Dixie Kong's Barrel Of Support Spirits. Farewell Everyone, Thank You ALL For Making This Thread An Excellent Place For DK Fans!

[Sabertooth]

Ugh, that sucks, BirthNote . I've had a game pad break, but not a cool special one like that. I hope you're able to complete that challenge!

 

[ChunkySlugger72]

Am fearing this deeply as well... That DKC will be neglected once again on the Switch due to the lack of interesst Nintendo shows, and that it has no dedicated studio attached to it. It's a shame that literally any other big Nintendo franchise has this, even the ones who sell less than DKC and are less popular. I'm still quite distressed about the future of the franchise. I could see a DKC indie game happening, but that's basically all am expecting at this point. Maybe the Mario x Rabbids Donkey Kong DLC is the most we're gonna get outside of the Tropical Freeze port (to be honest, Switch DKC TF was the first time I got to play the game).

If Retro is so big that it can work on two projects at a time, why aren't they at least making that final DKCR-styled DKC game with Kremlings? I read at DKVine that Retro Studios was considering putting King K.Rool in the Tropical Freeze Switch port, so why are they so lax about the franchise?

I'm gonna be seriously upset if they won't showcase a new DK game at E3 this year. But am used to it at this point... </3

It's really sad how a character and franchise that is as old and iconic as Donkey Kong doesn't have a dedicated studio anymore, I always mentioned how my (Big 3) favorite Nintendo franchises are Pokemon, Mario and Donkey Kong, I never have to worry about the state of the other 2 franchises seeing how Mario has a dedicated in-house team at Nintendo EAD and Pokemon has Game Freak, Donkey Kong is the IP I try to give an extra push and attention to and sometimes I get a little more excited since a new game isn't always a "Lock" and expected unlike Mario and Pokemon.

That's why the "Buyout" to this day still pisses me off, Not just because Nintendo lost the rights to all of Rare's IP's like Banjo-Kazooie, But also how little consideration they had for the Donkey Kong franchise when they decided to pass on locking up the studio that's responsible for reviving, giving it it's identity and making it the powerhouse it was at the time during the mid to late 90's and could of continued to provide a steady stream of quality games and spinoffs for the franchise.

The future looked bright for DK when we were entering the Gamecube era back in 2001, Donkey Kong Racing was on the horizon and a sequel to Donkey Kong 64 was likely in the works, After the buyout Nintendo had no idea what to to do with the franchise and chained it with unsuccessful gimmicky titles/spinoffs (Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat) for a decade.

It wasn't until 2010 When Retro Studios was able to revive the IP with their own succesful take on the Country series, As much as I would love for Retro to take over as the main developer for the series, I think Nintendo will continue to juggle it around and use Retro to revive certain IP's and handle Metroid, But they can always return to it in the future and who knows maybe and hopefully they were making a 3rd Country game all along before they took over development for Metroid Prime 4.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Just started playing Tropical Freeze, and oh man it's so good. Already beat the first island, this is getting addictive real quick.

 

[Diddy Kong]

It's really sad how a character and franchise that is as old and iconic as Donkey Kong doesn't have a dedicated studio anymore, I always mentioned how my (Big 3) favorite Nintendo franchises are Pokemon, Mario and Donkey Kong, I never have to worry about the state of the other 2 franchises seeing how Mario has a dedicated in-house team at Nintendo EAD and Pokemon has Game Freak, Donkey Kong is the IP I try to give an extra push and attention to and sometimes I get a little more excited since a new game isn't always a "Lock" and expected unlike Mario and Pokemon.

That's why the "Buyout" to this day still pisses me off, Not just because Nintendo lost the rights to all of Rare's IP's like Banjo-Kazooie, But also how little consideration they had for the Donkey Kong franchise when they decided to pass on locking up the studio that's responsible for reviving, giving it it's identity and making it the powerhouse it was at the time during the mid to late 90's and could of continued to provide a steady stream of quality games and spinoffs for the franchise.

The future looked bright for DK when we were entering the Gamecube era back in 2001, Donkey Kong Racing was on the horizon and a sequel to Donkey Kong 64 was likely in the works, After the buyout Nintendo had no idea what to to do with the franchise and chained it with unsuccessful gimmicky titles/spinoffs (Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat) for a decade.

