Retro Studios working on fucking Donkey Kong

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I think, as the target market for a new Metroid game, you're putting too much importance in glowing reviews and "prestige". There's kind of no other way around it, the benefit of having a new Metroid is satisfying us people who would buy it (in much more modest quantities than DK), but an almost niche series... well, I don't think it's what WiiU needs right now. Okay, I think WiiU needs as many games as it can have! But in this case I defend my opinion that it was smarter to go with DK than with Metroid. Because let's be honest, for all we know a Metroid game wouldn't probably be ready for these holidays, which are kind of important for WiiU's future.
 
The NSMBU are purposely created with the aesthetic they are. It's not some horrible ineptitude. And to be honest while I haven't played NSMBU I actually think in many instances NSMBW's level design was better than DKCR. Now while visuals, sound, etc. are important for a game for a 2d platformer level design>>> everything (and controls which certainly dont fall in DKCR's favor) and in terms of level design EAD 4 easily could have made a new DKC game.I liked DKCR but people are elevating it to god tier platfoming status when there is a lot of room for improvement in the sequel.
I think, as the target market for a new Metroid game, you're putting too much importance in glowing reviews and "prestige". There's kind of no other way around it, the benefit of having a new Metroid is satisfying us people who would buy it (in much more modest quantities than DK), but an almost niche series... well, I don't think it's what WiiU needs right now. Okay, I think WiiU needs as many games as it can have! But in this case I defend my opinion that it was smarter to go with DK than with Metroid. Because let's be honest, for all we know a Metroid game wouldn't probably be ready for these holidays, which are kind of important for WiiU's future.

Variety is what's important when selling a system. I'm just not seeing some huge market that didn't buy a Wii U for NSMBU running out to the stores and buying a Wii U on Black Friday for Donkey Kong.
 
I'm sure they could pull it off if they wanted to. That franchise was selling like hot cakes without a ton of effort. After the burnout with NSMBU, I doubt that will happen again. I don't doubt that one of Nintendo's in-house teams could pull off something amazing. If you don't think so, then you've got to be kidding me.

Yeah, I would be very surprised to see another iterative NSMB game next time around. Some combination of the gameplay, music, or controls will be tweaked.
 
I feel it is pretty important for the DKC series to exist, in a world where Rayman Origins and Legends exist, one could easily point to the NSMB series in comparison and claim Nintendo has officially been dethroned as the champion of the genre they pioneered. And yeah it's a valid point to say since it's the game internally developed by Nintendo that that may be true, but they are at least closely producing DKC so one can technically say they are making efforts to competently compete in the modern platforming genre.
 
Nintendo really needs to go back to mixing up their 2D Mario titles. It's in part why 3D World has me worried - 3D had its own thing going for it; making it more like the 2D games kind of makes it easier to rehash it ala the New series. Perhaps my fears are unfounded, but it's odd to me that Nintendo doesn't seem to want to take 2D Mario to the next level...




Retro-developed Super Mario Bros.? Playable Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy?
 
I felt this way about learning Sony Santa Monica was making a 4th God of War. But that was the 4th console game, the 6th game overall, and the 3rd prequel.

This is the 2ND DK game by Retro, and the first one did like 4 million copies on Wii. I think we can let them have this, because it's a much safer bet to be a Wii U seller than a new Metroid. Disappointing, but true.
 
Nintendo really needs to go back to mixing up their 2D Mario titles. It's in part why 3D World has me worried - 3D had its own thing going for it; making it more like the 2D games kind of makes it easier to rehash it ala the New series. Perhaps my fears are unfounded, but it's odd to me that Nintendo doesn't seem to want to take 2D Mario to the next level...




Retro-developed Super Mario Bros.? Playable Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy?

At the very least EAD Tokyo making 4 player multiplayer without 2 fucking toads shows more initiative than what they have been doing with 2d Mario

I felt this way about learning Sony Santa Monica was making a 4th God of War. But that was the 4th console game, the 6th game overall, and the 3rd prequel
.

A good point but at least then we knew SSM was working on a new IP along with GoW:A.
 
Variety is what's important when selling a system.
I'd say popularity is even more important. The games we consider to be system sellers didn't get their status necessarily for being unique within a console's game library. Kind of the other way around... Gears of War is hardly unique as a 360 title, for example.
 
