Topic: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)

@DTMOF84 Looking at the gamestop page for this game and it's 60.

@Kimyonaakuma Even SM3DW and Captain Toad can be done with a bit of work. Maybe they can assign the touch controls and mic controls (in the 2% of the game that actually uses them) to other buttons? I really hope they port SM3DW over.

@MsJubilee That's honestly a bit ridiculous IMHO, idk why Nintendo thinks they can get away with charging $60 for a port that barely adds anything. It should've been $50 or $40. Although they may have worried that charging $50 or $40 would imply it's a lesser game.

@shadow-wolf The levels in SM3DW used the touchscreen so they could still work in portable mode, I'm not sure how that would work on the TV though.
Captain Toad's minecart levels would need to be reworked unless they just put the Gamepad perspective on the TV. I'm not sure if the game was big enough for a port unless it was just a small eShop thing.

3D world would sell well and it suits the Switch, but Nintendo might not want to go back to the linear style of Mario just yet.

As for the price of Tropical Freeze I'm not suprised, Nintendo has said before that they set the price based on "the quality of the gameplay", so this goes with that idea.

@JaxonH Oh yes. Time trial mode is very addictive. I have to pick it up some time and do some more gold medals there.

With shorter load times on the Switch, the game would be perfect. And also, it is a great game for playing in portable mode.

The only Wii U games I still want on Switch are Splatoon, Captain Toad, and Mario Maker. The rest I never really liked to begin with.

Anyway, I sincerely hope this is nothing more than filler and we get a legit DK Switch game in about a year or two. Because the Switch has really raised the bar to the point where a port of a rehashy sequel of a last gen game simply isn't going to cut it, especially when the likes of BotW and Odyssey have been legitimately pushing the series in new directions as opposed to games like this which is basically same thing, different levels. DK could really use an overhaul like the former, it's never truly had one in the entire franchise's existence and there's so much more they could do with the series than making it little more than Jungle Mario.

What I'd really like to see them do is turn DK into a hybrid platformer/beat em up in the vein of games like God of War, Knack, or the Werehog gameplay in Sonic Unleashed. Something where you still run and jump through levels, but also use legit combat moves to beat up the baddies. That would fit DK so well, would give its gameplay more of a unique identity, and add a new subgenre to Nintendo's lineup that they've never really done before.

You can just imagine swapping out the Werehog with DK and adding in the usual DK design elements like ropes, barrels, etc. and this would really make for a refreshing take on the series (this level especially is a great example because it has a lot of collapsing platforms and obstacles similar to what you see in Returns/TF and shows how DK can still retain its platforming roots in a style like this).

@Bolt_Strike We kind of already have Splatoon, there may even be a case where everything except the single player and weapon specials of the first game ends up in Splatoon 2.

Yea, we're definitely not going to see Splatoon.

I think we'll for sure see Captain Toad as an eShop release (perfect chance for DLC levels galore lol)

I also think we'll see Star Fox Zero with NORMAL controls. I really hope they do this - give the title the chance it deserves to reach a wider audience and with controls that make sense for more than 1% of the gaming population lol

@Chandlero
I wonder if they'll have YouTube uploads for time trial runs again? They removed all the runs that weren't top 10, which sucks. Lost all my top runs, some of which were world class. Was #12 globally on 6-K, but #2 if you're talking a no damage run. Had a killer run on 6-1, only 3 seconds behind the fastest in the world.

A capture card really would solve the issue, and maybe come in handy for other games.

Unless Nintendo added video capture support and increased the time to 5 minutes, or even 3

I somehow never got Tropical Freeze although i wanted it ... and in the last few months i did not buy it because i assumed it could land on switch. So personally, i am happy with this port, i am only slightly disappointed, that they will not add any new levels apparantly, because that would really be awesome

@JaxonH Very good work! I had some good places at some time, too. However, I think that I got pushed down over the time. It is quite good that Retro Studios included an online leaderboard such that one could easily compare runs with friends. I personally never used the Youtube option since I have indeed a Capture Card, which is indeed a good thing for sharing gameplay videos with friends.

I had a thought earlier on the train home (as you do ) and wouldn't we be better off with a new Captain Toad game instead of a port? From what I remember the game was separated into books, so they could have a few books reminding us what happened in the last game.

