Today's Nintendo Direct broadcasts in both Europe and North America saved a big surprise for last, with confirmation that Wii title Donkey Kong Country Returns is on its way to 3DS, not surprisingly titled Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. It's a remake, so we don't anticipate much if any new content — though there's always a chance — but for his part Nintendo of Europe boss Satoru Shibata said that the 3D "needs to be seen to be believed".
Nintendo is releasing a special video on the 3DS eShop to show off the effect, and this is exciting news for those that loved the original — we certainly did, awarding a perfect 10 in our Donkey Kong Country Returns review. Retro studios did an outstanding job bringing the series back to life, and with all of the perspective shifts and layered platforming it seems like a perfect fit for the handheld. No release window was given, unfortunately.
It may not be a new game, but it's a remake of an exceptional platformer. Are you excited about this one?
Comments 111
Yay more remakes..... Zzzzzzzzz
No waggle woo hoo!
No shaking a Wii remote to roll? Yes, I think I will be picking this up. Remake or not DKCR is a fantastic game that never gets old
Not really, no. I felt this game disgraced the franchise with its time trial BS...I'm not terribly interested in giving it another go.
Loved the Wii version, but can't really get excited about remakes.
I love this game, but I already own the Wii version and this looks like a straight port...so I'll probably pass.
Donkey Kong Countries Returns Again.
New Games please...
why isnt the eshop updating here in germany? i wanna see that 3D video !!!
I played it at Best Buy a while back. I wasn't that impressed. I guess it'll be better to play on the 3DS. You wouldn't need to shake to roll....... hopefully.
You'll need to swipe to roll now!
They missed a trick by not calling it Donkey Kong Country Returns Returns!
This is Awesome!! I've held off playing the Wii version cuz I didn't have a wii when it released and always wanted to play it. Now I can take it to go!! Nicely done.
Seems like an odd choice for a 3D remake. Yeah there were layers but it's still a 2D game, which kind of defeats the purpose of 3D. Plus, I think it was a little more difficult than a lot of kid 3DS owners are going to like. It'ld be better if they remade Yoshi's Story in 3D if they want to remake 2D platformers. A 10 year old game needs a remake more than a 2 year old game.
Pass.
Shoot. I would've been excited about this news, but just got the Wii game yesterday. Very unlikely I'll double dip... but cool news for anyone who hasn't already played the Wii version or loved it enough to re-buy.
@rjejr
I think that 2D games that make use of layered 3D graphics look gorgeous. Often better than "real" 3D games like first- or third-person shooters. While this might not add to the actual gameplay, I bet seeing it in action will be a fun treat.
I'll give Nintendo credit for trying to see what kind of reaction that they can try and get out of gamers by releasing a game like Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. But like I said before on the NOA Nintendo Direct page earlier this morning. I would have been more happier with like say a surprise announcement of like a Donkey Kong 64 3D in the works. Now that would have been awesome. All in all, I really can't see myself getting excited for a game I already played.
well i'm excited....i never played the original and i'm more of a handheld player anyways so I will be definitely getting this game.
Meh.
It's a great game, but I've already played it, so gotta pass on this one.
This is in my top 5 games of all time so i'll definitely be picking it up. Kinda disappointed that it's not a brand new game, but i'll enjoy it nonetheless.
Best news to come out of today's Nintendo Direct.
I sold my Wii a while ago so never got around to playing the Wii version, so I will definitely be picking this one up.
I never played the original, so if this version is as good or better, I might give it a go.
@Stuffgamer1 The time trial "BS" were optional extras when the game was finished if you wanted to go for 100% and were hard but fun challenges. How you can fault the game for that is, frankly, "BS."
I'm a huge DKC fan, the second game on the SNES is as good as any 2D Mario and Sonic (bar Super Mario World, obviously) and after initially being unsure on DKCR it grew to become my favourite in the series. It's a superb game. Hopefully if it does well on 3DS it will lead to a much deserved sequel.
Never played it on the Wii but I recently saw video footage of the game and thought to myself,"what stunning visuals! Imagine how they would look like in 3D?" So it was a little déjà vu when I saw this announcement. Definitely excited and will definitely pick this up once it's released.
A bit soon for this one. Hopefully it hasn't kept Retro busy at all? >_>
Is this Retro's big game that they said "everyone wants us to work on"? A freaking remake?!!!!
