Showing posts with label Rareware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rareware. Show all posts
Friday, March 18, 2011
Playing The Classics: Donkey Kong Country: Vol 3
The nature of this game with its funky (no pun intended) save feature and level select feature, mixed with this blogger now back in school trying to earn a new degree, makes it challenging to continue through it. The game is entertaining enough as I've said but it's just hard to get motivated to use the precious little free time I have on a game where I'll have to replay significant chunks of levels if I don't make it to the next Candy location. That said, I finally made my way back into a groove with it, despite an exam on the horizon.
I am enjoying the theme of the Industries levels. However in the second level of that world, I came across a moving-platform style level that's reminiscent of those from Super Mario World. I had a bit of an issue with these however because of a somewhat minor programming decision. Donkey Kong (or Diddy if you're leading with DK) will always follow the lead player. So when I'm riding these platforms, it's hard to realize I'm not falling off or overshooting my jump when the secondary player is moving without me even doing anything. Simply when a platform changes direction, my characters shift and it's like a minor illusion. Then I came to a point where the platform lowered onto a vulture that spits rocks. I let it ride down, assuming I'd be killing it, but nope, it goes through the platform and kills Diddy. Thats some great video game logic... Then when the track was over, I felt like the platform was going to fall so I jumped but I ill-time it. So I corrected and landed back on the platform, only to roll off the other side. Give me a break. That break came in the form of the next level before the save point, Elevator Antics. It was the right kind of challenge but I didn't have to die a billion times to make it through. A well done level.
In Blackout Basement... I was torn. On the one hand it was quite challenging and for that I saw its value. On the other hand, how annoying is it that a level is in the dark half of the time as if I was starting to blackout while playing? I think what's interesting to note as a comparison with Donkey Kong Country Returns is my post-level desire. What I mean by this is that, when I beat DKCR, I was very ready to go back in for more and replay levels. Even the really tough ones were levels I salivated for. However, with Donkey Kong Country I find myself trying to get past a level, then having no desire to return. I don't know if the levels aren't as memorable or if the controls are still just a bit peculiar for me but I definitely see a difference.
The time span between writing the above portion of this and writing the below portion has been weeks. School has attacked my free time and so I haven't been able to finish this game yet. Finally though I aim to do so, in one final post about the game. I just played my way through Tanked Up Trouble and Manic Mincers, which were challenging but do able. I feel like though, that I want this game to be over already. I hate to say that about such a beloved game, and while I am having fun, there is just something about this game that I want to be over. Maybe I want the stress of the save feature gone most. I have having to retread my steps in order to successfully start from where I once was. For example, how right now I have to finish those two levels again because I used my final life at that new level with all the smog and snakes. It's enough to pull a rage quit. If I lose more than two lives in Tanked Up Trouble it makes no sense to use the rest. I should just lost them all and start fresh. I think what frustrates me most isn't so much the sometimes awkward character control, but the lack of definition in the platforms and the feet on which my monkeys stand on.
Platform Perils.... what an appropriate name, for a fun level! Finally something challenging but fun. Tons of jumping but it's not ridiculous. You know how to do it, but can you succeed? I really enjoyed this level, despite dying a few times. Finally I made it onto a boat. Admittedly I said to myself, "another world? really?" But I was optimistic for the fact that it was on a ship. Then I realized quick it was the final boss battle. I loved the music, which was familiar from playing in the past (whether it was DKCR or DKC I don't recall). K.Rool is easily the best boss battle of the game. It took a few tries until finally I knocked his ass out. ... or so I thought ... the kredits began to roll and suddenly, as I was looking at this very screen, I was jumped by that fat reptilian jerk. So I died, and tried again. This time knowing better.
When I finally beat him after his tricky move, I appreciated the coronary he apparently had. Though all the characters in this game kind of sound like they're having some kind of physical release... Then came the very Rareware thing to do and show me all the enemies. I actually generally like this sort of thing. Having the squids chase the shark and then back again was kind of funny. I do appreciate that despite the Kremlings kind of had inspiration from the original Klap Traps from the original Donkey Kong game.
