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Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

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Think this guy will be buying DKCTF?

 

dk-kill-screen.jpg

 

Nintendo should roll out Billy Mitchell etc. to promote this game. Would have been superb!

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@tapedeck

 

Awesome tunes man, awesome tunes!

 

I take it you've also acquired all the remixe albums from OCRemix.

That'd be your next goal: remixing a DKC track :D

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I've been playing this for the past few days - just about to get to the World 4 boss. It's been an amazing game so far, with just as much variety as you'd expect from levels. It's definitely a bit on the tricky side, though - 1-ups are plentiful, which is a good job, as I've died so many times!

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@tapedeck

 

Awesome tunes man, awesome tunes!

 

I take it you've also acquired all the remixe albums from OCRemix.

That'd be your next goal: remixing a DKC track :D

 

Thanks Fused. Yeah, OCRemix obsessed.

I keep on threatening to remix tracks but I prefer to create my own music. :)

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Official Nintendo Magazine review score is in.

 

86%

 

+ Wonderfully touchy-feely style

+ Beautiful to look at, better to listen to

- Old ideas feel like a safety blanket

 

Retro's starting to pull the same trick it managed for Metroid - Tropical Freeze draws on decades-old ideas and punches them into excellent new shapes.

 

 

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Official Nintendo Magazine review score is in.

 

86%

 

+ Wonderfully touchy-feely style

+ Beautiful to look at, better to listen to

- Old ideas feel like a safety blanket

 

Retro's starting to pull the same trick it managed for Metroid - Tropical Freeze draws on decades-old ideas and punches them into excellent new shapes.

 

 

Thanks for sharing @Ike

 

Not sure on that minus without reading their review. Some of the 'old' ideas are what separates DKC from other 2D titles in my opinion.

I think you can get a free magazine on iOS with ONM at the moment so I will check it out. Thanks again though.

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Thanks for sharing @Ike

 

Not sure on that minus without reading their review. Some of the 'old' ideas are what separates DKC from other 2D titles in my opinion.

I think you can get a free magazine on iOS with ONM at the moment so I will check it out. Thanks again though.

 

The old ideas they listed were: "Learn by rote" boss battles, obligatory ice levels (considering the games' name I think it was obvious it was going to have them) and Returns' "trial-and-error" rocket barrel sections.

 

They also say the Rambi stages are "monotonously flat" and world 4 is made up entirely of water levels.

 

They do point out there's plenty of new stuff mind.

 

Levels are longer but more focused on exploration and but they say the game is a bit easier than Returns because of it.

 

Oh and multiplayer is much the same.

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OK, so apparently GAME stores are holding events for Tropical Freeze on 28th Feb/ 1st / 2nd of March depending on your area:

 

GAME Store

Maidstone

Weston Favell

Peterborough

Portsmouth

Braehead

Westfield Stratford

Leeds Whiterose

Redditch

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So I hear Gamespot have reviewed this game and given it a 5. Ouch! They do love stirring the $h1t!

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Who ever takes Gamespot seriously though? :p

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Who ever takes Gamespot seriously though? :p

 

They did give Zelda: ALBW game of the year and got such a backlash. I think they love the clicks.

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Still not enough to make me take them seriously... ;)

 

That's probably about the one decent thing they've done in favour of a Nintendo game in a long time.

 

I'm not saying that they should have given DKC:TF a 10 or anything but anyone can see that a 5 is certainly not representative of the games overall quality. :indeed:

 

(in before 'you haven't played it yet though' 'it's only a score' etc I know this) :p

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Maybe they're just as sick as the same old 2D platformers as I am :p

 

*stirs pot*

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Gamespot hate Nintendo, they have done for a long time now.

 

If you were to roughly categorise scores then 5 would be a below average game that suffered from enough niggles and faults, with graphics, game play and other issues to mean that only fans of the series would really enjoy it and most people should avoid it unless they find it in the bargain bin!

 

I cannot for one minute think there are any faults like that in a Retro studios game.

 

I generally review games on this kind of scale:

 

10 – Masterpiece. A genre defining masterpiece that everyone should play. Will amaze and astound and often break new ground.

 

9 – Excellent. A piece of software that is a leader in its genre, highly polished and with no real flaws it is a game that deserves its place in most people’s collections.

 

8 – Very Good. A strong title with few flaws, fans of the genre will love it but it has a few small issues that hold it back from true greatness and rarely breaks new ground.

 

7 – Good. A title that with more time and more polish could have been something better, you will have fun but you will find frustrations, a lack of innovation and there are better examples of the genre out there.

 

6 – Decent. A game that is just above the average, to most people it will appear bland and slightly boring. Nothing really sparkles or stands out, and whilst perfectly playable at times it will be constrained by design choices and feel lacking when compared to better titles.

 

5 – Average. A game that lacks any form of sparkle, polish or innovation - a paint by numbers example of the genre often done on a budget. Fans of the genre may get something out of it, but most will see this as a bargain bin purchase.

 

4 – Sup-par. These games feel rushed and underdeveloped, often containing frustrating gameplay mechanics, glitches and an overall level of polish and finesse that make the game feel half baked.

 

3 – Poor. These games are full of issues with few if any redeeming points. They suffer from glitches, performance issues and look and feel like underdeveloped. Playing these games feel like a chore.

 

2 – Broken. These games are largely broken. The core of game just doesn’t work, filled with bugs, glitches and issues that prevent gameplay from flowing. Severely hampered and at times unplayable.

 

1 – Unplayable. These games are total monstrosities. Issues at the very core of the game make it devoid of any fun. With no redeeming features, other than the comedy of how bad it is, these games should never have been released.

