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/vr/ - Retro Games

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1105187 No.1105187[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

Welp since it was deleted in /v/.

Was DKC A truly enjoyable platformer or did it succeed mostly on it's unique visuals at the time and the fact Donkey Kong had his own game again?

Interested in discussing.

>> No.1105192

I don't like DKC really. Don't like the visuals, think the level design is shitty. I never played it as a kid.

>> No.1105197

i think it's a good platformer, it's fun and looks great. that being said it's not a GREAT platformer, it's definitely lower on my scale than the old mario games or sonic

>> No.1105195

I thought it was phenomenal when it was released, and think it is still great now. Most people will claim nostalgia goggles, though.

>> No.1105210

To be honest I always thought the graphics were kind of ugly, I just don't like the style. And I don't mean the 3D, I mean the general art direction of the game. How the characters look, how the environments look etc. How the bananas look. Even at the time I wasn't particularly impressed with the graphics for that reason. Like, I think it's pretty neat and I know some people thought it was for a SNES-successor when they first saw it, but I never had much affection for it

>> No.1105209

DKC is decent, but DKC2 is amazing.

>> No.1105215

OP here throwing my opinion into the ring as well, I always liked how it played (The momentum/roll was a neat touch.) But I did always think the visuals, while technically impressive were a bit muddy or grainy. Like they sacrificed a lot of potential clarity for the sake of trying a style. Which is admirable.

Such as the detail and actual suggested round shading on the leaves, or the fact you can see through the gaps in the background cover.

>> No.1105223

I played a week ago, it's still a great game.

>> No.1105221

I think it was a good platformer. there were some levels, like anything with the barrel cannons, or the ice level, that were pure reptile brain reflexes. I think the music is stupidly overrated, though.

>> No.1105225

It is okay. It isn't inherently broken, but it isn't that interesting as well. The biggest draw was the visuals. As time went on that isn't a draw anymore.

>> No.1105234

I think DKC is a truly enjoyable platformer. Very tight controls, compelling level design, and a nice challenge.

Yes...the game does look and sound amazing. At least in my opinion. And that really does bolster it a whole lot. But so many games are improved by their presentation?

Would I want DKC game that's totally bare bones, with hardly any graphics or music at all? Probably not, unlike a game such as Mario. but DKC is still a game I find incredibly compelling, especially the second one.

I think still, presentation wise, 1 and 2 are incredible productions. You can really see the texture of the backgrounds, really get a sense of the environment and the music is just impeccable.

>> No.1105241

its hard to explain why its so good...it just is. playing through it is a joy.

also its pretty darn hard, harder than the mario series at least.

>> No.1105254

This has got to be my favorite game of all time. Amazing music, stunning atmosphere, great gameplay; Even the main enemies were perfect in their own morbid, disturbing way.

>> No.1105256

>>1105187
Went back and played it again recently. Good game.

>> No.1105283

I think you had to be a particular age to like this type of visual.

I was 20 something when this game came out, and I instantly thought it looked like something horrible from 10 years before, (the 80s) something that looked so dated, so backwards, that it was instant shovelware, something that would embarass nintendo severely. I felt the same way about killer instinct, which I always perceived as some ghetto-mexican trash that only idiots played.

But apparently no one thought the same way I did, and it did fine. (But I was right about KI)

Nothing about my opinion has changed, to this day I still can't get past the first few stages, it just looks too terrible.

You have to admit that this was the old equivalent of the flash game, lots of prerendered stuff that is manipulated in simple ways to give the illusion of extensive animation.

>> No.1105289

DKC was nice and all, but DKC2 took it to a whole new level. It easily ranks as one of my favorite platformers ever, I love everything about it, the music, the varied level design, pretty much everything with the art direction and the differing play strategies between diddy and dixie. The boss battles were pretty great too, which is part of the reason why I couldn't get into DKC:R. Seriously, why forshadow a fucking awesome, gloomy giant octopus boss battle and just ruin it with that fucking joke of pirate crabs. I will never forgive that game.

