It’s come to my attention that the name Insert Token is copyrighted material by another gaming website, so I have little choice but to change the blog’s name. However, rather than just changing the name and graphics, I’m going to go ahead and make an entirely new, independent blog. The same staff of writers and posters will be intact, and every original post will be reposted at the new blog.
It’s completely blank at the moment, but that will change in the coming days. I’m asking all current Insert Token followers to please follow the new blog, Geaux Game. Posting on Insert Token, as well as on Facebook, will continue until the transition is final. I look forward to seeing you all on the new blog, and thank you for your patience and understanding.
After three weekends of masochism with Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, I decided to snag Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii off of Gamefly. Now, when I play Wii games, I expect to have to force myself a little to enjoy them. Wii games always tend to feel cheap to me, and rarely exceed any expectations that I have for them. However, with Donkey Kong Country Returns, my expectations were not only exceeded, but I may have recaptured a bit of the reason of why I play video games in the first place.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Donkey Kong Country series after playing and eventually beating Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. I hate its simplistic difficulty, I hate how it makes me feel accountable for each death, I hate how it's absolutely unforgiving and will make you go back to start time and time again. However, I love its masterful platforming, amazing graphics, and I even love the difficulty at times. It was nice to see that even in a time where games like New Super Mario Bros. have almost non-existent difficulty, Donkey Kong Country Returns is able to make players grit their teeth and grunt after a death.
Before playing Donkey Kong Country Returns, I heard that it wasn't a tag-team system like in the games on the SNES. I was a bit disheartened by this, but whenever Diddy was on my back with that incredibly vital jetpack, I had no quarrels with Retro Studios. The game gives you a bit more leeway when Diddy is around, giving you the endurance to survive 4 hits before death rather than two like in the older titles, but I think that was more of a design choice rather than a difficulty pad. Actions aren't quite as swift, hitboxes aren't as clear, and the game's pace is just a little less breakneck, so I think adding the two extra hits was necessary. It makes getting those DK barrels that much more essential.
I'm only in Section 2 of the game so far, so I expect the game's difficulty to gradually become insane, but I'm really impressed at how the early stages really set the tone that the player will have to get better as the go through the game. That sense of accountability is still there, and the game isn't hesitant to send you back to the beginning of the level should you miss the one checkpoint in the whole level. Boss fights are on par with DKC's, and are even a bit harder. Level design is simply incredible, with secrets and collectibles littered throughout the entire map. There are often multiple paths to take in each level, and finding secret places in all of them is as rewarding as ever.
The one complaint I have with this game is the same complaint I have with nearly every Wii game. A Wii game should not use motion controls simply because they are there. While banging on the ground by using the Wiimote and Nunchuk like drumsticks is a good idea on paper, but even after an hour of doing it, I was looking for an option to map it to a button. Perhaps the worst offense of this is how rolling is executed by shaking the Wiimote while running, which is MUCH too imprecise in a game that often demands perfection. I just feel like Retro Studios really dropped the ball in that aspect, but it doesn't ruin the game by any means.
I'm actually rushing this article a bit just so that I can get back to playing Donkey Kong Country Returns. That's how good this game is. If you loved the Donkey Kong Country series as a kid, if you've just recently picked it up like I have, or if you're totally new to it, give this game a try. It's reminded me that I play games because of the feeling of pure enjoyment that they give me, and I'm sure that it will give you the same feeling.
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