Thanks for all of your work !! Dk Country Returns is by far my favorite game ever, will always be. I'm really curious to hear what you think about it !
The SNES Donkey Kong trilogy was so important to me while growing up. It's interesting to hear someone talk about the trilogy that hasn't grown up with them
Same here. My mom got me the snes maybe 2 years after release, n we got each donkey Kong every xmas, n we're ther only snes games we ever had other than Mario. We were very poor, my mom saved for 2 years just to by the console. We didn't get a64 till maybe 99 or 2000 but I got a64 controller once xmas,n I thought I was getting a64, but it was just the controller. My best friend had a64 but only one paddle, n since I hung it with him everyday, I got a paddle so we could play moor games. Irrelevant to the topic, but it's Nintendo related I guess lol. It was quite ther let down as a present, but I knew I want getting a64, it was way too expensive, but ther controller was appreciated that summer when my friend came back to town to stay at his gma, which was when we hung it, since her lived out of state during The school year
DKC 2 has always been a special game for me. It was so dark, but colorful at the same time, and the music was so immersive. Something about this game just really made it stand out for me.
later in life I came to realize that all my favorite video games from my youth all had one thing in common: immersive atmosphere… and along with the _Zelda_ franchise, _Donkey Kong Country_ was definitely a favorite, and I’d say it owes the majority of its atmosphere to the incredible music (along with the moody graphics). …I discovered _Super Mario World_ after _DKC,_ and I just couldn’t get into it because of how simplistic it was. it’s just a game, like a more advanced _Pac-Man_ or something, and not an immersive, transportative experience 🤷🏻♂️
When DKC released the hype train was massive. Commercials everywhere, industry magazines couldn’t stop talking about Rare and donkey Kong The game was a ground breaking with new visuals and graphics. Music and sound reached new heights. Popularity explosions
I remember seeing the commercials for the 1st Donkey Kong Country game in 94 and being blown away by the visuals and for a hot minute was the talk of the town which can make Mario get just a little jealous 😂
playing it outside of Snes means it gets easier. Snes has that perilous no save zone in the icy caps of DK Island that really hits hard. The poetry of the landscapes in the first DKC is what makes it the favorite for me
I'm going to echo the sentiments of my fellow old-timers; it's great to see someone appreciating these games who didn't grow up with them. I was six when my family got DKC for Xmas in '94, and the series remains my hands-down favorite to this day.
You HAD to be there to really get why they're so great. idk how to explain it, but the memories of playing some of the most difficult platformers at the time before gaming had evolved into what it is now, is something that will never be understood by a newcomer. back then, you really bonded with players who loved this game. it was a seal of a hardcore gamer.
I have such huge nostalgia for this trilogy. This was my childhood. DKC3 got plenty of hate but I loved it just as much as the other two. DKC Returns just wasn't the same; it did not have the same magic.
What made DKC special to me is not only Rare made masterpiece platformers with great graphics for SNES, but it was the time Donkey Kong got reformed into his since-current look from the arcade days and introduced his family. I still have all three games in original hardware. DKC 1 is my favorite, though I agree with the fanbase that the second is the best.
I assume you didn't notice that the rolling mechanic (you mentioned you didn't like) had a speed multiplier and length multiplier on it so if you could hit multiple enemies with it in a row, it would speed up horizontal movement tremendously and also would last longer.
Huge part of enjoyment in these games, was going for 101% on the first game, 102% on the 2nd game and 103% on the 3rd game. Its a unique experience that can never be forgotten. I don't find any of them to be very hard, although I'm sure they did seem hard when I was young and played them for first time. Imagine how mindblowing these were in the 90s though. Nothing came close. The things that truly make the first 2 games few of the best platformers ever made, and belonging in the hall of fame is in the end a combination of things. Soundtrack from Wise, atmosphere and perfect blend with nature elements, unique level design and variety of levels, "pure enjoyment-fun", the fact that it just "feels" too good and too enjoyable for a game, these may all sound like simple things, but most games neglect how important all of them are. You fall in love with it and the characters. Its just too memorable. The music makes sure you get full of emotions throughout this beautiful journey. Also you cannot even begin to imagine how the experience became 100 times better when you played these whole games with a good friend in co-op, or your sibling. Insanely memorable. Words can't describe it. Modern platform games never managed to accomplish this in platformers honestly. The 3rd game is alright, but it never reaches the peak that the first two games reached. Difficulty is honestly not as important as all those other things mentioned. Funny that you didn't like the mine cart madness level(s) form the first game. I absolutely adored that and I was not the only one to think so. First game is still my favorite, maybe its the feelings from being mind-blown the first time. Who knows. As a kid its hard to be amazed by something, as much as we all were from that game. Its special.
oh my god. I played Diddy's Kong- Quest in '95 and you just made me realize I missed the biggest pun all these years later. That is awesome whoever came up with that title. Thank you.
@@bezoticallyyours83 for me as well hahahaha. But the first 3 worlds of DKC 3 are very chill and relaxing. Not a knock on it, just a positive remark. The Krakatoa World is especially hard in DKC 3, I always have a hard time there
DKC is undoubtedly my all time favorite franchise, 3 is especially my most nostalgic one out of them. I grew up with the GBA version of 3 and only 3, I never had the other two growing up. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I finally got to play the other two, DKC2 is my second favorite, but 3 is still number one no matter what. Plus two and three had Dixie, the best Kong in the series! XD Great video! I enjoyed watching it!
You don’t. There’s an exploit in Pirate Panic that nets you all 75 Kremkoins. It’s very precise and tough to pull off, but basically: Go in the Captain’s Cabin and immediately walk out, jump over the two bananas (this is important), grab the banana bunch on top of the barrels a bit further ahead (a Kremling is walking in top of the barrels, and the bananas are right in the middle), run back and jump over the two bananas again. Go into the cabin and jump over K. Rool’s note WITHOUT ACTIVATING IT, and grab the 1-up balloon. Jump over the letter again. If you activate it, the whole trick is ruined. Go outside and jump over the two bananas again, then grab the banana bunch again and run back. Jump over the two bananas one more time and enter the cabin. Gran the Kremkoin that appears, and it’ll give you all of them. Now you have full Lost World access without doing a single bonus level.
