DKC Atlas Forum

[Simion32]

Re DK4Ever:

Spoiler!

Ah well, just as I figured. Still not bad anyway; I think DK should have a few different main enemies rather than just one. Maybe they'll bring K. Rool back if there's a sequel to this (could you imagine a sci-fi themed K. Rool? that would be sweet).

[The Guy]

I'd still like an army themed K. Rool...


With a German helmet.

[Scraps69]

Re IGN interview and what is referred to earlier in this post

Spoiler!

There's a wierd thing about the question...
this is the question : "IGN: How directly are you going to connect Donkey Kong Country Returns to the classic Super Nintendo games? Are you borrowing from the level designs? Are there going to be a lot of winks and nods? Could you give us an example of something you might see in the game that would refer back to the SNES? "

And this is the response by retro: "Retro: There are no crocodiles in the game. (laughs) "

We could take it as a literal interpretation which everyone is doing. Or there could be sarcasm or a joke in the response which is shown in their laugh. I'm not sure if there is some sly misinterpretation/misinformation going on.

Also, Retro just randomly makes that statement when the question specifically asks 'what elements are being borrowed in the level designs' and not 'what is not included in the design?' seems to be sarcastic.

But personally I like the Tiki's.

[DK4Ever]

Spoiler!

Well, one thing I thought was odd was that the IGN guy kept on mentioning K. Rool afterwards, so maybe there's still a chance he's there. And he and the Kremlings may still make a cameo of some kind anywho. Either way, I'm still hella excited, and I do sorta agree with you, Simion, that there's alot of room for using him in a sequel.

Yeah.

[Simion32]

Spoiler!

At this point, it's probably another "we'll have to see about that". But if my intuition serves, now I definitely think that it was sarcasm. Why NOT have K. Rool show up? I think this may have been, as Scraps mentioned, a sly attempt to throw us off; maybe K. Rool does indeed show up later in the game.

[old_buzzard]

Spoiler!

Simion has a point. I mean, doesn't it seem suspicious that Mr.Tanabe just came out and said "There are no crocodiles in the game. (laughs)"? That was a bit random, no?

That being said, I have a feeling that the kremlings are not going to be in this one. Maybe there will be a reference or two to them, but that's probably it.

[DK4Ever]

Spoiler!

Yeah, you're probably right, there. Given that the president of Retro worked on the original DKC, and that most of Retro is made up of hardcore DKC fans, I don't think they'd leave K. Rool out or not have him show up at all.

And I think Scraps might be right, because that's quite a thing to let slip, and there was that whole "laugh" thing. Silly tricksy Retro folks..

We'll see, like you said, I suppose.

Awesomeness, moving the thread to "Other DKC-Related Games" until Qyzbud can get on it.

[shadowjosh85]

Bonus stages are confirmed. Their like the first DKC's, except with timers and a puzzle piece for collecting all the bananas.

I have a feeling the puzzle pieces are used to get to this game's lost world...

Where'd you see that? I guess I missed it.

I wonder if Miyamoto getting this project together will convince people he doesn't hate DKC. Not IGN, though...they asked the developer what Miyamoto wanted them to get rid of. LOL

[Jomingo]

Awesomeness, moving the thread to "Other DKC-Related Games" until Qyzbud can get on it.

Guilty.


@ShadowJosh: Bonus stages have been seen in several videos already, like this one for example.

Also, Miyamoto told IGN he worked very closely with the Stampers on the first DKC, and wonders why people think he hates a game he worked on. He's the one responsible for this, and he's also the one responsible for the DKC-esque changes in new play control Jungle Beat.

[DK4Ever]

Well, I definitely need to cut Miyamoto a bit of slack, I always blamed him a bit for the lack of DKC games, probably because I didn't have anyone else to blame.

[Tiptup Jr.]

The reason people think Miyamoto dislikes DKC is because he outright bashed it when it was released, saying something like, "people will play anything as long as it's got good graphics". He was just mad 'cuz Yoshi's Island almost got scrapped and he had to change the graphics to make it stand out from Super Mario World's.

