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Thoughts on Donkey Kong Country Series

DKC2 > DKC3 >>>> DKC

I really didn't like the first one all that well. It never felt right. The second game had simply sublime level design.
 
Gambit 1138 said:
Retro Studios games are trash. I hate how the other Kong's are just glorified power ups, there are no animal buddies outside of rambi, and the levels and art style are too cartoony compared to the original games. Everything in the RARE games made sense there were haunted bayous, the Kremlins industrial plants where they were manufacturing weapons, etc. In Tropical Freeze we have a level with giant fruits and then the next level those giant fruits are being made into giant popsicles its extra cartoony and doesn't have the dark natualistic look that the originals did.

Honestly Retro should have made the game more like this:

Donkey+Kong+Kountry.png


Would have been far superior to what we got
Click to expand...
Shame you can't judge the Retro games on their own. They're most certainly not trash.
 
Always enjoyed the first one the most but that is probably because I played it way too much as a kid and have a ton of nostalgia for it

Also Donkey + Diddy is the best team in the series
 
The 2spooky pirate themed crocs of DKC2 will forever be my favourite. Very 90s but it worked oh-so-well and gave the series a distinct identity. DKC and DKC3 have aged a bit (OST aside), but DKC2 still holds it own. Returns is sublime. Tropical Freeze is probably the best entry in the series, even if they fudged the buddy Kongs a bit.
 
Gambit 1138 said:
Retro Studios games are trash. I hate how the other Kong's are just glorified power ups, there are no animal buddies outside of rambi, and the levels and art style are too cartoony compared to the original games. Everything in the RARE games made sense there were haunted bayous, the Kremlins industrial plants where they were manufacturing weapons, etc. In Tropical Freeze we have a level with giant fruits and then the next level those giant fruits are being made into giant popsicles its extra cartoony and doesn't have the dark natualistic look that the originals did.

Honestly Retro should have made the game more like this:

Donkey+Kong+Kountry.png


Would have been far superior to what we got
Click to expand...

So edgy bro
 
The second and third ones were the best to me, but the second one had the superior soundtrack, nearly every track fit in just perfect with the stages. It also had a great selection of stages even if it did seem a bit crazy at the time, why do pirates need an amusement park? The third one isn't nearly as good and the game doesn't seem to have a general theme but still is good...though it has quite a few more frustrating levels. Sadly the first one and the Retro ones just don't compare as well.
 
At best the Retro games are a good attempt at trying to mimic what made the DKC trilogy so good. Echoing everyone here - DKC2 is beyond amazing, thanks to the spectacular soundtrack.
 
AzureTranquility95 said:
You say this on the same page that a Retro Studios developer posted. Good job.

Seriously though, the games aren't trash just because they don't have Kremlings. Is a new Mario game trash if it doesn't have Goombas and Koopas?
Click to expand...
Who's a Retro developer on the previous page?

Also while I prefer the Kremlings just a tiny bit, the Snowmads in DKCTF had a ton of charm. I think it helps a lot when the Kongs are pitted against a different army of animals like in Rare's games or Freeze rather than the tiki's in Returns where it's harder to inject them with as much personality.
 
I love this series but it has a lot to do with the aesthetic and atmosphere. The first three games were average in terms of gameplay. Well, solid is probably a better word. But Retro's DK is an actual step forward for the series. Tightly crafted platforming levels and brilliant play control.
 
DKC2 > DKC1 > DKCTF (Maybe swap with DKC1) > DKC3 > DKCR

Retro is doing good with DKC as of Tropical Freeze but I feel like there's weird control things they aren't great at. Like, it takes them three buttons to do what Rare did in two, and the whole thing where DK can blow in to fans and stuff is kind of tedious. Plus, DK feels weirdly heavy sometimes, and sometimes what they demand of the player borderlines on masochistic (especially in DKCR).

Obviously they are very talented developers with a good sense of design but it's very, very easy to nitpick their DKC games. They aren't perfect.
 
evilromero said:
I love this series but it has a lot to do with the aesthetic and atmosphere. The first three games were average in terms of gameplay. Well, solid is probably a better word. But Retro's DK is an actual step forward for the series. Tightly crafted platforming levels and brilliant play control.
Click to expand...
Yeah, as someone who grew up with the SNES games, DKCR just played way better than the original trilogy in my opinion. It's a much better platformer, I'm not sure why I haven't bought Tropical Freeze.
 
