Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will exceed our expectations if...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/roundtable/36415
As Nintendo prepares to unleash it's latest AAA 2D platformer, there's a certain sense of uncertainty amongst many Nintendo fans. While most would agree that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is sure to be a high quality experience, some of us are somewhat underwhelmed by the idea of a sequel to the highly reviewed 2010 original. We took a sample from our staff to see what Nintendo World Report thinks about the latest DKC title.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will exceed my expectations if...
Andy Goergen, Managing Editor:
...there is a substantial variation in environment. While the jungle aesthetic is most closely associated with the DKC games, we've already seen four of those now. When everything else about this game screams "MORE OF THE SAME!" what I really want is some really cool environments to platform in. I'd love to see some urban environments. Maybe Donkey Kong and friends could bandy about in an abandoned city, grabbing onto old wires and climbing up buildings like in Rampage. I want something that makes me rethink what a Donkey Kong Country game could be.
Justin Baker, Reviews Editor:
...they scrap the entire project and turn it into a Metroid game. Donkey Kong Country Returns was a decent little experiment, but it certainly didn't blow me away. Tropical Freeze looks like a perfectly fine continuation, but nothing that will change how I already feel about the series. I could care less that they've added a Kong or two and given the game a new aesthetic. Give me Metroid!
Alex Culafi, Previews Editor:
...it's better than the original in every way and its new mechanics prove especially meaningful to the final product. I also want it to be just as challenging as the first game, if not more so. If Tropical Freeze is noticeably easier than Donkey Kong Country Returns, the game has failed my expectations. A modern, easy DKC game does not deserve to exist. Still better than any potential Metroid game though.
Neal Ronaghan, Site Director:
...at the end of the game, the castle flips over and it's Symphony of the Night, or it turns into Metroid Prime 4 with the Kongs halfway through. Really, the only way Tropical Freeze will exceed my expectation is if it does something really out there that works well. That's a tall order, but I feel like the game will be "what you see is what you get." As it stands, it looks like it follows the same formula of Donkey Kong Country games, which isn't bad, just unexciting. I expect a polished 2D platformer that I'll enjoy. I want to be blown away. I don't think I'll be blown away, unfortunately. There isn't much doubt in my mind that I will enjoy Tropical Freeze, but I don't expect to love it. I hope I'm wrong.
J.P. Corbran, Community Manager:
...it's better than the first one. I've called Donkey Kong Country Returns the best 2D platformer of the past 20 years, and if the good folks at Retro can outdo themselves and take the best elements of that game and mix in some new ideas to create an even better set of levels I will be extremely happy.
Andrew Brown, Australian Correspondent:
To be honest, as long as the game even MEETS my expectations I'll be thrilled with it, considering it already looks incredible. During Nintendo's E3 media briefing (I wonder how much the lack of a proper press conference affected their current sales, by the way), I let out a girlish gasp of excitement upon the reveal of Dave Wise's contribution to the game. I hope they allow him to remix some of the original DKC2's soundtrack for the game, and the music isn't just a bunch of rehashed tracks from Returns. I agree with Culafi's comments on the difficulty; this thing should be nail-bitingly hard.
Scott Thompson, Podcast Editor:
...there is a great Dankey Kang reference in the localization. Just kidding! I don't think DKC can surpass my expectations because the bar is already set pretty high. The return of Dixie warms my old heart, and I'm beyond excited to see one of the best looking Wii games transitioned to an HD system. I adored DKCR (I think it's the best 2D platformer to come from Nintendo since this whole revival started with New Super Mario Bros.), and even if DCK:TF is simply a pretty level pack, I'm all in.
Curtis Bonds, Associate Editor:
...the game pulls a fast one on us and is actually a full 3D platformer at a certain point. Don't get me wrong, I feel like the people over at Retro made sure that this is a fantastic game, but at the same time I feel like there's nothing in this game that hasn't already been accomplished by the Wii version. Perhaps that's a testament to just how good the Wii version looked, felt, and played. It felt as if Retro scratched an itch that needed to be scratched for a long long time, but kept on scratching despite already feeling relieved. It doesn't feel bad, but I wish they would spend that effort on something a bit more worthwhile.
