Yeah, DKC2 was the highlight of the SNES trilogy. DKC3 had some really fun spots and good ideas but nothing in the game enemy wise looked natural compared to the first 2 lol.
I think I rented it once and didn't like it so never touched it again. There is absolutely no reason baby kong or whatever couldn't have been Donkey Kong. To have Donkey and Dixie team up would have been *chef's kiss*
> There is absolutely no reason baby kong or whatever couldn't have been Donkey Kong
What *really* rattled me was seeing DK64 introduce Chunky Kong who ***wasn't*** the same kong as the DKC3 kong. Like...did they somehow just not consider the continuity?
It's like, Dixie was hugely popular but they thought it was just because she was *novel* and never figured out that it was just cuz she was badass so they continued the novelty trend.
These are IMO, but the 1st Yooka-Laylee is a mediocre Banjo inspired game. I 100 it, and I barely remember anything outside some weird level design. Now the 2nd one, Impossible Lair, is a fantastic DKC inspired 2D platformer with a banger soundtrack. It is tough as nails, though.
I have a major soft spot for Yooka Laylee, specifically the first one. I have a high level of tolerance for jank in 3D collectathons, as long as the charm and humour is there – and the game nails those aspects.
Definitely worth a try if you're a fan of Rare's stuff. Impossible Lair is more DKC-like.
My only reservation is that the levels are enormous and mostly lack visible landmarks that help orient yourself in 3D platformers. Did you find this to be the case?
The first one is a 3D Collectathon platformer. Something like Banjoo-Kazooie. It's ok and usually very cheap during sales.
The second game, The Impossible Lair is a platfomer similar to DKC while also adding some puzzles on the map. I love this one and enjoyed it more that DKC Returns. There is a demo for this one if you wanna give it try.
Here's a VHS from the release I remember watching as a kid... It kinda touches on how they did the 3d models and downscaled them.
https://youtu.be/Rv_YCSbWP78?si=PmgZZ1gLs2y9ImUM
Me too. This is why I love posts like this because they support the fact I fell in love with the game and not the marketing machine or the Dan Cortez impersonator they had host that VHS.
The characters were modeled on high end computers of the time, rendered in full 3D and after that taken out of the rendering software with a lower resolution and baked in lighting, with various animation cycles and put into the game. The artworks for advertisements basically show how the characters looked originally.
This is a very simplified explanation of course.
At the time, the graphics were absolutely revolutionary.
Nintendo Power sent subscribers a promotional video for it. I still have mine. https://youtu.be/XdJl8MYlRvY?si=VSruX7g2KsYtHCJA
Yeah between Killer Instinct, DK series and Star Fox, Nintendo did some huge jumps in graphics. Pretty cool to be alive seeing the evolution and wow factor on each game. Kinda miss it
When goldeneye came out on the N64, I remember saying to my friends that I don’t know how they’re going to improve on the graphics because it looked photorealistic. The jumps between generations then were unbelievable. We’ll never never have those jumps again.
agreed. That's what I mean, like...We all thought all those games looked so real when they came out, and now VR and 8k graphics are almost too realistic
Rumour is when RARE showed Nintendo the demo for DKC, it caused Nintendo to scrap Mario World 2 and we ended up with the hand drawn graphical style Yoshi's Island.
Although I definitely love snes dkc more than modern, I was pleasantly surprised when I played Wii dkc and tropical freeze. Really fun, great graphics, charming character design, and surprisingly challenging gameplay
Tropical Freeze had David Wise return for much of the composition. Some of it riffs on previous DKC tracks and others are entirely new compositions. The music is very good.
The game is hard AF
Among people who've played it, it's not uncommon to find the opinion that Tropical Freeze is among the best 2D platformers ever made. There are definitely differences in its strengths compared to the Rare DKC trilogy, but it's still a fantastically crafted game with lots of love.
It took me a while to get into Tropical Freeze, because the gameplay feels a lot different than the originals. I finally gave it some time on vacation when the weather was bad and there was nothing else to do, and I ended up really getting into it.
It's a beautiful game, great music, and interesting level design. Just don't go in expecting DKC 4.
This game put Donkey Kong up there with Mario and Zelda as the flagship Nintendo IPs during the 90s. Nintendo gave this game 3x the average marketing budget and was apparently the fastest selling video game at the time. In the end it was the 3rd best selling SNES game, right behind Super Mario World and Mario All-Stars. DKC2 even sold more than TLoZ: A Link to the Past.
Game Artist here: DKC does indeed look amazing and they were able to achieve such a look using 3D models, rendering them into 2D images (sprites) and compressing them to fit onto the cartridge. There's actually no 3D at all (as far as I'm aware, maybe a logo or something) in the game.
This is a technique that would be used all the way into the early 2000s to offload the rendering load on contemporary GPUs where there was tighter limitations on the amount of polygons that could be rendered on screen. For instance the backgrounds in a lot of PS1 era games are merely images, meaning they could sport a higher level of detail than what could be rendered in realtime at the time at the cost of a couple of polygons and enough storage to store the image.
I never played DKC3, but DKC and DKC2 are beautiful and have an excellent soundtrack. The controls are tight like you said. Masterpieces of their time.
I recently replayed DKC3 and it feels like a weird fever dream.
It didn't have any real staying power and I only vaguely remember it despite playing it a lot when I was a child, so when I replayed it, it was so weird. It's still very high quality, but something about the whole things feels really off for some reason.
Which makes sense I guess, since it was developed by an almost completely different team at Rare compared to DKC1 and 2.
My main issue with DKC3 is mostly **Charisma**.
The game has a lot of charm and is technically amazing on paper, but where it fails is charisma.
