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Digital Foundry: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD - It's Fine But Something's Not Quite Right
- Thread starter saintjules
- Start date
- Analysis
SweetTooth
Gold Member
A simplistic 2D games that couldn't manage solid performance?!
sloppyjoe_gamer
Gold Member
She is....and has facial hair too don't forget
Golgo 13
The Man With The Golden Dong
I’m fine with the technical overview and criticism regarding the longer load times and frame-rate drops (not to mention the price tag), but he’s fucking insane to think to say that Yooka Laylee is a better game than this at its core.
There’s no accounting for poor taste, I suppose.
There’s no accounting for poor taste, I suppose.
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
Shame on Nintendo for letting this come out substandard. $60 for a barebones port of a Wii game that was already ported to 3DS 12 years ago? Gross. If you defend this pricing and general lack of typical Nintendo quality, you deserve bad products like this.
As a fan of Switch and amazing Nintendo games, I have to say I kind of find this release and the price a little insulting to my intelligence. Like at best, it’s a high level of arrogance to think we would pay so much for this. It would be one thing if it had new content and was visually impressive. It has neither of those things. I hope Nintendo more carefully reviews outsourced ports going forward.
As a fan of Switch and amazing Nintendo games, I have to say I kind of find this release and the price a little insulting to my intelligence. Like at best, it’s a high level of arrogance to think we would pay so much for this. It would be one thing if it had new content and was visually impressive. It has neither of those things. I hope Nintendo more carefully reviews outsourced ports going forward.
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AngelMuffin
Member
Why couldn’t they put the same effort into this that they put into Metroid Prime: Remastered? And that game was only $39. Very puzzling, Nintendo.
diffusionx
Gold Member
I disregard his opinion on anything platformer.
Jinzo Prime
Member
I'm a Nintendo fan but yeah, this is unjustifiable. I don't buy remakes unless they are well priced, or significant effort has been undertaken.
Edited for clarity.
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Davey Cakes
Member
Nintendo is absolutely phoning it in at this point. Returns is actually a great game too. It deserved better. $60 is ridiculous.
This is the main reason why I’m eager for the Switch 2. I want to see full effort Nintendo games again.
This is the main reason why I’m eager for the Switch 2. I want to see full effort Nintendo games again.
Kacho
Gold Member
John really knows how to get under my skin in these DF videos. He was shitting on DKCR every chance he could. What's his obsession with Yooka-Laylee?
Anyway, I actually prefer DKCR to DKTF. Yeah, the soundtrack is weaker, and it's not as good as the OG trilogy on SNES, but I enjoyed the shorter levels and the overall design. The levels in TF were too long IMO.
Anyway, I actually prefer DKCR to DKTF. Yeah, the soundtrack is weaker, and it's not as good as the OG trilogy on SNES, but I enjoyed the shorter levels and the overall design. The levels in TF were too long IMO.
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
%. Like the XCX port in March. That one actually looks high quality. Lots of effort put into it. New content. Improved graphics, redone UI, etc. with ports like that, $60 will get no complaints from me.
TheDuskwalker
Member
Publishers need to stop hiring Forever Entertainment
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
My guess is this remaster was rushed to release before the Switch 2 announcement, and that a new DK will be revealed for that system.
So this release is intended to keep the IP on people's minds ahead of the next DK.
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
This. To this day, I do not understand why Metroid Prime Remastered had so much work put into it but was a shadow drop and only $40. Crazy. Not that I’m complaining!
But $60 for a low effort outsourced port done by Forever Entertainment? Gross. No thanks, Nintendo. I’ll save my money, and now I’m on high alert going forward about outsourced ports from you.
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
That doesn’t justify the super low effort and high price. Those are lame excuses, if they’re even true. Which we don’t even know that at all.
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Man I really hope the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with the Switch so this charade of shitty remaster after shitty remaster gets to an end.
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
Not trying to justify the price or the effort. It's more wishful thinking on my part.
