Donkey Kong Jungle Beat: Not 'DK-ish' enough?

[EddieTheEditor]

You've probably seen screenshots and movies of Nintendo's latest endeavor with the bongo controllers, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. If you take the time to check the boards of the page I linked you to, you might find several people with a distaste for the game, due to it's alleged 'lack of DK-ness' (If you ask me, I'm happy as long as K.Rool pops up as the final boss). Thoughts?

 

[Sketch]

It different for sure, but it's also got some good DK-ness quality. And some real good fighting from what I've seen. I'm definentilly gonna check this one out when the demo is released.

 

[auto]

I've been addicted to Donkey Konga for about a month now and I can't wait until I can use my bongo controller on something else (although the Bongos do work with Soul Calibur II). I'm a little unsure about if this game would be any fun, All of the mini-games in Donkey Konga that utilize the bongos aren't really that fun to control. Hopefully, Nintendo polished up the experience enough to feel natural with the bongos.

 

[Behonkiss]

There is no sign of K. Rool popping up in the game. Right now all signs point to four new ninja-esque Kongs as the villains.

As a hardcore DKC fan, I'm personally appalled with how the game looks right now. This thread, which I've posted in, sums up my feelings:

http://www.dkvine.com/interactive/forums/index.php?showtopic=1519

 

[auto]

As a hardcore DKC fan, I'm personally appalled with how the game looks right now. This thread, which I've posted in, sums up my feelings

The problem with that thread is that the posters are expecting Jungle Beat to be like a sequel to Donkey Kong Country when in reality, it isn't. Jungle Beat has about as much in common with DKC as Donkey Kong Country had with the original NES Donkey Kong games. Nintendo's taking Donkey Kong in a new direction, so what if the art style becomes Nintendo-esque. The Donkey Kong Country games were all just generic platformers with pre-rendered graphics. The chances are that if Nintendo made something that's reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country, the game would receive the luke warm welcome that the GBA port received.

 

[Behonkiss]

The GBA port did great, and DKC2 and 3 are two of the best sidescrollers I've ever played.

Seriously, go back and replay those games to see why I'm so pissed. Rare gave off an AMAZING sense of atmosphere in them. The music, enemies, and environments were superb.

Now Nintendo has plopped DK into horrible music games (This is coming from someone who loves the genre) and a gimmicky platformer that plays nothing like either previous generation of the franchise. The enemies and environments look downright ridiculous.

I have a little more hope for the upcoming King of Swing game for GBA, but I'm not sold on the premise of climbing around as opposed to a real platformer. I just want the DK of the 90's back.

 

[auto]

The GBA port did great, and DKC2 and 3 are two of the best sidescrollers I've ever played.

The game received an average of a 77% from GameRankings.com (based on reviews). That's pretty disappointing for a port of an 8 million seller. I still bought the GBA version despite the reviews and renting before on the SNES and I really did enjoy the game but its not the type of game that's revolutionary by any means.

Now Nintendo has plopped DK into horrible music games.

I actually really enjoyed Donkey Konga and I'm still playing it a month after I bought everything in DK Town. Its also a blast to play with 4 friends (with bongos of course).

gimmicky platformer that plays nothing like either previous generation of the franchise. The enemies and environments look downright ridiculous.

As I said in my previous post, this is more of a new franchise than a sequel. I had second thoughts about this game myself at first but when I started to watch online videos of the game in action, I soon learned how wrong I was. I really don't see what's wrong with the graphics, the fur effects and the bubble distortion are top-notch in my book. Other than the WAY background, the enviroments are highly detailed. The character designs do seem a little out of place but they don't look like they were designed for another game by any means. The music of the game fits in quite nicely, it just has a funky edge to suit the style of the game.

I have a little more hope for the upcoming King of Swing game for GBA, but I'm not sold on the premise of climbing around as opposed to a real platformer. I just want the DK of the 90's back.

So your saying you'd rather play a game from some developer that you've never heard of than a unique gameplay experience from Nintendo? Remember how Mario Pinball was developed by Fuse games? I'm afraid this game might share the same fate.