It wasn't until 2010 When Retro Studios was able to revive the IP with their own succesful take on the Country series, As much as I would love for Retro to take over as the main developer for the series, I think Nintendo will continue to juggle it around and use Retro to revive certain IP's and handle Metroid, But they can always return to it in the future and who knows maybe and hopefully they were making a 3rd Country game all along before they took over development for Metroid Prime 4.

The buyout is also still pissing me off. But in a way, Rare's attention during the N64 era was already shifting away from DKC honestly. They prefered making their own creations on N64, and it shows with DK64 being a sort of watered down Banjo-Kazooie.

I'm sure that with the GameCube, they wanted to change things around for the good. Donkey Kong Racing is a prime example, and holy **** would I have LOVED to see that game come to reality. I still sort of wish that by some miraculous wonder, Nintendo hires Rare to finish this project. But no. They made Star Fox Adventures their last Nintendo game, and that sucks because honestly... I could see that game working out better as a Donkey Kong game due to it's enviorments, music and such.

I mean listen to this and tell me it doesn't give you DKC vibes...

And damn it now I miss Rare...

 

[DX_E]

That Donkey Kong Racing trailer was amazing. I remember getting excited about it but was confused about the Kong's flying on Zingers. Wouldn't that hurt? Just re-watched it. Using the animal buddies to race on land, underwater and in the air is such a cool concept. They showed Kiddy at the end as well, so Dixie would have returned too! What does Rare do these days? Last I heard they were making Kinect games but does Kinect still exist? I know the main players are at Playtonic .... seems like Rare is but an empty shell.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Am fearing this deeply as well... That DKC will be neglected once again on the Switch due to the lack of interesst Nintendo shows, and that it has no dedicated studio attached to it. It's a shame that literally any other big Nintendo franchise has this, even the ones who sell less than DKC and are less popular. I'm still quite distressed about the future of the franchise. I could see a DKC indie game happening, but that's basically all am expecting at this point. Maybe the Mario x Rabbids Donkey Kong DLC is the most we're gonna get outside of the Tropical Freeze port (to be honest, Switch DKC TF was the first time I got to play the game).

If Retro is so big that it can work on two projects at a time, why aren't they at least making that final DKCR-styled DKC game with Kremlings? I read at DKVine that Retro Studios was considering putting King K.Rool in the Tropical Freeze Switch port, so why are they so lax about the franchise?

I'm gonna be seriously upset if they won't showcase a new DK game at E3 this year. But am used to it at this point... </3

Like I've said before I doubt Dixie is getting in. DLC will be bombarded with 3rd parties unfortunately...at this point my hope/focus is a new DK game announced (of course with playable Dixie) with a DK amiibo line. I want a Dixie, Cranky, Funky amiibo for sure. I'd also gladly buy Squawks, Rambi, Klaptrap, Kritter, and Enguarde amiibos as well.

But even that is unlikely seeing as well amiibo are kinda winding down and we may go the whole Switch lifecycle with nothing but an overpriced Tropical Freeze port...I mean look at the 3DS. That system has had 7+ years on the market with a HUGE install base and all it got was a port of DKCR...who's to say DK once again wont have that same fate on Switch? Since Retro is working on Prime 4 now and apparently (as established above) Nintendo feels neglecting the series and its characters are a good way of respecting Rare's legacy. We may be looking at another long *** main series hiatus. I'm talking from DK64 (1999) to Returns (2010).

That being said Im still eternally grateful K.Rool made it to Smash and now his amiibo sits on the desk next to 80+ other Nintendo characters where he has always belonged.

I strongly believe that Nintendo didn't bring back K. Rool just to put him in Smash. They have plans for the croc and I believe he will be the main antagonist again in the next DKCR game.

 

[ChunkySlugger72]

The buyout is also still pissing me off. But in a way, Rare's attention during the N64 era was already shifting away from DKC honestly. They prefered making their own creations on N64, and it shows with DK64 being a sort of watered down Banjo-Kazooie.