But yeah, they mention crocodiles completely out of the blue, and then when they're specifically asked about K. Rool, they deliberately avoid answering the question. Hmmm...

EDIT: I'm calling it! Checkpoint Pig is totally Troff Jr.

[Jomingo]

The quote was something along the lines of "Americans will play a mediocre game if it has good graphics". And yes, he was pissed off because they were making him make the next Mario more like DKC. He's never been able to live down that quote, though it appears he sincerely liked DKC all along.

[The Guy]

Back to the Kremlings/King K. Rool, it's still highly likely they'll return in future DK games, especially if there's a sequel to this. Maybe there'd be a surprising alternative ending or bonus peek in the future of DK games once you collect all of those puzzle pieces.

[Jomingo]

A new interview appears much less ambiguous than the last: There are no Kremlings or K. Rool in this game. But like The Guy said, they'll be back.

[Tiptup Jr.]

You know what? Screw this game and screw the people who make it. Has there ever been a Mario game without Bowser? A Banjo game without Grunty? No (Super Mario Land doesn't count), and no. I can understand not making him the final boss, but completely refusing to acknowledge K. Rool and the Kremlings in this game is just idiotic. They better get referenced in some form or another, or I'm crying foul play by Miyamoto... I mean, all of the sudden he's in love with Donkey Kong Country. Riiight.

[Jomingo]

...Let's take it easy here, even Mario has other villains. Numerous Mario games have a new villain besides Bowser, and DK should be no different. We have literally nothing to go off of aside from a couple levels, we should wait 'till we have more info on the Tikis before we freak out. This could go good or bad we don't know yet. Besides, as long as I can play as DK and Diddy on minecarts we pretty much have nothing to complain about.

[Tiptup Jr.]

No. f--- it. It's gonna take a lot more than DK and Diddy in a minecart to convince me this'll be worthy of the DKC name. There's sooo much more to the series than gameplay: the quirky characters were something that we all loved and made DKC stand out from the crowd. In that interview you mentioned, Tanabe outright says they "didn't need K. Rool". My ass.

And yeah, Mario has other villains too, but the comparison of that series to DK shouldn't really be made. Mario's never been in short supply of good games, and the fate of his series has never hinged on the quality/success of one title. I'm sure DKCR's gameplay will be good and people will eat it up, but... I'm not sold yet. Bah humbug.

[Simion32]

Woah, Tiptup... watch the attitude; it may only further invoke what you fear (self-fulfilling prophecy).

I mean seriously, it isn't a total disaster. As has been mentioned several times, we should be glad they have done ANYTHING with the DKC franchise. Would you rather have them not make anything AT ALL and leave DK left in the dust?

I'm all too sure they've got room for adding K. Rool and his minions in in a sequel. And to be honest, I'm not that worried about it.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Fine. Whatever. But based on what we've seen so far, Mario Super Sluggers is a better representative of DKC's characters. Just saying.

[Jomingo]

The key phrase being "based on what we've seen so far". We've literally seen nothing yet, they still have plenty of time to prove you wrong. Let's just wait and see what happens.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Ah, I knew someone would get me on that. And you're right, of course, but no matter how long we wait the Kremlings will almost definitely not show up.

[/Tiptup out]

[Scraps69]

tiptup jnr, chill just a fraction eh? If you looked at the metroid series, you'll notice that there was some continuity or links that were made in the first game that ultimately made sense in the end. That was the Phazon (or the blue stuff that hurt you). I think Retro is doing the same thing. In the first game, initially it appears that the tiki's are the evil ones but I think retro is going to make significant links with the tiki's and the kremlines for the second and third game. Whether it's an outright war between the two factions or DK has to ally with one is a matter to see. But we need the first game to be commercially successful before retro can unveil something in the greater scheme of things. (and ultimately bad mouthing it is not in the interests of K. Rool and the kremlins heh)

I think bursting because this DKC has no kremlins is pre-mature. As a bunch of new chapters in the series (as a 'whole' rather then a singular game), you should be damn happy because those kremlins will be back in full force in game 2 and 3 (im assuming retro is going for a trilogy here).