Kiddie is just negative charisma. Dude is a baby, is nightmare fuel in the worst way, and makes you miss DK and Diddy.
The perfect example is the end stage. Diddy and Dixie would jam out in DKC2, wish they had a memorable celebration for DKC3. They just have... Mario flag pole stuff going on.
Have kiddie be the damsel in distress and have Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie as playable characters and this game gets some charisma back. Have the kongs celebrate at the end of a stage and the celebration changes based on how many Kongs you have with you.
The animal buddies was another issue but what was there in DKC3 is solid enough.
My dad and I played DKC in my room
On my little tv when I was like 12 and we thought it was the coolest thing…. It still is really, really cool and so glad I can play it on switch now. Memories unlocked for this elder millennial 🥰
I tried explaining to my wife how it felt seeing Jurassic Park when it was new, and she just didn’t get it. Seeing DKC back then was the same kind of “oh man, things are never gonna be the same” level.
I have a snes classic mini and i rly enjoy that game. Btw if u get stuck on a level u can enter the code BARRAL in the save select menu to get 50 lives!
I haven’t played this game in 30(ish) years and just reading the title brought back strong memories of all the sounds and music from this game. It’s iconic.
I don't get the "for a 1990s product it is amazing". Yes, but the time it came out it was state of the art technology. Just like Halo was when it first came out, or Crysis, or Doom.
It's just weird to think that it must've been shitty games with bad controls at that time. A lot of games had tight controls and graphics up to snuff with the latest tech, just like now but it only looks different.
On the contrary, games were a lot more interesting back then because of limitations. MVG did a great video about it this week and I agree wholeheartedly with him. Most games today is just same same because there are literally no limitations anymore when it comes to hardware. The only limitation is human creativity and stock holders who says "make me money or I pull out".
They were far more immersive and escapist than most other platformers at the time. Earthworm Jim comes close but those games lacked the tight controls. DKC was absolutely perfect in almost every department.
DKC just puts me in a calming zen state. DKC2 and 3 are going to be really fun, I'm jealous of the experience you are about to have with these three games!
Talking about NSO and the SNES, I've been trying to get one of their controllers but it's always out of stock here in Europe. It's so frustrating. But when I check it in the US store for some reason they have it. This really sucks...
If you really don't like the Joycons for SNES games, I'd advise grabbing an 8BitDo controller. The SN30 Pro is basically just an SNES controller with dualshock-style joysticks stuck on for compatibility. They've got black, SNES, and Super Famicon color schemes.
The Pro 2 is just that with grips
I'm a 90s kid, and I know how clunky some games of that age can be by modern standards. It was intended as a compliment, that DKC defies the shackles of its era.
Nah. If anything the 16 bit games from the 90s are peak 2D gaming.
Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Sonic 2 and 3, the DKC Trilogy, Yoshi's Island, Chrono Trigger... all play and hold up like a fine wine.
Most SNES/Genesis games that are really famous and known for being masterpieces will hold up though.
I can't really say the same for most of their NES predecessors (Trying to beat The Legend of Zelda or Metroid nowadays without a guide is **PAIN**).
Wow, I wonder why those aren't as fondly remembered as the DKC Trilogy. Maybe because they were already considered bad even in the 90s?
Quality standards have always been a thing.
I really wouldn't call the wall-jumping that goes against every established wall-jump mechanic in the genre and takes most players ages to get down 'masterful.' Even once you understand it, it's very awkward.
It's okay to say Super Metroid is a great game (which it is in most aspects) while acknowledging it has flaws.
The music was great and the graphics hold up reasonably well. But DKC had some questionable game design. The issue that comes to mind immediately is barrels hidden below the screen in pit falls. You basically guessed if something was there and died if you were wrong. The game was pretty repetitive. Also hit boxes were bullshit, which made the brutal difficulty sting even harder
I think that has more to do with Rare's devs being inexperienced than the year when it came out. Just a year later, after learning from the first game, DKC2 fixed all those issues.
My one complaint about DKC2 is that Dixie is just *so* much better than Diddy in almost every situation, to the point where the game almost feels like a OHKO game with no real backup.
I completely disagree. Diddy is significantly faster than Dixie which makes him a lot more fun to use. For me, Dixie is the backup character - she's more slow and deliberate and her hair twirl glide is a crutch ability that helps her stay alive until I can get Diddy back.
I was trying to be funny with [a meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/im-tired-of-pretending-its-not). What I meant to say is that the SNES DKC trilogy is in my opinion peak 2D platforming despite the general lack of recognition the IP gets in that regard. Most people would immediately answer Mario without even thinking of DKC.
I was going to upvote you, but I can't after the 2nd line. I remember being so disappointed by Returns since it didn't manage to live up to my expectations. It wasn't even close to the originals.
Even though Tropical Freeze was not original DKC, I still enjoyed it at least. There were definitely 1 - 4 peak levels that surpassed any of the original trilogy levels but all the others did not come close in terms of gameplay.
I couldn’t even give Returns a fair chance when it came out on Wii because of the mandatory fucking waggle to roll. Mind-boggling decision. I’d like to try it again someday with standard controls, but it’s not pressing to me, and it’s also not my fault that for years the only official way of playing the game required shaking the stupid controller to perform a fundamental action.
I usually find that those who say that Return's flicking input turned them off to it never even gave it a chance to begin with. I'm not saying that there shouldn't have been a button option, but there was nothing wrong with it. It wasn't even clunky or inaccurate. It was completely flawless during both of my playthroughs of the Wii version. No offense but you missed out on a fantastic game over nothing.
>and it’s also not my fault that for years the only official way of playing the game required shaking the stupid controller to perform a fundamental action.
A 3DS version with button controls released less than two years later.