I'm sure that with the GameCube, they wanted to change things around for the good. Donkey Kong Racing is a prime example, and holy **** would I have LOVED to see that game come to reality. I still sort of wish that by some miraculous wonder, Nintendo hires Rare to finish this project. But no. They made Star Fox Adventures their last Nintendo game, and that sucks because honestly... I could see that game working out better as a Donkey Kong game due to it's enviorments, music and such.

I mean listen to this and tell me it doesn't give you DKC vibes...

And damn it now I miss Rare...

No surprise since David Wise (DKC Composer) also scored Star Fox Adventures.

I just recently picked up a copy of Star Fox Adventures and even though I grew up gaming during the N64 and Gamecube era, I never got the chance to play it, But it has always been on my radar for long time.

It's only fitting that not only is it the last major Rareware game I have yet to play, But it's also the last major game they made under Nintendo before the buyout and it also gave us a look of what we could have expected from them during the Gamecube era.

I am really looking forward to playing it sometime later on when I have time.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

No surprise since David Wise (DKC Composer) also scored Star Fox Adventures.

I just recently picked up a copy of Star Fox Adventures and even though I grew up gaming during the N64 and Gamecube era, I never got the chance to play it, But it has always been on my radar for long time.

It's only fitting that not only is it the last major Rareware game I have yet to play, But it's also the last major game they made under Nintendo before the buyout and it also gave us a look of what we could have expected from them during the Gamecube era.

I am really looking forward to playing it sometime later on when I have time.

Adventures is my favorite Star Fox game and it was the first game I played in the series. I hope you enjoy the rest of the game, there is a huge plot twist at the end I'm not going to spoil.

 

[ZeroJanitor]

What does Rare do these days? Last I heard they were making Kinect games but does Kinect still exist? I know the main players are at Playtonic .... seems like Rare is but an empty shell.

Rare Replay and Sea of Thieves

 

[pupNapoleon]

Like I've said before I doubt Dixie is getting in. DLC will be bombarded with 3rd parties unfortunately...at this point my hope/focus is a new DK game announced (of course with playable Dixie) with a DK amiibo line. I want a Dixie, Cranky, Funky amiibo for sure. I'd also gladly buy Squawks, Rambi, Klaptrap, Kritter, and Enguarde amiibos as well.

But even that is unlikely seeing as well amiibo are kinda winding down and we may go the whole Switch lifecycle with nothing but an overpriced Tropical Freeze port...I mean look at the 3DS. That system has had 7+ years on the market with a HUGE install base and all it got was a port of DKCR...who's to say DK once again wont have that same fate on Switch? Since Retro is working on Prime 4 now and apparently (as established above) Nintendo feels neglecting the series and its characters are a good way of respecting Rare's legacy. We may be looking at another long *** main series hiatus. I'm talking from DK64 (1999) to Returns (2010).

That being said Im still eternally grateful K.Rool made it to Smash and now his amiibo sits on the desk next to 80+ other Nintendo characters where he has always belonged.

I understand the concern, but I'm tempted to disagree.
Nintendo felt it alright to sell Tropical Freeze on the Switch for a higher price than on the Wii U (60 compared to 50). This, with virtually no new content.

Nintendo sees the financial value in Donkey Kong (in addition the the critical appeal). I don't think it will be a long time before we see more from Donkey Kong. The question to me is if it will be DKC- or something else.

 

[BravadoMan_13]

I have been thinking about this for awhile. Where would the Donkey Kong series be without Rare's involvement? The DK Arcade back in 1981 was Nintendo's breakthrough into the video game market when arcades were the go-to for games. It is an important milestone in Nintendo's history for sure but at the time before the DKC was developed, Donkey Kong wasn't as prevalent as Nintendo's flagship franchises in the very early 1990's. Rare made DK into what it is today without a doubt. Their own design of DK definitely cemented him as one of Nintendo's greats and icons. When most of us think of Donkey Kong, we generally think of the Country DK design. Thanks to Rare, Donkey Kong's popularity reached an all-time high even surpassing Mario in the mid 90's. The Country series are still highly acclaimed to this day.