I still remember when I received Donkey Kong Country as a gift. Popping in the cartridge and marveling at the graphics...so "high tech" at the time. The music was good too. But after a while the novelty of the graphics wore off and I remember thinking about how boring the game was. Not bad...but just boring. I think it was the water levels when I came to that conclusion. Haven't tried the sequels yet even though I own DKC3 and DKR, might have to give DKC2 a shot since it is getting so much love in here (I do plan on playing the Retro games at some point).
 
AzureTranquility95 said:
You say this on the same page that a Retro Studios developer posted. Good job.

Seriously though, the games aren't trash just because they don't have Kremlings. Is a new Mario game trash if it doesn't have Goombas and Koopas?
Click to expand...

If it makes them feel better I bought DKCR on wii, DKCR 3D, and Tropical Freeze at launch and do play them. Trash was probably too strong a word as they are fun to play. I just am very disappointed that they aren't as good as the original RARE trilogy and make too many pointless changes (like turning the companions into power ups instead of individual characters you can control and play as).
 
ElectricBlanketFire said:
Returns and Tropical Freeze are miles ahead of those games in every capacity.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go that far but they are indeed fantastic. Retro and Rare DKC are two separate things to me. Its better that way.

DKCR is fantastic, only slightly tainted by forced motion controls. 3DS version is the best way to enjoy it.

TF is god tier. Simply incredible. I just wish the loading times weren't so bad. All the game bits couldn't be better. Plus Wise. :)
 
The original trilogy was great, with DKC2 being one of the standout games of its generation.

But Retro revolutionised the series, and made it far superior to what it was before. The momentum, camera positioning (it's too close in the SNES trilogy) and level design / level diversity just blow the originals out of the water. That's to say nothing of the incredible amount of content and extra modes. Only thing the originals have is a better sense of humour and better artwork in some aspects of the game.

Tropical Freeze is the greatest 2D platformer ever made, and there's a ton of competition for that title.

ElectricBlanketFire said:
I grew up in the NES/SNES era and loved the DKC series.

Returns and Tropical Freeze are miles ahead of those games in every capacity.
Click to expand...

Completely agree. Can't understand how anyone wouldn't other than nostalgia. Even with my own nostalgia in play, I still can't understand it.
 
Gambit 1138 said:
If it makes them feel better I bought DKCR on wii, DKCR 3D, and Tropical Freeze at launch and do play them. Trash was probably too strong a word as they are fun to play. I just am very disappointed that they aren't as good as the original RARE trilogy and make too many pointless changes (like turning the companions into power ups instead of individual characters you can control and play as).
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you mean 1player? Because you can use them when playing co-op.
 
evilromero said:
I love this series but it has a lot to do with the aesthetic and atmosphere. The first three games were average in terms of gameplay. Well, solid is probably a better word. But Retro's DK is an actual step forward for the series. Tightly crafted platforming levels and brilliant play control.
Click to expand...

Yeah I love the atmosphere and music in the Rare games, though the actual gameplay and hit detection is pretty average at best. The atmosphere (and the music in DKCR) in the Retro games aren't as good, but the actual gameplay is far better then the Rare games. Tropical Freeze is probably the best 2D platformer I've ever played.
 
Gambit 1138 said:
If it makes them feel better I bought DKCR on wii, DKCR 3D, and Tropical Freeze at launch and do play them. Trash was probably too strong a word as they are fun to play. I just am very disappointed that they aren't as good as the original RARE trilogy and make too many pointless changes (like turning the companions into power ups instead of individual characters you can control and play as).
Click to expand...

Dude, I spent 70% of my time playing Tropical Freeze playing as Dixie on her own.
Because hard mode is hard. It took quite some time.
 
MrCunningham said:
It was the main reason why I bought a Super Game Boy adapter. I could not stand playing games on the original Game Boy because of that screen, it was so hard to look at.

DKL has a great soundtrack too.
Click to expand...

Ditto, I even have a "perfect" sgb palette for that game written on the sticker on the back of my SGB.

3063-4028-1243

good palette that works well on every level.

DKL is what made me buy an SNES and eventually DKC.
 
I'm not sure how DKC2 could have aged poorly. It's not like 2D platformers have evolved a whole lot since the SNES era.

