Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets Special Pre-Order Bonus From GameStop

It’s honestly pretty hilarious to think about how much the Nintendo Switch had done in 2024 and how it’ll have a nice lineup of titles in the early parts of 2025 for gamers to enjoy should they want to. They’re not going out with a whimper. Instead, Nintendo wants to give its best-selling console a grand sendoff, and that includes bringing titles like Donkey Kong Country Returns HD to the system to give players some things to “look forward to” before the Switch 2 arrives. As you’d expect, if you pre-order the title from certain places, you’ll get some really cool pre-order bonuses!

In the case of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, if you get it from GameStop, you’ll get a special DK barrel that you can put your pencils or other items in. Obviously, it’s not the best pre-order bonus ever, but it does look like a good collector’s item of sorts. Plus, if you’ve been wanting to show your “Nintendo Loyalty” in places like work or just on your desk at home, this is a nice and simple way to do it! Go and have fun. What’s the worst thing that can happen? It’s not like there will be bananas in it for someone to come steal! We’re not even sure that you could fit a banana in there…

Anyway, Donkey Kong has been getting plenty of attention recently, not the least of which was the full showing of his Super Nintendo World expansion via the Direct yesterday. His is the first expansion to the theme park, and many are excited to see where it goes. Plus, given his role in Mario’s billion-dollar animated film, many think that DK could get a spinoff film featuring him and his family. Anything is possible! That is, except for apparently a new game featuring him!

Look, while it’s cool that Nintendo is continuing with its “ports and remasters” all the way to the end, especially since some of them ARE highly anticipated and actually desired, the one with Donkey Kong honestly wasn’t one of them. After all, this is an HD remaster of a Wii game and one that had previously been ported to the Nintendo 3DS!

The Wii U title that came out was also ported to the Switch in its early years, and it sold nearly 5 million units! Typically, that would signal to Nintendo to make something new featuring the Kongs, but that hasn’t happened, and no one really knows why. Hopefully, the Switch 2 will show Donkey Kong some more love.