All in all, after the credits rolled and the start screen returned, I felt like it was a generally fun game. My finish percentage was 48% and a play time of 2:14. Seemed a lot longer... haha. I know there's tons of letters and secrets to be found but that's just not for me. I did appreciate the blast from the past and a look into where the roots of the banana tree that is Donkey Kong Country Returns came from. I hear the sequel is even better than the first though. Perhaps I'll have to try that in time.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Playing The Classics: Donkey Kong Country: Vol 2
-- Part One --
So I assure you readers out there that I have been playing games lately, and Donkey Kong Country has been one of them. I just haven't played enough to really write more, until now.
One thing I really want to comment on with this game is the annoying save feature. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it has one at all and beggars can't be choosers, but... the save feature is completely convoluted. I play X amount of levels, only to come across Dixie Kong, who is in the middle of a world. Then I come across Funky who has his nifty ship. But if I don't make it past the boss and a few more levels, then I can't save again. It seems pointless. But wait! I can use Funky to go to a previous land to save at that Dixie... that fixes it all doesn't it? Well, no. That's even more convoluted because then if you lose all your lives, you have to go back to that save point and then make your way back to the level you wanted. It just eats up extra time and is initially confusing and is ridiculously pointless. I don't know if this changed for the second or third sequels but I'm glad Retro did away with it.
Anyhow, as I furthered my way through I came across some mine cart action. I found this to be quite fun but significantly lacking in the detection aspect. Jumps I know I should have made, didn't make it. Also, the level design was kind of boring. Still, I was happy to see them and I enjoy the fact that these aspects have been a part of the series since the first one.
I don't mean to bitch some more but in relation to the save point thing, the whole map is just clunky. It reminds me of a badly done Super Mario Bros. 3 or something. Not being able to go from world to world without a boss fight or Funky is unnecessary to me. If someone would like to explain to me why this was a design choice, I'd be happy to be enlightened. I guess one thing that is nice is seeing Funky himself. While his function is kind of pointless, I like that he's there. I just wish I didn't need him to be mobile.
Eventually I made it to a forest world. There were quite a few barrel challenges which were both a little annoying and a little enjoyable. I really liked how the levels themselves looked. Being up in the treetops seems natural for Donkey Kong and his pal Diddy. One level I played had orangutans throwing barrels at me... seemed like a nice nod to the original Donkey Kong game but way to go back on your species jerks. I find it a little hard to aim the spinning barrels in those challenges but I get by eventually. In the first snow level titled, Snow Barrel Blast, I had another set of those barrels ahead of me. I kept messing up until just a moment ago when I accidentally fired myself towards the pit below only to be caught by a hidden barrel. This barrel not only shot me along the bottom, into a ton of bananas and the final KONG letter G, but it shot me to the rest of the level. I love when games have little secrets like this. It was a nice surprise that gave me a little more fire in my belly to continue forth.
And so I shall, with the next installment.
Read Part 3
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Quest To Use 1600 Live Points
I have owned an Xbox360 since Christmas Day 2009. Around that holiday season I played the hell out of Left4Dead 2 and DJ Hero. I also played a lot of Hexic and 1 Vs 100. As I began completing these games and my short free trial of Live Gold was running out, I pretty much stopped playing altogether. I hadn't turned the machine on until this Christmas season so some family could play DJ Hero. I was lucky enough to find that a 1600 points card had come into my possession and so finally the other night I downloaded those point to my account and began downloading trials. I wish I had gotten off my ass sooner as Perfect Dark was only a measly 400 points during Christmas but I didn't. That might affect what games I get because I really do wanna play some Perfect Dark once again.
Now, I went trial-version crazy and began downloading a ton of them last night. I have over 40 gigs of space on the system, so why not? My first run at the pickings were inspired by my pals over at the Negative World forums. I asked them what I should get and they threw a ton of fantastic-looking suggestions my way. I downloaded Sonic 4 Episode 1, Braid, Super Meat Boy, Scott Pilgrim The Game, Limbo, and the Perfect Dark trial. I apparently already had demos for the disc games, Half Life 2, Kameo, and Call of Duty World At War. Those are quite dated demos nowadays and I think I did end up trying Kameo out and being unimpressed. Regardless, I started playing the games and these have been my thoughts.
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1: 1200 pts:
The demo was only the first level of the first world and I was not very impressed. The graphics looked relatively nice, certainly upgraded from their Sega Genesis counterparts, but the gameplay felt awkward or perhaps slow compared to the originals. Maybe it's not fair to judge against the old games but if the sole purpose was to rekindle that fire in the same way Donkey Kong Country Returns recently did for Donkey Kong Country fans,... it might have missed the boat too much. I couldn't imagine spending 1200 points on this, not when I only have 1600.
