Japanese Charts: Fans Go Bananas For Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Dynasty Warriors making the number two spot is fantastic to see. My copy can’t come in soon enough…

The Japanese gamers obviously haven’t watched Alex Olney‘s review on DKCR HD.

Switch sales will be interesting next week (post Switch 2 reveal.) Mind you, Sony and Microsoft's next generation and a half haven't knocked sales any, we will have to see if Nintendo's own will have any effect lol.

For comparison, the original sold 163, 310 copies in its opening week.

And this is why they charge full retail price for low-effort rereleases of 15-year-old games. People will buy them regardless.

These will keep doing well and it's the reason why I can't help but laugh at the people who think we'd get a Zelda HD "two pack" with the Wii U ports at..any point, really.
They're gonna drop TP and WW individually and they're both gonna come full priced with little to no actual improvements beyond what was on Wii U.

And y'all will like it.

Been a while since we've seen as many as 3 PS5 games in the top 10 in Japan. I'm really enjoying revisiting DKCR so far, so I'm glad to see it doing well.

I wish this will give Nintendo a clue that people are more than wanting for a new Donkey Kong game.

And bring back the Kremlings, damnit!

I am really excited to play this again on the switch! I really don`understand why people have a problem with it's existence. It is not like anyone is forcing me to buy it again but I don't feel like digging through the attic for my old wii. I will happily pay full price for this gem of a game on the switch. Bring on more remasters of old classics so we can have an even bigger collection on the switch systems.

I wonder when the Switch will begin to tail off due to the Switch II...
PS5 sales aren't rebounding at this point now, are they.

I'll get it on sale or secondhand lol

Don't forget this is the second best selling Donkey Kong Country; many people are gonna buy it for nostalgia, myself included.

Well actually I really just want a TV version of the game without motion controls; as lazy a remaster as it is, it fits the bill.

Japan praises an American game developed in Poland.
We must be in 2025.

@Max_the_German They don't care about some random YouTuber.

How did it nab that spot with that brutal competition?

DK is not immediately on my list but whilst I am planning to be an early adopter of Switch 2, backwards compatibility is a dream. I've got lots of Switch 1 games yet to purchase.

This is ridiculous. This is approaching the same level of re-releases as Skyrim, only Skyrim had the decency to not INCREASE in price as the years ticked by.

Seriously, who are these people paying $60 for a $50 Wii title at launch that's been ran through a Dolphin-esque upscaler?

I remember saying $50 was too much for this back in 2008..... As a developer seeing 2D platformers launch at the same price as Skyrim/Galaxy/Skyward Sword/etc hurt. But this is just too much.

Can't wait for the Switch 2 to start getting $70 Switch ports of WiiU ports.

PS5 sales is on number 3. 😊
But the number of shipped unit can be better next week again. 😕

Expensive or not, DK Return on the Switch its the best way to play the game on, with its sharper graphics, better controls and the 3DS stages. The game is still a master piece, one of the best 2d plattformers ever made. Very glad that it performs well and has higher first week sales then the Switch version of Tropical Freeze, and probably a much higher digital sale.

Seems like good numbers for a rerelease. Note to Ninty: people love Donkey Kong so release a new title please, 2D or 3D just do it already!

Wow, pretty impressive. It’s a bloody good game regardless of any storm in a teacup controversy.

I got my copy for $50 from Woot, but looks like their inventory is currently sold out. There is a good chance, though, that they will get more in stock.

Just went back to play the Wii version, what a great game and it still holds up! Ignore negative reviews and get whatever version you prefer, but don't skip this game.

Are there effects missing in Donkey Kong Country Returns? I can’t tell. Looks sharp and runs well. Load times seem longer though. Fun game on the OLED Switch.

Best way to play. Well done you donkey.

FYI Switch sold more compared to last year despite a new system in horizon.

Well according to those low sales numbers I guess everyone is preparing for the Switch 2 now. Even with the low Switch sales, it still out beat the PS5 in all front.

Seems like more than Luigis mansion 2 and Mario vs dk, slightly less than TTYD and a third of what SMRPG put up their first weeks.

People will buy anything nowadays🙄

@thesilverbrick If they didn't release it will you still complain for a Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Edition? As you know this is the only HD version of the game existed. Without this re-release the only two versions you'll get is the force motion control 480p Wii version or the low quality 240p 3DS portable version.

@Dom_31 100% agree

Nintendo...The people have spoken and they want more DK!

@Bluerangervegeta The models and textures were actually updated. Technically DKCRHD was remastered, though you may not like the remastering job.

@PinballBuzzbro
The "anything" here being a really good game that fixes some issues that the original had.

Wild. This is the third version of this game and it’s still raking in sales? Why won’t Nintendo make a new DK game again?

I’m glad it’s doing well. Maybe Retro can finally make a 3rd game now after finishing up with Prime 4.

