Is This Nintendo's Saddest Rerelease Ever?

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Donkey Kong Country Returns HD pushes the limits of low-effort remasters.
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This video was edited by the wondrous Kane!
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Outro music by Northnan
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Outro animation by Daniel Alba
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Additional footage credits:
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[@ArloStuff]

IS THIS MY MOST PINNED COMMENT EVER? Head to www.squarespace.com/arlo to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code "arlo" ALSO WORTH NOTING, it was too late to include the detail in the video but apparently co-op mode is busted as well because two players can't bounce on the same enemy like in the original. So just add that to the pile I guess.

[@flamingtanksquad7199]

Yes

[@lanevill5918]

hi arlo

[@DuelScreen]

How did I know that last line was coming? 😂

[@Under_Sky_Third_Gaia]

We really need an all new DK be it 2d or 3d maybe both would be nice

[@hichaelhyers]

ok

[@staticshock4239]

The fact that this was $60 while Metroid Prime Remastered is $40 always seemed crazy to me.

[@dpackerman4203]

I wouldn’t buy this game even if it were $40. I would buy Metroid Prime Remastered if it were $60, maybe even $70 (And this is coming from someone who absolutely loved DKC Returns on the Wii)

[@Digitail-u2t]

So is the $40 price only for online, cause a target I go to has it for $60 which is the same as all other games. So I’m wondering if it went up? Or is it up because it’s physical?

[@Fixional]

​@Digitail-u2t it's 40 at gamestop, target is just being ridiculous

[@16BitKamek]

​@@Digitail-u2t That just sounds like Target marked it up. I got mine for $40 at GameStop.

[@gr8springy]

I'm pretty sure it's because Metroid is not that huge of a IP, while Donkey Kong is that huge.

[@micahrobbins8353]

You forgot something important. The multiplayer in the 3ds version and now the remake doesn't work because only one player can jump off of enemies. That totally breaks certain parts of the game

[@Luigimansion-kq7bb]

Wouldn't that be more of a glitch? Like BLJ's in Mario 64?

[@squiddu]

​@@Luigimansion-kq7bb Probably not. It was in the original, but removed in the 3ds version because there was no co-op, but making it easier for both players to use the same enemies as platforms in a pretty hard game seems intentional, right?

[@n1nj4l1nk]

​@@Luigimansion-kq7bbno, it was intended in the original and is clearly meant to be there as there are many places where the player that is slightly behind has no choice but to die now.

[@patroka]

Nice, was about to post about this exact thing

[@micahrobbins8353]

@@Luigimansion-kq7bb nah, I think the animation where the tops come off the drum enemies was made to visually represent that mechanic. The whole thing seems very intentional since multiplayer just doesn't work right without it

[@MarcelSOLDIER]

Seeing the frame rate consistently drop in the secret final level where precise jumps are a requirement to complete it was probably the biggest sigh I’ve let out in a long time

[@GabrieleRusso93]

I don't know if you're talking about your playthrough or some video, because I completed this game 100% on Switch and they even warned me about the frame rate drops, but it literally never happened. I played on a 144hz monitor and always docked, so I don't recall if they referred to the portable mode or docked one.

[@3ntr4nc3r]

​@@GabrieleRusso93 I actually had the framerate drops when playing docked, but I don't think I ever experienced the drops when playing in handheld mode.

[@Chaotheawesome]

@@GabrieleRusso93Same except I pretty much only played in handheld mode and got no frame rate drops

[@chrisbeach423]

@@GabrieleRusso93load times were horrible but I 100% the game in handheld mode and never noticed a single drop in frames during any of the “secret” levels

[@sandman8920]

I was going to buy it but I’m ok with the Wii and 3ds versions

[@OgichiGame]

If you do the bare minimum. I expect a bare minimum price

[@budderk1305]

yea, this should have been 20 bucks at MAX

[@TheGodofweak]

This is LESS the bare minimum though, its awful. Don't feel bad about getting this one for free if ya know what I mean

[@cherubin7th]

Read a economics 101 book.

[@randomgamer-te8op]

@@TheGodofweak I mean, if you justify pirating it because it's so bad it doesn't deserved to be played, why even play it at all lol, just wondering

[@AkiraStrix94]

If it goes for about as much as your typical indie platformer (somwhere under at least $10), I'd consider that the bare minimum. I know Nintendo won't do that, but still.

[@billyzamoravargas3611]

Biggest flop is that co-op is unplayable. They should return the frames for enemy jump back to original.

[@max_the_german4989]

The fact this problem isn’t mentioned in the video… This video wasn‘t researched on the typical Arlo level, Arlo just needed a valve for his emotions.

[@Wesayianshavenolimits]

@@max_the_german4989 I mean it’s a pretty easy thing to miss, a lot of people just play single player so you would have to go out of your way to find that. Especially since it’s local only and not online. Not saying that makes it ok that multiplayer is broken, but I really don’t see how that’s Arlo’s fault. I would’ve have missed that if I was making a video about it, even Digital Foundry missed it.

[@jclkaytwo]

​​@@Wesayianshavenolimitsyou don't need to play multiplayer to know about it. videos were already uploaded about it and people are frequently talking about it.

[@Wesayianshavenolimits]

@@jclkaytwo This comment was the first I heard about it. If I need to watch a video on it that’s basically the same as needing to play multiplayer, as in you would never know unless you were hardcore into the game. Again I don’t see how it’s Arlo’s fault, he just reviewed what he played. The video wasn’t a list about everything wrong with the game, just stuff he noticed. Not everyone is going to be in loop about something, even if you are usually in the loop about everything.

[@jclkaytwo]

@Wesayianshavenolimits I acknowledge that. I'm just surprised arlo hadn't seemed to hear about it, considering he usually seems to be in-tune with all the discourse surrounding things

[@CEOofBdubs]

I’m just ready for a NEW Donkey Kong, man… Tropical Freeze came out 11 years ago

[@ConceptsCool4993]

The last 3D platformer for DK came out in 1999💀

[@MorosSilverwing]

Hoo that makes me feel old.

