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curl-6 on 25 November 2014
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Samus Aran said:
curl-6 said:
Samus Aran said:

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze looks the best imo, seriously underrated game here. 3D World is second and Mario Kart 8 is third.

I definitely agree about it being underrated as a whole; it's a fantastic game that gets overlooked because it's not ambitious.

I wouldn't personally rate it as one of the best graphical showpieces for the system though. Yeah, the fur shading and perfect 60fps are nice, but it doesn't do much with lighting and shading compared to games like 3D World, MK8, Art of Balance, or Trine 2. From a technological point of view it feels kind of like a high end Wii game bumped up to 720p and with HD textures thrown in.

All the textures are beautiful, I can't say the same about 3D World and MK8. Not sure why I should give a damn about shaders in a 2.5D platformer and Trine 2 doesn't do it for me personally. The only thing I don't like the look of in DKC: TF is the lightning in the hurricane stage. Looks sooo bad... Skyward Sword's lightning looked a lot better (final boss fight).

The difference between DKC: R and DKC: TF is quite big imo. And just compare the textures of rocks/mountain walls in MK8 with DKC: TF. Big difference imo. 
Let's comprimise: MK 8 and 3D World have higher highs, but also lower lows. I don't find anything appaling in DKC: TF and that's why I like it the most visually (except that damn lightning :p). Keep in mind that I also factor in art style. My favorite level, visually, is Cliffside Slide, and that doesn't do much on a technical level. ;) With only 2-3 colours, Retro Studios can make better looking games than 90% of the industy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDOmddtN7qI

I thought there were a few rough spots in TF as well; the particle effects for things like splashes and enemy deaths were Wii-caliber, for instance.

As for lighting and shading, stuff like the rainy stages and the first Bowser fight with the setting sun producing light shafts in 3D World, or the luminous glow of N64 Rainbow Road in MK8, show that such techniques can be used to create a sense of depth and impact that TF did not have in my view. In fact, one of the few levels in TF that actually uses lighting in an interesting way, Amiss Abyss, gives a teasing insight into how the game could have looked better if more levels used this approach.

Don't get me wrong, it's a visually pleasing game, and I agree in that there wasn't a single level I'd call ugly, I just feel that with a system of Wii U's power they could have gone further. Perhaps, like many other great studios, Retro hit the stumbling block of debut HD development.