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
It is. They confirmed BC months ago.
Hollowpoint5557
A Fucking Idiot
After the 2/10 effort they put into Super Mario 3D All-Stars nothing surprises me from Nintendo any more.
Codes 208
Member
From the sounds of it, they put more effort into that than this.
Luigis mansion 2 got better treatment
nial
Gold Member
They're actually remastering BOTW, so that's just not going to stop.
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Fbh
Member
If at least it was some $30 release I guess it would be passable.
But having loading and performance downgrades compared the almost 15 years old original for a full $60 is ridiculous
It's probably going to be, but it's also probably not going to enhance the games beyond their original framerate and resolution target.
So they'll move on to release "next gen upgrades" that take advantage of the hardware. Except with this being Nintendo they'll probably be $70 and maybe they'll give you like a $10-20 discount if you already own the game on Switch 1.
But having loading and performance downgrades compared the almost 15 years old original for a full $60 is ridiculous
It's probably going to be, but it's also probably not going to enhance the games beyond their original framerate and resolution target.
So they'll move on to release "next gen upgrades" that take advantage of the hardware. Except with this being Nintendo they'll probably be $70 and maybe they'll give you like a $10-20 discount if you already own the game on Switch 1.
I don't like this type of content from DF - they're going away from their strengths too much.
It's a part game review, part technical analysis and doesn't do either well. They're better off sticking to the technical side and what's been changed in the remaster, without commenting on the actual gameplay. Leave that to others.
It's a part game review, part technical analysis and doesn't do either well. They're better off sticking to the technical side and what's been changed in the remaster, without commenting on the actual gameplay. Leave that to others.
Sebastian1295
Member
Nintendo loves half ass ports that they label as 'remasters' when in reality they're resolution bumps and nothing more. This isn't the first donkey kong game on switch that was half assed.
FUNKY MODE!!!!!!!!
FUNKY MODE!!!!!!!!
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Killer8
Member
Everything i've seen suggests it's an okay port. Not perfect but also not the unmitigated disaster some have made it out to be ("NO!!! ITS MISSING SOME TINY ROCKS, THE VISUAL IDENTITY IS COMPROMISED!!!").
There's several scenes in the video where the lighting looks much better now (you can even spot what looks like ambient occlusion at work) and the new textures are tastefully done. Some of the backgrounds in the original were an eyesore when ran in Dolphin.
There's several scenes in the video where the lighting looks much better now (you can even spot what looks like ambient occlusion at work) and the new textures are tastefully done. Some of the backgrounds in the original were an eyesore when ran in Dolphin.
Shits_McGiggles
Member
This game is even worse though, not only are loading times longer than the Wii version and has framerate issues, but the game has missing/worse effects that even the 3DS version had.Nintendo loves half ass ports that they label as 'remasters' when in reality they're resolution bumps and nothing more. This isn't the first donkey kong game on switch that was half assed.
FUNKY MODE!!!!!!!!
It’s a bad port all around.
Gonzito
Gold Member
John is a good guy but yeah, he has some questionable taste at times
Robb
Gold Member
Davey Cakes
Member
I was watching my brother play this on his 4K TV the other day and it still looks amazing and runs perfectly. The Switch port was perhaps overpriced considering they didn’t add much but it was touched up nicely. I mean, for a 2014 game that was made for hardware slightly better than an Xbox 360, it’s honestly more impressive than even some modern Switch games.Nintendo loves half ass ports that they label as 'remasters' when in reality they're resolution bumps and nothing more. This isn't the first donkey kong game on switch that was half assed.
FUNKY MODE!!!!!!!!
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Musashipan
Member
Lazy port by the looks of it
Killer8
Member
Massive increase in lighting quality. John's obsessing over details like Donkey Kong now having a blob shadow, while completely missing the depth added to almost every scene in the game with the move to a modern lighting engine:
If you told Digital Foundry they added bespoke RTX ambient occlusion in this scene then they'd be creaming themselves at the difference.