[@BrieLarsonsBoyfriend]

I said it before and I’ll say it again, the Switch 1 era did Donkey Kong dirty!

[@MrJ077]

@@BrieLarsonsBoyfriend Hey they had Mario versus donkey Kong and that game… exists

[@BrieLarsonsBoyfriend]

@@MrJ077 That was just a remake of a GBA game number one. Number two, it’s not a game where you play as our favorite tie wearing ape but rather an Italian buffoon of a plumber

[@TheDreadedZero]

I’m surprised you delved this deep into it and didn’t even mention the way the screwed up the multiplayer by not allowing the second player to bounce on enemies. This makes certain levels physically impossible

[@newshit7199]

he put it in the pinned comment

[@TheDreadedZero]

@ I think he added that after my comment

[@lasercraft32]

Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe should be the standard for Nintendo remakes... Fully updated graphics, lots of polish, and a ton of extra content to justify the $60 price tag.

[@rouge939]

I agree. When that game was announced I thought it was unnecessary as the original is fine. But the remaster is an improvement in every way

[@justchan2443]

It's sad that Dolphin is probably the best way to play this game. Third Party options should be an alternative, not a way better version. Edit: also co op is broken, there is some video about it

[@SmashCrafter321]

How is the 3ds version compared to the other 2? I know that's where they got the extra levels in the switch version to begin with, but how does it play on the 3ds itself, performance wise?

[@Toppat404]

@@SmashCrafter321 It's okay. It is the 3DS, after all, but it still keeps a consistent framerate, nothing too high. Still very much playable and enjoyable, though. (Co-Op was obviously unavailable, so when they ported it from the 3DS and gave it multiplayer, it messed some stuff up.)

[@RandomRider570]

​@@Toppat404Co-op is available, but both systems have to have a copy of the game.

[@Toppat404]

@@RandomRider570 Oh, sorry. My bad. I own a copy, but have never tried multiplayer, so I didn't know. Thanks.

[@Necrofitz]

Basically this. Run the Wii game in Dolphin. Add all the upscaling and visual bells and whistles. Map the Wiimote waggle to a button. Bam. You have the best way to experience DKCR.

[@BlueToadFan]

It's kinda funny that there was more talk about Donkey Kong's redesign shown in the Switch 2 trailer than Returns HD

[@domymbd]

No, the saddest one was Super Mario 3D All-Stars with a freakin' limited time release

[@MusicJunkie37]

At least you got 3 games for 60

[@SakuraAvalon]

Well, at least they stocked it while it was available. Game wasn't that scarce, so you had plenty of time to get it. Even now, if you look around, you can find it for not that much more than retail via used copies. I saw some copies going for 90-100 dollars Canadian. So, only a 10-20 dollar increase in price.

[@trumpeterjen]

They weren’t even remasters, either. They were just ports.

[@Crusader1089]

@@SakuraAvalon limited time releases for digital sales are ridiculous. It made sense when you needed to physically print cartridges. I can understand them saying that the physical release is limited time only. But the game is just data, which can be delivered for fractions of a cent per gigabyte and stored on shop servers for dollars per decade. It is ridiculous that I can get the ROM online and shove it on a SD card into a hacked switch but I cannot give Nintendo money no matter how much I want to to get the game legitimately.

[@SakuraAvalon]

@ Welcome to the world of Nintendo.

[@NaXEthan]

18:35 Worth mentioning that Unity is not a bad engine at all to make a game in; the problem is that moving a game to a new engine and trying to preserve everything good about the original is incredibly difficult. (Source: while I'm by no means an expert on porting to another engine, I am a game dev)

[@arcum42]

Yeah, a lot of the bad rep Unity as a game engine got originally was because they charged money to take their splash screen off games, making it so that the games made with a low budget were also the ones you knew for sure were made in Unity. There are plenty of other reasons to have issues with Unity, but they are one of the two biggest game engines for a reason.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

To me, the only problem is price. This would be a steal for 20 bucks. That's how remasters like this work on most consoles and PC. Arkham Asylum and Arkham City on PS4 are pretty much just higher graphics from the PC version with some extra console exclusive effects, and it's 20 dollars for BOTH of them. Nobody's complaining about that especially with PS5 power. If they just dropped this for 20 bucks, nobody would be complaining.

[@dpackerman4203]

Agreed. I don’t care about the quality of a game THAT much, but I do care if you’re making me pay full price for it. $60 for this is just not happening, and I loved the original so much.

[@AsherTheModder]

thats not true at all.

[@squiddu]

We would still complain about the frame drops. Or the removed co-op bounce thing that makes multiplayer way harder now. Or inconsistently only improving *some* parts of the graphics. It still wouldn't be a good remaster, we would just be less mad.

[@n1nj4l1nk]

That's BS. It removed a feature integral to the game, it's literally broken rn, it would still be broken at 20.

[@thekiss2083]

The 3DS version was $20 over a decade ago. Same content, only slightly worse performance

[@kagley]

Part of the problem for me is that with a higher resolution, you notice how many flat 2D assets there were in the Wii version that don't hold up especially compared to Tropical Freeze over 10 years ago

[@danielbetts6771]

Yeah, like with the trees and canyon area. The 2D assets stick out quite bad.

[@coolkiller3225]

honestly idk why bringing a game to HD (or 4k or wtv) in a 'same thing but higher res' is soooo important to people. this remaster would look so much nicer if they'd taken more artistic liberties and actually remastered it in a way that would complement those 2d assets. cause to me all the remaster does is make it harder for me to see the characters in the environment and make everything less cohesive

[@Mr.Pacario]

The Pac-Man World remake also omitted the original team from the credits. Later on, the team was patched in at the "special thanks" portion of the credits at the tail end.

