DKC Atlas Forum

[Simion32]

EDIT: You know what, no. There is legitimately no reason to complain about this game, outside of "NO KREMLINGS/WATER LEVELS WTFFF". I have literally been praying for this game my entire life, and it's effing HERE. Plus, look at this screenshot-



Now haters, shut the f--- up.

Agreed.

Heck, would ya look at that? The bananas are even aligned to the track, just as if they were using the same banana grid system. Even the size proportions of DK and Diddy compared to the environment and bananas looks exactly correct! When retro said they had to get the animation right, they really meant it.

The more I look at that image, the more I think.... "EPICNESS!!! "

[Scraps69]

Oh good . Harmony in the DKC-Atlas forums once again heh.

Anyhow, you know what would really be sad? If the Tiki's kidnapped Cranky Kong at the beginning of the game and then murdered him halfway through. That would be a bit serious and emotional no?

EDIT: And I think you guys should truly start sending death threats to Retro if Donkey Kong had to start making his own custom built vehicles to complete challenges... hmmm...

[DK4Ever]

Good lords! Not Cranky! Nooo Tiki! Not the idol by which the majority of the gamers in my generation now dole out the harshness!

(And by that I mean, so many of us nowadays look at some new games or TV shows and go: "Well, back in MY day, we had much BETTER yadayadayada and this show sucks compared to yadayadayada and you had to work twice as hard to get 100% in yadayadayada" Gotta love Rare's clairvoyance. )

That screenshot is totally awesome, and it really makes me interested to see all the environments planned for the game. And if the worlds themselves are going to follow themes similar to the way the trilogy did.

And I'm with Kiddy on that "All the Crocodile bits smell like a trap" thing. They just do...

BUT WHO CARES? AWESOME!!!!

[Kingizor]

I'll start by saying I feel like the only person here that is not going to purchase this game any time within the next 10 or 15 years. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to its release and the reactions across the community.

I personally cannot think of this game as a sequel to the DKC trilogy that we all know and love, because it has been like, fifteen years since DKC3. If you look at it from Retro's, or Nintendo's point of view, this game is probably aimed more at a new generation of DK fans, rather than those of us who were around for the original trilogy. So, we can expect plenty of new elements, good or bad, in both in gameplay and the storyline/world of Donkey Kong.

There will no doubt be plenty of similarities or references to previous games in the series, but I don't think we know nearly enough yet to form a decent opinion. This game could be an abomination for all we know, but from what we've seen, it's probably not.

This 3D side scrolling thing does look quite good, but it's far too early to judge if this will have all that we want in a new DK game. I think most of us, deep down, are willing to accept a new game, good or otherwise. We shall see...

Spoiler!

I kinda feel like I'm stating the obvious, but yeah whatever... And as for reptiles like me who refuse to conform to modern gaming, there is always the various projects in development here, that will perhaps, some day, allow us to reinvent the classics as we see fit...

Still, I'm looking forward to the new game and everything else that is going on, so I'm not complaining..

[Tiptup Jr.]

Well... see, there`ll probably never be a "Donkey Kong Country 4", in the way that you`re thinking. Rare isn`t going near DK any time soon. But it`s like, what if they called New Super Mario Bros. Wii Super Mario Bros. 4? Wouldn`t you be a little offended by that? Of course this game will be different. It`s been years. But at least Retro cares about Donkey Kong Country, and have not gone completely downhill since their last good game (Rare, with Kinect Sports and all, would be quite ill-suited for this project.)

That is all.

[Kingizor]

I pretty much agree with all that, I suppose my point is, well, these are different times now, different developer and ultimately a different game, I'm just interested to see how it turns out. I couldn't help being just a tad annoyed by how much was introduced in DK64, but at the same time I'm very pleased that the series continued to progress. I'm still looking forward to the game though, and whatever else will follow in years to come.

Oh, and when I said I wasn't going to buy the game that's partly because I'd have to buy a Wii to go with it, and a tv as well now that I think of it...

[DK!]

anyone alse here care about the DK coins?? i hope they're still in the game....I also hope for some Kremlings either later on in the game or in a sequel:)
except for this...HELLLLLLLL YEAHHHHHHHHHHH I CANT WAIT TO PLAY THIS AWSOME GAME! Donkey Kong is BACK! Finaly after 14 long long years of hoping....