@@AndDeathForAll82 this sounds just like old schoolyard rumors, though perhaps it is possible in a short time and easy to test. I'll give it a shot, this seems simultaneously like it's too good to be true and also like classic Rare
Small caveat on Funky in DKC2. For each world in the game, his planes have a one time fee. I usually visit his shack in each world, just to pay the one time fee, then save the game afterwards.
For some reason towards the later half of the video I got the immediate video of Antdude. Honestly this is probably the best retrospective of the trilogy I have been able to find. Good work man!
I had a SEGA Gensis growing up. In 1997 I made friends with a kid who had a SNES. It was the first time I played it outside of a demo kiosk. I was really interested in a bunch of games like DKC but he also had a PS1 and we mostly played all the new games like Final Fantasy 7. Flash forward to highschool, I got a GBA my junior year and picked up the brand new port of DKC 2 after a lot of hype. I liked it ok. In college I played the GBA port of Donkey Kong Country and again it was ok. When I was 23 I figured I'd try DKC3 for the hell of it but it had been delisted on the Wii so I got a used cart for GBA and holy cow was I hooked. That's why I love hearing reviews of others late to the series. You don't have to love DKC3 but a lot of my peers just blindly hate it. Love your retrospectives, was really looking forward to this one.
@@youngcurrythrowed Because some fanboys are incredibly nitpicky and too hypocritical to realize that the same "gripes" they lob at 3 are also applied to 2.
Interesting hearing the thoughts of someone who didn't grow up with the DKC games. Glad to see you young'uns enjoying the games we old timers loved so much. DKC2 is still, to me, the best game of all time.
I can't get behind u saying this game was easy it's a hard changeling game. Also u had to be there to truly understand why people love this game so much it was the only game at the time that looked an sounded as good as this.
I was 8yrs old when this game was gifted to me on Christmas. It would come to be the best Christmas gift I have or would ever receive outside of my SNES system itself. I can still sit down and beat the game relatively quick ,due to cataloging the timing as a child years ago. Was a blast then and is a blast now. I am now in the process of showing my 8yr old daughter this culturally iconic masterpiece of a game. Truly a testament of time. Loved the video
Playing DKC3 again for the umpteenth time. I personally love the Northwest look of DKC3’s Northern Kremisphere. Love all the series, though. Great gameplay, graphics, and of course, the epic soundtracks.
I was first introduced to this series as DKC3 from a TV commercial. Then I saw DKC2 from a Nintendo magazine. And finally, I played DKC for the first time for the SNES.
17:50 they were actually developed by the same team. DKC1+2 and Project Dream/Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie we’re the same team. DKC3 and DK64 were a separate team. And the reason for all the pirates is Kuz Gregg Mayles is obsessed with pirates, hence Sea of Thieves which he also directed.
I have played and completed this trilogy 4 to 5 times collecting everything on it and I still want to play them. Definitely one of my favorite franchise from that time. I also agree on the fact that what makes this games so memorable is like you said, “they are FUN!” And that’s what most games from today are missing. Cool video, thanks for shearing, I really enjoyed it 🙂
I love DKC2 with all of my heart! The game is so good and consistent. I play it once a year to remember that games are games and that they can always be fun while still having an awesome atmosphere
I played dkc2 on switch one day a while back just cause I vaguely remember hearing it was good, and I discovered one of my new favorite games of all time that day Everything just hits right for me, the relaxing ambient soundtrack, the gorgeous prerendered graphics, the amazing level design, etc I can definitely see what all the hype was about with dkc2 hehe
Seeing these Rareware retrospectives really makes me wonder what would have happen if Nintendo purchased 100% of Rare and what kind of games they would made in the gamecube, wii and switch era.
"The legend of Banjo: Breath of the Bear" and its sequel The legend of Banjo: Jiggies of the Kingdom" would have been masterpieces. Im so glad i got to experience them in a parallel universe.
So far for me, DKC2 is the only game of the trilogy in which I've COMPLETED EVERYTHING (102%). I've yet to score everything in DKC and DKC3 as I still have the Digital Games in my Wii.
I wish developers could format a new DKC game going back to those old pre-rendered graphics akin to the original trilogy. Yes it’s novelty, but it still holds up to this day in my opinion.
Good video! To me it seems like the creators of the DKC triology had fun while creating them and thats a big part of why they are great, inspiration is contagious!
Preface: I did play these at their releases on the SNES. 90 seconds - "overhyped"... ooo, you got me steaming.... I agree with you about DKC1, I didn't really understand why it was so special. But it makes sense once you play 2. Diddy and Dixie handled so different, Diddy had way better physics and his roll attack was much smoother. But that ponytail whirly bird was cool on Dixie. DKC3 gets way too much criticism. Yeah, Kiddy has weird and cumbersome to use but I like his roll way better than Dixie's. But the game is really good. I love how they introduce SO MANY mechanics, even if it's for one level, there are new ones constantly. I loved Low-G Labyrinth and Ripsaw Rage for their mechanics. But even Lightning Lookout, Murky Mill, Poisonous Pipeline, Rocket Rush, Swoopy Salvo, Fish Food Frenzy: they ALL had one-off mechanics that were super well-designed and only present for that one level! Rare did a fantastic job with this game! And while DKC2 is my favorite, the intro music for DKC3 is by far the best one.
When the DKC came out, it really was revolutionary. I was all team genesis until it came out, then begged by parents to get the snes with dkc package for Xmas. It was so much fun at that time. I was shocked how fast the second one one came out just a year later and was skeptical on how it would be with such a quick turn around. I remember once I got to the hot air balloon level I was blown away. When the third one came out, I was getting older, 15. The N64 was out and I didn’t know what to expect. I remember being disappointed. It just didn’t have that “it” factor to me. Last year, at 42, I purchased a retro system and bought all three games. I went through the original in no time. The second one took a while but I got through it. The third one still just didn’t do it for me. I still haven’t beaten it yet. Didn’t beat it back in 96 either. Either way, great memories with these games and so glad they are part of my growing up. To me both back then and now in my middle age year. The second one of the only one I can throw on and play from time to time. Still my favorite plat-former of all time.
I think your final point is absolutely right. These games are just good games & they don't try to be anything other than that at the end of the day. I wish more developers would focus on just that, as my favorite games don't normally involve something gimmicky or revolutionary. Some of what I love about the DKC trilogy on SNES is that they're just good games with fun designs, but there's so much more to it than that & I'd be typing an essay. Let's just say it's a bit of nostalgia, timing, game design & most importantly pacing.
