Topic: New Super Mario Bros. U vs Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze

I have played both games and definitely prefer Donkey Kong and would like to know what you would prefer.

Donkey Kong. It's really no contest. The game oozes creativity from every pore. Mario U on the other hand, is one of the most uncreative games nintendo has ever made. Just my opinion.

I've not played enough of Tropical Freeze to make a fair comparison, and I certainly don't recall anything 'new' about Mario, but it's obviously still a better party game purely due to incorporating more players in multiplayer.

But as single player I imagine not many will vote against Tropical Freeze. For me, the 'indoor' levels in Mario do nothing for me, and those with the multitude of doors are just plain irritating.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, without a doubt. It's platform perfection.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Let me first say that I really, REALLY love New Super Mario Bros U. I don't understand any of the complaints considering how genuinely engaging this game was- particularly when coupled with the DLC expansion New Super Luigi U. Man, what a fantastic platformer it was. Truly marvelous.

But DKC is better. It just is. In fact, many regard Tropical Freeze (including myself) as the greatest 2D platformer of all time. It's spectacular- no, spectacular doesn't even begin to cover it. I don't think there's even a word to describe it... well... yes there is. It's PERFECT.

But you don't really appreciate how masterful the level design is until you've tried your hand at time trials. And the better you get- the more your skills increase- the more shortcuts and tricks you discover... the more you start peeling back the layers, and with each layer peeled you gain a deeper appreciation for how truly perfect this game really is.

Every single enemy, every single ledge, every single platform... it's all been designed with a purpose. Nothing is random. Nothing... A stark contrast to the "randomly generated" movement of our era- where the art of design has been all but lost.

I couldn't really stay into either games for some reason...but Tropical Freeze I was able to at least beat it.

To me, New Super Mario Bros U is more fun. I know Tropical Freeze is generally looked at by most as the better game but I never really played any of the New Super Mario games until I got it for the Wii U and the concept was still fresh to me, and playing multiplayer with 4 people is just chaotic fun.

I never even got past the second world in Tropical Freeze. It just became one of those games I bought to collect and never bothered to finish it.

I basically vote for Tropical Freeze out of principle. May Nintendo never try to release 5 Mario platformers in 2 years ever, EEEEEEEVER again.

Both of these games are outstanding. If I had to choose, I'd take TF. But I don't want to choose. Don't make me choose.

I'm a Mario guy, Donkey Kong has never really clicked with me. I find it so annoying that he rolls off edges all the time if your not careful. Mario just controls better in my opinion. I enjoyed the multiplayer aspect of NSMBU.

I haven't beat Tropical Freeze, I think I am on world 3 while I enjoyed getting all the stars in NSMBU

there is a reason why Nintendo released these two separate games. They play very different, even if they are both "2D" platformers. They both offer unique experiences.

I am surprised this thread has stayed open. Normally these types of threads get locked since it isn't really needed because you can have this conversation within one of these game's main threads lol.

How about neither? 2D platformers are vastly overrated (especially those two IPs), they tend to be very samey and repetitive.

Oh please. The characters could pass for multiple characters in the same game, and they could just combine all of the gameplay elements into one game and you wouldn't tell the difference.

@Bolt_Strike Maybe if you don't pay attention, but the mechanics of both are very different.

Donkey Kong simply because Mario games are made too often with minimal changes. Mario platformers risk going the same way Sonic did if they don't change the formula up a lot more. Mario U did a good job of trying to stay fresh but either change it up a lot or release less I think.

It's not enough for the mechanics to differ between games, the mechanics need to feel distinct to that series, otherwise there's a feeling that they're arbitrary and interchangeable. In other words, if you can put DK's mechanics in Mario and still have them fit Mario's core gameplay, than DK is not unique. And that's the problem with these games, there's a sense that you could shuffle the levels around between games, add in a character or two with the same abilities, and replicate that same experience. For them to have unique mechanics they have to do something that wouldn't fit with another IP. For example, Yoshi's gameplay revolves around his ability to make and throw eggs, which is something that other characters can't reasonably do, that makes it a unique IP. I don't get this sense with Mario and DK, you could easily come up with a character that has DK's same abilities in any other platformer and Mario is the definition of a blank slate.

Donkey Kong doesn't really change much either.

@Bolt_Strike Your argument doesn't really make sense. Also the Level and Enemy design in DK and Mario are more unique to those series, which the playable characters in those series are designed to be able to handle. It isn't only how a character behaves but how it behaves within the confines of the environment. you can put Mario in a DK level but that doesn't mean Mario could complete that level, same with Donkey Kong. Each game is designed around certain specifics, that the other game wasn't which makes them unique and different.

The thing is though, that they can set how the character interacts with its environment however they want as long as it makes sense. They can easily allow Mario to climb ropes and vines or pick up barrels if they wanted to include ropes, vines, or barrels (and in fact, they have). They could allow DK to break blocks if there were any blocks to break in his levels. That's why I say it's arbitrary and interchangeable, it's simply a matter of creative direction and programming the triggers and not anything inherent to the series itself. The characters' abilities themselves matter much more than the environment, to create a unique environment they need to explore what those abilities allow the player to do that they couldn't do with another character.

They can do whatever they want in game development. That is what makes video game development a Creative process. They could easily put Mario in a GTA game, modders have done that. Donkey Kong could be put into a Dancing game. That doesn't make those game characters or series any less unique. You brought up Yoshi Island, but they could easily make a character throw something to complete any Yoshi Island "puzzle." Your point doesn't make any sense.

The New Super Mario Bros. series has certain mechanics while the Donkey Kong Country series doesn't and vice-versa. It doesn't make any sense to discredit them just because they are both "2D" platformers, if you don't like the genre that is fine, but that doesn't make them bad games.

Doing that, however, would fundamentally change either the source game or the character's gameplay because the gameplay styles are fundamentally different. The same can't be said for putting Mario in DK or vice versa.

It wouldn't be the same if they just threw it though, because Yoshi's ability to throw eggs is limited by eating enemies and the ability to only carry 6 eggs at a time. That impacts the gameplay.

No they don't. The only "mechanics" they have are level gimmicks and other minor things that don't define the experience. There's nothing unique about either series, it's just generic platforming gameplay with the arbitrary stuff layered on top.

@Bolt_Strike I forgot who I was talking to... this isn't going to be a conversation, this would just be me slamming my head into the wall