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[Brashnir]

What awkward controller? DKCTF had four controller options, two of them without waggle.

If anything was awkward about the controller options, it was the awful interface you had to go through to pick one every single time you launched the game.

There was no "remember my choice for next time" option, and no, "I want to use the one I'm currently pressing buttons on, game" auto-detect. Just screen after screen confirming and clarifying your controller choice.

 

[poodaddy]

Oh yes. And people were so blinded by things, that Nibel once posted a Donkey Kong fansite in a Retro speculation thread and said the next game would be Donkey Kong, people threw fits. They did not even see the blatant URL right in the screenshot and link, they just saw the website and raged, and got angry.

Sammy Samusu has the most famous thread on GAF that created the "fucking Donkey Kong" meme http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=583571

The rage still continues to this day.

It's a really great game though. Now among my top favorite platformers cause it feels great, plays great and the level design is top notch. Not to mention David Wise coming back to do music for the game.

That's one of the most embarrassing threads I've ever had the (dis?)pleasure of reading. Lot of grey names in that one.

 

[rjc571]

The mandatory waggle to roll controls were always unnecessary and horrible.

You liking them and then being adequate doesn't mean there shouldn't be other options.

Of course having options is good, but the motion controls were not an issue for the vast majority of players. The argument that Returns was unpopular because of them is not grounded in reality.

 

[boiled goose]

Of course having options is good, but the motion controls were not an issue for the vast majority of players. The argument that Returns was unpopular because of them is not grounded in reality.

I agree that the controllers were functional enough to not be a major issue for most players. That was not the argument I was responding to.

Fucking waggle for a frequent action in a precise platformer will always be worse than a button press. It was forced into DKCR because of Miyamoto, and that included not having options. Not having a button option to roll objectively made DKCR worse. The 3DS version doesn't have this problem which means there is still no definitive version (best performance + controls).

This was the same man that created the disaster that was Star Fox Zero in order to try (and fail) to justify the design of a console.

All this coming from someone who acknowledges the potential of pointer controls, the occasional fun of motion controls, and the less problematic waggle implementations in games like SMG and NSMBwii

 

[Intru]

I just didn't enjoy DKCR personally, Tropical Freeze is better, but I just generally don't like how the character controls in either of these games.

I have a vast preference for the older DKC titles, as they feel much tighter and not as heavy. Even though the stage design isn't as interesting.

I bought both of them, but didn't really enjoy either...

 

[Starzonedge]

It's not especially hard, just feels clunky the whole way through. It always felt like there was a start-up to every input. Just not my style of platforming.

 

[Bog]

I didn't want it, but I loved it once I played it. But fuck that last boss.

 

[Laz?]

I got it a couple years ago because my wife was interested. We both found it incredibly difficult with heavy controls. I played the original trilogy on SNES when I was young and while they were challenging, I don't recall them being near as frustrating as Tropical Freeze.

It wasn't fun at all in single player or co-op being on the brink of breaking a controller. Ended up trading it in toward something else.

I like platformers but don't get the praise for this game. To each their own I suppose.

 

[rjc571]

I agree that the controllers were functional enough to not be a major issue for most players. That was not the argument I was responding to.

Fucking waggle for a frequent action in a precise platformer will always be worse than a button press. It was forced into DKCR because of Miyamoto, and that included not having options. Not having a button option to roll objectively made DKCR worse. The 3DS version doesn't have this problem which means there is still no definitive version (best performance + controls).

This was the same man that created the disaster that was Star Fox Zero in order to try (and fail) to justify the design of a console.

All this coming from someone who acknowledges the potential of pointer controls, the occasional fun of motion controls, and the less problematic waggle implementations in games like SMG and NSMBwii

That wasn't the argument I was originally responding to. I was originally responding to someone who claimed that Returns flopped and was hated amongst the DKC fanbase.

Sorry you didn't like the controls. I beat the game 100% twice and never had a single issue with them. I even tried the game using a control hack which let you play with a classic controller and found the controls be less comfortable to use than Wiimote + Nunchuk, so I switched back to the motion controls.

 

[pretty done]

I got it a couple years ago because my wife was interested. We both found it incredibly difficult with heavy controls. I played the original trilogy on SNES when I was young and while they were challenging, I don't recall them being near as frustrating as Tropical Freeze.

It wasn't fun at all in single player or co-op being on the brink of breaking a controller. Ended up trading it in toward something else.

I like platformers but don't get the praise for this game. To each their own I suppose.

DKC2 is harder than Tropical Freeze bro. I just played 2 last year and TF the year it came out.

 

[zMiiChy-]

I guess I was one of the few people that enjoyed the difficulty but didn't care for or disliked the rest of the game.

I completely agree with complaints towards the last boss though - so much goddamn waiting, and a totally uninspired design.

This game has good level design, but the mechanics are so fucking basic, especially when your forced to use dumb DK.

Having reached World 5, MY SO enjoy Yoshi's Wooly World much more this game.

It's more colorful, and we even enjoy the music more.
Perhaps TF's OST would have impacted me more if I knew who David Wise even was before I played it.

 

[Randomizer]

I just didn't enjoy DKCR personally, Tropical Freeze is better, but I just generally don't like how the character controls in either of these games.

I have a vast preference for the older DKC titles, as they feel much tighter and not as heavy. Even though the stage design isn't as interesting.

I bought both of them, but didn't really enjoy either...

The controls of the older DKC are certainly not tighter. The collision detection is terrible not only with enemies and objects but even the environment. Retro's games feel perfect & precise, in fact speed runs shows just how precise the games really are.

 

[Lady Gaia]

If anything was awkward about the controller options, it was the awful interface you had to go through to pick one every single time you launched the game.

There was no "remember my choice for next time" option, and no, "I want to use the one I'm currently pressing buttons on, game" auto-detect. Just screen after screen confirming and clarifying your controller choice.

That and the assumption that you have to go out and find an alternate controller to get a decent experience because the game pad always felt clunky. Sure, I had a Pro controller but not everyone did. You can't erect speed bumps to people enjoying your games and not expect some fallout.

 

[ChamplooJones]

After playing Returns and TF it's hard to go back to the Rare DKCs. They're still fun mind you, but they haven't aged well in certain areas.

 

[KratosEnergyDrink]

It was the another in a line of 2d platformers on a platform swamped in 2d platformers, (public opinion said, not stating my opinion here) and not much else.

That's basically it. The early push of 2d mario and indie games meant people had lots to choose from on the 2d platformer front, and Gaffers wanted something in pretty much any other genre out of Retro.

Nailed it.

 

[Socreges]

Nailed it.

To be fair, that's not the question. OP isn't talking about sales, he's talking about opinions on the game.

I think the video in the OP does a very good job explaining why some people don't take to it. The difficulty, the mechanics. All reasons why I personally love it. Once you get accustomed to the gravity of it, it's platformer brilliance.

 

[Zelmardonpoktendo]

Oh yes. And people were so blinded by things, that Nibel once posted a Donkey Kong fansite in a Retro speculation thread and said the next game would be Donkey Kong, people threw fits. They did not even see the blatant URL right in the screenshot and link, they just saw the website and raged, and got angry.

Sammy Samusu has the most famous thread on GAF that created the "fucking Donkey Kong" meme http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=583571

The rage still continues to this day.

It's a really great game though. Now among my top favorite platformers cause it feels great, plays great and the level design is top notch. Not to mention David Wise coming back to do music for the game.

That thread was scary......