Hobocop

Hehe I was going to link the boss music, it's great

I guess I can understand where some negativity stems from in regards to the third game of the series, but it really wasn't that bad. At times, the game was rather difficult (double bouncing on one of the first levels wasn't easy, I recall, and that lightning level and the inverted pipes were tricky as well), and regardless it had a lot of content for completionists. There were also a few levels with a bit more pressure (like the riverside race and the ripsaw levels) than before. It may not have been as 'serious' as the previous two but it was still DKC. The music was again really well done, and reflected the levels well. I saw the first game as rather varied, with the second having the obvious pirate overtones, while the third was more North-western... I thought the game pulled off the environments well overall. This new game, on the other hand, just seems to be missing something here and there. I feel that the Smash Bros series recreated the atmosphere of DKC better than this one apparently does; then again, the more I see of it the more I feel I should not be so worried. In the previous games, once you saw a level's background you could attach music to it and recreate the environment in your mind, but it doesn't seem this game will follow that. Also, an interview with the developers on gametrailers confirmed that K Rool isn't in the game, which if true, is a sad prospect when combined with the lack of David Wise... even if the music is really well done he should be involved if only in a ceremonial capacity If nothing else, I hope they credit his work once you beat the game. I'm just happy this game is happening, since I was beginning to think it never would. As a result, I feel I shouldn't be looking at the negatives, but part of me hopes the title sticks and this is a test game to see the response, and a DKC4 will come after. I'm not sure if I can consider this game as following in the tradition of the previous three.

Yeah, I think for the last little while they have been using him as a test subject for the mass market. I remember the amount of marketing and hype they made for the series on the N64, but instead of continuing in that line of games it seems that they gave the character canary status. I'd think that they wanted to give him a different niche but it failed so bad. In another IGN interview with Miyamoto, he said this game (partially) came about because of the high demand for it in the NA market. If nothing else, at least they (eventually) put their trajectories for the character to the side to respond to market conditions. Originally, I saw the series as a response to Sonic, as they were both trying to convey the counter establishment kind of mentalities (you can even see this when DK takes over Cranky's music in the first DKC). And then you get supporting cast like Funky and Candy and it's pretty obvious that this is the case. Then in 1996 with the third game, apparently it was too 'childish' with one protagonists being named 'Kiddy' at a time when the company was beginning to get the same image when compared to PS1. This is getting a bit long but what I'm saying is that it seems that the series is kind of a pulse for the company, and as a reflection of the direction of both the company and the series this year (seemingly), they are going back to what made them great as opposed to motion control gimmicks, that surveys have shown are becoming decreasingly popular anyway. Annotated guess: The series is a reflection of the company's market strategy, not necessarily something self contained

From the interview I linked on the first page: Retro: There are no crocodiles in the game. (laughs) So it seems that the enemies are of Retro's own creation. There's always loopholes though... who knows. Previously they stated that they don't want to reveal too much so that they could keep surprise in the game. They say they want to have this game appeal to nostalgia, but the supporting characters in DKC1-3 were largely what made the game so great. As for music, it also seems that they have their own composers doing it. Even if David Wise isn't in the project at this point, I would really like if there was still some possibility... like maybe opening a tracklist he made after beating the game as a reward or something.

This video might have some spoilers for people: Shows off a good lengthy portion of the demo. Not sure what the music at the end is for but I like it

The game seems to have a good amount of positive feedback all around, and considering a project based on the property was recently released here, I figure it's as good a place as any to continue discussion on it. Some interesting developments about the music: "From the very beginning, there was a very strong desire on Mr. Miyamoto's part to offer up those original songs. Those original melodies. So those are the core of the music for this brand-new Donkey Kong Country." "Just an interesting note, the same composer that did all the Metroid Prime stuff is working with Nintendo's composer on the NCL side, Mr. Yamamoto. We have a long relationship with him, and the goal was to use the familiar melodies but bring them into a more contemporary sound. We didn't want it any other way. How do you have DKC without that soundtrack? So we updated it, using the staff we've used with all the other games we've worked on." Source: http://wii.ign.com/articles/109/1099190p1.html I'm happy that the foundations of the soundtrack will remain intact, but it seems that they are using their own guys (/says a prayer for the moon). Either way, it seems that they have most things as they should be. They even said that you can have the option to hold the Wii remote sideways (no motion controls!), so I'm getting more enthusiastic with every piece I read/see. Except for the comment about no crocodiles in the game Another quote from the article: "The first week that we knew we were working on this project, we played every single DK game. We wanted to just immerse ourselves in Donkey Kong. We made everybody play through all three of them."

