Overall 3D World is more fun to play. DKC is great, especially for those that enjoy a good challenge. But 3D world is simply a better game.

DKC is too hard for most

Innovation.

I personally prefer DKC: TF because is more challenging, and I like difficult games; Mario 3D World really offers a big challenge in the extra worlds, but the rest of the game is very easy.

As for Metacritic itself...well it's Metacritic, it gathers reviews from all over the internet...if Quater of Three enters in the review sites there's basically no hope.

EAD Tokyo always makes 3D Mario platformers. Therefore, 3D World is what was expected of them.

2D games are perceived as being easier to make and more casual in appeal (and consequently lesser in value) than 3D games, especially 3D games categorized as genres like "action/adventure" and "shooter." Retro has proven themselves adept at making such 3D games in the past, so some reviewers see Tropical Freeze and say the most dreaded phrase known to grade school students: "[They] can do better than this."

Explain the Metacritic gap between Fire Emblem: Awakening (92) and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (78). 

Radiant Dawn is clearly a better game :P

3D World was fun, but it was definitely GROSSLY overrated. A solid upper 7.

I think both the retailers and the Wii U's presence at large as well as the lingering prestige of the 3D Mario lineage put a lot of pressure on critics to inflate scores sky high when they truthfully really shouldn't have.

As others said not being Metroid and not holding reviewer hands is the reason. Seriously professionaly are quite unprofessional.....

About the not being Metroid thing:
I also was super disappointed when Retro announced DKCTF because I wanted a new Metroid or at least their "own" IP. But now I got over it. The more I saw of DKCTF (music, stages etc) the more I liked it. And btw I still have to finish the trilogy of Metroid first so a new Metroid would likely collect dust for a while anyways (even if the next game will be a seperate story etc)

Every game Retro makes helps them in gaining more skill and gives them more experience with the WiiU hardware

Also when time passes there will be more tricks etc. you know stuff that differenciates Halo3 from Halo4 or Bad Company 2 from Battlefied 3. A ton of new effects made the games look much better than their older installments.


And I mean when a 2002 Gamecube game looks like this

What will a 2015/16 WiiU game look like?

For comparison
Halo 1                                                                 vs                                           Halo 4

3D world is more fun to play together.
Not only does tropical freeze restrict you to two player, it also makes it twice as hard in co-op.

That's some flawed logic.

Have not played, same developers = no improvement.