[shadowjosh85]

Hero Coins, for the win.

As a Sonic fan, the backhanded swipes at us was unappreciated. The problem with Sonic fans is that there's a split base and a lot of people in the media tend to overplay things. A lot of us can take change and accept new stuff, as long as it's good. Adventure and Heroes? Yes, please/ Shadow and 2006? Nooooooo. And we like Rush too.

I bring this up to say this... there's criticism with Sonic 4 because it's somewhat re-hashy in terms of enemies and bosses. DKCReturns seems to be getting criticism because it's brand new. When series get sequals after a long period...you're going to get people who pictured that sequal in their heads wondering why things aren't the way they wanted it. If DKCR looked like DKC2part2, people would be saying they played that game 15 years ago. It's a delicate balance.

Ultimately....if it's good, that's the goal. Even if it doesn't feel classic enough, a good game will revive interest in the series.

[DK4Ever]

I don't know, it seems more like, even given that one comparison you used, that DKCR would be more appreciated if it had it's original main villain.

From the way that was worded and the way I understand it anyway, something like Mario or Sonic who have WHO KNOWS how many games, are often (Given the quality is still good) had much more praise when they change things up a bit.

However, with a series like DKC, it would seem to work better, since the series hasn't had a well-known, GOOD game in at least 11 years, that keeping things the same (at least in the villain department) would be a better direction to go, since people (and actually Retro) are apparently trying to make it feel like the series did.

However, that said, I have no quarrels with DKCR and am looking forward to it.

[Jomingo]

I think it shows how DKC can still be a relevant new game again. If they had made it just a rehash of DKC with nothing new than it would just be trying to cash in on 15 year old nostalgia. Since this is a new game it shows that they are treating the series like it still can have new games, and not just remake old ones. We're legit.

[shadowjosh85]

I think it shows how DKC can still be a relevant new game again. If they had made it just a rehash of DKC with nothing new than it would just be trying to cash in on 15 year old nostalgia. Since this is a new game it shows that they are treating the series like it still can have new games, and not just remake old ones. We're legit.

Agreed.

Ultimately, any new game makes us nervous though. We only want the best for the franchise. Now, let's get down to business.

Is there anything people would like to see changed from the classics?

[Tiptup Jr.]

NO.

[Jomingo]

I have nothing in particular that I want changed, but I do want change. I don't want the exact same game with a different coat of paint, but there's nothing that really stands out as "this needs to be changed". I don't want a ton of change so much as I want improvement. I want them to take concepts we are already familiar with and make them better.

[Simion32]

Yeah, I'd say that post sums up my opinion quite adequately. I really don't see anything that screams CHANGE IT NOW but the game still needs to be different. If DKCR was not new in any way at all, then it would be boring due to repetition.

[Scraps69]

I was never fond of the 'pick buddy up' and throw them system. So, I'm glad that's out of DKCReturns.

[Cosmicman]

I don't think this game will be boring if its considered to be a repetition of the old games, 15 years is a long time, I'm sure the new generation of gamers have not really experienced all three games so it wouldn't be bothered by that, and the old gamers that still play don't want to see the game drifting away from the original roots.

I made it clear I was really disappointed by Retro choosing not to include at least part of the original batch of enemies from the series, and now they drop another bomb, no water levels? wait , what? why ? There is enough technology to make a water level fun in case they think it was slow and boring as they said, plus I don't agree with their opinion, the games were filled with fast paced levels, those water levels offered a good balance to the game.

Now , I don't know if its clear but no animal buddies? From the trailers I have only seen very weak and poor designed enemies just sitting there not doing anything in a very very slow paced level, so there might no use for animal buddies at all.

For sure I won't be one of those that will automatically love the game because it says Donkey Kong in the title, I'll wait and see, even though for now the game really looks awesome and I'm sure it will be fun to play, those few bad choices really hurt the game from being a true successor to the series, in my opinion. I get the feeling I will be playing and saying " what if they did this instead " through the whole game.

