Go to buyraycon.com/somecallmejohnny for 15% off your order, plus $20 off Raycon's Gaming Earbuds or $10 off their Gaming Headphones! Brought to you by Raycon.
Can't say I agree with your analysis overall tbh. More content/gameplay > better graphics in my books. Call that as a basic bitch Nintendo opinion, but I'll stick by it, and say the GBA versions of DKC are the definitive versions. 🤷♀️
Johnny, you can only beat Donkey Kong 64 by completing it as the game will block you off from fighting the final boss if you meet the criteria, but your overall percentage is not at 101%. Donkey Kong 64 is the hardest collect-a-thon that isn't named Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
I find it so funny that the plot of DK Land is Cranky going "You can't put this shit on a Game Boy!" and the other Kongs going "Bet". It's so meta and goofy but I think it works so well. I swear the 4th wall in Rare games is made out of plywood.
That scream when DK falls down a pit in the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country had me crying first time I heard that. I was used to the SNES original and didn't expect anything. But something about how unexpected it was to me and how goofy DK sounded had me in tears. 😂🤣😭
@@felixdaniels37 As much as I like the gritty style of smash, they should've kept their voices intact. Also Diddy's "AUEENAHAAAAAAU" would be great too.
I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect they did the same thing the Mario Advanced games did and took the audio from the N64 version. I don't think it seems so goofy there.
For those who don’t know the reason why dkc3 on gba has a different soundtrack is due to the original game having a lot of bass which wouldn’t have been done well on a gba.
I always assumed it had something to do with some falling out between Eveline and Rare. I had literally no basis for that assumption but I guess that was just the vibe I got, lol.
Considering the GBA sound hardware, I don't think it would have been any worse than the first two games. It wasn't any worse at bass than it was with its ear-screeching treble, so I can't see that being the reason. I'm guessing there were complications with the rights to the music, seeing as David Wise composed the first two games and Eveline Fischer composed the third.
@@zanegandini5350 No. David Wise himself said he tried to get Eveline's soundtrack to work but it was too bassy and didn't sound good. He even wanted to include both soundtracks as a toggle option.
Funny enough, DKL2 actually is a sequel to DKC2 like DKL is for DKC. Donkey Kong gets apenapped again and the island that sinks at the end of DKC2 actually rises back up from the depths of the sea, which explains why certain areas are combined and why certain levels were cut. However, this was only in the instruction booklet (similarly to how DKL1's story was only in the instruction booklet).
Finally got to see his take on the series; now’s your turn. Seriously, like him, we’re still waiting on your opinion on these games. Some trigger vids, of course.
DKC3 GBA was the only DKC I played as a kid, now I’m able to play the trilogy and enjoyed them immensely. However, DKC3 GBA is by far my favorite out of the entire series, nostalgia at its finest. As for the bit about DKC3 GBA’s soundtrack, it was remade because of how bass heavy the original DKC3 OST was, it’d catch the GBA speakers on fire.
Donkey Kong Land's got some nostalgia for me being a GBA kid who would always scrounge for the older titles that I could get for cheaper than full-price GBA games, so I'm glad you're giving them some love here.
So the reason David Wise had to replace Eveline Fischer's original score for DKC3 for the Advance port was because her original score contained so many low bass notes that it would cause the GBA's speakers to literally catch on fire. If David Wise had had more time, he probably could have found a workaround for this, but he was on a tight deadline, so he composed an entire new soundtrack in less than six weeks. He said that he felt horrible about doing it because he really wanted to do right by Eveline's score, but it unfortunately couldn't be done with the tight deadline approaching.
Thank you for sharing this info, truth to be told I dont like the DKC 3 GBA soundtrack and its one of the msin reasons I never touched that port and its frustrating to know it could have been great if not was the time restraints. I feel sad for David Wise having to make such a rushed and mostly unfitting ost to replace all the amazing Eveline work for DKC3.
@clayton_games Not sure tbh. I think with those, it helped that they were limited by 8-bit instrumentation. But with the GBA, they wanted to replicate the sound of the SNES originals as much as they could and the GBA's hardware just wasn't up to the task in DKC 3's case.
@@clayton_games Eveline also got to re-create her own score for DKL3, so she was more familiar with what she was working with and how she could alter it. She wasn't around by the time DKC3GBA was being created.
Meanwhile I've been replaying DK64 since it's one of my favorite games this time trying to 101% it. Lets see which happens first Johnny's DK64 video or me getting 101% on it.