If you don't like the pre-rendered graphics that's fine, but in terms of control response, gameplay complexity, etc. not a lot has changed too significantly (if anything, some modern games are worse).
 
I can't express enough how let down I was when I got Donkey Kong 64. I don't think that's technically a DKC game, but I went in thinking it would be. I loved Mario 64, and had played the shit out of the crash games at the time, I guess I expected sort of a game that was a love child between the two series.

I didn't buy another N64 game after that till Conker, IIRC. In retrospect, Conker was much more the game I was hoping DK64 would be, but it was after I had already moved on from the N64 largely.

DK64 might possibly be the single most a game has ever disappointed me. Sky high expectations, and it wound up basically being my least liked game on the entire console.
 
Dad said:
The swimming in TF is probably my favorite in a 2D platformer so far. Git gud
at your own game :P
Click to expand...
I hate swimming in all 2D Platforming games. World 4 will probably be why I will never complete Hard Mode, I just don't have the patience. I'm not a fan of rocket barrel either, but at least those can be completely memorized. When I play a platforming game, I want to platform! I am gud at the game though, lots of shiny golds and was high on the leaderboards of a number of levels closer to launch.

AzureTranquility95 said:
EDIT: Holy shit, MEGATON. Guys, a megaton is happening right now in this thread. Drop the presses. Pester about Metroid Prime 4. You know the drill.
Click to expand...
Not a megaton. I will ignore all pestering.
 
why rate the games? this series is the best platformer outside of Mario. nothing comes close

the secrets, the level design, the simplicity of the environments and enemies, the difficulty, every game in the series is cashhhh

also, the monkeys look funny. this may be my simple mind at work here but those monkey faces and expressions crack me up

in all honesty tho I'd say dkc 1 and 2 and dkcr are all tied. haven't played tf yet but I am finally now. 3 is slightly not as good but that baby Kong had the best expressions so it evens out.

also, sticker Bush symphony ughhhhhh so good but so is poppin planks on djcr imo
 
I remember loving all three games on the SNES back in my younger days. I thought DKC 3 was the coolest at the time since I could run around the game world and it wasn't always go from point a to point b. The best soundtrack was always the first DKC game for my money. I purchased all three games on the virtual console when I bought a Wii and I still love playing them.
 
Lathentar said:
I hate swimming in all 2D Platforming games. World 4 will probably be why I will never complete Hard Mode, I just don't have the patience. I'm not a fan of rocket barrel either, but at least those can be completely memorized. When I play a platforming game, I want to platform! I am gud at the game though, lots of shiny golds and was high on the leaderboards of a number of levels closer to launch.


Not a megaton. I will ignore all pestering.
Click to expand...

Hey there would you be able to tell use how the art style for the newer titles came about? Now I love the new style and the old but was there a conscious decision to not go with the more eerie "realistic" atmosphere from the first 3 titles? Though that eerie realism does make itself known in both Returns and Tropical Freeze in a few places, I guess it's just not as abundant as it was with the old games.

Tropical Freeze is my game of the forever did Sakurai bug you guys for assets? Like for Dixie?
 
Gambit 1138 said:
Retro Studios games are trash. I hate how the other Kong's are just glorified power ups, there are no animal buddies outside of rambi, and the levels and art style are too cartoony compared to the original games. Everything in the RARE games made sense there were haunted bayous, the Kremlins industrial plants where they were manufacturing weapons, etc. In Tropical Freeze we have a level with giant fruits and then the next level those giant fruits are being made into giant popsicles its extra cartoony and doesn't have the dark natualistic look that the originals did.

Honestly Retro should have made the game more like this:

Donkey+Kong+Kountry.png


Would have been far superior to what we got
Click to expand...

Damn. What a troll ass post. Your opinions and complaints about the game design are legitimate, but there's no need to call the game "trash".
 
Alright, my rankings of various aspects in the series:

Gameplay/Level Design: TF > Returns > 3 > 2 > 1. The series generally got better as it went on in this regard.
Music: TF > 2 > 3 > 1 > Returns. Obvious.
Atmosphere: 3 > 2 > TF > 1 > Returns. Also obvious.
Theme: 3 > 1 > TF = 2 = Returns. 3 is the most consistent of the series with its Industrial Revolution theme. The rest are generally just hodge-podges that don't always make sense together (like going from a pirate ship to an amusement park, the latter of which inexplicably has a bramble level in it).
Visuals: 3 > 2 > TF > 1 > Returns. 3 is gorgeous, and 2 isn't far behind. 1 has some weird CGI look that hasn't aged well, and Returns is generally meh in this regard.
Overworld: 3 > all the rest. Extremely obvious.