And doesn't it make you happy that there are allusions to the Kremlins with all those sunken pirate ships and whatnot? This is a mystery that retro is probably weaving: 'what happened to the kremlins?'

EDIT: though I still feel that Retro is trying to put everyone off for a secret world or some sort of kremlin surprise (maybe in the ending video or something).

haha, though who knows? maybe the tiki's will be such a good enemy that everyone will forget the kremlins. Put your Trust in Retro. Keep sending hate mail to Tokyo EAD instead.

EDIT2: Though honestly. does anyone get a de-ja vu vibe with the tiki's. remind me alot of the evil counter part of the voodoo wood face tiki in Crash Bandicoot 3.

[DK4Ever]

Yeah, honestly Tiptup, we don't know anything about the game's story other than:

-It has DK and Diddy and the seemingly classic DKC plotline (minus, for the moment, Kremlings)

- Tiki things. Who may or may not be being controlled by Voodoo K. Rool.

- It will include many familiar characters.

- Story aside, the game is made by hardcore DKC players, and one of the original DKC's creators. I'm sure we have nothing to worry about, mate.

Besides, the gameplay looks ridiculously awesome.

And I'm willing to bet that Scraps is completely spot-on with that whole Lost World = Kremlings, or Kremlings show up at the very end to draw us into the sequel, bit.

[Rodent]

Kremlings or not, the gameplay looks pretty damn fun. I'm not hugely phased about the Kremling deficiency right now mainly because:
a) It's a new DKC game
b) It looks like it's hella fun to play and
c) Elements like the K O N G letters and bonus barrels are returning.

I don't think there's anything to worry about at all, we're all gonna be in for one hell of a gaming experience come launch day.

[Soniccuz]

It's worth mentioning the last Country game's plot. K Rool invented a figurehead to hide behind in KAOS but, since you were still fighting the same army from the last games it was fairly obvious that K. Rool would make his big reveal come the end. Commanding a whole new force seems like a logical step up from his previous plan. Just a hunch.

[shadowjosh85]

@ShadowJosh: Bonus stages have been seen in several videos already, like this one for example.

Also, Miyamoto told IGN he worked very closely with the Stampers on the first DKC, and wonders why people think he hates a game he worked on. He's the one responsible for this, and he's also the one responsible for the DKC-esque changes in new play control Jungle Beat.

Oh, thanks. The few videos I watched showed very little, so I figured the others would as well.

And yeah, I knew that about Miyamoto. It's just a perception that never goes away.

By the way, I guess I'm not as attached to K.Rool as other people. If the game had K.Rool and lacked all the gimmicks and bonuses, I'd be much more put off overall.

[DK4Ever]

Bonus stages have been seen in several videos already, like this one for example.

Hmm..... at 1:07, I spy a wrecked ship. Could that be an allusion to the Gangplank Galleon? Maybe we'll see all kinds of Kremling-esque hints in the game. Even if they aren't in this one, I guarantee, absolutely, that Retro won't leave us with nothing even related to them.

Edit : Nevermind..I found the interview..and I'm ridiculously disappointed in Retro now.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-20 ... ong/700682

If you wanted to please the real DKC fanbase, you'd bring back the main villain. New villains are great and all..or not, in the case of Vaati, but for a series like DKC that hasn't had a moment in the sun in 14 years, especially in a revival game, it doesn't really do to remove K. Rool and the Kremlings.

I'm not sure if I'm excited anymore, honestly. I'm going to buy it, and going to play it, but if I don't see any Kremlings at the end of the game..

[Tiptup Jr.]

Yeah, see. Now you catchin' my flow homie.

[DK4Ever]

Yeah.

And I'm still disappointed as hell.

HOWEVER. Part of me won't let me dislike this game..and part of me also says there will be a K. Rool cameo or a hint to a sequel.

But I'm also disappointed they were so abrupt about that, as if the fans didn't matter in the decision at all. Alot of people say "I'm ok with the lack of K. Rool", but if Retro were to ask:

"Hey, do you guys want K. Rool or Tikizilla?" how many would choose K. Rool? I'd say most of them. I honestly hope Retro employees browse this site and know what we say here, because I want them to be fully aware of their judgement, and that even though the game looks good, the repercussions that come with not making K. Rool the main villain will be evident to the fanbase.