Braid: 800 pts:
Now this was something a little more interesting. I was told it was a time-based puzzler with platforming elements but that it wasn't specifically a platformer. Color me intrigued. The game demo just jumps right in and after I figured out the basic controls for jumping, climbing, and the mysterious time-reversing feature, I was collecting puzzle pieces left and right. Not all of them though were simple to get, and in fact I missed a handful. Some of these jumps seem wildly far for the basic controls I have at the time. The trailer for the game shows a lot more than the basic moves I have right now so I assume things get unlocked as you progress. Maybe you have to go back for them? Not according to my friend Pandareus at Negative World. I'll have to go back and give it another shot with the little tip he gave me. I made it through the first area to a small castle. A dinosaur comes out and says, "I'm sorry, but the princess is in another castle." What a nice reference Mr. Dinosaur. He then babbled on about purchasing the whole game and getting more castles that the princess might be in. I see a lot of potential here. The music is nice, the graphics are pleasant, and it's overall a fun experience. I worry that it might be a bit short, but we'll see if I pick it up. With the test run over, I moved on to the next game in the list, one that everyone has been drooling over.
Super Meat Boy: 1200 pts:
I loved the feel of it from the get go. Some pimp smacks Super Meat Boy's woman in the face and now he's got to exact revenge? That what it seems like anyway. I was nailing A+ rankings on the first two levels but on the third, I forgot to read the trick it's trying to teach you. I died so much in that chasm that I unlocked an Avatar award, and then it told me I didn't get to keep it because I don't own the full game. What a tease. Playing it again I realized it was teaching me the running jump. I shoulda known. In level 1-5 I encountered a warp zone which came with a booming voice, another achievement, and another mocking that I don't own the full game so I can't collect it. Considering I'm having fun with this and they're mocking me about not being able to collect stuff, this is an effective way to make me want to buy it. I didn't make it through all three warp zone parts initially but upon playing it again I did... only to receive yet another Super Mario Bros. reference when I was explained that the bandage girl, or whatever her name is, was in another warp zone. I love seeing indie developers paying homage to the classics. The game is quite fun, but it's 1200 points which is a little high for me considering I was hoping to get two games out of this card... We'll see. When I played the final World 1 demo level, 1-15, I died twice before successfully beating it. I found that my replay showed all my runs at once, with only one guy surviving. That was quite a neat little feature and it was even better on another level with like, fifteen of the meat boys. So far with Braid and Super Meat Boy, it's a tough decision. The Dark World too... I got a little taste of it and it must be insanely hard later on. Whether I get this game now or not, I need to at some point in the next few months.
Scott Pilgrim The Game: 800 pts:
I was surprised at how long I played this demo for. I was already a huge fan of the band, Anamanaguchi, who did the music for the game and in fact I had heard many of the tracks recently. The game resembles TMNT2 The Arcade Game from my youth, or perhaps that Simpsons Arcade Game. I had a decent amount of fun with it but these games generally aren't my thing. The only fighters I really ever cared about were those in the Super Smash Bros series. Still, this was fun and it was great kicking ass and making money as I pummeled through the seemingly infinite enemies of Toronto's streets. I liked the level up system too which seemed to give me more moves as I went on, however that's not to say I knew how to use them effectively. I was carrying an enemy and I accidentally entered Flatirons Books... who knew I could enter stores! Some chick with subtly bouncing breasts was trying to sell me books like the Vegan Cookbook and 101 Push Ups. Perhaps these were for leveling up or new moves? I bought 101 Push Ups since I could afford it. It apparently boosted my XP by 230 and my strength by 10. Kind of neat, it was like armor or something in an RPG. That's a neat addition to this kind of game. Finally after traversing that special highway and the city of Toronto I came to my first boss battle, Matthew Patel. It felt great to KO him. I've never read the comics but I loved the movie, this might be something I get down the line and I definitely will keep the demo around for quick play sessions. Also in a move against the game, I found the original Turtles Arcade game on the service for a measly 400 coin.
