Tropical Freeze; where DK is relevant again

WARNING; this WILL contain spoilers! Tread carefully!

So last Monday I went out to buy a Wii U. Earlier, on Saturday, I had purchased Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, my most anticipated game of this year.

A reason I love Tropical Freeze is because it fits in perfectly with other DKC games. Returns did too, but it fell flat on some points. And even then, Returns was amazing. We all thought it couldn't get better than Returns. Except, guess what? It did get better than Returns. Who would'a thought that?

Don't beat 'em, join 'em - about Viva Piñata

Why, yes, I am back. And I say; let's talk about Viva Piñata.

The games are just about the most beautiful thing to ever grace the Xbox 360. And maybe PC and DS too. Quirky, colourful, and creative, it's a sort of simulation game where you basically build a garden which attracts live animal piñatas. If they like your garden enough, they take residence and you can build them houses, name them, even dress them up in cool costumes, romance them so you can get more of the same species, to eventually send them to a party. (These functions were a lot more elaborate in the sequel.) Meanwhile, Professor Pester and his ruffians and sour Piñatas attempt to wreak havoc.

Some of its best points, to me at least, are its colourfulness, and its heavy stylization. It's not meant to be realistic. Instead, everything is vibrant and charmingly cartoony, and adorned with nifty patterns. From the smallest flower to the biggest tree - even the grass. But somehow, it is still believable, something Rare is very good at. They dare to be different, and that's exactly where its charms come from. Aside all this, it has a lot of shout-outs to past Rare games, which is awesome.

And of course, the music. The amazing soundtrack as composed by Grant Kirkhope, who also composed Banjo-Kazooie's and Donkey Kong 64's soundtrack, is both whimsical and atmospheric. I'm not exaggerating when I say it made me cry sometimes simply because it is so beautiful.

I have been mesmerized by this lovely game for years now, ever since I got the original on the PC, and later bought an Xbox 360 and played Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, its sequel. Lately, I've begun picking it up again and I'm having the most fun I've had in quite a while. Trouble in Paradise can be considered as some kind of 'expansion pack', as it has everything from the original game, but more, such as over 20 new Piñata species, more things to do, new regions like the Piñarctic and the Dessert Desert, and a lot of new items. Even if it's a standalone game.

So anyway, beautiful games. But the real reason I picked it up again was because a group of friends of mine I know from role playing on Tumblr were all excited about it, and chatting about it on our Skype group. I remembered I had the game as well and I played it again. But what they were also quite enthusiastic about was the animated series. Yep. I originally dismissed it because I had the dreadful 'hurr hurr, it's not the same as the games so it sucks!' attitude. You know, the same thing people think about the Donkey Kong Country cartoon, which I'm presumably one of the biggest fans of. Now I've lost that attitude, which is for the better.

Anyway, I heard good things about it and decided to check it out - with the open mind to end all open minds.

After having seen only one episode, I was hooked. It was no Donkey Kong Country.

In fact, I daresay I liked it better than Donkey Kong Country.

Whose show is it anyway

And now, it's time for something completely different.

Sorry for not posting much here. School has been eating me alive. That, and I've found out about the Regular Show and for some reason this cartoon has captivated me. (I might or might not have a crush on Mordecai now and I have no clue why.) But do not worry, this doesn't mean BeJungle'd will turn into, uh... something centered around that. Although the show is awesome, trying to think of logic behind it is a lost cause. And I'll always love Donkey Kong Country.

I have been writing on this article for a few months now, so some thoughts might be outdated.

The Donkey Kong animated series (there I go again) isn't too well-received on the internet, for shame. Though I hear much people saying it isn't good, I personally find it quite clever, and much more fun to watch than most recent cartoons (sans the Regular Show, of course, which is clever. Other clever cartoons are Adventure Time and uh... more stuff.) Ahem. Moving on...

What would a Donkey Kong cartoon be like if I was in charge?

In no way an insult to Nelvana's work, by the way. They've done amazing work. I just wondered how it would be if I was allowed to write it.

Warning; we are now moving into highly unstable Loads and Loads of Characters territory. Approach with caution.

1. The Kong Clan

Primary main characters would be Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Dixie. These three are just what makes DKC to me.

Keep Diddy's personality from the show with a bit of added 'tough kid' attitude, make DK a bit tougher and make Dixie more cheeky, like a female equivalent of Diddy. I'm not certain about the voices, but I am certain that Andrew Sabiston should return as Diddy Kong 'cause I find his Diddy to be the best Diddy portrayal so far.