>> No.1105310

I'd say it's a pretty good platformer, the mechanics are good, the level design for the most part is good, the visuals are ok.

DKC2 seemed to have fixed most of the problems DKC 1 had, but then they fucked up with 3.

>> No.1105320

>>1105187
It's a good platformer that stands the test of time. I was never great at platformers as a kid but I mastered DKC. I'd put it up there with SMW.

>> No.1105327

>>1105187
You can't really separate those factors. There is no "truly enjoyable". There is no objectivity. There's just the moment.

When it was out, I thought it was really cool and fun. I played it again this year, and it was solid.

Snow Barrel Blast is 10/10.

>> No.1105328

>>1105310
I don't see why everyone hates 3. I love all of the games in the series.

>> No.1105334

>>1105283
True with every generation of games.

Find any guy that liked Doom in the 90s and ask them what they thought of the N64. It's not gonna be pretty.

>> No.1105343

It's a medicore platformer with a fantastic presentation.

>> No.1105351

>>1105283
I..don't understand this at all. How does DKC look more like the 80's than super mario or other snes games? that literally makes no sense since it was one of the snes games that was looking more like 3D even if in a superficial way.

And killer instinct was terrible and only idiots played it? are you shitting me? the console port was inferior to the original arcade version, but...nah brah...it had a pretty big following and is still considered a good and unique fighter.

>> No.1105358

>>1105187
>Was DKC A truly enjoyable platformer
yeah, sure

i didn't much care for it, but plenty of people loved it at the time, both for its controls and its look

true, neither have aged all that well, but you could say the same for just about anything, from Prince of Persia to fuckin' I don't know, Boogerman

>> No.1105364

>>1105187
DKC is a fun game. People claiming rose tinted glasses have a point, but it's still something you can sit down with and have an enjoyable afternoon with.

DKC 2 is a classic, though.

>> No.1105363

>>1105187

What the hell is that in between the leaves.

>> No.1105361

It's Mario without the momentum physics. The level design is what makes it great.

>> No.1105384

>>1105283
>>1105351
I don't know about you guys, but do you understand Killer Instinct? Like I mean do you guys understand how it plays, how the combo system works and that good stuff? Because I swear I don't understand how to play that shit. I want to learn how to play it.

>> No.1105389

>>1105384
Just mash your face all over the buttons. That's how I did it.

>> No.1105430

>>1105384
Do you play fighting games in general?

>> No.1105435
File: 141 KB, 494x500, 3439638694_2640feef3d.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1105435

>>1105358

I played Prince of Persia last week on DosBox and it hasn't aged badly one bit.

It's still precise, responsive, mysterious, atmospheric and tough.

I think prince of persia is the frank sinatra of PC games.

polite sage for off topic on PoP

>> No.1105451

I think it's great. However, I also LOVE the art style.

>> No.1105458 [DELETED] 

>>1105192
>I never played it
Yeah fuck off.

>> No.1105525

The music in phenomenal. Northern Hemispheres has a high note that makes me want to cry. Aquatic Ambience is so chill, the composers were in the perfect mindset during this games production.

>> No.1105584

Grew up constantly chipping away at that game. I dug out my SNES and replayed it recently and just didn't enjoy it much.

>> No.1105597

Oh the memories with DKC, great game!

>> No.1105610

The original game, while good, does succeed mostly on the great graphics.

The sequel, DKC2 on the other hand succeeds on its own gameplay merits and is a brilliant game.

>> No.1105668

The Selling point of DKC was graphics (although 2's selling point was difficulty)

The level design for the snow world was brilliant, though. You have this great atmosphere, intense music, and there's so many quick deaths to it.
That first time your playing, you don't know when the save point is going to show up. you don't know it's 4 levels in. There's this feeling of hoping after the snow barrel that you'll get a break and then the ice cave comes up, and there's just this feeling of dread. Like your actually lost in a snowstorm and there's no sign of home. It's a really well done feeling.

