Topic: Donkey Kong Country Wii

[MegaByte]

I'd say the boss battles are one of the most marked improvements over the original games.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I'd say the boss battles are one of the most marked improvements over the original games.

Awesome to hear, though I thought the DKC games had some good boss battles (then again it has been awhile since I've played through them, who knows how they hold up now), especially DKC2. I really do hope this game does well, Retro is looking more and more like they deserve it.

[Mop it up]

Yeah, I enjoyed most of the boss battles in the Donkey Kong Country games, they usually had a little more to them than simply jumping on the enemy's head. Looking forward to seeing how they play out here.

[broodwars]

Well, I went to my local GS today and paid off the rest of what I owed on Donkey Kong Country Returns (I wanted to take advantage of the 25% trade in bonus before the game released) and am now really looking forward to the game after all the great reviews the game has gotten (though Weekend Confirmed's somewhat tepid impressions of the game trouble me).  The reviews all seem to agree on one thing, though: this game should have had Classic Controller support because shaking to roll just isn't precise enough.  Hmm.

Incidentally, I ended up using the rest of my trade-in credit towards Kirby's Epic Yarn.  This seems to be the year of games I'm not usually interested in but end up surprising me (Super Mario Galaxy, Split/Second, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, etc.) , so I thought I'd give it a chance.  Just starting that up now.

[broodwars]

I've only had a chance to play the first 3 levels of the game, but so far I really like this game.  The level design is superb, the visuals (once I calibrated my TV so it didn't have so much color bleeding) are great, and the sound is...well...nostalgic.  Unfortunately, the tacked-on motion controls work as horribly as I thought they would: shaking the Wiimote and Nunchuk together to ground slap works fine, though I would prefer to only have to shake one controller if I have to shake any and you have to do both to do a continuous slap.  Blowing kind of works but I find it takes a rather hard shake of my Wiimote to get the thing to trigger.  Likewise, the roll jump never works when I want it to (and like blowing, it takes a pretty hard shake with my Wiimote to get the thing to trigger), and sure enough there's a KONG letter in the very first level where you need it to.  Damn you, Nintendo, for deciding this generation it was more important to push a motion control agenda than offer the best controls available.  I haven't looked at the manual yet, but the C button doesn't seem to do anything and would have worked fine for rolling so I don't see why Nintendo didn't offer us the option of using that instead.

Other than the typically horrible motion controls, this game is awesome.  Definitely get it if you aren't already.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I've only had a chance to play the first 3 levels of the game, but so far I really like this game.  The level design is superb, the visuals (once I calibrated my TV so it didn't have so much color bleeding) are great, and the sound is...well...nostalgic.  Unfortunately, the tacked-on motion controls work as horribly as I thought they would: shaking the Wiimote and Nunchuk together to ground slap works fine, though I would prefer to only have to shake one controller if I have to shake any and you have to do both to do a continuous slap.  Blowing kind of works but I find it takes a rather hard shake of my Wiimote to get the thing to trigger.  Likewise, the roll jump never works when I want it to (and like blowing, it takes a pretty hard shake with my Wiimote to get the thing to trigger), and sure enough there's a KONG letter in the very first level where you need it to.  Damn you, Nintendo, for deciding this generation it was more important to push a motion control agenda than offer the best controls available.  I haven't looked at the manual yet, but the C button doesn't seem to do anything and would have worked fine for rolling so I don't see why Nintendo didn't offer us the option of using that instead.

Other than the typically horrible motion controls, this game is awesome.  Definitely get it if you aren't already.

Have you tried it with the Wiiremote only? I've read in a few reviews that it actually controls better with it, including the motions needed.

[Adrock]

This seems to be the year of games I'm not usually interested in but end up surprising me (Super Mario Galaxy, Split/Second, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, etc.) , so I thought I'd give it a chance.  Just starting that up now.

Exact opposite for me. I've bought so many games in the past few months: Metroid: Other M, Shantae: Risky's Revenge, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Goldeneye, and now this. I also bought Halo Reach and Fable 3 for my brother and A Boy and his Blob used. Super Mario All-Stars will round out the year though if I had more spending cash, I would have bought NBA Jam and Epic Mickey. This was a phenomenal end of year for me. I haven't bought this many games so close together in.... probably ever.

Anyway, I'm digging Donkey Kong Country Returns. Could have used an option for the classic controller or at least either C or Z (pretty sure Z and B do the same thing) to roll, but the controls work pretty well. Blowing air could have been nixed entirely and collecting puzzle pieces is kind of lame. Would have been nice if Donkey Kong could do his spinning jump move from Smash Bros. Otherwise, I like this game a lot.

[broodwars]

Have you tried it with the Wiiremote only? I've read in a few reviews that it actually controls better with it, including the motions needed.

No, because as I said back when I was playing Metroid Other M, the Wiimote's D-pad is too small for my thumb to use for more than a couple hours of strenuous use without causing a fair amount of pain.  I was just playing Kirby's Epic Yarn last night and I didn't have any problems with the controls, but Kirby plays very slowly and there isn't a lot of rapid movement and changes of direction.