This is the 2ND DK game by Retro, and the first one did like 4 million copies on Wii. I think we can let them have this, because it's a much safer bet to be a Wii U seller than a new Metroid. Disappointing, but true.

The other thing to remember is that Nintendo's teams receive bonuses for well selling games (presumably above internal expectations, but maybe not).
 
Because this:

HKbxuo4.jpg
Stilts is my homeboy.
 
Some of the thoughts that went through my mind when they first showed off the game:

- Oh god not another Donkey Kong game.
- I wanted something new.
- It looks like the last game but in HD.
- This doesn't show off the power of the system.
- This doesn't show off the controller.
- There are way too many 2D games coming out for the Wii U.
- This game won't attract attention or sell systems.
- It doesn't feel that long ago since the last one came out.
- The game will probably be good but....
I imagine that's what most of GAF thought (except for something new; most probably wanted more Metroid).

The title of this thread still makes me chuckle. Exact reaction I expected.
 
The backgrounds for this look fantastic! Really makes me wonder what they could do with a 3D Donkey Kong title.

If I don't own a WiiU before this comes out, I'll definitely pick it up for this. I hope there's a higher level of interactivity with the world map, like in Donkey Kong Country 3.
 
I'd say popularity is even more important. The games we consider to be system sellers didn't get their status necessarily for being unique within a console's game library. Kind of the other way around... Gears of War is hardly unique as a 360 title, for example.

I would say that both variety and popularity are important. Again, I understand the point that Donkey Kong Country Returns was Retro's most successful title. I'm not sure what the most recent LTD figure is for it, but I know it's sold at least 4 million, so I'm just going to go ahead and say it's probably around ~5 million, if not a little more. I'll happily correct this if someone has a better figure, but for now, I'll go with 5 million. That's a strong sales number.

So, why does anyone think going a different route might -- and I stress MIGHT -- have been a better play (whether we're talking about Metroid or something else)? I think the reason is because the system already launched with New Super Mario Bros. U, the sequel to a game that sold nearly 28 million copies. For fans of 2D platformers, another Donkey Kong Country game from Retro is great, and I'm legitimately happy for those of you out there that are thrilled that it's getting a sequel. But for those out there that thought that Retro's mystery project was going to be something different -- that it might have had a chance at really affecting the sales needle -- it feels like a missed opportunity.

You don't have to agree. You don't even have to care whether or not it's a legitimate system seller. It's perfectly fine to be thrilled that it's a game that will most likely be great and will perform well. However, my position in regards to reading sentiments that Donkey Kong is the obvious choice with no downside is to squint uncomfortably a bit and reluctantly argue that -- at this point in the Wii U's lifecycle -- they really could have used something different. Whether the current team at Retro could have handled a big title along the lines of a Metroid-type game, I think the Wii U could have used a title like that that Retro has historically proved capable of producing.

Alas, the situation is what it is. Donkey Kong will surely be a great game, and for those that care about sales figures, we'll just have to wait a while and see how the November figures shape up.
 
I'm sure they could pull it off if they wanted to. That franchise was selling like hot cakes without a ton of effort. After the burnout with NSMBU, I doubt that will happen again. I don't doubt that one of Nintendo's in-house teams could pull off something amazing. If you don't think so, then you've got to be kidding me.

The amount of talent a developer has means very little if their first instinct is to channel it in a direction that couldn't be more diametrically-opposed to the series they're working with.

Miyamoto doesn't "get" DKC and neither does EAD Tokyo. Miyamoto has since apologized for his comment about outright hating it, but then years later he shows up at Retro in his grim-reaper costume and demands they add things to DKCR "just because." (For instance, Miyamoto's most significant contribution to the game we know of (blowing) turned out to be DKCR's most abhorred mechanic by far.) In all those years, he's learned nothing. And I wouldn't expect his carefully-groomed successors to yield much different results.

Donkey Kong Country was given to Retro because the people there (like Kelbaugh who directly worked on the original trilogy) at least understand the basic philosophies that go into making a DKC game. Tanabe spent a lot of time at Rare during the DKC days so he's on the right wavelength as well - so much so that he actually took the initiative to get David Wise on board for Tropical Freeze.

Nintendo's Japanese studios could do "something amazing" for DKC alright, if "something amazing" means knowing how far to separate holes in the ground and nothing else.
 