[@tristan_967]

Arlo casually revealing that the amount of time between DK64 and DK returns is the same amount of time between DK Tropical Freeze and now, I nearly had an existential crisis

[@dotXyore]

Every day I pray for a DK64 sequel or remaster. But given the state of gaming in recent years, it's something I'll likely regret. Sucks being a fan of DK64 and not caring about the Country series.

[@CGJUGO80]

@@dotXyore DK64 was just a Banjo Kazooie clone with DK skins and story (of course still a great game). But if anything you should be hoping for Banjo Kazoothree!

[@dotXyore]

@@CGJUGO80 Man, that's a lot of ignorance on your part. I don't care for Banjo so no.

[@IAmNotASandwich453]

It really shows how much faster time passes as you grow older

[@primalycia]

@@CGJUGO80 Yeah, no. The only thing DK64 and Banjo Kazooie have in common are the development team and the fact that they are 3D platformers. That's like saying Super Mario Bros. is a clone of Metroid since they're both 2D platformers made by Nintendo. I, personally, cannot stand Banjo Kazooie and have never had fun with it. DK64, however, is always a blast.

[@NShadow]

Arlo, videos like these are why you’re my favorite Nintendo reviewer by far. Always getting down to brass tacks and evaluating what these games and price points look like to the average fan rather than getting lost in the Nintendo super fan perspective that tends to glorify everything the company does. I know you get worried about coming off too pessimistic at times, but just know that quality of honesty is the reason many of us consider you the best reviewer out there

[@trajecient6546]

To add some context for what Arlo says at the 10:20 mark, Nintendo's recently released quarterly financial report showed that Luigi's Mansion 2 HD has sold 1.8 million copies, not far off Mario & Luigi: Brothership at 1.84 million and the Paper Mario: TTYD remake at 2.06 million. No data there on DKCR HD as it wasn't selling during that quarter.

[@FedoraKirb]

8:57 It’s interesting how this exact same thing happened in the Kirby series, from multiple angles. Kirby Super Star laid the foundation for almost every game that came after it, and the 3DS titles perfected the formula that Return to Dream Land established by iterating on Super Star, so RtDL was seen as that “middle title” sandwiched between more important games. But in recent years, more people are appreciating Return to Dream Land as an incredibly foundational Kirby game in its own right, thanks to how narratively integral it is to the overarching worldbuilding, and especially thanks to the remake (which Arlo alludes to later on, actually). So nowadays Triple Deluxe is more often seen as that overlooked stepping stone. Perhaps Luigi’s Mansion and Donkey Kong could have gotten that same remake treatment so that they can step out of their neighboring games’ shadows.

[@jakobthomas1926]

Hoping Triple Deluxe gets good HD Remake 🙏

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

Return to Dream Land sounds like the Skyward Sword of the Kirby series

[@FedoraKirb]

@@SomeKZbinTraveler Narratively, sort of, seeing as it has our first in-game allusion to The Ancients, both are Wii games released in 2011. But RtDL is way less controversial than Skyward Sword, and is generally seen as one of the best in the series. Star Allies is probably the closest thing the series has to Skyward Sword, in that it’s pretty divisive on a gameplay front but dropped some insane lore bombs for the series.

[@Lucrei.]

The difference is HAL Laboratory handle all their games in-house and they don't get funneled off to incompetent developers like in this case

[@kryzethx]

I don't think there was anything Nintendo could do to make LM2 better than LM1 or LM3, simply because of its inherent design. It was basically made to be a mobile title, something you could play on a bus ride for about 20 minutes at a time, hence the mission mode structure. Unlike LM1 and LM3, which were console-focused experiences, encouraging longer periods of play, and a completely different gameplay style. Whether one is better than the other is besides the point, because not all LM1 fans are going to enjoy LM2's style of gameplay, and that's what they would be expecting from a sequel. That's probably why they called it Dark Moon instead of LM2 in the US. LM3 was more in line with what fans of the original were expecting, so it would always receive more praise than LM2; nothing they could have done for it, short of gutting the entire mission mode mechanic, and making each mansion free-roam (which would require WAY more resources than just re-releasing the game with a new coat of point)

[@t.fernbach602]

€60 for a port of a port? The hardest of passes.

[@AsherTheModder]

and then it sells 10M to 15M copies.

[@RedHatGuyYT]

​@@AsherTheModder i dunno if that was a cope in nintendo's favor or a jab at nintendo's fans

[@AsherTheModder]

@ both and neither . its an acceptance of reality despite reality tasting rather bitter.

[@RedHatGuyYT]

@@AsherTheModder mate, it's a lazy port of an old nintendo game, not an intellectual conversation piece

[@kryzethx]

@@AsherTheModder There's no way it sells that much; you're telling me there's 10-15 million DK fans? In the year 2025? Ain't no way it passes 2M, maybe 5M at the *absolute* most

[@philfriethegamingguy7759]

Super Mario All Stars Wii rerelease didn't have Super Mario World even though the SNES had a cartridge with SMW included. That was pretty sad.

[@MisterDaveJohnson]

Also the co-op is broken since they ported the 3ds version without fixing it. That's peak frustration given it's a major feature of the original

[@vantablack3327]

I was looking to see if someone mentioned this. I saw a video the other day talking about how the 3DS version added levels, but broke multiplayer and DKCR HD seems to have just taken from 3DS and updated the graphics.

[@zacziggarot]

It's UNPLAYABLE in co-op

[@Synbios459]

​@@vantablack3327GameXPlain debunked that.

[@technobladeleakedclips1827]

​@@Synbios459gaysexpain are nintendo shills

[@Accidental.Creation]

I just don't get Nintendo sometimes, you know? On one hand we get amazing stuff like the Metroid Prime Remaster out of nowhere for a really good price, and with beautiful remade graphics. And then we get stuff like Luigi's Mansion 2 or DK: Country Returns for way too much money. Like, why, Nintendo?