Watch out, Dix! I'mma pop ur bubblegum!

The secondary cast would consist of Kiddy (taking the role of Baby Kong), Tiny (in either her original design or the newer, I don't know. Maybe the original because I'm tired of seeing her recent design being portrayed as fetish fuel all the time.), Funky, and Cranky. Tertiary characters would be Candy, Swanky, Chunky, and Lanky.
Less about DK gushing over Candy and more interaction with his family. Add fluff. Lots of fluff.
Quartiary characters? Hell, Bluster can return too.

Not much to it. Let's move onto my personal favourites...

2. The Kremling Krew

Properly labelled as such this time, the Kremling Krew still consists of Klump and Krusha with K. Rool as the leader. Though this time they're accompanied by Kalypso, the fair lady lizard with the awesome pink hairdo and Kludge, that big, hulking blue dude that apparently has the mindset of a small child (even moreso than Krusha). Sometimes Kritters, Kip and Kass, Kopter, and some others tag along as well. Kruncha is Krusha's slightly flamboyant cousin, and Krusha may or may not undergo a name change thanks to copyrights. For the sake of simplicity I will just refer to him as Krusha.

K'Rool's gang of evul dudes (and two dudettes) continue to wreak havoc on DK Isle for no reason. Well, except to steal the Crystal Coconut. Again? Yup. And the banana hoard. But here's the catch; they want the coconut 'cause it's the only thing that can tell the true location of the bananas, which are much-renowned golden bananas! Heh. I'm a friggin' genius. /brag

Suited for success

What began as only this;

is actually going to be a full-fledged cosplay project from myself.

Yes.

Cheesy as it sounds, I am going to desert the idea of walking around with only a cape and make a King K. Rool fursuit.

A fursuit? At least I will attempt to. This will be my first endeavor in something like this, but I've read enough tutorials.
Foam will be used. A lot. Because K. Rool is fatty mcfatfat.

Well, this was the second sketch for the head and as by some wonder it's coming along nicely.

WiP photos will be shared ASAP.

Much love for Diddy's Kong Quest

The best game ever made.

A risky subject. Due to ever-changing opinions, no game truly can be called a perfect game. But for me, there is. This game is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

(I recommend listening to this music piece while reading this; click!)

I have not said it a lot, but this game means so much to me. So. Freaking. Much. Just everything about it is perfect in my eyes and it's what I think of if somebody mentions Donkey Kong. How ironic - he isn't even playable in that game!

Best songs in the series... in my opinion

Having finally seen the whole series, I can finally judge the songs. A lot of haters of the show usually jab at the songs first, claiming it to be bad and out-of-place, never mind the fact that the games had some very impressive music as well. Click the title to hear them!

10. Diddy Drop Rap (Follow That Coconut)

DK and Diddy went running through the mountains thinking nobody would think they'd go through the mountains. Except K. Rool had the exact idea. They bump into each other to which K. Rool holds Diddy over a cliff. So what do they do? They rap. It must be heard to be believed.

As silly as this sounds it's actually quite catchy and the only song in the show I can sing myself without watching the episode. Much to the annoyance of my friends, heh!

9. I Haven't Got a Friend in the World (Klump's Lumps)

This episode was one of the first I saw way back when I was just a little Ribbers - and I developed a liking towards Klump because of it that I still have to this day.... I mean, just LOOK at him poor guy awww

So yeah, after another failed plan he got exiled by King K. Rool leaving him in the jungle. He meets up with Dixie and the two become friends. It's pretty heartwarming. And bloody adorable, too.

8. The Mirror Never Lies (Ape-Nesia)

Let's face it, Skurvy's singing voice is awesome. It's no wonder his voice actor voiced Klump in season 2! But anyway, DK loses his memory and the pirates convince him he's Donkey Croc, a pirate. So Skurvy gets a mirror that's not really a mirror and they sing about DK being a pirate.

Unbelievable, people! Rare, Nintendo, and Nelvana made pirates awesome even before Pirates of the Caribbean!

The reflection tells a story of a pirates' life and glory, trust your eyes!

When Vangelis met DK (part 1)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's musical piece In a Snow-Bound Land has been one of my most favourite tracks in the game for a long time. But I searched it up on YouTube, and what did some people say?
"Rip-off of Vangelis's Antarctica!"