What is this from?

The amount of talent a developer has means very little if their first instinct is to channel it in a direction that couldn't be more diametrically-opposed to the series they're working with.

Miyamoto doesn't "get" DKC and neither does EAD Tokyo. Miyamoto has since apologized for his comment about outright hating it, but then years later he shows up at Retro in his grim-reaper costume and demands they add things to DKCR "just because." (For instance, Miyamoto's most significant contribution to the game we know of (blowing) turned out to be DKCR's most abhorred mechanic by far.) In all those years, he's learned nothing. And I wouldn't expect his carefully-groomed successors to yield much different results.

Donkey Kong Country was given to Retro because the people there (like Kelbaugh who directly worked on the original trilogy) at least understand the basic philosophies that go into making a DKC game. Tanabe spent a lot of time at Rare during the DKC days so he's on the right wavelength as well - so much so that he actually took the initiative to get David Wise on board for Tropical Freeze.

Nintendo's Japanese studios could do "something amazing" for DKC alright, if "something amazing" means knowing how far to separate holes in the ground and nothing else.

Speaking of which, what are the staples of DKC?
 
Speaking of which, what are the staples of DKC?

In addition to high emphasis on natural environments and atmosphere in general, a key trait of DKC that doesn't necessarily exist with other 2D platformers is that there's usually an explainable physicality for why everything is the way it is in regards to level design and gameplay. Most of the platforms and obstacles are extensions of the environment themselves and aren't just tossed onto a grid without any subtlety. Also, to praise DKCR specifically, the way the stages' themes often segue into one another (even between worlds!) leaves the player with a satisfying suspension of disbelief that's hard to find elsewhere.

This is why if I had to complain about one thing in DKCR, it's the world map screens with the DK/Diddy "token" hovering above the NSMB-styled red and blue level spaces. That was seriously jarring and conflicted with how naturally the rest of the game was presented.
 
That is just nonsensical. You see whatever you want to see guy. Let the real Metroid team make a damn 2D Metroid. Let Retro stick to emulating Western archetypes.
How is it nonsensical? The lushness of the environments, the visual cues for hidden objects, the sense of an actual ecosystem, numerous mechanics like climbing the walls, hanging from the ceiling, or the hover boost would all fit comfortably in the Metroid universe. Then you have touches like the bosses slowly changing color and becoming more aggressive as they sustain damage (a touch mysteriously supplanted by generic health bars in the Prime games), the interplay of foreground and background, etc., etc. etc. The idea of apply these sorts of design elements into a new 2D Metroid game are far from nonsensical to me. Visually Retro has done a good job with Metroid (barring the lame Halo-lite space pirate, bounty hunter friends, and federation designs), but on a mechanical level they fall well short of the mark. I think the novelty of seeing platforming in first person that didn't totally suck was enough of a novelty for people to feel like it was an adequate transition at first, but even those elements have been neutered or scaled back in a series that leans increasingly on hackneyed conventions like strafing around in circles while taking on waves of enemies that like to follow you around shooting you in the back. Like I said, mechanically DKCR is already a better Metroid experience than the Prime games, which make uneasy concessions to represent toned down versions of Samus' repertoire. I think the Morph ball was the only maneuver that came through not only unscathed but improved, and that's because it was in 3rd person.

But whatever, I guess pew pew pew is sooooo much more Metroid...
 
I think Nintendo is going a little to far with platformers, chances are people will get tired of the same genre being over used, I honestly don´t think that this new DKC will sell that well as DKCR, because Nintendo is saturing the genre, (except Yarn Yoshi, they can get away with Yoshi games all they want =D)
 
How is it nonsensical? The lushness of the environments, the visual cues for hidden objects, the sense of an actual ecosystem, numerous mechanics like climbing the walls, hanging from the ceiling, or the hover boost would all fit comfortably in the Metroid universe. Then you have touches like the bosses slowly changing color and becoming more aggressive as they sustain damage (a touch mysteriously supplanted by generic health bars in the Prime games), the interplay of foreground and background, etc., etc. etc. The idea of apply these sorts of design elements into a new 2D Metroid game are far from nonsensical to me. Visually Retro has done a good job with Metroid (barring the lame Halo-lite space pirate, bounty hunter friends, and federation designs), but on a mechanical level they fall well short of the mark. I think the novelty of seeing platforming in first person that didn't totally suck was enough of a novelty for people to feel like it was an adequate transition at first, but even those elements have been neutered or scaled back in a series that leans increasingly on hackneyed conventions like strafing around in circles while taking on waves of enemies that like to follow you around shooting you in the back. Like I said, mechanically DKCR is already a better Metroid experience than the Prime games, which make uneasy concessions to represent toned down versions of Samus' repertoire. I think the Morph ball was the only maneuver that came through not only unscathed but improved, and that's because it was in 3rd person.