Someone's going to give me flak for putting DKC3's soundtrack over the original's, but I'm a huge fan of Fischer's dark, moody style; Wise re-did the soundtrack for the GBA port, and his up-beat, gamey style completely ruins the atmosphere. The brilliance of DKC2 and Tropical Freeze can't be denied, though.
 
The Snowmads are cool, but I think the best group of enemies DKC has ever had was DKC 2. Kaptain K.Rool was a rad final boss, all the enemies were intimidating and the pirate theme was awesome.

Snowmads are a close second though. I'd just like to see K.Rool one last time for DKCR3. That and I'd like to see Cranky more like he is in DKC 1 2 and 3. Imagine the comments he could make about Metroid fans not getting what they want. He'd have that shit in the instruction manual.

Now I'm just thinking about what I'd want for 3. Bring back David Wise, obviously. Another thing would less focus on a bunch of puzzle pieces and instead bring back the singular DK Coin that's just in a really clever place in the levels. I don't care about the puzzle pieces at all because it just seems like they're randomly placed without any thought put into it. In this place randomly blow on a flower for one!

Also, please add online co-op. If the game would be too laggy for simultaneous co-op, do classic style co-op. Play online, your friend plays until they get hit, and then you take over. Playing DKC 2 and 3 online just make me want it really bad. It works well and it'd be a great option to have.

And more animal buddies. We need the bird. Bring back the bees. No enemy in DKCR/TP give me half the amount of fear as a bee in DKC 2 does.

(K.Rool, damnit!)
 
Gonzo The Great said:
I don't know how anybody can blast Donkey Kong Country 2 for having "cheap deaths" when Tropical Freeze is literally all trial and error. That being said:

DKC2 = DKC3 > Tropical Freeze > Returns > DKC
Click to expand...
If you aim for 100% on your first play through, then I guess Tropical Freeze and Returns are full of cheap deaths. But that's not really the best way to count the cheap deaths. I mean if you just play through the levels and find some secrets here and there, Wii and Wii U DKs are not cheap at all. And once you've beaten the levels the normal way, going back to find the rest of the stuff, you already know the layout of the levels, so even getting the rest of the secrets, there aren't many cheap deaths anymore.
Now I'm not saying there aren't cheap deaths at all, because there is and quite a few of them still, but compared to DKC2 for example, even beating some levels the normal way is so frustrating, because you can't sometimes even see what's ahead of you, and boom, you're dead. And that happens a lot. Same thing in DKC3 which I actually just beat recently on Wii U.
 
It is very odd for me, as despite owning all the games in the Rare trilogy and DKCR on my Wii, I never really enjoyed the Rare trilogy :(.

I don't know why; was it the visuals, the high difficulty level, somewhat lose controls? I don't know :l, but I just couldn't get into them for some reason :(. Shame too, as I love the soundtracks for all three games and the foe designs are very well done :).

DKCR however.....it clicked with me :D, and I loved the game :). Fantastic visuals, good soundtrack, great level design and the gameplay is just amazing :D! It reminds me of the Genesis Sonics; with careful timing of your rolls, DK and Diddy can go at crazy speeds and with level design so expertly crafted, you feel so good if you can pull of a fast short cut or find all the collectables in the level. The only issue I have with DKCR is the Rocket Barrel stages (....they can just die in a fire X() but outside of that, utterly fantastic game and one of the best games on the Wii (and 3DS too, considering it got ported to that, abit with a heaved frame rate and all :)).

Don't own a Wii U yet, but whenever I get one, DKC:TF will be the game I get with the system day one :). From the demo I played at GameStop and what I saw online, it looks to be fantastic sequel that fixes the small issues the original DKCR had alongside getting David Wise to compose the amazing soundtrack :D. One of the best games of 2014 and it will be a treat to play it whenever I get a Wii U.

Edit: I don't know if this is the best place to ask, but how are the Donkey Kong Land games? They recently landed on the E-Shop and it might be fun to check them out :).
 
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