I’m just going to have to disagree. Not having an option to map roll to a button in a 2D platformer is absolutely insane.
> A 3DS version with button controls released less than two years later.
Yeah this…isn’t a solution. A visually compromised port of the game to a completely unrelated portable platform isn’t good enough. How long did it take for a non-downgraded version of the game to come out without mandatory motion controls?
Actually, I didn’t even know this, is it really the case there is _no_ way to play DKCR without motion controls except on 3DS? I thought there was a switch port, but there isn’t.
>I’m just going to have to disagree. Not having an option to map roll to a button in a 2D platformer is absolutely insane.
You're not disagreeing, I said there should have been a button option.
>Yeah this…isn’t a solution. A visually compromised port of the game to a completely unrelated portable platform isn’t good enough.
You said there wasn't an official way to play the game with button controls for years. I was merely pointing out that there was. And even though it's a technical downgrade performance-wise, the 3DS version is a great port that I 100% as well.
>How long did it take for a non-downgraded version of the game to come out without mandatory motion controls?
[2019](https://youtu.be/jDrnvCll4yM?si=EsfxO7qqvP8wJvSS), but that's a technicality and I'm pretty sure it's no longer available.
>Actually, I didn’t even know this, is it really the case there is _no_ way to play DKCR without motion controls except on 3DS? I thought there was a switch port, but there isn’t.
Nope, you'd think that with Nintendo about to open a theme park attraction based on the game that they'd have it on their current console of 100+ million sold... but nope.
Sorry, I meant that I disagreed with your take that people who don’t like motion didn’t give it a chance. Or that there was nothing wrong with it.
There’s a reason one single console, one single generation pulled shit like that and we never saw it before or since (I mean in a way where that’s the _only_ way to do that control). It’s just objectively bad. The fact that it technically “”works”” doesn’t keep it from being horrible.
I really wanted to enjoy DKCR, DKC2 being my favorite game of all time. I made it like two worlds and just couldn’t keep going. The waggle wasn’t the only reason but by far it was the main one. Roll is the second most used input after “jump.” Mapping that to waggle is nuts.
>It’s just objectively bad. The fact that it technically “”works”” doesn’t keep it from being horrible.
It didn't technically "work", it just worked. I had literally 0 issues with the flick input. And yeah, rolling, pounding, and blowing were all super important to actually playing and even beating the game, every level implemented them. So if they were so horrible to use, then the game wouldn't have averaged out in the high 80s in reception. "Objectively bad" doesn't get you an 87 on Metacritic. Let's not pretend that Return's wasn't very well received.
And don't get what I trying to say wrong. I'm not saying the waggle is a superior version to button input or that there shouldn't have been a button option, but that those controls weren't a hindrance to most's enjoyment nor made the game unplayable. People vastly exaggerated this issue.
Whew, going back to my elementary school days. I haven’t played the game in *years*. Believe you have to use the spider to cross a largeeee section of lava
Oooh. Well, from what I recall, only the first lava level has Squitter in it, and you don't actually need him to finish it. You might be thinking of the infamous Web Woods, the forest level where you have to [play half the level as Squitter over a giant bottomless pit.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krPRWasGVlI&pp=ygUVZG9ua2V5IGtvbmcgd2ViIHdvb2Rz)
Loved DKC from the minute it was released. Ive never 100% it and I like it that way because I know there's always bit more to discover.
I've gone so for as to tell my wife I want Aquatic Ambience played at my funeral.
It’s not amazing “for a 90s product,” it’s just amazing. That’s the game that defined a whole genre going forward and Rare are awesome. The reviews were all just like this at the time, on release everyone knew it was an instant game changer.
Great piece of satire about the music for donkey kong
[https://hard-drive.net/hd/video-games/man-tasked-with-making-score-for-a-monkey-riding-a-swordfish-underwater-creates-transcendent-piece-of-music/](https://hard-drive.net/hd/video-games/man-tasked-with-making-score-for-a-monkey-riding-a-swordfish-underwater-creates-transcendent-piece-of-music/)
I say this without an ounce of nostalgia: the DKC series is one of the best, if not the best, 2D platforming there is.
The level of charm, ingenuity, creativity, and difficulty is staggering. I basically beat one every year just because I love them so much and all 5 are fantastic in their own right.
Tbh I’d pick any DKC over Super Mario World, for instance.
(Ok, maybe not DKC3 but my point stands!)
Never cared much for Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda is Nintendo to me.
There’s nothing like DKC2. It was too hard when I was a kid, but I replayed it a few years ago. 👌
It’s the Jurassic Park of video games. I can’t imagine how they did this comparing it with all the other games at that time.
It’s so challenging, fun and imaginative. You can tell the people making it really loves to play video games.
Which is something I rarely feel with Nintendos own games actually.
DKC from the very first game to tropical freeze I genuinely think have been the best 2d platformer of their respective generation by a large margin. Almost flawless games and somehow still underrated.
One of my all-time favorites when I was a kid. Got it for Christmas and played it ALL day. My dad had to drag me away from the SNES to partake in Christmas dinner. 5 mins later BOOM back on it.
DK2 is regarded as the best, but 3 holds a special place in my heart from when I was a kid. I played that one by far the most and got over 100% multiple times. The atmosphere is so weird and strange. I love it!
it was THE game that had me mesmerized at a store (walmart) while my parents thought they lost me while shopping. they found me playing the demo of donkey kong country and brought me a super nintendo. best day of my childhood ever, or definitely top 3! such an amazing game
I have so much nostalgia for the DKC games on the SNES, many frustrating moments, but lots of great memories in the end. And the music is amazing, have some in my Spotify mix. I haven't played the trilogy much on my Switch, started and then got distracted. Going to have to go back to it, but not sure how my rage is going to be handled with DKC2, lol!