The buyout was probably one the worst things to happen to all of us who are DK and Banjo fans plus other Rare franchises. Banjo and Kazooie's popularity was at its peak in the N64 era being marketed alongside Mario, DK, and Pikachu. Since then? They got a car-building game and cameo in a Sonic racing game. Though there were two handheld games in Grunty's Revenge and Banjo Pilot. DK has some hard times after the buyout plus Nintendo didn't know what to do with them. I am so thankful Retro Studios stepped in and recreated the magic of Donkey Kong Country once again. That's why a third game needs to happen with K. Rool and the Kremlings taking back their rightful place as the antagonists. It's time for Banjo and Kazooie to be reunited with DK and Diddy again. It's time for them to come home to where they belong. I hope a Rare reunion will happen soon.

 

[GoodGrief741]

I have been thinking about this for awhile. Where would the Donkey Kong series be without Rare's involvement? The DK Arcade back in 1981 was Nintendo's breakthrough into the video game market when arcades were the go-to for games. It is an important milestone in Nintendo's history for sure but at the time before the DKC was developed, Donkey Kong wasn't as prevalent as Nintendo's flagship franchises in the very early 1990's. Rare made DK into what it is today without a doubt. Their own design of DK definitely cemented him as one of Nintendo's greats and icons. When most of us think of Donkey Kong, we generally think of the Country DK design. Thanks to Rare, Donkey Kong's popularity reached an all-time high even surpassing Mario in the mid 90's. The Country series are still highly acclaimed to this day.

The buyout was probably one the worst things to happen to all of us who are DK and Banjo fans plus other Rare franchises. Banjo and Kazooie's popularity was at its peak in the N64 era being marketed alongside Mario, DK, and Pikachu. Since then? They got a car-building game and cameo in a Sonic racing game. Though there were two handheld games in Grunty's Revenge and Banjo Pilot. DK has some hard times after the buyout plus Nintendo didn't know what to do with them. I am so thankful Retro Studios stepped in and recreated the magic of Donkey Kong Country once again. That's why a third game needs to happen with K. Rool and the Kremlings taking back their rightful place as the antagonists. It's time for Banjo and Kazooie to be reunited with DK and Diddy again. It's time for them to come home to where they belong. I hope a Rare reunion will happen soon.

If Rare hadn't done their thing, the Donkey Kong series would have probably gone down the path of DK '94 and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, as in, more like puzzle platformers than platformers platformers. And like most Miyamoto series not named Mario and Zelda, the frequency of games would have been much sparser - I think maybe Star Fox is an apt comparison for what I'm thinking. While I love me some DK94, I think we can all agree we got the better timeline.

 

[ZeroJanitor]

i feel like the thing Rare did that the other companies handling the DKC franchise don't do so much is that they pretty much treated DK, Diddy, and Dixie as equals. they all headlined their own game on the SNES, and though Dixie never showed up in the N64 era, i figured that had more to do with them taking a break with the character after having been a major player in the last two DK games while DK himself wasn't. but that's just wishful thinking on my part.

in the post-buyout Gamecube/Wii era, the narrative felt more like "DK is the hero, Diddy is the sidekick, and Dixie is one of many side characters". Tropical Freeze mitigated this somewhat by having Dixie as an equal to Diddy and Cranky, but still were just the helpers, or player 2's, to Donkey Kong.

i've always thought of Dixie Kong as a hero in her own right but i guess that's just not how it is anymore. to me, this smash campaign isn't just getting to play a character i like in a game i like, but also a way to give her the respect i feel she deserves.

 

[Justin Little]

i feel like the thing Rare did that the other companies handling the DKC franchise don't do so much is that they pretty much treated DK, Diddy, and Dixie as equals. they all headlined their own game on the SNES, and though Dixie never showed up in the N64 era, i figured that had more to do with them taking a break with the character after having been a major player in the last two DK games while DK himself wasn't. but that's just wishful thinking on my part.

in the post-buyout Gamecube/Wii era, the narrative felt more like "DK is the hero, Diddy is the sidekick, and Dixie is one of many side characters". Tropical Freeze mitigated this somewhat by having Dixie as an equal to Diddy and Cranky, but still were just the helpers, or player 2's, to Donkey Kong.

i've always thought of Dixie Kong as a hero in her own right but i guess that's just not how it is anymore. to me, this smash campaign isn't just getting to play a character i like in a game i like, but also a way to give her the respect i feel she deserves.

