Topic: Donkey Kong Country Returns announced for 3DS

[Chad Sexington]

First Impressions
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I've never played Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii, but I just finished downloading the game for 3DS and I'm in the middle of the 1st stage.  Paused the game just to write that the 3D with all the foreground and background stuff is pretty incredible (especially when you get launched into the background.  It's also refreshing to have a 2D platformer that doesn't have a time limit (unlike Mario) where you can just take your time, finding all the collectables, and all the secrets.  I'm not sure how the UI works on the Wii version, but it's convenient having the tally for each collectible on the bottom screen.

Very pretty game and so far so good.

And maybe Nintendo has trained me to expect their games at $39.99 (and I would have payed it), but it was a pleasant surprise to find it at only $34.99.  Then again, maybe $34.99 is the maximum price most handheld games should be sold at?

[alegoicoe]

Got it yesterday, so far so good. The game runs great, the 3d effect is one of the best I have seen in the system, it really adds to the overall graphic presentation. Also got my lost levels freebie.

[Damaba]

I destroyed this game this weekend! 20 hours to get all the KONG letters and puzzle pieces. I'm impressed with the 3ds version and revisiting DKRC has got me really hype for what ever RETRO will be announcing at E3.

[Chad Sexington]

Second Impressions
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So I'm at the beginning of the 5th area (Forest) and 2 things:

• My only complaint so far is that I wish they made the secret rooms more diverse.  So far there are really only 4 or 5 different variations, sometimes with different banana placements, and they're used over and over.  A little disappointing.
• Not really a complaint because I enjoy difficult games, but it feels like they gave you too many lives in Super Mario 3D Land and too few lives in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.  I still have ~40 lives and I haven't used any of my banana coins to buy more yet, but I can already tell that the difficulty curve is about to ramp up.  I hope it doesn't get to the point where I have to go back to earlier stages to begin farming extra lives.

I haven't been stopping to replay levels and get every single KONG letter and puzzle piece yet.  I'll save that for later after I beat the game (or when I need to farm lives).  I'm normally missing 1-2 puzzle pieces per level and that's a good thing.  That means they're all hidden pretty well.

[Adrock]

Lives in video game are a formality. They're relics from arcades and the limited hardware of yesterday. Games were so short back then so the difficulty was increased and you were given limited chances so you'd be forced to replay levels and learn how to beat them.

Modern Mario games have no delusions about how pointless 1-ups are. They're everywhere. Nintendo even included infinite 1-up trick on purpose in at least two levels. These days we have save states, you get to continue where you left off therefore extra lives really serve no purpose. In Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, the game saves every time you complete a stage. If I die a bunch of times in a particular stage, I just go back to the title screen because I can't stand that F-ing pig. I have 99 lives, but a bitch ain't one it doesn't matter. In the Wii version, I once died like 70 times in one of the temple stages. It still didn't make a difference.

Anyway, I don't remember most of these stages so the game is practically new to me.

[alegoicoe]

The game is great, the only problems i have with the transition is that the frame rate tends to slow down during some  sections and some levels did not make the trasion to the small screen as well as others.

[toddra]

just skimming through the thread but I noticed it mentioned "other N64 ports" first question which ones, how many? And are  they downloads are can I get them used on carts? I know DS had a remake of Mario 64 and I really loved that one, aside from the terrible controls.

[NWR_insanolord]

I think that would be referring to Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D. You can get both as downloads but they'd probably be cheaper if you tracked down used copies of the physical versions.

[toddra]

Yeah I just skimmed through the Wikipedia article on 3DS games and I am impressed even more than I was before. I won't be buying anything digital ever unless it is on Steam.

[NWR_insanolord]

That's fine for retail games, but there are some truly great games only available digitally on the 3DS eShop that I hope you're not including in that.

[pokepal148]

I think that would be referring to Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D. You can get both as downloads but they'd probably be cheaper if you tracked down used copies of the physical versions.

you could maybe argue rayman 3d but nothing else i can think of

[toddra]

I already have all the NES, SNES, N64, GB, GBA games I could ever want so there is no need for me to bother with Virtual Console stuff, I have an iPad iPhone and a PC with Steam so that is where I tend to get my digital games. But I don't like buying digital copies anyways and I have no choice with iOS crap which is why I have so few games for those in the first place. But I am coming around I just resist change.

[Wah]

I've had it for ages..were have you guys been?

[NWR_insanolord]

I already have all the NES, SNES, N64, GB, GBA games I could ever want so there is no need for me to bother with Virtual Console stuff, I have an iPad iPhone and a PC with Steam so that is where I tend to get my digital games. But I don't like buying digital copies anyways and I have no choice with iOS crap which is why I have so few games for those in the first place. But I am coming around I just resist change.

I wasn't talking about the VC, I meant original games on the eShop. Stuff like Mutant Mudds, Mighty Switch Force and Crashmo are great little games that you can only get digitally.

[toddra]

I see I guess I didn't research those. I might have to change my mind but I am kinda anti digital as it is, I am kinda you know too conservative for my own good sometimes.