Best 2d platformer of all time on a handheld and without unnecessary motion controls? Count me in. I hope we see some new stuff too, maybe a couple of extra levels.
It's a good game but it was overrated by some websites like NL. It is just not as good as the original trilogy. If you missed it on Wii it's a good chance to have it on a portable system though.
New Games please...
Remakes and ports fill the gaps while we're waiting for those new games to be developed. I want a Donkey Kong Land Returns sequel on 3DS.
It's too bad I've beaten the Wii version like three times already; a portable version would otherwise sound great.
@Sun I disagree; DKCR was absolutely fantastic imo, and the original trilogy has such a different feel. I personally wouldn't compare the two. But of course, that's just me.
Hated the Wii one ONLY because of controls so if this fixes it with button presses it'll be a day one purchase for me
A lot if Wii games should get this treatment!
I didn't buy DKCR for the Wii, and wasn't too sure I'd be interested in playing a DKC game with unneccesary motion controls. I would've bought it instanly if it had Classic Controller support. Now that it's coming to the 3DS, I'm starting to get excited for it. the same amount of buttons as a SNES controller AND in 3D? Nintendo has to remove the Motion controls. I'm not gonna enjoy the 3D environments when i'm shaking the 3DS to slam the ground. The only thing I'm worried about is if any sacrifices will be made when porting the game, such as removing the multiplayer.
Odd. I was actually expecting a Donkey Kong Land 3D instead. Sure, it's only been 3 years since the Wii release, but I don't see a problem getting it for on the go.
@Sun I disagree as well. It was better then the originals. A perfect 10 is exactly what it deserves! I'm game. I'll buy it again but I thought I heard then say summer.
Great game but a remake of a game only a few years old is pushing it a bit...
Unless it's only $5/£5 of course!
Loved the Wii game, got all the secrets and achievements (and secret stages)... one of my top 3 platformers of all time. I'm a bit reserved about rebuying it on the 3DS, but I can't really complain much; I was ranting on the other day about how any form of DKC (I was talking NES/SNES) on the 3DS would make me happy, and I got "any form" of DKC; in my opinion the best one. ^_^
A remake for a basically 2 year old game? I wish we got a sequel instead. Not to mention I literally just beat the original a few days ago.
It's way too soon for a remake of this game, I got all excited because I thought it was going to be a new one :/
If you have to swipe to roll, I'm out. Why can't they just make use of the physical buttons for once?
Well, I never played the Wii version, so I'll give it a go. I can see why others aren't really excited by this though. Something new would've been better. Luckily, it'll be new for me.
i saw the downloadable video for this. it looks great, and from the look of it they got rid of the motion controls. On the very last scene, where Donkey Kong beats up a Tiki mask, instead of shaking the Wii Remote, you're told to mash the X button. The only thing that worries me is the trailer doesn't show the multiplayer, but I don't think Nintendo would abandon multiplayer just to make the Wii version unique in some way. They're probably working on multiplayer to be compatible for 3DS, since the you didn't need 2 Wii's for multiplayer like you would need 2 3DS systems.
More than likely, this will support multi-card Local Play, and cost $39.99, which puts it at a better value than the Wii version.
This is great news! DKCR is the best platformer on the Wii in my opinion.
Bunch of whineys the lot of you. I will agree that it is rather dumb to make a straight port of a two year-old game instead of an original one though. But still, it'd be nice to play some DKCR on the go.
I generally had no interest in 2d platformers on home consoles, by and large they seemed like lazy choices, I know donky kong, kirby and Mario are all traditionally 2d games but it seemed like an unnecessary throwback to me. However I find these types of games work well on handhelds so I will be tempted if this isn't too pricey
Best game ever.
This game can use 3D at its finest.
As much as I love that game... I'd rather have a new one. :/
DK 64 would have been better but even still, I'm stoked!
DK64 is partially owned by RareWare, although they do give us handheld games from time to time, and they remade Diddy Kong Racing on the DS. It sucked, but I commend them for trying. DK64 definitely could be possible if it were on the 3DS.
EDIT: Maybe not. I forgot that RareWare games stopped being fun.
This is one of my favorite platforming games this gen!
I'm getting this day 1! Amazing title.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRlddPjcKUA
The graphics look really good in this 3DS version so if they simply map all of the silly waggle controls from the Wii version onto simple button presses then this could actually be a stunning platformer for the system.