[Simion32]

Disappointment.

No anger here, but I am disappointed - I watched that interview yesterday, and I'd have to say that their "we did this for the fans" and "retro is/are hardcore DKC fans" crap aren't exactly statements that I'm going to buy anymore. But yeah, I agree with Tiptup now. ANY hardcore DKC fan would want K. Rool to appear in the game, even if it's ONLY him.

Again, there is only some chance that K. Rool shows up at the very end of the game; but, we don't know that for sure.

[CM August]

There does seem to be a bit of disparity going on. The interviews are saying all the right things (or not, in the case of K. Rool and the Kremlings, but others have already harped on that) but looking at the game itself, it's clear a bit of reading between the lines is needed.

There's talk about keeping the visuals distinct from a Mario game, but they obviously didn't care to make it actually look like a DKC game. The style is something else entirely, well beyond even DKC3 standards.

They say it's important for the music to stay true to the original, yet they appear to be talking about individual classic tunes rather than actual mood and spirit. Not only is every currently known track a remix, but they're blaring renditions that carry little of the understated, atmospheric nature of the originals, at least what can be heard so far.

In fact, the whole tone of the game feels obnoxiously heavy-handed - everything is animated in an over the top fashion, with the scene of DK busting out of his house being especially painful to watch. His character design is even more exaggerated, predictably in the arms and hands. This game does nothing to break the image of DK being a ham-fisted goon perpetuted by the Mario sports games and Jungle Beat.

The Tikis annoy me. Not just the fact that they only exist because Retro didn't want Kremlings; in addition to their seriously ugly aesthetic in general, featuring tiki stuff in a tropical island setting is about as cliche as you can get. In retrospect I'm amazed that Rare completely avoided that trap and visualized something with a little more class. There is not a whiff of anything tiki in any previous Donkey Kong game, yet now there's ancient tiki ruins a few yards from DK's doorstep.

That's why I'm still concerned this may be a reboot, not a sequel. It purportedly takes place on Donkey Kong Island, yet even iconic scenery like the banana trees look starkly different. New native wildlife with none of the old, Tiki ruins all over the place instead of Kremling, as if they were always there. And there's every indication this will set a new precedent for future installments. While further news may assuage some of these fears, I'm still incensed that Retro didn't give DK the same level of respect they gave Metroid. Guess grim bounty hunters demand more series-faithful revivals than stupid monkeys. Ook ook!

[Scraps69]

wow. SO much anger. I only listened to the audio of the gametrailer's interview. Was the guy that said 'who needs K Rool?' a retro employee or tanabe?

If it was tanabe, you can't really blame retro (as they got to pretty much follow tanabe's orders). If it was a retro employee, well, shrugs, I suppose people can be annoyed at retro.

Asides, I don't care as long as they get the music right (warranting the right music for each level) and that the gameplay is like DKC (which seems to have been verified). I care most about that 'feel' associated with good platforming and good music.

I enjoy the over-the-top graphics and background/foreground events occuring on screen. DK punching down his door feels like a bit of comic relief and a bit of bad assery. I can honestly feel that 'weight' when DK punches down that door for some reason.

I am intrigued by the Tiki to be honest. I enjoy the mystery of it all. Retro will have one game to win us over. If they mess up, then I'm sure they'll return to the kremlings. Though do many people notice that in the DKC games, the more prominent enemies in DKC were the zingers and non-crocodile animals? It's just something to note in that they really did noty have as much impact to the gameplay as we think.

All in all, it's not the first time fans of any particular franchise have had an outcry about a design decision which changes the enemies (or whatever) only to have those same people love the game when they actually play it. Of course, the design decision may be rubbish as well.

(The only thing I'm worried about is that some kremlins provided good gameplay mechanics. THe standard walk forward crocs are pretty rubbish. THe jumping krems are a bit more of a challenge but generally rubbish. But the 'Krusha's' provide that 'bounce' off idea. The krems in the tnt barrels/barrels. The krems the climbed ropes and swung down. I feel that the size of the tiki's (being small) affects many of the tasks that they may do.
Though these can easily be replaced by 'animals' that the tiki's control.)

