May turn into a rant :D

I'm sure Nintendo was very adamant that Retro make this game challenging, but instead of doing it the right way (NSMB Wii) they've disappointingly gone for straight up trial and error.

In every level there are a number of things that WILL kill you the first time you come across them. Progression boils down to getting to an obstacle, death, trying again, success (sometimes). Then 5 seconds later you repeat this on another obstacle. And it goes on like this until you reach a checkpoint, at which stage you've gone through that section of the level at least 5 times. Now repeat that entire process twice and the level is over. RELIEF. But there's no sense of accomplishment. It feels like my memory is what got me through rather than skill. The minecart levels are the worst. You're constantly on the move so there's no time to think about what's coming. "Oh, so you have to super bounce off THAT particular enemy's head to get across. Now to do the whole thing from the beginning with this knowledge ". The rocket barrel levels are just plain retarded. Leave your finger on or off A for a split second too long and you're dead. This is NOT good game design.

I appreciate what Retro is trying to do with scripted sequences and such but at times there is simply TOO MUCH shit going on. It gives me greater respect for NSMB Wii. That game was no masterpiece, but from a design stanpoint it was hard to fault it. Just pure platforming, simple yet deep mechanics, perfectly balanced difficulty and well thought out level design.

Back to DKCR. Bosses... some them have the most random, confusing attack patterns I've ever seen. The waggle makes for some really frustrating moments too. "Oh shit, I've just landed on this tiny platform with this dude that's on fire and I'm facing the wrong direction and I can't go anywhere else cause there's massive fireballs everywhere! *attempts to turn around, duck, and blow in the space of a millisecond and ends up rolling off the platform and dying instead*

It's a good thing this game is fun when you're alive. Cause otherwise it'd be in the trash >_>

The normal levels arn't as bad as that but I totally agree with you on the mine cart and rocket levels. You have to die a couple times before you can actually complete it. I dread everytime I have to go through one of those levels. They almost make me just want to use the super guide to just skip through it but I can't because they don't pick up the kong or puzzle pieces.

What's wrong with dying a few times..? this is the first game in a long time I'm actually concentrated on what's onscreen, sitting on the edge of my seat, getting frustrated cause I was too slow and not playing the game with in one hand the controller, the other one a drink while humping my GF... love this game, makes me feel a gamer again and not a spectator..

You've become bad at games, sorry.

Sounds like you need to practice your 2D platforming skills. You are supposed to die once or twice. It isn't a cheap death unless they gave you 0 chance to survive first time (like an invisible block that knocks you in a hole). Minecart stages have always been hard because you can't control your forward progress, and the rocket barrels were always hard because it is all about precision timing. So it sounds like it will be a good level of difficulty.

I haven't gotten it yet, but I will sooner or later.

and people were complaining that Nintendo would ruin gaming by making games too easy and the Super Guide was going to ruin gaming forever....

Yeah, if you can beat a game without dying/getting game over, it's easy. 

Apparently if you have to die though, it's hard. 

So what's the balance man?

I actually like the route retro took.

It makes you be more focused. and on the edge of your seat sometimes.

Also. If you want hard try playing the game in mirror mode where you can´t even use diddy and have only 1 heart and can´t use items. Now that IS hard

il be getting this soon, surely it cant be more frustrating that the minecart level from country?

It is pretty hard. Every time I continue my game Cranky has to give me extra balloons :D

However, it's better for it to be too hard than too easy.

PS3 softened you up, that's all