I was working at Toys 'R' Us when the first Donkey Kong Country came out, they had a playable display which I played on my lunch break, there was some big deal about it being 64 bit, the store had a huge DK Country promotion with a gigantic vinyl display banner that hung on front of half the store, big enough to see from the freeway, I obtained it after the promotion was done and hung onto it for years, with no place big enough to hang it, lost it one of my many moves.
I'll always remember the commercial for the first game being a clap-back at Sega's years of aggro-advertising. Pointing out that you don't need some useless expensive add-on to play it.
I recently completed the whole trilogy on SNES. I never owned these games as a kid but a few of my friends had the first game and I loved playing it. After completing them all as an adult, I can say Diddy's Kong Quest is by far the best. The first and the third games are still amazing.
DKC1, Great game but some obvious flaws. Sparks of brilliance despite the weak boss battles. DKC2, Awesome game that improves over the original and has some magical moments including some intense boss battles and levels that get your heart pumping including the Sinking Ship in the Swamp and the Toxic Ooze in the Tower level. DKC3, Great game that has innovation but often overlooked due to how late it was released in the SNES life before the N64 was released.
What makes it special? I think it's simple: They're extremely fun. 10/10 levels of fun. I had the same issue as you with DKC3, though. At a certain point, it felt like every single level contained a gimmick. I don't mind gimmick levels but I think they need to be broken up by more traditional platforming levels. By the end of the game, there are no more traditional platforming levels and it's nothing but gimmicks and it became very tiring. I longed for a normal platforming level like in DKC1.
Every DKC game has a shit ton of gimmicks. If you're gonna whine about gimmick levels in one game, you need to whine about them in all of them, or shut your yap. I had an argument with fanboys who bitched about the same, and I actually went and counted. There's only one more gimmick level in 3, then there is in 2.
I remember seeing DKC for the first time at a video game kiosk in Sears at the mall. Anybody remember those? The graphics were mind blowing. Played DKC2 at a friend’s birthday sleepover. Stayed up all night but kept dying in one of the ghost levels. Some of the save gaps were brutal. Later got my own SNES and DKC1 and 2. Finding all the secrets in DKC2 was so much fun and super difficult. No google back then. DKC2 is my platformer GOAT.
Got DKC2 age 9 in 1995 and have replayed it quite a few times. For reasons mentioned many times, I think it's the greatest 2D platformer ever made. The gameplay, drama, graphics, environments, and not least the music.
It was the first game I owned as a kid, I still replay it now, and I'll listen to the music independently from the game, it's always going to be a favorite of mine.
31:33 I love your thoughts on DKC3 graphics! There are great details in the levels, but it's funny how some levels are pretty while others have wacky/sickly color schemes :) 31:48 Also I'm glad you're complimenting DKC3's music! It feels like some youtubers copy/paste a script to hate on its music. It's kinda a different style than earlier games, but its still beautiful and atmospheric!
Didn't have a SNES growing up, but did have a gameboy. So Donkey Kong Land was everything I knew and had been playing it as long as I remember. My best friend had Donkey Kong Land 2 and I remember it was extremely difficult. When I finally got around to Country series, I fell in love with it again.
The DKC trilogy are precious games to me, from both my childhood and recently. They're utterly charming, tightly made, and just plain fun. 2 and 3 are my faves, especially the vibes of DKC3's overworld.
I had a Genesis when DKC1 was released. I couldn't have two consoles at the same time but I was obsessed with playing it at friends houses. We also used to have a video and game rental store just 3 minutes walking distance from my house that had TVs and console set ups around the store so you could rent a game and play it at the store. I totally rented that game a few times. DKC2 surprisingly I didn't play til I had an emulator years later. DKC3 my best friend had and I watched him get 105% The stage clear fanfare was always golden to me. I loved that one the most to be totally honest.
Thank you for your open and honest thoughts. For me, it's the combination of first time playing something like this as a kid and beeing combined with this masterpiece music.its like a first love so to say 😊❤
I'll never forget seeing that DKC commercial in 8th grade during Channel One News (those were the days!) and how it was NOT on Sega and NOT on 32-bit adapters and NOT on CD-ROM!! Yeah, take that Sega! :D
They're amazing 2 player games with mostly well-crafted and unusual level design, the controls are tight and responsive,the music is wonderful, and the designs are goofy and memorable. Had sooo much fun playing them with friends in middle and high school, and I wish Nintendo would make a DKC Collection. Freaking Timeless!
This game (DKC 1), at the time was the perfect game for the hardware that was created! Huge boost on graphics, sound, and smooth gameplay comparing to the competency, it was an amazing achievement.
What made this game special was going from the graphics of super mario Brothers to DKC. If you didn't experience the leap forward with you own eyes, you wouldn't understand one of the key elements that made the game amazing. The excitement of seeing something that was infinitely more beautiful than anything that came before it. And the music.
The first was solid on it's own, a chill yet hectic atmosphere sometimes but a lighthearted adventure between two apes hearing pep talks from grandpa and trying to get back their bananas Then you play the second game and shit gets real, the title screen and hub themes alone already let you know that this is isn't going to be easy
Great video, its interesting to hear someone's take on something when they weren't around for the hype train and I'm happy you have an appreciation for these games and you think that they hold up and are still worth playing. Personally though i do think it was one of those you had to be there moments to 100% understand why the trilogy or even games at this time were special to the people of my generation at least. At the time these games came out while Sega and Nintendo had established decent libraries for the SNES and Genesis, gaming and entertainment just wasn't as accessible as it is now or even by the time the 64/Playstation came out. When you consider that for most kids playing games in the 80's/90's, their parents weren't really about the whole gaming experience. Their parent's had already lived out a totally different lifestyle with maybe some exposure to classics like Pac-Man or Pong. So to them playing video games wasn't really as appealing as it was to the kids in my generation, so you had to really beg in most cases to get a game, wait till a birthday/Christmas, or pray that a friend you knew had a copy and would be willing to lend it to you. These games weren't cheap either. They would cost what a AAA title costs now. Now you can either emulate a console's entire library or get the hits in compilations etc. So at the time when gaming and entertainment just wasnt easily as accessible, when the 8-bit and 16-bit consoles started dishing out games with actual stories and plots, it was a game changer and you let your imagination do the rest. When games like DKC came out. That was the talking point at the playground and during lunch, you would argue over which Kong was best, you would talk about what the sequel if it had one what it should be like, you would hear rumors of this crazy level or character you can unlock (the internet wasnt really a thing yet, so rumors were rampant) and then you would go back home and pour hours into trying to see if it was true or not. The overall experience at the time plus the game is what truly made those games nostalgic. Sorry for the super long comment. You made me take a trip through memory lane 😂
Always cool to see Kong Discussion. I was born after the country trilogy came out, but I was a Jungle Beat kid and fell in love with the monkeys ever since. Been playing country 1, barrel blast, king of swing and tropical freeze lately, all great times. Its only a feeling but i think a new DK will be announced later this year. But we'll see.