Limbo: 1200 pts:
If German Expressionism Cinema and Film Noir had a baby, it would be Limbo. The atmosphere is both literally and figuratively saturated in this game. From the looks of it, it's a platformer but it involves a little ingenuity. I traversed a foggy lake but once I got to the other side I needed to drag that boat over the land so I could use it to gain height. Then, like Indiana Jones, I climbed up a cliffside, leaped to a dangling vine/rope, and climbed up the cliff. It's pretty great so far, if perhaps just a little slow but I think that's the point. I think you're supposed to soak in this beady-eyed shadow-clad figure as he traverses the landscape. I eventually came to a giant spider hiding near a tree. How morbidly intriguing it was to have it kill me. What was the point? How was I to pass him? When I figured it out, how very haunting it was for him to exact his arachnid revenge. This little game is fascinating and all without background music. I wish this were a little cheaper because it seems like an amazing title but I don't know if I'm going to buy just one 1200 points game, no matter how good it is, especially when I've wanted the next game I played for so long.
Perfect Dark: 800 pts:
The moment this game booted up I felt every ounce of nostalgia flow through me. I suddenly recalled how the enemies would yell, "You bitch!" when I shoot them and how those doors sounded when you opened them. This was classic Perfect Dark but with nicer graphics and an even nicer frame rate. The change in frame rate might be the single most noticeable change. The controls were a little rough though. After being a Wii shooter guy, it's hard to go back to the inferior precision of dual analog. I'm sure though I could if I had to, I mean, the game does include auto aim. It might be cheap but it might make the overall experience that much better. I don't recall if the original had auto-aim or not. It's going to be hard NOT picking this. I wanna see the whole storyline flesh out once more. I would just use my original copy without any problem except that the analog sticks on the old N64 controllers are all quite worn out by now. They are horrible compared to those found on the Nunchuk or the Xbox360 controllers.
I had also downloaded trials for Shadow Complex, Comic Jumper, and both Banjo games but unless I misread something, they are all 1200 points.
In the end I made one final check about my choices. You see, Perfect Dark was recently a measly 400 points but I was slow this Christmas and I missed the boat on that. Still, $10 isn't bad at all and it's what I would be paying for the original non-updated version of the game if it ever released on the Wii's Virtual Console. I did a little more reading at the Perfect Dark page of one of my new favorite sites, XBLARatings.com and people seemed to love everything that has been done to it. I remember fondly how much I love this game so it's a high contender. Then I read about the other 800 points option, Braid. Apparently the game has no replay value, which makes sense, and it can be a little too short... but that's why I wanted to buy two games. This is of course without even considering I still have a decent Christmas bounty to tackle. Braid overall looks and plays really well and I never got into the Prince of Persia series so here's my chance for some time-warping action. It can be a slight precursor to the DS game I'm looking forward to, Radiant Historia. 1200 points is about $15 dollars and while I don't have more money to spend on points right now, I know I'll need to go pick up Limbo and Super Meat Boy in the future. Scott Pilgrim is fun as a demo and Sonic 4 isn't that fun in general. I've spent a lot of time today playing demos and I'll continue with the other games which are still downloading ever so slowly.
The winners of my 1600 Live points definitely go to Perfect Dark and Braid.
Do you think I made the right decisions? Have any suggestions for games I should go buy right now despite not being able to afford them? Let me know in the comments. One of these days I'll purchase a Gold account of Xbox Live, whenever that happens I'd love to kick your ass in some Perfect Dark multiplayer. Just let me know.
A quick side note is that I love how easily I bypassed the need to pay for those stupidly expensive Wi-Fi adapters. I have an Apple Airport delivering Wi-Fi through to my iMac, and it was a simple matter of plugging my Xbox360 into my iMac and then properly setting up the settings to make my Xbox360 believe my iMac was a router. I love it and I spent $0.00 on it. I helped my cousin do the same set up last night in fact. I learned all about this from this one particular youtube video which you can view here.
Now, I went trial-version crazy and began downloading a ton of them last night. I have over 40 gigs of space on the system, so why not? My first run at the pickings were inspired by my pals over at the Negative World forums. I asked them what I should get and they threw a ton of fantastic-looking suggestions my way. I downloaded Sonic 4 Episode 1, Braid, Super Meat Boy, Scott Pilgrim The Game, Limbo, and the Perfect Dark trial. I apparently already had demos for the disc games, Half Life 2, Kameo, and Call of Duty World At War. Those are quite dated demos nowadays and I think I did end up trying Kameo out and being unimpressed. Regardless, I started playing the games and these have been my thoughts.
