Line #60 Website/DKVine


1	->''"[novelty tagline here]"''
2	-->-- '''random message from the site logo'''
3
4	[[http://www.dkvine.com/ DK Vine]], known originally as "Donkey Kong's Jungle Vine," and later as "Donkey Kong Universe," is a unique ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' fansite. Its complicated, sometimes controversial nature reflects the complicated, sometimes controversial nature of the games it covers. So let's start at the beginning.
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6	In TheNineties, Rareware was one of the strongest arms of Nintendo, a legacy that began in 1994, when they created ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'', a big-budget revival of Nintendo's Arcade ''Donkey Kong'' franchise. The ambitious SNES game was a success, and after two sequels on the platform, Rareware was poised to continue their legacy on the (then cutting-edge) Nintendo 64. Though Rare did not make a proper N64 sequel to the ''Donkey Kong Country'' trilogy on the N64 for a while, they ''did'' create a spin-off in the form of 1997's ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'', a game notable for (among other things) an interesting method of self-promotion: It featured VideoGame/{{Banjo\|Kazooie}} and VideoGame/{{Conker\|sBadFurDay}}, two characters with games of their own under development. With the release of the highly-lauded ''Banjo-Kazooie'' in 1998, the concept of the Donkey Kong Universe, a tangible canon of Rareware games linked via the presence of their characters in each other, was born. (The staff of the site explained it in TV terms, saying that the same logic makes ''Series/FamilyMatters'' part of the "''Series/PerfectStrangers'' Universe.")
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8	Donkey Kong's Jungle Vine, originally created by Chad [=McCanna=] and Hyle "[=SirSlush2=]" Russell, opened in 1999 as a tribute to this collection of distinctive Rareware games featuring anthropomorphic animals, and it was a good first year for them, as it saw the release of the first proper ''Donkey Kong'' game since the SNES, ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''. In the year 2000, the trend continued with ''Banjo-Tooie,'' the long awaited sequel to ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''. Then, in 2001, came the moment that would change things forever.
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10	Back around the time ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'' was the big Rareware game, Rareware had already begun promoting their two projects starring two of its costars. People had liked what they saw in ''Banjo-Kazooie.'' ''VideoGame/TwelveTalesConker64''...not so much. Besides its very juvenile, unfunny story, the game featured flamboyant, excessively-cutesy graphics, and test audiences were much more skeptical. Seeing this, Rareware sent the game into DevelopmentHell for several years, where it underwent excessive changes. When unveiled, the game had been transformed into ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'', an M-rated, subversive take on the anthropomorphic-animal-platformer genre, released in 2001, and Nintendo was not amused. Despite good ratings, the game was a commercial flop as a result of Nintendo's utter (and deliberate) lack of coverage for it and an excessive scare-campaign to repel everyone under 17 away from the game.
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12	The schism having been seeded between Nintendo and Rareware, it would only grow. Though Rare launched into the Platform/NintendoGameCube and Platform/GameBoyAdvance era with high hopes (and plans to make many new games for many of their franchises), in the end they would only get to release one game for the Nintendo Gamecube--and not in the form they had intended. At the tail end of the N64's lifespan, Rare had begun work on ''Dinosaur Planet'', an adventure game whose [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin title was self-explanatory]]. Nintendo persuaded Rare to make some changes, this time of the sort ''the former'' wanted, and the game was forced into the ''VideoGame/{{Starfox}}'' series and released on the Gamecube as ''VideoGame/StarfoxAdventures''. This would be the last straw, and in September 2002, Microsoft bought Rareware out. Though longtime fans were quick to villify Microsoft for bringing about the end of an era, this anger [[MisBlamed ignores the obvious fact]] that neither Nintendo nor Rareware were forced to accept the move--but both did. The remaining planned GCN games were cancelled, while the planned GBA games were silently released over the following two years (with the DK-related games, ''Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers'' and ''Diddy Kong Pilot'', being [[DivorcedInstallment re-branded as]] ''VideoGame/ItsMrPants'' and ''Banjo-Pilot'' respectively). Since then, with the exception of a ''Viva Piñata'' game for Platform/NintendoDS in 2008, the arrival of Rare's new software on Nintendo systems has ceased permanently.