Still have my original SNES copies that i played back when i was 10+yrs old. They dont age. Still as good and as re playable as ever. A quality that isnt as common in today's gaming.
I find it ironic in dkc2 and 3 when you say you just wanted to defeat k.rool but then you didnt want to go for the lost worlds and bonus world in dkc3 XD
I'm really grateful towards some employee I've never met, at whatever retailer my parents got my snes from in the early 90s. They advised a couple of games to get along with the system, therefore, introducing me to Mario, DK, Kirby, LoZ and several other great IPs and a gamer was born.😅
For me it’s the story In 1. K rool thinks that he can rob an island of its natural resources with no problems, but is thwarted by DK, and diddy In 2. K rool accounts for this and kidnaps DK, holdin him for ransom, but diddy and Dixie storm and destroy the kremling homeland, eventually destroying it. In 3. K rool is no longer the leader of the kremlings, a new dude, Kaos, is. Kaos kidnaps both donkey Kong and diddy kong, but is secretly k rool to begin with
Despite not having played all three games in this trilogy, watching videos about these games has me wanting to re-explore Donkey Kong Country 2 and play Donkey Kong Country 3 too. Donkey Kong Country 2 is the best in this trilogy and it certainly shows how much was jam-packed into the game! 😊👍 If the sequel was in the Super Nintendo Mini with Donkey Kong Country, it would make collecting the mini console a lot better.
What makes dkc special ? Everything !! Thank you for spotlighting this glorious series . Dkc 1 is still my favorite game of all time . I’m 39 and have been playing it many many times a year for the last twenty nine years .
Please sample the different themes CloudConncetion! I always look forward to actually hearing the different musical numbers in these reviews. It really emphasises your notes on them when there’s sample sounds.
DKC 1 is hands-down my favorite. Nostalgia probably influences that - I played it at multiple family get-togethers with cousins. But the music and overall feel is still my favorite. I enjoyed 2 and 3 as well. "Animal Antics" from 2 was the WORST lol. I somehow beat it after about 2 hours of grinding, but I'm fine saying I beat it one time.
I haaate Animal Antics! Pothole Panic did it a lot better. I'd say the 5 toughest levels in each game are: 1-Tanked Up Trouble, Platform Perils, Oil Drum Alley, Snow Barrel Blast, Treetop Town 2-Klobber Carnage, Toxic Tower, Kastle Crush, Hornet Hole, Animal Antics 3-Rocket Race, Lighting Look-out, Swoopy Salvo, Kong-fused Cliffs, Demolition Drainpipe
I barely played a Mario game until Sunshine on the Gamecube. I grew up with Donkey Kong though, I owned DKC and would rent Country 2 & 3 all the time but never beat them. My 1st N64 game was Donkey Kong 64 and it remains one of my favorite games of all time. Then the Gamecube era happened and they released some weird Donkey Kong game with a Bongo controller? Idk it was way to gimmicky for me. I felt like Donkey Kong deserved his own Sunshine esque title. I later did enjoy Jungle Beats but it still feels like Donkey Kong became an after thought after that.
I never played the 3rd game until last year and I thought it was only okay after beating it and I didn't think the second ending was needed since it was just a cutscene
![TOP 10 Secret Bonus Rooms in Donkey Kong Country | Super Nintendo [Original SNES Capture]](/img/n.gif)
Thanks for making the past five years truly remarkable! Here's to many more years of CloudConnection.
What's your favorite Donkey Kong game?
I’m torn between DK64, and Returns.
DKC 1
DKC2, with Tropical Freeze as a close second.
@@TheBeserkerLord I second this.
Thanks for all of your work !!
Dk Country Returns is by far my favorite game ever, will always be. I'm really curious to hear what you think about it !
The SNES Donkey Kong trilogy was so important to me while growing up. It's interesting to hear someone talk about the trilogy that hasn't grown up with them
Same here. My mom got me the snes maybe 2 years after release, n we got each donkey Kong every xmas, n we're ther only snes games we ever had other than Mario. We were very poor, my mom saved for 2 years just to by the console.
We didn't get a64 till maybe 99 or 2000 but I got a64 controller once xmas,n I thought I was getting a64, but it was just the controller.
My best friend had a64 but only one paddle, n since I hung it with him everyday, I got a paddle so we could play moor games. Irrelevant to the topic, but it's Nintendo related I guess lol. It was quite ther let down as a present, but I knew I want getting a64, it was way too expensive, but ther controller was appreciated that summer when my friend came back to town to stay at his gma, which was when we hung it, since her lived out of state during The school year
Same here, I was born in 87 and I remember when each game came out. I still play them all once in a while.
I was 5 years old when DKC2 came out first game I beat. That's the game that made me love games. Hands down the most important game in my child hood
I love the games I still play them alot
DK blew my balls off as a kid. I was mesmerized and loved it. Drew pictures of Donky Kong and everything.
"I'm not sure if I love the rolling attack though."
Dude...
I literally gasped
DKC 2 has always been a special game for me. It was so dark, but colorful at the same time, and the music was so immersive. Something about this game just really made it stand out for me.
That's soooo true
later in life I came to realize that all my favorite video games from my youth all had one thing in common: immersive atmosphere… and along with the _Zelda_ franchise, _Donkey Kong Country_ was definitely a favorite, and I’d say it owes the majority of its atmosphere to the incredible music (along with the moody graphics).