But whatever, I guess pew pew pew is sooooo much more Metroid...

I'm gonna say that, for putting Metroid into a 3D FPA, they did a REALLY good job. A major part of Metroid is exploration, and discovery of items by spotting those visual cues, both of which the Prime games nail. Combat is different, yes, but it's a totally different control scheme, it HAD to be adapted in some way.
I always thought that enemies turning red would have looked REALLY weird in the otherwise very real looking Prime games. The flashing alone looks off to me, TBH, but they had a choice and they made a decision.

Yes, Prime is different from Super, but how could it not be? It's a first person perspective game. In case you hadn't noticed, that means different strengths, different weaknesses, and most importantly different ways to accomplish the same thing.
 
I think Nintendo is going a little to far with platformers, chances are people will get tired of the same genre being over used, I honestly don´t think that this new DKC will sell that well as DKCR, because Nintendo is saturing the genre, (except Yarn Yoshi, they can get away with Yoshi games all they want =D)

I don't know that I'd say "too far". I don't think it takes up that much of their overall output, at least not since Wii U's launch. Here's everything published in NA since November to future announced titles. I certainly do think they concentrated them with NSLU, DKCTF, and SM3DW coming out within 6 months of each other, though. 2D platformers are bold, 3D one(s) are underlined.

Game & Wario
Wii Fit
NSMBU
Wii Party
Pokemon X&Y
Yarn Yoshi
Nintendo Land
Luigi’s Mansion
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds
Super Mario RPG 4
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins
Lego City Undercover
Yoshi’s New Island
Fire Emblem Awakening
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Pikmin 3
The Wonderful 101
Mario Kart 8
Mario Golf: World Tour
X
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

Bayonetta 2
Super Smash Bros. 4 for Wii U/3DS
Mario Party 3DS
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem
Super Mario 3D World
Sing Party
Brain Age: Concentration Training
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
Art Academy U
Paper Mario Sticker Star

Platformers work out to about 18% of the above.
 
I don't know that I'd say "too far". I don't think it takes up that much of their overall output, at least not since Wii U's launch. Here's everything published in NA since November to future announced titles. I certainly do think they concentrated them with NSLU, DKCTF, and SM3DW coming out within 6 months of each other, though. 2D platformers are bold, 3D one(s) are underlined.

Platformers work out to about 18% of the above.

I think people are genuinely wondering how much software Nintendo has been producing since they stopped supporting the Wii heavily and introducing the 3DS.

Sure, we've seen a lot of 3DS software from Nintendo, but it's just really hard to look at their Wii U output considering how awful sales have been. It's baffling really. If they have the opportunity to spend an extra 100 or 200 million dollars pre-launch, would that have been better than launching like this and letting 3rd party support step even further back.

It's odd and people rightfully question how stingy they've been considering that the damage might adversely impact the consoles future sales potential and 3rd party support. Stinginess.. That's the only word I can use to describe it.

They didn't have their OS ready and it's still not all that great. They couldn't hire more people for that? They decided to be cheap about the launch, OS-wise, lineup wise, etc... and have basically sacrificed all of their advantages and now have to "relaunch" this fall. And we still don't even know if the Wii U will be able to match Gamecube level sales.

Holding back their launch games just to throw in a 2D platformer and a 3D platformer for the holiday season?
 
Sure, we've seen a lot of 3DS software from Nintendo, but it's just really hard to look at their Wii U output considering how awful sales have been. It's baffling really. If they have the opportunity to spend an extra 100 or 200 million dollars pre-launch, would that have been better than launching like this and letting 3rd party support step even further back.

They've said multiple times that the OS/Hardware required more man-power than they thought and they had to pull people from Pikmin and other projects in order to get NSMBU and Nintendo Land done on time.

