Video: Digital Foundry’s Technical Analysis Of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD – Nintendo Life
GuestGuestLogin | Sign UpNintendo LifeGuestLogin or Sign Up”A solid Switch port with some unexpected failings”The folks at this Digital Foundry have this week taken a look at the latest Switch release Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.In brief, the resolution and frame rate are “surprisingly solid”. This Unity-powered game runs at 1080p docked and 720p in handheld mode on the Switch – with reasonable image quality and sharper textures. Unfortunately, it’s not all intact – with “some oddities” and hiccups like reduced effects and sloppy animation.”The closer you look though, the more you start to spot some oddities. Visual effects that were missing in the original trailer have been implemented and improved, but there are still small hiccups – the dust clouds kicked up while pounding the DK symbol are reduced, and the animation of the barrel breaking as DK shoots out of it is a bit sloppy.”You might not notice stuff like this while just playing through, but you probably would notice the missing sunset in stage three, the less glowy floating KONG letters, and simplified shadows on the intro to the first boss fight. These sorts of nips and tucks are throughout, and while these are minor changes, it still feels weird to see a game released on a vastly more powerful system with fewer effects and details.”The loading times of this HD version have also been cited as being “nearly twice as long as they were on the Wii version running from a disc”, which feels like a “big step back”.As for the frame rate, this version of the title runs at 60fps at 1080p, which is an improvement on the 3DS entry that was dropped back to 30fps. Overall, Digital Foundry sums this latest version as both “good and disappointing” – while the remastering efforts have been “largely successful”, the areas where it falls short “feel less acceptable” given the age of the original game.You can get the full rundown in the video above, and check out our own thoughts in our review here on Nintendo Life:That’s what you get for not hailing to the chimpWorth going bananas over?Monkey businessWill you be returning to this Donkey Kong outing this week? Let us know in the comments.[source youtu.be, via eurogamer.net]About Liam DoolanLiam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He’s been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief.Comments 54Unity Engine….well, that explains performance issues. >_>Removed – off-topicAt least they fixed some of the visual effects that were lacking in the trailers. There’s absolutely no excuse for this version not to be the definitive one@PinballBuzzbro I played quite a bit of Kaze and the Wild Masks. I strongly dislike it.Ugh, the original load times on the Wii were just barely tolerable. And now they’re doubled? I’m finally starting to think twice about picking this up.Nintendo, stop letting these studios skimp on their optimization!Guess that means it’s perfect for someone who never played the original versions 😆Keen as. All I ever wanted from this was the game on TV with the extra 3ds levels and button controls. Did yoshi wooly world 3ds have extra levels too? If so, bring it on.Removed – inappropriate@LadyCharlie It’s far from that. The 3DS version ran at 30fps while this is a solid 60fps. Not to mention lower resolution etc.Sure, Kaze is a good game… if you are into really tough titles like the original SNES DKC trilogy for sure.If you want a slightly easier time, there is of course Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair from the OG DKC team, but I will also personally vouch for Masupalami Hoobadventure – can’t go wrong (when it is on sale for £1.79) if you are after quality knockoff DKC Returns level of enjoyment platformer.@ladycharlie unsure if you watched the video but they did say at the end that the Switch port is arguably the best version of the three.I’m not gunna defend the overall shortcomings however. This could have been better rather than sitting above satisfactory in terms of a port.I mean I played the 3DS port and the Wii original only when they first released. I guarantee I will not notice a thingUnless you don’t already have it, I see no reason not to wait until they fix the issues and/or it hits $30. Just not worth it.It’s baffling how their most effortless remasters are priced at $60 while borderline remakes got released at $40…Not a detailed effort, but then if Nintendo wanted a detailed effort they’d have hired a more experienced studio. Just a game to throw to retail at full price with little ceremony and let them discount it when they deem it’s necessaryBeen on the fence on getting this because I love Tropical Freeze and never played this. Just hearing about this is just insulting the 60$ price tag so probably gonna pass on this for a while.I appreciate what these guys do and what they have to say at DF, but good lord. They’re always dressed in black, and everything in their on-screen environment is black, grey and white. Presentation-wise, it’s boring & dull, which is representative of the bleak times we’re living in.It almost reminds me of the recent PS5 Pro unveil trailer with Mark Cerny. which was just soul sucking, and the polar opposite of fun & exciting. Video game adds, commercials & presentations are now garbage compared to how they used to be in the late 80’s & 90’s.@Waveboy Well, since they’re more concerned with providing information rather than entertainment, the cut-and-dry approach works well for what they’re going for. I don’t disagree with you on your main point, but I find it a bit of an odd thing to single out DF for specifically.@PinballBuzzbro I bought it. I didn’t like that I attacked with my ears and that I was fighting vegetables, but it’s gorgeous and plays great.@PinballBuzzbro – hey real quick, what was that game again?@N00BiSH