Donkey Kong Country Returns, however, is very fast paced and you're always moving, so I just don't think that control scheme will work for my hands.  Besides, playing DKCR with a control stick feels good.  I just wish that Nintendo hadn't mapped one of the most important moves in the game to finicky motion control.

EDIT: Beat the boss of the first world, and I think I've figured out the issue with the motion control on the Roll: despite rolling being a "forward" movement, I'm finding the only way I can trigger it is either with an extremely hard left->right shake or a simple up->down shake.  Shaking down instead of left->right, I'm getting the roll pretty much whenever I want it.  I don't know if that means my Wiimote is malfunctioning or not, but at least I can do the move now.

Oh, and the bonus level that unlocks when you get all the KONG letters in World 1 is EVIL.  Delightfully so, actually.   

[Retro Deckades]

I think I am at about the same point as broodwars (at least at the time of his last post). I just finished the first world. I have to agree with the bonus level -- it is a sadistic design, but it is fun works very well.

Speaking of which, there is definitely a much greater emphasis on bouncing off the enemies in order to reach different things than any other DKC game. I vaguely recall a couple of instances in the original when you had to bounce off one or two in order to reach bonus barrels, but never eight!

I am playing NES style, which I very much prefer for 2-D games. I have yet to master the controls, though I have just finished World 1 which doesn't require a whole lot of twitch-rolling. To me, it feels like the roll is slightly delayed -- as in it seems to begin at the tail end of a shake -- so I haven't adjusted to it yet. It also seems like I have to shake the controller a lot harder than I have had to in the past. (My batteries are low, which could account for both of these problems, but I don't think that's the issue).

Ground Pound and Blow work perfectly, and I was hoping that at least Ground Pound would be mapped to shake. After playing it, I would agree that roll, however, ought to be mapped to the run button. I do expect the controls to become more responsive as I get the timing down, though.

The oddest thing about the game would have to be the inability to switch between Kongs and play as Diddy in single player.

[broodwars]

Reached World 3, and so far this is one of the most satisfying games I've played on Wii.  In many ways, it feels like I wanted New Super Mario Bros. Wii to: consistently challenging and devious, especially if you're trying to find the secrets, and constantly throwing something new at you.  So far, I've only managed to get all the KONG letters and all the puzzle pieces in a single stage, which is pretty impressive considering nothing really challenged me in NSMBW until around World 5.  I'm actually finding that I need to take breaks every once in a while, as the game is very intense (especially the bonus KONG stages).  And yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about Diddy Kong being a glorified power-up in single-player, given that Diddy was the character I always used in DKC 1 and 2.

It's going to be a real conundrum by the time I finish this game whether I'd want Retro to return for another DKC game, because as much as I want them to do a new IP I'd also like to see them make more Retro Revivals like this.

Oh, and Warren Spector: remember your claim that Epic Mickey was the best-looking game on Wii?  Yeah, one look at DKCR and I'm just laughing.   

[Mop it up]

The oddest thing about the game would have to be the inability to switch between Kongs and play as Diddy in single player.

I haven't played this game yet, but, I'm going to guess this change was done so you weren't stuck with a character you didn't like. Diddy Kong was weak compared to Donkey Kong, so on some stages, getting stuck with him makes things tough.

[Retro Deckades]

Well Mop, you will be happy to hear that within the first two worlds, I only found one bonus room whose location wasn't clearly hinted at. (Yes, it was in a pit) Everything else has been identifiable. Of course, you have to be paying attention, and actively looking for these secrets.

[alegoicoe]

I have been playing the game all day, this more than i expected, the stages, the throw back music, the graphics are amazing, but specially i like the difficulty, its by far one of the hardest 2d platformers  i have ever played, but hard in a good way, there is great satisfaction in beating a difficult level. it reminds me of metriod prime difficulty.

[Retro Deckades]

So I just played the most impressive level yet (and when talking about this game's level design, that's really saying something): a mine cart stage in World 4 called "Bombs Away." I have to hand it to Retro Studios. Sure, I expected awesomeness, but I did not expect awesomeness of this magnitude.

[alegoicoe]

am close to finishing world 7, this game is getting tougher every level.

[Retro Deckades]

Well, I just tamed the wild beast. Though I collected everything and finished with 100%, there is still plenty to do in terms of time trials, and another unlockable mode which, let's just say, would make a certain RFNer very happy. Those things, however, will have to wait for another time, as having finished the game I am relatively sated.

Which brings me to my point. I just feel completely satisfied. The game isn't perfect -- the inability to control Diddy Kong, the fickle shake-to-roll mechanic, and the lack of any snow levels (a personal favourite of mine) -- yet when I played through it, it provided an experience that represented with the very reason I play games. Things like the genuine challenge. I died A LOT, but I was only on one or two occasions was I on the verge of frustration. It never felt like doing something was impossible, but it didn't come easy. And things like the sense of discovery. Trying to collect all the puzzle pieces, which were hidden in clever and thoughtful places, was a blast. Sure, other games exhibit these elements, but this one just seemed to wrap them up in such a nice package. The highlight of the game would have to be the level design. There are so many cool elements thrown into each stage. In terms of imagination, it's on par with Super Mario Galaxy 2, despite the handicap of being stuck on an island.