I bought it because I wanted to play on a TV without motion controls.

People like to buy fun games to have fun and not make every potential purchase about taking a stand, who would have thought it.

Also it says a lot about the supposedly superior triple AAAAAA games who can't stack up against a decade-old Wii title and a bunch of rehashes and continued unchanging properties.

@Serpenterror I actually never complained, if you read my post again. And I bought the game myself. I just find it a little bizarre to put such little effort into a port and the charge more than it cost when the game released 15 years ago. The Metroid Prime Remaster had infinitely more love and care put into it and sold for $20 less. $40 would have been a much more sensible price point for such a low-effort port.

“This is ridiculous! How can they think they can charge $60 for a port of a Wii/3DS game without any substantial updates? And we already have a newer Donkey Kong game on Switch that is basically this game but better! I just want a new Donkey Kong game. This is a sick joke!” Proceeds to pre-order said joke on Amazon

The Switch hardware units haven't dipped significantly yet. Interesting...

Nintendo needs to find a new team to make Donkey Kong games. Retro is busy now and Rare doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned. But we need more Donkey Kong.

@thesilverbrick I was surprised and pleased that Metroid Prime was only $40.

I always thought Link’s Awakening HD set the bad precedent. It should have been in the $40-$50 range.

At least Mario vs DK was $50 at release.

And Pikmin 1 & 2 were bundled together. Same for the upcoming Dragon Quest 1 & 2.

@Jhena That's cause at that time people were really excited about the Donkey Kong Country series returning as the fanbase were getting tired of multiple failed DK spinoffs (DK: Barrel Blast, Donkey Konga 1 & 2, DK Racing, DK Pilot, DK: King of Swing, DK: Jungle Beat, Mario vs. DK, etc.). Compare that to now where people are getting tired of seeing the DKC games. Nowadays people are craving for a full blown 3D Donkey Kong platforming game, not a 2D side-scrolling Donkey Kong Country platformer or a Mario vs. DK game. Nintendo doesn't seem to realize that.

@Serpenterror The original DK arcade game, DK ‘94, and Mario vs. DK are all great games. And they are considered DK games, however, you don’t play as DK in them.

Like you said, people want new games playing as DK. A 3D game would be awesome. 😊

That said, I hope DK ‘94 is added to the NSO app soon. 🤞

@DwaynesGames I was referring to around the Wii generation. At the time of the Wii generation, people were getting tired of seeing DK spinoffs cause they felt the franchise was heavily bury at the time. When Nintendo showcase that Retro Studios is making a new Donkey Kong Country game for that generation, people were very happy to see it returns cause then it felt like the series had been brought back from the dead. But nowadays in the Switch generation it seems that interest had change. With multiple re-releases of the Donkey Kong Country reboot games already out there now, fans are now craving for a new 3D Donkey Kong game. One where the adventure felt bigger, better, and more challenging. If Nintendo see the interest then they should work on one for the upcoming Switch 2.

I am surprised , but happily surprised. I'm happy more people are getting into this classic game.

It’s time to party like it’s 2010 again to sink in the nostalgia of Donkey Kong Country Returns when the Wii and DS were still in stores, virtual console was still available and Bitcoin was less than $1.

@Serpenterror
I do not know what people wanted during the Wii era, but what you say sounds reasonable. On the other hand, it has been a little bit over 14 years. Should there not be lots of young people, who never played the game or the original DKC series and Donkey Kong spin offs? I do not know, but at least Returns HD sold something like 20k extra copies, compared to Tropical Freeze HD, which is at least something.

Personally I am very interested in a new 2D or 3D game. As long as it is awesome and has great vibes, I will be happy eitherway.

@roboshort That's closer to a mod/patch than what I would classify as an actual remaster. Remaster is something more along the lines of OoT 3D, where the DNA/code of the original game is there but has been very heavily modified (in OoTs case new screen layouts/touchscreen support/map/etc to completely revamp the game, updated sound/music in addition to graphical elements, addition of 3d effects, etc). In other words it's not technically a remake but it's the next closest thing.

The gaming community really needs to come together to define these terms. Replacing the main character model,updating a few textures, running it all through an HD upscaled, and remapping a single control isn't a remaster, it's more like a (slightly) enhanced port. I see nothing that was done here that couldn't easily be done in Dolphin, and that should be a major problem when you are asking $60. At $10 or maybe even $15 I could let that slide, but pricing this equal to BotW, Odyssey, or FE3H is a sick joke. This kind of greed is why I left the games industry to begin with.

The fact that this is selling at that price means the Nintendo fanbase has a problem. I wonder how far Nintendo will push the envelope before the EA comparisons start in earnest.... Then again even EA regularly puts the Mass Effect Legendary collection on sale. What does that say about Nintendo?

People finally seem to be buying games for those PS5s they bought last month.