Sieferx2

 
With all due respect to mario,
 
It seems like people give mario the edge SIMPLY because he's...well...mario. Thats just not right. Mario galaxy had its time in the limelight and as great as SMG2 was it defintley felt very recycled. Hell it had a "2" in the title...
 
Just on PRINCIPLE shouldnt we be looking to award the fresher games, the new wonders. Give donkey kong the due it deserves. Hell DKCR is so good, if retro had swapped donkey kong for mario people would be hailing it as the greatest 2d platformer ever...which it nearly is...
 
Principle people

 Donkey Kong country returns is not just the wii game of the year, it's also hovering up in the highest echelons with Super mario galaxy as one of the finest games available for
nintendo's beloved console. Paying homage to one of the greatest platforming games ever made, DKCR is beautiful example of retro studios in the prime of their creativity.

As a gamer who holds the original platforming classic in such high regard, my personal expectations for this game were nearly insurmountable. I had been waiting nearly sixteen years for a true follow up ( or faithful homage) to Donkey Kong country so when i heard that critically acclaimed "retro studios" was going to be at the helm of a new 2d donkey kong game, my heart was overjoyed. Perhaps part of what makes this game so special could be the incredible circumstances surrounding its origins. Taken straight from the wiki
 
"At that time(april 2008), Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to create a new Donkey Kong game and, at his request, producer Kensuke Tanabe recommended Michael Kelbaugh, the CEO of Retro Studios, who had previously worked on the Donkey Kong Country series while he was employed at Nintendo of America. Satoru Iwata frequently referred to this turn of events as "fate" in his meetings with Retro Studios, which is why Kelbaugh suggested the homophonous project codename F8".

When Nintendo starts throwing words around like "fate"...you know your in good shape.

Donkey Kong Country returns revamps the pre-rendered art style of the original series, with a new more organic visual presentation. A risky change, but the end result is a game that is literally exploding off every inch of your television with some of the most polished,vibrant, visuals available on the wii. As a gamer who plays quite a few wii games i couldn't help but feel retro studios had tapped some hidden graphical well buried deep within the wii's core. The layers of depth and detail displayed here (especially for a 2d platformer) are unparalleled.

Even more impressive was how much the environment would react to donkey Kong in very simple, yet natural ways you raley see in a game of this nature. For example when you ground pound in certain areas not only does the surface below your feet ripple and shake but the trees and overgrowth in the immediate background shake as well! Ill be honest it would have been really interesting to see a studio tackle the original Pre-rendered graphical style that Donkey Kong country sported back in 1994 ...but the move retro studios made here was very wise. The visual approach was the first step in infusing donkey Kong country returns with its own identity, while paying homage to the original.

Controls are everything in a platformer and i was happy to find the original feel of the classic games in tact. Sure at first controlling donkey kong can feel a bit sluggish compared to many other modern platformers....but that's where the challenge lies. Sure Mr. Kong may not move with the speed of something like super meatboy, but in return the player is treated to a platforming experience that requires and rewards "patience". At first i was skeptical about losing the "tag team" setup from the original games. I always loved switching between donkey Kong or Diddy Kong on the fly and when Donkey Kong when down...you had the swift and agile Diddy to bring up the rear(ahem..). However the new setup works fantastic. Now when Donkey Kong comes across a "DK barrel" Diddy hitches a ride on donkey kongs back, thus allowing donkey Kong to acquire 2 extra hearts(wich help quite a bit) and the ability to soar for short periods of time via a cute little jet pack that diddy kong is wearing. Some of the scenes with Diddy Kong riding on Donkey Kongs back gave the game a strong "ICONIC" feel(especially in the silhouette levels that absolutely steal the show). Different yet....incredibly balanced. Another example of retro studios cleverly forging their own identity with "returns".