I, being naturally curious, went to search for this Vangelis dude and his music. Finding the piece they were referring to, I discovered something.
It almost sounded exactly like the DKC track. Listening to more musical pieces by this man, I became a fan of the atmospheric tunes he had created. Some of it just sounds so unmistakably Donkey Kong-esque! And mr. Vangelis, and David Wise, too if you happen to be reading this... that's a good thing.

But really, it just can't be a coincidence!

The things that differ from the show and games and WHY

First off, I kinda lost track. Sorry about that. I found out about Tumblr and I have been posting there more often than here. Sincerely sorry. Find me here; click! I will always use this blog for my long-winded ramblings, do not worry!

You won't believe how many times I hear people yelling; "The show sucks! It's nothing like the games!" And that makes me a little sad, to be honest. Nelvana still did their best and I can see how much attention to detail they paid. The DKC TV show, while by no means perfect, is still enjoyable and the few things that were changed, were changed with reason.

1. K. Rool's cape and tail

In the show, the King himself lacks a tail and has an extremely short cape that bears resemblance to a tiny napkin.

Why is this?

As you can see with Klump here, his tail's as stiff as a plank. This was because back then, it was virtually impossible to animate tails, apparently. Because Klump doesn't lay down very often, it's not that bad. But K. Rool jumps and scurries all over the place, and all his expressive mannerisms and movements would certainly clash with a un-moving tail. For this same reason, Diddy Kong didn't have a moving tail until season 2. Why didn't the others get moving tails too, I hears ya ask? Monkey tails are much easier to animate than fat crocodile tails.

As for his cape, it was impossible to animate flowing cloth or hair back in 1998. That's why it's so crazily short, too.

Little things that'll blow your mind

There's just so much behind the DKC games, some more obvious than others. I'll share the less obvious ones here in a fresh, new blog post. Easter eggs and such at no extra cost included.

1. The Theme Song

Honestly, when I heard this myself, my jaw dropped. It's still on the floor as we speak. Sure, Cranky standing on some girders was enough to see that he was actually the original Donkey Kong, but I never quite realized that the original arcade game had exactly that theme he was playing on his old record.

Unbelievable. It's odd when you realize Rare borrowed more from the source material (which is arcade DK) than Retro did (which happens to be DKC)

Where is the LOVE?

Love is a word with a lot of different meanings. Alas, that should be known - but nowadays, most people seem to think it's just a synonym for wanting to screw each other. For shame! As it should be noted, I am a sucker for romance... and let's say most Rare games have a lot of it. However, let's start with the usual.... lovey-dovey romance stuff.

Alright, first things first, we'll start with Conker. Conker and Berri are officially and canonically boyfriend and girlfriend. However, we never really saw 'em actually being kind to each other.... save for a throwaway line by Conker that was mostly to get himself out of a jam. However, they make an unlikely couple for sure. I mean, Conker is a normal red squirrel, and Berri is a chipmunk with dyed fur. And she's about thrice as tall as her boyfriend. I don't wanna know how those two.... ahem, have their business. Considering the game is rated M however, it's rather strange they didn't do so... I mean, really.

Alas, moving on! Let's go to the DK crew. As early as the first Donkey Kong Country, a girl by the name of Candy Kong was called DK's love interest. However, apart from the cartoons they didn't acknowledge each other as an item. And as today I still think that Candy takes more of a liking towards Funky as opposed to DK. However, in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest we got introduced to Dixie Kong, Diddy's supposed girlfriend. They didn't really act very lovey-dovey either, but the love somehow was there. Mostly in fan-art, though..

Banjo-Kazooie wasn't about rescuing the main character's girlfriend... instead, his sister. Some people may argue that Banjo and Kazooie love each other in a romantic way, but I still don't know if it's platonic or romantic.

And as for Fox and Krystal... Welp, I haven't really got far enough in Star Fox Adventures... still haven't! So I don't know how they feel about each other. However, I somehow picture them having an Avatar-like relationship with each other later on, what with Krystal living on Dinosaur Planet, teehee.

And now for something completely different - platonic friendships! I'll be discussing Donkey Kong Country Returns' ending as well, so beware of spoilers!

Lakes, forests, and more lakes

One thing I find interesting about the Donkey Kong Country games, is how some levels, places, and characters really seem to derive from something else in real life. Some obvious, some not so much, some intentional, but all of it really makes me like the games even more.

