All Purpose Donkey Kong Thread

[Quillion]

Maybe. But outside of Mario and Pokemon there is also Zelda. I feel Donkey Kong could and should climb up to Zelda in terms of popularity, relevance, priority and steady releases. And have a dedicated team working on DK titles.

I mean, as great as it is to be having Diddy in Mario Kart soon, it's the only true positive news in ages. Sure the Mario Movie suggests a huge revival soon but... they're taking their time!!

Zelda is undergoing some infrequent releases too, especially if you only count mainline titles.

I used to want more Zelda spin-offs, but I retract that now that it seems mid-level franchise spin-offs are becoming a lot more difficult to make.

 

[Lenidem]

After completing (more or less) the N. Sane Trilogy, I wanted to play a bit of good old Goldeneye 007... But then I realised I don't have the game. Oop. So I played a bit of Perfect Dark, and then I thought: why not give DK64 another try? Back when it came out, I was really disappointed by this game. My expectations where high, and it ended up being some kind of Banjo & Kazooie, but not nearly as good. And well, now that I know what to expect, it seems kinda OK. I mean, the switching characters mechanic is bad, and the game is not ground-breaking by any means, but so far it's still kinda fun. I'm only into two hours of gaming, because I erased my saves, but I'm planning to finish the game for the first time.

 

[BirthNote]

After completing (more or less) the N. Sane Trilogy, I wanted to play a bit of good old Goldeneye 007... But then I realised I don't have the game. Oop. So I played a bit of Perfect Dark, and then I thought: why not give DK64 another try? Back when it came out, I was really disappointed by this game. My expectations where high, and it ended up being some kind of Banjo & Kazooie, but not nearly as good. And well, now that I know what to expect, it seems kinda OK. I mean, the switching characters mechanic is bad, and the game is not ground-breaking by any means, but so far it's still kinda fun. I'm only into two hours of gaming, because I erased my saves, but I'm planning to finish the game for the first time.

Yeah, for me it's banjo-1.5-ee, and I don't really like it anymore, but I haven't played it in 23 years now that I think about it. I probably won't revisit it, but I'd like to hear your thoughts when you finish it.

I do like the concept of hideout helm even to this day though. That whole climactic race against the clock was nerve-wracking and I loved it lol

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

In some ways DK64's worst sin was being sandwiched between a much tighter collectathon in Banjo Kazooie and a much more interesting world connected collectathon in Banjo Tooie.

 

[RealLuigisWearPink]

After completing (more or less) the N. Sane Trilogy, I wanted to play a bit of good old Goldeneye 007... But then I realised I don't have the game. Oop. So I played a bit of Perfect Dark, and then I thought: why not give DK64 another try? Back when it came out, I was really disappointed by this game. My expectations where high, and it ended up being some kind of Banjo & Kazooie, but not nearly as good. And well, now that I know what to expect, it seems kinda OK. I mean, the switching characters mechanic is bad, and the game is not ground-breaking by any means, but so far it's still kinda fun. I'm only into two hours of gaming, because I erased my saves, but I'm planning to finish the game for the first time.

There's a romhack to let you switch characters on the fly (L button if I recall) but you need an everdrive if you wanna do that on real hardware.

DK64 exists in the same headspace as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire to me, good but deeply flawed and could really use a remake.

I don't really mind the collectibles in that game-go back to the snes trilogy and you'll see that was just the series style at the time-it's moreso the levels are a little too empty and dark for my liking. Especially Gloomy Galleon.

 

[BirthNote]

There's a romhack to let you switch characters on the fly (L button if I recall) but you need an everdrive if you wanna do that on real hardware.

DK64 exists in the same headspace as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire to me, good but deeply flawed and could really use a remake.

I don't really mind the collectibles in that game-go back to the snes trilogy and you'll see that was just the series style at the time-it's moreso the levels are a little too empty and dark for my liking. Especially Gloomy Galleon.

Ehh it's funny cuz I liked Gloomy Galleon, it didn't remind me of a Banjo-Kazooie level like most of the others did. That, plus the music was unique and I liked the atmosphere. It reminded me of DKC2 overall.

 

[fogbadge]

One of the levels was actually a cut world from banjo kazooie

 

[Lenidem]

There's a romhack to let you switch characters on the fly (L button if I recall) but you need an everdrive if you wanna do that on real hardware.

DK64 exists in the same headspace as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire to me, good but deeply flawed and could really use a remake.