EDIT: the removal of the krems is also serving retro's purpose as well. Getting you guys thinking about the game whether you like it or not. The emotional responses will encourage you to talk about it more and ultimately purchase the game.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Yeah... see. I'm really torn now.

On one hand: No K. Rool. No Kremlings. That sucks, yeah, but... I don't specifically hate the tikis. I can accept them. It's just the attitude of "We don't need K. Rool 'cuz he's useless and no one cares about him" that I find hard to deal with. And Tanabe did make that remark about K. Rool, but does it matter? I doubt he alone made the decision.

And also, we've only seen four levels of the game, and they are gorgeous levels. Very DKC-esque. I even liked Mugly, the boss. But we obviously don't have a true sense of what the game's characters are gonna be like yet- you can't have all the helper Kongs show up in the middle of a level! In a few months when we get more info, I'm sure we'll be happier than we are now. Animal buddies might even show up. If they can make this all fit with the tikis and such, I say have at it. But if Ridley managed to show up in every single Metroid Prime game, I don't see why K. Rool can't do the same with his series.

[DK4Ever]

Yeah, you're right about the levels and such, but if K. Rool isn't in it, I feel cheated, and I hope Retro knows this.

I might E-mail them and ask them questions. I doubt they'll answer any of them, but it's worth a shot I suppose.

However...something just doesn't feel right. Why is the Retro name for the Kremlings specifically "Crocodiles", and why does every Retro member say "There's no crocodiles" and laugh?

I suspect something. I'm not sure what, but I just don't know.

Maybe I'm grasping at straws, hoping beyond hope, but I'd think the Retro employees, being such self-procclaimed hardcore DKC fans, would at least call the Kremlings and K. Rool by their proper name when saying they won't be in the game. But they haven't done that. I haven't heard a single Retro employee use the word "Kremling". They seem to be avoiding it.

[The Guy]

Aside from the Kremlings, I've heard that there may be no Animal Buddies. Hmmm...

[DK4Ever]

Alright, so I e-mailed Retro quite a long e-mail, praising them, and pleading in a way for clarification on K. Rool, as well as his return. Will I get an adequate answer? Probably not, but in that event, I will continue trying. Someone's got to say SOMETHING.

Here's my e-mail, for review.

Maybe they won't read it because it's so long, maybe they won't read it because they get 5000 a day, I don't care right now.

Dear Retro Studios,

I've been a hardcore DKC fan for the majority of my life, and have, for at least the past 10 years, been hoping beyond hope for many things, the greatest of which being the revival of the DKC series by either Rareware (which is nigh impossible) or by a reputable Nintendo affiliate.

At E3 this year, the entire, and I mean the entire conference hinged on the rumor that had been floating around the internet, which I first heard about on the DKC fansite I frequent; http://dkc-atlas.com/

When Mr. Fils-Aime began talking about Retro Studios, I knew immediately what he was talking about, and for the next few minutes, after watching the trailer, was probably happier than I had been in a long, long time. After 14 years of waiting and wondering, the DKC series was finally going to be revived by Nintendo's most trusted and skilled company.

For that, I thank you guys. I saw K-O-N-G letters, life balloons, Diddy, and so many things that other Nintendo DK games in the past few years have either lacked or, just not captured in the traditional way.

It was all incredible, and gave me that nostalgic feeling I had missed for many years, and I was so excited because my favorite series of all time was getting a well-deserved revival.

That said, as I re-watched the announcement and trailer, I noticed something, that was also well-noticed by members of DKC-Atlas, as well as members of the Donkey Kong Universe of http://www.dkvine.com/

From what we could see in the trailer, there were no Kremlings and no sign of the original villain who helped seperate DKC from the crowd, King K. Rool. At first, myself and other fans assumed that K. Rool may be doing something similar to his role in DKC3, and that would be controlling these new enemies from behind a "curtain" of sorts.