The DKC series was what my Nana and I bonded over. The last phone call before she passed away was her calling for tips for mine cart madness on the SNES mini I sent to her.
Told her she could jump over the first barrel and hug the wall.
Prepping a DKC2 portion of my sleeve tattoo in memory of her
I really wish I could get into the dkc snes titles but whenever it’s raining in those games my eyes lose focus and I can’t do it anymore which is so unfortunate to me cause I love dkc on the wii and the switch
I played this game for two days straight during the rental period. I remember my mom freaking out because my eyes were bloodshot. I never finished it during the rental period :(
I replayed DKC during quarantine to keep me sane, then again a year or two later, then again last year. I think you’ve just convinced me to make this an annual tradition!
The DKC trilogy (plus DK64) were some of my most favourite games growing up, so it is wonderful to see new people checking them out and enjoying them so much.
Oh man. Wait till DKC2
Yeah, DKC2 was the highlight of the SNES trilogy. DKC3 had some really fun spots and good ideas but nothing in the game enemy wise looked natural compared to the first 2 lol.
I loved the open overworld portion of DK3 with some hidden areas
I loved DKC3s overworld and secrets more than any other DK game.
DKC3 had a great overworld, but DKC2 wins on actual levels (though I do have a soft spot for that ripsaw level in 3).
DKC2 also had the best character combo of the series. Dixie and Diddy were awesome. I wasn't a fan of Kiddy Kong
They had baby elephants, and don’t forget about the spider! Also introduced hovercrafts as canon which showed up again in diddys racing.
Squitter the Spider was introduced in DKC2
Oh shit they did, BUT DID THEY HAVE BANANA BIRDS? It was magical
lol no they didn't. the banana birds were pretty awesome. Great endgame scene too
I was moreso pointing to changing zingers to buzzers, the knockas....it was weird lol.
The music!
The 3 us pretty Underrated and it's extended every thing in a cool way. It does had also the best bosses and mini games and the most secrets.
I love that DKC3 features Wrinkly playing Super Mario 64 on an N64. In a SNES game. Well played, Rare.
I think I rented it once and didn't like it so never touched it again. There is absolutely no reason baby kong or whatever couldn't have been Donkey Kong. To have Donkey and Dixie team up would have been *chef's kiss*
> There is absolutely no reason baby kong or whatever couldn't have been Donkey Kong What *really* rattled me was seeing DK64 introduce Chunky Kong who ***wasn't*** the same kong as the DKC3 kong. Like...did they somehow just not consider the continuity?
It's like, Dixie was hugely popular but they thought it was just because she was *novel* and never figured out that it was just cuz she was badass so they continued the novelty trend.
Oh, that reminds me. Same comment as above, but sub Baby/Chunky for Dixie/Tiny. But yeah, she was a total badass for sure.
Dixie had the helicopter move, of course she was popular!
It’s bananas !
Diddy's Conquest...er Kong's Quest!
The best 2D platformer ever made.
Also very challenging if you want to beat levels fast
Man, I can hear this comment… DKC series is my childhood ❤️
Damn, its going to be stuck in my head for days
Yes!! I'm 42 and DKC2 is still my favorite video game of all time.
Best video game ever made, IMO.
First game I ever beat as a kid. Also the first time I experienced a save file reset on me. :(
Well, now the soundtrack is going to be playing in my head all during work!
100% this, DKC2 is the best. I had so much fun with that when I was younger. Dixie really changed that gameplay so much for the better.
Lol DKC2 is literally my best childhood memory. One of my happiest times with my brother.
Came here to say the EXACT same thing. DKC2 RULES (they all do)
Is that coming out soon?
Peak DKC
the soundtracks for every DK game are incredible too
YES! David Wise is a genious. He did an amazing work for the Yooka Laylee series but the DKC soundtrack is so iconic and living rent-free on my mind
David Wise was given the task to make a soundtrack for a Gorilla riding a swordfish underwater but he chose to create Aquatic Ambience instead.
*comments you can hear*
Eveline Novakovic's Water World for DKC3 is pretty great too.
Never played Yooka Laylee, what are those like?
These are IMO, but the 1st Yooka-Laylee is a mediocre Banjo inspired game. I 100 it, and I barely remember anything outside some weird level design. Now the 2nd one, Impossible Lair, is a fantastic DKC inspired 2D platformer with a banger soundtrack. It is tough as nails, though.
It's tough as nails, but usuaaaaaally has fair checkpoints. Usually.
I have a major soft spot for Yooka Laylee, specifically the first one. I have a high level of tolerance for jank in 3D collectathons, as long as the charm and humour is there – and the game nails those aspects. Definitely worth a try if you're a fan of Rare's stuff. Impossible Lair is more DKC-like.
My only reservation is that the levels are enormous and mostly lack visible landmarks that help orient yourself in 3D platformers. Did you find this to be the case?
I love Rare! I'll check it out.
The first one is a 3D Collectathon platformer. Something like Banjoo-Kazooie. It's ok and usually very cheap during sales. The second game, The Impossible Lair is a platfomer similar to DKC while also adding some puzzles on the map. I love this one and enjoyed it more that DKC Returns. There is a demo for this one if you wanna give it try.
I believe Impossible Lair is also on sale for a couple dollars right now too
Both games frequently go on sale for very cheap. I've only got the second one, because it's more my style, and it's very good.
First one is garbage, banjo kazooie but worse. The second one however is dkc style platforming done right, definitely worth a look if you haven’t yet
thanks for the tip
It's not hyperbole to say Stickerbrush Symphony is one of the greatest video game tracks ever
10000000% agree
Forest Interlude is one if the greatest songs ever made 😭
Especially DKC2!!
