Re: Donkey Kong Country (La-Banana)(The Great Kongo Bongo Civil War)(LP Subforum Thread one thou- er, make that 999)

[Sebby19]

I had the exact opposite experience with Expresso's bonus as you - I was able to get over 900 with her somewhat regularly, while I never even broke 800 with any of the other animals.

I thought he was saying Expresso's was the most boring.

I can't even fathom this due to not even remembering Rambi's (despite the fact that I'm pretty sure he's done it once already this LP)

Nope, Rambi's hasn't appeared yet.

[Blivsey]

• Forest Frenzy: At the bottom of the final rope once it stops
  

[*]Collect 600 tokens in Esp- wait I already posted this one. But rao did make the requirement this time so hes a true gamer now

Tree Top Town's theme is fantastic, by the way

[Stink Terios]

Man, I remeber being super down on this game in particular in the Wii era of games, just because of how the bonus rooms are hidden.
And how absolutely hideous the game looks.

It probably only looks hideous on our good LCD screens of modern times, because this game was designed for CRTs and probably used a ton of tricks that only look good because of the blurryness and low resolution. Much like the Sonic waterfall transparencies.

[Alice]

Gonna spoiler just in case:

Funnily enough, the lightning stage is one of the three I had in mind, though it's not so much that i dislike those stages for their difficulty, but for other reasons:

Lightning Lookout: the already mentioned lightning stage. It's just such a chore and bore to play. The constant lightning strikes break the flow of the game. Apparently the GBA remake increased the time between strikes to 4 seconds, but that on the other hand just nerfs the whole challenge. It's just an all around annoying stage.

Poisonous Pipeline: not a difficult stage, but the whole gimmick of reversing your controls is flat out annoying. Some people might not mind it, but I dislike difficulty that comes from messing with the controls instead of the level design. It also feels underwhelming for being the last normal stage in the game. I think I wouldn't mind it as much if Poisonous Pipeline and Koindozer Klamber switched places, ending the last normal world with a proper plattforming stage, instead of a gimmicky water one.

Rocket Rush: the true last stage in the game and probably the most gimmicky of them all. After all the challenging levels in the secret world you're greeted to a glorified bonus stage which plays nothing like the rest of the game. It's just such a bad way to end the game and again, feels really underwhelming, at least to me. I wouldn't mind Rocket Rush if it were a bonus stage, but making it a real stage, the last one in the game even, feels like a bad decision to me.

But then again, I'm one of the few people who seem to actually like Animal Antics.

That's largely fair enough. I fully agree with what you said on Lightning Lookout. The biggest issue with it is that other than a few cases, like the tree saw level which autoscrolls and toboggan levels which autoscroll but are very fast, most levels are created with a fairly fluid flow in mind. (And those autoscrolling ones don't really feel unfluid, at least in my opinion.)

With Poisonous Pipeline I mostly disagree, just because I legitimately don't mind the reversed controls. With the exception of getting out of the water being finicky I don't personally have any real issues struggling with it or anything. I won't disagree with what you said on Koindozer Klamber though, I think that's one of the best levels in the entire game personally.

And I get what you're saying with Rocket Rush but I also have to largely disagree with you there too. The Krematoa levels are all a fair bit gimmickier than the rest of the levels in the game, especially Rocket Rush and Stampede Sprint. Though I definitely get the complaint about how it plays so differently than the rest of the game.

But in Krematoa you've got Stampede Sprint where you play as a stampeding Ellie which results in some rather unique gameplay, even if it's a little bit similar to the toboggan levels in that it's essentially an autorunning level. Then you've got Criss Kross Cliffs which is in many ways similar to some of the Mekanos levels but with a bigger focus on the gimmick of the Bazukas and switching their firing modes. Tyrant Twin Tussle is focused around an enemy that's fairly unique and only appears in Krematoa (apparently they appeared in the previous two levels before it but it's been awhile since I last played so I don't recall that myself actually). After that you've got Swoopy Salvo which is a lot different than any other level where Swoopy appears. Not only is it (I think) the only level where you encounter Swoopy as Squawks but most of the Swoopies in the level behave fairly differently than usual since many of them are infinitely and rapidly spawning.

Out of the five, Rocket Rush makes sense as the last one since it's the most unique gimmick of the five but also the most difficult level of the five as well.

But then again, I'm one of the few people who seem to actually like Animal Antics.

My only issue with Animal Antics personally is just its absurd length. If it weren't for that I'd enjoy the entire level.

[CrappyBlueLuigi]

How are you meant to get that one Espresso token? I didn't see Winky in the level.

Diddy Kong's Spectacular Gravity-Defying Double Jump? I have not played the game so I don't know if that works though.

in case anyone else wants to know, the mechanics of the Spectacular Gravity-Defying Double Jump is that you can always jump out of the roll/cartwheel animation, even if you roll off a ledge. both donkey and diddy can do it, but using it for jumps is easier with diddy because donkey falls faster in his roll than diddy does with his cartwheel.

so, yes! that's how you would get that expresso token without getting hurt or dying. roll off from the ledge on the right and jump back onto it. donkey could maybe jump out of his roll from the left ledge, but diddy from the left ledge would probably be out of the animation by the time he hit the token.