This is what I loved about the series. Diddy wasn't just a sidekick. Dixie wasn't a damsel in distress. They were respected away from the typical tropes. Now, I feel those two are in a terrible situation. They are powerups. Hell, Funky seems like the second most important character. Just look at this https://donkeykong.nintendo.com/tropical-freeze/characters/

Funky is described as the Top Banana and Main Character along with Donkey Kong. I like Funky, don't get me wrong, but **** that ****. If Funky was just the main and only playable character (or maybe with his own sidekick) then this would be fine with me, but he isn't. This is Kong family affair, and each should get an equal amount of importance. I know this sounds like I'm ****ting on the game. I genuinely love it and think it is the second best game in the series. It's just a damn shame how the other Kongs are treated in this new series.

I feel Dixie has an uphill battle ahead of her. Nintendo does a poor job of reminding people of not only Dixie's legacy but Diddy's as well. And if Diddy struggles to get in the latest Mario Kart, then I don't see much hope for Dixie. Thankfully, someone must love DKC over at Nintendo enough to make references to the series in Mario Odyssey and give Diddy a costume for Mario.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

This is what I loved about the series. Diddy wasn't just a sidekick. Dixie wasn't a damsel in distress. They were respected away from the typical tropes. Now, I feel those two are in a terrible situation. They are powerups. Hell, Funky seems like the second most important character. Just look at this https://donkeykong.nintendo.com/tropical-freeze/characters/

Funky is described as the Top Banana and Main Character along with Donkey Kong. I like Funky, don't get me wrong, but **** that ****. If Funky was just the main and only playable character (or maybe with his own sidekick) then this would be fine with me, but he isn't. This is Kong family affair, and each should get an equal amount of importance. I know this sounds like I'm ****ting on the game. I genuinely love it and think it is the second best game in the series. It's just a damn shame how the other Kongs are treated in this new series.

I feel Dixie has an uphill battle ahead of her. Nintendo does a poor job of reminding people of not only Dixie's legacy but Diddy's as well. And if Diddy struggles to get in the latest Mario Kart, then I don't see much hope for Dixie. Thankfully, someone must love DKC over at Nintendo enough to make references to the series in Mario Odyssey and give Diddy a costume for Mario.

It helps that historically, Rare seemingly doesn't seem that fond of the "damsel in distress" format, as if it was contractually imposed on them early on in their career. By the mid-90s, more often than not it was the heroes that got kidnapped, and if any later damsels did, they never stayed kidnapped for very long and kicked ass afterwards (or, in Tooty's case, got phased out entirely).

Granted, their home country is in Europe, which has a comics industry with lots of heroines, so it's not too surprising.

That said, it's no secret that Nintendo prefers working with stuff they've made. Even Koizumi at one time was hesitant at the idea of using anyone other than Donkey Kong himself, although the references in Odyssey may be a small step towards changing that (not to mention bringing back Pauline out of Mario Vs. DK purgatory). Well, either that or Retro never figured out how to reproduce the tag mechanic from the originals.

It would be nice if Ubisoft can be given a crack at doing a DKC game someday, seeing how the DLC campaign for Rabbids Kingdom was. If an indie studio can do a Zelda game, why not approve something like that as well?

 

[RetrogamerMax]

This is what I loved about the series. Diddy wasn't just a sidekick. Dixie wasn't a damsel in distress. They were respected away from the typical tropes. Now, I feel those two are in a terrible situation. They are powerups. Hell, Funky seems like the second most important character. Just look at this https://donkeykong.nintendo.com/tropical-freeze/characters/

Funky is described as the Top Banana and Main Character along with Donkey Kong. I like Funky, don't get me wrong, but **** that ****. If Funky was just the main and only playable character (or maybe with his own sidekick) then this would be fine with me, but he isn't. This is Kong family affair, and each should get an equal amount of importance. I know this sounds like I'm ****ting on the game. I genuinely love it and think it is the second best game in the series. It's just a damn shame how the other Kongs are treated in this new series.