Since we had only seen at maximum four levels (and not quite that much at that) of footage of the game, we assumed that Kremlings may show up later, since all we had seen up to this point was a Tiki on an airship carrying DK's stolen banana hoard, as well as other new enemies, we assumed Kremlings may come in later.

During an interview by IGN with Mr. Tanabe and yourself, we caught a very perplexing phrase : "There are no crocodiles in this game." This made the majority of us start to think that there would be hints about K. Rool toward the end, but he wouldn't make an appearance, or maybe you didn't specifically mean the Kremlings themselves were the "crocodiles".

But an interview released yesterday (June 18th) caused alot of frustration among fans, as Mr. Tanabe asked if K. Rool and the Kremlings really needed to make a return to the series in this game. This comment was a quite saddening to myself, simply because it felt like a door slammed on any hope that K. Rool would be returning.

Personally I feel as a revival game, it was absolutely necessary to include the series' main villain and his cronies, because their presence always added the "Hey, this really IS a DKC game" feel to any of the original trilogy, and even to DK64. from my view and the view of many other hardcore DKC fans on sites I am a member of, for a DKC game to truly be a DKC game, all of these elements, the K-O-N-G letters, the life balloons, Diddy, the other Kongs, the Animal Buddies and the Kremlings, as well as the atmosphere and music must all be together to make it a DKC game.

Now i'm not a Retro employee or even a game developer, so I know that any decision regarding characters and the game's story is left to you fine Retro folks. However, I just wanted to give my input on what not including K. Rool might mean, and say that I feel he deserves the same amount of love given to Ridley in the Metroid Prime series, which was also a series revival. (And a great one, at that)

At any rate, I've said way too much, and my long-winded nature has gotten the better of me again.

Thank you very much for your time, and for reviving my series. I hope K. Rool can eventually make his appearance, because I feel he deserves it, and I'm worried it won't feel the same without him. However, the game looks fantastic thus far and I applaud you guys at Retro for your marvelous work.

Cheers!

- Concerned fan.

There are probably things in there I shouldn't have said, or could have said better, but what's done is done, I suppose.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Hm... it's very in-depth! I think that'll get a response.

[DK4Ever]

I'm hoping so..I'm also hoping they don't get so many e-mails a day that they only read the first and last lines, but I don't think I'll have to worry about that.

Edit: Hooray, post #400!

[Scraps69]

That's a very good letter!!! It deserves a response. I think there will be a 'wait and see what we do' sort of response.

[old_buzzard]

Excellent letter, DK4Ever! That pretty much sums up everything I wanted to say. I really hope your letter gets a response.

[DK4Ever]

That's a very good letter!!! It deserves a response. I think there will be a 'wait and see what we do' sort of response.

Honestly, that's the response I'm HOPING for, because it means they aren't completely getting rid of K. Rool and don't dislike him, which is currently my fear.

I included DKC-Atlas and the DKU in my letter for them, just in case they actually didn't know about us, and wanted to get a look at what DK fans are like.

For real though, I'm hoping they don't look at my letter and go "Oh, damn, not another hardcore fan. We didn't give them X and now we get to hear about it, blah blah blah."

That would be totally not cool, and I hope my letter didn't make me come off as a complaining, OVERLY hardcore fan. You know the ones.

[Kimi Kong]

DUDE I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!

I didn't think they would make another. And now.......*sniff*...give me a moment.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO buying this!!!

[Scraps69]

I have a wierd theory. It can easily be discarded as rubbish though:

The tiki's are the kremlins. K. Rool meddled with witch doctor magic and made the animals of DK island fight his battle for him but at a cost: that all the kremlins/crocodiles turned into tiki's. The spell will lose it's effect upon the defeat of K Rool and he will narrowly escape getting nailed by DK when he transforms back.

heh, alot of people would just say 'lame' if this ending happened probably.

on a different note, I finally got a cool DK plushie! *thumbs up*

[Jomingo]

Edit: Hooray, post #400!

Hooray, post #2000! Do I get a prize?


Anyway, for me I'm still not too concerned about the lack of Kremlings. It's not going to stop my from being excited about the game, I'm still just as excited as ever. Besides, I'm sure we'll see lots of surprises along the way, Kremlings or not.