The only real issue I had with the Wii version, and it kinda ruined the game for me, was the forced waggle control for certain actions where I just thought it felt clumsy and it wasn't responsive or precise enough for this type of platformer.
This game has the very real potential to deliver big time here so let's hope they nail it
this had better not be what retro has been working on. i'm not ready for that much disappointment.
Someone may have said this, but the waggle on the Wii version was down to a limited number of accessible buttons on the horizontal remote. The 3DS doesn't have that problem, so I'm sure rolling will be a simple button press
this is gonna be awesome
I'm looking forward to this one. I HATED having to wiggle the wiimote around while playing this on the Wii, so I never bothered finishing it. I will likely buy this one.
I'm also pleased to see this is only a 3D upgrade, and not a brand new DK title. That means that Retro has the vast majority of its team working on a new game(s).....
I didn't like the original at all, but even if I did, I'd still fail to see the point of this.
@ThomasBW84 Looking at the trailer, it seems they did map the waggle controls to a button. It shows DK beating on a Tiki mask by mashing the X button!
While a brand-new game would've been cool, I'm pretty psyched to see how this looks and plays on 3DS. The original game was brilliant — those defending the SNES trilogy over this are flat crazed. (IMO.)
And nobody should be surprised at the remake. This is Nintendo's bread-and-butter strategy. Make awesome games. Sell same awesome games to new people on new platforms. More people play awesome games. Hopefully the high income margin on something like this can help fund new, riskier ideas.
Just be happy it's not Donkey Kong Barrel Blast 3D...
Hm, this probably means there wont be a original Donkey Kong game for the 3DS in a while... :-/
DKCR was an amazing game, especially multiplayer, but its fun enough on the Wii as it is. I see no reason for me to double dip, I hope anyone who didn't get it the first time does this time though, highly recommended, 10/10 is right!
Brilliant game, one of my all time favourites. Great news indeed!
Having such a great game on the go is worth the price of double-dipping.
i didn't get to play the wii version so i'm deffinitely excited for this one
I'm getting it as I've sold my wii copy and really fancy playing it on the handheld. In fact, as long as they don't frak it up (unlikely), I'd prefer to play it on a handheld device
i was gonna buy a wii for this game alone, but now I might get the 3ds xl for this. Awesome move, Nintendo
good job i never got the wii one, they could make the logo look better though
Donkey Kong Country Returns is already playable on Wii and WiiU. I see little need to remake a practically current gen game.
i think i was almost done the game, i better get back to it if im going to get this one too lol
haven`t played the wii version, so it`s got my attention. but, when it releases... why buying, when i can get nearly the game for my wii for about 1/3 of the price?
Cool. could we get an F-Zero GX 3D versions? Thanks, Ninty.
Awesome !
I'd get it. I played the original but passed on the remake since it was on the wii and I never got the wii. So ya I'd pick this up
Damn, another insta-buy... I hope I can afford to buy all the new games being released in the near future.
I absolutely LOVE this game, but I cannot comprehend why porting THIS game to the 3DS makes any sense. DKC Returns was so pretty and having it on the 3DS is like a low-quality version of this beauty.
Either way, I am still slightly interested. I've rented this game multiple times and almost cleared it entirely, but the rolling drove me crazy. I managed to roll off the edge way too many times when attempting to blow real quick without stopping for too long. I'm glad I'll be able to get over this with the 3DS one.
I still think a DK64 port would have made much more sense. Licensing couldn't be all that difficult. Nintendo owns DK and the Kremlings. (Don't believe me? Kritters and K. Rool have been in multiple games sense the GCN. Barrel Blast, King of Swing, Mario Super Sluggers... etc) They would just need the OK from Rare for the actual game.
Instant-buy for me! Got the Wii version when it came out,loved it! I'm a Huuuuge Donkey Kong fan! Hopefully they add some extras or somethin'...
Looks awesome in the 3D video it had great depth! Never got to play the original so I can't wait to play this! And to that guy giving out about "another remake" a load of new games were announced so cheer up =L
Always wanted the Wii version, never got a chance to pick it up. Looks like the perfect time to get in on it, too; the game looks like it was MADE for the 3DS!
