Post by MasterSandman II on Jun 16, 2010 11:49:06 GMT -5
Source: wii.ign.com/articles/109/1098354p1.html
A major surprise from this year's Nintendo E3 Press Conference was the announcement of Donkey Kong Country Returns (DKCR). Having played it on the E3 showroom floor, I'm happy to report that it is shaping up to be every bit as fun as its Super Nintendo predecessor.
Some of you might be too young to remember the first Donkey Kong Country, but DKCR is an easy enough game to pick up and play. When playing by yourself you control both Donkey and Diddy Kong (with Diddy riding on Donkey Kong's back), while in multiplayer each character is controlled individually. The game is still an old-school side-srolling platformer, essentially boiling down to guiding the Kongs through a dangerous environment in order to reach the end; along the way you'll collect items, dodge or kill enemies, and do some platforming that will test even the most hardcore players.
But DKCR is not simply a remake of one of the older games, either. Sure, the basic gameplay is largely the same, but, on top of all new levels, there are a new features that make it a really user-friendly multiplayer game. If you're playing with someone who is having a hard time getting through a certain part, then Diddy can jump on Donkey's back, allowing the primary player to guide the team through the difficult stretch (to assist Diddy can shoot peanuts at enemies who get in their way). And if either Kong dies, they can respawn in a floating barrel that the still-living player can break to let them out during a safe moment.
Other abilities are given to the Kongs that add depth to the gameplay, but these will be largely familiar to people who have followed the franchise. Diddy Kong has a jetpack, allowing him to fly over gaps (as well as help Donkey do so if he's riding on his back), and Donkey can now blow gusts of air in order to uncover hidden treasures. Additionally the Kong's both get a ground pound move, enabling the player to shake the Wii remote and nunchuck up and down in order to make their characters slam down on objects in their way. Ground pound is utilized in both combat and in puzzles, sometimes being used to uncover hidden objects in the environment.
While I was only given a few moments to play, DKCR struck me immediately for both its ability to tap into my nostalgia for the franchise, and also because it's following a formula that's still downright fun. You can knock it all you want for coming off largely like an extension of what we've seen before from past games in the franchise -- and it certainly won't change your mind about the series if you hated it in the past -- but I'm not complaining about taking the Kongs out for another adventure in the country.
A major surprise from this year's Nintendo E3 Press Conference was the announcement of Donkey Kong Country Returns (DKCR). Having played it on the E3 showroom floor, I'm happy to report that it is shaping up to be every bit as fun as its Super Nintendo predecessor.
Some of you might be too young to remember the first Donkey Kong Country, but DKCR is an easy enough game to pick up and play. When playing by yourself you control both Donkey and Diddy Kong (with Diddy riding on Donkey Kong's back), while in multiplayer each character is controlled individually. The game is still an old-school side-srolling platformer, essentially boiling down to guiding the Kongs through a dangerous environment in order to reach the end; along the way you'll collect items, dodge or kill enemies, and do some platforming that will test even the most hardcore players.
But DKCR is not simply a remake of one of the older games, either. Sure, the basic gameplay is largely the same, but, on top of all new levels, there are a new features that make it a really user-friendly multiplayer game. If you're playing with someone who is having a hard time getting through a certain part, then Diddy can jump on Donkey's back, allowing the primary player to guide the team through the difficult stretch (to assist Diddy can shoot peanuts at enemies who get in their way). And if either Kong dies, they can respawn in a floating barrel that the still-living player can break to let them out during a safe moment.
Other abilities are given to the Kongs that add depth to the gameplay, but these will be largely familiar to people who have followed the franchise. Diddy Kong has a jetpack, allowing him to fly over gaps (as well as help Donkey do so if he's riding on his back), and Donkey can now blow gusts of air in order to uncover hidden treasures. Additionally the Kong's both get a ground pound move, enabling the player to shake the Wii remote and nunchuck up and down in order to make their characters slam down on objects in their way. Ground pound is utilized in both combat and in puzzles, sometimes being used to uncover hidden objects in the environment.
While I was only given a few moments to play, DKCR struck me immediately for both its ability to tap into my nostalgia for the franchise, and also because it's following a formula that's still downright fun. You can knock it all you want for coming off largely like an extension of what we've seen before from past games in the franchise -- and it certainly won't change your mind about the series if you hated it in the past -- but I'm not complaining about taking the Kongs out for another adventure in the country.