[Kingizor]

The problem with water levels was that you couldn't do anything but swim carefully to avoid enemies you can't defeat, unless you had Enguarde. This is probably the reason the underwater levels seemed slower (notice Mario games have had the same drawback). However it does add another style of gameplay (albeit frustrating), and is perhaps a bit more balanced with them included. I'm sure Retro have probably thought of something to widen the scope a bit, to compensate for the exclusion of the water levels.

[Jomingo]

There is a very (very) good chance there are animal buddies in this game. They hinted at it.

[Tiptup Jr.]

To be fair, Retro really hasn`t hinted at animal buddies. They were asked about them, and replied with a vague "Wait and see". Doesn`t mean Parry the parallel bird is the game`s most important character.

And I also think they could`ve included water levels. It really says something about Retro, they just decided not to include something because they couldn`t make it "fun"... slight lack of willpower/determination I`m seeing.

But hey! You know what would make me shut up about this game forever? Funky and Dixie mode. We`ve been asking for it since Jungle Climber, Retro, now let`s make it happen.

[thetoad11]

Okay, so I really do understand everyones dissapointment, and yeah, I was quite dissappointed about there being no K. Rool in the game, and no kremlings, and no water levels, but we shouldn't dwell on these little things. I've been playing the DKC series since birth (Uh-huh, that's right, I was raised by Donkey kong), and am unhappy about the Kremlings absence, but maybe we should try not to make this game sound bad because of it. If say that it will be low in quality just because there's no water levels, or Kremlings, then the game will turn out to be lesser in quality, just because we were somewhat biased towards it.

Yeah, the game's main villain is missing, and so are all his goons, but I'm sure that there is a reasonable explanation for it. The no water levels thing is kinda stupid in my opinion, because you could always try to make water levels speed up if you desperately wanted to, and water levels just the way they are, are kinda a given. They balance things out, a more relaxing, careful level amidst the fast paced action, if you ask me, but frankly, that's no reason to be getting angry!

We should all just look at this game with open minds, and not judge it on a few iffy decisions that retro made.

[Jomingo]

Yes, they did "hint" at animal buddies. They've all but confirmed them.

Anyway, in a German magazine they had an interview. It was posted and translated at the DKU, here's the main details:
-They confirmed that unlocking secrets will get you secret levels (lost world?).
-When asked about Cranky and K. Rool, they said no crocodiles, and avoided the Cranky question, while saying that there was no Lanky Kong even though they weren't asked. So Cranky is all but confirmed.
-When asked about Rambi and Enguarde they said they'd do their best and when asked about no Water levels they said no water levels.
-When asked if no water levels means no swordfish they did not say that Enguarde wasn't in the game. I wonder how he could appear with no water levels, but they didn't deny his inclusion.



If one friggin' person complains about no Lanky Kong I swear to god...

[thetoad11]

Who needs Lanky kong anyways...

There are probably animal buddies in the game. It would definately not be a Donkey kong country game without them. The animal buddies are an important part to the gameplay. Part of me hopes that maybe they'll add some new animal buddies. That would be cool, of course, if animal buddies ARE in the game, which they better be, in my opinion. Yeah, the K Rool thing, dissapointing, but not affecting gameplay. No animal buddies would affect gameplay. ALOT. And dissapoint fans. Alot of fans.

[Tiptup Jr.]

So, in all honesty... I am kind of upset about Lanky. They weren't even asked about him, and they just felt obligated to scream "100% LANKY-FREE" like they were proud of it. Dang.

[Jomingo]

I guess you couldn't tell, but it was a joke. They were asked about important Kongs, and they threw out what should have been a very obvious exclusion of a very ridiculous character to expect. I like Lanky, but there was never a question that he wouldn't be in this game, and it was just thrown out as a joke to jump around the question, signalling that Cranky is almost certainly in the game. They did the closest thing to confirming him without actually doing it.


You guys might not be able to read between the lines, but if Cranky and Animal Buddies aren't in this game I will chop off one of my fingers. They are there, so quit your whining about dumb water levels.

I mean seriously, Kremlings I get, but the fact that they didn't include water levels is not a big deal. It's not as iconic as jungles or minecarts. They can't include everything and if it hadn't been water levels it would've been something else. Then you'd be complaining about no Cave levels or no Treetop levels. Some stuff isn't going to be here. Most of the important stuff will, and I won't be surprised when we get some neat surprises we aren't expecting. The only thing this game has done wrong is call itself Donkey Kong Country Returns because that has raised expectations beyond the realm of logic. Even Rare wouldn't just make a carbon copy of DKC and call it new. They made DK64 as far from DKC as they could and a lot of you liked that.