I don't really mind the collectibles in that game-go back to the snes trilogy and you'll see that was just the series style at the time-it's moreso the levels are a little too empty and dark for my liking. Especially Gloomy Galleon.

Thanks for the information about the romhack, but I'm playing on my good old N64 with the good old cartridge, so I will have the authentic experience, for good and for worse.

One thing that I always loved in DK64 is the humor and the characterization. I'm a fan of the DK rap, and I never want to leave the team-barrel because the Kongs are just so funny!

 

[RealLuigisWearPink]

Ehh it's funny cuz I liked Gloomy Galleon, it didn't remind me of a Banjo-Kazooie level like most of the others did. That, plus the music was unique and I liked the atmosphere. It reminded me of DKC2 overall.

Fair enough. It might just be the ****ty old CRT I played it on but that level felt like I turned the TV off and the Kongs were still running around (To be fair, that's a problem with a lot of N64 games. How ya doing, Doom 64?)

Thanks for the information about the romhack, but I'm playing on my good old N64 with the good old cartridge, so I will have the authentic experience, for good and for worse.

One thing that I always loved in DK64 is the humor and the characterization. I'm a fan of the DK rap, and I never want to leave the team-barrel because the Kongs are just so funny!

Haha I feel ya. Nothing beats playing these games like they were played on release, just too bad that's an increasingly expensive hobby these days.

The humor is a massive plus, it's a big reason why the game is still memorable IMO

 

[BirthNote]

One of the levels was actually a cut world from banjo kazooie

You mean Fungi Forest? I heard some back and forth about it but my memory is fuzzy on the whole thing.

 

[fogbadge]

You mean Fungi Forest? I heard some back and forth about it but my memory is fuzzy on the whole thing.

that’s the very one

 

[Aligo]

If people are talking about DK64, even though I have never played the game I very much appreciate the distinctive sound design.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

To take a more negative turn... is this the worst period of time to be a Donkey Kong fan? Sure the mid 2000s were rough, but there were several games released around that time. You'd probably find something you like, whether is be Jungle Beat, King of Swing or Barrel Blast.

After a brief resurgence with Returns and Tropical Freeze, there's been practically nothing. We got an enhanced port of Tropical Freeze and that's great but there's been almost a decade of no brand new DK content.

It's easier to access older DK games than ever before. Smash has given King K. Rool and lots of DK content. DK and Diddy still show up in Mario spinoffs. But it really does seem that the franchise is in a place of stagnation.

I don't really blame franchise sales and I don't think Nintendo dislikes the series. I just think DK is unfortunately the victim of not having a dedicated development studio. All of Nintendo's major development teams are busy making other things. Retro Studios, who had previously given DK new life, was stuck on some mystery project that ultimately got cancelled before moving to Prime 4 (which is taking forever) and the Metroid Prime remaster.

When DK had gone through similar lulls, it at least had Paon to keep the franchise moving. Now DK doesn't even have that.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Its certainly one of the most frustrating periods, not helped by the fact that DK's absence often doesn't seem to be felt outside the dedicated fandom. The gushing about the Switch and what its done for various IP's feels a bit bittersweet given that it still doesn't have a DKC game to call its own, with even something like a DKC Returns port not on the horizon. In general its one of those IP's most that's been most hurt by the slow disappearance of various spin-offs outside the big three (Mario, Zelda, Pokemon) or those with dedicated studios (Fire Emblem, Kirby).

I've tried to fill the gap with stuff like Impossible Lair and Kaze & the Wild Masks (and might even give Marsupilami a try some day), but even that's only doing so much. Its an overall similar to disappointment to what I have about the lack of Paper Mario titles similar to the first; both franchises can be so much more than what they are, and yet the potential goes unfulfilled as the years go on. Its get to the point where I don't think Nintendo dislikes the series at all... but its hard to escape a sense that they don't seem to fundamentally realize its value either.

 

[Lenidem]

Well... On the bright side, DK seems to be an important character of the up-coming movie. Initially, I thought he was just going to have a minor role, but it looks like he's going to team-up with Mario and "kick some tails". Fire DK is cool and new. Cranky is there, and some other Kongs.

I don't know, maybe I'm seeing too much in this, but to me it looks like they put a lot of care in this movie, and given the unexpected amount of DK stuff in it, I wouldn't be surprised to see some new Donkey Kong games in the not far future.

 

[BirthNote]

To take a more negative turn... is this the worst period of time to be a Donkey Kong fan? Sure the mid 2000s were rough, but there were several games released around that time. You'd probably find something you like, whether is be Jungle Beat, King of Swing or Barrel Blast.