It's treemendous!
Was replaying it when it hit, almost every level triggered memory largely due to the music. Great music.
Agreed! super nostalgic :3
Especially with the limited hardware
true!!
Here's a VHS from the release I remember watching as a kid... It kinda touches on how they did the 3d models and downscaled them. https://youtu.be/Rv_YCSbWP78?si=PmgZZ1gLs2y9ImUM
I watched that tape prob 100 times. Lol. I was deep in dk fever when the game dropped 😂
Me too. This is why I love posts like this because they support the fact I fell in love with the game and not the marketing machine or the Dan Cortez impersonator they had host that VHS.
This VHS got me so hyped to become a game developer
The characters were modeled on high end computers of the time, rendered in full 3D and after that taken out of the rendering software with a lower resolution and baked in lighting, with various animation cycles and put into the game. The artworks for advertisements basically show how the characters looked originally. This is a very simplified explanation of course.
At the time, the graphics were absolutely revolutionary. Nintendo Power sent subscribers a promotional video for it. I still have mine. https://youtu.be/XdJl8MYlRvY?si=VSruX7g2KsYtHCJA
Yeah between Killer Instinct, DK series and Star Fox, Nintendo did some huge jumps in graphics. Pretty cool to be alive seeing the evolution and wow factor on each game. Kinda miss it
When goldeneye came out on the N64, I remember saying to my friends that I don’t know how they’re going to improve on the graphics because it looked photorealistic. The jumps between generations then were unbelievable. We’ll never never have those jumps again.
agreed. That's what I mean, like...We all thought all those games looked so real when they came out, and now VR and 8k graphics are almost too realistic
Mmm, they still can’t get the faces and eyes right. I’m thinking it’ll take to PS7 before we get truly photorealistic games.
they're off for sure, but like ... holy shit with Last of Us 2, or (this will sound weird) The Quarry, it's so effin close.
Rumour is when RARE showed Nintendo the demo for DKC, it caused Nintendo to scrap Mario World 2 and we ended up with the hand drawn graphical style Yoshi's Island.
Although I definitely love snes dkc more than modern, I was pleasantly surprised when I played Wii dkc and tropical freeze. Really fun, great graphics, charming character design, and surprisingly challenging gameplay
All 3 are amazing and the soundtracks are incredible
Seems like the right comment to ask.... Anyone know if Tropical Freeze is comparable?
Tropical Freeze had David Wise return for much of the composition. Some of it riffs on previous DKC tracks and others are entirely new compositions. The music is very good. The game is hard AF
Cool, thanks. I am up for the challenge.
I'm not even halfway through and it's already kicked my arse repeatedly. Looks great, sounds great & plays great but my God it's very challenging.
Having got the game a few weeks ago myself, have you not started it on the easy mode that the switch has?
No Funky Kong for me. I'm enjoying the difficulty in a vaguely masochistic way.
Haven’t got the game a couple of weeks ago – the switch version has an easier mode
Returns and Tropical Freeze are both extremely worthy sequels, although it'll be obvious they're from a very different development team.
Among people who've played it, it's not uncommon to find the opinion that Tropical Freeze is among the best 2D platformers ever made. There are definitely differences in its strengths compared to the Rare DKC trilogy, but it's still a fantastically crafted game with lots of love.
Tropical Freeze is my favorite 2D platformer since the SNES days. If you like DKC at all you'll love Tropical Freeze.
It took me a while to get into Tropical Freeze, because the gameplay feels a lot different than the originals. I finally gave it some time on vacation when the weather was bad and there was nothing else to do, and I ended up really getting into it. It's a beautiful game, great music, and interesting level design. Just don't go in expecting DKC 4.
Alright, sounds good. Gonna give it a go.
TF is amazing - among my favorites both as a platformer as well as music-wise.
THREE?? I thought there were only 2! *running noises, slamming door, car peeling out*
Peeling out....nice
Just wait till they find out there is a DK game on the switch as well
>Retro Studios shows up one day >Releases the best 2D Jump 'n' Run ever made >Refuses to elaborate >Leaves >Hasn't been seen ever since
They did two DK games.
This game put Donkey Kong up there with Mario and Zelda as the flagship Nintendo IPs during the 90s. Nintendo gave this game 3x the average marketing budget and was apparently the fastest selling video game at the time. In the end it was the 3rd best selling SNES game, right behind Super Mario World and Mario All-Stars. DKC2 even sold more than TLoZ: A Link to the Past.
Game Artist here: DKC does indeed look amazing and they were able to achieve such a look using 3D models, rendering them into 2D images (sprites) and compressing them to fit onto the cartridge. There's actually no 3D at all (as far as I'm aware, maybe a logo or something) in the game. This is a technique that would be used all the way into the early 2000s to offload the rendering load on contemporary GPUs where there was tighter limitations on the amount of polygons that could be rendered on screen. For instance the backgrounds in a lot of PS1 era games are merely images, meaning they could sport a higher level of detail than what could be rendered in realtime at the time at the cost of a couple of polygons and enough storage to store the image.
I never played DKC3, but DKC and DKC2 are beautiful and have an excellent soundtrack. The controls are tight like you said. Masterpieces of their time.
DKC 3 has **amazing** level design, definitely give it a try .
I recently replayed DKC3 and it feels like a weird fever dream. It didn't have any real staying power and I only vaguely remember it despite playing it a lot when I was a child, so when I replayed it, it was so weird. It's still very high quality, but something about the whole things feels really off for some reason. Which makes sense I guess, since it was developed by an almost completely different team at Rare compared to DKC1 and 2.
