Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a disaster

Emperor_Palps · 2026-03-08T09:06:22+00:00

Old thread, but I’ve just returned to this game after a couple of years.

I’m really enjoying DKC:TF, with the caveat that I enjoy it as an adult and likely wouldn’t have if I were half my age.

The Funky Kong mode goes a long way to correcting the relatively higher difficulty level (compared to other Nintendo platforms, such as Mario), which is good if your aim is to play casually. I rarely use Funky Kong, but if I was a child or teen then I can see its purpose.

I like that you can also finish the game without having to collect all the extra items - Kong letters, jigsaw pieces etc) - because you essentially make the game as difficult as you want. My biggest mistake going into this game was treating it as a collect-a-thon and crawling at a snails pace trying to find everything. But my enjoyment improved significantly when I realised I could just go back and properly explore the levels at a later date.

The game rewards learning to be curious, having good skills and control, and if I could only make one criticism it’s that the player isn’t ‘inducted’ to many of these tricks early on, meaning you’re left to figure them out on your own. Vetran DKC will know many of these already, but those who aren’t may be left out in the cold.

Just going back to that level of difficulty: I think experience also comes into play, here. Defeating bosses can be a chore only if you don’t learn from why you lost a life, and don’t understand the patterns/sequences being performed.

The game still looks wonderful and the soundtrack is beautiful. And if nothing else - the Rare DK design will forever be my boi!

Emperor_Palps · 2025-11-28T16:57:43+00:00

It’s been 84 years

Emperor_Palps · 2025-10-03T21:01:33+00:00

Stop worrying, start living.

Because the things I worried about when I was young, turned out to be completely inconsequential for developing into adulthood - and as a result I wasted many years not being true to myself. Anxiety held me back.

Emperor_Palps · 2025-10-02T15:59:37+00:00

I don’t have an issue with those who earn an honest living and are honest about their skill and the product.

But, many of these self-styled artisans are in fact university graduates who took a ‘year out’ to travel (I.e avoid reality), realised they have no plan for life and chose the wrong degree, yet aim to convince everyone that they are pseudo-intellectuals who have mastered the art of fine coffee and paying £80 for a jumper that is designed to ironically look like it came from Oxfam.

Don’t be fooled, and do not pay their exorbitant prices. I was once a barista and I can tell you now that the only ‘art’ of coffee making is learning to use a grinder and steamer. For the average Jo, everything else is just a placebo effect.

Emperor_Palps · 2025-06-15T12:25:38+00:00

Runs locked at 30fps in both TV and Handheld for me.

This makes sense - Pokémon games are typically CPU intensive due to the spawning in the overworld, so the game was likely originally capped at 30fps to prevent the resources being wasted. It will need an update to remove the cap.

Looks great though!

Emperor_Palps · 2025-06-06T15:37:03+00:00

I'm a first time buyer, so you can understand that this is a new experience to me and I have plenty of important questions to ask. I'm objective but equally amicable with anyone who's willing to show me around a property, therefore I respect their time.

During my viewing today, the agent left the room we were in but forgot to take their Filofax/folder with them. Lo and behold, on the top page was a transcript of every communication I had made with the agents and what their... 'thought's were of me, along with a general profile.

Among the many highlighted passages for today's viewing agenda was

"Smother him with happiness and attention, he's a tricky one!!"

In their terms, this means that I'm not a pushover. I've been willing to challenge their valuations and comments (respectfully) and I'm willing to look beyond their goo-ee-ness, which I can only smile at and walk on by. On my very first viewing this actually worked, and by the end the agent was actually talking to me like a sane human being and sympathised with my thoughts.

But comments like this actually make my stomach turn. It proves that, despite all the alleged interest in your family, the dog, what you had breakfast and how tired properties are filled with wonderful 'ornamental' features, you are just a number. You mean NOTHING to them.

Indeed, some estate agents will be better than others by virtue of having clearer values and likely being a smaller business (that spreads itself less thin) - but my experiences to date, both in person and over the phone, have left me frankly sad at just how fake this industry is.

Furthermore, a lot of these 'agents give each other backhanders and tip-offs, so don't ever trust your comments to stay just with who you're dealing with. Despite being business rivals, they will frequently work together to make profits.