After a brief resurgence with Returns and Tropical Freeze, there's been practically nothing. We got an enhanced port of Tropical Freeze and that's great but there's been almost a decade of no brand new DK content.

It's easier to access older DK games than ever before. Smash has given King K. Rool and lots of DK content. DK and Diddy still show up in Mario spinoffs. But it really does seem that the franchise is in a place of stagnation.

I don't really blame franchise sales and I don't think Nintendo dislikes the series. I just think DK is unfortunately the victim of not having a dedicated development studio. All of Nintendo's major development teams are busy making other things. Retro Studios, who had previously given DK new life, was stuck on some mystery project that ultimately got cancelled before moving to Prime 4 (which is taking forever) and the Metroid Prime remaster.

When DK had gone through similar lulls, it at least had Paon to keep the franchise moving. Now DK doesn't even have that.

Basically right now, the only thing keeping DK alive is the movie. Without that the DK franchise is as dead as Starfox, but I think there'll be a renewal of Donkey Kong in about a week when the movie drops. There'll be interest and I think Illumination will keep up the momentum with DK's spinoff movie, but right now there's nothing to latch onto without the Mario Movie.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Having gone through Banjo Kazooie in full for the first time awhile ago on N64 NSO (had only played bits and pieces of it back in the day), I will say it retroactively lowered the quality of DK64 for me to a certain degree. Definitely won’t see it the same way again whenever it makes its way to NSO.

I’ll probably replay it when the time comes with that said, though not sure how much of it I’ll go through again. Relevant meme vid regarding DK64-

https://youtu.be/zTrxk11KAns

Certainly looking forward to whenever Banjo Tooie comes to the service, especially with what I saw of dragon Kazooie and such… And the potential DK game additions on GB/GBA NSO that I talked about the previous page.

Goldeneye was what initially sealed the deal on me getting NSO EP and what I first went through again before I had gotten around to Banjo. Goldeneye’s still got it; the magic it had back then, though the joycon controls took some getting used to but once I got accustomed, I felt the controls were better than they were originally on the 64 controller, and thus had a more reasonable time on 00 Agent difficulty. It wasn’t without its struggles though still which I could write paragraphs on my struggles with the last levels particularly. To put it simply, the aimbot on 00 Agent and endless enemies on certain levels made beating them all the more satisfying. Still one of the best FPS’s of all time in my book. Even if you prefer Perfect Dark, Goldeneye was still the late 90’s trendsetter of the genre that PD would not exist without.

Oh, I find myself re-listening to Goldeneye’s level soundtrack and remixes thereof as much as I do DKC music at this point. Rare just made some timeless music when it came to Goldeneye, and pretty much anything they did at the time. It’s saying something considering the iconic soundtrack 007 already had going for him.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Thoughts on DK and the Kong representation as a whole in the film? Thought there would’ve been taking about it here with how long it’s been out. While the trailers showed most of it, there was still some new moments to enjoy like

Spoiler

Diddy having a good couple lines during his cameo

. DK himself was about what you’d expect as a rival turned supporting character and co-star. Loved it. While nothing is guaranteed, feels like a film surrounding this DK and his kingdom has to happen at some point.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Thoughts on DK and the Kong representation as a whole in the film? Thought there would’ve been taking about it here with how long it’s been out. While the trailers showed most of it, there was still some new moments to enjoy like

Spoiler

Diddy having a good couple lines during his cameo

. DK himself was about what you’d expect as a rival turned supporting character and co-star. Loved it. While nothing is guaranteed, feels like a film surrounding this DK and his kingdom has to happen at some point.

I loved the Mario Movie. It was a blast. A very fun experience and hit me right in my nostalgia. The characterization was done great! Also that Diddy model and redesign, amazing! Shame his role was so small, but I'll take it!

I am just not all too optimistic for a new DK game this year. Nothing really hints toward it, there's not even a Mario game to go with the Movie. I think we might even see a true Mario and DK crossover, which would be a warm welcome here. As long as DK doesn't lose it's own identity as a series.

 

[Laniv]

LEGO Donkey Kong is coming:

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Its a weird feeling as a DK fan these days. On on hand, the brand has a greater spotlight than ever, the 1 billion at the box office guarantees a likely DK spin-off film, and between merchandise/potentially appearances in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, the value of the IP is certainly being recognized.