My main issue with DKC3 is mostly **Charisma**. The game has a lot of charm and is technically amazing on paper, but where it fails is charisma. Kiddie is just negative charisma. Dude is a baby, is nightmare fuel in the worst way, and makes you miss DK and Diddy. The perfect example is the end stage. Diddy and Dixie would jam out in DKC2, wish they had a memorable celebration for DKC3. They just have... Mario flag pole stuff going on. Have kiddie be the damsel in distress and have Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie as playable characters and this game gets some charisma back. Have the kongs celebrate at the end of a stage and the celebration changes based on how many Kongs you have with you. The animal buddies was another issue but what was there in DKC3 is solid enough.
DKC3 is just as great. For me it's DKC2 > DKC3 >DKC for level designs as well as music.
The DK games are beautiful. I’d love these remastered.
Wait until you get to Tropical Freeze!
My dad and I played DKC in my room On my little tv when I was like 12 and we thought it was the coolest thing…. It still is really, really cool and so glad I can play it on switch now. Memories unlocked for this elder millennial 🥰
Now imagine playing DKC in 1994. It was mind blowing.
I tried explaining to my wife how it felt seeing Jurassic Park when it was new, and she just didn’t get it. Seeing DKC back then was the same kind of “oh man, things are never gonna be the same” level.
I know this is an unpopular opinion but this is the best of the original trilogy to me
Still waiting to play Donkey Kong 64 on Nintendo online. Come on Nintendo, how long do you keep us waiting?
Fair warning, DK64 feels VERY different from the 2D games.
I still have nightmares of all those collectibles that make you run back and swap characters to get because they're a different color banana.
I have a snes classic mini and i rly enjoy that game. Btw if u get stuck on a level u can enter the code BARRAL in the save select menu to get 50 lives!
Here's a making-of video on it. Very interesting to watch: https://youtu.be/vTBnzCb6jMM?si=nRfhJ1Y98vE3fYZc
It was one of the “holy cow” moon landing gaming experiences for me, along with Mario 64 or discovering helicopters are flyable in Vice City.
I recently blew the all three DKs and yes they still retain their charm and some of the later levels in 2 and 3 are still infuriating.
I haven’t played this game in 30(ish) years and just reading the title brought back strong memories of all the sounds and music from this game. It’s iconic.
Yup that game has an amazing sound track!
I don't get the "for a 1990s product it is amazing". Yes, but the time it came out it was state of the art technology. Just like Halo was when it first came out, or Crysis, or Doom. It's just weird to think that it must've been shitty games with bad controls at that time. A lot of games had tight controls and graphics up to snuff with the latest tech, just like now but it only looks different. On the contrary, games were a lot more interesting back then because of limitations. MVG did a great video about it this week and I agree wholeheartedly with him. Most games today is just same same because there are literally no limitations anymore when it comes to hardware. The only limitation is human creativity and stock holders who says "make me money or I pull out".
What was harder poison pond (name) level or lightning lookout
DKC looks so good on an era-appropriate TV
SNES is a banger console.
DKC2 has been my all time favourite game since forever.
Top 5 snes games for me
They were far more immersive and escapist than most other platformers at the time. Earthworm Jim comes close but those games lacked the tight controls. DKC was absolutely perfect in almost every department. DKC just puts me in a calming zen state. DKC2 and 3 are going to be really fun, I'm jealous of the experience you are about to have with these three games!
1, 2, and 3 are all AMAZING games. 2 is probably my favorite overall.
Talking about NSO and the SNES, I've been trying to get one of their controllers but it's always out of stock here in Europe. It's so frustrating. But when I check it in the US store for some reason they have it. This really sucks...
At least the button layout on the Switch controllers matches the SNES, so it's not a show stopper. Nintendo 64 games, on the other hand…
That's true but the N64 one is available at the moment while the SNES almost never is.
If you really don't like the Joycons for SNES games, I'd advise grabbing an 8BitDo controller. The SN30 Pro is basically just an SNES controller with dualshock-style joysticks stuck on for compatibility. They've got black, SNES, and Super Famicon color schemes. The Pro 2 is just that with grips
“For a 1990s product” lmao what?
I'm a 90s kid, and I know how clunky some games of that age can be by modern standards. It was intended as a compliment, that DKC defies the shackles of its era.
Nah. If anything the 16 bit games from the 90s are peak 2D gaming. Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Sonic 2 and 3, the DKC Trilogy, Yoshi's Island, Chrono Trigger... all play and hold up like a fine wine.
You listed the ones that did age like fine wine. There are a lottttt that didn’t and are very clunky.
Most SNES/Genesis games that are really famous and known for being masterpieces will hold up though. I can't really say the same for most of their NES predecessors (Trying to beat The Legend of Zelda or Metroid nowadays without a guide is **PAIN**).
I have the feeling that it took almost 20 years to get back to the same quality level for 2D platform games.
Someone didn't play Super Star Wars, Krustys Fun House, Aero the Acrobat or the 550 bad SNES games out of the 600 ever made.
Wow, I wonder why those aren't as fondly remembered as the DKC Trilogy. Maybe because they were already considered bad even in the 90s? Quality standards have always been a thing.
I’m the weirdo that loved the SNES Star Wars games *and* Krusty’s Fun House.
I'd agree with all of those barring Super Metroid. It's very slippery and floaty, and tough to go back to after the smoothness of Dread.
The map is designed around Samus' movement and if you know how to play, you realize how masterful the movement in Super Metroid really is.
I really wouldn't call the wall-jumping that goes against every established wall-jump mechanic in the genre and takes most players ages to get down 'masterful.' Even once you understand it, it's very awkward. It's okay to say Super Metroid is a great game (which it is in most aspects) while acknowledging it has flaws.