 

From what we have seen of this game, it looks to be an 8 or 9! A five seems absurd!

Edited by Zechs Merquise
Automerged Doublepost

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In hindsight I actually think their 'controversial' review scores haven't been to bad...

 

Personally, I probably would give Mario Sunshine an 8, and Twilight Princess an 8.8 as both are probably my least favorite 3D Mario and Zelda's.

 

I'd call their Skyward Sword score of 7.5 ridiculous, as it's more like a 9.5 for me... but a lot of people seem to have issues with that game so maybe it's about right for the average opinion?

 

I hope this score is an exaggeration though, I can't see how it can be a lot worse than the original DKCR... unless they're marking it down because it doesn't really do anything new, or make use of the Gamepad which it should really be doing.

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I

I hope this score is an exaggeration though, I can't see how it can be a lot worse than the original DKCR... unless they're marking it down because it doesn't really do anything new, or make use of the Gamepad which it should really be doing.

 

I don't think it should be doing it, it should be an option. And it does use it with off tv play anyway. If a basic platformer only uses two buttons you don't mark it down for not using the other two buttons or the triggers... It should be an option rather than cramming in "horns" or whatever.

 

I think Gamespot are a truly atrocious site anyway, but if they've marked it down for not using the gamepad... oh boy...

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Gamespot hate Nintendo, they have done for a long time now.

 

If you were to roughly categorise scores then 5 would be a below average game that suffered from enough niggles and faults, with graphics, game play and other issues to mean that only fans of the series would really enjoy it and most people should avoid it unless they find it in the bargain bin!

 

I cannot for one minute think there are any faults like that in a Retro studios game.

 

I generally review games on this kind of scale:

 

10 – Masterpiece. A genre defining masterpiece that everyone should play. Will amaze and astound and often break new ground.

 

9 – Excellent. A piece of software that is a leader in its genre, highly polished and with no real flaws it is a game that deserves its place in most people’s collections.

 

8 – Very Good. A strong title with few flaws, fans of the genre will love it but it has a few small issues that hold it back from true greatness and rarely breaks new ground.

 

7 – Good. A title that with more time and more polish could have been something better, you will have fun but you will find frustrations, a lack of innovation and there are better examples of the genre out there.

 

6 – Decent. A game that is just above the average, to most people it will appear bland and slightly boring. Nothing really sparkles or stands out, and whilst perfectly playable at times it will be constrained by design choices and feel lacking when compared to better titles.

 

5 – Average. A game that lacks any form of sparkle, polish or innovation - a paint by numbers example of the genre often done on a budget. Fans of the genre may get something out of it, but most will see this as a bargain bin purchase.

 

4 – Sup-par. These games feel rushed and underdeveloped, often containing frustrating gameplay mechanics, glitches and an overall level of polish and finesse that make the game feel half baked.

 

3 – Poor. These games are full of issues with few if any redeeming points. They suffer from glitches, performance issues and look and feel like underdeveloped. Playing these games feel like a chore.

 

2 – Broken. These games are largely broken. The core of game just doesn’t work, filled with bugs, glitches and issues that prevent gameplay from flowing. Severely hampered and at times unplayable.

 

1 – Unplayable. These games are total monstrosities. Issues at the very core of the game make it devoid of any fun. With no redeeming features, other than the comedy of how bad it is, these games should never have been released.

 

From what we have seen of this game, it looks to be an 8 or 9! A five seems absurd!

 

I dont know if thos game warrants a 5/10 but didnt Gamespot give a Nintendo title Game of the Year 2013? That would be strange of they hated Nintendo.

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unless they're marking it down because it doesn't really do anything new, or make use of the Gamepad which it should really be doing.

 

I completely disagree.

 

If it supports off-screen play that is enough. A 2D platformer doesn't need to have any crazy gimmicks or extra functionality shoe-horned into it. I honestly can't think of any way the game could really be improved in any significant way with gamepad features.

 

With that particular reviewer (he's a complete wanker) I can see whatever approach Retro took he would have marked them down, it would have been either:

 

"Tropical Freeze does nothing to justify the gamepad. It is a flagship game that could be reproduced on any system and fails to justify the expensive costs of Nintendo's new peripheral. Minus 2 points for a lack of innovation."

 

or

 

"Tropical Freeze shoehorns pointless new features into the game in order to justify the gamepad. The game could be reproduced on any system and play even better without the cumbersome gamepad features. Minus 2 points for forcing in unnecessary features."

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Marking any Wii U game down because of not utilising the gamepad sounds like crazy talk.

 

A game should be judged on its merits and while I would like to see the gamepad used more it sound very unfair to score a game based on how the gamepad is utilised.

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Rayman Legends found uses for the Gamepad.

 

No one decided not to play the original DKCR because they couldn't swap the game into their lap, off-screen play is largely an unnecessary convenience. If you're going to tell people they need a Gamepad and charge then £80 for it, then it might be nice if effectively a first party title such as this utilised it, instead of actually being the first to switch it off.

 

But yes, I agree a great game is a great game and shouldn't be judged on the Gamepad and the game probably wasn't anyway.

 

It would be fair to knock off a point for the visuals looking largely like a Wii game, and off the gameplay if it does nothing new.

Arguably the sequel should build on the original (more animal companions was a noticeable admission) so you could mark it down on that. I also think the game is shorter the the original? But anyway I'm just guessing at things, it'll be interesting to see the review if that score is true.

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I thought the graphics were meant to be incredible?!

 

And while I agree Nintendo really do need to provide software to justify the cost of the gamepad, I don't think all games should, and they definitely shouldn't be punished for it. Hopefully Nintendo are true to their word and show us some gamepad heavy games at E3 or before!

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