Tom Malina, UK Correspondant:
...it turns out to be one of the best platformers ever made. Even though it wasn't the most groundbreaking game, Donkey Kong Country Returns was, in my view, the best 2D platform title on Wii. From everything I've seen, I'd anticipate Tropical Freeze as being just as great. After all this time, it's still amusing to see people outraged that the "almighty" Retro Studios would be putting all this effort into something as lowly as DKC, as if platformers are so easy to make that this is therefore somehow beneath them. I doubt you'd find another entry in this genre that achieves better variety and delivers greater execution on that variety than Retro's Donkey Kong titles. Does this game have to set the world on fire to do that?
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze launches in North America and Europe on February 21, 2014.
And didn't you preorder this game? "I'm sick of these kinds of games, but I'm going to buy this anyway" kind of seems like the wrong message you want to send Nintendo.
Yes, I did, because I'm on a gaming podcast that talks about, among other things, Nintendo games. It's not like the game's going to drop in price later unless it is a colossal bomb of Other M/Sin & Punishment 2 proportions, so if I'm going to buy it there's really no reason to not just get it now and have some basis for podcast discussion.
Yes, I did, because I'm on a gaming podcast that talks about, among other things, Nintendo games. It's not like the game's going to drop in price later unless it is a colossal bomb of Other M/Sin & Punishment 2 proportions, so if I'm going to buy it there's really no reason to not just get it now and have some basis for podcast discussion.
Ha ha ha. You know, no one will think less of you for just admitting that you like the game and Donkey Kong. As much as you want to pretend that you are so disinterested and try to play off that by calling it Banana Slamma, you're commenting steady on it and even have it on pre-order "for podcast purposes." It's 2014, dude. If you love the big hairy apes, you don't have to hide it. You can come out of the jungle and proudly declare your monkey love. But if you've got to tell yourself those little lies to sleep at night, you do what you gotta do. DK says "HO-yeeeeee!" No ever knows what he's saying.
There's a pretty good chance most of us, in your shoes, would just pick something else to talk about on the podcast that not only costs considerably less than $60 but also doesn't encourage Nintendo to make more 2D platformers. Buying the game makes you part of your entire problem with the game.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is Retro Studios' highest selling game by a fair margin. There wasn't a better project for them to have spent 3+ years of critical Wii U development time if the idea is to reach as many people as possible unless they were given Mario or Zelda.
Meh...if my wallet had any actual draw with Nintendo, they would have changed their ways years ago. Nintendo has shown they will make the games they make regardless of whether they get my money, so I don't consider that argument particularly valid in this case.It's pretty hypocritical to complain about a game's existence then buy that game. Hiding behind what is essentially "I'm just one person, what difference could I possibly make?" doesn't really change that.
And frankly, I consider the "well look at the sales of DKCR!" argument just as tired as you seem to be of people not being excited by Yet Another DKC game, especially since the Wii U has been floundering on a software lineup composed OF sequels to games that sold well on the previous console. And since when does a by-the-numbers retro 2D platformer take 3+ years to make in this day & age?
I expect it to be awesome and nobody's happy.Hey!
I expect it to be awesome and nobody's happy.I'll be nobody! :D Eagerly looking forward to this game, and to hear David Wise's melodies enter my ear holes.
But, even if they were only working on TF for the last few years, the release timing puts them in an interesting position. Do they start (or continue working on) a new game slated to come out in 2017 on a functionally mothballed WiiU, or does Nintendo set them up on a launch title for an early WiiU replacement?
But, even if they were only working on TF for the last few years, the release timing puts them in an interesting position. Do they start (or continue working on) a new game slated to come out in 2017 on a functionally mothballed WiiU, or does Nintendo set them up on a launch title for an early WiiU replacement?
I think the answer to that question is pretty obvious: Nintendo takes the 3rd door and assigns them a 3DS game, probably a 3DS version of Banana Slamma. Unless the Wii U's fortunes drastically turn around in the very near future, Retro's done on the Wii U.
I expect it to be awesome and nobody's happy.
I expect it to be awesome and nobody's happy.
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