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1: 1200 pts:
The demo was only the first level of the first world and I was not very impressed. The graphics looked relatively nice, certainly upgraded from their Sega Genesis counterparts, but the gameplay felt awkward or perhaps slow compared to the originals. Maybe it's not fair to judge against the old games but if the sole purpose was to rekindle that fire in the same way Donkey Kong Country Returns recently did for Donkey Kong Country fans,... it might have missed the boat too much. I couldn't imagine spending 1200 points on this, not when I only have 1600.
Braid: 800 pts:
Now this was something a little more interesting. I was told it was a time-based puzzler with platforming elements but that it wasn't specifically a platformer. Color me intrigued. The game demo just jumps right in and after I figured out the basic controls for jumping, climbing, and the mysterious time-reversing feature, I was collecting puzzle pieces left and right. Not all of them though were simple to get, and in fact I missed a handful. Some of these jumps seem wildly far for the basic controls I have at the time. The trailer for the game shows a lot more than the basic moves I have right now so I assume things get unlocked as you progress. Maybe you have to go back for them? Not according to my friend Pandareus at Negative World. I'll have to go back and give it another shot with the little tip he gave me. I made it through the first area to a small castle. A dinosaur comes out and says, "I'm sorry, but the princess is in another castle." What a nice reference Mr. Dinosaur. He then babbled on about purchasing the whole game and getting more castles that the princess might be in. I see a lot of potential here. The music is nice, the graphics are pleasant, and it's overall a fun experience. I worry that it might be a bit short, but we'll see if I pick it up. With the test run over, I moved on to the next game in the list, one that everyone has been drooling over.
Super Meat Boy: 1200 pts:
I loved the feel of it from the get go. Some pimp smacks Super Meat Boy's woman in the face and now he's got to exact revenge? That what it seems like anyway. I was nailing A+ rankings on the first two levels but on the third, I forgot to read the trick it's trying to teach you. I died so much in that chasm that I unlocked an Avatar award, and then it told me I didn't get to keep it because I don't own the full game. What a tease. Playing it again I realized it was teaching me the running jump. I shoulda known. In level 1-5 I encountered a warp zone which came with a booming voice, another achievement, and another mocking that I don't own the full game so I can't collect it. Considering I'm having fun with this and they're mocking me about not being able to collect stuff, this is an effective way to make me want to buy it. I didn't make it through all three warp zone parts initially but upon playing it again I did... only to receive yet another Super Mario Bros. reference when I was explained that the bandage girl, or whatever her name is, was in another warp zone. I love seeing indie developers paying homage to the classics. The game is quite fun, but it's 1200 points which is a little high for me considering I was hoping to get two games out of this card... We'll see. When I played the final World 1 demo level, 1-15, I died twice before successfully beating it. I found that my replay showed all my runs at once, with only one guy surviving. That was quite a neat little feature and it was even better on another level with like, fifteen of the meat boys. So far with Braid and Super Meat Boy, it's a tough decision. The Dark World too... I got a little taste of it and it must be insanely hard later on. Whether I get this game now or not, I need to at some point in the next few months.
Scott Pilgrim The Game: 800 pts:
I was surprised at how long I played this demo for. I was already a huge fan of the band, Anamanaguchi, who did the music for the game and in fact I had heard many of the tracks recently. The game resembles TMNT2 The Arcade Game from my youth, or perhaps that Simpsons Arcade Game. I had a decent amount of fun with it but these games generally aren't my thing. The only fighters I really ever cared about were those in the Super Smash Bros series. Still, this was fun and it was great kicking ass and making money as I pummeled through the seemingly infinite enemies of Toronto's streets. I liked the level up system too which seemed to give me more moves as I went on, however that's not to say I knew how to use them effectively. I was carrying an enemy and I accidentally entered Flatirons Books... who knew I could enter stores! Some chick with subtly bouncing breasts was trying to sell me books like the Vegan Cookbook and 101 Push Ups. Perhaps these were for leveling up or new moves? I bought 101 Push Ups since I could afford it. It apparently boosted my XP by 230 and my strength by 10. Kind of neat, it was like armor or something in an RPG. That's a neat addition to this kind of game. Finally after traversing that special highway and the city of Toronto I came to my first boss battle, Matthew Patel. It felt great to KO him. I've never read the comics but I loved the movie, this might be something I get down the line and I definitely will keep the demo around for quick play sessions. Also in a move against the game, I found the original Turtles Arcade game on the service for a measly 400 coin.
