*FamilyFriendlyVideoGames.com Favorite* - This was one of our favorite family-friendly video games we saw at the E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles in June.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is a platformer game that puts Donkey Kong back on a jungle adventure with Diddy Kong in tow. The loveable monkeys will swing and climb their way through various jungle, ocean and volcano levels while collecting bananas along the way. Although no firm release date has been announced, the company has stated that Donkey Kong Country Returns will be availabe in Holiday 2010.
The game uses both the Wiimote and nunchuk for the controls, but also makes use of many of the other buttons. You can crouch down with the z-trigger on the nunchuck, and jump with the A button on the Wiimote. Shaking the Wii-mote triggers Donkey Kong’s signature “Ground Pound.”
Donkey Kong Country Returns should appeal to kids as well as adults who grew up and remember previous Donkey Kong games. According to a Nintendo spokesperson at the E3 video game trade show in June, the game can appeal to older kids in the 7 and up age range.
INFORMATION FROM COMPANY FACT SHEET
A New Country for Old Friends
Controlled by a group of evil Tikis, the animals in Donkey Kong Island have raided Donkey Kong’s Banana Hoard and stolen his stash of bananas – and he understandably wants them back. Retro Studios brings Donkey Kong™ back in a new side-scrolling adventure with familiar characters and new levels that reignite the passion players had for the Super NES™ original.
FEATURES:
• Retro Studios faithfully restores everything that made the original series great, from barrel cannons to mine carts, and then builds on those elements with stunning graphics and new layers of depth to the world and game play. The game offers the traditional side-scrolling experience everyone loved, but with levels created in fully rendered 3-D environments.
• Diddy Kong™ joins the quest. With his trusty backpack, he can produce a jet pack or Peanut Pop Guns to give Donkey Kong more abilities.
• For the first time ever, the franchise features the ability for two people to play together at the same time – one as Donkey Kong, one as Diddy Kong. Players can navigate the levels separately or as one unit. Diddy Kong can ride on Donkey Kong’s back and hop off whenever he pleases, allowing novice players to ride on Donkey Kong’s back through more challenging areas of the game.*
• Hidden items, puzzle pieces and other surprises are found all through the jungle. Spell out K-O-N-G by the end of each level to earn an extra bonus.
• Motion controls give players a real feeling of control. Players move Donkey Kong using the Control Stick on the Nunchuk™ controller and can shake the Wii Remote™ controller to make Donkey Kong slap the ground.
• Vibrant colors, beautiful graphics and fun characters draw players in. Even people who have never played a Donkey Kong game before can pick up a controller and start collecting loads of bananas.
• Every level offers new fun and new challenges. Sometimes Donkey Kong is running through the jungle, sometimes his action takes place on a tropical beach and other times he must become a master of timing as he jumps chasms in a mine cart.