[@briansilva3765]

Different studios responsible for those, with different budgets and needs, the latter two are there to fill release gaps, and were made by outside studios. Metroid Prime Remastered and Xenoblade DE are there because the studios that made those games wanted them back, and they themselves remastered the games with in-house technology.

[@MichaelHeide]

And neither Metroid Prime nor DKC Returns has proper credits for the original development team. Not even Tommy Tallarico. And his mother was so proud.

[@blackdot105]

Free money, I guess

[@palmpact]

at the time, it was my personal conspiracy theory that they would be releasing the Prime trilogy in (relatively) rapid succession, meaning that $40 would turn into $120 assuming most players followed through on the trilogy. that didn't happen so now I'm left wondering why Prime, a high profile GameCube title, got a full makeover and was released for only 40 bucks while 3DS games just get upscaled and cost 60. Mario tax, I guess.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

​@@palmpact No, We know for certain from insiders that they never planned for 2 and 3 to get remasters It instead seems Prime Remastered was a side project that they used to just have something release

[@weathermansam2]

I’m super disappointed as a huge DK fan. I hope they have something in store for DK soon because we have NOT been eating good

[@Jigen0]

As someone who likes most other Nintendo franchises and not DK too much, I feel so bad after getting so much on switch all while DK fans have to kick rocks. They better give DK a banger game on switch 2. (And revive starfox)

[@Gungho73]

@@Jigen0 I find the DK treatment by Nintendo frankly baffling. This is a franchise that sells much better then people are probably aware of, but they give it the treatment of something they clearly don't treat/care for as well or see only as a ROI title like Paper Mario/Pikmin (two franchises I very much love but recognize do not set the sales world on fire). Donkey Kong is not in a state, historically, where it needs to scrap for ROI. At least, by fans standards it certainly shouldn't. This is the same company however that said you can't have 2 Mario RPG's, neutered one to shit, let the other one die, and left the neutered one in that state until eventually bringing the dead one back. Their logic, the Nintendo logic, has always eluded me. So maybe its something as stupid as "we dont need multiple first party AAA platformers." God I hope that's not what it is. DK games are fabulous.

[@jamesandthegiantorange3839]

My favorite Nintendo franchises are Star Fox, F-Zero, and Donkey Kong....I do not own a Switch lol

[@Jigen0]

​@@jamesandthegiantorange3839yeah the odds were stacked against you this time unfortunately

[@BrieLarsonsBoyfriend]

We DK diehards have NOT been eating good during the Switch 1 era

[@NintendoCapriSun]

The only thing making me sad is the thought that 4K is nearly 10 years old already.

[@chiquita683]

Wait until the Switch 2 drops at $450 with $80 games and cant maintain 60FPS in 2025. Cooked

[@ajpink5880]

In the PC gaming space, according to Steam stats then the majority of PC gamers still only play at 1080p, so it's kind of an odd metric

[@Lucrei.]

@@ajpink5880 almost like a silent protest to developers that the majority of consumers want better performance and optimisation, not higher resolution

[@minixlemonade]

Why do people care? It's such a minor thing. I still think Gamecube games and PS3 games look good. Style is more important than how many gigashits a console can run. Just look at some old PS4 games even.

[@kryzethx]

@@ajpink5880 When the screen is closer to your face, 1080p can look *really* good, even better than 4k from the couch across the room

[@dahmerung]

I'm a bit more forgiving to Luigi's Mansion 2 HD since the developers had to rework the game from the 3DS hardware. The release of DKC Returns feels weird since it was a home console game, turned into a handheld game, and now turned into a hybrid console game.

[@PikaPhantomVG]

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD also had a more extensive rework than people seem to think, since they actually updated the models for most things in the game (not sure about everything but they updated more than just character models). Returns HD cannot say the same

[@Handy_Man]

This is not our finest hour.

[@EXCLMaker]

It is generally better to have more of Nintendo's legacy catalogue on Switch than not to have it, so I am pretty much always in favor of Nintendo rereleasing any past game on Switch even if it's a low-effort remaster or just a straight port, but that being said it is still very frustrating that Nintendo is charging premium for these bare minimum rereleases that simply do not justify being $60.

[@Dingalow]

I am very much in favour of more legacy content on Switch and that makes it all the more irritating to see how they've handled it. In most cases, it's better to pirate the games on emulators or hacked consoles for free than play their $60 remakes/remasters

[@rodneyleonard9269]

@@Dingalowwas just about to say this. Hell I’d rather just go purchase a copy of the game from eBay/GameStop for like 15 dollars for my 2ds

[@Nintenguy128]

@@Dingalow I'd understand this sentiment if it's for games that they don't bother rereleasing at all, I do emulate games that Nintendo still isn't selling right now nor offering them on NSO still, but if a game is literally easily accessible for you to buy no matter no matter how you think about quality as quality is completely subjective, then you don't really have a right in stealing no matter how big or small a company is or how they do things, because you're not really any different than they are if you're doing something bad too. If something just isn't up to snuff to your standards or expectations then you simply don't buy and just hand your money to other rereleases that you see as good instead.

[@Dingalow]

@@Nintenguy128 Here's the problem with that. When these companies release legacy content, they are competing with fans who are way better at preserving content than the companies themselves. People don't just pirate games because they're malicious or want a company to go bankrupt, they do it because they love the games and would be much happier with them in an authentic manner. NSO releases are a good example of this because there are a tonne of games on there that are way better to pirate than play on there. They'll bafflingly release games completely in Japanese when plenty of fan translations exist already without a Switch online subscription. Some of the games even keep their botched localisations and, again, are best played as fan translations rather through Nintendo's own service. When a rerelease fails to live up to the original, the best course of action is to simply play the original by any means necessary and if I'm going to refuse to buy the overpriced rerelease, why would not just play the game anyway in a superior form?

