
Comparisons between the Switch version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and the Wii U version released back in 2014 seem to be cropping up all over the place at the moment; just recently we found out that the game's file size is almost half the size on Switch when compared to the original, and now it seems that the game's loading times have seen a huge improvement, too.
In this video from the folks at GameXplain, two speed tests are performed to analyse the differences between the different versions. To get from the game's main menu to the world map took 8 seconds on Switch, compared to over double that with 17 seconds on Wii U. Interestingly, the cloud animation ran much smoother on the new console, too, with a noticeable stutter hindering the original version.
It was a slightly different story with loading up the first level; the Switch version took 10 seconds to get started, whereas the Wii U version took 12. A much smaller difference, then, but still a very welcome improvement.
As mentioned in the video, all sorts of factors and potential development changes could alter these times when we see the final build next month, but this does give us a good idea of the improvements in performance we can hope to expect.
Will you be double-dipping to have Tropical Freeze on the go? Or are you perhaps about to experience this platforming delight for the very first time? Let us know below.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 83
Sadly missed this gem on the Wii U. Loved Returns on Wii and 3DS. Can't wait to play this game.
Will get it, again...
If they added more levels or made it a double pack with the original, it would have been a no-brainer. Slightly faster load times and an Easy Mode are not worth it.
Totally skipped WIIU, this one's a no brainer
@ImagineerNik agreed if this came with Donkey Kong county returns I’d def get it. Can’t justify a double dip at that price but for those who haven’t played it, it’s worth a go
Coding efficiency, care of Retro.
How does this compare to Returns? I couldn't get into that so... that'll be deciding factor.
Instabuy!
So, the Extra $ 10 was for Quick Loading.
Nice...
So many people still not understanding that Nintendo it double dipping, not you lol
Never bought it for the Wii U, So definitely gonna get it this time round.
Never had a Wii U so instabuy for me. My son is all hyped up for this one. He loves Donkey Kong.
Hopefully I don't get as frustrated playing it on Switch as I did on Wii U...
Never had a WiiU but love me some SnesDK action. Will be a buy from me but not asap,so many other games that I want 😁
Twice as fast should be twice the price.
In the history of consoles has any console ever had such a high percentage of remakes, rereleases or whatever you wish to call them of ALL IT's retail games?
Don't get me wrong it makes good business sense for Nintendo to do this when they have such loyal fans that will easily double dip or even triple dip for what is pretty much the same game but this is surely unprecedented.
I never got it on the WiiU so for those like me, it's great. I was just wondering, that's all.
I mean MS and Sony does it but usually these rereleased games are heavily discounted. In Nintendo's case the price is USUALLY as a new release. Both 1st and 3rd party.
At £40, of course I wouldn't double-dip. But Nintendo fans will buy anything at full price.
Can’t wait
@EightyTwoStu definitely better
Clearly with the huge continued success of Mariokart 8 Deluxe, there's a massive market for great games on the Wii U that didn't get the chance to shine. Do we think they'll do the same for Super Mario 3D World at some point?
Sound nice and good for people that didnt get to play it on wiiu but I wont double dip
How about a new DK for switch
Also I dont understand why they are porting every single wiiu game except Mario Maker, I surely double dip on that if it happens.
That will sell like hotcakes and unlike a game like this you can play new levels forever. I checked my wiiu log not long ago and I played mario maker for over 400 hours
@Hotfusion @Guddy Hotfusion, Don’t forget, that all of the consoles that have previously had this (the PS4 for example as you mentioned) were re-releasing games that had already sold well on their previous console, and so it really was a ‘re-release’ for most people... the remakes that Nintendo has here were missed by a huge number of people who currently own, or will own, a Switch... purely because the WiiU sold very few number in total. What this means, is that the games, although technically re-releases, were not sold to capacity (or even close) the first time, unlike the ones that (for example) Sony discounts.
@Hotfusion
I honestly think most of the revenue coming from these ports are from people (like me) that never waste...err wanted to buy a WiiU.
The percentage of double dippers should't be that high. But I could be wrong! Personally I never got a game twice.
@Samwise7 : Definitely. I'm confident that the entirety of Wii U's first party library will be ported to the Switch, with the only exceptions that come to mind being Nintendo Land and Game & Wario (ironically being perhaps the only first party games that utilised the Gamepad extensively to the extent that they cannot be repurposed for single-screen play).
I will be skipping this since I already played it on the WiiU. The price is also a bit high considering it was $10 less on the WiiU and it's only $20 bucks for the WiiU as of now.
@Samwise7 I think Super Mario 3D World is bound to appear at some point. Maybe not for a while though because Odyssey was released recently.