[KobaBeach]

Man, I remeber being super down on this game in particular in the Wii era of games, just because of how the bonus rooms are hidden.
And how absolutely hideous the game looks.

It probably only looks hideous on our good LCD screens of modern times, because this game was designed for CRTs and probably used a ton of tricks that only look good because of the blurryness and low resolution. Much like the Sonic waterfall transparencies.

DKC1-3 and KI1&2's pre-rendered graphics haven't aged the most gracefully, no.

The lack of colors and awkward renders really hurt them in the end.

(also @ everyone else, the git gud post was meant purely in jest, please do not take it seriously lmao)

[MonkeyShrapnel]

DKC1-3 and KI1&2's pre-rendered graphics haven't aged the most gracefully, no.

The lack of colors and awkward renders really hurt them in the end.

(also @ everyone else, the git gud post was meant purely in jest, please do not take it seriously lmao)

I definitely agree with KI, but I still think the Country SNES games look great.
Granted, I think the first one looks the worst relatively speaking, but the environments still look great.

But yeah, the deal with art styles is that you either like em' or you don't, and the Pre-Rendered look is especially polarizing for people.

[Paragraph]

I think the SNES DKC games still look fantastic.

Donkey Kong Land on a Super Game Boy color scheme, however...

[Blivsey]

midair roll jump

this is how you get a lot of secrets, actually. Including some of the KONG letters, so it's definitely intentional. Cranky even tells you can do it (in the GBA version at least), right along with an "apes have no need for physics!" line.

[SAJewers]

I think the SNES DKC games still look fantastic.

Donkey Kong Land on a Super Game Boy color scheme, however...

better than the famicom version

[Taigiry]

Shame the sequel looks even worse.

That's largely fair enough. I fully agree with what you said on Lightning Lookout. The biggest issue with it is that other than a few cases, like the tree saw level which autoscrolls and toboggan levels which autoscroll but are very fast, most levels are created with a fairly fluid flow in mind. (And those autoscrolling ones don't really feel unfluid, at least in my opinion.)

With Poisonous Pipeline I mostly disagree, just because I legitimately don't mind the reversed controls. With the exception of getting out of the water being finicky I don't personally have any real issues struggling with it or anything. I won't disagree with what you said on Koindozer Klamber though, I think that's one of the best levels in the entire game personally.

And I get what you're saying with Rocket Rush but I also have to largely disagree with you there too. The Krematoa levels are all a fair bit gimmickier than the rest of the levels in the game, especially Rocket Rush and Stampede Sprint. Though I definitely get the complaint about how it plays so differently than the rest of the game.

But in Krematoa you've got Stampede Sprint where you play as a stampeding Ellie which results in some rather unique gameplay, even if it's a little bit similar to the toboggan levels in that it's essentially an autorunning level. Then you've got Criss Kross Cliffs which is in many ways similar to some of the Mekanos levels but with a bigger focus on the gimmick of the Bazukas and switching their firing modes. Tyrant Twin Tussle is focused around an enemy that's fairly unique and only appears in Krematoa (apparently they appeared in the previous two levels before it but it's been awhile since I last played so I don't recall that myself actually). After that you've got Swoopy Salvo which is a lot different than any other level where Swoopy appears. Not only is it (I think) the only level where you encounter Swoopy as Squawks but most of the Swoopies in the level behave fairly differently than usual since many of them are infinitely and rapidly spawning.

Out of the five, Rocket Rush makes sense as the last one since it's the most unique gimmick of the five but also the most difficult level of the five as well.

But then again, I'm one of the few people who seem to actually like Animal Antics.

My only issue with Animal Antics personally is just its absurd length. If it weren't for that I'd enjoy the entire level.

Well, ones opinion on Poisonous Pipeline is largely dependent on how much one (dis-)likes the whole control gimmick. Reverse controls thankfully never gave me much trouble, so that's not an issue I have with the stage. I just really dislike gimmicks that mess with your controls. I can tolerate them in small bursts (like K.Rool's blunderbuss attack in DKC2), but when an entire stage is based around said gimmick, it's a bit too much for me personally. And having that as the last normal stage just made it worse to me. Though I will admit, if someone doesn't mind that gimmick, it's a perfectly fine stage.

True that the secret world in general is pretty gimmicky, though I personally think Rocket Rush kinda goes overboard with it. Not only is it the only stage like that in DKC3, but in the entire trilogy and having that as the final just feels... wrong to me personally. It's funny though, I do like the concept of Rocket Rush, I think it's a fun stage, my issue is simply the placement of it. If it were a bonus stage I'd love it even. But as the final stage? I dunno. I feel like, just like with Lightning Lookout and Koindozer Klamber, if Rocket Rush and Swooping Salvo switched places, I'm sure I wouldn't have minded it that much. Also Rocket Rush is much easier than Swooping Salvo.