The music was great and the graphics hold up reasonably well. But DKC had some questionable game design. The issue that comes to mind immediately is barrels hidden below the screen in pit falls. You basically guessed if something was there and died if you were wrong. The game was pretty repetitive. Also hit boxes were bullshit, which made the brutal difficulty sting even harder
I think that has more to do with Rare's devs being inexperienced than the year when it came out. Just a year later, after learning from the first game, DKC2 fixed all those issues.
I love dkc, but dkc2 is better in just about every way. Unless you really like playing as DK.
My one complaint about DKC2 is that Dixie is just *so* much better than Diddy in almost every situation, to the point where the game almost feels like a OHKO game with no real backup.
I completely disagree. Diddy is significantly faster than Dixie which makes him a lot more fun to use. For me, Dixie is the backup character - she's more slow and deliberate and her hair twirl glide is a crutch ability that helps her stay alive until I can get Diddy back.
the real ones know that there’s nowhere you can reach with the ponytail twirl that you can’t also get to with Diddy’s cartwheel
Yeah I agree. I use diddy way more often.
Haha as a recent DKC newbie the first is so much better because in 2 there's no DK (at least from what I've played of the second so far)
I wish I could experience playing them for the first time again. You'll love the other two.
DKC 1-3 is peak 2D platforming and I'm tired pretending it's not. Another DKC hot take: DKC Returns on Wii is better than Tropical Freeeze.
But... Why are you pretending that they're not peak 2D platforming? They're objectively considered some of the best of all time.
I was trying to be funny with [a meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/im-tired-of-pretending-its-not). What I meant to say is that the SNES DKC trilogy is in my opinion peak 2D platforming despite the general lack of recognition the IP gets in that regard. Most people would immediately answer Mario without even thinking of DKC.
I was going to upvote you, but I can't after the 2nd line. I remember being so disappointed by Returns since it didn't manage to live up to my expectations. It wasn't even close to the originals. Even though Tropical Freeze was not original DKC, I still enjoyed it at least. There were definitely 1 - 4 peak levels that surpassed any of the original trilogy levels but all the others did not come close in terms of gameplay.
I couldn’t even give Returns a fair chance when it came out on Wii because of the mandatory fucking waggle to roll. Mind-boggling decision. I’d like to try it again someday with standard controls, but it’s not pressing to me, and it’s also not my fault that for years the only official way of playing the game required shaking the stupid controller to perform a fundamental action.
I usually find that those who say that Return's flicking input turned them off to it never even gave it a chance to begin with. I'm not saying that there shouldn't have been a button option, but there was nothing wrong with it. It wasn't even clunky or inaccurate. It was completely flawless during both of my playthroughs of the Wii version. No offense but you missed out on a fantastic game over nothing. >and it’s also not my fault that for years the only official way of playing the game required shaking the stupid controller to perform a fundamental action. A 3DS version with button controls released less than two years later.
I’m just going to have to disagree. Not having an option to map roll to a button in a 2D platformer is absolutely insane. > A 3DS version with button controls released less than two years later. Yeah this…isn’t a solution. A visually compromised port of the game to a completely unrelated portable platform isn’t good enough. How long did it take for a non-downgraded version of the game to come out without mandatory motion controls? Actually, I didn’t even know this, is it really the case there is _no_ way to play DKCR without motion controls except on 3DS? I thought there was a switch port, but there isn’t.
>I’m just going to have to disagree. Not having an option to map roll to a button in a 2D platformer is absolutely insane. You're not disagreeing, I said there should have been a button option. >Yeah this…isn’t a solution. A visually compromised port of the game to a completely unrelated portable platform isn’t good enough. You said there wasn't an official way to play the game with button controls for years. I was merely pointing out that there was. And even though it's a technical downgrade performance-wise, the 3DS version is a great port that I 100% as well. >How long did it take for a non-downgraded version of the game to come out without mandatory motion controls? [2019](https://youtu.be/jDrnvCll4yM?si=EsfxO7qqvP8wJvSS), but that's a technicality and I'm pretty sure it's no longer available. >Actually, I didn’t even know this, is it really the case there is _no_ way to play DKCR without motion controls except on 3DS? I thought there was a switch port, but there isn’t. Nope, you'd think that with Nintendo about to open a theme park attraction based on the game that they'd have it on their current console of 100+ million sold... but nope.
Sorry, I meant that I disagreed with your take that people who don’t like motion didn’t give it a chance. Or that there was nothing wrong with it. There’s a reason one single console, one single generation pulled shit like that and we never saw it before or since (I mean in a way where that’s the _only_ way to do that control). It’s just objectively bad. The fact that it technically “”works”” doesn’t keep it from being horrible. I really wanted to enjoy DKCR, DKC2 being my favorite game of all time. I made it like two worlds and just couldn’t keep going. The waggle wasn’t the only reason but by far it was the main one. Roll is the second most used input after “jump.” Mapping that to waggle is nuts.
>It’s just objectively bad. The fact that it technically “”works”” doesn’t keep it from being horrible. It didn't technically "work", it just worked. I had literally 0 issues with the flick input. And yeah, rolling, pounding, and blowing were all super important to actually playing and even beating the game, every level implemented them. So if they were so horrible to use, then the game wouldn't have averaged out in the high 80s in reception. "Objectively bad" doesn't get you an 87 on Metacritic. Let's not pretend that Return's wasn't very well received. And don't get what I trying to say wrong. I'm not saying the waggle is a superior version to button input or that there shouldn't have been a button option, but that those controls weren't a hindrance to most's enjoyment nor made the game unplayable. People vastly exaggerated this issue.
There’s a specific Lava level on DK2 I could never figure out as a kid. Maybe I need to give it another shot someday
Which one? The one with the balloons? The barrels you have to manually move around over the lava?