There were clearly problems behind the scenes, and yes they maybe should have been expanding more rapidly since 2009, but they couldn't necessarily have predicted them back when some of these software decisions were being made. Heck, even if they'd used $100 million for say 3-4 extra games, there's no guarantee they'd have been delivered on time either - even Platinum Games had their game delayed out of the window and they have a tonne more experience on this equivalent level of hardware.

If things had gone according to plan and Wii U had had Sing Party, Nintendo Land, NSMBU, Pikmin 3, Wii Fit, Lego City, Game & Wario, Rayman Legends, & TW101 out by March, I honestly feel we'd be looking at a different Wii U scenario, but we may have had a drought in the middle of the year anyway.

They didn't have their OS ready and it's still not all that great. They couldn't hire more people for that? They decided to be cheap about the launch, OS-wise, lineup wise, etc... and have basically sacrificed all of their advantages and now have to "relaunch" this fall. And we still don't even know if the Wii U will be able to match Gamecube level sales.

They could have and they should have. Many of their job listings earlier this year related to OS optimization stuff.

Although it lacks some features still (folders, detailed activity log), it's just as fast as my PS3 now though, which is a nice improvement.
 
Ok, so I understand exactly where people are coming from when they say they're disappointed that Retro's secret game was Donkey Kong. People wanted another Metroid, or a revived/New IP. I get that, really. You really have to look at it this way though.

Donkey Kong Country was gone for years after the Rareware buyout. Everyone seems to complain about how awful Metroid Other M was, ya'know know what DK fans had to play during the Gamecube era? Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat. As fun as Jungle Beat was, it was in no way a Donkey Kong Country game. It ignored absolutely everything from those games. Including DK's personality, which was mostly was either angry or reaaally angry. It had animal buddies, but other than that there's literally no inspiration from DKC. It is the Nuts & Bolts of the DK games, very fun but in no way a Donkey Kong Country game.

It is an absolute gift that someone like Retro came along. Not only is DKCR good, but I dare say it tops the original DKC trilogy. Metroid was dormant for years until Retro came along, and it had a great trilogy. I think Donkey Kong deserves his time back in the spotlight just like Samus had hers. Besides, Retro wants to do DK. Metroid won't be gone forever, at worst we'll go a generation without it. We survived the N64 without Metroid, we survived the Wii without Star Fox, and I know I survived the Gamecube without Donkey Kong Country.
 
They've said multiple times that the OS/Hardware required more man-power than they thought and they had to pull people from Pikmin and other projects in order to get NSMBU and Nintendo Land done on time.

There were clearly problems behind the scenes, and yes they maybe should have been expanding more rapidly since 2009, but they couldn't necessarily have predicted them back when some of these software decisions were being made.

If things had gone according to plan and Wii U had had Sing Party, Nintendo Land, NSMBU, Pikmin 3, Wii Fit, Lego City, Game & Wario, Rayman Legends, & TW101 out by March, I honestly feel we'd be looking at a different Wii U scenario, but we may have had a drought in the middle of the year anyway.

They could have and they should have. Many of their job listings earlier this year related to OS optimization stuff.

Although it lacks some features still (folders, detailed activity log), it's just as fast as my PS3 now though, which is a nice improvement.

My point was that the games hardware market had gotten a lot tougher for Nintendo ever since Microsoft got in. And since they now have to sell portables in a world with smart phones, that's tougher too.

They only launch two main products once every 5-6 years. So when it comes time to launch a new product, there should never, ever be a situation where a mistake occurs due to it being unanticipated.

You should spend extra money to work on those things first instead of cleaning up the mess later. And they are cleaning up the mess now. And we don't know if it'll be enough. It's a shame because it's not like they didn't have the money. I'm not sure they will be able to clean this one up.
 
I shouldn't have to say this, but Donkey Kong Country as a series isn't loved and adored for its gameplay. It's loved and adored for having gameplay that seamlessly meshes with the music, environments, and overall atmosphere to create a truly immersive experience. (This is why the absence of water levels in Returns wasn't seen as a mistake due to the gameplay opportunities they could have offered, but because they're serene, lovable environments that top off the world-building DKC has always excelled at. This is also why David Wise's involvement with TF is such a big fucking deal.)