I still occasionally watch their content, and information they provide is great, which ultimately is all that truly matters in the end. But, from a presentation perspective, it’s extremely dull. But you could say that about 90% of all modern video game related YouTuber content creators. It takes an imagination and hard work to be creative.@Waveboy I think there’s something to be said for valuing dry, straight forward analyses on their own(I say this as a Matthewmatosis subscriber), but I also understand why one would prefer some more interesting editing and presentation alongside that – y’know, making good use of the whole “video” format. Ultimately it’s different boats for different folks.Why change the engine, for a worse one??Longer load times, missing/worse effects, and unstable framerate, when the original ran perfectly. All this for $60…This controversy would have been a nontroversy if Nintendo was sane and actually priced this obvious low effort budget release at $20, instead of pretending it’s a AAA release and thus setting expectations artificially high.@PinballBuzzbro I wanna chime in just to say that Kaze is good and Yooka Laylee: Impossible Lair is also an incredible DKC-like, made by the guys who helped make the SNES DKC games to boot.@PinballBuzzbro I agree, Kaze and the Wild Masks is a fantastic game.@Waveboy Yep, the color and fun has been sucked out of everything. Remember how McDonalds used to be?@Steel76 I assume because Forever Entertainment is used to working in Unity, and because the DKCR engine doesn’t run on Switch. And honestly, if you’re comfortable using a certain tool, it makes a lot of sense to stick with it.@vio
Yup! Their commercials back in the late 80’s/early 90’s were pure magic. The same can be said for most commercials back then. They were typically comforting, cozy, imaginative, wholesome, super colorful, almost surreal and made the world feel like a more fun & magical place to live in, especially if you were a kid. That level of wonderment is long gone. Has been since the 2000’s. They’re not even trying anymore.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAo9nWfcOMACommercials these days are just sterile corporate lazy cheap soul sucking garbage. What happened!? I feel sorry for the kids these days, they’ve been conditioned to blandness. Heck, Vanilla Ice was right. The 90’s truly was the last of the great decades. I’m so grateful i got to experience it in it’s entirity including the amazing late 80’s. Early 90’s IMO, were still miles better than the late 90’s. There’s no comparison. @LadyCharlie It’s definitely not flat out worse than the 3DS version. It improved on certain areas, such as resolution and frame rate, while falling giving in on other aspects like loading times. So it depends what you personally value more.It’s probably not worth getting it again if you already own it. But if you don’t, it’s still a phenomenal game.@Waveboy Videos John actually cares about tend to have more colorful presentation and transitions, his DF Retro ones have a ton of this or games he feels strongly positive about.@Hero-of-WiiU If you like Tropical Freeze and haven’t played this one yet I’d recommend it. The port itself might not be the best version but it stands on its own two feet and is an enjoyable experience.@Joeynator3000Nintendo cheaping out explains the issues.@rushiosanThe video shows it is not a solid 60fps at all.And has longer load times than the Wii original.At full price.Jog on Nintendo.DKC Returns is one of the best platformers I have ever played. After an idiotic tech analysis of this port in which even wearing magical stop-motion googles it is almost impossible to see any kind of technical problems with the game (except the loading times, which certainly take longer), the analyst says that “the control and trajectory feels a lot less satisfactory than classic DKC games and yet the level design is repetitive and largely just average compared to the much better Tropical Freeze”.Unbelievable.Honestly the visuals and framerate stuff (so far) isn’t bothering me…what is bugging me though is the audio (especially the loading screen, wtf?), I really hope they update this game and fix some of these problems…but something tells me I highly doubt that’ll happen. sighsSwitch copy here. Let’sago banananass@LadyCharlie sure, the sweet silky smooth 30 frames 🤣I have the 3DS version and it sure is still sweet for the handheld (including the added 3D layers), but it sure as heck ain’t a silky smooth experience.Doesn’t look great. Why doesn’t it cost £20 is my question.The more I read these articles, the more I want to buy this game.I still remember when I bought the OG Wii release back in the day, good times.Fingers crossed most if not all these oddities will be fixed through patches and that the game will run even better at least on Switch 2 – that said, still looking forward to it and I’m going to start it as soon as my discounted (still don’t get the insistence on the starting price considering you can get it discounted even at launch or just wait for even better discounts) physical copy arrives since I seriously doubt they will bother me personally!It actually makes me WAY more angry than it should.