I think this is also a good sign. Normally Nintendo is only into re-releasing a game like, a decade or more after its initial release. This game gives me a little hope for Twilight Princess HD (though not much, I must admit).
Watch as this is Retro's secret project, and everyone rages.
Great Nintendo. So, you expect me to re-buy an uglier version of a game barely 2 yrs old?... no. So damn lazy.
I'm currently playing the Wii one and its a great game, but it's way too soon for me to be buying a remake.
......................WHY????
The Donkey Kong Country rumor has finally been confirmed.
Fortunately for me, I haven't played the Wii version. I guess they could have made a sequel though since it was on the Wii not long ago.
Never had a chance to play the Wii version, but now I can play this version!
I never got the Wii vesion, so I'll be buying this!
Nah, I am waiting for the sequel (or something else awesome from Retro)!
I love the game but I'm not double dipping. STOP THE REMAKES!!
Yes!
Yay! I never picked up the Wii version so I will be getting this one when ever it comes out.
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!!!!
I never payed the original! CAN'T WAIT!!!
Played the game on Wii, I'll pass.
i'll get it if they don't charge full price for it... i'm not paying full price for a game i've already played just for some 3D effects. i loved it, but not enough to buy it again so soon.
i feel like a game needs to go at least 6 or 7 years before it gets remade. it's been slightly over 2 years on this one, and i can still play the previous one on a current console (Wii U). If they had remade Donkey Kong 64, I'd definitely purchase it full price. But it's just too soon for DKCR, even though it was a great game.
I like the idea of this game being portable, and no waggle for rolling will be awesome, but I was really expecting a sequel or two for this series. So it's a shame that its not DKCR2, but I will probably pick it up. I had fun playing it at home, but having it anywhere will be good too. My 3DS is going to be a monster of a system for great gaming experiences.
I never played the Wii version so I am excited.
It seems right in the tradition of Donkey Kong Land. It makes perfect sense to make a portable version of this game. I'd like to see what comes out of it but either way it's Donkey Kong on the 3DS!
If they are going to remake games for 3DS, why not a remake of Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, or other GCN games. When I first heard about the 3DS and it's power, I immediately thought of GCN games on the go, but alas....
@DarkCoolEdge
No, BRING ON THE REMAKES!
There are allot of GameCube games I would like to see remade in 3D such as Metroid series, Wave Race, F-zero, etc. Remakes allow games to be released with ease by 2nd parties while Nintendo works on the new stuff.
Not all of us played the Wii versions. I don't even own a Wii. For those of us it is new.
Never played the original sadly, so I'll pick this up day one.
I hope this game will be available in a physical version. I hate e-shop because you don't really own those games especially when your unit breaks. Is this e-shop only or will it be both?
I love motion controls.
I REALLY do.
But DKCR is one of the few games that I remember that got KILLED by the controls.
I skipped the game because of it, so I'm really happy for this unexpected port.
Borrowed the wii version a few months ago. Loved it alot, will be buying this if $30.
cries tears of joy :'D
@DestinyMan I KNOW!!! It's freaking me out how many people haven't played this masterpiece yet.
I am extremely happy for this. It goes on my preorder list as soon as it becomes available.
I was getting really excited... until Reggie announced it's just a port........ after completing the game 100%, pushing my limits... I seriously cannot care less about this....... seriously, what a dissapointment....
Any DKC stuff is good!
That's disappointing. It would be a lot better if they remade Donkey Kong 64,and that also makes more sense. Unless they have another DKC on the works and are hoping to get some more fans,but I'm not hopeful on that one.
Good. Im glad Im not the only who didnt like this announcement too much. Dont get me wrong. I loved DKC Returns!! The game is FREAKING AWESOME!!! Retro did an amazing job! But come on...The same game on the 3DS? Hmm....Thats kinda annoying. Why not give out DK 64 instead? That would have SO MUCH better as we r still wanting for a VC release of it. "Just saying..."
Y U NO REMAKE Donkey Kong 64?
Just checked out the 3D video on the eShop. Pretty nice!!
This game is a perfect fit for the Nintendo 3DS, with the games depth of the 2D levels would work great in 3D. Also this game is fantastic wouldn't mind owning it again for portable gaming. I really hope retro makes a sequel for the 3DS also in the near future.
This game is the sort that would seem to work well on a portable console.
Unless I change my mind, I will most likely get this.
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