I feel Dixie has an uphill battle ahead of her. Nintendo does a poor job of reminding people of not only Dixie's legacy but Diddy's as well. And if Diddy struggles to get in the latest Mario Kart, then I don't see much hope for Dixie. Thankfully, someone must love DKC over at Nintendo enough to make references to the series in Mario Odyssey and give Diddy a costume for Mario.

I think everybody would agree with me here that Dixie should be the next DK rep, but if Cranky or Funky were to get in before her it would help her chances regardless.

 

[Spazzy_D]

Just stopping by to say that I'm not really a Dixie fan. Never really clicked with me.

...but I think it's ridiculous she's not in the game in some capacity (preferably Ken style echo or Isabelle style newcomer).

Her, Toad, and Bandanna Waddle Dee are really the last missing pieces from their franchises. It's crazy that her not being in isn't talked about more. It's probably because K. Rool mollified a large portion of the DK fanbase, I guess.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Just beat Tropical Freeze. Man, Donkey Kong Island kicked my ass. Started it at around 90 lives and ended at about 20.

Loved it, btw. I especially liked how Dixie is 100% the best sidekick to have, she really shines despite having the same importance as Diddy and Cranky.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Just beat Tropical Freeze. Man, Donkey Kong Island kicked my ***. Started it at around 90 lives and ended at about 20.

Loved it, btw. I especially liked how Dixie is 100% the best sidekick to have, she really shines despite having the same importance as Diddy and Cranky.

Meanwhile Diddy has the most comparatively useless Kong Pow ability, among other things. Poor lad, how the mighty have fallen.

I do appreciate that you can unlock a solo run for all of them on Hard Mode though. Returns didn't even have that in regards to Diddy, it was 2-player or bust.

 

[ColtonS25]

Hey everyone! New to this thread, but I've been silently supporting Dixie for a darn good while now. Mainly have been hanging out in the Elma thread, but decided that it might be time to branch out a little. I'd love to be added to the supporters list as well. Personally, I'd rather have her as a separate character instead of an echo (since she is pretty different from Diddy's moveset imo), but playable in any form is the goal.

Nice to meet everyone and hopefully we see some more DK love in Smash!

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

Voicing on the somber and longing feelings about Rare's buyout, mainly has me remember the very reasons why Rare was indeed so influential and groundbreaking asset to Nintendo.

We could first start with the fact that they weren't even from the Japanese grounds as Nintendo, due being a fully British company- and hence, didn't have to establish themselves on the many well-known tropes or "disciplines" Nintendo had imposed on their characters and gameplay directions. Having come from their own vastly differing properties and legacy from Nintendo's more well-known roots (Battletoads and Killer Instinct), explains plenty about how they end up comforming on the regular tropes seen in most of platformers, such as the good ol' damsel in distress and like (which even likes of Crash Bandicoot fell for, compared to Sonic.). Much like KirbyWorshipper2465 said, it'd be a lot to with the European roots of the company and the media surrounding it, that didn't really comform on Western or Eastern storytelling tropes heavily.


It's rather amazing how Miyamoto allowed DK-series be given as much creative freedom as we'd get to see when Country-games were fully realized, especially when today, the DK-series has arguably more "cartoony" feel to it, right down to characterization and portrayal of it's world. I mean, just compared Donkey Kong from the 90s to current DK, which now feels more a Scooby Doo-esque buffoon- like Miyamoto wanted all along, but not enough to make that charismatic to star in his own games anymore beyond his well-known name... like a certain rival of Mario has become due his "grossness". Same goes for the today's powerup Kongs of DK, that all were shown, or implied to be competent back in the good ol' days.).

As I mentioned above, DK's series currently, since Return, has had rather uninspired world at best that's laid on "whatever goes in according to gameplay, takes precedence", to keep it as easy mold to whatever gameplay ideas it can take as Mario-series could, starting with Jungle Beat to Returns and Tropical Freeze. Yet here we are with DK-series not even getting a dedicated studio anymore since it seems too much work for Nintendo to invest on, and Mario-series would do better what DK-series has been tried to be designated as under Retro Studios's hands (which I wonder how much direction from Miyamoto or other Nintendo's higherups they had to take from.)

