Donkey Kong Country Returns

[The Chef]

Super Mario Sunshine draws HEAVILY from Mario 64, FLUDD and tropical setting notwithstanding.

Come to think of it, Super Mario Sunshine features drastically altered enemy designs and leaves out quite a few mainstays like Goombas. It's also the least popular of Mario's 3D outings. Gee....I wonder why THAT could be...

[ShadowBrain]

Because you can ***** about Nintendo never trying anything new, and you can hate SMS, but it's difficult to pull off both.

[Turtlekid1]

Implementing a new element and doing it well are two different things.  Also, I'd just as soon see Nintendo prioritize the formulas that work before they worry about innovation.  Innovation has brought us the aforementioned SMS and more recently one of the worst controller designs I've ever seen.  Going with what works has brought us NSMBW, SMG2, and now a new DKC title (it's not out yet, admittedly, but judging from the trailer, I don't see how they could screw it up).  In fact, I wish they'd put out a new 2D Metroid, giving it the NSMB treatment.  Not pseudo-2D with first-person mode, like in Other M (don't get me wrong, though, I'm really looking forward to that); but actual sidescrolling gameplay that hasn't been seen since Zero Mission. 

As long as the gameplay, if not the classic antagonist group, is true to classic DKC, it'll be fine.

[Mr. Wiggles]

So much trolling in this thread it hurts my balls.

[Chupperson Weird]

Jungle Beat was a platformer. It was fun and cool. It just had bongos so none of you weirdos ever tried to figure out how to play it. Glitchy, if you're referring to Returns and not Jungle Beat, how do you figure it's not mostly similar?

[Mr. Wiggles]

Innovation has brought us the aforementioned SMS and more recently one of the worst controller designs I've ever seen.  Going with what works has brought us NSMBW, SMG2, and now a new DKC title.

It's amusing you say that when those games wouldn't exist if it wasn't for innovation. Perfected sequels are nice, but they're nowhere near as memorable as something new, even if it doesn't always work. I can remember far more moments in Mario Sunshine than I can in New Super Mario Bros.

Jungle Beat was as much of a DK game as Kirby's Epic Yarn is a Call of Duty game.

Hey, that analogy works. Both series are overrated and formulaic

[Kimimaru]

Okay, but when you're making a sequel, especially a comeback sequel after like over 10 years, it's supposed to be mostly similar. You're basically saying that it'd be okay if New Super Mario Bros. was a puzzle game. And don't give me this "SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE!!!11one!!" crap because it was an innovative sequel.

I'd like to point out that Super Mario Sunshine isn't a sequel to Super Mario 64. If anything, it would kind of be a sequel to Luigi's Mansion.

I say "kind of" because the only real thing that would imply this is the mention that F.L.U.D.D. and the Gaddbrush were made by Professor E. Gadd. Also, Super Mario Sunshine is closer to Super Mario 64 than Super Mario Galaxy is. If you've ever played both games extensively it would be clear.

[The Chef]

Jungle Beat was a platformer. It was fun and cool. It just had bongos so none of you weirdos ever tried to figure out how to play it. Glitchy, if you're referring to Returns and not Jungle Beat, how do you figure it's not mostly similar?

I tried to figure out how to play it. It made my hands hurt. Don't give me crap about hitting the bongos too hard, because last I checked, drums were meant to be beaten. I've seen videos of the game in action and I'll admit it's pretty novel to see combos being racked up like that, but aside from being a platformer, the game has absolutely NOTHING in common with ANY other DK game, and this is what bothered me most about it.

Imagine if they made a Mario game that controlled with a guitar, and Mario was facing all kinds of enemies in enviroments that did not fit him or his world at ALL. Would any of you people be happy about it?

[Toad]

DDR Mario Mix did pretty well.

[The Chef]

DDR Mario Mix was oozing with Mario-ness. Jungles Beat's enemies and environments fit Donkey Kong like guns and swords fit Sonic....OH WAIT.

[CrossEyed7]

the game has absolutely NOTHING in common with ANY other DK game

...Are you really making the argument that a side-scrolling platformer in a jungle where Donkey Kong collects bananas has absolutely nothing in common with Donkey Kong Country and is in fact as alien to the DKC series as Shadow and Black Knight were to the Sonic series, yet DDR Mario Mix is totally a normal Mario game? Your angry, ludicrous hyperbole really undermines the legitimacy of your arguments.

Jungles Beat's enemies and environments

Its environments were jungles. Its enemies were... not Kremlings.

So basically you hated Jungle Beat, a game that never claimed to be a Country game, because it didn't feel enough like a Country game, in part because the enemies weren't Kremlings, yet you think my mild apprehension about Country Returns not having Kremlings is sheer idiocy.

[Chupperson Weird]

Don't give me crap about hitting the bongos too hard, because last I checked, drums were meant to be beaten.

yeah because they're totally real drums and even make drum sounds when you hit them in real life right?? omg wrong

[Toad]

You're holding the bongos upside down.

I can see how someone wouldn't like to play Jungle Beat.  A friend of mine had the game and I tried it. It was fun, but beating on the drums (even softly) became tiresome after a while.

[The Chef]

...Are you really making the argument that a side-scrolling platformer in a jungle where Donkey Kong collects bananas has absolutely nothing in common with Donkey Kong Country and is in fact as alien to the DKC series as Shadow and Black Knight were to the Sonic series, yet DDR Mario Mix is totally a normal Mario game? Your angry, ludicrous hyperbole really undermines the legitimacy of your arguments.
Its environments were jungles. Its enemies were... not Kremlings.

 http://themushroomkingdom.net/board/index.php?topic=13217.msg575331#msg575331

Furthermore, DDR Mario Mix has loads of Mario-esque environments and characters as well as a silly Mario-ish plot. Everything in DDR Mario Mix fits Mario. Everything in Jungle Beat does NOT fit DK. It takes more than just a gorilla collecting bananas in a jungle to be DKC. That's like saying that all you need to be Zelda is a kid with a sword.

For the record, Kremlings are not the ONLY enemies in DKC. There are loads of other googly-eyed animals. Jungle Beat on the other hand features enemies that are almost totally alien and look like they don't even fit. You really gonna try arguing that the corn monster or those fuzzy blue spiky things actually look like DK enemies?

So basically you hated Jungle Beat, a game that never claimed to be a Country game, because it didn't feel enough like a Country game, in part because the enemies weren't Kremlings, yet you think my mild apprehension about Country Returns not having Kremlings is sheer idiocy.

I don't hate Jungle Beat. My original point in this whole thing was that its stupid to complain about DKC not having Kremlings when everything else about it has more in common with DKC than every other DK game released in the past decade.

I'd also like to point out that Jungle Beat also doesnt feel like a DKC game for reasons outside of asthetics. It's not a proper platformer, its controlled with a drum. The primary goal is not to find all the hidden secrets and goodies, its to rack up mad combos. The environments are not modeled after the real world, they're all surrealist landscapes that look more like something out of Mario. There is no real sense of adventure, you're just plopped into levels and told to go smash stuff up. The game lacks pretty much everything DKC was known for, and now that a game that DOES have everything DKC was known for has come into makes complaining about something like a new villain completely moronic.

[Chupperson Weird]

Yeah but DKJB never claimed to be a DKC game so why do you keep comparing them