Limbo: 1200 pts:
If German Expressionism Cinema and Film Noir had a baby, it would be Limbo. The atmosphere is both literally and figuratively saturated in this game. From the looks of it, it's a platformer but it involves a little ingenuity. I traversed a foggy lake but once I got to the other side I needed to drag that boat over the land so I could use it to gain height. Then, like Indiana Jones, I climbed up a cliffside, leaped to a dangling vine/rope, and climbed up the cliff. It's pretty great so far, if perhaps just a little slow but I think that's the point. I think you're supposed to soak in this beady-eyed shadow-clad figure as he traverses the landscape. I eventually came to a giant spider hiding near a tree. How morbidly intriguing it was to have it kill me. What was the point? How was I to pass him? When I figured it out, how very haunting it was for him to exact his arachnid revenge. This little game is fascinating and all without background music. I wish this were a little cheaper because it seems like an amazing title but I don't know if I'm going to buy just one 1200 points game, no matter how good it is, especially when I've wanted the next game I played for so long.
Perfect Dark: 800 pts:
The moment this game booted up I felt every ounce of nostalgia flow through me. I suddenly recalled how the enemies would yell, "You bitch!" when I shoot them and how those doors sounded when you opened them. This was classic Perfect Dark but with nicer graphics and an even nicer frame rate. The change in frame rate might be the single most noticeable change. The controls were a little rough though. After being a Wii shooter guy, it's hard to go back to the inferior precision of dual analog. I'm sure though I could if I had to, I mean, the game does include auto aim. It might be cheap but it might make the overall experience that much better. I don't recall if the original had auto-aim or not. It's going to be hard NOT picking this. I wanna see the whole storyline flesh out once more. I would just use my original copy without any problem except that the analog sticks on the old N64 controllers are all quite worn out by now. They are horrible compared to those found on the Nunchuk or the Xbox360 controllers.
I had also downloaded trials for Shadow Complex, Comic Jumper, and both Banjo games but unless I misread something, they are all 1200 points.
In the end I made one final check about my choices. You see, Perfect Dark was recently a measly 400 points but I was slow this Christmas and I missed the boat on that. Still, $10 isn't bad at all and it's what I would be paying for the original non-updated version of the game if it ever released on the Wii's Virtual Console. I did a little more reading at the Perfect Dark page of one of my new favorite sites, XBLARatings.com and people seemed to love everything that has been done to it. I remember fondly how much I love this game so it's a high contender. Then I read about the other 800 points option, Braid. Apparently the game has no replay value, which makes sense, and it can be a little too short... but that's why I wanted to buy two games. This is of course without even considering I still have a decent Christmas bounty to tackle. Braid overall looks and plays really well and I never got into the Prince of Persia series so here's my chance for some time-warping action. It can be a slight precursor to the DS game I'm looking forward to, Radiant Historia. 1200 points is about $15 dollars and while I don't have more money to spend on points right now, I know I'll need to go pick up Limbo and Super Meat Boy in the future. Scott Pilgrim is fun as a demo and Sonic 4 isn't that fun in general. I've spent a lot of time today playing demos and I'll continue with the other games which are still downloading ever so slowly.
The winners of my 1600 Live points definitely go to Perfect Dark and Braid.
Do you think I made the right decisions? Have any suggestions for games I should go buy right now despite not being able to afford them? Let me know in the comments. One of these days I'll purchase a Gold account of Xbox Live, whenever that happens I'd love to kick your ass in some Perfect Dark multiplayer. Just let me know.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Playing The Classics: Donkey Kong Country: Vol 1
On Christmas morning, as a part of a Secret Santa thing I was participating in over at the Negative World forums, I received in my Wii the game, Donkey Kong Country. The original bananarama from the Super Nintendo back in 1994. Like an ape calling out through the jungle, it called to me and said, "You love the new one, play the original!" It called to me and so I answered. Welcome to the Playing The Classics for Donkey Kong Country.
From the get-go there's one thing to notice. The graphics are crude. I know they were good for back in the day, but they certainly do look muddy and it's a lot harder to tell what is a solid platform and what isn't. However I wont knock it for that because frankly it is insanely unfair to judge an older game by a sequel releasing sixteen years later. That'd be like a more minor version of judging Star Wars Episode 4 by Star Wars Episode 1. However in that case, the former still beats the latter. I digress, and yet I will still continue to make comparisons. There are all these synapses firing off in my head over just what Donkey Kong Country Returns borrowed from this game and the series as a whole. If you haven't, go read my Donkey Kong Country Returns Review to see what I thought about that game.