[@Nintenguy128]

@@Dingalow But then there's a problem with that, fans do not really make up the majority of the general consumer base for Nintendo products nor videogames in general, so how come any company not just Nintendo, that rereleases games is competing with fans when they're simply offering convenient options, but also they're filling their schedules with rereleases while they're working on new games? NSO may not be perfect as a service, but it's gotten much better overtime and most people don't even want to bother using emulation (you can't blame them for that) therefore having NSO as a convenience is only a good thing for consumers especially since there's already so many games than how it initially was back then. I'm all for game preservation and emulation don't get me wrong, and I'm a user of emulation myself, but the thing is emulation should only be used in instances where games are no longer available or not even being sold at all, quality is always subjective when it comes to games but you can't really go around stealing games no matter bad or good you think a remaster, port or remake is, because theft is still theft no matter if a product is physical or digital especially if the product is easily accessible for you to purchase. Even if you're gonna preserve something for yourself, you can just buy the game beforehand, dump it to your computer, and then you do anything you want with it and you're not really doing anything wrong with that. We must have our limits when it comes to emulation, there's a reason why a lot of them get shut down and it's because of bad actors who use them for malicious reasons rather than actually wanting to preserve games.

[@thomaskuzma4360]

I look forward to the schaferillis styled 6 part series about Arlo looking for his vegetable peeler

[@sweetfeathery]

I find it funny that fans were able to decode and put a upscalled version of Star Fox 64 with ultra-wide support for free, yet Nintendo wants us to pay 60 dollars for bare minimum.

[@Sideqazxsw]

I once had my mom walk in the room while I was watching Arlo on KZbin on the tv, and she asked, "Why are you watching Sesame Street?" 😅

[@JeremyMallek]

Nice to see arlo back in fabric and stuffing!!

[@RPanda3S]

But he's not wearing anything....

[@JeremyMallek]

@@RPanda3S oh no

[@ajpink5880]

Nah bro that's his fur

[@smileyp4535]

I'm really impressed at the skill it takes to do puppetry. The ability to do totally different things with each hand WHILE talking. It's really impressive. Oh and the video is cool tool, thanks for the reviews 😂

[@alexh2790]

The deal breaker for me was the removal of the second bounce threshold in 2-player. This effectively wrecks co-op in harder stages where you need to bounce off enemies, and no reviewers have mentioned it.

[@Paiguy7]

I really regret paying full price for this.

[@BugsyFoga]

Probably the saddest since the 3D all stars collection

[@eliserss]

at least with 3d all stars you got 3 of some of the greatest games of all time included portably and in hd for the first time (i'm not a massive 3d mario fan, but i know how much people love them) but with this game it is 60 dollars for... one game that was already on a portable console

[@justdaffy]

yeah that was just a slap in the face, if you can't beat emulation don't bother

[@Cream147player]

Oh this is definitely sadder than 3D All-Stars. 3D All-Stars is 3 great games (rather than 1), all of which have never been released on portable before (SM64DS being a different game to the original!) with a res uplift. It's very lazy, but as a value for money proposition for consumers it's well above this. For me personally 3D All-Stars would have been worth the price of admission just for bringing Galaxy to portable alone. Oh, the time-limited thing though. Yeah, that's was pretty sad.

[@Magic_Ice]

@@justdaffyat least it is much more convenient than emulation + I think the HD hud in All Stars is much better than the ones in basically every texture pack.

[@Nintenguy128]

@@justdaffy Emulation shouldn't ever be in the equation when discussing the quality of an official rerelease at all, especially since most people don't use emulators like the echo chamber does. As a rerelease, yeah it undoubtedly should've had more and it was painful that they stopped selling it, but it's still a good collection solely because of conveniently having some of Mario's greatest games in one package and even some of the little things in the remasters themselves do make a difference when playing them.

[@ValorDucky]

Fun fact. Retro Studios last 2 games were the DK games, and both games were remastered before releasing their next game.

[@LogosSteve]

Sounds like they're Naughty Dog

[@budderk1305]

el em a o

[@n1nj4l1nk]

TF wasn't remastered, it was ported.

[@Sponsie1000]

didnt retro also do the MetroidPrimeRemastered game?

[@jaretco6423]

​@Sponsie1000 Yes. They did and it was a complete remastered.

[@YoSoyConando]

If anything, DKCR HD emphasizes the question "why are companies still contracting Forever Entertainment?"

[@Digitail-u2t]

Is that company awful or making bad remaster?

[@YoSoyConando]

@Digitail-u2t Forever Entertainment hasn't made a single good remaster, and they're like 6 deep now with Returns HD.

[@MegaDarkness5000]

When I heard that Forever Entertainment was doing the port, I noped immediately.

[@technobladeleakedclips1827]

I'll give you thr reason........ ✡️

[@PikaPhantomVG]

They're probably super cheap to work with

[@zeospark9715]

I don't see why Nintendo doesn't just make a new Donkey Kong Country game already. I was never excited for Returns HD especially since I already still have the Wii and 3DS versions and they re-released Tropical Freeze on the Switch as well.

[@orangeslash1667]

I recommend Yooka-Laylee the Impossible Lair and Kaze the Wild Masks, their based on DKC.

[@SakuraAvalon]

These remasters are just meant to be low effort, cheap and quick games to throw out for Switch owners, while they shift their main teams, with bigger budgets towards the Switch 2. This wouldn't be an issue if these were 20 dollars, but Nintendo's gotta Nintendo.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@SakuraAvalon Because Donkey Kong is popular enough to anyone who didn't play the original game. Metroid is not as popular.

[@SakuraAvalon]

@ Thanks for the unrelated comment.