Honestly DK traveling to an urban city in the final level of Donkey Kong Land 1 does surprisingly help add some Mario lore and give some evidence that he is the founder of New Donk City lol
20:30 According to David Wise, the reason they made a new soundtrack was because the SNES soundtrack had a lot of instruments, etc. that would be poorly represented on the GBA, and it was actually easier to make an entirely new soundtrack than trying to port it over.
DKC3 GBA has a new soundtrack because of hardware limitations, but not the kind you'd expect! The original game has a very deep and bassy quality thanks to Novakovic's (nee Fischer) fascination with low ambient drones. When Wise was converting the tracks to the GBA, he found that the speakers on the GBA could not produce the low sounds the original soundtrack had, and left the music altogether very much lacking a backbone. You can hear this a lot on the soundtracks to DKC1 and DKC2 on GBA as well: Fischer's compositions in "Life in the Mines", "Misty Menace" and "Cave Dweller Concerto" take pretty big hits in the conversion. So, instead of fussing about with the conversion with a deadline breathing down his neck, Wise decided to just compose a new soundtrack, which took three weeks supposedly.
I have fond memories of playing Donkey Kong Land 1 and 3. DKL1 was one of my first every GameBoy games, so that one especially holds a special place in my heart.
I like how you can visibly see the DK64 cartridge on Johnny's game self at the start, then he pulls it off to show everyone at the end. Really nice little attention to details there.
I believe that the reason for DKC3 GBA's new soundtrack is just that the GBA's sound hardware doesn't handle low pitches very well, so they had to redo the music for the DKC3 remake since the original soundtrack is pretty much nothing but low pitches.
Story regarding my copy of Donkey Kong Land that spans 20 years: I loved Donkey Kong Country but did not have an SNES in 1994, I was merely a Game Boy... boy. Imagine my joy when DK Land came out. I loved this game, because it was the closest thing I had to the real thing at home. But trouble was brewing: the save system is so bizarre on DKL that I never made it very far, and eventually it stopped saving at all. Initially I thought maybe I was doing something wrong, but after pouring over the manual I couldn't get the game to save my progress. I concluded my game was likely broken, but when I was young didn't know how to get it fixed or returned. I could hear a spring/rattling sound in the cartridge, but I think I just gave up and moved onto DKL 2 when that was released. In 2017 with an engineering degree in hand, confidence with a soldering iron, and a strong case of nostalgia coming over me, I unearthed my old collection from my folks house. I opened up my copy of DKL, and sure enough, the battery terminal had come loose (probably back in 1995) and the game wouldn't save progress because of it. It was an easy fix that I was able able to perform some 20 odd years later. Still haven't worked up the tenacity to finish the game, for all the reasons Johnny points out in the video, but I would say the inspiration is there.
The reason dkc3 has a new soundtrack is because of all the low notes in the SNES soundtrack. Consistent low pitched can cause a gba to overheat and even set fire
They better add Super Game Boy support for all games like emulators can do, I'm tired of GB games just being lazily emulated with zero options like real emulators can do TBH I would love it if they would do this, I know they can, I just don't know if they will
Fun story involving Donkey Kong Land.. got the game for Christmas of ‘95 along with a Super Game Boy. Like all of my Game Boy games, I wrote my name on the back in red marker. Some time around ‘98 I sold all my NES and Game Boy games.. Fast forward to a decade later, I was getting back into collecting games and happened to be shopping at a retro game shop about an hour away from where I grew up. I spotted that banana yellow cart behind the glass case and asked to purchase it. I get home and go to pop the cart into my GBA only to find “jeremy” written on the back in red marker. Sometimes weird things happen like that.
I'm glad Johnny reviewed the land games. I didn't have a snes growing up, so I had to play these to enjoy the Donkey Kong series. I'm glad that Nintendo made these who kinda wanted to enjoy the country games but didn't have the system for it. They may not be quite the same quality as the console counterparts, but take what you can get
I never knew any of these ports existed but I gotta say it's honestly kinda impressive that they made the games have such a similar look to the SNES originals on GB hardware. Even if it makes the game muddled and confusing to look at
Actually Johnny, Donkey Kong Land 3 has a different story like the first game. The Kongs (Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong included) and King K. Rool enter a scavenger hunt contest to find the Lost World and collect the goodies (DK coins, tokens, watches) scattered throughout the land.
i'm amazed you covered gbc dkc since that was my first dk game as a kid and few people i know ever heard of that port. i have played the original since, and yeah the gbc version isn't great, but for someone who didn't have an snes it was neat to at least experience it somewhat.
