Donkey Kong Country Returns First Look

Eliciting whoops from the crowd at its E3 2010 press conference, Nintendo today showed off a trailer for the previously unannounced Donkey Kong Country Returns. Scheduled for release "this holiday," this 2D platformer--which also features Diddy Kong--looks to incorporate and build upon all of the features that made previous entries in the series great.

Donkey and Diddy could be seen running, jumping, collecting bananas, and shooting themselves out of barrels in a number of colorful environments, including jungles, beaches, and a mine shaft (complete with carts to ride in, naturally). In one especially attractive sequence, the pair were silhouetted against a sunset as they ran down a hill. Setting this game apart from its predecessors were very animated backgrounds that, in most cases, had an impact on the gameplay in the foreground. Ships anchored off the shore were firing cannons at the beach, a giant octopus's tentacles were reaching into the foreground, and debris from crumbling ruins in the jungle was causing the Kongs some problems.

Look for more coverage of Donkey Kong Country Returns once E3 opens its doors and we're, hopefully, able to get some hands-on time with the game.