[@manospondylus]

14:36 I wouldn‘t say there was a significant gap between DK 64 and Returns, because between those two in 2004 you had Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, which I fully consider to be a mainline game. Yeah it doesn‘t use the Rare characters and the controls are built around a gimmick, but it is a genuinely well-made and full-length 2D platformer where you play as DK (not to mention it was developed by Nintendo‘s top studio EAD, who also made Mario Galaxy)

[@NemoSaybloo]

Yeah that had me question for a sec like "Wait, DK didn't get ANY games in the 2000s?" until I remembered Jungle Beat and how that was actually a core memory of my childhood 😅

[@M567dk]

I have to say that it is disappointing in how your reasoning to why Nintendo did not put enough effort into this remaster unlike their previous ones and charged full price for it. Honestly, Nintendo should rightfully be called out on this regardless of how big the company is. This is customer dissatisfaction in a nutshell.

[@ConceptsCool4993]

I hope to god they pull a metroid dread on the cancelled 3D donkey Kong game.

[@chriswestergaard4506]

"DK DREAD" would be a raw title for a game

[@Antasma1]

That was a rumor

[@orangeslash1667]

@@chriswestergaard4506 I recommend Yooka-Laylee the Impossible Lair and Kaze the Wild Masks, their based on DKC.

[@M64bros]

Why?

[@HypeVoiceActing]

​@@M64bros Because we want that 3D DK game

[@colindoyle4370]

Thumbnail looks like Arlo and Donkey Kong have beef

[@HypeVoiceActing]

Donkey Kong doesn't like butternut squash

[@cyxceven]

DK doesn't like Jack in the Box.

[@diddygamecube]

1:27 tropical freeze is also the best 2d platformer ive ever played

[@rudeboyspodcast]

Literally, its only issue is too many bonus rooms taking you out of how amazing the levels are.

[@ct2xperience749]

Mine too

[@akechispancakeprincess8608]

Top 3 for me. Celeste is really good.

[@diddygamecube]

@ celeste is based its prob my 2nd or 3rd

[@mr.c9382]

DKC2 is way better tho…

[@thebrustkid7080]

16:38 WHAT IS THAT FIRE

[@FJLink]

I'm honestly surprised you didn't even cover the co-op issue and still had so many points to talk about.

[@slifer2]

Why don't they just make a new donkey kong? I played this game on the wii when I was a literal child. I don't know why I'd wanna replay it after playing it to death 15 years ago.

[@Tomasin19]

He's just saying that because it didn't include a trailer for Pikmin 5 in the end credits.

[@SilverKitten10000]

Pikmin 5 won’t be released til 2029 prolly.

[@stanley8006]

@SilverKitten10000comfortably 2035

[@zacziggarot]

Doesn't the game NOT EVEN HAVE end credits? That was one of his previous videos

[@raymaniqe1906]

​@@zacziggarot it does? Did you even watch that video?

[@zacziggarot]

@raymaniqe1906 I did, did you? They didn't credit any of the people that did the remaster.

[@NightDragon2383]

I just don't understand why it took Nintendo until 2025 to put this game on the Switch! Tropical Freeze was ported to Switch in 2018, they could have released an enhanced version of DKCR on the switch at anytime from say 2019-2023. At this point this feels like a shameless cash grab before the launch of the Switch 2.

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

The one good thing it adds, it remasters the 3ds exclusive levels

[@Jacks_game_room]

While I won't say it's necessarily a worse rerelease, I will point out the Mario's 25th anniversary super Mario all stars. A single snes game on Wii disc with next to none or even no changes. You did get a bonus art book and music CD in the original run, but later Nintendo selects copies were just the game disc. Maybe not worse than DKCRHD but certainly close competition.

[@batmanbud2]

It's worse for me, since I consider All-stars a terrible remake of all four games. Both the originals and Advance remakes are infinitely better.

[@miditapes]

art book and music cd is honestly add more value, considering 3d all stars gives nothing but yeah nintendo selects only having the disc is silly

[@Nintenguy128]

@@Jacks_game_room I still can't understand what they were thinking with that one smh...

[@rafacastillo9611]

And so, this is how the Rare Ape goes out. Not with a *DK Mario kart 64 soundclip*, but with a whimper. Goodnight sweet prince.

[@jsenn8140]

This is why Nintendo doesn’t make their old games easily accessible anymore. Garbage like this is way more lucrative unfortunately.

[@QuizMasterEntertainment]

I love Nintendo, but I'm glad this game is not getting a good reception, this game is just not worth the price and Nintendo needed to get the message.

[@papaG6423]

I think this rerelease is beneficial simply for giving us a home console version of the superior 3ds version without forced waggle, but the number of shortcomings on this version is really disappointing. Hopefully, the Switch 2 will help it run better and shorten load times, but until then, I won't take the plunge until it's around $30 or less on ebay lol

[@Crusader1089]

1080p is fine. 4K is quite hard to appreciate with any game, especially a cartoony game like this. Once it's on a 50 inch tv you're not noticing the difference between 1080p and 4K from anything more than 6feet away. Its the games that have variable resolution, or use AI frame generation, to turn everything into mush I can't stand. Crisp, consistently 60fps 1080p is all a gamer needs.

[@batmanbud2]

Too bad PC shills don't get that fact.

[@halstonconnally1367]

The only Donkey Kong game I want is a remake/sequel of Donkey Kong 64

[@MonkeyboyST1]

To be honest, it’ll be up to Rareware if they work with Nintendo.

[@miragevarietyproductions3361]

​@MonkeyboyST1 Not really. Nintendo owns the rights to Dk and that includes the Kremlings too.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Same, The Returns games are over rated

[@orangeslash1667]

@MonkeyboyST1 I recommend Yooka-Laylee the Impossible Lair and Kaze the Wild Masks, their based on DKC.

[@MrRaiPlays]

I agree with you completely, Arlo! On a side note, I'm watching with my baby and she LOVES your sections where you talk to the camera directly. She was smiling and laughing and following you! Thanks for that moment of joy! 🥳

[@Toschez]

DK is like Mickey Mouse, more than Mario is: he’s got classics and a theme park, but no longer has his own entries.

[@batmanbud2]

What was the last Mickey Mouse film or show you watched outside of Disney Junior?

[@Toschez]

@ I don’t know, perhaps Christmas Carol?