I must be honest when i say the original donkey kong country separates itself into legendary category for me with its incredibly classic, ethereal music. Mario games have always have had a slightly more obnoxious bounce to their melodies, while sonic games lean a bit more toward the relaxing-electronic inspired gaming tunes. Donkey kong just really does it for me in the music department and here retro studios has done a great job bringing back many of the original classics as well as some incredible new tracks that are sure to get stuck in your head for days. The musical vibe tends to be a bit more "upbeat" than the original overall, but that definitely works to the benefit of the overall experience. Playing this game makes you feel all the familiar "happy pangs" of a kid on christmas morning.

Donkey Kong country returns is not only one of the finest games to grace a nintendo console in years it really reminded me of that classic "feeling" i had playing a great nintendo game in my youth.The charm is through the roof, and the visuals are absolutely staggering for a wii game. Nothing here is revolutionary by any means, but retro studios have ever so lovingly created one of the most complete traditional 2d platforming games ive ever played. Developing a game like this can be tricky. You need to summon much of the nostalgia and charm that the original games provided, while carving out your own identity, and in this regard Donkey Kong Country Returns is a complete success.  
 
Would love your thoughts!
mo

@ryanwho
 
 
Yes indeed this is mostly true, but isnt it kinda sad how a fable game now seems like an afterthought? Maybe thats also a testament to 2010. A year that included god of war 3, mass effect 2, heavy rain , ff13,dkc returns,fallout new vegas,super meatboy , galaxy 2, bayonetta, ac brotherhood, ect..........
 
I was glad to see the game was averaging a very weak 80 percent metacritic.......Its a shame considering how ambitious the series once was.

 The original fable was an incredible game. Sure it didn't quite live up to its grand ambition back in 2004 when it was released, but the final product was a very polished Zelda/esque adventure with a interesting level of customization and moral choices( made ever so popular at the time after the success of Knights of the old republic in 2003). Perhaps at the time fables promise was almost too ambitious, but the end result was all the better for it.They were reaching for the sky and even though LIONHEAD came up a bit short Fable was still an amazing game. Yet here we sit in 2010 with the 3rd iteration of FABLE series and i have to ask..where has all the ambition gone?


For a 3rd entry in a series, fable 3 feels incredibly...safe. Other than a fairly
interesting twist toward the end of the game ( when your player actually becomes a king and is forced to make kingly decisions for a few hours) everything in the game still feels so "black and white", so simplified. I look at it this way, if your going to play it safe in that regard(which is disappointing) at least knock our socks off with an incredibly epic story, or and enchanting world...neither of which fable provides.

In fable, decision making leaves no room for "grey". This was easily digestible nearly 6 years ago when the original was released but now after experiencing a slew of incredibly deep rpgs like fallout 3 and of course Mass effect, fables brand of "moral choices" and "consequence" are a bit harder to swallow.

The game does handle the character customization well, for example the sanctuary is extremely user friendly and allows the player a quick safe haven to pop into at any time and change their clothes,weapons,physical appearance and relish in their accomplishments. Hell you can even name your weapon...even though it serves no real purpose. Speaking of which what happened to all the hype behind the idea that your characters weapon will evolve? Other than the very simple leveling up system for each weapon (each level slightly changes the weapons appearance)
you never get the feeling that your have a "living breathing evolving" weapon. Imagine how incredible something like that could have been..a weapon that was truly "alive".

Fable 3 is a fine game, but its truly a shame that LIONHEAD has become so complacent with what they have. The ambition that was once synonymous with the FABLE name has now all but vanished. LIONHEAD has basically settled for a "solid" action rpg with "solid" character customization and "solid" player choice. As gamers we are left watching the credits roll asking ourselves.. where did the all of the ambition go? 
 
have a great one! would love your thoughts!!!
mo

@tourgen
 
I must respectfully disagree, your ideals seem a bit strangled in tradition.
 
By your logic something as magnificent as heavy rain would not even constitute as a "game", when in reality is breaking down a lot of the boundaries of what people expect a game to be. Isnt that a good thing at the end of the day for us gamers?
 
have a great one
mo

Wow incredible discussion here! 
 