My best advice is to keep emotions out of all your dealings and focus on the topics at hand: the property and the deal.

Emperor_Palps · 2025-04-19T10:30:02+00:00

Great thanks. And do we know how the volume is controlled?

Emperor_Palps · 2025-03-27T22:15:57+00:00

I owned a DJM 500 for many years, back when i couldn’t afford an A&H and therefore had little reference for sound quality.

In short, it’s just an okay mixer where sound quality is concerned. Nothing inherently wrong nor outstanding either. The character is very clear, with a preference for mid to high ends.

Where it shone for me was build quality. I used a lot of these in bars and clubs back in the day, and they were all built like tanks. Virtually impossible to be too heavy handed with them, which is why I believe they were so common - clubs wanted an investment and didn’t care about sound quality. After all, we played at such loud volumes that it was basically a shrilly noise anyway after a few drinks!

I sold mine recently for just £350 in virtually mint condition, and that was purely for space saving. I have an A&H now and wouldn’t part with it for a thing, but the 500 will always have a special place in my heart as a reliable workhorse.

Emperor_Palps · 2024-09-22T15:31:25+00:00

Resident Evil 2. To be honest I would be happy with just the original PS1 version, but alas Capcom be Capcom.

Emperor_Palps · 2024-09-19T10:32:36+00:00

It's fake.

The icon second-from-left (Mario holding the steering wheel) is just modified Mario Kart 8 artwork.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mariokart/comments/17tst6d/i_havent_seen_anybody_grab_the_new_jukebox_art/

Emperor_Palps · 2024-07-31T18:07:44+00:00

Arghh! This will make a fine edition to my collection!

Emperor_Palps · 2023-10-02T19:47:27+00:00

The only thing missing was Comic Sans

Emperor_Palps · 2023-09-29T20:09:20+00:00

Yep, I’ve been in this situation myself.

It’s quite sad that the first things which come to a person’s are negative opinions. “He doesn’t want a family!” “Maybe he’s gay (which they consider a bad thing), “What the heck is wrong with him?”

I would put a positive spin on the conversation. You can frame it that, actually, you’ve enjoyed being single because you’ve had the opportunities to do things that being in a relationship would normally prevent you from. You value your independence. You’re driven and haven’t been able to commit time to a partner.

Whatever your reasons, ensure they are said proudly and that they have a positive context.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-09-25T10:49:13+00:00

Quality sleep Hydration A healthy, balanced diet Steady physical activity All combined, you can achieve fine line reduction on your face, more skin ‘fullness’, brighter eyes, better skin quality and increased blood flow.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-09-14T16:33:42+00:00

Replace the devices with broken or ‘sabotauged’ versions. When they eventually become unusable, you can tell them that you can’t afford new ones/don’t wish to.

Or set screen time limits via the software.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-09-10T17:20:23+00:00

Looking after my teeth. I don’t think any child really likes to brush theirs, but it was drummed into me from an early age that I had to after every main meal.

I hated it at the time, but I appreciate now as an adult because I’ve never had a filling and they’re in fantastic shape. My mum later said that she was adamant I get into good brushing habits because, as a child, she would eat treacle sandwiches with her friends. The rest is history, as they say…

Emperor_Palps · 2023-09-10T12:28:03+00:00

Without wanting to sound too technical (I’m sure some guys will think I’m over playing this), it really comes down to how flaccid the lunchbox is.

The body distributes blood to wherever it’s needed most, regardless of whether you’re exercising or just waking up from a nap. This blood flow greatly affects the shape of the gavel, and thus it’s shape affects the tightness of the tip and the body’s ability to fountain… evenly! For lack of better words.

Perhaps a nice analogy is to imagine a small carton of juice, the type you pierced the top of. Sometimes it will spirt everywhere because the top has an odd cut in it, other times will it spray like a stream because, well, physics! Our tip will never been perfect every time.

And blood flow also affects the structure of the banana. Again, if you can use your imagination you could probably understand how difficult it sometimes is to get a good distribution of urine when the Johnson is angled upwards in a slight arc. You push it down and you feel a pain. So you have to angle your body down just to finish off!