Thank god for that the loading time was really bad on wii u
That was only thing letting it down
I am tempted to get it again
Have it on Wii U but haven't played the game yet. Definitely double dipping but liked the idea of having it bundled with DKCR - that would have swayed me.
Totally makes sense with the reported reduction in file size.
They might have reduced the sizes of many textures that aren't close to the screen, switched music file format or just compressed it more, and any number of other small improvements to data size.
I would think it would be a no-brainer that load times on Switch would compare favorably with the same game on Wii U, since we’re comparing loading data from a cartridge versus a disc, but that’s still good to hear. Load times were pretty nasty on the Wii U version of this game. I wonder how load times compare for Hyrule Warriors? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was definitely an improvement on Switch, especially when launching the game from the menu.
imo tropical freeze is better then returns. I like the feel of the worlds more and every level is original.
It's very worth it if u never played it before. I'm not double dipping for it since it hardly has any changes and an easy mode doesn't make the game more compelling. The toughness of the game is also it's charm.
@Hotfusion
"Don't get me wrong it makes good business sense for Nintendo to do this when they have such loyal fans that will easily double dip or even triple dip for what is pretty much the same game "
First, ports have been a huge part of the library of a lot of systems. Their audience can be double dippers, people who missed the game first time around, people who are new to the industry or in the case of the Switch people who want he's portable. They don't take nearly as much effort as a new game and seem to be worth it from the publishers POV because they keep getting made.
Second, I don't really think it's Nintendo fans that are the main market here. Yes there will be some interested, and the constant clamour for the Virtual Console suggests a fanbase very keen to buy their old games again (see also-SNES games on the GBA, New Play Control games on the Wii etc.). But the Wii U situation is unusual in that it failed so badly meaning a very restricted market for games like this. Take the example of DKC. Returns sold 6.53 million copies on the Wii land another 1.7 million on 3DS) yet Tropical Freeze on Wii U managed only 1.12 million. Now they've got better,.much more successful hardware, Nintendo would be mad not to port as many Wii U games as possible.
@Hotfusion
the ps3 had a few of the very very few games it really had even for the first year.
doesn't bother me. i didn't buy a wiiU so these are new games for me. sorry you bought into that doa thing. hope you learned your lesson.
I said when the file size first came out that there was no need to worry about bad compression causing longer loading times.
Still on the theory that the Wii U version was full of duplicate files and that's why it was so big
Great game if you haven’t played it. I’m good with the Wii u version but might get this in the future preowned
@JoeyJoeJoe Nintendo Italy is feeding rumor a new DK is coming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKUGaT3LGsU
I got the original game on sale digitally for 29.99. No way am i paying 60 for Funky Kong and twice as fast loading speeds lmao
@elstif I don't think they'll port Super Mario Maker, it was too related to Miiverse and Miiverse is gone. Instead they'll make SMM 2. Not sure how knew it will be, but they'll call it new. But not this holiday as we are getting SSB this holiday. Well they said 2018 so I'm assuming holiday and not before but it could be August or September I suppose. But with all the other ports they are probably waiting on SMM.
Besides all the ports it was a very heavy online game on Wii U so they'll probably wait until the paid online service is released to give people another reason to sign up besides SSB.
Also, they will probably make the game work by drawing on the screen with a finger, which makes the Switch look like a tablet, so they are probably holding off on that while they sell the Switch as a home docked console. I do think the game will work while docked somehow but I think most people will want to create with their finger, and that isn't a look Nintendo wanted for the Switch near launch.
Maybe they'll show it at E3 for early next year. But I think it will be 2, not a port, it will be different enough without the dual screen Game pad and TV set up.
@Drussa it’s rock hard. I bought it for my son on the Wii u and he couldn’t play it. Just a heads up
I'm planning to double-dip on this one. Tropical Freeze is too good not to have on the go.
If it was 29.99 I would be excited but at $60 they crazy. Just wait for the sale on this. Tons of new games you can play instead.
I agree with many others here that it is a great game and for any who haven't played it yet it is a no-brainer to get this. It is worth the price if you have never played it before but I bought it when it came out for Wii-U then traded it in when I was able to get the digital version through Club Nintendo for free. (Man, it is so depressing to think of how awesome Club Nintendo was and what we have now)
@rjejr also Mario Maker was already ported onto the 3DS (along with Yoshi’s Woolly World and Hyrule Warriors, though the last of those is getting a 3-release on Switch so there’s precedent).
Last remaining high profile 1st/2nd Party Wii U games:
Mario 3D World
New SMB U (& Super Luigi U)
Xenoblade X
Tokyo Mirage Sessions
Kirby’s Rainbow Paintbrush (3DS port is more likely?)