We could have the first few books going over the story in the original, it could feature the best and most iconic levels. That way they could just leave out the Gamepad levels too, so that works out.

The new levels could go over Captain Toad's new adventures and could feature new levels. After that they could have some fun extra chapters which show how Captain Toad appears in each of the Kingdoms in Odyssey, because I have no idea how he gets to those areas...

Apart from that I was thinking of some Galaxy-Inspired levels to show his origins with the toad brigade and maybe some DLC levels once the next Mario game launches. A Toad and Toadette multiplayer with each joy con could also work for some specially designed levels.

-these were just some ideas, they probably won't interest most people but it seems better tham a port to me. It also avoids the whole issue with levels that require the GamePad.

@Bolt_Strike I wouldn't mind another DK game as long it isn't be Retro. I want them to really flex their muscles and create something big and new for the Switch. But there are a lot of great developers out their, many affiliated with Nintendo who would make a great new DK game and put their own stamp on it.

@Kimyonaakuma I agree, I would prefer a new Captain Toad but I think what would be best if they ported the first over so like with Tropical Freeze and Bayonetta 1 & 2, those who never played it can get to try it. They would need to alter it slightly because you can't blow into the microphone on the Switch. But a sequel could easily be pumped out as a filler title. The first took a year to produce if I remember correctly.

I bypassed Tropical Freeze because I got the impression it was too generic a platformer. I've been checking out the OST on YouTube and ARCEUSDAMN Tropical Freeze has a good quality soundtrack.
I will now seriously consider buying it for Switch. Music can make or break a game. Megaman games were traditionally difficult, but what made me persevere were the soundtracks. Chrono Trigger kept me coming back and is probably the only RPG I've finished.

I'm a few levels into Mario Odyssey and the music so far is such a letdown. If I said think of the first level music for Super Mario 3D World, most of you would remember it instantly. But WTF is up with Mario Odyssey's almost instantly forgettable music?
_{watch the profanity. -Joey}

I see that now. I'd still be interested in it even though I have it on Wii U.

@rallydefault Star Fox Zero... That game has far bigger problems than the motion controls alone IMO. I wish they just forget about that franchise for a good while and don't come back to it unless they've got a good reason for doing so. Star Fox is Nintendo's Sonic at this point

@Prizm Get the game if you haven't played it already. It's one of the best platformers, period. It's difficult, but in a challenging way, it's also very forgiving. The level design is very creative. I'm a sucker for background details and level themes, and I loved them in Tropical Freeze. And the music. Dave Wise. That's all I have to say. I love the original DKC OST, and TF brings back memories.

@Kimyonaakuma They are all great ideas.

First timer! I really liked DKCR and hear the sequel is even better!

@Octane
I mostly agree. I think they should just put out a solid Star Fox 64 remake on the Switch, to be honest. Now, I never bought it for the 3DS, so for someone like me it would be pretty "fresh" after 20ish years. They could tack on a couple new levels that are classic in their stylings and such. Nothing wonky like Zero.

Unfortunately all the level gimmicks in the world can't save a game from being rehashy, that usually comes down to things like new moves, mechanics, etc. DK's never really improved that aspect of its gameplay, all of TF's "new" moves are just things recycled from the Classic Trilogy with slightly different execution (what's next, are they going to bring back Animal Buddies and actual 2 player and expect us to act like those are legitimate innovations?) and pretty much every game is the same old 2D platformer with DK and friends running and jumping through levels, rolling, throwing barrels, climbing, etc. Boring. Isn't it about time DK learns some new tricks instead of just having new levels over and over and over? This is where a game like BotW or Odyssey gets more praise than a game like 3D World or TF. Because those games actually add things to their series instead of being a level pack. Whereas a game like this just feels like DLC of Returns, the gameplay itself just feels like more DK instead of doing something new and constructive with the series.

So yeah, all the raving about the level design isn't going to be enough. The game's problem is conceptual. DK doesn't get a new ability that's related to the Kong Island being frozen over. You can't do anything you haven't done in a previous DK game in general. The level design or game structure hasn't changed. The game flat out lacks ideas on a game wide level that would make it feel more like a legitimate step forward for the series.