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14	About this time, mainstream media that had praised Rareware's games years before began to take a more negative stance, and a large number of Rareware games found their way onto lists of "overrated" games. Additionally, an infamous quote from Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto, criticizing ''Donkey Kong Country'', was taken as an ill-omen and further proof that a massive anti-Rareware backlash was beginning. Fans of Rare's legacy on Nintendo consoles began to fear Nintendo would begin to dismantle that legacy in their absence, a fear that was not helped by the releases of 2004's ''Mario Vs. Donkey Kong'', which undid much of the latter's CharacterDevelopment and returned him to his original role as a villain, and 2005's ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongJungleBeat'', whose [[WordOfGod developers declared]] that they [[CanonDiscontinuity intended to wipe the slate clean of iconic elements of the past era's DK games.]]
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16	Thus, pro-Rareware fans who had congregated on Donkey Kong's Jungle Vine decided to make a stand against the perceived negative tide. Fearing the worst for the ''Donkey Kong'' series-proper, and assuming Rareware (who had retained the rights to Banjo and Conker when moving) would be the only party interested in continuing the trends once common on Nintendo platforms, the site was renamed "Donkey Kong Universe," as a reference to the more peripheral games in the canon. It became notorious--at least to many outside observers--for its apparent anti-Nintendo sentiment, with such actions as a "poetry slam" condemning the release of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKonga,'' boggling to viewers who wondered why a Donkey Kong fansite would harbor so much hatred for the company that originally created and still owned Donkey Kong.
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18	Throughout these years, the DKU became a small, but tight-knit and definitive community, with vocally unique opinions from the majority of gaming websites, and a cynical, but often [[BlackComedy darkly-humorous]] outlook on life. Through dedicated observation, they successfully linked two new Rareware games, ''VideoGame/GrabbedByTheGhoulies'' and ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'', into the Donkey Kong Universe canon, and eagerly anticipated each new game from the original, Nintendo-era DKU franchises. However, another shift was coming.
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20	Following the 2005 release of ''Conker: Live and Reloaded'', a remake of ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' in the place of what many believed should have been a sequel, faith in Rareware wavered. Conker's own page should give a good idea of the controversy surrounding the remake; here suffice to say that it wasn't controversial for any of the same reasons that the original was.
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22	Still more upsetting to the fanbase (especially in light of its misleading trailer) was the 2008 release of ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts'', a new installment in the ''Banjo'' series with little more than a cosmetic resemblance to its predecessors and divisive new gameplay mechanic. With this game, Rareware dispelled most remaining notions that they would necessarily be any more willing to preserve their old legacy than Nintendo was.
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24	Then, in 2010, came a very unexpected move: Nintendo, the company the DKU had long since abandoned all hope in, commissioned Creator/RetroStudios to revive the core DKU franchise in the form of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'', to much celebration. Nintendo even promoted the upcoming game passionately, and Shigeru Miyamoto made a public statement apologizing for his earlier criticisms of the series. The tide had turned, and in a rather unique way. In honor, of this new development, the DKU redesigned itself, renamed itself DK Vine, focused back in on the core ''Donkey Kong'' series, and suddenly became one of the most collectively-optimistic fansites ever. Membership swelled as fans flocked to discuss the new release, and although the site has offered some constructive criticism of the game, their anticipation was largely justified. This was continued with the release of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' on the Platform/WiiU and eventually Platform/NintendoSwitch, to greater success in the latter.[[note]]In an ironic twist, whereas DK Vine defended the game, most of the out-of-site Nintendo fans were skeptical about it since they were hoping Retro Studios to work on a new ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' instead after the abysmal fan reception of ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', even though they had stopped working on the series after the release of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' in 2007.[[/note]]
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26	----
27	!! This website provides examples of:
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29	* AccentuateTheNegative: More averted now. During The TurnOfTheMillennium, though, it tended to be full-stop; at least with regards to Nintendo.
30	* AfterActionReport: The Slush Fun'd, in which Slush catches up with the games he missed out after he lost interest in the DKU, and posts his progress on the site's forums. He covers the games released between ''VideoGame/MarioParty 5'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''. That's fifty-five games! He's currently up to ''VideoGame/DonkeyKonga 2''.
