With his pistols out, he's one tough Kong.

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns is pretty good.

It doesn't quite obtain DKC2 levels of perfection, but it is charming in its own right and every level sports an interesting twist in platforming mechanics that is sure to draw a smile to your face.

Until you die that is. And you will die a lot. Not that the game itself is hard, but you also have to fend off the Wiimote which will attempt to sabotage your execution every step of the way.

I understand that this is a Wii game so some terrible gimmick had to be stitched on, but was it really necessary to have the "blow out a candle" and the "roll off the side of a cliff and die" button combination involve the same stupid shake of the controller. Worse still: the horizontal Wiimote set-up might be worse ergonomically than the original NES controller. I felt like I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome every time I had to play a barrel rocket level.

The dynamic nature of the level design compounds the frustration because it prevents you from actually anticipating what you have to do next. By the time you finally tame the Wiimote long enough to adroitly maneuver though a particularly harrowing set-piece, you will likely die again in the process of discovering whether you need to immediately jump on the next platform or pause for two beats. The game does not reward quick reflexes but instead zen-like patience to master levels through trial-and-error.

And if you will allow me an unimaginable level of dorkdom: Donkey Kong Country 2 has one of the best soundtracks in video game history. A YouTube containing just the soundtrack to the Bramble Blast level has over 760,000 hits. Surely David Wise didn't have any pressing matters that precluded him from composing for this franchise reboot. Kenji Yamamoto wasn't a bad idea - his work on the Metroid Prime series is astounding - but his lackluster arrangements [one caveat: Factory Friction is the best Mega Man theme from a non-Mega Man game] for DKCR just underscores (ahee-hee) the imperfections that prevent Returns from being another Donkey Kong Kountry Klassic.

Grade: B