To remember just how original DKC-series and it's own lore was , with it's worldbuilding feeling more consistent and actually caring about the elements it puts in DK's world, instead of just throwing in various cartoony villains we'd never see again in the next installment, due how loose the settings and connection between the games feel. It's a sad thing because Snowmads feel like they'd have so much potential, but I know they won't ever make a return in hypothetical DKCR3-game. Then there's the thing about inhabiting DK's world with such uninspired and stocky animal characters at times, like the generic monkeys in Jungle Beat, or Doctor Chops in both DKCR-games, and the disappearing Tiki Tribe.

The consistent establishment of DK's world among other actually cared elements to craft the worlds and the gameplay elements is what made games like DKC2 and 3 elevate to very memorable experiences and caring about the Kongs -and even their antagonists on so much more level. I mean, what was a mere saving point in DKC1 with rather forgettable monkey with bazonkas, was changed for a lovable and sweetly grandmother to the Kong's, along with being a tender side to Cranky's grumpy and even lonesome-looking background. Going from that creativity from opportunities of fleshing the world from mere gameplay elements to something like Doctor Chops is... well, replacing a core part of DK's world with a middle-point flag like in Mario-games, honestly.

Heck, it's been the very core reason for such long-running, fanatic appeal of the main villain, K.Rool, who was developed more and more to be craftier and competent, and thus all the more "intimidating" despite his goofy tendencies, compared to Bowser is today for example (as much as he can pull realistic dragons from his arse now.)

Then there was Klubba's implied background, the vast and imaginative worlds beyond DK Island, Crocodile Isle, Northern Kremisphere, the Krem Wars, Banana Birds, among other things... I just remember them better than what DKCR and TF, for all good games they are, had. They latter still feels just more in-line with what Mario-games' standard Japanese Cartoony feel would have, keeping most of the presentation of the world as safe and true like Mario-games have done (until Odyssey... kinda) - versus the subtle semi-realism of 3D characters on Western Toon tropes that DKC-games were built on and explored more daring ways to present DK's world, the characters in it, and more - similar to how Crash Bandicoot-series were such a hit too back in the day due Naughty Dog's immense care to the way they wanted to flesh the gameplay elements towards a cohesive theme and a world.

I always found the current state and characterization of DK-series the most biggest case of "Nintendoism" today, basically being charming and marketable, yet relatively stock and cliche after you get to know the characters and play the games mainly for that sweet gameplay. Basically it's like trying to turn DK-series to just another Mario-clone at very heart, which is kinda bad move since most people might just flock to Mario-games due them being easier, incase DKCRs are too hard - and even then, having so many similar series to Mario is mainly going to put people skilled in that area invest more on the sacred cow itself.

It kinda saddens me more since remembering so well how Rare's genius and craft seemed to have no bounds, being able to take formulas from the games here and there that Nintendo made, and make even better versions of them. I still stand on opinion that Banjo-Kazooie still trumps Super Mario 64 by a mile to this day, by understanding exactly what made that game work, and then completely building and improving to every aspect of it. IDK what went wrong with DK64 in that regard, but I wish we had like, Banjo-Kazooie to say, Ocarina of Time today. I need to see true innovation and breakthroughs on 10/10-games today...

Rare's buyout truly feels such a tragedy, and I feel that with Retro Studio's eventual diminishing, it's going to hurt even more.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I wonder if infiltrating NOA and working one's way up from there might do something. Waiting after Koizumi to change his mind on DKC and do wild creativity with the recurring cast on it would take too long.

Unless the prospective final Retro DKC has more creative freedom than the last two, anyway.

 

[pupNapoleon]

Rare's buyout truly feels such a tragedy, and I feel that with Retro Studio's eventual diminishing, it's going to hurt even more.

Great writeup overall- but can you explain this sentence before I have a heart attack?

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

Great writeup overall- but can you explain this sentence before I have a heart attack?

Might have to apologize, just threw bit of slippery theories down the slopes. Probably been too outta loop with the times, because last time I heard about Retro Studios, it was implying they had poor working practices according to rumors or something... that coupled with how Nintendo hadn't bothered asking them for new projects (until apparently in Metroid Prime 4?), made me theorize it studio might probably diminish over time.

 

[Justin Little]

Joker doesn't have a female alt. What was Jane then?

Spoiler

DIXIE CONFIRMED!!!

