I don't want to raise expectations too high, in case you get overhyped and find the game underwhelming as a result, but I'll say that it's one of the best Wii U games to get a port to the Switch. Please check it out and spend some time with it, lose yourself in the levels and collectibles, and maybe forget about how there aren't any Kremlings in the game, see how enjoyable you find the game.
One thing I'll say, is that among all the DKC games, it has my favorite soundtrack by David Wise. Legit some of the best music he's ever composed.
I appreciate the feedback. The general consensus seems to be that it is at the very least better than DKC1 and Returns.
I don't feel like getting into it, but I genuinely feel that this is because she is a girl. Gamers have a...complicated relationship with girls and female characters.
I highly doubt Dixie Kong being female is a factor to why she does not have many loud fans. In general, fanbases for female character are among the loudest and most passionate fanbases from what I have personally seen (unfortunately in many cases it stems from having a sexual attraction to the character that they are supporting).
This is even the case if the actual fanbase is not particularly large compared to other characters. During pre-Brawl, only Krystal was within the Top 10 most wanted characters (and that was only on the Western side of things), and Palutena was the only female character that was within the Top 10 most requested characters for pre-Smash 4. That should tell you everything about just how passionate most fanbases for female newcomers are (they are much louder than what their actual sizes are). Dixie Kong is the inverse. She has a very large fanbase, but her supporters are rather quiet. This is not a phenomenon unique for a character support base. Little Mac was among the Top 5 most wanted characters for Smash 4, yet had one of the quietest fanbases I have ever seen.
As mentioned earlier, Roy's Western fanbase during pre-Smash 4 is another example of this phenomenon as well (many supporters, but low volume).
Although granted, anyone that isn't Banjo/Geno/Isaac/Rayman/BWD/Waluigi does tend to get lower-key support, if any.
I think it is too soon to say which characters people are really passionate about for the next title. The only two threads with a lot of activity still are Geno and Isaac and to a lesser extent Banjo. The next period could look very different in terms of requests. For example, Krystal and Geno were highly requested during pre-Brawl, but then both collapsed hard during the pre-Smash 4 period (particularly Geno). Another example would be Shovel Knight. Remember just how big he was during the ballot period? Now he is barely on anyone's radar.
In general, I think there might be a growing divorce between the "Smash bubble" (the online chattering section to the fanbase that is very loud) and even the core Smash Bros. fanbase let alone the casual ones. Castlevania's inclusion in Ultimate might be an example of this. According to Sakurai, Castlevania did very well on the Smash Ballot, yet there seemed to be very little discussion and passion for the series among the "Smash bubble".
I disagree. I just don't think that she has the popularity. There's always been a bigger goal when it comes to DK; Diddy until Brawl and K. Rool, a villain with unfathomable character, tossed to the sidelines for a decade, much to the dismay of his fans. DK also hasn't been a prominent force in Nintendo's lineup since the Rare days, due to lackluster spinoffs after the split and a less than frequent release schedule even after the revival. She's a side character in a series that isn't really even mainstream anymore.
Shantae's fanbase, on the other hand, is fairly large, which I would attribute to a slightly more frequent release schedule as of late as well as the fact that she'd be representing a new series, who's fans are starved for content as far as Smash goes. I think you'd be hard pressed to make the case that any character's popularity can be attributed to their demographic.
I would disagree with your assessment. Dixie Kong has a very large fanbase. I think she is probably among the Top 10 most wanted characters now honestly. I do think though the lack of a bigger goal might be a large factor for why there is not the drive behind Dixie Kong like there was for K. Rool though.
It is difficult to ascertain how big Shantae really is. She could very well be the the biggest example of a "Smash bubble" character. There are many, many people who do not know who she is, but among the "Smash bubble" passion for her is very high.
specifically she's a girl who isnt a conventionally-attractive humanoid, which is possibly a reason a lot of people dont really care about her and/or find her an appealing option. moreso its probably just A) the DK series is already represented fairly well at this point and B) casual fans dont know much about dixie kong except that she exists
I actually think the fact Dixie Kong is a female that is not "physically attractive" or appeals to a certain sexual fetish, is a big factor about why she does not have the typical female newcomer passion boost.
I do not think Dixie Kong is unknown though. Anyone familiar with DKC2, DKC3, or Tropical Freeze knows who she is, and those were the biggest titles for the SNES and Wii U respectively. Her main ability (being able to fly/glide with her hair) is also well known. However, she is definitely not as big as she was during the 90's, but, her being a star in three major titles means she is at least known.
I understand she faces stiff competition from all the potential 3rd party characters for the fighter's pass, but I feel among 1st parties and especially echo/semiclones she is fairly high up on the list. The reason she would be unlikely would be because of the low possibility of unplanned echo newcomers or a 2nd season pass in it of itself, but not if either of those actually come to fruition, especially since most of her 1st party competition has been confirmed as ATs.
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There are many, many competitors for an echo slot though. Impa, Octoling, Funky Kong, and Jeanne are just some examples that come up a lot. Dixie Kong would require quite a bit more effort than most potential echoes, since at the very least she would need to have Chrom level differentiation (a different Final Smash and recovery from Diddy Kong).