(Some of) the ports on Switch have been disgraceful. Regardless of price we are talking about some of the greatest examples of their genre of all time – and these may be the first time that some people have played them.They really HAVE to be better.Look at Mario 3D World. Play the original and then play the port. It may be subtle but the controls on the port are bad enough (to my mind at least) to make it virtually unplayable. Maybe it’s muscle memory on my part having played the original to death but I really hate the port.It seems there are similar issues in this game. When you are charging full price there really is no excuse for not putting in full effort. And these games deserve nothing less. Donkey Kong County returns is one of the finest 2D platformers of all time (and way better than Tropical Freeze IMHO).On Dolphin I have been able to play DKCR in full HD resolution (and higher) on Dolphin for years on my 55 inch 4K HDR TV.I paid for the game originally on Wii, and on the 3DS and will, reluctantly, buy it again on switch. But if I want the optimal experience I will play it on Dolphin.Digital Foundry aka “OMG the framerate drops to 58fps for 0.2s during the boss fight I won’t be able to play this game without having bad dreams all night”.DF, sucking any fun out of games since 2013@HugoGED Ok thanks, helps convince me some.@Joeynator3000 The Unity thing seems to explain a bit. But I am fairly sure on the Wii U stuff like Trine / Trine 2 used Unity and were pretty decent. I don’t know if the problem lies with Unity / Nintendo (And a newer version of Unity). The other possibility that the people Nintendo are getting to do this stuff can’t manage to do it properly (But small indie studios in the past could) is totally unacceptable to me.Nintendo have said all their games have the same entertainment value and is why this game cost 60 bucks like any new Zelda they spent 5+ years on to make.They also know that 30$ games easily sells for 60$.DK Tropical Freeze on Wii U which were a brand new game cost 30 bucks. I paid 30 for physical in local store on release.Wow. The double load times is inexcusable. Certainly the worst offender in the list of issues.Hope Nintendo thinks twice before teaming up with Forever in the future.Lol Unity Engine@alcabcucu calling out corners cut on a very much low-effort port of an old product (with the 3DS content added) is fair game when it’s going on sale at $60. they get the plaudits on the flipside when something excellent like the Metroid Prime release was brought out (at $40 too to boot).Do these guys ever post analysis and find something is flawless? Genuine question. They’re obviously looking for flaws, that’s their whole gig. They find something wrong with every game I swear.Maybe I’m answering my own question here, but why wouldn’t they just use the Tropical Freeze engine for this, instead of Unity as many on here are suggesting?Perhaps since it was outsourced, the developer would more easily reach the theme park-bound release target if they used an engine they already knew? But many devs also work with Unreal Engine 4 which Nintendo has used on some first-party releases recently.@Waveboy Maybe as console gamers and computer hobbyists merge, the advertising is homogenizing, too.@robotreptile I guess the studio name checks out. But instead of the entertainment lasting forever, you have to wait forever for it to begin.Honestly, I’ve watched a ton of comparisons for months, including Digital Foundry’s compare yesterday, and I’m a fan of the remake. Most of the time (most), the textures look better. People just like to hate on new things. There’s some issues, like tiny missing effects, but overall the package is pretty definitive to me. I’m also hopeful they’ll do a couple patches to make it even better (like fixing the sunset). My detailed breakdown: Show CommentsLeave A CommentHold on there, you need to login to post a comment…Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Trailer Gives First Official Look At The New ConsoleThe wait is over!Retro Staff Credits Removed From Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Forever Entertainment Confirmed As DevsMonkey businessReview: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) – Aping A Retro ClassicThat’s what you get for not hailing to the chimpRound Up: The Reviews Are In For Donkey Kong Country Returns HDWorth going bananas over?Rumour: Switch Virtual Console Was Apparently Nintendo’s “Original Plan”What if?Game ProfileTitle:Donkey Kong Country Returns HDSystem:Nintendo SwitchPublisher:NintendoDeveloper:Retro StudiosPorted By:Forever EntertainmentGenre:Action, PlatformerPlayers:2Release Date:Nintendo SwitchSeries:Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong CountryReviews:Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) – Aping A Retro ClassicOfficial Site:nintendo.comWhere to buy:Buy on Amazon
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