…I discovered _Super Mario World_ after _DKC,_ and I just couldn’t get into it because of how simplistic it was. it’s just a game, like a more advanced _Pac-Man_ or something, and not an immersive, transportative experience 🤷🏻♂️
When DKC released the hype train was massive. Commercials everywhere, industry magazines couldn’t stop talking about Rare and donkey Kong
The game was a ground breaking with new visuals and graphics. Music and sound reached new heights. Popularity explosions
I remember seeing the commercials for the 1st Donkey Kong Country game in 94 and being blown away by the visuals and for a hot minute was the talk of the town which can make Mario get just a little jealous 😂
It was absolutely insane. Getting that VHS in the mail, seeing the game in motion for the first time. It was unreal.
playing it outside of Snes means it gets easier. Snes has that perilous no save zone in the icy caps of DK Island that really hits hard. The poetry of the landscapes in the first DKC is what makes it the favorite for me
I'm going to echo the sentiments of my fellow old-timers; it's great to see someone appreciating these games who didn't grow up with them. I was six when my family got DKC for Xmas in '94, and the series remains my hands-down favorite to this day.
You HAD to be there to really get why they're so great. idk how to explain it, but the memories of playing some of the most difficult platformers at the time before gaming had evolved into what it is now, is something that will never be understood by a newcomer. back then, you really bonded with players who loved this game. it was a seal of a hardcore gamer.
I have such huge nostalgia for this trilogy. This was my childhood. DKC3 got plenty of hate but I loved it just as much as the other two.
DKC Returns just wasn't the same; it did not have the same magic.
What made DKC special to me is not only Rare made masterpiece platformers with great graphics for SNES, but it was the time Donkey Kong got reformed into his since-current look from the arcade days and introduced his family.
I still have all three games in original hardware. DKC 1 is my favorite, though I agree with the fanbase that the second is the best.
The DKC series hold a special place in my Gaming Heart. Can’t wait to see what your thoughts are on the Returns and Tropical Freeze!
I assume you didn't notice that the rolling mechanic (you mentioned you didn't like) had a speed multiplier and length multiplier on it so if you could hit multiple enemies with it in a row, it would speed up horizontal movement tremendously and also would last longer.
Huge part of enjoyment in these games, was going for 101% on the first game, 102% on the 2nd game and 103% on the 3rd game. Its a unique experience that can never be forgotten. I don't find any of them to be very hard, although I'm sure they did seem hard when I was young and played them for first time. Imagine how mindblowing these were in the 90s though. Nothing came close.
The things that truly make the first 2 games few of the best platformers ever made, and belonging in the hall of fame is in the end a combination of things.
Soundtrack from Wise, atmosphere and perfect blend with nature elements, unique level design and variety of levels, "pure enjoyment-fun", the fact that it just "feels" too good and too enjoyable for a game, these may all sound like simple things, but most games neglect how important all of them are. You fall in love with it and the characters. Its just too memorable. The music makes sure you get full of emotions throughout this beautiful journey.
Also you cannot even begin to imagine how the experience became 100 times better when you played these whole games with a good friend in co-op, or your sibling. Insanely memorable. Words can't describe it. Modern platform games never managed to accomplish this in platformers honestly. The 3rd game is alright, but it never reaches the peak that the first two games reached. Difficulty is honestly not as important as all those other things mentioned.
Funny that you didn't like the mine cart madness level(s) form the first game. I absolutely adored that and I was not the only one to think so. First game is still my favorite, maybe its the feelings from being mind-blown the first time. Who knows. As a kid its hard to be amazed by something, as much as we all were from that game. Its special.
For dkc2, I’d just fight the area boss again if I wanted to fast travel. I actually enjoyed fighting a lot of the bosses compared to the original.
Damn that's actually a pretty good method!
oh my god. I played Diddy's Kong- Quest in '95 and you just made me realize I missed the biggest pun all these years later. That is awesome whoever came up with that title. Thank you.
DKC3 is probably my favourite. It’s such a nice and cozy experience especially with the Christmas cheat around Christmas time
DKC3 is the coziest of the bunch, the first 3 worlds are so relaxing. Things only amp up when you get to the industry world
Receiving that one for Xmas 96 was comfiness immaculate.
I have never actually played it with the xmas cheat. Maybe I'll do it this winter. ^^
@@titanayrum Low-G Labyrinth, Ripsaw Rage, and Demolition Drain pipe gave me a lotta trouble as a teen. 😅
@@bezoticallyyours83 for me as well hahahaha. But the first 3 worlds of DKC 3 are very chill and relaxing. Not a knock on it, just a positive remark. The Krakatoa World is especially hard in DKC 3, I always have a hard time there
DKC is undoubtedly my all time favorite franchise, 3 is especially my most nostalgic one out of them. I grew up with the GBA version of 3 and only 3, I never had the other two growing up. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I finally got to play the other two, DKC2 is my second favorite, but 3 is still number one no matter what.
Plus two and three had Dixie, the best Kong in the series! XD
Great video! I enjoyed watching it!
the dkc 2 bonus stages are a must to complete the game. You need to complete them so you can fight k rool in another battle to get the true ending.
For real. I didn’t get all of the secret world coins until I was an adult.
You don’t. There’s an exploit in Pirate Panic that nets you all 75 Kremkoins. It’s very precise and tough to pull off, but basically:
Go in the Captain’s Cabin and immediately walk out, jump over the two bananas (this is important), grab the banana bunch on top of the barrels a bit further ahead (a Kremling is walking in top of the barrels, and the bananas are right in the middle), run back and jump over the two bananas again. Go into the cabin and jump over K. Rool’s note WITHOUT ACTIVATING IT, and grab the 1-up balloon. Jump over the letter again. If you activate it, the whole trick is ruined. Go outside and jump over the two bananas again, then grab the banana bunch again and run back. Jump over the two bananas one more time and enter the cabin. Gran the Kremkoin that appears, and it’ll give you all of them.
Now you have full Lost World access without doing a single bonus level.
@@AndDeathForAll82 this sounds just like old schoolyard rumors, though perhaps it is possible in a short time and easy to test. I'll give it a shot, this seems simultaneously like it's too good to be true and also like classic Rare
@@chompythebeast I promise it’s true. There are videos showing how to do it if you’d rather see someone do it.
Small caveat on Funky in DKC2. For each world in the game, his planes have a one time fee. I usually visit his shack in each world, just to pay the one time fee, then save the game afterwards.
For some reason towards the later half of the video I got the immediate video of Antdude. Honestly this is probably the best retrospective of the trilogy I have been able to find. Good work man!