Say, since Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!'s overworld, the Northern Kremisphere, was based on Europe, I saw a some similarities on my holiday to France.

Lake Orangatanga - Lac de Ste Croix

A few years ago I went on holiday to Bauduen, France with my parents and some friends. Near us was a lake named Lac de Ste Croix. In person it really bears a lot of resemblance to the lake levels of Donkey Kong Country 3. Well, a lot is an understatement - it is nearly identical, save for the lack of boardwalks. I almost expected running into some Kremlings there.... None of that however - instead I, random as it may seem, ran into one of my classmates. Heh!

My apologies for this short post. I will post more like these similarities once I see some.

Diddy through the ages

Like with all videogames, most of the cast from Donkey Kong Country have had different looks before. While this isn't as obvious as with DK himself, he only underwent one drastic change (actually none at all if you take into consideration that the DK from the arcade is actually the modern-day Cranky) and a change of fur color. He always kept his tie, too.

Most design changes are so subtle that only a true nerd, a nerd to end all nerds would notice it. Say, for example, you guys probably know that I have a rather peculiar fangirl-obsession towards Diddy Kong, right?

Well, he's changed quite a bit in the last fifteen years. From his debut in Donkey Kong Country, to Donkey Kong Country Returns. He kept his trademark red cap and shirt all his life, but to be honest, I think I prefer his design post-buyout. *dodges rotten tomatoes getting thrown at me* Something about how he gets portrayed by Rare outside the games in promotional renders looks... iffy. He's supposed to be a cute little monkey, folks! Cute does not equal loads and loads of details and stuff!

And all that while he looks adorable in-game.

D'aww he's looking at us guys

Yeah, I don't really know about this. I am nitpicky, I know. He's still cute, though. And the renders are actually very well-done still, despite my nitpicking. Speaking of well-done renders...

Donkey Kong Country - The Wind Waker? I like cel-shadedness.

Donkey Konga may or may not be a well-remembered game, you gotta hand the makers that they made some cool promotional artwork. Let it be said that that's probably the only time I'm ever mentioning the game here.

Comic 3 - Kids will be kids

Meh, more of a cop out than anything. I didn't have any good ideas.

But Diddy and Dixie are cute, right?

Weekly comic: 2 - filler doodles

Terribly sorry, I forgot to think up, scan, no less draw, a comic this week. So here's a DK-doodle-page. Yeah. I like Diddy and Dixie, if you didn't know that by now. Still can't draw them though and that infuriates me.

Fan fiction - Return to Crocodile Island

Return to Crocodile Isle, is, to those who don't watch me on DeviantART - a tale I wrote about Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong who journey to the resurrected Crocodile Island to take down K. Rool who kidnapped DK... again. I finished it yesterday when my internet was down... yeah. I did have a good excuse to rant on fan fiction clichés through Cranky, though.

‘What’s that? Oh, leave me alone. I’m old, I need my rest. How did your silly little fan story-quest go, anyway? I wouldn’t like to be seen dead in a story that has fan characters and fellow apes being out-of-character, but whatever...’


Diddy and Dixie, on their way, meet strange enemies and make unusual allies, one in the form of Reaver, a female Harpy eagle that works for K. Rool but is rebelling against him.

Mind you, I don't usually create fan characters, but this idea was too good to pass up.

She began life as a throwaway Animal Buddy idea after I read about how Harpies could lift monkeys, so she'd made a nice equivalent for Squawks, which I presumed has gotten older since his first game. But eventually I grew on her premise and design, so she was mostly the reason I wrote this story. One of the others reasons were zombie pirate Kremlings.

Some early sketches of the zombies. They're pretty creepy... but remove the boney parts and give 'em pupils and they're funny.

Where I rant

Well, yeah. I rant a lot, as it should be known. But first, some horribly misplaced praise.

So, a few days ago, I was merrily looking across YouTube to see if I could find some stuff which I liked... it has to be said I found a few amusing YouTube Poops of the Donkey Kong Country cartoon. While these parodies were mildly amusing, I decided looking up the source material for a change.

Here's a link to the intro. Can somebody tell me how do I shot web embed videos in my blogs?

