Though DKC Returns hasn’t been updated with the official “Nintendo Selects” title like many other Wii games have been, the price reduction follows a recent Nintendo trend. Around May of last year, Nintendo began slashing prices on some of their most popular titles across many consoles at the same time updating their cover art and marketing them under the Nintendo Selects banner (previously advertised as Player’s Choice). As a result of the marketing push, titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and many other awesome titles are now available for under $20.

In the same newsletter that Nintendo announced the reduced DKC Returns cost, the company also announced that Super Smash Brothers Brawl, another terrific Nintendo Wii title, would be made available at the same $29.99 price point. Have you taken advantage of any of Nintendo’s recent software discounts? If so, which deals are your favorites? Drop your opinions in the comments section below and be sure to subscribe to Nintendo’s email newsletter to stay updated on all of Nintendo’s gaming deals.

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If you’d like to pick up DKC Returns at it’s new lower cost, head over to Amazon

When you consider some of the titles that were released for the console throughout the year, these accomplishments say a lot about the quality of DKC Returns. Keep in mind that Donkey Kong was competing with smash hits like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Goldeneye 007, which both grabbed spots on the list as well. With 2011 well underway now, we can only hope that the Nintendo lineup for the year is even half as impressive as that of 2010.

By the way, if you’re still playing through DKC Returns, don’t forget to check out our Donkey Kong Country Returns Walkthrough. All of the videos were recorded and uploaded by YouTube user SuperFalcon1992.

You may have already come across my “first impressions” article that I posted just a few hours after the game was initially released. While some of my opinions on the title still remain the same after dozens of hours of gameplay, I’d still like to elaborate on some of the points I had made and offer insight into each element of the title.

Visual Presentation: 9/10

As I had mentioned in my “first impressions” post, this game immediately looks like a Donkey Kong Country title. From the varied level designs to the spot-on character models, Retro Studios did a great job of introducing Donkey and Diddy to the Wii (although they have appeared in numerous Wii titles already). Every level of the game is a visual feast for the eyes, but a number of levels in particular stood out to me as truly stunning. Bear in mind that this is a Wii title so of course you’re not going to see the kind of detail you would find in a PS3 title, but rest assured that Retro did a fantastic job of pushing the Wii hardware to its limits. Unfortunately, I haven’t invested in any component cables for the Wii but I’m sure they would make the title even that much more imrpessive.

Audio Presentation: 7/10

Much of the DKC Returns soundtrack was pulled right from the original Donkey Kong Country SNES title, that is to say that many of the new tracks were developed based off of previous tracks. While any tracks similar to previous titles have been completely remastered, you will recognize the tunes as soon as you hear them. While all of these tracks sound great, I was only moderately satisfied by the soundtrack quality in DKC Returns. I found many of the brand new tracks to be very bland. There’s not much background ambiance to speak of and the other random sound effects contribute very little to the experience. While the game’s sound presentation was on par with other recent Nintendo Wii titles, I couldn’t see the creators releasing an impressive soundtrack like Nintendo was able to do with previous DKC titles.

Gameplay/Controls: 9/10

There’s no doubt about it, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a hard game to put down. It plays almost identical to previous DKC titles, where the real main goal is to make it from the left side of the level all the way to the right where a goal barrel awaits. You beat that level, you move on to the next one. It’s the obstacles in between that make DKC Returns (and all good platformers for that matter) a truly enjoyable game. Classic DKC scenarios like the mine cart levels are back and better than ever, while a new “rocket barrel” has been integrated into a handful of levels. Donkey and Diddy ride the rocket barrel from one side of the level to the other pressing a single button to rise and letting go to fall, but don’t let the simplicity fool you – these levels were among my favorites and can offer up quite a challenge. Each and every boss battle is a pleasure as well.

Players will use the accelerometer in the Wiimote to perform rolls and ground pounds. Even after hours and hours of play I still find myself accidentally jumping off of cliffs because of unrecognized controller shakes but other than that this game controls very smoothly, whether or not you’re using the Nunchuk attachment. DKC Returns offers a cooperative mode that allows two players to simultaneously take on a level, which is also a blast and almost feels required for some of the game’s tougher challenges. Speaking of challenges, let it be known that this is in my opinion one of the more unforgiving Donkey Kong titles ever. Many of the game’s obstacles (especially the later ones) require good timing, precision, plenty of trial and error and sometimes all of the above. If you’re expecting a little kids’ game because of the light-hearted characters and story you’d be sadly mistaken.

Replay Value: 9/10

Long after beating the game’s final boss, I still find myself anxious to go back and play some of my favorite levels over and over again. The game is fairly big to begin with, but when you consider all of the game’s extra challenges and unlockables, DKC Returns isn’t a title you’re going to be able to sit down with and truly beat in a day. Similar to past Donkey Kong Country titles, beating the final boss is only a part of the challenge. Only after players gather all of the K-O-N-G letters hidden throughout every level can 100% completion percentage be achieved, end even then there’s still plenty more game to enjoy. Throw in the cooperative mode that offers even more entertainment and you’ve got yourself a title you’ll be coming back to for months or years to come.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Props to Retro Studios for resurrecting the Donkey Kong Country franchise to DKC veterans everywhere and introducing the series to a whole new generation of gamers. It’s probably a good thing that Donkey Kong Country Returns turned out as well as it did or the developers at Retro probably would have been eaten alive by hardcore fans. I see this game picking up where NSMBW left off last year as the Nintendo Wii title to own for the holiday season. For longtime fans of the series as well as those looking to dive into the DKC franchise for the first time, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a must have.