I had a SEGA Gensis growing up. In 1997 I made friends with a kid who had a SNES. It was the first time I played it outside of a demo kiosk. I was really interested in a bunch of games like DKC but he also had a PS1 and we mostly played all the new games like Final Fantasy 7. Flash forward to highschool, I got a GBA my junior year and picked up the brand new port of DKC 2 after a lot of hype. I liked it ok. In college I played the GBA port of Donkey Kong Country and again it was ok. When I was 23 I figured I'd try DKC3 for the hell of it but it had been delisted on the Wii so I got a used cart for GBA and holy cow was I hooked. That's why I love hearing reviews of others late to the series. You don't have to love DKC3 but a lot of my peers just blindly hate it. Love your retrospectives, was really looking forward to this one.
I never understood why DKC3 got so much hate, I loved it as a child and still play it often.
@@youngcurrythrowed Because some fanboys are incredibly nitpicky and too hypocritical to realize that the same "gripes" they lob at 3 are also applied to 2.
Interesting hearing the thoughts of someone who didn't grow up with the DKC games. Glad to see you young'uns enjoying the games we old timers loved so much. DKC2 is still, to me, the best game of all time.
I can't get behind u saying this game was easy it's a hard changeling game. Also u had to be there to truly understand why people love this game so much it was the only game at the time that looked an sounded as good as this.
I was 8yrs old when this game was gifted to me on Christmas. It would come to be the best Christmas gift I have or would ever receive outside of my SNES system itself. I can still sit down and beat the game relatively quick ,due to cataloging the timing as a child years ago. Was a blast then and is a blast now. I am now in the process of showing my 8yr old daughter this culturally iconic masterpiece of a game. Truly a testament of time. Loved the video
Playing DKC3 again for the umpteenth time. I personally love the Northwest look of DKC3’s Northern Kremisphere. Love all the series, though. Great gameplay, graphics, and of course, the epic soundtracks.
Great video, but 17:12 What? Did you call Diddy "chimpanzee"? My dude, Diddy is a Monkey, Dixie is the chimpanzee.
I was first introduced to this series as DKC3 from a TV commercial. Then I saw DKC2 from a Nintendo magazine. And finally, I played DKC for the first time for the SNES.
17:50 they were actually developed by the same team. DKC1+2 and Project Dream/Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie we’re the same team. DKC3 and DK64 were a separate team. And the reason for all the pirates is Kuz Gregg Mayles is obsessed with pirates, hence Sea of Thieves which he also directed.
I have played and completed this trilogy 4 to 5 times collecting everything on it and I still want to play them. Definitely one of my favorite franchise from that time. I also agree on the fact that what makes this games so memorable is like you said, “they are FUN!” And that’s what most games from today are missing. Cool video, thanks for shearing, I really enjoyed it 🙂
I have NEVER heard anyone say they hate the minecart levels...its always the favorite
Big fan of all your videos man! Love the information, and time you put into each one. Thanks for your hard work keeping us informed and entertained.
I think it’s time to replay all 3 again. It’s been 5 years or more now
I love DKC2 with all of my heart! The game is so good and consistent. I play it once a year to remember that games are games and that they can always be fun while still having an awesome atmosphere
To this day I still listen to the DKC2 ost. I used to eat listening to the songs in the snes as a kid
I played dkc2 on switch one day a while back just cause I vaguely remember hearing it was good, and I discovered one of my new favorite games of all time that day
Everything just hits right for me, the relaxing ambient soundtrack, the gorgeous prerendered graphics, the amazing level design, etc
I can definitely see what all the hype was about with dkc2 hehe
26:07 Finally someone gets it! The pair of Dixie and Kiddy Kong is really cool. Kiddy is so underrated.
Seeing these Rareware retrospectives really makes me wonder what would have happen if Nintendo purchased 100% of Rare and what kind of games they would made in the gamecube, wii and switch era.
We wouldn't be stuck with Nuts & Bolts for one
An immediate plus
Would have done a lot better then they've done with MS.
"The legend of Banjo: Breath of the Bear" and its sequel The legend of Banjo: Jiggies of the Kingdom" would have been masterpieces. Im so glad i got to experience them in a parallel universe.
We could have gotten the planned DKC 4
So far for me, DKC2 is the only game of the trilogy in which I've COMPLETED EVERYTHING (102%). I've yet to score everything in DKC and DKC3 as I still have the Digital Games in my Wii.
Thanks to you I was able to discover that Squitter can bounce on barrels that Bazuka shoots
I enjoyed this video! Thank you for making it! I took down a few notes!
I wish developers could format a new DKC game going back to those old pre-rendered graphics akin to the original trilogy. Yes it’s novelty, but it still holds up to this day in my opinion.
Good video! To me it seems like the creators of the DKC triology had fun while creating them and thats a big part of why they are great, inspiration is contagious!
Preface: I did play these at their releases on the SNES.
90 seconds - "overhyped"... ooo, you got me steaming....
I agree with you about DKC1, I didn't really understand why it was so special. But it makes sense once you play 2.
Diddy and Dixie handled so different, Diddy had way better physics and his roll attack was much smoother. But that ponytail whirly bird was cool on Dixie.
DKC3 gets way too much criticism. Yeah, Kiddy has weird and cumbersome to use but I like his roll way better than Dixie's. But the game is really good. I love how they introduce SO MANY mechanics, even if it's for one level, there are new ones constantly. I loved Low-G Labyrinth and Ripsaw Rage for their mechanics. But even Lightning Lookout, Murky Mill, Poisonous Pipeline, Rocket Rush, Swoopy Salvo, Fish Food Frenzy: they ALL had one-off mechanics that were super well-designed and only present for that one level! Rare did a fantastic job with this game! And while DKC2 is my favorite, the intro music for DKC3 is by far the best one.
Nice, thanks for making this!
@@verxcy1619 What
Lots of people mess up with Stickerbush symphony
It's a plant
A Stickerbush
A Bush with stickers that stick ya
When the DKC came out, it really was revolutionary. I was all team genesis until it came out, then begged by parents to get the snes with dkc package for Xmas. It was so much fun at that time. I was shocked how fast the second one one came out just a year later and was skeptical on how it would be with such a quick turn around. I remember once I got to the hot air balloon level I was blown away. When the third one came out, I was getting older, 15. The N64 was out and I didn’t know what to expect. I remember being disappointed. It just didn’t have that “it” factor to me.
Last year, at 42, I purchased a retro system and bought all three games. I went through the original in no time. The second one took a while but I got through it. The third one still just didn’t do it for me. I still haven’t beaten it yet. Didn’t beat it back in 96 either.
