I think Retro COULD reinvent the wheel if they wanted to and they could maybe drive Donkey Kong to new heights but is that the point of the latest Donkey Kong series? I'm pretty sure they're just trying to capture the feel of the old school Donkey Kong games the same way the NSMB series is trying to recapture the feel of the old 2D Mario games for fans of that style of game.

So, while Retro does a good job of recapturing the magic and making some damn good games, they're just building off of someone else's style and adding their own twists. The Halo 4 guys know what that's like.

Retro's games are hands down better games in all aspects. However, what Rare did to the franchise is significantly better than what retro did. Retro's games will never blow us away the way Rare's games did back in the day, but that's nostalgia for you. I find it very hard to believe that a new gamer would choose Rare's games now over Retro's.

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is the best DK game I have played to date. Makes all the games before it obsolete.

I feel the same way about Super Mario 3D World... in that it made other Mario games before it obsolete.

I had a few more thoughts I wasn't able to share this morning.

I think both the DKC trilogy and Returns have strong points and weak points. This is how I see it:

Graphics: Trilogy: Rare's use of pre-rendered graphics was spectacular in the mid-90s. Still holds up today.

Art direction: Returns. Every stage is a feast for the eyes, particularly the "shadow" stages.

Music & sound: Trilogy, by a mile. DKC2 boasts one of the best video game soundtracks ever made.

Level design: This is a wash, as far as I'm concerned. Amazing across the board.

Mechanics: Returns. The game is impossibly smooth. I even like the motion controls

Replay value: Returns. The addition of time trials and mirror mode give it an edge.

Co-op: Returns, by a mile. A true cooperative experience.

Overall, I think Retro did an incredible job carrying the torch lit by Rare, just as it did an incredible job with its first borrowed franchise, Metroid. In both cases, Retro managed to match (in some cases, surpass) the great games that came before. And it also stayed true to the spirit of the source material, which is no easy task.

DKC2 and DKC3 are two of my favorite games ever...
I'm not sure I'll ever play another platformer I like more than them (except for maybe Sonic 3 & Knuckles)...
I can say, however, that I think DKCR and DKCTF are easily better than the first one...

I haven't played TF yet, and from what I've seen it does look great. However, I doubt anything can compare to the original. I absolutely loved the visuals of DKC. It was hyper-realistic with pre-rendered CGI backgrounds. Jungles, mines, mountains and Ewok villages. I love it. TF looks very impressive and I have no doubt the gameplay will reach new heights - and I like the idea of 3D elements. But for style, and for being groundbreaking for its day, DKC is easily #1. The modern DKC's have gone too cartoony for my liking, too many modern Nintendo games. The realistic look separated DK from Mario. I liked that.

I have to say, I think the Retro ones are better. A big part of what made Rare's games was the visuals. They are still great though.
I haven't played but have high hopes for Jungle Beat, since it was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi aka God.

Jungle Beat is really excellent. A little short but addictive and fun, with a really interesting control scheme. I hope you enjoy it!

Well said.

In TF you can do more than in DKC1. 

You have four characters instead of two. 3D sections. Rocket Barrel levels. Destructible (and vastly more dynamic) environments (without needing a conveniently placed barrel to break them) often hiding secrets.

Play the whole game, then compare them.