And yet without an actual DK game... it feels a bit hollow. As incredible as it is knowing that Diddy and Dixie are in one of the most successful animated films of all time, I'd honestly think I'd trade all of that just for another DKC title. There's a subtle frustration to seeing the likes of Funky Kong get parodied on SNL, countless moviegoers being exposed to DKC elements for the first time, and yet still no new release or even re-release to really sink one's teeth into. Brand awareness is nice, seeing how center Donkey Kong will be to potential Nintendo CInematic Universe is cool, but none of that is a substitute for a Country sequel.

There's just something profoundly odd about the sense that we might very well get a Donkey Kong movie or TV show sooner than a new game at this rate.

 

[Diddy Kong]

All of the above, but am at least happy to get SOMETHING... It's a weird phase, but one am hoping to see significant changes in soon. I mean, it's inevitable right now we WILL GET SOMETHING. I had huge doubts about that before.

Also, somebody here having some high quality screenshots of the Diddy scenes of the movie? I'd like that for a new avatar.

 

[BirthNote]

All of the above, but am at least happy to get SOMETHING... It's a weird phase, but one am hoping to see significant changes in soon. I mean, it's inevitable right now we WILL GET SOMETHING. I had huge doubts about that before.

Also, somebody here having some high quality screenshots of the Diddy scenes of the movie? I'd like that for a new avatar.

Just screenshotted these off a YouTube Short.

Spoiler: Diddy and Dixie

 

[silenthunder]

Trying to get into the old donkey Kong games via watching let's plays. I'm watching all the games in order. Rn I'm on donkey Kong country 2. I also barrowed Diddy Kong racing from a co-worker. I'm having a good time with it.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Trying to get into the old donkey Kong games via watching let's plays. I'm watching all the games in order. Rn I'm on donkey Kong country 2. I also barrowed Diddy Kong racing from a co-worker. I'm having a good time with it.

Be sure to play DK 94 for Game Boy. While it lacks the gameplay and aesthetics of the DKC titles, its a wonderful puzzle platformer that pays tribute to the original DK arcade game while expanding on so many of its ideas; to the point where even some of the hallmarks of 3D Mario owe their roots to it.

 

[silenthunder]

Be sure to play DK 94 for Game Boy. While it lacks the gameplay and aesthetics of the DKC titles, its a wonderful puzzle platformer that pays tribute to the original DK arcade game while expanding on so many of its ideas; to the point where even some of the hallmarks of 3D Mario owe their roots to it.

I've already watched someone beat it

 

[BirthNote]

Hey everyone, I haven't been doing digital art in a while but I made something from the movie a few months back:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

 

[silenthunder]

Hey everyone, I haven't been doing digital art in a while but I made something from the movie a few months back:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

That's impressive.

 

[BirthNote]

That's impressive.

Thanks! I also just came across this animated short:

This guy made a musical not too long ago based on the DKC cartoon, so this is a great surprise.

 

[Laniv]

Finally beat Donkey Kong Country 2! Here are my thoughts on the game:

But in all seriousness, they weren't kidding when they said it was a marked improvement over Country 1. It was genuinely hard, but in a fun way that wasn't too unfair. (Disclaimer: I have not tried Animal Antics.)

 

[Diddy Kong]

Aninal Antics isn't even hard. It's fun for the most part.

 

[StrangeKitten]

Like others have said before me, it does indeed feel weird and hollow that the Switch doesn't have its own DK game. With K Rool in Smash (and kinda Banjo & Kazooie as well, who are honorary DK characters), the Mario Movie, and almost all the most notable past games being on the Switch (and the ones that aren't, there's a good shot they'll come to it, save for Returns, sadly), it feels like this should be a great time to be a DK fan. But it's all severely hampered by the fact that we don't have an announcement for a new game. A new game which, mind you, could still be years off. But we don't even have so much as the small teaser of "the next DK game is in development"

Good news is, I do think there's a lot of hope for the future. With there being much more DK content in the Mario movie than I, and probably most DK fans, expected, the foundation is strongly there for a DK film. And, while I hope Nintendo doesn't go full Cinematic Universe because I think the concept is wearing thin, I'm hopeful they'll explore the extended Mario universe with a DK film (as well as Luigi's Mansion). I'm also hopeful that, once Retro finally finishes Metroid Prime 4, they'll be set on making a new DK game. And with more 3D platformers having released to success these past years (Spyro remakes, Crash remakes, Crash sequel), Nintendo's 3D platformers succeeding in open-world (Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land), and Retro's experience from making Prime 4, there is a lot of hope that we'll get an open-world DK masterpiece. It's just a bummer that it's likely a long time off, and that another development studio wasn't tasked with at least giving us another 2.5D entry if Retro Studios were going to be tied up this long.