Also I personally gotta disagree with you about Stampede Sprint and you saying it's a bit similar to those toboggan stages. I'd call it to be pretty much identical to the various vehicle stages scattered across the trilogy (mine cart, roller coaster, etc) just with a different coat of paint making you the vehicle... or animal in this case. If anything I'd call Stampede Sprint a downgrade. It's a mostly flat stage with the only real challenge being to keep the bird alive. It lacks the varying speeds of the mine cart and roller coaster, as well as the verticality of them. And where the toboggan stages have two tracks you have to alternate between (ceiling and floor), Ellie, being an elephant, can only run across the ground.

But I definitely agree with you on Animal Antics. It's mostly the Squawks section I deem problematic. If it were cut down by 1/2 or 1/3 it would be much better. Not only is it the longest section, but also the slowest because you have to carefully feel your way forward with the constantly changing wind and surprise Zingers from offscreen.

[Leet]

I think DKC looks great. Because it's low-res. (I'm also the kind of person who thinks that rendering lowpoly, low-texture-quality PS1 or DS games in high-resolution looks incredible, so...)

[KobaBeach]

I think DKC looks great. Because it's low-res. (I'm also the kind of person who thinks that rendering lowpoly, low-texture-quality PS1 or DS games in high-resolution looks incredible, so...)

we have so much in common............... (no hetero)

[FourteenthOrder]

Same

[Ditocoaf]

I'm a fan of low-res and low-poly art both, but DKC art always struck me as muddy or smudged, not optimized for its own resolution. Like someone took a detailed picture and just downscaled it in MS Paint.

[KobaBeach]

[Sebby19]

Doesn't this games also have 'jump on 8 enemies in a row = 1up'? I think raocow could have gotten one off of all those Neckys.
________________________________________________
So the main reason I prefer DKC1 over the other two is how it treats it's bonus games. They are actually bonus games. All you are required to do is find them, you don't even need to win them. You don't really need to even find them, anyways, since there is no real extra game content locked behind 101%.
And there is so much variety in the types of bonus games too. Wether they be just simple alt routes, to slot machines, 1-in-4-shuffle, vertical barrel shot, name spelling, Klaptrap bouncing, etc. And within each type is a variety as well, each one is different.
Good variety in rewards too, like lots of bananas, lives, animal tokens, or a shortcut through the level. Music is fun to listen to.

The other two games, however, treat the bonus games as a list of missions you have to do if you want to play the hidden world and reach the 2nd endings. They all have the same prize (a bonus coin), and there are only 4 types: Race to finish, grab all the stars, kill rooms, and survive. DKC3 adds a 5th: collect the GREEN bananas. They are all timed, and the music reflects that, adding stress.
And while the bonus barrels are now clearly marked as such (even if some were invisible), all of them shoot up. Which is a little boring when the DKC1 barrels could shoot up, down, or into a wall. You didn't know. Also way less breakable walls.
Though DKC3 added those weird bonus barrels that just teleport you, instead of shooting. Which just illicits huh? and why?

To summarize: DKC1 is a low stress experience, where you only need to reach the end, and have fun along the way. Maybe finds some secrets too. (and buy Nintendo Power if you want to find those unmarked ones).

The other two games: Reach the first ending, find the minigames, beat all minigames, unlock hidden world, then reach 2nd ending.

[Bean]

For a game in 1994, this thing looked awesome. The fact that it plays mostly well after all this time means they focused on the important stuff while achieving that look. Some things do look out of place, but nah, I still think this game holds up well to this day overall.

The one issue I do have with the games are the random discovery of secrets in certain levels nature. Some are obvious, others like that one in Vulture Culture aren't. Difficulty's picking up now, and it should keep going for the next few days. Maybe not tomorrow though. The rest of World 3 isn't that bad.

[Grounder]

Yeah, the Manky Kongs were just kind of dropped until Lanky happened.

And... Was also subsequently dropped.

[Sebby19]

After their betrayal, they were purged exiled off the island. Lanky was the only survivor one left since he never sided with K. Rool, and was accepted into the Kong family. However, despite his outward clownish personality, he was hurting inside over what happened to his kin.
Those memories resurfaced when K. Rool came back for revenge in DK64, and he left the island after those events, since he felt he couldn't be a real part of the Kong family.

[Awoo]

We can't stop here, this is Donkey Kong Country

[Blivsey]

• Temple Tempest: Within a Millstone in a small pit. Lure the Millstone out to access it.
  
• Orang-utan Gang: Right in front of the first secret across the chasm (don't fly too far or you'll land in the entrance and miss it)
  
• Collect 600 tokens in Rambi's bonus area
  

Can confirm: Orang-utan Gang's secrets were the hardest for tiny me to find.

[KobaBeach]

you mean when you were a chingling

[Blivsey]

...take it as you will, i guess

chingling cant fly so it makes sense these would be hard

[Mandew]

I really get the sense that secrets were meant to be things to discover on repeat playthroughs. Most of them could evoke a rewarding sentiment for curiosity; in that sense, it's kind of a shame that a Completion% value is attached to this system. They work so well when the player finds them through sheer curiosity and luck, but they fall apart quickly under the implicit task of actively looking for them.