Aptitude for level design means fuck all if a developer can't respect a franchise's world aesthetically. And EAD Tokyo already showed they're either incapable of respecting it or simply have no interest in doing so.

And the NSMBU team? You mean the team behind the most aesthetically-uninspired platformers of the generation? (aka the team that can't even be bothered to get new soundtracks for each game?)

You've got to be kidding me.

This guy gets it. I mean, seriously, listen to this music! Soak in the atmosphere!

http://youtu.be/eTmv_eUsxEI?t=4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaHEEikKrco

What Mario game has this? Mario games are great for completely different reasons.
 
They only launch two main products once every 5-6 years. So when it comes time to launch a new product, there should never, ever be a situation where a mistake occurs due to it being unanticipated.

Welcome to reality/business?

Sometimes there are situations where problems are unavoidable. There's thousands of people, millions of variables and evidently this current situation is a compound of several "mistakes", problems, and oversights. You can't just spend your way into avoiding problems like that.
 
Like a lot of other people I was initially a bit disappointed that Retro's new game was another DKC, but that's just because I REALLY wanted a new, high quality Metroid game. DKCR however was my favorite Wii game behind Super Mario Galaxy 2, so a sequel to that is more than welcome...

I just wanted Metroid more I guess.
 
They didn't have their OS ready and it's still not all that great. They couldn't hire more people for that? They decided to be cheap about the launch, OS-wise, lineup wise, etc... and have basically sacrificed all of their advantages and now have to "relaunch" this fall.

You can't just throw manpower at software problems. Hiring too many people too quickly is actually far more detrimental. I'm not excusing them, however. They definitely should have been ramping up their hardware and OS guys much earlier.

Oh, and I am still beyond jazzed about DKCR:TF. It's my most anticipated game this year.
 
Welcome to reality/business?

Sometimes there are situations where problems are unavoidable. There's thousands of people, millions of variables and evidently this current situation is a compound of several "mistakes", problems, and oversights. You can't just spend your way into avoiding problems like that.

You can absolutely spend your money to make sure your OS is fast and doesn't lock up on people before launch. They stopped supporting the Wii sometime between 2011 and 2012.

I don't want to get into the cost of the Gamepad, specs of the system or development pace of the games.

But if you compare their actual launch lineup and how to promoted it to their 2013 "relaucnh lineup" and how they are promoting that, there is a very big difference. Even though the launch lineup was filled with late ports, it had more diversity than their 2013 fall/holiday lineup.

I'm still not convinced they are spending their money wisely to launch this console. It would not have hurt them to contract out for 2 additional games way back in 2011 or 2012. They already hired Team Ninja to make a shit Metroid game, so it's not like they don't know how to do that.

You can't just throw manpower at software problems. Hiring too many people too quickly is actually far more detrimental. I'm not excusing them, however. They definitely should have been ramping up their hardware and OS guys much earlier.

Oh, and I am still beyond jazzed about DKCR:TF. It's my most anticipated game this year.

Well, you definitely can throw money at your OS development. But they didn't.

As for the games/software issue, if you want to say that they can't solve it by spending money, then I'd say that they should leave the console hardware business. Because if they can't support the hardware with adequate software (hardcore, casual, mature, kiddie, wahtever) then what's the point?

Selling shit to early adopters and then withholding games for later just to clean up your mess? On top of that, you don't even show early adopters and people on the fence all the games or what the system will look like beyond platformers and the kart game.

No. Instead... it's "hey.. buy a Wii U for Donkey Kong!" I didn't need new hardware for a new DKCR, they could have made that game on the Wii or 3DS, frankly. Nothing wrong with the game, but why do I need a new system with an expensive gamepad for Donkey Kong or even 3D World?
 
Speaking of wasting opportunities, I'm actually very glad it's anything BUT another terrible Metroid.

DKCR2 is meh but better than nothing, and better than options that are worse than nothing.
 
You can absolutely spend your money to make sure your OS is fast and doesn't lock up on people before launch. They stopped supporting the Wii sometime between 2011 and 2012.

Yes, you can hire more programmers, but then they need to be brought up to speed and that can slow things down. But by the time you realise your current OS programmers aren't handling it as well as they need to, it might be too late, anyway.