 

[NachoHat]

I like the way it looks. I suppose people are upset that it looks nothing like the DKC style but that really just makes me happy. I HATE Rare's character designs and art style and Nintendo taking the franchise in a direction far away from Rare's DK games is exactly what I wanted.

 

[Crow]

This looks as close as I'm going to get to seeing another Donkey Kong Country type game, if I had a GC I'd get it.

I loved the DKC series and while I did think DK64 was great, it was more like Banjo Kazooie than DKC.

The DK in this game looks pretty much the same, tell me someone who's in the know - how is DKC on GBA different from the original? I sold my SNES and games ages ago and want to know why some people are saying the GBA DKC is different graphically. Are things improved with the GBA version of DKC2?

I hate acronyms.

EDIT: Looking at that site, bloody hell. I do enjoy the DKVine site a lot but I'm thinking if I was at that forum I'd have to suck up to the collective or get labelled 'not a true DK fan' for liking what Jungle Beat seems to be.

I'm not generalising you behonkiss or them but a few of them seem to act like they're the biggest authority on all things Donkey Kong just because they post at DKVine.

Something that I will never understand is internet forum users who challenge you to qualify how much you enjoy something/know about something/a character.

'You buy/don't buy that, you cannot call yourself a true DK fan.'

'I will own you with my love of Donkey Kong.'

I would say the more likely you are to be pathetic about it like that; the less of a 'true fan' you would be.

Can someone help me with this: The DKC/Rareware Donkey Kong of course is the reformatted DK and yes I agree this incarnation/version/look of him is 'the best.'

I have the original Smash Brothers and love the way DK looks in that enough for him to be one of my favourite characters.

I know he looks different; but that's because of the graphics; he looks different in the book because they just wanted to draw him differently in the booklet so he looked more like the rest of the character art in there.

Now I'm not technology-savvy so I'm lost when it comes to graphics and stuff; but the DK4 version of him, that's the same right? I have played it heaps and see it as a 'better' three dimensional version than SSB's. Is that right? The only thing I began to dislike was them giving him a voice. Apparently in the subsequent games bar SSBM he's got this voice? I'm getting off track.

Now, SSBM from the screenshots I've seen, he looks amazing. Once again - that's the DKC version, yes or no? It looks heaps like him, of course the way the SNES made him look (for better or for worse) is changed a bit, but still that looks like DK to me.

Now.....what games since then has he been in on the GC? Like I said I don't have one and therefore haven't seen/played a DK game the way you guys have for years. He looks a bit different in DK Jungle Beat I agree, but this is because of some legal bullcrap preventing Nintendo from using the DKC likeness of DK; so they needed to alter it a bit? Is that right? Or have I got my wires crossed?

Just because I'm interested in this game I am for some reason not as big a DK fan as those DK Vine members, where's that noose?

 

[Behonkiss]

DK has a real voice in DK64 and the GCN Mario sports games. In everything else he makes gorilla noises.

And as a DK enthusiast, let me just make it clear to those who still think the character received a bizarre redesign between the 80's and the Rare games: The manual for the first DKC says that Cranky Kong is actually the old DK and has retired, which would make the DK in today's games an older version of DK. Jr.

And for those who say that the designs in Jungle Beat suit DK perfectly, I give you this:
http://media.cube.ign.com/media/682/682919/img_2313492.html?fromint=1

 

[Crow]

I liked it better when he was making gorilla noises, sure on the SNES it was accepted because of technical issues (a bit like the question of whether Link and his Zelda co-stars should get voice actors to voice them or leave them to simply text each other); but to give him a voice would mean they would have to start constructing him 'more of a personality.' Don't quote me on that because I can't find the right words. It's like those who are annoyed with Charles Martinet encroaching on their love of Mario with his voice acting, you could say. I liked the way the instruction booklet's plot pages made DK out to be; but I also appreciated that it was left at that. If they had made him as chatty as K. Rool in Dk64 (both his voice acting and his lines after you beat bosses); I would have not liked the game as much as I do I reckon.

