The Rare games were cutting edge and the commercial meteor of the 16-bit generation; they were the 16-bit equivalent of GTA.
The Retro games were throwbacks at best.

It’s like trying to compare New Super Mario Bros 2 and U to Super Mario Bros 3 and World. No comparison.

Rare. DKC2 is my second favorite platformer of all time. SMB3 is my favorite.

Rare for single player, Retro for multiplayer experience - mostly for the mere fact that their games are simultaneous, which 9 times out of 10 is vastly more fun than trading off.

Overall though - and nothing against Retro as they're still great efforts and I love the original Metroid Prime - but they don't hold a candle to the first 2 Rare DKC games. 

I don't feel like the Retro game were throwbacks at all, rather they looked forward and pursued a new direction based on more interactive environments and setpieces instead of trying to copy the style of Rare's games.

I love Dixie Kong's double trouble with all my heart, but I got to admit that returns and tropical freeze are really amazing games. I don't want to choose between one or the other. Let's just say I'm glad we got the rare trilogy back then, and that their legacy remained at it's highest thanks to retro studios...

Personally I think Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's best handled franchises. I think there are no bad DK games. Junglebeat is absolutely amazing as well, either with bongos or with wiimotes. I would love a third retro installment on the Switch.

I would love to see Nintendo collaborate with Playtonic to make a third modern DKC game, on Switch.

They've proven with Impossible Lair that they have the ability to create a sperb 2D platformer.