I'm still not convinced they are spending their money wisely to launch this console. It would not have hurt them to contract out for 2 additional games way back in 2011 or 2012. They already hired Team Ninja to make a shit Metroid game, so it's not like they don't know how to do that.

Well, between Yakuza 1+2 HD, Sonic: Lost World + the other 2 games, TW101, Bayonetta 2, & SMT X FE it's not like they've been adverse to doing it on the Wii U either.
 
Speaking of wasting opportunities, I'm actually very glad it's anything BUT another terrible Metroid.

DKCR2 is meh but better than nothing, and better than options that are worse than nothing.

Perhaps it's "better than nothing" But this game would be "better than nothing" on ANY console. Wii U sales suck, and they expect that this game will sell people on buying a Wii U?

What I mean by that is, maybe this game could add to a console's library and entice people this holiday season. But it is not selling anything specific to the Wii U console. It just exists to say "hey, if you want to play me, you need to buy a specific console"

This DK game could have been made for an HD Nintendo console with double the ram and no gamepad.... No one is compelled to specifically buy a Wii U and Gamepad for this game.

Well, between Yakuza 1+2 HD, Sonic: Lost World + the other 2 games, TW101, Bayonetta 2, & SMT X FE it's not like they've been adverse to doing it on the Wii U either.

Frankly, they are not really selling anyone on the idea of buying the Wii U and Gamepad like this. If they never decided to manufacture such a costly controller, they could have kept the system the same, doubled the ram and been more flexible with the price.

Whatever efforts they are making clearly won't be see until 2014. Yakuza HD is only for Japan. The rest of the games are pushed back and none ever needed the Gamepad.

People salty about Retro's game not being some amazing AAA game, but that's really not the issue. I'm upset that after all the games they showed at E3, Retro's game doesn't have any unique and compelling use of the Gamepad, whether for casuals or hardcore gamers.
 
We should be happy that Retro is making a good game; as Sponge said, Donkey Kong Country fans are finally being given some real Country-style games after the Gamecube drought (And I was a fan of Jungle Beat; it's a good game, it's just not a good Donkey Kong Country game).

I want a Metroid game, but we ain't getting one, and there's not much we can do to change that.

It's not that confusing. Window dressing aside, DKCR had more sound mechanics and environmental interaction for a traditional Metroid experience than the Prime games. Shift the tone from cartoon jungle to creepy other-world and design levels around a connected map instead a linear stage by stage progression and you'd have 10 times the Metroid game that Echoes or Corruption were, possibly even Prime.
Hey, remember how smooth the mechanics were in Metroid? Metroid 2? Even Super Metroid had damn clunky mechanics for the grapple beam. Being a smooth 2D game does not a Metroid title make.

What makes a game Metroid is the element you glaze over so quickly, the "connected map". That little element is what made the original game unique and famous, and it's what made Super Metroid exciting too. It's what separates Metroid from Donkey Kong (Except for Donkey Kong 64, but that sucked) and Mario and whatever else. It's that sense of being in an alien world and being a space explorer and feeling powerful but also curious. Retro might not have been able to transition the "screws through enemies without thinking" Samus of the 2D games, but they still made the first-person controls feel powerful and dangerous; just like in the 2D games, you never feel like Samus is a weakling.

But I guess what makes a Metroid game Metroid is being more like Super Metroid in mechanics and looks and feel, because fans can't get their heads out of their asses about Super Metroid. Fuck Super Metroid, it's a Godly game, but I'm sick to death of it being held up as the be-all, end-all of Metroid. Yeah, Super Metroid had more agile controls for Samus; Prime had puzzles (Aka environmental interaction), better atmosphere, and more varied room design. Both games are really good. Hell, Zero Mission is also really good; it's far smoother than Super Metroid and is better for speed runs. Metroid Prime 2 might have some significant problems in pacing, but the boss fights are nothing short of genius. Metroid Prime 3 had an awful cinematic story, but its world design was the most creative and interesting of any Metroid game. Fusion is a chore on repeat playthroughs, but it does have some pretty good creepy atmosphere and a really good boss in Nightmare. Metroid 2 has the OG Spider Ball, the most fun upgrade in Metroid.

Yeah, Super Metroid is the best or 2nd best Metroid game, but it's not all that can ever be done with the series.
 
There were clearly problems behind the scenes, and yes they maybe should have been expanding more rapidly since 2009, but they couldn't necessarily have predicted them back when some of these software decisions were being made.