31	* AllThereInTheManual: The site loves digging up the most minute details of game plots. They have ''multiple essays'' on these things.
32	* BigBrotherIsWatching: One of the random messages on the logo is, "The UsefulNotes/{{NSA}} is laughing at you for being here."
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34	* BrickJoke: [[https://www.dkvine.com/?p=podcasts&show=kongversation&ep=808 The Kongversation #808]] brings up a fake game that Hyle wants, entitled ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble Kiddy's]] [[CrazyCatLady Kitties]]'', midway through the podcast. The VanityPlate replaces the "Que rico" with a meow that was uttered during the game's discussion.
35	* CanonWelding: How DKU canon works.
36	* CaptionHumor: Used in the Gallery section of the site (with official artwork and screenshots from related games), as well as certain images elsewhere.
37	* ChristmasCreep: {{Discussed\|Trope}} when the Facebook page's [[https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1180017418720772&type=3&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARC68xTv5RipuPNSgWGYCB0hTumaUwq15gfUOSRhP6BqXwa5LqDF33Fqs6v-EuSf8U7B9MDZKx3OIByJ1PseFad7RC7CGLNjcHUcDhMtDL_Eji7NzG5XITfJiLKLAzIdb18Vg8-QdkTtAvaY29ZtL6IgcvCJMFeFt0anaAdY1Dt8AfTt6Uzv1trwUBKZxDUIebeN9aHAJiv6wTSkkqvTLbtxwjvZ2uVldYbkozjOR7-BEdpqwlmBNWAYRhgKk_o1aIUwJGr42gGOM6IobWYo-vcfZuM3uxSVl06IXF6TuKkQriGBiYW9wqFFhX-gYESup5iaYbIDoL5YhYRXJjS3nuJYMQ&__tn__=-UC-R Your Sunday Afternoon Skid Mark Of Speediness]] feature highlights Bluey's Course from ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'' on the first Sunday of October 2020.
38	--> Wait, why are we doing the race against Bluey, or any Snowflake Mountain track, in the month of October? Wouldn't this be better served towards the end of December up to January? Hey, the stores are already full of shit for the winter holidays. Whether you like it or not, Santa and his minions are always creeping up the rears of our cherished monsters and ghouls. This is the world in which we live, and now you've got a fucking walrus coming down Candy Cane Lane in your Facebook feed.
39	* ClickbaitGag: A 2004 news article was titled "[[http://www.dkvine.com/?p=35 DKC4 CONFIRMED!!! WHERE’S MY PULSE???]]" The actual article is revealed to be [[spoiler:just a site update adding new screenshots to an image gallery for the Platform/GameBoyAdvance version of ''VideoGame/{{Donkey Kong Country 2\|DiddysKongQuest}}'']].
40	-->'''Andrey:''' Not worth your time? I know. But {{worth\|It}} [[{{Troll}} the look on your face]].
41	* ContinuityPorn: Pretty much every bit of original fanon was designed solely for this purpose.
42	* DeadpanSnarker: May be seen as a whole site full of them.
43	* DrivenToSuicide: The theme of the report on Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference, entitled "[[https://dkvine.com/index.php/games/news/gallery.php?p=news_body&post=2657 E3 2012: Nintendo's Conference Over, DKVine Suicide Watch begins!]]". The article is accompanied by pictures of Budd Dwyer (the late Pennsylvania state treasurer who infamously committed suicide on live television), and ends with a statement from Helmost the Dreadfully Evil yelling at Donkey Kong fans to stop killing themselves.
44	* GrammarNazi: See the [[https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-change-the-rattley-sign-in-super-mario-odyssey-s-new-donk-city-to-rattly "Change the "Rattley" sign in Super Mario Odyssey's New Donk City to "Rattly"]] change.org petition.
45	* GratuitousRape: According to [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/cob_cock_day.html the lore of Cob Cock Day]], Father Cob Cock would rape those who ate poultry on the eve before the holiday, erasing the incident from their memory afterwards.