Either way, great memories with these games and so glad they are part of my growing up. To me both back then and now in my middle age year. The second one of the only one I can throw on and play from time to time. Still my favorite plat-former of all time.
I think your final point is absolutely right. These games are just good games & they don't try to be anything other than that at the end of the day. I wish more developers would focus on just that, as my favorite games don't normally involve something gimmicky or revolutionary.
Some of what I love about the DKC trilogy on SNES is that they're just good games with fun designs, but there's so much more to it than that & I'd be typing an essay. Let's just say it's a bit of nostalgia, timing, game design & most importantly pacing.
I was working at Toys 'R' Us when the first Donkey Kong Country came out, they had a playable display which I played on my lunch break, there was some big deal about it being 64 bit, the store had a huge DK Country promotion with a gigantic vinyl display banner that hung on front of half the store, big enough to see from the freeway, I obtained it after the promotion was done and hung onto it for years, with no place big enough to hang it, lost it one of my many moves.
I'll always remember the commercial for the first game being a clap-back at Sega's years of aggro-advertising. Pointing out that you don't need some useless expensive add-on to play it.
If you didn't beat the island levels and The real K rool, then you didn't beat dkc2.
I recently completed the whole trilogy on SNES. I never owned these games as a kid but a few of my friends had the first game and I loved playing it. After completing them all as an adult, I can say Diddy's Kong Quest is by far the best. The first and the third games are still amazing.
DKC1, Great game but some obvious flaws. Sparks of brilliance despite the weak boss battles.
DKC2, Awesome game that improves over the original and has some magical moments including some intense boss battles and levels that get your heart pumping including the Sinking Ship in the Swamp and the Toxic Ooze in the Tower level.
DKC3, Great game that has innovation but often overlooked due to how late it was released in the SNES life before the N64 was released.
What makes it special? I think it's simple: They're extremely fun. 10/10 levels of fun.
I had the same issue as you with DKC3, though. At a certain point, it felt like every single level contained a gimmick. I don't mind gimmick levels but I think they need to be broken up by more traditional platforming levels. By the end of the game, there are no more traditional platforming levels and it's nothing but gimmicks and it became very tiring. I longed for a normal platforming level like in DKC1.
Every DKC game has a shit ton of gimmicks. If you're gonna whine about gimmick levels in one game, you need to whine about them in all of them, or shut your yap. I had an argument with fanboys who bitched about the same, and I actually went and counted. There's only one more gimmick level in 3, then there is in 2.
I remember seeing DKC for the first time at a video game kiosk in Sears at the mall. Anybody remember those? The graphics were mind blowing. Played DKC2 at a friend’s birthday sleepover. Stayed up all night but kept dying in one of the ghost levels. Some of the save gaps were brutal. Later got my own SNES and DKC1 and 2. Finding all the secrets in DKC2 was so much fun and super difficult. No google back then. DKC2 is my platformer GOAT.
Got DKC2 age 9 in 1995 and have replayed it quite a few times. For reasons mentioned many times, I think it's the greatest 2D platformer ever made. The gameplay, drama, graphics, environments, and not least the music.
@30:33 i always turned my snes controller around for this level ;P
That's brilliant! I'm going go try your tip.
It was the first game I owned as a kid, I still replay it now, and I'll listen to the music independently from the game, it's always going to be a favorite of mine.
31:33 I love your thoughts on DKC3 graphics! There are great details in the levels, but it's funny how some levels are pretty while others have wacky/sickly color schemes :)
31:48 Also I'm glad you're complimenting DKC3's music! It feels like some youtubers copy/paste a script to hate on its music. It's kinda a different style than earlier games, but its still beautiful and atmospheric!
Didn't have a SNES growing up, but did have a gameboy. So Donkey Kong Land was everything I knew and had been playing it as long as I remember. My best friend had Donkey Kong Land 2 and I remember it was extremely difficult. When I finally got around to Country series, I fell in love with it again.
This is a game franchise worth playing on its original hardware and a crtv.
The DKC trilogy are precious games to me, from both my childhood and recently. They're utterly charming, tightly made, and just plain fun. 2 and 3 are my faves, especially the vibes of DKC3's overworld.
Being an absolute master at all three of these games, watching some of this gameplay drove me crazy! 😆Very glad to see another fan made.
I had a Genesis when DKC1 was released. I couldn't have two consoles at the same time but I was obsessed with playing it at friends houses. We also used to have a video and game rental store just 3 minutes walking distance from my house that had TVs and console set ups around the store so you could rent a game and play it at the store. I totally rented that game a few times.
DKC2 surprisingly I didn't play til I had an emulator years later. DKC3 my best friend had and I watched him get 105% The stage clear fanfare was always golden to me. I loved that one the most to be totally honest.
Thank you for your open and honest thoughts. For me, it's the combination of first time playing something like this as a kid and beeing combined with this masterpiece music.its like a first love so to say 😊❤
great retrospective!
I'll never forget seeing that DKC commercial in 8th grade during Channel One News (those were the days!) and how it was NOT on Sega and NOT on 32-bit adapters and NOT on CD-ROM!! Yeah, take that Sega! :D
They're amazing 2 player games with mostly well-crafted and unusual level design, the controls are tight and responsive,the music is wonderful, and the designs are goofy and memorable.
Had sooo much fun playing them with friends in middle and high school, and I wish Nintendo would make a DKC Collection. Freaking Timeless!
This game (DKC 1), at the time was the perfect game for the hardware that was created! Huge boost on graphics, sound, and smooth gameplay comparing to the competency, it was an amazing achievement.
Am I the only one who likes the mine cart levels?
Nope, they're fun
What made this game special was going from the graphics of super mario Brothers to DKC. If you didn't experience the leap forward with you own eyes, you wouldn't understand one of the key elements that made the game amazing. The excitement of seeing something that was infinitely more beautiful than anything that came before it. And the music.