It really is a powerful issue worth discussing.
 
Taken the subjective element of ones "personal gaming preference" aside, i think its fair to say that what a linear game can make a player "feel" or "experience" is unparralled.
 
An open world game can often times feel more "organic" or "alive" ....thus create more of the illusion of a "living breathing land" which is always great for escapism.The end result however is often an experience that is quite lacking in the "emotional impact" area for the player.
 
 @icemael
And life is MUCH MORE than a series of interconnected events occurring one after another like beads on a necklace~ Much like how linear games are being dowplayed...your are now downplaying LIFE as well.Shame! lol  I kid ...i kid...i respect your thoughts but that really does prove my point. Your discrediting the power of the structure of the universe my friend. 
 
 
have a great one
mo

Exactly !
 
To some degree the enjoyment is subjective,but how often is linearity descirbed as a positive thing? 
 
Truly and injustice.....i believe it was opm that said " sure playing FF13 is like being in a huge TUBE.....but its the GREATEST TUBE EVER!
 
When the designer can control the experience...sometimes...then can control exactly when the player feels the emotions...and at  just the right time. Linear games can affect us right to the core of our very being in a way open ended/open world games often cannot.

Topic reposted due to technical errors

  Ah linearity. The dreaded L word. It seems like i cant read a single review these days without hearing that word brought front and center...and usually the connotation is quite negative.In fact its almost always negative! Whether it was a final fantasy 13 review...or maybe even metroid other M. Some of the most controversial games to come out this year have been penalized for their so called "linearity"....

So i was reading a well known micheal chriton novel last week and i was struck by
a very interesting passage about the concept of linearity as a whole...that really hit home
with me. I found this to be a great launching point to my entire thought process behind
linearity in gaming.....

Linearity is an artificial way of viewing the world. Real life isn't a series of interconnected
events occurring one after another like beads on a necklace.Life is actually a series of
encounters in which one event may change those that follow in a wholly unpredictable and even devastating way.Thats the deep truth about the structure of our universe.But for some reason we insist on behaving as if it were not true.-(JP)

yes ok "technically" i know this is not directly related to gaming in any shape or form....yet the concept is the same.What better way to explain the concept of linearity than the "chaos theory".

The greatest injustice here is how more linear games are perceived as having the more "shallow" gaming experience.

Open world games are incredible for what they are,but they are a very specific type of
experience.For what a more "controlled" game like final fantasy 13 might lack in sheer
exploration it can make up for with unparalleled "focus" and "execution"(im speaking in THEORY here ff13 haters).When(as a designer) you know for certain the gamer is going to walk down that "one path" you can make that path a truly unforgettable journey(again in theory). Also by focusing in your resources into one specific core "idea" you can often times provide the gamer with a far richer experience.

Now im not here to say one experience is better than the other, but the truth about open
ended/less linear games is that they often overrated by the gaming media simply because they are are labled "more ambitious" by default than a linear game.Often times highlighting sentences like "there just so much to do in this gargantuan world!!"..when in reality it should read "there's a huge world here to explore, and none of its really very interesting!".

Ninety percent of the time if linearity is mentioned in a review its not simply mentioned to inform the gamer...but to "warn" them.Almost as if to say subliminally:Be careful young lads this game doesn't let you wander wherever you want, therefore its somehow a lesser experience!!!!

Extremely open ended/non linear gameplay experiences are great, but id be willing to bet that some of the most "affecting" and "influential" gaming experiences we can have as gamers will come from some of the most "linear" games in the future. I know ive mentioned a few games here by name, but thats just mainly for the purpose of example...to get the juices flowing. Just an interesting thought to ponder. Sure where each gamer stands on this subject is a matter of perspective, but with "linearity" you cant help but feel as though most are simply looking "down" for all the wrong reasons. 
 
Would love your thoughts!
mo