46	* HehHehYouSaidX: [[RuleOfThree Three of them]] in [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/cameofeature.html I Went Saucy In My Panties]]
47	--> [...]the novelty of having Mario and his friends trying to beat each other (huh huh...I said "beat each other")[...]\
48	I don't want to have anything to do with [''VideoGame/MarioTennis''] now, simply because it bores me stiff (huh huh...I said "stiff").\
49	I want to see [Mario] battling the forces of evil, not whacking around balls (huh huh...I said "whacking around balls").
50	* HeroicBSOD: In the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongJungleBeat'' [[http://www.dkvine.com/interactive/forums/index.php?showtopic=7414 Slush Fun'd]], Slush [[http://www.dkvine.com/interactive/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=7414&view=findpost&p=238766 goes into one]] when he discovers that [[spoiler:the Chopperbird is a human in a Helibird costume]].
51	-->''I'm sorry. I can't finish my thoughts on the kingdom at the moment. I just raced [[spoiler:a man in a bird costume]] and I have to come to terms with that. If I can't, then that's it. The Slush Fun'd is canceled, and I'll delete my account and never appear here again.''\
52	''[[WasItReallyWorthIt WAS IT WORTH IT?]]''
53	* HumanoidAbomination: [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong Pauline]]'s [[http://www.dkvine.com/games/mdk2/characters/pauline.html biography]] treats her as one.
54	* ItMakesSenseInContext: The description for the ''Donkey Kong Adventure'' DLC notes that its plot sounds completely absurd if you're unfamiliar with the base game, ''VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle''.
55	-->''Alas, no sign of the actual Donkey Kong... until now. This midquel has Rabbid Peach and Beep-O from off of the main game stuck on Donkey Kong's world. Teaming up with Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky, they have to defeat Rabbid Kong to repair the Time Washing Machine and return to the Mushroom Kingdom. We assure you this makes sense if you've played the original game.''
56	* LeftHanging: [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/dkuepic.html Fun With Pass A Story: The Epic Donkey Kong [Not A] Cock-And-Bull Story]]. It later got a FullyAbsorbedFinale with [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/endgame.html The End]], which doesn't necessarily tie up all loose ends and randomly pits DK against celebrity androids.
57	* LongRunners: 11 years and counting. "I can't believe this forum is still here", "I can't believe my old password still works" and "I can't believe how long it's been" are phrases you'll hear a lot from returning members.
58	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: DK Vine's 2016 presidential endorsement article wasn't as well-received as Hyle would have liked, and Russian interference DDOS'd the site immediately after it was published. The site stayed down for days, and it's joked about that this is what put [[YouKnowTheOne the other candidate]] over the edge.
59	* OfficialFanSubmittedContent: The [[http://www.dkvine.com/interactive/submit/ Submit!]] initiative.
60	* OrwellianRetcon: Since 2005, any topic in the forums about a recently deceased celebrity will always be titled "(Name of celebrity) is dead." If a topic gets with a slightly different title (like "Creator/JohnHurt has passed away from cancer" or "So Long, Music/ChuckBerry", that title will soon be edited by the moderators.
61	* {{Parody}}: [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/yeardiddy.html 2014: The Year of Diddy]] is a spoof of Advertising/TheYearOfLuigi, proposing analogs to each of its games -- ''[[http://www.dkvine.com/features/images/yeardiddy_dkr2.png Diddy Kong Racing: Atom Heart Mother]]'' (a ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'' sequel to serve as the ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' of the lineup), ''[[http://www.dkvine.com/features/images/yeardiddy_dkr3d.png Diddy Kong Returns 3D]]'' (a Diddy-focused expansion of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' inspired by ''VideoGame/NewSuperLuigiU'', with Professor Chops in a Nabbit-style role), and ''[[http://www.dkvine.com/features/images/yeardiddy_dsdw.png Donkey & Diddy: Dream Space Dynammo Warriors]]'' (a team-up game like ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'').
62	* {{Podcast}}: Three of them;
63	** The [=PoDKast=], a straight up (well, sort of) discussion program about current events in the DKU, starring Jeff, Matt, Cameron and a variety of guest stars.
64	** The Vine Audio Programme, initially the same, only featuring large scripted elements and soon evolving into an epic and crazy story arc. Features the original DKU staff members and their friends.