 

[BirthNote]

Aninal Antics isn't even hard. It's fun for the most part.

Yeah, after you get the hang of it! First dozen times playing the level is pretty hard lol.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Yeah, after you get the hang of it! First dozen times playing the level is pretty hard lol.

Well yeah, control over the Animal Buddies mostly. I never felt you where challenged unfair if you're familiar with the challenges and gimmicks surrounding the Animal Buddy specific levels of earlier in the game. Especially if you take the Squaks part really REALLY slowly. Then it becomes manageable. Therefore I found way more trouble in the Rattly, Enguarde and Squitter parts of the level.

 

[BirthNote]

Well yeah, control over the Animal Buddies mostly. I never felt you where challenged unfair if you're familiar with the challenges and gimmicks surrounding the Animal Buddy specific levels of earlier in the game. Especially if you take the Squaks part really REALLY slowly. Then it becomes manageable. Therefore I found way more trouble in the Rattly, Enguarde and Squitter parts of the level.

The Squawks part is what stuck with me after all these years. That wind...

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Animal Antic's big problem is checkpoint placement. Having to do a tricky portion even before the Squawks section just renders the level a big pain.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I used save states, lmao.

 

[Diddy Kong]

The Squawks part is what stuck with me after all these years. That wind...

Again just reverse your direction, that slows Squawks down considerably, making the wind less of a challenge.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Well finally bit the bullet and bought Tropical Freeze on Switch, if only because I've somewhat accepted its likely the only DKC game we'll get on the console. Doing an all Kong letters run on the main mode, and then going for a puzzle piece run via Funky Mode after that. It is nice to have a version with faster loading times, so that has been a benefit. I actually think its clarified my rankings for the series as certain flaws of TF stick out just a bit more and I now have DKC2 as number one.

First the off character balance is simply more noticeable now. Dixie was always a preferred choice when playing on the Wii U, but just how much more useful she is than Diddy and Cranky stands out a lot more. I think the former having something that emphasized horizontal movement would have gone a long way in helping him and the latter's cane, while cool, just can't make up for his lack of good mid-air jumps. Secondly the difficulty scaling isn't quite ideal either. While Funky's shop does help, certain little things like losing the second Kong when going down a bottomless pit (which the original trilogy didn't do) and the tight window for enemy bouncing makes the experience feel a bit cheaper than it needs to be. The inability to play as the second Kongs by themselves outside the hard version of the stages is also still a baffling exclusion especially given the Switch port would have been the perfect place to include it.

Don't get me wrong, its still an incredible game, I just think the recent playthrough has knocked it down from a 9.75 experience to something closer to a 9.5. A fantastic outing for DK, but ultimately edged out by the likes of Diddy's Kong Quest.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I agree with that notion. The character balance wasn't great with Tropical Freeze. I explicitly used Diddy alone for the most part, also to keep the experience closest to Returns and of course favoritism. Did the same with DKC1 and DKC2.

DKC2 is a very polished game because of the team mechanics, and the dynamic of both characters and their abilities fitting into the gameplay. That is a lot less present in Tropical Freeze, even if the abilities of the Kongs there allow for extra well hidden secrets. Then again it also adds to the imbalance because these far off reached areas are literally only accesible with Dixie or Cranky.

I do feel that Returns mostly looked to 7DKC1 for inspiration with the thematics and fast but simpler gameplay , adding on their take of the classic tag team system was back then seen as a sort of "improvement" on the team mechanic of DK and Diddy in DKC1, quite easy to do so cause there was none. No throw combinations like DKC2 or 3, but am extra jump, extra health and empowered roll.

Shame we got the exact same thing again in Tropical Freeze, but the overall inspiration of the game is closer related to the themes of DKC2 and DKC3. Yet the buddy system is now coming down to having options. I'd much rather like it if we'd also be able to form teams without DK, say have Diddy and Dixie share the stage again or either with Cranky. And all get different combination abilities too, inspired by the DKC3 tag team where it made a difference if you choose to lead with Dixie or Kiddy.

Tropical Freeze was amazing and definitely a solid entrance for the DKC series. Maybe it's a little over hyped because indeed, the amazing quality after such a long absence of games makes you overlook some of the negatives. I never played the Wii U version cause I didn't own one, but the Switch port made me make the decision to get the entire system.

It's just a damn shame we never got nothing afterwards. The fact Mario finally shows up now gives me hope DK might come soon, but it's been an awful long wait...