The 3DS remake of acclaimed Nintendo Wii platformer Donkey Kong Country Returns, has finally been given an official release date by Nintendo itself. The game is slated to his store shelves on May 24th in North America.

This news comes via what may be the most bizarre press release that Nintendo has ever made public. The release was a short one line statement topped off by a photograph of a gorilla playing a 3DS (seen above, courtesy of Joystiq). Their brilliant marketing strategy escapes us…

When Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D was last in the news, we heard that it wasn’t going to be developed by Retro Studios, the team that originally developed Donkey Kong Country Returns. Instead, the game will be developed by Monster Games and as a result would see some of its levels remixed and redesigned for handheld play. A 3D video of the game is available via the Nintendo 3DS eShop for gamers who want to see the remake in motion.

Donkey Kong Country Returns was one of the hardest platformers that the Wii had to offer. Many fans are calling for a reduced difficulty in this 3DS remake, but it is not clear as to whether or not Nintendo will be granting that request. When May 24th rolls around, keep your eyes open for people holding their DS and flailing their arms like angry gorillas. They are probably playing Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

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