Last thing of note: Please don't be disappointed if you don't get a response on that email, and do not take it against the great guys at Retro. They really are trying hard with this game so forgive me if I'm not completely sympathetic with your disappointment over the Kremling's exclusion. Despite your hopes that you'll get some substantial response apologizing for your disappointment and promising it's going to be all better, they are a large company and they probably do get tons of emails a day. Let's not go and hold that against them because they can't respond to every fan. Let's give them a little slack and wait until we actually see some of the game before we start worrying. That's all I ask.

[DK4Ever]

Yes. You'll get a prize. Someday...

I understand that they are a large company, and that yes, they most assuredly gets alot of e-mails, and now, probably those similar to the one I sent. I doubt I'll get a response, as I've already said, and now I'm simply waiting. If nothing comes of it, I will wait for the game itself. K. Rool has always been one of my favorite video game characters, so I'm upset that he may not be included. I suppose it's not the same for you because, well, you just don't feel the same, but as I said in my letter, I feel like K. Rool and the other elements of DKC need to come as a package.

I'll probably enjoy the game as well, but now there'll always be something in the back of my head saying "But man, K. Rool's not here, if he was, man..." whenever I play it.

And this will probably impact his inclusion in the next Smash game, which makes me lose interest in speculation about that as well. This just means a whole mess of things I didn't want to include in my letter for obvious reasons.

[Kimi Kong]

I don't know about th etikis being the kremlings. They might have some beef with DK and Diddy. Really i don't know. Ill wait for the game to come out. I'll be counting the days.

(Heh heh, major fan!! )

[Jomingo]

Do not get me wrong: I love K. Rool as much as anyone. Although I don't always vote for him in the DKC Election that's usually because I vote for the underdog. In my Brawl review I mentioned how disappointing it was not to have him in it. In my list of 10 most disappointing thing about Brawl, my biggest thing was K. Rool's exclusion. I even wrote an article about why K. Rool should've been in it. K. Rool is probably my favorite character of the whole series. That being said, I'm so excited about this game I'm not letting it get to me.

Besides, this game will have sequels. There might even be a 3DS game soon. K. Rool will be back, and he's still probably going to be in Smash 4. I'm not freaking out just yet; if there are no animal buddies or Kong helpers I'll reconsider, but so far we've got no information to go off of.

Also, Kimi Kong, please try to type with proper grammar. We aren't as strict here as some places, but we're stricter than others.

[DK4Ever]

Eh, you're probably right Jo. Everything we've seen looks great, but for real.

Alright, enough being sad, I'm happy about this, and this is 100x better than not having ANYTHING. This'll be great, and fun, and it'll be great to get back into the DKC groove again.

The only thing I'm afraid of for sequels or DS games, is that Retro didn't like K. Rool, or doesn't feel they should come back. But I'm also hoping that's a stupid fear.

I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry about the other Kongs. Animal buddies probably too, although they may be different animal buddies.

[Kimi Kong]

Also, Kimi Kong, please try to type with proper grammar. We aren't as strict here as some places, but we're stricter than others.

I'm sorry. I'll try harder. I'm not really as educated as others. I messed up when i was typing "the tikis", as you can see.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Hey, don't worry about it . . . as a child I disciplined myself to write with Nazi-like grammar, but as long as you follow some basic guidelines you should be good.

Now, there seems to be a huge schism on this site between members who look past K. Rool to give this game a chance, or downright b*tch about his exclusion. For some reason, I feel like I am responsible for the latter. And I apologize.

Retro's already covered three main things: gameplay, music, and graphical presentation/atmosphere (debatably.) We've still got a few months to see whether or not helper Kongs and animal buddies make it, which I'm thinking they will. Now, as previously stated, K. Rool has a pretty hardcore fanbase, and it's perfectly understandable for that fanbase to be upset. But I think we should be embracing these new enemies. They're not that bad, are they? No. And Mugly, the boss we've seen, is just brilliant. Retro can do this. Regardless of whether or not we see K. Rool again, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the good of the whole.