Donkey Kong has been a co-star for a while but his best moments can be found in Donkey Kong Country. His last star entry on the Super Nintendo was one to be remembered and Nintendo is bringing Donkey Kong back in a new side-scrolling adventure: Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii. Is the game the golden banana or is does this just smell rotten?
HOT
Graphics
If you think a game can’t blow you away on two dimensions then Donkey Kong Country Returns will prove you wrong. Each world feels unique and each level never feels like a repeat. Vines swing beautifully as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong swing to defeat the evil Tiki Creatures. This game is not pushing any technical boundaries but this game is just pure eye candy!
New Controls
One would assume the game would be playing with the wii mote but this game requires both nun-chuck and wii mote and let me tell you – nothing feels better. You move left and right with the analog stick and jumping is done simply with the A button. His new ground pound move is fun and comes in handy as you shake both controls back and forth with the sense that you really feel like Donkey Kong himself.
This game has a lot of secrets to be found and for those who can collect all the goodies can get extra bonus stages at the end of the game. These secrets range from the hidden room to the out of the way puzzle piece. Collect four letters spelling KONG and you get to play the time trial of that level. The secrets can either be right in front of your face or impossible to find but the variety is amazing.
Two Player Action
In the original Donkey Kong Country you could switch between Donkey and Diddy but in this game, one player is Donkey Kong while two player is Diddy Kong. Diddy Kong has a new few tricks up his sleeve carrying a jet pack and a peanut gun. This does make platforming for Donkey Kong harder since in single player you get Diddy Kong on your back. Finding Puzzle pieces and clearing secret rooms will be a breeze since you have a second pair of eyes helping one out. The pure fun comes when you have a friend platforming with. Words cannot simply describe how exhilarating it was to do this.
Boss Battles
Each boss in the game has a unique tactic that you can exploit. One has you throwing bombs at a bird after it lays them. The Mole Man boss has you moving from cart to cart as he throws pick axes at you. Even if you do not get the hang of it usually the boss will drop a heart here and there and you’ll get another fighting chance. All the bosses are possessed by the evil tiki creatures who Donkey Kong gets to beat up by shaking the wii mote and nunchuck back and forth. This actually feels rewarding counting up your total and adding it to the score at the end of the level.
A True Challenge
If you think this game will be a breeze then you are wrong. You will die and often once you get past the first world. Do not worry you will have a chance to collect 1 ups everywhere. If you manage to collect 100 bananas then you receive a one up. You can also collect coins to spend at Cranky Kong’s shop who sells one ups and other useful items such as an extra hearts to hold, being invincible for a a short time, or a parrot who squawks when you come near a puzzle piece. The truth is, you will become frustrated but never enough to through your controller at the screen. Even if the game gets so tough your stuck you get offered a super guide help that shows you the ropes about how to get to the end of each level.
NOT
Rolling Mechanic
The new controls are amazing except for this one. By running forward and shaking the Wii Mote you roll forward to gain more speed. The bad part is that a lot of the time you will need to make pin point jumps that require a rolling jump in order for you to either get secrets or to make a good time trial run. Most of the time you will find yourself fumbling around or pressing the jump button at the wrong moment.
Each Level has a set of KONG pieces but if you fail to get a check point and you die you lose all the ones you collected. These pieces can be horribly out of your way and can be annoying to pick up again and again because you keep dying at a hard point in the game. This is frustrating since the puzzle pieces you collect stay with you no matter if you get to a check point or not.
VERDICT
This game does has proven that an old monkey can learn new tricks. With amazing graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and gameplay for hours on end, it is hard to pass this game up. This game can be frustrating if you want to completely master with a bad rolling mechanic and resetting KONG pieces but are minor blemishes. Finally Donkey Kong has returned to his to his rightful place back in the country!