I'd just like to mention the unlockable images and dioramas. Often such extras are just throwaways, but these are truly fantastic (the rather bland character sketches notwithstanding). The art is really, really cool.

Despite this game leaving me completely satisfied, I would love to see a sequel. Retro did an amazing job, and like Super Mario Galaxy, I wouldn't be surprised if some great ideas got left on the cutting room floor. If that's the case, then tighten up the controls and create me some bitchin' snow levels!

[Caliban]

the fickle shake-to-roll mechanic

This was definitely bad mechanic implementation. I still can't understand why I have only managed to do a continuous roll with DK once, and it's not like I need it all the time, but because of that I thought I couldn't run continuously with the rhino. Why not have the B button to roll, optional even.

I hate the rocket-barrel.

I don't get the time trials. Just the first stage is mind boggling to me, how am I supposed to do it in under 1 minute?

[Halbred]

Caliban, I'm stumped too.

OH MY GOSH PLATFORM PANIC. I did it, but it took like 30 tries. Holy CRAP that was a difficult stage, especially when you get to the specific enemies you have to bounce high off.

[broodwars]

I'm in World 5, the Forest.  Man, I was wondering where all the Mine Cart levels went but World 4 was a little much with just about every level being a Mine Cart or Rocket Barrel stage.  That stage with the bats was particularly annoying.  I must have died around 30 or so times trying to get that "G" letter during the sequence where the giant bat shoots sonar at you.  The control stick is also definitely less than ideal for taking on the Mine Cart stages, as it seems even the slightest movement of the stick when you're crouched down forces you to pop up again (with explosive results, unfortunately).

[Caliban]

I had a tough time on the Bat stage too. Specially that last part that you mentioned, Broodwars.

I was reading the manual, and it seems that you can do a continuous roll with DK only when Diddy is on you. Swell.

[broodwars]

I've made it to World 7, but before moving on to that world I seem to be stuck on Perilous Passage, the Temple stage for World 6.  Even with the banana juice that stage is extremely hard and requires reflexes I don't have after battling through Worlds 5 and 6.  Maybe the next time I pick the game up, it'll be much more manageable.  I'm also finding as the game goes on that I'm running into a lot more instances of me accidentally dying because Donkey rolled off a platform instead of blowing a flower/hammering the ground near the edge of platforms.  Incredibly irritating, and something that would have easily been fixed by not mapping probably the game's most important move to motion control.

[broodwars]

Ok, Music Madness in World 7 may very well be one of the best designed platforming stages I've ever played.  The timing on the obstacles on that stage to the music was just superb.  Nice to see Retro still tossing out new ideas this late in the game.  Could have done without yet another Rocket Barrel stage, though.  I have to admit it's a bit eerie to hear music that I think was either used on Snow or water stages in the original DKC games remixed on the Factory stages. 

EDIT: Beat the final boss, who I found to be very aggravating (especially getting that last hit in).  It didn't help that the approach to him was yet another irritating Rocket Barrel sequence.  I only have Perilous Passage (the temple stage on World 6) to complete and then I'll be able to enter the Golden Temple.
 

[broodwars]

Beat the Golden Temple, and I'm somewhat underwhelmed by this final stage.  I'm probably not going to bother with Mirror Mode, and I'm probably done with the game in general with my completion percentage at 100%.  Still, a satisfying game and easily one of the best games on the Wii.

[Kytim89]

Beat the Golden Temple, and I'm somewhat underwhelmed by this final stage.  I'm probably not going to bother with Mirror Mode, and I'm probably done with the game in general with my completion percentage at 100%.  Still, a satisfying game and easily one of the best games on the Wii.

I keep mentioning that Retro should make a Starfox game, but is the quality of this title open any of you up to them making a Starfox game? Would you feel confident if they made a new Starfox? I would have no issue with it myself if it were to come about.   

[broodwars]

Beat the Golden Temple, and I'm somewhat underwhelmed by this final stage.  I'm probably not going to bother with Mirror Mode, and I'm probably done with the game in general with my completion percentage at 100%.  Still, a satisfying game and easily one of the best games on the Wii.

I keep mentioning that Retro should make a Starfox game, but is the quality of this title open any of you up to them making a Starfox game? Would you feel confident if they made a new Starfox? I would have no issue with it myself if it were to come about.

Do you just delight in asking the same questions over and over again, expecting a different result?  You already asked this question in the Donkey Kong Country Returns review talkback thread, and my view on the matter hasn't changed: I'm not sure about Retro trying a completely new genre when there's so much potential in a new exploration-based IP or even a DKCR 2, but if they were to be assigned to reboot Star Fox I couldn't think of many studios more likely to make it awesome.  Honestly, at this point I think Retro Studios is quite possibly Nintendo's best studio, better even than the Mario or Zelda teams.