The first was solid on it's own, a chill yet hectic atmosphere sometimes but a lighthearted adventure between two apes hearing pep talks from grandpa and trying to get back their bananas
Then you play the second game and shit gets real, the title screen and hub themes alone already let you know that this is isn't going to be easy
Great video, its interesting to hear someone's take on something when they weren't around for the hype train and I'm happy you have an appreciation for these games and you think that they hold up and are still worth playing. Personally though i do think it was one of those you had to be there moments to 100% understand why the trilogy or even games at this time were special to the people of my generation at least. At the time these games came out while Sega and Nintendo had established decent libraries for the SNES and Genesis, gaming and entertainment just wasn't as accessible as it is now or even by the time the 64/Playstation came out. When you consider that for most kids playing games in the 80's/90's, their parents weren't really about the whole gaming experience. Their parent's had already lived out a totally different lifestyle with maybe some exposure to classics like Pac-Man or Pong. So to them playing video games wasn't really as appealing as it was to the kids in my generation, so you had to really beg in most cases to get a game, wait till a birthday/Christmas, or pray that a friend you knew had a copy and would be willing to lend it to you. These games weren't cheap either. They would cost what a AAA title costs now. Now you can either emulate a console's entire library or get the hits in compilations etc. So at the time when gaming and entertainment just wasnt easily as accessible, when the 8-bit and 16-bit consoles started dishing out games with actual stories and plots, it was a game changer and you let your imagination do the rest. When games like DKC came out. That was the talking point at the playground and during lunch, you would argue over which Kong was best, you would talk about what the sequel if it had one what it should be like, you would hear rumors of this crazy level or character you can unlock (the internet wasnt really a thing yet, so rumors were rampant) and then you would go back home and pour hours into trying to see if it was true or not. The overall experience at the time plus the game is what truly made those games nostalgic. Sorry for the super long comment. You made me take a trip through memory lane 😂
I always enjoy your videos! DK is my favorite Nintendo character and game franchise. Thanks for your perspective on these games!
Always cool to see Kong Discussion. I was born after the country trilogy came out, but I was a Jungle Beat kid and fell in love with the monkeys ever since. Been playing country 1, barrel blast, king of swing and tropical freeze lately, all great times. Its only a feeling but i think a new DK will be announced later this year. But we'll see.
Still have my original SNES copies that i played back when i was 10+yrs old. They dont age. Still as good and as re playable as ever. A quality that isnt as common in today's gaming.
I find it ironic in dkc2 and 3 when you say you just wanted to defeat k.rool but then you didnt want to go for the lost worlds and bonus world in dkc3 XD
31:23 parry the bird, "if you keep them alive" - but isn't there only one?
I'm really grateful towards some employee I've never met, at whatever retailer my parents got my snes from in the early 90s. They advised a couple of games to get along with the system, therefore, introducing me to Mario, DK, Kirby, LoZ and several other great IPs and a gamer was born.😅
DKC 2 is perfect, It has the best OST ever made. DKC 3 is better than the first game.
Dkc2 has my second favorite soundtrack behind tropical freeze lol
dkc 2 has the best OST,but dkc 1 has the best levels!! overall its dkc>dkc2>dkc3
@@rgorman8189 No way!
DKC trilogy and super Metroid are the must own titles on the snes
Agreed!😊
For me it’s the story
In 1. K rool thinks that he can rob an island of its natural resources with no problems, but is thwarted by DK, and diddy
In 2. K rool accounts for this and kidnaps DK, holdin him for ransom, but diddy and Dixie storm and destroy the kremling homeland, eventually destroying it.
In 3. K rool is no longer the leader of the kremlings, a new dude, Kaos, is. Kaos kidnaps both donkey Kong and diddy kong, but is secretly k rool to begin with
It's a pentology now
Seriously glad I found your channel! Congrats on another great video
Despite not having played all three games in this trilogy, watching videos about these games has me wanting to re-explore Donkey Kong Country 2 and play Donkey Kong Country 3 too.
Donkey Kong Country 2 is the best in this trilogy and it certainly shows how much was jam-packed into the game! 😊👍 If the sequel was in the Super Nintendo Mini with Donkey Kong Country, it would make collecting the mini console a lot better.
Liked, commented and subscribed! Great video friend. :)
What makes dkc special ? Everything !! Thank you for spotlighting this glorious series . Dkc 1 is still my favorite game of all time . I’m 39 and have been playing it many many times a year for the last twenty nine years .
Please sample the different themes CloudConncetion! I always look forward to actually hearing the different musical numbers in these reviews. It really emphasises your notes on them when there’s sample sounds.
DKC 1 is hands-down my favorite. Nostalgia probably influences that - I played it at multiple family get-togethers with cousins. But the music and overall feel is still my favorite. I enjoyed 2 and 3 as well. "Animal Antics" from 2 was the WORST lol. I somehow beat it after about 2 hours of grinding, but I'm fine saying I beat it one time.
I haaate Animal Antics! Pothole Panic did it a lot better.
I'd say the 5 toughest levels in each game are:
1-Tanked Up Trouble, Platform Perils, Oil Drum Alley, Snow Barrel Blast, Treetop Town
2-Klobber Carnage, Toxic Tower, Kastle Crush, Hornet Hole, Animal Antics
3-Rocket Race, Lighting Look-out, Swoopy Salvo, Kong-fused Cliffs, Demolition Drainpipe
I had these games growing up but never beat them until last year i even got the second ending in dkc2
Just in time, I played trough DKC 1 last week and I’m working on the second. I’m really liking it so far.
Damnnn, I never realized that they released a new country game each year
I barely played a Mario game until Sunshine on the Gamecube. I grew up with Donkey Kong though, I owned DKC and would rent Country 2 & 3 all the time but never beat them. My 1st N64 game was Donkey Kong 64 and it remains one of my favorite games of all time. Then the Gamecube era happened and they released some weird Donkey Kong game with a Bongo controller? Idk it was way to gimmicky for me. I felt like Donkey Kong deserved his own Sunshine esque title. I later did enjoy Jungle Beats but it still feels like Donkey Kong became an after thought after that.
When i 1st had an even better game, i seen such grear memories, and i think that I'm cool with it.
I never played the 3rd game until last year and I thought it was only okay after beating it and I didn't think the second ending was needed since it was just a cutscene
the SNES trilogy WAS MY CHILDHOOD. okay?
i always loved Dixie
Diddy kong's quest is ment, to be like donkey Kong jr' that's why it has all of those going up levels.
Am I the only one who loves the mine cart levels?
6:10 Video Game theory he was dead the entire time, from that point on everything was just in his version of the afterlife.
sonic and mario were my first platformers but dkc 1 and 2 are the ones I come back the most of the times, like once a year
"I was born too late to grow up with these games" He said in a full grown adult voice. No stop.