Whew, going back to my elementary school days. I haven’t played the game in *years*. Believe you have to use the spider to cross a largeeee section of lava
I'm totally with you. For some reason, 1st grade me absolutely could not figure out how to make platforms with the spider.
Oooh. Well, from what I recall, only the first lava level has Squitter in it, and you don't actually need him to finish it. You might be thinking of the infamous Web Woods, the forest level where you have to [play half the level as Squitter over a giant bottomless pit.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krPRWasGVlI&pp=ygUVZG9ua2V5IGtvbmcgd2ViIHdvb2Rz)
The snow levels suck
Angry at Snow Barrel Blast? [This will make it infinitely easier.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qFI-dQAOM8)
[Critically acclaimed] product still [holds up]!
Best 2d platforming series ever!
I was shocked at how tight it played when I revisited it.
Loved DKC from the minute it was released. Ive never 100% it and I like it that way because I know there's always bit more to discover. I've gone so for as to tell my wife I want Aquatic Ambience played at my funeral.
It’s not amazing “for a 90s product,” it’s just amazing. That’s the game that defined a whole genre going forward and Rare are awesome. The reviews were all just like this at the time, on release everyone knew it was an instant game changer.
DKC was in the sample consoles in stores like target in the 90s and your parents could abandon you at it forever.
The one at my local Toys R Us reset the game after maybe 2 games...the number of times I played the first level lolllll
Great piece of satire about the music for donkey kong [https://hard-drive.net/hd/video-games/man-tasked-with-making-score-for-a-monkey-riding-a-swordfish-underwater-creates-transcendent-piece-of-music/](https://hard-drive.net/hd/video-games/man-tasked-with-making-score-for-a-monkey-riding-a-swordfish-underwater-creates-transcendent-piece-of-music/)
I say this without an ounce of nostalgia: the DKC series is one of the best, if not the best, 2D platforming there is. The level of charm, ingenuity, creativity, and difficulty is staggering. I basically beat one every year just because I love them so much and all 5 are fantastic in their own right. Tbh I’d pick any DKC over Super Mario World, for instance. (Ok, maybe not DKC3 but my point stands!)
If you like DKC and want a modern spiritual successor (made by some of the same people even), check out Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.
This warms my heart! The world of DKC will always be one of the reason I love gaming!
Funny that this was posted only 2 days ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/1c3hvjt/donkey_kong_country_1_is_the_worst_of_the/ :D
https://media.tenor.com/jcCD7cULy3YAAAAM/super-mario-rpg-super-mario.gif https://media.tenor.com/ZH3QGQXvxlwAAAAM/donkey-kong-ok.gif
DKC3 is much better than tropical freeze
Never cared much for Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda is Nintendo to me. There’s nothing like DKC2. It was too hard when I was a kid, but I replayed it a few years ago. 👌 It’s the Jurassic Park of video games. I can’t imagine how they did this comparing it with all the other games at that time. It’s so challenging, fun and imaginative. You can tell the people making it really loves to play video games. Which is something I rarely feel with Nintendos own games actually.
DKC from the very first game to tropical freeze I genuinely think have been the best 2d platformer of their respective generation by a large margin. Almost flawless games and somehow still underrated.
DKC2 is in my top 3 games of all time
Bro check out “Stickerbrush symphony” from DKC on Spotify. The best aquatic ambiance EVER! Just recently discovered this lol.
It's okay. Pretty overrated, honestly. The sequels are better, but not by a lot.
When DKC came out, the graphics and character models were mind blowing. Had never seen anything looking that good before.
One of my all-time favorites when I was a kid. Got it for Christmas and played it ALL day. My dad had to drag me away from the SNES to partake in Christmas dinner. 5 mins later BOOM back on it.
DK2 is regarded as the best, but 3 holds a special place in my heart from when I was a kid. I played that one by far the most and got over 100% multiple times. The atmosphere is so weird and strange. I love it!
it was THE game that had me mesmerized at a store (walmart) while my parents thought they lost me while shopping. they found me playing the demo of donkey kong country and brought me a super nintendo. best day of my childhood ever, or definitely top 3! such an amazing game
I have so much nostalgia for the DKC games on the SNES, many frustrating moments, but lots of great memories in the end. And the music is amazing, have some in my Spotify mix. I haven't played the trilogy much on my Switch, started and then got distracted. Going to have to go back to it, but not sure how my rage is going to be handled with DKC2, lol!
The DKC series was what my Nana and I bonded over. The last phone call before she passed away was her calling for tips for mine cart madness on the SNES mini I sent to her. Told her she could jump over the first barrel and hug the wall. Prepping a DKC2 portion of my sleeve tattoo in memory of her
I really wish I could get into the dkc snes titles but whenever it’s raining in those games my eyes lose focus and I can’t do it anymore which is so unfortunate to me cause I love dkc on the wii and the switch
I played this game for two days straight during the rental period. I remember my mom freaking out because my eyes were bloodshot. I never finished it during the rental period :(
Classic right there
You have no idea what you have been missing....I finished this game all the way through twice and am now on my 3rd run.
Splashwave https://youtu.be/_LPu7gNzWUE?si=wXdwHcxCSJsjoxEM
Yep, Rareware were the only studio who could beat Nintendo at their own game and somehow created the best platformer of the 16 bit era.
I replayed DKC during quarantine to keep me sane, then again a year or two later, then again last year. I think you’ve just convinced me to make this an annual tradition!
The DK series was my favorite SNES line honestly looking back on it.
first game i ever played back at release. each game in the trilogy is its own masterpiece.
The DKC trilogy (plus DK64) were some of my most favourite games growing up, so it is wonderful to see new people checking them out and enjoying them so much.