You're being extremely generous towards Nintendo.

The XBox 360 came out in 2005. Any casual observer of the industry had heard about how the shift to AAA HD development caused massive stress on dev teams. Studios all around the industry were facing problems.

Couple that with the fact that Nintendo has been facing severe droughts since, at least, 1998. Even being generous, we'll consider that Iwata came to power in 2002. If they wanted to sustain their platforms with software, they needed to grow.

So you've got the toll of HD development (from 2005), massive software droughts (from 1998/2002), and Nintendo's complete lack of online skills.

To say that they should've started expanding in 2009 and that they "couldn't necessarily have predicted" the problems is giving way too much leeway to the gross mismanagement of Nintendo's resources. Your average forum poster knew more about the difficulties of HD development than Nintendo's upper management.
 
In retrospect, I think it's funny people were like.. "they hired people from Naughty Dog, Vigil Games, 3D mapping engineers etc, etc... No way in hell they're working on a Donkey Kong game with people like that"

Well.. 2 and a half years of speculatation for nothing lol
 
Are people still salty? I'm not the biggest fan of Donkey Kong but after the initial disappointment I was ok with the idea, these aren't bad games.
 
Are people still salty? I'm not the biggest fan of Donkey Kong but after the initial disappointment I was ok with the idea, these aren't bad games.

I don't care about the people upset that Retro didn't make Star Tropics or some Uncharted-clone or anything.

What is upsetting is that their game doesn't feature the gamepad. We don't need a Wii U to play it. Same for 3D World. Same for almost every game they showed at E3.
 
To say that they should've started expanding in 2009 and that they "couldn't necessarily have predicted" the problems is giving way too much leeway to the gross mismanagement of Nintendo's resources. Your average forum poster knew more about the difficulties of HD development than Nintendo's upper management.

In your opinion, yes. We don't have the full story, but we know they did under estimate the staff needed to get the two internal launch games out and they needed more staff working on the hardware than they anticipated. You can say they should have known better and expanded (and it's not like they grew by 700 people WW between 2009 and 2012) and you can hear all about the problems other companies had, but until you experience those problems yourself, it can be hard to grasp exactly what your company needs to do to cope.

Based on some of the ideas posted around the internet your average internet forum poster would bankrupt the company in a few years, to be fair.
 
Based on some of the ideas posted around the internet your average internet forum poster would bankrupt the company in a few years, to be fair.

Right, I'm not saying that they aren't fixing things or that expanding is easy and they dropped the ball.

I'm just confused about how they've set up their own support for the launch of this console. Now they are effectively launching again, and I look at the like up starting with Pikmin 3 and I don't see any big games that needed the Gamepad.

DK certainly doesn't need the gamepad. Why are their best studios making games like this? Gamepad is certainly a nice idea, but it's not financial feasible in my opinion. So if the cost is high and you don't create value with it, what's the point? DKC:TF isn't compelling anyone towards a gamepad.

At this point, Nintendo is just trying to sell people the "next Nintendo console" complete with their favorites. And for an additional extra high price, you get to play them off-the screen on a giant controller. That's what I see. That's what DKC:TF screams.
 
Variety is what's important when selling a system.

Exactly. Donkey Kong appeals mostly to the same people as Mario and other colorful Nintendo IPs.
What Nintendo needs is diversity in their lineup. They need games that pull a broader audience than just the classic Nintendo fans. A dark ego action adventure like Metroid Prime would´ve been a very good start.
 
Are people still salty? I'm not the biggest fan of Donkey Kong but after the initial disappointment I was ok with the idea, these aren't bad games.

I just can't believe the debut WiiU title from one of Nintendo's most talented developers for a brand new system is just a sequel to a game that nobody really asked for.....Everyone appreciates DKCR for being a great game.....but the WiiU doesn't need more of it. It needs something that's going to blow people away.

I do not understand why they weren't working on something radically new like an open world Star Fox space sim, or a Zelda action game starring Shiek/Ganon, or a third-person Metroidvania.....So many exciting possibilites, and we get fucking donkey kong, except he can go underwater now. That's bullshit, and it isn't going to do anything to help the system gain momentum.

MonlithSoft's X is still the only thing I've seen for WiiU that looks exciting and "next-gen"
 
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