[@batmanbud2]

@@Toschez ah. So you haven't experienced the peak of the 2012-2018 Mickey Mouse shorts. That stuff had me gasping for air.

[@Toschez]

@ You asked me what I watched the last time. That’s a very different question.

[@LotsOLuck777]

I want DK to re-enter the big leagues in one of two ways: A fully-fledged 3D platforming adventure game (like “Donkey Kong Odyssey”, if you will). OR Have DK be the villain of Super Mario Odyssey 2, kidnapping Pauline, reigniting the ancient rivalry.

[@quarases]

This was also the first game Nintendo game to Forever Entertainment as part of a new contract they have with them, so it was not ported over by the same team at Retro Studios that did the Tropical Freeze Switch port. Monster Games, the team that did the 3DS port was also recently bought out, so they wouldn't have worked on it either. Clearly this new team did not pass the test with flying colors, but I hope they can learn and improve for any future projects they work on

[@aronspiker72]

Forever entertainment has made like 6 remasters for different developers that are just as rushed and janky, this is clearly a result of the "push out cheaply made entries of recognized franchises at the end of the system's lifespan" effect that we saw a ton of in 2015-16 with the Wii U and in 2018 for some reason with the 3ds

[@CubicMathTime]

Imagine if Team Cherry released a slightly better Hollow Knight remaster at $60 while people are still waiting for Silksong lmao

[@Creeperhunter160]

11:45 interesting you bring this up cause wasn't the whole point of switching to cartridges about *reducing* the load time?

[@Lucrei.]

Sadly there's no accounting for incompetence

[@yalo3162]

I’m dying for a Donkey Kong 64 remake

[@Turquoise-Topaz]

you also can't jump off enemies that have just been stomped so multiplayer is broken and sometimes just not possible.

[@anezay4987]

Remember kids, higher resolution is not the same as better-looking.

[@bread_dawg]

when the news is slow but the sponsors need a video:

[@fungusghoul]

Watch, they're going to use the poor sales of this game as an excuse for shelving yet another beloved franchise. I hope Nintendo realizes that a bubble can always burst if you play with needles. Indies will be there to clean up the septic stink of half-assed full price ports.

[@xenobrina7880]

Honestly Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD may be considered boring, but it accomplishes everything it sets out to do. It’s a significant upgrade over playing on 3DS visually, and the frame rate is rock solid. Sad to see DK get left in the dust like this.

[@rouge939]

Sad seeing switch owners call 30 FPS “rock solid”

[@iamthepikman]

Atleast in the case of Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, they brought back the online multiplayer, which had previously become unavailable due to the 3DS game's servers shutting down earlier in the year.

[@ColossalM]

14:34 I know they aren't mainline games, but we got Donkey Konga 1 and 2, Jungle Beat, Barrel Blast, and all the Mario vs Donkey Kong games in that timespan, so it's not like Nintendo abandoned the character

[@TheDerpyDolphin]

I think Jungle Beat is actually considered mainline. I saw an official promotion or ad once from Nintendo (I think when Tropical Freeze was ported) and it was there alongside DK64 and the DKC games

[@TheRidiculousR]

I am very sceptical of this unity myth, i sincerely doubt that its true

[@solidskullz5736]

Nintendo trying to distract people from the switch 2 leaks by going monkey mode 24-7

[@spicycorn4]

Us: Tell us about the Switch 2 or release or bad remake of a game not a lot of people play. Nintendo: hold my beer

[@rouge939]

Stop criticizing Nintendo! They’re my friends and they care about the fans unlike Sony!

[@PaperBanjo64]

I mean all Sony does is remaster PS4 games and make games with hideous characters nobody wants! I wish Sony would go back to making TVs instead of sticking their nose into gaming!

[@Pokemaniac_101]

13:22 There's a hole in Arlo's finger

[@DeltathRiylaan]

I don't have any skin in the game as I wasn't going to buy it regardless (I have the 3DS version and it's not my favorite, anyway), but I do see people constantly saying Nintendo should just port everything over to their modern console even if they just up the resolution, but people get upset when they do that. Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with this EXCEPT the price point. I'd love more releases like this in general of their older library, but they should be $30-$40 tops when new.

[@SleepyKart]

Nah, that'd be the 2010 rerelease of Super Mario All-Stars

[@BenHazel007]

I have to assume that with the DK redesign in Mario Kart 9 that there is a new DK game coming out on Switch 2 and they made this rerelease as a quick and easy way to get DK back into the general consciousness

[@frankj.1077]

14:28 You forgot about Jungle Beat (2005).

[@HypeVoiceActing]

I get the feeling he just doesn't like Jungle Beat

[@frankj.1077]

@ Get out.

[@GMax17]

Nintendo has a lot of IPs... I'm waiting for another F-Zero game

[@batmanbud2]

Yes, please.

[@SoloGamer42]

Super Mario All-Stars Wii looks in amazement that he isn't the most hated re-release anymore😅

[@ScooterCat64]

I think he just forgot that existed

[@ajpink5880]

I got it cheap and already had Mario World so I'm happy with it lol. But it should have had Mario World.

[@SoloGamer42]

@ajpink5880 I've been recently playing my Wii after years of playing the PlayStation 4 just due to Modern gaming being a tad bit boring to me lately. And I just bought Super Mario All-Stars we complete in box and it will be arriving a few days from now. For me re-releases like that are great if they are catered to a specific audience and I believe the audience the All Stars Wii Edition was supposed to support were people who never played the games in the first place. It's very hard for me to find a game that I actively hate or any real release that I actively hate. For example the thing remastered came out and it was amazing to play but I do understand it's priced way too much for what is essentially non- replayable video game experience. However I don't hate the re-release because of that solely but I do agree that something like that needs to be priced appropriately. As older games get harder and harder to find and to play properly a re-release like Super Mario All-Stars Wii is actually really a good idea considering you either have to emulate these games or you have to go back to original Hardware and as someone who has an original NES, it's not exactly easy to return to older generation systems without some small caveats. I find myself experiencing more older games than modern games these days so anyway I can play some of these Classics in a more modern sense is always a plus in my opinion.