Last question, did you ever really expect Lanky? Really?

[DK4Ever]

I didn't expect Lanky, I liked him, but I don't care that he's not here, I mean, he's not as iconic or necessary to the series, honestly.

Speaking of reading between the lines, I still find something VERY strange about their answer to the K. Rool question. Whether he's in or out, you think they wouldn't need to be so cryptic. "No Crocodiles". Specifically crocodiles. I find it VERY suspicious. It may not be much, but I suspect something...

Maybe that DKU post about his brothers the Alligator Tribe (Or other pirates, I can't remember) showing up isn't far from the truth. Or least likely, K. Rool has amnesia, after having an egg dropped on him, and thinks he's an Alligator. Or a Tiki. DUN DUN DUN.

Did anyone really think there wouldn't be animal buddies besides that one troll? Come on now, guys. It's Retro. And of COURSE Cranky will be in it...

You guys worry too much sometimes.

[Simion32]

Speaking of reading between the lines, I still find something VERY strange about their answer to the K. Rool question. Whether he's in or out, you think they wouldn't need to be so cryptic. "No Crocodiles". Specifically crocodiles. I find it VERY suspicious. It may not be much, but I suspect something...

Definitely, there's something screwy with their statement.

Like "there's no crocodiles" is supposed to mean there are no literal crocodiles. They are obviously DKC fans, they would know that K. Rool and his cronies are called Kremlings... but at every chance they get, they avoid the use of that word, preferring to say "crocodiles".

POSSIBLY, this MIGHT be a white lie of sorts, and they are only giving us a half-truth: There are no generic non-kremling crocodiles in DKCR. I'm not going to get my hopes up for nothing, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was an inside joke.

[DK4Ever]

Yeah, y'know, looking on the brightest side of this, everything we know so far can be interpreted positively.

First, we haven't yet heard anyone from Retro definitely say that K. Rool and the Kremlings aren't in the game. They've never come out and said that.

Second, all we've heard from them on the subject is "No crocodiles" many times, as well as "Do they need to?" when asked if they were returning in passing.

"No crocodiles" is very vague, as you said, and might be an inside joke, because no one from Retro has actually SAID Kremling yet, or mentioned K. Rool at all, in fact, in the first interview that popped up, they avoided a question about K. Rool and the plot, instead of saying "Oh, he's not part of the plot". The only things they've said are definitely not going to be in the game, for certain, are underwater levels and Lanky.

"Do they need to?" could easily, and, given the context in which Tanabe-san asked it, probably was more of a "What, is it not good without them?" sort of question. Meaning that they're probably in there in some form, but he was wondering whether or not people felt the game would be ruined if they happened to not be in there. (Basically, everything they've done so far on the game is pointless without Kremlings) is what I get from his question.

I can't really think of a better way to positively word what I'm thinking, hopefully you guys get it.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Eh. I'm just a bitter old chap who will never get over the Rare buyout, so ninety percent of my complaining should be completely ignored- but other perfectly sane people are upset about K. Rool and the Kremlings. So that's good.

I think Retro and Nintendo are just trying to raise false hope within the fanbase by using terms like "crocodiles, alligators, swordfish with wings", etc. I highly doubt Kremlings will show up at all. I'd love to be proven wrong. And I'm not feeling so good about their reluctance to confirm animal buddies, no matter how much they've "hinted" at them.

[DK4Ever]

Good lord, Tiptup. It's all a conspiracy, eh mate?

I seriously doubt Nintendo cares SO much about selling DKCR that they'd have Retro lie and lay false hints around for the fans to wonder about. Even if K. Rool isn't included, I doubt Nintendo has had any part in "making it look like he has".

Why does it seem unlikely that there are animal buddies? Hints are hints. Hints aren't lies. If there weren't animal buddies, they WOULD say it, just like with Lanky and water levels. "We didn't feel they added anything to the game." But they didn't say that, did they?