Spoiler

Probably not...

 

[DeniroSerafim]

It does seem kind of strange though, doesn't it? What was that Jane stuff all about?

 

[Justin Little]

I'm not to keen on the details, but they found a Jane file (in a bin?) near Joker. She had a ponytail apparently. Sorry, someone with more knowledge about it would be more helpful than I.

 

[ZeroJanitor]

maybe we're finally getting the other half of dixie's mii costume

 

[Mushroomguy12]

maybe we're finally getting the other half of dixie's mii costume

But we already have her ponytail?

Also I think having two halves of a Mii Costume split over the base game and DLC is even more unlikely than getting Dixie as a character.

 

[DeniroSerafim]

Wouldn't it be crazy if "Jane" actually was referring to Dixie being added after all? What else could that have been referring to?

 

[Ed-boy]

>Joker shown off
>No Jane alt. to be found (that I know of...)
>"Do you know what this means?!?"

But nah, this could very well be an alt. skin idea that got canned by Sakurai or Atlus.
It'd be sooo nice to be wrong, though...

 

[GoodGrief741]

It does seem kind of strange though, doesn't it? What was that Jane stuff all about?

Well, we didn't see all of Joker's alts. But I am leaning towards Jane not being a thing.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Well, we didn't see all of Joker's alts. But I am leaning towards Jane not being a thing.

We did actually.

 

[GoodGrief741]

We did actually.

Hadn't seen that. Thanks. I'm really liking those alts, especially because they reference all the Thieves like I was hoping for.

 

[New_Dumal]

I think Funky Kong is only promoted as a "top banana" because he is exclusive to the Switch.
He is a playable character that was made to show there's something new/actual effort in the port.
Also, he is a heavy Kong so it makes sense that he and Dk are the possible "player 1" characters, since Dk filled this archetype alone before.

Funky is popular, but I'm not afraid of him being more recognizable or valuable than Dixie, even considering Nintendo bias.
And while I do like Funky and Cranky I'll riot a little if they be included in Smash before Dixie. It's her time.
To be honest, she should become playable in Brawl, at max in Smash4. This situation where we're waiting for her in Ultimate DLC is beyond sad.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

I think Funky Kong is only promoted as a "top banana" because he is exclusive to the Switch.
He is a playable character that was made to show there's something new/actual effort in the port.
Also, he is a heavy Kong so it makes sense that he and Dk are the possible "player 1" characters, since Dk filled this archetype alone before.

Funky is popular, but I'm not afraid of him being more recognizable or valuable than Dixie, even considering Nintendo bias.
And while I do like Funky and Cranky I'll riot a little if they be included in Smash before Dixie. It's her time.
To be honest, she should become playable in Brawl, at max in Smash4. This situation where we're waiting for her in Ultimate DLC is beyond sad.

Agreed. Dixie should take priority over any other DK rep, at the very least.

 

[ZeroJanitor]

lately i'm thinking that a character being a spirit isn't necessarily a dealbreaker: smash has broken their own rules before and if they really wanted to they could probably promote a spirit to playable. that said, Joker and Persona's representation had a LOT of effort put into them, which sets the standard for the future DLC. and sadly i just can't imagine Dixie having that same kind of wow factor. everybody always says that Dixie is a safe/obvious pick and i think that hurts her more than helps at this point.

 

[Sabertooth]

I'm really glad some nameless PS4 anime RPG girl didn't get into Smash with no resume or history to speak of.

 

[Parallel_Falchion]

Wouldn't it be crazy if "Jane" actually was referring to Dixie being added after all? What else could that have been referring to?

Well, it could be any female character with a ponytail. Dixie Kong, Shantae, Lara Croft, Jill Valentine, etc.

Well, we didn't see all of Joker's alts. But I am leaning towards Jane not being a thing.

You can go to his page on the Smash website and click his portrait to see his alts. And you can do this for all characters.

 

[Laniv]

Wouldn't it be crazy if "Jane" actually was referring to Dixie being added after all? What else could that have been referring to?

Jane?

Jane as in, Jane Porter from Tarzan?

Tarzan of the Apes!

Apes!

Jane confirmed to be a codename for Dixie Kong