Boy, I would never have thought that I'd enjoy such silly, primitive CGI. Me, an animation connoisseur - actually watched this series that many people deemed bad? Oh my goodness! Well, it was not as bad as the DKvine made me believe. Sure, the animation was primitive - prehistoric, even, I believe it was made a few years after Toy Story - the first completely computer-rendered feature film - but it worked well enough. Visual gags abounded - most in the form of DK's wildly random expressions. Even the highly unnerving musical numbers each episode didn't put me off, and strangely enough, I enjoyed the voices.
Hey, if it got Diddy and Dixie making out*, it can't possibly be bad now, can it?

Even though Diddy looks like a duck at times, he's coolio. Rather than being a stuck-up braggart like in Diddy's Kong Quest, he's a Bratty Half-Pint and also The Lancer. (that's me quoting TV tropes) Not to mention his voice is actually fitting? This is madness! Oh and he calls Dixie 'my girl' once. Pfffhaha, that made me both crack up and melt down in a puddle of fangirlness. (yeah, I'm a big time shipper of those two together, okay?) I've officially considered him to be my favourite character in the TV series. Yeah, Dixie is in it too, even though her design is more reminiscent of Tiny's. And she's more of a girly-girl than anything, and often loses her pets. Such as a crab named Crappy Crabby. How... somewhat bothersome... Oh well, at least she's in anyway!

DK himself... well, I've seen better renditions of him over at DeviantART, but it's not too bad. Candy, er... don't know what to say about her. Why couldn't they have just kept her a girly girl and have Dixie be the tomboy, hmmm? Still, not very bothersome. Even the character of Bluster whose only appearance so far is in the series, I could tolerate - his constant whining about his mother is funny. Funky could be better. Cranky is exactly like in the games. His voice is just perfect. Some of the other show-only characters like Polly Roger, Captain Scurvy and his gang, and InkaDinka Doo, I could live without, though. But still, those faces that the Kongs pull make me laugh out loud... louder than I'm supposed to.

Derp herp a derp.

But in my opinion, the one that steals the show is King K. Rool. (Koning Wreed for you Dutch peops)

Can it has be crystal coconutz tiem now plz?

'WHYYY NOOOOOOOT!'

it's one of the most popular sayings of him - I do believe it even became a meme. He yelled it out in the episode Bug a Boogie (which I have not seen yet, bear with me). I do believe it explains his personality perfectly. He's quite a large ham (there I go quoting TV tropes again), what with his constant monologues about wanting to steal the Crystal Coconut, the series' MacGuffin. (I am so sorry. TV tropes will ruin your life. It's true.) Even though he, for some reason, lacks a tail, and his cape has been replaced by something that looks akin to a towel. That was probably because back then it was really hard to animate fluttering capes, so yeah...

His two henchmen, Klump and Krusha, are two delightfully silly bad guys that are quite humorous at all times. So this trio of bad guys? They're a bunch of simpletons compared to their alter-egos in the games... but that makes them all the funnier. I even saw the episode Kong for a Day, where Krusha imitated DK's voice... that was both hilarious and disturbing, because it led Dixie to believe that DK was wanting to make out with her. Eeeew... not to mention everyone flipped unjustly towards DK. In the end all was well, though! Yay happy ending!

The name's Bond... Klump Bond. Dude, what?

The only resemblance to the games the series had is, sad as it may seem, the characters, bananas, and more bananas. Some level themes too, like snow, forests, mine carts, etc. Small references to some characters' game behavior has been hidden in though, much to my pleasure - for example, a pissed off Diddy Kong throws a bitchfest by throwing his hat on the floor and stamping on it. Where did I see that before again...?

All in all, it's definitely not the best thing ever... but it's so enjoyable to watch! If you can see past the rather poor animation (back then it was marvelous, lemme tell ya) and the sometimes VERY annoying musical numbers (between you and me - Diddy cannot sing... But! He! Can! Dance~!), the dialogue, the surprisingly good voice acting, and more randomness totally makes up for it.

Oh, and for the ranting: I get really pissed whenever I look around on eBay and see people addressing Diddy as 'Baby Donkey Kong' and 'Donkey Kong Junior'.

Okay? Okay. Alas, I'm off, gonna see Bug a Boogie. Lol Bananaphone. See ya!

* note: 'making out', my foot. All that happened from what I've seen is Diddy trying to kiss her. Only to be interrupted by Cranky. Or rather, a vision of the old fop. So yeah. No DiddyxDixie for me. Baaaw.