Now, in the first three levels I've noticed that while obviously the idea is the same, DKCR has borrowed some key stuff. The menu music and other tunes have already made their 16-bit presence known. The barrel throwing action has been seen plenty. Also, Rambi the Rhino has made his first appearance, acting just as I know him from DKCR. I don't know if it's a chicken or an egg story but I'm liking parts of this game because of what I know from DKCR. It feels like some sort of Grandfather Paradox though without the murder. Already too in this first 'world' of the game I played as another animal character. I played as Expresso the Ostrich. It took me a moment to put together that Expresso could fly but when I did figure that out, it was kind of fun. I wouldn't say I would have missed him in the Retro Studios sequel but perhaps it would have been fun to have some more animals besides Rambi. I'm pretty excited to get to meet the infamous Enguarde the Swordfish. I've heard a lot about him and for me as someone who has never played this game before, I feel like Enguarde is even more noteworthy than Rambi. At the least, my knowledge of Enguarde was greater anyway. The last major similarity, which I knew was a staple of the series since the beginning, was the Kong Letters. I like having those back because not only am I collect-a-thon kind of person, but they typically help lure you into certain secret or hard to reach areas, thus making you a better, or at least a more perceptive, gamer.
So I battled the first three levels, spoke with that cranky bastard Cranky, and found a hidden room or two. So far so good. Was I a fool to have dismissed this series until just recently? Probably, but only time will really tell. As you might realize, I am in the middle of Playing The Classics: The Lost Levels as well. I'll be playing both games and keeping up with those posts so don't think I'm choosing one game over the other. It's classic mayhem here at the DrFinkelstein gaming bunker... (note: Not a real bunker). Lastly, I want to wish you readers out there a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays.
Read Part 2
From the get-go there's one thing to notice. The graphics are crude. I know they were good for back in the day, but they certainly do look muddy and it's a lot harder to tell what is a solid platform and what isn't. However I wont knock it for that because frankly it is insanely unfair to judge an older game by a sequel releasing sixteen years later. That'd be like a more minor version of judging Star Wars Episode 4 by Star Wars Episode 1. However in that case, the former still beats the latter. I digress, and yet I will still continue to make comparisons. There are all these synapses firing off in my head over just what Donkey Kong Country Returns borrowed from this game and the series as a whole. If you haven't, go read my Donkey Kong Country Returns Review to see what I thought about that game.
Now, in the first three levels I've noticed that while obviously the idea is the same, DKCR has borrowed some key stuff. The menu music and other tunes have already made their 16-bit presence known. The barrel throwing action has been seen plenty. Also, Rambi the Rhino has made his first appearance, acting just as I know him from DKCR. I don't know if it's a chicken or an egg story but I'm liking parts of this game because of what I know from DKCR. It feels like some sort of Grandfather Paradox though without the murder. Already too in this first 'world' of the game I played as another animal character. I played as Expresso the Ostrich. It took me a moment to put together that Expresso could fly but when I did figure that out, it was kind of fun. I wouldn't say I would have missed him in the Retro Studios sequel but perhaps it would have been fun to have some more animals besides Rambi. I'm pretty excited to get to meet the infamous Enguarde the Swordfish. I've heard a lot about him and for me as someone who has never played this game before, I feel like Enguarde is even more noteworthy than Rambi. At the least, my knowledge of Enguarde was greater anyway. The last major similarity, which I knew was a staple of the series since the beginning, was the Kong Letters. I like having those back because not only am I collect-a-thon kind of person, but they typically help lure you into certain secret or hard to reach areas, thus making you a better, or at least a more perceptive, gamer.
So I battled the first three levels, spoke with that cranky bastard Cranky, and found a hidden room or two. So far so good. Was I a fool to have dismissed this series until just recently? Probably, but only time will really tell. As you might realize, I am in the middle of Playing The Classics: The Lost Levels as well. I'll be playing both games and keeping up with those posts so don't think I'm choosing one game over the other. It's classic mayhem here at the DrFinkelstein gaming bunker... (note: Not a real bunker). Lastly, I want to wish you readers out there a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays.
Eat, Drink, Game, and Be Merry.
Read Part 2
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