeaisis

Member
I really do not see how a system's failure to sell should in any way be counted for or against a game.

Whether DKCTF craters through the planet's earth core and sells 22 copies or sells 22 million copies and saves the Wii U, it should not matter either way.

It almost seems like a way for reviewers to show they are "in the know" when it comes to hardware sales.

Unfortunately, this has been a trend for game journalism in recent years. It's less about the game and more about them sharing their personal opinion on something unrelated.
 

Het_Nkik

Member
The problem is they literally did NOTHING with the Gamepad. It's just a blank screen, which is stupid and lazy. Nobody is saying, "You have to make touchscreen levels like Rayman Legends!" Just don't do NOTHING.

This is like saying a PS3 game is problematic because it doesn't use the d-pad or Select button. Not every feature on every controller has to be used every time if there's no use for it.
 

phanphare

Banned
The sound speaker on the DS4 isn't the main selling point of the system, unlike the Wii U Gamepad. So when a major title doesn't even utilize the controller in any significant way it's a little disappointing.

the games are the main selling point of the console

also off-TV play is pretty significant imo
 

VanWinkle

Member
Glad to see positive reviews across the board, but I was picking it up regardless. Loved DKC on the SNES and Returns on 3DS.

I hated the 3DS version but Wii version was really good!

This is like saying a PS3 game is problematic because it doesn't use the d-pad or Select button. Not every feature on every controller has to be used every time if there's no use for it.

Nope. That would be like if I said a Wii U game is problematic because it doesn't use the d-pad or Select button. The screen is the reason the Wii U was as expensive as it was, and by far it's biggest selling point and point of marketing. To me, it's extremely lazy to have a blank screen on the Gamepad. I believe it's the first game to ever do that.
 

Tathanen

Get Inside Her!
Motion controls inherently distract.

Putting something, ANYTHING, it doesn't have to be control related but could just be information, on the touch screen does not.

Putting something on another screen when the game has no need for a second screen also inherently distracts. It's just an excuse to drain a battery for no reason.

And motion controls don't "inherently distract" in the first place, what does that even mean. Did you mean to type "detract?" Cause that's nonsense too.
 

zruben

Banned
I honestly expected 5's to 7's... being a sequel, being nintendo and being wiiU.

I was gonna buy it eventually, but now I'm actually excited enough to get it on Day 1.
 

Into

Member
Unfortunately, this has been a trend for game journalism in recent years. It's less about the game and more about them sharing their personal opinion on something unrelated.

That is a sad trend. It almost seems like some of them are trying to ride the wave of success/failure, as that portrays their reviews and opinions as factual, because the mainstream shares it.

"We told you DKCTF was average, and it flopped as did the Wii U, see, we know our stuff, we know mainstream and can influence it"

It comes across as that. If they are just mentioning it, i am fine with that. But deducting points!? Ugh.

(thankfully not all reviewers are doing this, but none of them should)
 
Mario Kart 8 is constantly mocked here for having the probably tentative horn on the screen and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is mocked for not even having the equivalent of what Mario Kart 8 is being mocked for.
 
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