And since they've never used the words "Alligator, or Swordfish with Wings", I'm going to keep on smiling. Have you played Metroid Prime, mate? If Retro are as big of DKC fans at LEAST as they are Metroid, I'm sure we've got nothing to worry about. I'm not worried.

Edit: Speaking of their reluctance to confirm something, didn't I point out that's a GOOD thing?

[Jomingo]

They did use the term swordfish with wings but it was a joke.


Anyway, I would take the "No Crocodiles" comment as what it seems at face value. I don't think they are secretly trying to conceal the presence of Kremlings, and I've come to grips with that. It doesn't sound like a secret hint to me, and if you guys keep thinking that then you'll probably be disappointed if the Kremlings aren't in. They seem to be making clear there are no Kremlings, although using the wrong terminology mistakenly.

Also, the president of Retro worked on the original DKC when he was with Nintendo of America, so I have confidence they are as big of fans as they claim to be.

Lastly, they are reluctant to confirm Animal Buddies because they want it to be a surprise. They would not be reluctant to say they aren't in if they weren't. They would not raise false hope with the heavy hints they're dropping. They are operating like companies used to and should do: they're revealing very little at a time and letting big things be surprises, just like all of Rare's games did. There will probably be surprises we don't know about until after the game comes out.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Yay, it's got its own subforum! That's trippy... trippily EPIC!

*editz*- I am very honored to have started this thread.

[DK4Ever]

Hooray! New sub-forum! Does this mean Qyzbud has returned at last?

[Tiptup Jr.]

I saw him online earlier, so I assume so. It`s just so strange... There`s another DKC. Gosh.

[Jomingo]

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=341

This topic turned out to be true^

Also, my article turned out to be true also:
http://www.dkc-atlas.com/articles/?show=topic&t=902

I called it New Donkey Kong Country, but that's the same as DKCR.

So yeah, I'm always right and stuff.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Well. I think, deep down, quite a few of us were secretly suspecting/praying frantically that a new DKC would show up. Thing is, if you voiced these speculations, you were immediately shot down and ridiculed because Nintendo is evil and Rare is God.

[/rational thinking of mid-2000's Donkey Kong fans.]

[Jomingo]

As well you should've been shot down anywhere from 2003 through 2006 (at least). It was rational thinking, it was logically reasoned based upon the information we were given. For years we were practically forced to believe what we did, and up until 2008 it was pretty much justifiable. From 2008 to now they've been working on DKCR, so it really wasn't justified, but before then we had reasons to believe what we did.

Though I've been quite adamantly defending the idea of a new DKC for a while now, it made just as much sense if not more to believe it wasn't happening. Some adamantly believed the idea was idiotic, but I was right so it doesn't matter.

Also, I do still have a lot of faith in Rare. We haven't seen enough to believe that they are only making shovelware for all of eternity, it's too soon to jump to that conclusion. I know they are working on more games.

[Blake]

Is there a rough release date planned yet? Wikipedia is saying Q4 of 2010 for North America and Europe, I'm hoping that applies to Australia as well. Would hate to be getting this one later, like we seem to be lately with all of the games coming out here after they've been released anywhere else.

Looking forward to this game in anticipation though, should be fantastic - a bit disappointed about Kremlings but it's not the end of the world for me, it was the brilliant levels, music and graphics that made Donkey Kong such a brilliant game for me. I hope they do end up bringing back the Zingers back though, I liked them and thought they were a tough part of many levels.

[Jomingo]

I believe I read that Europe had a definite date of 2010 and it wasn't delayed like Kirby's Epic Yarn was. I can't confirm, but I believe it applied to Australia too. It's a pretty safe bet to expect it out this year in all regions.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Yeah... and for some reason, Rare Witch Project says it's coming out December 1st. That's probably not exact, but close enough.

[Ribbedebie]

Lol, December 1st is my birthday. MOST EPIC BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER. You guys.

(though I'm in Europe, Holland to be exact so I'll be sure it'll be in 2011 for me..)

I'm definitely excited for this game, uh, to say the least I cried tears of joy when I first heard the news. Well, tears... I practically screamed, to which my parents sent me to my room. xD I mean, twelve years, and now, finally, a new DKC! This is the awesomest news since Toy Story 3 and Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts! in my opinion...

