REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– You hear that? That’s the sound of bananas being peeled all around the U.S. to celebrate the glorious launch of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. The newest game in the lauded Donkey Kong Country series swings to the Wii U system on Feb. 21, bringing with it beautiful high-definition graphics, cleverly designed platforming action and competitive online leaderboards. The game also heralds the exciting return of fan-favorites Dixie Kong and Funky Kong, as well as Cranky Kong, who is a playable character for the first time in series history. Together, they join Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in the biggest and best Donkey Kong Country game yet.

“The games in the Donkey Kong Country series have always entertained audiences of all ages and skill levels with their breathtaking visuals and fun and challenging game play,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze continues this rich legacy with a memorable adventure that’s only available on Wii U.”

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More: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, press release, Retro Studios

This week’s Japanese software sales are as follows:

1. [3DS] Dragon Quest Monsters 2 – 118,427 – 562,083
2. [WIU] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – 35,717 / NEW
3. [3DS] A-Train 3D – 27,009 / NEW
4. [3DS] Kirby Triple Deluxe – 23,017 / 440,131
5. [3DS] Youkai Watch – 22,230 / 423,836
6. [3DS] Magi: A New World – 15,793 / NEW
7. [3DS] Puzzle & Dragons Z – 15,462 / 1,359,241
8. [3DS] Puyo Puyo Tetris – 13,717 / 58,345
9. [PS3] Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Full Boost – 13,704 / 313,291
10. [3DS] Pokemon X/Y – 12,750 / 3,950,322
11. [PS3] Diablo III – 7,345 / 62,277
12. [WIU] Super Mario 3D World – 6,952 / 489,596
13. [PS3] Sengoku Basara 4 – 6,611 / 224,094
14. [PSV] Terraria – 6,245 / 21,315
15. [PS3] GTA V – 5,904 / 707,610
16. [3DS] Sentouchuu Densetsu no Shinobi to Survival Battle – 5,450 / 270,846
17. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 5,75 / 3,672,543
18. [3DS] Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind – 5,273 / 248,079
19. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 – 5,103 / 3,219,168
20. [3DS] Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – 4,785 / 377,432

More: charts, Japan, Media Create, sales, top

The latest Japanese hardware sales from Media Create are as follows:

3DS LL – 27,650
Vita – 17,081
3DS – 12,066
PS3 – 10,226
Wii U – 8,782
PSP – 2,944
Vita TV – 1,267
Xbox 360 – 256

For comparison’s sake, here are the hardware numbers from last week:

3DS LL – 36,306
Vita – 16,951
3DS – 12,002
PS3 – 10,240
Wii U – 7,180
PSP – 2,948
Vita TV – 1,331
Xbox 360 – 194

More: charts, Japan, Media Create, sales, top

Along with today’s screenshot, Sakurai passed along the following message on Miiverse:

This dog is huge… Wait, no, the playable characters are small. The Smash Bros. series doesn’t always stay true to scale.

More: Masahiro Sakurai, Miiverse, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, top

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Over the next few weeks, Nintendo will be putting Donkey Kong, Zelda, and Mario games on sale on the Japanese eShop. Each series will receive two-day discounts.

Here’s the full rundown of sales:

Donkey Kong (valid between 2/22 and 2/23)

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D – 3,840 yen (was 4,800 yen)
Donkey Kong – 350 yen (was 500 yen)
Donkey Kong Jr. – 350 yen (was 500 yen)
Donkey Kong 3 – 350 yen (was 500 yen)

Zelda (valid between 3/1 and 3/2)

Zelda: Wind Waker HD – 4,788 yen (was 5,985 yen)
The Legend of Zelda – 350 yen (was 500 yen)
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link – 350 yen (was 500 yen)
Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX – 420 yen (was 600 yen)

Mario (valid between 3/8 and 3/9)

Paper Mario: Sticker Star – 3,840 yen (was 4,800 yen)
Super Mario World – 560 yen (was 800 yen)
Super Mario Kart – 560 yen (was 800 yen)
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins – 280 yen (was 400 yen)
Mario Open Golf – 350 yen (was 500 yen)

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More: Japan, sale

Three new Virtual Console games are on track for the Japanese Wii U eShop next week. Romancing SaGa 3 (Super Famicom), Dr. Mario (Famicom), and Super Star Soldier (PC Engine) will be out on February 26. Pricing is set at 800 yen, 500 yen, and 600 yen respectively.

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More: Dr. Mario, Japan, Romancing SaGa 3, Super Star Soldier, Virtual Console

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