Well, apparently quite a few who worked on the original three are also on this project as mentioned. If that's the case, there's always the possibility they might have pushed/be pushing him to get him on the game. If I were part of the original team I know I would be. Incidentally, considering a lot of people think the soundtrack for the second one was best, it's kind of funny that it was all his work. Perhaps what I find most amazing, though, is that they managed to keep this a secret for two years.

For those of you who are excited about the new DKC game, there's a new interview with Iwata and Kensuke Tanabe, who is working with Retro on the game: http://e3.nintendo.com/iwata-asks/ I was a bit worried about certain things when I saw the trailer (such as the lack of recognizable supporting characters), but this is a really reassuring discussion. They talk about the two player co-op, Retro's history with the series, and what probably was most exciting for me, the music of the series. It seems that they are fully cognizant of the success of the series' music, and it has been something that was a focus. No word on the composer of the previous games though EDIT: I was also surprised that Miyamoto was the one who wanted a new Donkey Kong game and that this is how it turned out. Considering the negative things he said about the Country series...

Wow I can't pay attention to the 3DS stuff... New Donkey Kong Country! A Donkey Game that doesn't look to be completely screwed up I can't believe it!

Sorry for interjecting, but I'm happy this is still happening And it looks better than ever too! I still have snotty mail from that donut guy from 2005 regarding this project, so it's really been a long time coming... Anyway keep it up!

Hey, just wondering if anyone is planning on going to the shows in San Diego or Indianapolis? I went to the most recent one in Vancouver but might need to go again sometime within the next few months. Both of these are attached to larger events (Comic Con and Gen Con); I was also wondering if anyone has experienced either of these events from the perspective of reporting and/or archiving (regardless of context)? I would have asked on VGL's forums but activity seems sparse, especially between event periods. If anyone still doesn't know what VGL is, or if anyone is interested how their current playlist looks (although each setlist is different), I noted the progression of the Vancouver event on their forums, where I also linked some videos I took.

Echoing the post above; this is unbelievable. You guys are infinitely better than I could have imagined. Thanks so much for the effort, it is certainly showing, even in such an abridged format. Also, blame my ignorance if need be, but is there a tracklist somewhere for the new preview? There are two or three tracks that I am having difficulties pinpointing (although they are obviously still excellent, and I am sure it will be obvious once that information comes to light). Thanks again!

I've never played previous games in the series, nor did I have the slightest interest in them. That being said, after seeing only one video, seeing the graphics and hearing the music, that's all changed. I'll have to keep my eyes on this one. If only certain other platformers from decades ago would follow a similar path... instead of giving their characters guns and swords. The thing that I can't believe, though, is that I'm actually looking forward to a Wii game again.

Good choice, that's what I would do.

I'm actually starting to get pretty excited as well. I'm hoping Lockjaw's Saga turns out well... I've never heard a good rendition and it's one of the best (and most underrepresented) tracks ever.

I did! It was kind of unfortunate, it was almost exactly the same as the one in Vancouver on October 29, with the addition of Mass Effect and Sonic, and of course, all that extra Halo stuff. But... in Vancouver we had EA djs mix It's Tricky from SSX, and TT and Victor Lucas doing a taping of Reviews on the Run where they harshly insulted some Koei game. It sucks when you realize that some of the funniest parts are scripted and probably not true (the person with the laptop, person saying "kill them" etc...), but definitely a great experience. I'm going to go again when they come back to Vancouver later this year, and hopefully by then they will be playing their Smash Bros segment, and will have updated the Zelda and Mario ones (btw, if someone doesn't know, you can recommend which Mario and Zelda songs will be included in the new medley on the VGL forums). And Penfold, I don't know if you're aware, but they are working on a Mega Man segment, so maybe they'll have it when they come back (probably next year). And apparently a lot of people are requesting Still Alive.

Online resources typically lack what Benjamin or Adorno would call 'aura.' That is partially why the destruction of print media is rather depressing. There's something you get out of reading a physical copy that escapes and is subsequently lost when it is viewed through a monitor. I recently recieved a copy of Xbox Magazine and I read it for a few hours, which I know I wouldn't if I had tried to read the exact same thing online.