I'm not saying you are, but are you referring to me in your second paragraph? Sorry if I misunderstood - I knew that already If in the original DK games DK Jr was DK/Cranky's son (as we were told when Mario kidnapped the latter Kong all those years ago); I wondered why people then thought DK Jr grew up to be contemporary DK when I am 99% certain I read somewhere when DKC first came out that Cranky is actually the grandfather to the game's main character. DK Jr was never ever referred to until Mario Tennis on the 64. Some people want to know the meaning of life - I want to know what ever happened to Donkey Kong Jr. That is off topic though.

Donkey Kong Country 3 was totally unfit for the DK franchise if you ask me. Since then, Diddy Kong Racing - I was disappointed with that. DK64 is Banjo Kazooie is Super Mario 64; but I still liked it because it was Donkey Kong. When I heard Rare was leaving Nintendo I was neither here nor there because I wasn't planning on getting any of the current generation consoles (still haven't); and for a reason nobody else really agreed with me on - it would be the end of the Donkey Kong Country franchise.

That screenshot doesn't worry me - DK's been in far stranger and out-of-place locations than that in his heralded games. The old IGN movies of the gameplay showed him in jungle settings, and this shot shows him a different level. Donkey Kong Country did that.

I know this a long post, but I am passionate about the big ape myself!

 

[EddieTheEditor]

http://media.cube.ign.com/media/682/682919/img_2313492.html?fromint=1

Counterpoint: Squirt of DKC3.

 

[Behonkiss]

http://media.cube.ign.com/media/682/682919/img_2313494.html?fromint=1
Refresh my memory, because for all the silly stuff DKC3 and 64 had, I have no recollection of CATS being used as PARACHUTES.

 

[EddieTheEditor]

There was one with nine tails...

 

[Behonkiss]

Got me on that one, but I'd rather have a traditional platformer with 90% of the enemies being normal-looking, as opposed to Jungle Beat, which is a drum-bashing fest with 100% of the enemies being wacky-looking.

And regarding King of Swing- didn't I just say I'm also wary of that game's play? The reason I support it more is that what has been shown of it so far is MUCH closer to the DKC games in presentation than every GCN DK incarnation but Mario Golf- Cranky's in it. Diddy's in it. Dixie's in it. Funky. Wrinkly. K. Rool (As a villain, not a whack-a-mole minigame.). Many old drones. I don't know if PAON, the developer, can make good games, but they certainly stick to authenticity better than Nintendo themselves.

 

[Juu-kuchi]

I don't care if it's a platformer or not, it's an interesting looking game that has the Donkey Kong license slapped on it. What you want another derivative platformer (not matter how good DK64 was) in which you have the traditional jumping up and down, going from level to level earning bananas and everything?

Nintendo cares about it's source material, but this is an new and interesting concept that seems fitting to have Donkey Kong as the main player.

I could really just care less about Cranky, Diddy, and the rest of them. They may bring uniqueness and character to the DK universe, but they are not as necessary as the main monkey himself.

 

[Crow]

So answer me this - is there some legalese that says Nintendo can't use the Donkey Kong of DKC because they and Rare aren't together anymore; therefore his design has been tweaked somewhat?

Yes or no?

This would be really annoying, but if someone's got pictures of him in all of his recent and upcoming games I'd love to see them.

 

[Juu-kuchi]

I didn't even know that there was a difference between the Rare Donkey Kong and the present Donkey Kong.

 

[Tash]

So answer me this - is there some legalese that says Nintendo can't use the Donkey Kong of DKC because they and Rare aren't together anymore; therefore his design has been tweaked somewhat?

Yes or no?

This would be really annoying, but if someone's got pictures of him in all of his recent and upcoming games I'd love to see them.

No one really knows what the deal with the DKC charicters is. We used to think that Diddy was off-limits, then he showed up in MKD. So we don't know if that was why they had to change his design...

 

[EddieTheEditor]

As near as I can tell, Nintendo gets all the rights to the Rare DK, as well as most of the Rare Kongs, Animal friends, and Kremlings: The other DK characters (DKR characters, etc.) are off-limits.

Oh, and Behonkiss: YOU got ME there. I AM looking forward to DK:KOS more, for the same reason you are.