Barrels of Banana: Review of Donkey Kong Country Returns

Past Experience
I had never played the Donkey Kong Country games on SNES much before. The extent of my play experience was limited to playing either DKC 1 or 2 on a SNES on display at Sears when my mom would take me to the mall. It wasn't until I made it to college and discovered emulators before I really played more of the first DKC.

Obtaining the Game
When I first heard about the release of this game, I was at PAX Prime (2010) and I didn't think much of it. I wasn't sure that I would get it. It seemed fun, but I wasn't going to spend $50 on it. I didn't feel that much loyalty.

As of late, Toys R Us has become somewhat of a surprise game retailer. I always thought I would purchased from game stores- but as it turns out, Toys R Us usually has some ridiculous deals on video games. Probably in an attempt to get its video game sales up in order to compete with other retailers. Well, I was looking through the newspaper ads with my girlfriend the weekend before Black Friday and I discovered this deal. At Toys R Us, they were selling the DKC Returns game for retail ($50), but it would also include a free t-shirt AND strategy guide. That's probably a $90+ value for the price of the game. AWESOME. So I bought it.

Playing the Game
I began playing the game a few days later. It is your typical platformer and what I would expect from a DKC game. I never played DKC 3 so I can't really compare against that, but this game really felt nostalgic. I was playing the game on the Wii but it felt like the same old formula (with some minor differences). The gameplay was definitely an authentic throwback experience.

Review of the Game
Cut to 6 weeks later- I've probably logged somewhere around 25-30 hours into the game and I have beaten it. I haven't opened my strategy guide yet, so I did everything I did up until this point with just my sheer gaming ability.

You get much replayability from the game because of the mechanic of collecting the letters in KONG, as well as puzzle pieces. Each stage has about anywhere between 5-10 "hidden" puzzle pieces (some more hidden than others). There are the nostalgic minecart levels which prove just as challenging, if not moreso than the original DKC levels (time these jumps perfectly- or else start the level all over again). There are also rocket barrel levels (I think those are new, unless they were in DKC 3). Which are also pretty challenging and will provide control frustration. The one thing that I know is lacking were the water stages (which a friend of mine pointed out, and a different friend of my indicated that they were awkward anyway; I mean, c'mon, a monkey swimming in the water?).

Anywho, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the gaming experience. It's a good game that isn't too difficult, but isn't too easy either. It's definitely worth investing some time to playing. It's also a must buy if you loved the original DKC games or are a perfectionist as there will be much replayability. I give this game a thumbs up- I feel like it's a high price point for a nostalgic game, but aren't you really playing for the hours of fun?