Star Fox Zero / Guard
Game & Wario
Nintendoland
The last 2 are little more than Wii U tech demos, and the Fox games were similarly too tied to the system to be easily portable.
@Drussa It's has to be an awesome feeling having a child that's into Nintendo! I would imagine it's like rediscovering the world of Nintendo through a child's eye's!
@Hotfusion Well, let's take a look at the numbers for games published by Nintendo.
First year: 2 remaster/ports to 7 original in the last 9 months
This year: 3 remasters/ports to 5 original in the first 6 months
Total : 5 remasters/ports to 12 original in the first 15 months
PS4
First year: 2 original in 2 months
Second year: 2 remasters to 5 original in 12 months
Nothing in January
Total: 2 remasters/ports to 7 original in the first 15 months
XB1
First year: 1 remaster/port to 4 original in the first 2 months
Second year: 2 remaster/port to 4 original in 12 months
Nothing in January
Total 3 remaster/port to 8 Original in 15 months
So yes, Nintendo has the highest ratio (at least this generation), but also far more original first party retail titles than either other company released.
Do not buy this game at full price. There was a reason this was $50 on Wii U. It's very short. Great game but not worth $10 more at launch just for the Funky mode. This and ARMS should have not been $60. Nintendo is just just trying to rip you guys off.
If this is $60 I'll wait for it to drop to $20 or $30. I enjoyed the original and wouldn't mind playing it again on a new console but it's 4 years old now. There's no new levels or anything significant besides a new character. No way is it worth full price
I'm going to play it for the first time... when I unseal my Wii U copy. LOL
Somewhat explains why it costs twice as much
@outsider83 ues it is. Kids experience games in such a different way compared to how adults do.
@Mr_Pepperami this is why i am glad they added the “easy” mode in this version.
Never played the first time around, so I'm excited to know I'm getting a fast loading experience. 😊
@Drussa after playing it I think I’ll be using the easy mode😂😂 I finished the game on Wii u but it nearly finished me😂
Hey, the level select worlds are different! The Switch has more of a top-down kinda thing going on, while the WiiU one has a more zoomed-out approach. Wonder what that is about, looks cleaner on Switch though but ain't rebuying anyhow.
@electrolite77 @Guddy
While I cannot argue with your points my reasoning for believing that there are many double dippers is (whilst not scientific) largely based on comments around the internet, including this site.
"I'll defo buy this game again on the Switch" dominates a lot of Nintendo Game News comment sections referencing re-releases on YouTube, fansites, wherever.
Obviously it proves nothing so you could be right. However I do THINK there is a lot of double dipping.
@link3710
Yes that is correct but I was basing that query on ALL games INCLUDING third parties announced UP TO THIS POINT. So with those 3rd party games thrown in that ratio grows.
However thanks very much for the information you provided.
@FTL
You are right and I agree. However MK8 breaks that cast. It's sales on the WiiU would have been excellent on any system regardless. However bringing it back to the Switch may have well proven your point as well.
@sword_9mm
I am sorry, but you've lost me.
@gaga64 I would count Paper Mario Color Splash and Mario Party 10 as high-profile.
Speaking of which, when is Mario Party 11 coming out for Switch?! The local multiplayer is a no-brainer for this. Come on, Nintendo.
@Hikingguy my daughter has the same but my son loves the battles. He is not very carefull so keeps asking me to make more food every time.
@Hotfusion Yeah, that's a project I'm not about to try and take on. Way too many variable to take into account, plus good luck finding a database with that much info. That said, looking at just Switch Retail games, here are the numbers
2017: 43 original, 31 ports
2018 up to June: 28 original, 20 ports
Cannot wait for this one. Never played the Wii U version (since I never got a Wii U...) so this is like a brand new DKC for me. I loved DKCR, except for the motion controls, so this is perfect. And the soundtrack by the legendary David Wise is amazing. Although I will admit it is a bit pricey.
@Megal0maniac They're the same, Wii U is on world select and Switch is on level select.
@JoeyJoeJoe You are 1000% wrong. Tropical Freeze is ABSOLUTELY NOT a reskin of DKC Returns. How in the world did you come up with that notion is beyond me.
@Hotfusion
Thing is, this site in particular is a bit of an echo chamber. If you believed a lot of posters here Wii U ports won't sell on Switch. We now know that isn't the case. It's not all that representative of the wider market.
Load times were a slight irritation at times on the Wii U version, but I didn't think they were that bad. The only thing that really bugged me about the original was that I felt the Gamepad could have been used a lot better.
That said, if you don't already have the game and enjoy platformers, buy this.