>> No.1105704

DKC is still a solid platformer. I play it with a friend every now and then. DKC2 is still the best of the three though. But it wasn't the best platformer on SNES, that's reserved for Yoshi's Island.

>> No.1105719 [DELETED] 

>>1105704
yoshis island...best. rofl. yeah as a kid i loved a game where i had to babysit a baby, totally badass. loved the sounds of a baby crying in my ear too

>> No.1105745

It's a solid series. I think the visuals and the atmosphere really elevate it a lot, which isn't a bad thing. The platforming isn't the best out there but it's really good at establishing atmosphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IUXyzqrZsw

>> No.1105763

In the context of most SNES platformers being garbage, DKC was actually damn fine. While admittedly simple, the lack of fancy movement gimmicks apart from the roll (which was actually very fluid and easy to use) meant the game controlled like a charm. It was also graphically impressive and the soundtrack was fantastic.

I will say that I think DKC 2 is more interesting than DKC both visually and in terms of gameplay, and DKC 3 improves on this further (though not so much visually).

>> No.1105770

>>1105283
Ha, I was 8 when it came out and loved it. The characters looked cartoonish but realistic to me. Like I would have used both words at that time.

>> No.1105801

>>1105209
I feel this is mostly true. Something about DKC felt unrefined, but it was still a good game.

I had a blast playing DKC2. Sad thing is, I first played those games only a couple of years ago. So I have no nostalgia goggles for this game.

>> No.1105960

There's plenty of games that I loved when they came out, yet can't be bothered to play again these days. LttP, BK, Goldeneye...

DKC is not one of these games. I still replay it every now and then. It still holds up.

This isn't to say that its graphics don't matter - they ARE an important part of the package, they add atmosphere.

But the gameplay is still rock solid, and the game is still fun.

>> No.1106013

>>1105668
well said!

>> No.1106061

>>1105745
this

>> No.1106070

>>1105187

It was enjoyable. The visual are shit, and who the hell cares about Donkey Kong as a character?

>> No.1106078

>>1106070
to be fair, who cares about mario as a character? really what makes donkey kong any LESS easy to care about than any other platformer, they're not usually exactly interesting or have any kind of legitimate story.

>> No.1106094

>>1106078

Yeah, my point is that people like the game because it's a good game, not because of some hype surrounding it because Donkey Kong finally got his own game.

>> No.1106108

>>1106094
I never heard of that, the way i remember it people liked DKC because it was a fun game...not a GREAT game, not as good as say mario or sonic, but still a fun game. I don't know anybody who was like FUCK YEAH DONKEY KONG MY NIGGA....it's not even like the character even resembles his original self.

>> No.1106520

>>1106108
It's of course a matter of personal preference, but still.

SMW's got considerably less varied environments, got the ludicrously overpowered cape + spinjump that turn 'Need skill' into 'Press b+< or A to win', a completely forgettable soundtrack, less varied bonus games (That are completely left to chance)...

I'm not seeing how it's superior to DKC in any one area, including gameplay.

Can't comment on Sanic, though judging from the instances I've watched, it, GOTTA GO FAST... And done. Not exactly a gameplay revolution, either.

I mean, I don't dislike SMW. I enjoy it almost as much as the DKC series. I just fail to see how it's supposed to be better.

>> No.1106539

>>1106078
Does MWIV count as a platformer? Because by the end of that game, I cared about the story and characters.

>> No.1106540

>>1105187
I'd say it's both. The visuals and music only serve to strengthen the already great gameplay. I find it more enjoyable than Mario or Sonic.

>> No.1106546

>>1105361
>>1105361

agree 100%. the level design is great. the controls/physics themselves are nothing special

DKC with just designed by people who really knew what they were doing.

>> No.1106773

>>1105363
Are you talking about the butterfly?

