This game must be the 9th one in my collection that I started playing. The save file says I'm only around 38% (it might go up to 400% based on collecting letters, puzzle pieces, time attack medals, or clearing a stage in hard mode [can't make any mistakes or use an assist character]).
In the first world, it's like a separate island (DK's Island?). I don't know why you crash land inside an airplane, but there's that kind of motif (plus sand and beaches). It may have taken me about 11 hours to clear everything! The first time, I'm just worried about getting to the goal (plus the K-O-N-G letters, if I can find all four). The second time, I'll look for missing puzzle pieces. After the third time, I might spend some coins on Squawks (a bird that tries to point out puzzle pieces), but some of the pieces are too well hidden! Either that, or it's not obvious what to do until you watch a playthrough (jump near that solid wall with a spiky floor in front of it?).
Once I'm ready to "time attack" a level, I'm kind of happy if I can even win a silver. Some of the gold medals would mean improving by about 15 seconds. Then, you watch the videos of people who've found the best paths to beat the levels about 30 seconds faster than even the gold times (for a "shiny gold" medal). A few of the levels where everything is timed seem to make a gold medal too "easy." Then I end up with this mixture of all three colors.
When I first started playing it, I kind of wondered, does it get better than this? What have they really added that's different from "Donkey Kong Country Returns"? There probably are some differences. I don't remember being able to use Dixie or Cranky in the first game. The more I've been playing, though, it's kind of like, maybe they don't need to reinvent the game - just keep making more and more interesting levels.
It's weird how the game uses so many penguin or walrus enemies, and they're kind of wearing bathing suits. In fact, I haven't seen any cold weather levels yet. There's plenty of FIRE in a game that says freeze in the title. I believe world 1 introduces owls who throw fireballs. World 2 has a pig that snorts out fireballs. World 3 has a hedgehog thing that can burst into flames (and then turn it off somehow). One level is mostly about throwing water to cool off hot areas or jumping on burnt leaves before they disappear. I guess one boss does throw big balls of snow or ice, but it's kind of like, where did he get those?
Pretty much, I think they know the "Donkey Kong Country" formula, and this could be one of the best games in the series (it's been a while since I played the first trilogy). There's a bunch of collecting, but it rarely feels frustrating to visit the same levels again. I think most areas have at least one Rambi stage where he's supposed to run and break large rocks. I've seen maybe two mine carts and two rocket barrels. The barrels can be really cheap (one hit or crash kills you?), but I just had to develop a rhythm. One whole temple is dedicated to making you keep bouncing off of animals in a place with no floor and falling platforms. I started getting better at that, although I couldn't complete a time attack the other day.
Even when the game is hard (pretty much from the start), it's the kind of hard where you're thinking you want to beat this area and prove the game wrong (not just give up).
There are plenty of bonuses, but I'm not sure if I like most of them. You keep collecting figures. For the little penguins, it's like, why do they need to be figures? There are pictures of concept art for finding every puzzle piece. I forget what unlocks the music and the diorama (maybe one is from the boss, and another is getting everything except a medal in each world [including hidden ones and the really hard K levels]).
I've been refusing to fight a boss until I can clear every other level. In the first game, I don't think I completed many of the K levels (which might cause a glitch/freeze in the item shop) before moving to another world. So, I'm not sure which game in the series might be harder (are they actually similar/equal?).
I think "expert" players are supposed to favor Cranky as the extra character. He can only plunge down with his cane (like a pogo stick), so there always needs to be something under you. Diddy lets you hover longer or maybe extends a jump (from left to right or right to left). Dixie is probably the only character where you can fall too far, and her ponytail lifts you up from a pit. I've also needed Dixie (or she seems like the only choice) in areas where you have to swim against a current (her hair is the "propeller") and access a secret room with an alternative exit. The neat thing to do is just "Kong roll" everywhere, but starting from about world 2, they deliberately take away the ground or put things in your way. I think it's even possible to "Kong roll" in the very first SNES game (throw a steel barrel off the wall and jump on top).
My biggest frustration are probably the controls. The same button makes you slap the ground or do a tuck and roll. I forget if "Returns" made those distinctive (shake the remote to pound?), but I've rolled off an edge when I wanted to pound a container instead, or I'll be expecting DK to keep rolling (he moves faster that way or gains momentum), and he stops to slap at the ground. You can kind of "cheat" with the grab action and just keep that button held down all the time (probably the safest way to finish some early zip line stages).
Overall, I definitely like the game, and it seems like I'm not even halfway finished! I kind of want to go back to the Wii version, though, and check out how it controls, or see if I've gotten any better. I believe I stopped right around the seventh or the eighth world.
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WWE 2K18 ROSTER & MATCH TYPES | ||||
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1 Up Man Adam Cole Aerostar Aiden English AJ Styles Akam Akira Tozawa Albert Aleister Black Alexander Wolfe Andrade "Cien" Almas Andre The Giant Angelo Dawkins Animal Apollo Crews Ariya Daivari Arnold T101 Austin Aries B Brian Blair Bam Bam Bigelow Baron Corbin Barron Blade Batista '10 Beautiful Bobby Eaton Big Boss Man '91 Big Boss Man '99 Big Cass Big E Big Show Big Show '00 Bo Dallas Bobby Fish Bobby Roode Booker T Braun Strowman Bray Wyatt Bret Hart '97 Bret Hart '98 Brian Kendrick British Bulldog Brock Lesnar Brutus Beefcake Bryan Danielson Buddy Roberts Butch Cactus Jack '92 Cactus Jack '98 Captain Jobber Cedric Alexander Cesaro Chad Gable Chris Jericho |
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MATCH TYPES | ||||
*** ONE ON ONE *** Normal |
*** TRIPLE THREAT *** Normal |
*** FATAL 4 WAY *** Normal |
*** TWO ON TWO *** Normal *** 8-MAN *** Tag Team |
*** 6-MAN *** Tag Team *** HANDICAP *** One on Two Tag |
MATCH MODIFIERS | ||||
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Over the Top Rope On, Off K.O. Last Man Standing |
Perform Finisher to Win On, Off First Blood Climb out of Cage (Cage Match Only) DQ |
Rope Break (Automatic) On, Off Ring Out Elimination |
Falls Count Anywhere On, Off Time Limit Entrance Interval (Chamber/Rumble) |
SUPER SMASH BROS. ROSTER & SETTINGS | |||
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BATTLE TYPES TIME BATTLE: All characters battle for a set amount of time scoring one point per KO and LOSING one point each time they are KO'ed. STOCK BATTLE: All characters have a set number of lives and when they run out, they're done. When combined with a time limit whomever has more lives left when time runs out wins. COIN BATTLE: For 2-4 characters ONLY! Coins are knocked out of characters as they battle. After a fixed time limit whomever has the most coins wins. SETTINGS TIME LIMIT: Can be from 1 to 15 minutes. |