Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country Returns

In this situation it's the old against the new. Which one is more popular? Which is more fun? Which one is greater? I have been wondering this since the very beginning! To tell you the truth when DKCR first came out I was prejudiced against it. I thought that there was no way it could ever match up to the old and original DKC! After all it's one of the greatest nintendo games of all time! Though after some time I finally got to play DKCR. I have to say I was pretty impressed.

It is fun to play and simple enough. I was actually really excited to play it! I mean hello it was DK and Diddy! Who wouldn't be excited? They were finally back and ready to go! Of course they got their bananas stolen (goish talk about losing your bananas instead of your marbles...hmm I wonder which is worse?) and that is what starts them off onto their adventure. There are some downsides to the new DKCR though. One that really irks me on is the bad guys.

I do understand that in this day and age that they can make some seriously wicked bad guys but I miss the old ones. What ever happened to the annoying little beavers and the stripedy snakes? The bees and the scary jumping alligator thingys?! It's depressing, it truly is! I liked killing those guys they'd always make funny noises. I'm not creepy I swear! It's just that they were so obnoxious, when you finally killed them you'd get some satisfaction...The upside to having different guys is the little scene at the beginning it's super funny and way cute! 

One thing that I really like about DKCR is that they really do return. It's not just a remake of the old one. It has new boards and a new supreme evil guy that for some reason wants bananas just as much as monkeys want them. Though that does confuse me! Why do they need bananas? Sure they came out of a volcano and probably want some food, but still!! Are they going to roast them on a stick? Actually, that does sound quite apatizing...I'll be right back. (Gets a banana and a stick and tries to roast them over a fire) OKAY NO!! So now I don't understand why he wants the bananas.

Anyways my conclusion is that I really do like both of these games. DKC is of course the original and will forever be number one in my heart. DKCR is a close second. One thing I do have to say though is that I think that it is definitely better than DCK 3. I've never played 2 so I don't really know. Well now that you have read this go and play these two fabulous games and decide which is better! Stop reading this and go do it. Like right now. So why are you still reading this? 

Donkey Kong Country: 8 million copies sold worldwide
Donkey Kong Country Returns: 4.2 million copies sold worldwide

Real Dogs vs. Nintendogs+cats Dogs: A Comparison

Meet Boyd and Cali.

Nintendogs+cats arguably provides the single most authentic virtual pet experience out there. The depth provided by the Nintendo 3DS puts it in an entirely different league than others of its kind. Touch screen interactivity only increases it's edge over the competition. How does owning virtual pets compare to owning real ones? With three dogs wandering around my own real-life home, I feel very qualified to answer that question:

Care and Maintenance
I have to hold my breath when I serve our real dogs (Cali, Slater, and Brynlee) food. How they can possibly eat that stuff, I'll never know, because it does not smell nice to human sniffers. And after I'm done, it's over to the sink to wash my hands of the crumbs. In Nintendogs+cats, however, one effortless tap makes the food appear instantly. A second tap, and the food bowl is taken away in a flash. No smell, no mess. The same goes for water.

All three of our real dogs hate baths. Slater tolerates it, but his widened eyes tell all. Cali constantly attempts to shake off the soapy water. And Brynlee makes wild bids for freedom every chance she gets. My virtual pets (Molly and Boyd), on the other hand, seem to enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, however, I need to wash them about three times as often as my real dogs.

Winner: Nintendogs+cats dogs.

Fun and Personality
One thing virtual dogs can never measure up to is how much personality real dogs have. Molly and Boyd may differ slightly from one another, but they do all the same things for the most part. They'll stick their rear ends in the air. They'll roll in the grass in the same way. They'll greet other dogs similarly. Real dogs have personalities that differ as much as humans. Slater is emotionally unstable, but the sweetest dog you could imagine. (We're pretty sure he was abused by whoever had him before us.) Cali is apprehensive about humans, yet she needs a lot of love. Brynlee is a bit of a pansy, but she's got the energy of a firecracker. They all act accordingly, and behave in unpredictable ways.

Nintendogs+cats simulates the experience of playing with your pets quite well. But again, this cannot compare to the fun of playing with real animals. Nintendogs+cats is repetitive, while real dogs...well, act like living things, which they are, of course.

Winner: Real dogs.

Cost
This category might be a little unfair, but I'll briefly cover it. Nintendogs+cats costs $40 of real money. After that, the only money the player spends is in-game currency. Real dogs cost a continuous amount of real money. And I mean a lot of real money.

Winner: Nintendogs+cats

Conclusion
Though Nintendogs+cats won two out of three, I have to say that real dogs win the overall competition. If I could rate the value of each of those categories, it would look like this: Care and Maintenance-8 points; Fun and Personality-Priceless; and Cost-5 points. That little puppy on the screen just won't ever replace my three living, breathing dogs, even if it is in 3D.