DK Battle 1994

[Frogacuda]

Maybe I just need to check out this DK'94 game that you all speak of. Does it play just like a traditional Donkey Kong game? Or, did they change some of the gameplay mechanics to spice it up a bit? Honestly, I could never really play "old school" "Donkey Kong" without getting bored after five minutes. I didn't really care for Mario vs. Donkey Kong either...So, I guess the only games I've enjoyed, that star DK, are DKC and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

IT looks like old school Donkey Kong, but it's actually a puzzle platformer with like 80 levels, lots of new moves, etc. Its like Mario vs Donkey Kong on GBA, but it's better than that.

[Low]

What I like about DKC's gameplay is the smoothness. The levels are designed to encourage you to barrel through them as fast as possible. A perfect example is the Stop/Go level, where running through as fast as possible means you'll hit each sign at the very instant it switches back to "Go". I like that sort of speed-platforming. It's the same sort of thing that Wonderboy/Adventure Island did, and Sonic failed to do.

I'm not fond of the two DKC sequels because the added collectathon elements take away from the pacing.

Bingo, still favor DKC2 for it's overall better presentation and heavenly soundtrack though.

Cripes, this thread made me remember I still have to finish Jungle Beat, loaned it out to a ton of people and found it difficult to play at my old apartment late at night. *-neo

[Port]

IT looks like old school Donkey Kong, but it's actually a puzzle platformer with like 80 levels, lots of new moves, etc. Its like Mario vs Donkey Kong on GBA, but it's better than that.

Seriously better. I was disappointed with Mario vs DK as I was really hoping for DK'94 #2. Still a good game but definitely missing the charm and edge DK'94 has.

[A Robot Bit Me]

Seriously better. I was disappointed with Mario vs DK as I was really hoping for DK'94 #2. Still a good game but definitely missing the charm and edge DK'94 has.

Truth. MvDK is decent, but its developers obviously didn't have the know-how or the creativity to pull off DK 94's elaborate drawbridge puzzles, so they leaned on the colored switch sequence puzzle, a total design crutch/cop-out, for about 90% of the game.

DKC is pretty rad. Most of the levels lend themselves to Wonder Boy/Adventure Island style speed platforming like bVork said, but the cumbersome secrets -- like off-screen barrels and tucked away breakable walls -- are counter-intuitive to the whole locomotion thing.

What I don't understand is why DKC is berated for its lack of innovation while derivative shit like New Super Mario Bros. is almost ubiquitously heralded for its "old-school gameplay" or whatever.

...I know the answer is that the "old-school gameplay" pass is a double standard reserved only for first party Nintendo games, but I still wanted to get that out there.

[Frogacuda]

What I don't understand is why DKC is berated for its lack of innovation while derivative shit like New Super Mario Bros. is almost ubiquitously heralded for its "old-school gameplay" or whatever.

Not that hard to understand. In 1994, 2D platform games had completely flooded the market to a degree that no other genre has matched before or since. But in 2006, it was something nostalgic that we hadn't gotten in a while. As a general rule of thumb, rehashes become much more readily accepted the more time goes by.

[A Robot Bit Me]

I'd buy that, but I remember DKC being very well-received at the time of its release. It wasn't until fairly recently that is started getting shat upon. Earning a spot on Gamespot's "Most Over-Rated Games of All Time" list seemed to spark the h8.

[Grave]

Well, they're still wrong! But it gives me hope that Ocarina of Time will get shat on eventually!

[bbobb]

I'm starting to think all of you people who are voting for DKC haven't actually tried the game since you were young. If you go back now and try it you'll see it's really not that good of game, meanwhile DK'94 is still awesome to this day.

[Frogacuda]

I'd buy that, but I remember DKC being very well-received at the time of its release. It wasn't until fairly recently that is started getting shat upon. Earning a spot on Gamespot's "Most Over-Rated Games of All Time" list seemed to spark the h8.

I dunno, I think a lot of us felt that way at the time, but the graphics whores outnumbered us. Since the graphics whores have moved on, we're what's left.

[Timber]

I'm starting to think all of you people who are voting for DKC haven't actually tried the game since you were young. If you go back now and try it you'll see it's really not that good of game, meanwhile DK'94 is still awesome to this day.

That, or they just have never played DK '94 and have no idea just how much awesome was crammed into that tiny cart.