>> No.1106816

>>1105187
I dunno. I just like playing it. The graphics are cool, the music is fantastic and memorable, Donkey and Diddy have a charm to them, and the game is fun to play for me.

>> No.1106847
File: 124 KB, 450x600, large[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1106847

>>1106520
I think Mario and Sonic are more popular primarily because they're both Nintendo and SEGA's mascots, respectively

But I really don't think either of them could hold a candle to some of the many other platformers of the 3rd, 4th, or even 5th generation. They're not bad by any means, but I really think people tend to give them way too much credit.

>> No.1106852

Snow Barrel Blast is so amazing. The music fits it PERFECTLY. I swear during the barrel part, the music gets really tense, its like they composed the music just for that level.

>> No.1106909

>>1106847
Regarding the game in your image, it only competes with Mario 64 in the quest/objective aspect of things. Banjo-Kazooie's actual platforming and movement tricks doesn't really 'hold a candle' to mario 64.

>> No.1108126
File: 27 KB, 455x343, sdfx7o1_500.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1108126

I agree with Miyamoto's take on the game. It isn't that bad of a game but really overrated and feels unfinished. I mean, c'mon, no final world, bosses that are just glorified mooks? DKC2 & 3 are fantastic games though.

>> No.1108130

>>1108126
I don't know what his take on the game is. Can you elaborate?

>> No.1108134

>>1108130
Not him, but Miyamoto said that DKC relied on graphics and sound and that it's gameplay was mediocre.
Personally I disagree.

DKC's gameplay certainly wasn't innovative or very original, but I don't think that really matters as long as it's designed well.

>> No.1108145

Didn't read the thread, but I recently started playing DKC for the first time since I was a child. I played it when I was a child but I always thought it looked freaky and it wasn't really engaging enough.
When I started playing it I had the same feelings, but I found the more I played it the more everything grew on me. And now I've reached this point where I think it's a game that might win purely on atmosphere. It's a solid platformer, the combat is lacking but not broken, and the secrets range from "Oh, the game kinda hinted me towards that" to "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HAVE EVER FOUND THAT?" but the thing that wins the game over time and again is the visuals and the music.

>> No.1108158

Graphics were pretty cool.

Music was amazing for its time. As a Genesis kid I experienced severe envy.

It's a very good platformer, but not great. SMW and the Sonic games were all better. Donkey Kong Country 2 is up there though.

>> No.1108358

I remember enjoying it immensely. gotta get dem bananas. the graphics were definitely the drawcard though.

>> No.1108365

>>1105384
yeah, this-
>>1105389

I remember playing it with my friends who had been practicing all week and I would faceroll them by literally mashing buttons as fast as I could. it worked in the arcade too.

>> No.1108574

There are those games that rely on visuals so much that the mechanics of the game turn out real shitty but this game is not one of them. This game is legit fun, genuine challenge and great visuals.

How can people say that this game looks bad? Because it clearly doesn't.

>> No.1108581

>>1108574
They've probably only played it on emulator in lcd screens with it upscaled, it looks so much better on an old crt.

>> No.1108585

>>1108581
Yeah no matter what retro game you play, you will always have a tainted inpression of it if you play it for the first time on an LCD/

>> No.1108859

What most people said, DKC was good, but DKC2 was excellent.

DKC had impressive visuals for the time, but also great gameplay, controls were very responsive and I thought the barrels are a good addition to the game, something that makes the DKC games unique.
DKC2 just had better gameplay, better levels, better music, better everything.

>> No.1108862

I remember playing this and saying to my friend, "this game must use ALL SIXTEEN of those bits."

>> No.1110309

>>1108134
>>1108126
That was just a rumor. Miyamoto actually worked closely with Rare while developing the game. He likes DKC quite a bit.

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/06/turns_out_shigeru_miyamoto_does_like_donkey_kong_country

>The first point that I want to make is that I actually worked very closely with Rare on the original Donkey Kong Country. And apparently recently some rumour got out that I didn't really like that game? I just want to clarify that that's not the case, because I was very involved in that. And even emailing almost daily with Tim Stamper right up until the end.