Didn't realize the load times are that long on Wii U.
Still not worth $60.
Still going to get it but man...I am trying to find another game to get excited about?
Gonna play the hell out of this one (only single dipping tho)
Perfect platformer this..
@Paddle1 Whoops! Thanks, it's been a while
The only flaw in this masterpiece has been fixed!
Already order on Amazon. I was mainly doing it to support the series, but now that we have that cryptic "good things come in threes" message, I'm looking forward to a double-dose of DK in the near future!
@nintendork64 Oh yeah I forgot about those, plus Mario Tennis Ultra Smash and Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics. Though I’d argue that none of those were quite as high profile / well regarded.
Pikmin 3 though... Forgot about that one.
Also Splatoon (though unless they can get it onto the 3DS I’d imagine they won’t bother with porting it now we have the sequel).
@gaga64 "Mario Maker was already ported onto the 3DS"
Not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand it is probably a reason to either not port it to Switch or wait a while, OTOH, as you pointed out, Nintendo doesn't seem to mind having games on all 3 consoles - Wii U, 3DS and Switch. Besides the games you mentioned there's also Mario Kart and SSB. MK doest have different numbers but it's still MK. SSB on 3DS was a little different but still SSB.
So while it may be a reason for them to wait a little bit with SMM on Switch I don't think a 3DS version would be enough reason for them not to port the Wii U version. I dont' think they will port the Wii U version though b/c it should be easy enough to make a new one. I think they'll drop the major integration SSB has with amiibo and they would probably drop the skins in a SMM 2 as well. Nintendo still likes to make amiibo - Zelda BotW had a ton - but they don't seem to like to let them do anything of relevance in game.
I dont' think we'll get too many ports of those other games on your list, Switch ash already had or will have similar games.
Well unless one has bought the Wii u version and is going to spend another £40 on the same game to play it on the Switch, we would not notice any difference.
@gaga64 Wonderful 101 as well, this was teased by Platinum to be coming to Switch too so i wouldn't be surprised to see it this year.
Fantastic game!
Double dipping I may yet do🤔
Still a maybe for me. Another Wii U title I never picked up, but while I like DK, it has never been one of my favorite series.
Good to know. DKTF is a fantastic gem, but I need a price drop to double dip.
@rjejr I think Mario Maker for the Switch would use both point and click controls for docked mode and touch controls for portable mode for level creation. Point and click controls worked great for World of Goo and I don't see why Nintendo couldn't do much better.
I never played this on Wii U but am definitely keen to this round!
Of course it's going to load faster, it's running from a memory card instead of disc.
@MeloMan said "Coding efficiency, care of Retro."
That's not coding efficiency, it's simply running on a faster processor. And loading from a cartridge.
@Samwise7 @wazlon - Exactly, 3D World will come at some point, but they will let Odyssey runs its course first.
@Drussa - This is why Nintendo needs to put out a non-battle-centered MMO. My daughter also loves open world games but doesn't like ones that are focused on fighting. Roblox is making a killing when it comes to young female gamers. Nintendo needs to tap into that market.
@NintendoLife - Another reminder that your comments section is horrible. Please change to Disqus or some other comment system that allows threaded replies.
I'll be playing this... After buying the original on Wii U for 5 bucks.
EZ Mode Funky Kong can suck it.
@Prizm
Good point, but please no Disqus. You won't be able to permaban trolls. Every site that uses it, has an atrocious, disgusting community as a result. I hope they will just add threaded replies here.
@roboshort both point and click controls for docked mode and touch controls for portable mode
Yes, I think they would do both, but how many games have you seen Nintnedo advertise on the Switch with touchscreen controls? They didn't even confirm the screen HAD touchscreen controls for months after they announced the Switch. So while it will be playable on the TV using the dock, think about how many Switch ads you have seen from Nintendo with people touching the screen. I can't think of a single one. Even though some 3rd party games do use the screen I think Nintendo is trying to not have Switch look like a tablet. But at some point they will, especially since Labo and in particular Labo Garage seem to use the touchscreen a lot, so the cat is out of the bag now. But before now I don't think they wanted to advertise a touchscreen game, even if the touchscreen was only 1 way to play it.
That's what I think anyway, or maybe the game just isn't done yet.
@rjejr Hmm. Yeah. Good points.
£34.99 when you order online and collect in-store at Smyth's Toys. Payment taken approx 1 week before release: https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/video-games-and-tablets/new-games-coming-soon/coming-soon-nintendo-switch/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-nintendo-switch/p/165235
That was one thing that annoyed me, the long loading. And that for a game that wasn't the most accomplished graphics-wise. There where stronger games that loaded much quicker!
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...