2010's Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii was lost in the shuffle as the console's popularity began to wind down, so Nintendo is capitalizing on the 3DS's success to expand the audience for one of the best side-scrolling platformers of its generation. The game is headed back to the market as Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D with a full 3D makeover. Nintendo feels so strongly about the 3D effects that it's releasing a special trailer on the 3DS eShop today to show off the company's handiwork.
Returns was a spectacular ride and provided an immense challenge, but the requirement that Wii games feature motion control gimmicks held the game back from its full potential. I can't tell you how many times I wished I could have just pressed a button to attack rather than shake the Wii remote. If Returns 3D reassigns the shaking to a button press and not something equally frustrating like a tilt command or some touchscreen madness, then I'll definitely have to double-dip and revisit the game. It's best experienced in bite-sized portions that a handheld format encourages.