65	** The Kongversation, a podcast branching off of The Vine Audio Programme that allows Chad and Slush to more timely talk about the latest DKU going-ons (and with all the spontaneous ''Series/TheXFiles'' and ''Music/TheBeatles'' references you could ever expect).
66	* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: The afore-mentioned [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/dkuepic.html Pass-A-Story]] feature laid the foundations for ''ElvisAndSlickMonty''.
67	* RandomizedTitleScreen: The site has a number of artworks and randomized taglines for the header that it pulls from.
68	* SerialEscalation: [[http://www.facebook.com/dkvine/photos/?tab=album&album_id=989554111100438 The Saga Of Funky Kong: Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pitchman]] is an annual Website/{{Facebook}} series beginning in 2014 that sees an additional character added each year. In addition to Funky himself, we have seen -- in order -- Cranky Kong, Kiddy Kong, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Banjo, Fox [=McCloud=], Slippy Toad, and [[https://www.facebook.com/dkvine/posts/pfbid02oGRmxJNBbh7NSgvTXChutNDEfsPfYu3B5xJtb5VGwb5AMak77X9UPFn4R4gMbpBQl Peppy Hare]] added to the growing cast.
69	* SeriesFauxnale: [[http://www.dkvine.com/features/endgame.html The End]], which is also a two-fold WholePlotReference to the {{Grand Finale}}s of both ''Series/TheXFiles'' and ''Series/{{Newhart}}''.
70	* SeriousBusiness: The very definition of it with regard to fandom, in many people's opinions.
71	* SixDegreesOfKevinBacon: One of the site's random messages is, "We connected [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Officer Unogopaz]] to Kevin Bacon in five degrees."
72	* SnarkyNonhumanSidekick: Our Friend, Chad's camera inhabited by a lost soul. At one point he got hit in the lens cap by a wayward hoe, thought he was Creator/BobNewhart, and [[spoiler:transformed into UsefulNotes/BarackObama]]. ItsALongStory.
73	* TakeThat: In response to those complaining that Creator/RetroStudios should have made a new ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' game instead of another ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' one, one of the rotating images in the main site's ''Tropical Freeze'' skin is [[http://www.dkvine.com/newnews/wp-content/themes/snowmad/random/charsil/charsil_samus.jpg Samus flailing about in the water]]. It also adds the random message, "Should have been Metroid Vine!" For the special site theme celebrating the [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary of the franchise]], a random image of [[http://www.dkvine.com/newnews/wp-content/themes/dkc/random/charsil/charsil_samusship.png Samus's gunship crashing]] is present.
74	* ThisMeansWar: Every decision made by Nintendo from 2001 to 2009. [[http://www.dkvine.com/interactive/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=5294&view=findpost&p=140052 (A particularly noteworthy example.)]]
75	* UniverseBible: The whole idea of Rare's "Donkey Kong Universe" is explained by a set of rules kept on the site. They go through a lot of change; the [[http://www.dkvine.com/dku/ current incarnation]] is specifically designed to thwart all sorts of loopholes in the system (including "the Copout Rule", an as-of-now unenacted addendum that rules out games with the most tenuous connection to Donkey Kong possible). In addition, a full timeline of events, including complete fanon constructions, called the Timevine is kept.
76	* ViewersAreMorons: Chad almost constantly in his forum posts. His angst eventually lead him to cancel Green Porn City
77	* WikiVandal: In [[https://www.dkvine.com/?p=features&page=bitching_brawl_08_04 the August 4, 2007 edition of Bitching About Brawl]], instead of actually discussing [[Franchise/FireEmblem Ike]], Bob O. Friend simply reproduced the opening paragraph of Wikipedia's article on UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower [[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dwight_D._Eisenhower&oldid=149174782 at the time it was written]], except with an additional sentence written as if the excerpt was copied from a vandalized capture.
78	-->he was an ass man and liked to fuck teh breastseses.
79	* WordOfGod: Leigh Loveday on the canon, Chad and Slush on the fanon.
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81	->''"And remember, [[SeriousBusiness CARTOON PRIMATES ARE IMPORTANT, AND MUST BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.]]"''

Context Website / DKVine