I knew it would suck without Bongos. I'm still going to buy it, but only to reassure myself that DK:JB GC is the best version of the best platforming game from the last 15 years.

I'd rather get Let's Fap.

Let's Tap = the true successor to DK:JB

For the purposes of the review, I went back and played the GameCube version. After the bittersweet experience I had with the Wii version, I had a blast with the Cube version. That game is still fantastic. This remake kind of sucks.

The fact that the game loses a lot of its charm without the bongos is actually a good testament to the original design.  The integration of the bongos was such that the game can't really be done any other way.  It's kind of like Wii Sports would play like balls if it used a normal controller.

I'm not really a big fan of either of those games but they do represent what Nintendo should strive for with the remote.  A lot of Wii games feel they could easily just use a normal controller as the motion control is limited to waggle.  What they really need to do is make games that integrate motion controls so tightly that the game would absolutely not work at all without them.

That begs the question...why did Nintendo actually take away the ability to use the bongos in the first place?  I realize that they had to adjust the timing and controls a bit for the new input style, but how hard would it have been to include the original Gamecube code as an option?  Besides, Nintendo seems to relish selling games with these peripherals anyway, and it probably would have made sense to try to sell the bongos to a new audience.

You could argue this with all of the NPC titles and Twilight Princess as well.  I think the reason is simple: Nintendo doesn't want the player to be able to make a direct comparision between the Wiimote and the original controls because they're afraid the Wiimote will look inferior.  They made a rather boastful claim that the remote would be a new controller standard and also spent quite a lot of effort dumping on the classic controller standard, ironically a standard they practically invented themselves.  So it's very important that the remote look superior or else they look like jackasses and the remote looks like a gimmicky novelty controller.

The problem is I think the remote IS a gimmicky novelty controller and I think Nintendo is aware of this as well.  So they rig the contest so that the remote wins.  Most of the audience which never played the Cube originals in the first place will only be familiar with the remote controls and will assume by default that those are better.

I bought the game on sunday. While I haven't played much of it I agree that some of the controls feel weird. Maybe its just me, but combos seem harder to pull off in this version. I still gotta play it and truly master it, since it seems that many go into this game expecting to play like the GC version (myself included) and come out confused.

Sounds like it's more difficult to beat off.  Many jungle masters will be concerned about this.

I am possibly the only one who thinks that DK:JB is far more easier and fun to play WITHOUT the bongos.

Yes, the game loses some charm without the bongos, but I personally found the game was awkward to control with the bongos. Combos are much easier to pull of in Beat Off Waggle Ver. then they were in Bongo Beat.

Though I feel the clapping is a bit...awkward. You now have to clap in directions. It's my only complaint. Otherwise, the game is still fun. It's Klonoa's perfect rival for platforming.

"It's Klonoa's perfect rival for platforming."

Whoa.

I never thought of it that way.  Either 3rd excuse makers have horrible timing with regardes to release dates, or Nintendo intentionally positioned Jungle Beat to overshadow 3rd party offerings AGAIN.

And how a waggle port of an old GC game overshadow any game?

Klonoa may be a remake, but it was remade from the ground up exclusively for the Wii, while Jungle Beat was already finished and what they did was add motion controls.

Hm, interesting. I was considering picking this up if it turned out well, but these comments about the controls worry me. I might go for the original instead. I kind of like the idea of owning an eccentric accessory, it would be a cool piece of history to have.

The original is awesome and extremely under rated.  The fact that NWR as a whole appreciates it is basically the only reason I stick around.

This new edition is a travesty.  How can you beat off without the drums?  Garbage.