Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze review

[BIG EDD]

Had this delivered today thanks to the games collection,earliest I had a game in ages.Well I don't know how I feel if I'm honest.The graphics are colourful but seem clunky and jagged.The soundtrack is excellent but when it comes to the gameplay,there's a huge wiff of Deja vu.I bought the wii and 3ds versions and the wii u version just seems to close for comfort.Granted I'm only on the second world but I'm feeling quite gutted that being a wii u launch owner,Nintendo just seems to be stringing out the same ideas time and time again.Don't get me wrong I love the big N but instead of going forward with their amazing catalog they are playing too safe for my liking.
I'd like to see some comments off members who play the game,maybe it's me and been spoilt with the xbox one and ps4 or was I expecting to much from the DK series?
As I say,I'm only on the second world and other worlds might ignite my DK passion only game time well tell

[PaTaito]

Surprised to hear you dont rate the visuals, it looks beautiful in the videos.

I kind of expected that it was samey though from the way its reviewed...need to add variety in the stages like in DKC2 where you had the parrot stages etc.

My copy arrives in a bit so i'll have a bash.

[BIG EDD]

Surprised to hear you dont rate the visuals, it looks beautiful in the videos.

I kind of expected that it was samey though from the way its reviewed...need to add variety in the stages like in DKC2 where you had the parrot stages etc.

My copy arrives in a bit so i'll have a bash.

Only now had a chance to update,as for the visuals I had the display on the wrong settingsIt does look very colourful and there are some lovely animations throughout the levels.Another mention for the soundtrack,really is superb
On world 3 now and starting to enjoy it more but the usual high difficulty level on some stages are pad throwing stylelevel 2-2 was a right pain in the arse with blowing leaves to jump on and platforms that crumble once you have landed on them grrrrrrrr

[Neon Ignition]

Part of me doesn't want to get this but another does. I can't stress enough how fond I am of the first three games but Returns was quickly a chore. Good as Retro are they just don't get the series as much as they think they do, Returns was flawed but mostly forgivable just by virtue of having the series back but this has always looked too safe and generic a follow up. That said it is a new entry and given the series I don't fancy I'll resist well when I see it on shelves for sale so imagine I'll be playing it too. Hope its decent enough despite the difficulty once again showing poor decision making.

[PaTaito]

I have mine now, played through world 1 and its a superb game.

Underwater elements(which are mixed into the levels really well) add another dimension, along with far more places for hidden items, and expand the game beyond anything the already superb DKCR offered up. Its also nice to see the range of characters fully expanded, and the whole package is polished to perfection.

Graphics and music are both lovely.

I like the difficulty of the DCKR series so far, i think it nails it between modern ease and 80's brutality...its only when you go for all the items that its very difficult, as it should be, its a rewarding game.

[MarioMark]

Got mine from shopto and absolutely love it! Another fantastic Wii U game.

I loved DKC:R and this is more of the same which for me isn't a bad thing. It's challenging but in a good way. A far better 2D platformer than the thoughtless New Super Mario Bros series, some brilliant ideas have been implemented.

There are various control methods and configurations which take some getting used to but I'm set with using the pro controller on default analog settings. There's a D-Pad setting but you have to hold run button down where as the analog setting auto runs.

Graphically it's superb, some brilliant animations in the boss battles and some nice looking fur on Donkey Kong. It's very colourful and looks great thanks to the HD upgrade. Also it's 60FPS just like you'd expect from a Wii U game

It's nice to have a choice of sidekick characters, including Cranky Kong!

It's definitely keeping the 2D platform genre very recent, it's a pity it will only sell about 10 copies and not get the credit it deserves.

[BIG EDD]

Well on world 3 now and I must hold my hand up and say I was TOO quick to judge
The animations through the worlds and changing camera perspectives are excellent
The underwater levels are great as PaTaito has pointed out and the remixed underwater soundtracks are just sublime,David Wise comes up trumps again

[dataDave]

I left my copy at work like a teat.

[RuBiQ]

Only just started the 2nd world myself so too early to make a proper opinion but it does feel very much so like the 3DS and Wii versions rather than the old snes versions.. Dont think its a bad thing, the graffics and audios are both lovely, enjoyed the 1st boss too..

WAiting for the little dude to goto bed so i can continue with my game, the levels themselfs are not too difficult but as others said, the collectables are no easy feat to find..

[Neon Ignition]

On world 4-2 now and if I'm being honest I prefer it to Returns, the levels have more flow to them and whilst difficult at times its not as poorly judged as Returns could be. Music is great and it all looks decent despite effectively looking like a HD Wii game. The addition characters add little for me, Cranky is a touch too fiddly and underused whilst Diddy and Dixie are identical pretty much just offering a double jump. The Islands could do with more variety in appearance but Island 3 and 4 have marked an improvement. See how it goes for the remaing island and a half

[Nu-Eclipse]

Barring another major price drop I'm unlikely to even consider purchasing a Wii U at present, so I wouldn't mind seeing a 3DS port of this at some point, a la DKCR.

[Neon Ignition]

Wouldn't surprise me to see one, nothing about requires a WiiU. Would work well on 3DS

[PaTaito]

This would require substantially reducing down for the 3ds, and i hated the 30fps framerate on the 3ds version of returns...it was playable, but felt wrong for me.

[Adam Stone]

Been playing this too and it really is rather lovely.

...as well as being quite brutal. Perhaps I'm just crap at games now, but i'm finding i'm using up more balloons (lives) than i would have expected!

Visually, I am loving the insane attention to detail and the fantastic artistic direction - most notably present in the vistas/environments. The creatures are so-so but the world feels alive. Also the music is gorgeous at times - very special indeed.

The level design is often hugely inspired; it's amazing to see how much variety a Side-Scrolling Platform game can offer. The camera angles are used very creatively - makes me excited to see what retro do for the Morph-ball sections in the new Metroid :-p

I like how the level flow is unpredictable: constantly introducing new ideas, new set-pieces while almost always reinventing ways to jump from A to B to ensure it never (not yet at least) feels stale.

Having said all that - I do think this is all too soon after the previous DK games (on wii and 3ds) and i do wish Retro had been working on something else: whether that be something new or a new Metroid. But having said that, i'm equally pleased to be playing this right now and hopefully all of the knowledge gained for the wii u tech will only help make their next project better - so it's all win.

Finally, this and Rayman Legends make the New Super Mario Bros games (the side-scrolling ones) look dull, lifeless in comparison. I would love to see Retro do a side-scrolling mario.... :-p

[briareos_kerensky]

...as well as being quite brutal. Perhaps I'm just crap at games now, but i'm finding i'm using up more balloons (lives) than i would have expected!

My copy is on its way...is this brutality due to genuine harsh level design (platforms, enemy movements, timing) or to some overzealous hit zones? I've found those to be the biggest obstacle in Returns, often killing me because one of Kong's fingernails touched an enemy's nostril.