I think if Sakurai wanted to make Dixie into a Echo, she would be one in the base game. But the fact that Dark Samus got in and she didn't leaves me to believe that Sakurai probably thought she is too unique to be made into a Echo and I agree with that because if she were a Echo, she would be a clone/semi-clone forever like Ganondorf or Falco. She deserves to have a unique moveset.
I think so too. I think Dixie Kong would have been a possibility had there been time for another semi-clone type character. However, I do think Dixie Kong could still be conveyed well if she was Ken-style echo. I think if Sakurai wanted to, he could easily bend the rules for Dixie Kong as an echo just like he did for Ken (assuming additional echoes were made).
I think regardless of what her designation is, I think she is most likely going to end up as some sort of semi-clone (whether a Lucas/Wolf style one, or a Ken-style echo).
It's strange to realize now, but Dixie has only been in one game over the past ten years. I don't think she's as ingrained as a "Nintendo staple" as we like to believe.
Yes, it is quite strange. That is why I keep saying that Dixie Kong's future may not be as secure as we think. During the 2000's, which many DK fans viewed as a decade of "decline" of the series, the DKC cast (aside from DK and Diddy) at least appeared in multiple Mario spinoffs. We also got the Paon trilogy (King of Swing, Jungle Climber, Barrel Blast) and Jungle Beat. The only two DK titles during the 2010's were Returns and Tropical Freeze, and no DK characters aside from DK and Diddy made any playable appearances in the Mario spinoffs.
With Retro working on Metroid Prime 4 now, there might not be a developer for the DK series for the next several years, and we might very well be looking at a ten year wait between DK platformers if Retro is the main developer for those platformers now.
I just want more games where I can play as my favorite feminine simian, is that so much to ask?
I definitely want Dixie Kong to show up in more titles. It is really strange in particular she has not made any more additional Mario spinoff appearances.
Not that this ultimately will matter much probably, but this Assist Alliance seems like a bad idea to me. I feel like Dixie just gets lost in the sea of all these characters by being a part of it. Better to stay independent and true to the incendiary thread title that makes fans of Lololo and Lalala rage: Dixie Kong is the last Nintendo all-star. Her roles and prominence make her stand out from most of the other characters in that group. I think Dixie should and could sustain a fandom all her own.
Also, I made this reaction image to respond to pro Dixie posts around this site or others.
Ironically, there was this sort of "alliance" group after Smash 4's release. I requested for Roy to be a part of it and they declined because they felt Roy was unrealistic to happen so it would just dilute the group. Ironically, I think the only character that was a part of it that ended up happening as DLC was Lucas.
As for Dixie Kong being the last Nintendo All-Star, I do personally think she is probably the most important character to his/her prospective veteran franchise that is not yet a part of the roster yet. Dixie Kong is basically the last holdover from longtime Nintendo fans that is not part of the roster yet.
I do agree Dixie Kong could easily stand on her own. She has an unique designation. She was probably the first major overtly female character to headline a major video game release. Dixie Kong preceded Lara Craft and Jill Valentine. Sure there were female protagonists in RPGs and Samus, but RPGs were mostly niche (and one-shot characters), and many people in the pre-internet days had no idea that Samus was a woman until reading about the pronouns used to refer to her, and in which case they were shocked.
Dixie Kong also was a heroine that did not rely on sex appeal to gain a massive following. She was endearing on her own merits independent of her gender, and even among boys she was extremely popular despite her being a feminine girl who wore pink and would cry upon losing. Ask any people who actually grew up with the DKC games during the 1990's, and they will tell you just how cool Dixie Kong was despite her unconventional design.
We need to sell Dixie Kong to a new generation, and just explain to them just what makes this character as endearing as she is and just what she has to give to not only Smash Bros. but gaming as a whole.
I have now decided to blindly believe that Dixie Kong will 100% be part of the fighter pass despite everything pointing to it not happening.
You are setting yourself up for a disappointment then in my personal opinion. Personally, I can relate though. I was personally not expecting Roy to be a part of the DLC for Smash 4, but I still had hope for him (I felt he would be the most likely veteran picked to come back after Wolf and Lucas, but that was a big if). I really hope she happens for Ultimate, but at this point it would have to come down to very unexpected things happening.
Also, happy birthday to you. Guess who also has birthday wishes for you?
On a small sidenote, this is my 100th post in this thread. The only other character support topics that I have ever made it to that number were Ridley and Roy. Dixie Kong is truly my last strong desire for Smash Bros. However, as a I said before, I do not feel like putting in the time and effort into supporting her as I did for Ridley and Roy. Instead, I want to lay out the tools and ideas for the next generation of Dixie Kong supporters to use for the next title. I still hope for a miracle that she makes it onto Ultimate's roster, however, I am preparing my essay as something for the next generation to use before I move on from the Smash Bros. character support scene.
On a sidenote, in case anyone is wondering, I initially submitted this post hours ago, but I accidentally hit submit before I was truly ready to post it (a lot of responses were not ready yet). For anyone who saw this post hours ago, obviously there is a lot more that I have said.