(And deep down I still think K. Rool is gonna appear in some way or another, perhaps as the leader of the Tikis, seeing as he's such a master of disguise...)

[Tiptup Jr.]

I've come up with a valid reason as to why K. Rool is gone-

In the adventure mode of Mario Super Sluggers, K. Rool is in some deep slumber behind a giant waterfall, and if I'm not mistaken it takes all the Kritters to do some ritual to wake him up. Maybe Kremling hibernation is the reason for his absence? I have a feeling the tikis are somehow K. Rool's doing, and at the end of DKCR they could all do a chant to wake K. Rool up, either for the final boss fight or the next game.

K. Rool = Nevar forget.

[Jomingo]

Ribbedebie, it's already been confirmed that it will come out in 2010 in Europe, so congrats on that.

[DK4Ever]

Well, I haven't seen any talk about this, so I'll post it I suppose. It looks like, at least for NTSC folks (Probably others, they don't specify), DKCR is scheduled for release on November 21st, according to an article from Nintendo. (I found it on Retro's homepage)

http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail ... JRTrwaLWlJ

[Jomingo]

Right, and I wonder if anyone else here can give any more input on this conundrum: I've been convinced for a long time that DKC (the original) launched in Europe on the 24th, and in the US on the 25th (of November of course). But recently, Wikipedia has changed it's page to say that it released in the US first on November 21st! There is an old ad of some sort that has a November 21st release date, but surely it was changed and the game actually released on the dates I mentioned first, right? I distinctly recall that it released in Europe first, and we've been celebrating the official DKC Atlas "DKC Day" on the 24th for years now. I'm right, aren't I?

[DK4Ever]

You're right. According to Gamefaqs's data it was released on 11/24/94 in EU, and 11/25/94 in US, and Gamefaqs is usually pretty trustworthy when it comes to their data on a game, so I'd go with that as official. I can find additional sources if need be, but I'd say this is pretty true.

Don't worry, we're still celebrating DKC-Day right.

[Jomingo]

Good. I knew I was right. Anyway, yeah I can't wait for this game.

[Phyreburnz]

Well, I'm almost positive that it was released in Europe first, being that Rare is a British company. IMDB (and some others) are telling me that it was released on Nov. 23 in the US and 26th in Japan. But game soundtracks is telling me this: 11/25/94 (U.S.), 11/26/94 (Japan), 11/24/94 (Europe). Giant bomb is telling me Nov. 25. A youtube video says Nov. 21 (north america). IGN says Nov. 24.

There's a lot of contradicting information.Too bad I don't remember, stupid two-year-old memory!

[Tiptup Jr.]

So yeah, I know I'm evil and everything, haha- but I just wanted to say. While I will never fully "get over" the lack of Kremlings in this game, it still looks good and I will enjoy it to the best of my abilities. It seems our lot in life as the Donkey Kong fandom is to always get HALF of what we want or something... we get a new Donkey Kong Country, K. Rool's not in it. Ah well. But if I had fun with Jungle Beat then I should have no problem in liking this.

But like, how I was saying negative things about this and everyone said we didn't have enough info to make that kind of opinion- which I did- but how do you all have enough info to make an overly positive opinion? Still confused on that.

[Phyreburnz]

But like, how I was saying negative things about this and everyone said we didn't have enough info to make that kind of opinion- which I did- but how do you all have enough info to make an overly positive opinion? Still confused on that.

I agree with you, Tiptup. I also agree with you that I hope it's a good game. I'm glad that someone still shares my opinions :)

[Jomingo]

We have no evidence to think it will be bad. Evidence that it will be good: It's made by Retro, who makes really good games; The head of Retro worked on DKC when he was with NoA; Miyamoto has been working with them to make sure it's like DKC (he was the one who asked for the game, and who told them to have lots of old music); they've all but confirmed Animal Buddies and Kong helpers; they literally confirmed a world map with branching paths and secret levels; and everything we've seen looks awesome.

I have sufficient reason to be positive, and if I had no evidence of it being good, it still makes more sense to be positive when you know nothing. There's no evidence that it will be bad, so naturally I'm still excited. Why is it weird to be optimistic when theres no reason not to be?