Wow, you're right: This is the most ridiculous statement ever. The dialogue in this game was one of the best parts, and PM2 was one of the very few games to actually make me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. Granted, much of it was (very well scripted) fan service, and some was some somewhat awkward social commentary (re: the crows), but the wit, humour, and associated intelligent combination of the two is what held the game together. And their argument, that it is for players under 10, is complete non-sense. I had never played any of the Mario RPGs before this summer (shame, I know), and PM2 was the first. I'm far from 10 years old, and the game provided one of the best gaming experiences of the whole year. Anyway, it's really sad to hear that EGM is finished (I also remember being disappointed about the discontinuation of Incite, although I bet if I looked at it now I would realize how horrible it was). While I agree that they haven't been as good over the last few years (not to mention their issues are smaller and more expensive, at least at the newsstand), I still considered it my favourite game magazine. The issue featuring DK64 was the first magazine I ever got, and I fondly recall subsequent issues during the Dreamcast era. I don't know whether this was a long time coming or anything, but it sure came as a shock to me. FRD and EGM within a month... who would have thought.

Good news for any of you planning on going to Video Games Live in 2009! re: Brawl at VGL http://videogameslive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14118 Now, to be fair, he might only be talking about tournaments, but why get our hopes up like that?

It's always possible that the studio will either be annexed into a second party, or that the IP will be bought by some other gaming company. However, with these tough financial times, I don't really see that happening (but obviously I'm hoping very much that it does). If economic conditions were stable, I would assume maybe EA or Microsoft would consider buying them out (or again, just the TS series, since Haze and Second Sight are pretty useless, even though the latter was a decent game). This closure is really too bad, some of the most talented people in the industry were at this studio. So again, there's always hope, but I'd guess if it came to fruition, the series would be radically () different from its current form, which is truly a shame. Edit: Just found this http://gonintendo.com/?p=66857 http://www.pumpkinbeach.com/ Nothing on it yet, though.

Oh no... this is the worst news ever. TimeSplitters is my favourite FPS series. Their official website doesn't even have a mere mention of any of this, so I hope we soon get a definitive answer about the game's future. First Nintendo starts making crap games, and now this. What a year... Edit: seems like an employee who posts at timesplitters4.net confirmed that it's pretty much all true. I guess I should have seen it coming, with all the jokes in the letters section (about them needing to sell another million copies of Haze). TS4 was the only game that I was really looking forward to. Hopefully the rights get bought by someone who won't butcher the franchise.

In my experience, it should be pretty easy to go from the sciences/applied sciences into the humanities or social sciences, as long as you have a good research statement/interests that correspond to the department. I'm in Communications right now, and there's a guy who did his undergrad in CompSci too. I guess Cmns probably wouldn't be the thing for you, but you never know. For the most part it's just a discussion on media, technology, culture etc. Now that I think about it, if you want to bridge a background in computers with a more literary discipline, this one might be pretty good. It's also new enough that you can get in with almost any background and interest.

We had quite a few, perhaps two dozen or so. As mentioned, it's really encouraged, and there's a costume contest. Some of the ones I remember from our show included a zombie nurse from Silent Hill (who was runner up), weighted companion cube, token Link and Snake, a guy wearing an arcade cabinet with a questionably placed joystick, and the blue alien character from Mass Effect (who was the winner). Just as a note... the costume contest is judged by how loud the audience is, so the best costumes aren't always necessarily the ones that move on. It seems that skanky girls get an automatic admission into the finals sometimes...

I went to the Vancouver show on October 29th, and liked it so much that I bought tickets to Seattle the next day. It's really a great show, and they are working on new segments (I heard Mega Man, but don't hold me to it), and new arrangements of existing series (Mario and Zelda, since those are from like 1991). At the meet and greet, Tommy saw my Sonic shirt and apologized they didn't play it, and promised that they'll have it in Seattle, so hopefully you're a fan. If you have any questions about details of a recent show, go ahead and ask because I feel Seattle will be similar to Vancouver (since both Seattle and Vancouver had shows only in 2005). If you want a recap of the Vancouver show to see what to possibly expect: http://videogameslive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6826

Ah, I didn't know you were on the project the whole time. I remember the old project organizer wanting to make this a rap album lol. I sure do miss Majeliss and RTF though Anyway, back on topic...