[Let’s Talk] How are you feeling about Donkey Kong Bananza?

A little more into the system’s first month, Switch 2 is getting its next big game from Nintendo. Donkey Kong Bananza is launching on July 17 and we got to hear more about it last week as part of the latest Nintendo Direct.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a pretty big deal. For one thing, it’s the first time we’re seeing a proper 3D Donkey Kong title since the N64 era. On top of that, Nintendo is finally back to working on the series with one of its main teams.

During the Nintendo Direct, we learned about a ton of new stuff. Pauline was officially revealed, we got our first look at transformations, there’s a new amiibo on the way, and much more. We have a full recap here.

Based on what we saw, how are you feeling about Donkey Kong Bananza? Will you be picking it up next month? Let us know in the comments.

Highlights from last week’s topic: Which Nintendo Switch games have you tried on Switch 2?

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Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. I’m a huge Musou fan, and I gambled that the massive increase in GPU strength and RAM size and speed compared to the original Switch was going to do wonders for HW:DE, which Koei-Tecmo puzzlingly dedicated to run at 1080p even in handheld mode. Not sure if it was by accident or some foresight, but the 1080p handheld profile, while crippling on the Switch, was perfect for the Switch 2, as it no longer suffers the loss of visual fidelity from squishing a 1080p image onto a 720p screen.

Age of Calamity now runs at a consistent 30fps clip even with two separate players. I hope that Koei Tecmo revisits the Warriors games on the Switch and gives them more concrete Switch 2 profiles. HW:DE doesn’t need it, but the others do.

I was looking forward to this even more than the actual games designed for the Switch 2, like Mario Kart World and the upcoming Donkey Kong.

87th

The framerate on Bakeru was such an irritation on Switch that I stopped playing it. It’s a locked 60fps on Switch 2. Beyond performance, the new GameCube controller’s been great for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Resident Evil 4 (Control setting 3). The Joycon 2’s gyro is a dramatic improvement too, and I don’t think many people have realised how much better it is yet. Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime Remastered and House of the Dead Remake feel almost as good as if I was using a sensor bar, and I don’t find myself resyncing mid-game anymore.

Shmuel McConen

Any game with uncapped frame rate is a free new game IMO. There are robust lists with a lot of games that have that uncapped FPS, but here are some games I tested and I can recommend:

– Trials of Mana (the remake): Almost flawless 60FPS. I remembered this game running at 30 on Switch, but I also remembered how pissed I was while reviewing it because of the uneven FPS. Turns out my hunch was correct and now Switch owners get a free 60FPS upgrade basically 🙂

– The Zelda “2D” games: Even without the patch they just work so much better. I tried Link’s Awakening without the patch (physical copy, airplane mode) and it just works. Highly recommend.

– Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes: This game had uncapped frame rate and that means that now we have the second 60FPS musou game on the Nintendo Switch 2 (after Hyrule Warriors). Amazing how different those games feel running at 60FPS.

– Bayonetta 3: Still ugly AF at times, but 0 drops from 60. I played for almost 4 hours and zero. Nada. Nothing. Solid 60FPS throughout. I really hope platinum will get to patching both it and Astral Chain because the former could use the graphic fidelity of the latter, and the latter will benefit greatly from 60FPS gameplay.

– Monster Hunter Stories 2: Just go play this game. I loved it before, and now it works and looks better than ever.

Okay – That’s all the time I’ve got. I gotta get back to playing Animal Crossing New Leaf, on my Nintendo 3DS.

scott_b

Horizon Chase 2 – stuttered quite a bit on Switch 1; runs very consistently on Switch 2 – I believe at 30 fps

Armello – was severely choppy on Switch 1. Appears to be a solid 60 fps on Switch 2.

City of Brass – I don’t recall its performance on Switch 1, but smooth as butter and looks great on Switch 2. I am guessing 60 fps.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain – ditto the above.

Pinball FX, Zaccaria Pinball, Star Wars Pinball, Demon’s Tilt – all run very well and look good. And all of these benefot from the squared-off kickstand making “tate mode” effectively a built-in option in tabletop mode, given any flat, stable surface.

Razion EX, Deathsmiles 1& 2 – for me, horizontal shooters like these benefit from the larger screen (obviously, in handheld mode). Much easier for me to see and dodge the bullets.

Hamster Arcade Classics (New Rally X, Time Pilot, Mappy) – the ones I’ve tried run just fine, despite several of them appearing on one of Nintendo’s compatibility warning lists. Given that Hamster remains active on both Switch platforms, with their weekly releases – I suspect they were/are quick to patch issues as they arise, within their ability to do so

Justin

Gor anyone who looks at the software sales for the first week wondering who that one person who bought Welcome Tour is, it was me, I did it.

I actually really like Welcome Tour. I find the tech fascinating and the humor I enjoy. I’ve only got to the 4th section so far but am liking it. Sure it would’ve been great to be bundled but I actually don’t think it would have been the right game to bundle with it because its so informational with a more limited appeal than you’d want in a bundled game.