Yeah, I can see your point with Rambi. Didn't even consider that in my post though, I was talking purely about his abilities and the fact that he is a badass which I stand by. Though I guess that factors in. Though actually, the Rambi Crate in...1-3, I think it was, felt more in line with the original games. He was a hidden bonus for the level but was required to enter the bonus stages.

Also if I hadn't just played the ****ing bat stage yesterday I would probably be like "oh what do you mean" in regards to the Rocketbarrel. I'm going to assume that those stages only get worse from there. I don't think the button-tap control works precisely enough for stages like the bat stage...should have been up and down on the d-pad/analog. I mean, if you even need to descend quickly you're kind of screwed.

Oh yeah, I also would have preferred if Cave had some regular levels in it, as opposed to existing purely for the minecart/rocketbarrel. Where's my Winky's Walkway action.

...despite having complaints though I still love the game. :p

Interesting... I like the way they handled Rambi for the exact reason you disliked it.

Rambi was great back in the day and all that, but other than helping you find the odd bonus stage here and there, he was an entirely superfluous presence. This time, you really feel his animal power, man. I love running around like a drunken cannonball, knocking out all in my path, wrecking up walls and stuff. And the fact that having him around is crucial is incentive to keep him around. If you lose him in Smokey Peak, for instance, you're shit out of luck; either go back to the beginning of the stage / checkpoint or kill yourself and try again. Challenge. Keeps you on your toes.

That's funny because the Tidal Terror music is a remix of Northern Hemispheres. :P

And speaking of music, there's no Slipslide Ride remix! Color me pissed off.

...is it really? I'll take your word for it. If so, I guess I didn't notice because it had more of an atmospheric focus than most of the other remixes.

That's exactly how it was in the original game? Rambi was always a pins and needles situation, because you knew that if you got hit just once before the end of the stage that you were going to miss that god damn bonus stage and have to restart.

Yeah, I didn't notice either until someone pointed it out to me. Go to that stage again and check it out.

Yeah, but this time it's actually impossible to proceed without him. Crumbling walls and all that.

I started it today, and already I find the controls to be annoying. I'd much rather use the Gamecube/Classic controller, and not be forced to shake it to roll, ground pound, and blow. And the small end where the control pad is hurts my hand after about an hour of playing ;_;. Other than that, it's pretty amazing.

I like this game better than the original so far despite having done just three worlds. Finding the bonuses is much more tolerable. I like Rambi too, although the last stage I tried with him was the stage in the Ruins; nothing beyond that. And I appreciate Sqwuaks more in DKCR than I ever did in DKC2.

The blowing mechanic doesn't bug me either, although it is completely arbitrary. However there was one clever jiggy where the blowing move was used in conjunction with the hand-slap though, which I liked.

You can use the nunchuck. It allows DK to run automatically and I find it to be easier on the thumb. The Wii Remote on its own got my thumb hurting too, especially in the temple on the first world.

I.. I was unaware he could run instead of just rolling for speed. That's probably why I had a bit of trouble at times :facepalm. I even seen the commercial where they were using the Nunchuks.

Holding the 1 button with the Wii Remote held sideways also makes DK run.

I figured it was just used for grabbing barrels/clinging. I'm glad I can use the control stick though, even though I still prefer the classic controller >.<. I assume I still need to shake for ground pound?

That's right. It feels more appropriate shaking both controllers though.

Picked his game up a few days ago and I'm currently on World 4. My friend (whose a FPS fanatic) said that this game is too hard, which made me laugh. It's pretty fun thus far.

However, I have a question regarding Rambi: Do I seriously have to keep shaking the Wiimote to make him charge?

I just died about 30-35 times on a 4th world level called Crowded Cavern. **** that level.

Yes.

That level was a nightmare.

Also, SC, I tried the Wiimote/Nunchuck controls and I thought they were worse. Using Roll/Blow is so much easier on the D-Pad, than using an 8 direction Joystick, in my opinion.

Best hack ever.
Classic Controller rules (but a hombrew-ready Wii, Gecko OS or another homebrew program with its code functionality built-in required).