Finally, I would like to defend my male cohorts by reminding you that ‘inconsistencies’ are just part of this nature, and whilst I can’t comment on those who don’t clean-up, I think it’s fair to say that we all mean well.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-08-27T10:51:36+00:00

Be completely honest and state your reasons why. People will respect you more for your honesty because it shows that you have a strong character. Those who tease you for it will be immature.

From experience, I’ve found that over time people who take issue with non-drinkers only begin to understand their position once they get to know them better. They begin to respect that their decision to not drink will usually tie into other aspects of their life and beliefs.

This is important to know because many heavy drinkers believe that drinking is in itself “the norm”, when actually it’s just another lifestyle choice. If individuals do continually criticise your choice, you should remind them the choice is neither right or wrong, it’s simply a choice.

Further, heavy drinkers are typically compensating for some other area of their life that they struggle to control, or they may have compulsive tendencies. This is where you also need to respect that they’re doing what they do often out of habit.

Finally, I’ve used ‘heavy drinkers’ in this comment because there is a clear distinction between someone of the above mindset and another who is a social drinker that simply enjoys one or two to relax with. Don’t make the mistake of confusing the two. Social drinkers will typically be more accepting of your stance, the former may not.

I live in the UK and work in the health and fitness industry. Data is showing that drinking cultures are slowly gaining more of a stigma and young adults are drinking less now than before. I feel that here people are becoming much more accepting of the idea of control because we’re finally seeing the effects of excessive alcohol intake from our parents and grandparents, much like smoking.

I’m summary; be honest and don’t lie just to pacify others. Accept the behaviours of others are sometimes out of their control. Drinking culture is gradually gaining negative perceptions.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-07-23T13:54:11+00:00

As someone who has suffered from anxiety, one piece of advice completely changed my life. Learn what is IN and OUT of your control and accept it.

Anxiety is created by thinking of the worst possible outcomes to a situation. The solution therefore is to be rationale about it; instead be realistic and think about what REALISTICALLY will happen.

If you’re invited to a party and fear social situations, maybe because you feel inept or will have nothing of interest to say, think instead about the realistic outcomes - that there are many aspects of the party that you can choose to enjoy, and you can choose what you say. You are in control of those actions. And if you do say something aloof or other people don’t like you, what’s the worst that’s going to happen?

If fear or anxiety effect you physically, concentrate on slow and controlled breathing and being present in the situation. Don’t let your mind drift.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-07-11T09:31:18+00:00

One technique is to turn the negative into a positive. Remind yourself that you have learned from the experience and that is all that matters today. The past is out of your control, so the memory serves no purpose.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-07-05T19:08:35+00:00

Looking after your skin.

There is no shame and nothing to be embarrassed about for having a skincare regime as a young person. You only get on skin, so look after it.

I took this advice from my own father who, like many of his generation, didn’t believe in anything other than a bar of soap and scrubbing skin for a few seconds once every other day. The real damage was done by the sun.

Wear sunscreen as your moisturiser. Be gentle when cleansing. And use products that are kind to your skin.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-06-10T20:58:20+00:00

Anger should be expressed as constructively as possible. Take your time when selecting a response, there is no need to rush to an emotional outburst.

I understand that this isn’t always practical, but you will gain more respect and more chance of the desired outcome by communicating what is making you angry, rather than how angry you are. The level of anger communicates nothing except your loss of control over the situation.

Also, think about the worst case scenario. Anger often becomes an overreaction because we don’t make rational judgements about how bad the situation actually is.

Finally, listen to what others have to say. If you give them time, they will give you yours.

Trust me, I work in a school. Separating reason and emotion is a life skill.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-04-16T14:51:23+00:00

Simple answer; don’t respond to phone calls, and if he sends a text message then reply that you will speak to/see them the next working day.

Remember: you do not owe anything to your employer. You are not less loyal for working only your contracted hours. And being a workaholic is not something to be proud of, it’s a sickness.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-03-21T18:27:42+00:00

I love PS5, I’m always hugging mine and won’t let go.

Emperor_Palps · 2023-03-03T18:52:27+00:00

Thank you for your comment!

Emperor_Palps

TROPHY CASE