[@SoloGamer42]

And a lot of people complain that it was just a port of the Virtual Console but I think about it this way, the Virtual Console on the Wii died out and cannot be accessed without home brewing your system so for people who don't want to risk Homebrew in their system and never got a chance to get the All-Stars collection on the virtual system having a disc is something a lot of people would actually really like of certain games. It's like the Legend of Zelda collector's edition that has four classic Zelda games on it and demos for Wind Waker and such. Maybe when it originally released when the Virtual Console was still up and running it seemed like a weird and lazy port but in hindsight it was a very smart move to preserve some classic Mario games for collectors.

[@badreality2]

Guys, Arlo is going to freak if he finds out this remake is based on the 3DS version, which means co-op is busted in this version! Donkey and Diddy cannot bounce from the same enemy, ...meaning challenging sections are ONLY traversible by a single player, IN CO-OP! The original version does not have this issue!

[@0cellusDS]

I'm glad I will have an easier way to play this game on the TV now. And it's sad that this is the main positive thing I have to say about it.

[@TheKritken]

Saddest re release might be "Super Mario All-stars" on Wii

[@runningoncylinders3829]

I enjoyed this game on the Wii. I am bummed that I missed Tropical Freeze. I would get Tropical Freeze before the rereleased og.

[@Ultimabuster92]

My dream came true, i can play every DKC Game on my switch. I'm happy and i don't care what anyone else says. I got what i wanted.

[@9-VoltGaming]

Love how Arlo forgot Jungle Beat exists and considers the gap between DK64 and Returns a "main series gap"

[@batmanbud2]

Underrated, that one.

[@gunned_]

@@9-VoltGaming i mean it basically is. Jungle beat doesnt have main entry energy even if i like it aswell

[@9-VoltGaming]

@gunned_ "main entry energy" wtf does that even mean lmao You cant just invent a vague term that means nothing as an argument

[@gunned_]

@@9-VoltGaming it released in a period with strange spinoff titles like the donkey konga games between dk64 and returns, so my mind always places it among those because of that. Thats not to say my viewpoint is any kind of fact. Just that i can see why Arlo would omit it like that. Maybe i could have worded it better.

[@KeaganZev]

Apparently DK blowing flowers was Miyamoto's idea.

[@GatorBoyDilopho]

Yeah I agree, it’s cool but prolly won’t get it, maybe it’s a placeholder for a larger donkey Kong project? Dk 64remake? Or a whole new game style?

[@orangeslash1667]

I recommend Yooka-Laylee the Impossible Lair and Kaze the Wild Masks, their based on DKC.

[@wii58739]

Saw a video mentioning that this port is based on the 3DS as it didnt have delayed colliders on enemies meaning that when playing 2 players in this port the enemy colliders cannot be jumped on after the 1st player has hit them for the 2nd player, while the Wii version had that delayed collision design specifically for 2 players.

[@nbaclips4040]

Literally the only issue is the price. 80$ aud is criminal. Just sell it for 30 bucks, tropical freeze for 30 and you make your 60 bucks bundle usd

[@SSBFan33-e6r]

I am glad I can play it on Switch now. I don't have a Wii currently and I like the 3Ds but I also want to play it on a big screen so this does make me happy.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

It was a nothingburger re-release, I had more fun watching Vinny play Donkey Kong 64 with the Tag Anywhere mod. DK64 Should’ve gotten a remake by now, they still haven’t put it on NSO.

[@phantasmalwolf2996]

Totally agree, idk why Nintendo is holding that one up from getting on NSO! I hope it’s not one those things where Nintendo is trying to forget about that game or something! I certainly won’t, and very much would like to see either a good, high effort remake/remaster, or just drop it on the service!

[@mpacz226]

Donkey Kong deserves so much better as an IP I feel, mismanaged is an understatement.

[@miltonmejia4242]

I have an unpopular opinion. I'm just having a great time playing this remaster. I guess I'm just an easy player to please when it comes to DK games. I never had the physical copy on my wii. But I hope they fix the game with an update to those who find the flaws

[@jpbo98]

As Arlo said in the video, the game itself is great. The problems arrive when compared to the other rereleases and the original game. The way you are playing it is probably the best way to enjoy it. (without having to compare it with what came before)

[@miltonmejia4242]

@jpbo98 thanks, I have the most fond memories with the original trilogy from the snes. Returns and Tropical Freeze just continued that great tradition. I hope players can still enjoy the game, but if they don't buy it, I guess it's fair

[@Lyndis_]

​@@jpbo98 Considering they broke multiplayer I strongly disagree. Playing on Wii (or Dolphin) will be a much better experience if you plan on playing the co-op which was originally one of the best in platformers period

[@miltonmejia4242]

@@Lyndis_ I've never played co-op with Donkey Kong games, just Mario Kart or smash and even Mario party. That's why is no problem for me. But I do hope they send an update to fix that

[@n64gamefrek52]

Technically we did get DK jungle beats for the GameCube. So technically only 6 years between them

[@TheTeddyBearAlt]

15:40 Don't get me started on Extra Epic Yarn... That thing released in 2019 for the 3DS!

[@thepredman9lol266]

Love the less scripted-feeling delivery this time around! I much prefer the fills like "uh, y'know and like", and the more swiftly delivered lines, but not as aimless as an off the cuff video. It's just lately with your scripted main channel stuff you tend to talk a little slowly and carefully for my liking, so I often put it on 1.5x speed to retain the og faster talking yet still scripted Arlo delivery from your classics like the big fat reviews and discussion videos from around like 2018-2021. This video evoked that, even though it was a scripted main channel video so I appreciate it !

[@firebirdstark]

8:32 this is not “quality.” I’m promised quality with Nintendo products