>> No.1110314

>>1110309
wow, I feel stupid now. I've heard the rumor from so many sources that I just assumed it was true. IIRC even GCCX refers to it in the DKC episode

>> No.1110518

I played DKC as a teenager on the GBA and I really loved it. I played it again and just had fun with it, but I've been trying to play DKC 2 and I'm just not getting into it at all. I'm sure it's a great platformer, but it's clearly not my style.

>> No.1110567

>>1110309
Well, it makes sense, really. I really, really doubt Rare would make a game without getting a ton of input from the guy who created the goddamn IP.

>> No.1110590

>>1110309
He might have said that to make himself look better though. The original rumor does make a lot of sense and the rumor even said he apologized later. So either the rumor was really well crafted or Miyamoto is not telling the truth or a partial truth. I'll believe it when I hear it from the stamper bros. as well.

>> No.1110638

For some reason, Mario games where boring for me, but DKC was a blast, some people grew up with mario, some with megaman, i grew up with DKC, the music, the ambient, the platform level design, i loved everything.

>> No.1110642

It succeeded mostly on it's unique visuals at the time and the fact Donkey Kong had his own game again.

Feel exactly the same about DKC2 and DKC3. They're alright I guess, but I've never been a fan of them.

>> No.1110645

I just want to chime in. As a kid I played DKC to death and loved every second of it, I still think the graphics look very good. And when you replay it today it has held up very well. There is a flow to the levels comparable to the Sonic games I think.

I recently tried playing DKC2 though, and I just don't get that game. To me it looks much worse than DKC, the colors don't mesh as well, it's much harder for no apparent reason and the level design has no flow to it. The only reason DKC is more well known than the sequel is because it's simply a better game, no matter what people on here say.

>> No.1110657

I didn't like DKC as a kid. Finally gave it another chance a few years ago, and it was actually a lot better than I remembered.

>> No.1110719

I didn't like it as a kid, because of very superficial and retarded reason. When I was a kid I only played games in which I liked the main characters that I play with, not because of the gameplay and playing as a monkey collecting bananas always looked way too dumb for me to enjoy, plus I found the art style to look pretty ugly compared to other SNES platformers.

Now that I'm not a little retarded dipshit I think that the game, while not nearly as good as people praise it, is a solid as FUCK platformer. Never played the sequels though.

>> No.1110770

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xgPBTe1gzi8

>> No.1110785

>>1105221
>I think the music is stupidly overrated, though.
How in the name of fuck?
It's much better than what you call music of nowadays, like Dark Souls HUMM HUMMM HUMMMM DAADAA HALLLELUJAH - epic bullshit. At least they're memorable.

>> No.1110789

Definitely visuals. It's a dull one-trick pony.

>> No.1110804

>>1105328
it's slower and more gimmicky, after playing 1 and 2 I realized 3 wasn't actually as good.

>> No.1111196

>>1110590
>I'll believe it when I hear it from the stamper bros. as well.
>The Stamper Brothers saying anything, ever

>> No.1111214

>>1110719
>Never played the sequel
You're missing out. Diddy's Kong Quest was the shit.

>> No.1111954

>>1110789
>It's a dull one-trick pony.
Thank you for your worthless "contribution" to the thread. Next time you can just refrain from posting if you have no specific details to point to when expressing your opinion, because there's no discussion to be had from this sort of shitpost.

>> No.1112009

DKC has a sort of flow to it that most other platformers don't have, and when they do it's usually relegated to small segments of the level. Basically, DKC 1 and 2 levels are built so that you can go flying through them at high speeds, jumping off enemies and flying out of barrels. When put all together, most of them have this neat sort of rhythm that guides you from beginning to end.

Of course, if you're leaning more towards the explorative side of things, there's always stuff for you there too with all the secret bonus rooms and collectables like the letters and such.

DKC has a little bit of something for everyone, and I love it for that.