Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

[Terminal Devastation]

I don't think its fair to compare the designs of DKC with Banjo Kazooie even. DKC (all three of them) had a decent excuse for having a majority of its enemies look sort of similiar... They were all the same species. And even then, each new type of kremling usually had more differentiation than say, just a new outfit or a new weapon, the body type even stance or facial structure was mixed up a bit.

And they did bother to change up the outfits of returning enemies each game. The lazier/more boring method is usually to just reuse an old one each time.

[Kriven]

Kaptain Skurvy should be introduced into game canon as a primary antagonist...

[Koopaul]

But I think that was the point in Banjo-Kazooie. They were trying to do a style that was similar to Golden-Age Warner Bros./MGM cartoons. All the characters in BK are are just cartoony animals or cartoony objects. It gives off this whole "denizens of Toontown" vibe that's a style of it's own. Remember that cartoon shoe that got dipped in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? What about the toon bullets?




I think they really were trying to create a wacky world where vegetables are alive and treasure chests have teeth.

And then you got the fact that every item you grab in Banjo-Kazooie can talk and tells you what they do. It's quite obvious this was done on purpose instead of laziness.

[Jermungandr]

Oh, why did you have to show that shoe.

I'm sad now.

[Kosheh]

But I think that was the point in Banjo-Kazooie. They were trying to do a style that was similar to Golden-Age Warner Bros./MGM cartoons. All the characters in BK are are just cartoony animals or cartoony objects. It gives off this whole "denizens of Toontown" vibe that's a style of it's own. Remember that cartoon shoe that got dipped in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? What about the toon bullets?




I think they really were trying to create a wacky world where vegetables are alive and treasure chests have teeth.

And then you got the fact that every item you grab in Banjo-Kazooie can talk and tells you what they do. It's quite obvious this was done on purpose instead of laziness.

u gotta do this koopaul. u really had 2 do dis

notice how that shoe shows a lot of character as the animators best utilized the design of the shoe as the toe box resembles a nose and the sole flaps on the bottom to simulate a mouth, even though it's a shoe?

and the bullet's dressed up all cute and wild west to give off his personality as a quick-draw type.

meanwhile look at this carrot.


where is its mouth. how does this count as a sentient being. this thing is destined to die when you sneeze on it.



okay this argument is weird.
bottom line is rare's designs post '95 were pretty suck. they designed some pretty decent protagonists and okay antagonists but then they kinda threw all character design to the wind after that. DKCTF's ice-viking animals are kind of neat. we miss u k. rool

[Ark Kuvis]

While there are quite a few "objects with googlyeyes" in the Banjo-Kazooie games, there are just as many solid character designs as well. And I think some of the N64 games can get away with that sort of thing. Remember that Mario 64 had an excessive amount of bomb-ombesque enemies that were just that round cannonball with eyes and legs. While that wasn't certaintly the case for ALL of the enemies, it was the case for a few of them. Limited technology. It's when those same "googly eyed objects" design appears in newer games, like it does in Mario and Luigi Dream Team and Super Mario 3D World, that it grinds my gears.

From my time with Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, the new enemies seem more in universe than half of the new enemies in Super Mario 3D World. I'd love to see the Snowmads return in future installments. They are much cooler than the Tiki Tak Tribe from Returns!

[Koopaul]

Holy crap your right about Dream Team, look at this thing!

http://www.mariowiki.com/Grumbell

Ha! That's totally a Banjo enemy.

[Gors]

it is.


we never said that Mario enemies were 100% good design, did we? that design sucks. idk where you're trying to get at. That is a mario enemy that sucks and you're trying to use that as an argument to back up rare enemies that suck?

i am against dumb and sucky character designs, from any series. Tacking eyes on an object is uninteresting. It can be used sometimes for really minor, tongue-in-cheek things such as that guy up there but having an entire game with that is really shit imo

[SchAlternate]

Bah, who cares about the characters' designs? Banjo Kazooie was still an awesome game regardless. If it wasn't the enemies appearance what captivated me as a child, it may have been the witty dialogue you get with most characters. Plus great level design, memorable soundtrack and all that stuff. And then Tooie pretty much multiplied the awesomeness the first game already implemented.




Plus, we have Weldar, a giant fucking blowtorch with eyes, which is one of the most awesome bosses ever imo.

[E-Man]

If it's worth any consolation, Kosheh, not all the characters and enemies in Banjo-Tooie are just objects with googly eyes. There are some, but not as many as there were in the first game.

[Koopaul]

While I can understand the objects with googly eyes problem (even though I think it was done for a comedic theme) I'm still confused what the problem is with the anthropomorphic animal characters. Is Captian Blubber a bad design? Boggy the bear? Conga the ape? And most importantly Bottles, Tootie, and Banjo himself?

Anyway, I heard Tropical Freeze is not doing so hot (pun intended). It's not too surprising considering that the Wii U is selling really bad. So I don't think this is an issue with the game as much as it's just the Wii U's problem. How many of you guys ended up getting the game. If you have a Wii U already I suggest you get it... unless you don't like platformers. Still, this is one of the best games on the console, you certainly don't want to miss it!

As for myself I am currently enjoying the game as a single player experience and co-op. The one problem with co-op is the minecart/rocketbarrel sections which are clearly designed with one player in mind. Maybe if they had a smaller minecart follow close behind?

[Dolphman]

I have about over ten games already. Including this, after buying it last saturday. Having a break since i kept dying in some levels in map 2.
Still having fun with the game though, and the fur on the Kongs look ridiculously crazy. I don't think any other game has done hair physics like that.

About the Wii U sales, it's a shame really. And the PS4, which i also have, is catching up to it in sales.

[Koopaul]

I had always feared the name "Wii U" would hurt the system, at it's true that many people don't even realize it's a new system.

[Kosheh]

If it's worth any consolation, Kosheh, not all the characters and enemies in Banjo-Tooie are just objects with googly eyes. There are some, but not as many as there were in the first game.

i'm not really sure if those images you posted are helping your case, lol

i managed to find one that wasn't an armored truck or dinosaur with googly eyes (apparently there's a lifelike dinosaur in said dinosaur level though, whoa)

but yeah, this guy actually seems pretty OK though he makes me wonder why he wasn't in DK64

[E-Man]

If it's worth any consolation, Kosheh, not all the characters and enemies in Banjo-Tooie are just objects with googly eyes. There are some, but not as many as there were in the first game.

i'm not really sure if those images you posted are helping your case, lol

Considering that they could easily remove the teeth on the bottom and stick googly somewhere on the slot machine as opposed to making the reels its eyes, it could be worse, Kosheh.

but yeah, this guy actually seems pretty OK though he makes me wonder why he wasn't in DK64

Since you put it that way, I could easily see Targitzan making an appearance in the Angry Aztec level. Even his textures sell the look to me.