19:47 Most of us who have played GoldenEye to completion will recognize that laugh sample as the exact same one used for Baron Samedi, just at a normal pitch.
I'm so glad you covered the DK Land series. I would play this in highschool in the back of the library. This was while other students playes with Nintendo DSs
The GBA ports of the DKC trilogy were how i first played these games, which eventually led me to play the original SNES trilogy. I was surprised by how different the presentation was and all the neat little things they added to the GBA ports. These versions may not be as good as the original ones, but they still have a place in my heart and i think there's a lot to appreciate about them.
The first two are definitely not although still good ports for what they were but there’s an argument to be made that DKC3 on gba is better than the snes port and I’ll make that argument if I have to
I remember completing the original DKL on my Clear "Play it Loud" OG Gameboy... In a probably completely unrelated note I started to need to wear glasses to school around that time... 🤦
I had the first DKC game on GBA, and Tree Top had the BEST music. I'd just stay on that level for half an hour listening to it. It plays with the melody so much more than the original.
Donkey Kong Country 3 on the GBA was what got me hooked on the series. I had played the first game on GBA before but 3 really captivated me as a kid. Love that you not only liked the new stages, but loved the new soundtrack as well. It’s sad that the new David Wise tracks are generally forgotten in discussions of the series’ music.
The new GBA tracks get quite a bit of credit. In most discussions of DKC3's soundtrack, the GBA version eventually pops into conversation and arguments ensue about which version is better. The GBA Stilt Village has effectively been put on a massive pedestal compared to the SNES version.
With the runaway success of the Game Boy, it was no surprise that there would be Donkey Kong games for it, with Donkey Kong Land being almost like the original, but Rare threw some curveballs to subvert expectations. For the latter two Donkey Kong Land games, however, it made sense to be simple conversions of Country 2 and 3, given the amount of games Rare would go on to release on the Nintendo 64. And it wouldn't be just the GBA ports of Donkey Kong Country that Rare got to work on, they made a few other GBA games as well, as well as a game (or two) on the Nintendo DS, but I'm sure those will have their spotlight in due time.
Yeah, I agree that the first DK Land is rough around the edges, but man I played it so much that all of that just kinda became invisible. You beat a game a dozen times and the annoyances kinda become funny little quirks that enhance the experience. Except those platforms you have to jump on to change direction in the cloud levels. Those must've not bugged you very much.
Probably played the DKC GBA ports a bit more than the originals back in the day, owned the first 2 and emulated the third. Learned to 100% them all (as they differ a bit from have SNES originals) via a special web guide of the official Spanish Nintendo website of all places, which has surprisingly stayed up for many years. There was someone who did a color restoration of the first port and it looks great, hoping to see the other 2 games converted too. Also waiting for restored covers of the new soundtrack of DKC3 too. Edit: Johnny should also look up SMB Deluxe and the Super Mario Advance series someday, the YI and SMB3 ports even have new levels to boot
19:52 Not sure if this is true or not, but that laugh sounds like a longer and pitched up version of the Baron Samedi laugh from Goldeneye. It might have been a sound file they had laying around and this is the original before they pitch shifted it.
I wouldn't say that DKL3 is the same as it's country counterpart. The story in Land 3 is a race to the Lost World whereas in Country 3 you are rescuing DK and Diddy from Kaos. Plus while the level styles are the same for the most part, all the levels are brand new. Also the pun names on all the DKL3 levels are very Rare-esque - they did love a good pun! The race is also why the Super Game Boy border for DKL3 is clocks as it's all about a race against time to see if you beat K Rool to the lost world.
possibly the only dude on youtube to actually dig into the donkey kong series. somecallmejohnny and antdude, are the best guys on youtube, since avgn slowed down
For future note, there's actually rom hacks out there that convert the first two Land games to Game Boy Color as well, which go a long way in differentiating what's what thankfully. There's also a SNES palette restoration for DKC1 GBA, bless the fans.
Never a bad day when I get Johnny in my notification feed I remember having vague memories of my childhood playing all 3 DKC games on my SNES, though the one that stuck out in my mind was always the 2nd one. Must've been the slappin' music.
Also worth mentioning, didn’t the GBA games have actual opening (and maybe even ending) cutscenes that actually told the story instead of it only being done in the manuals (or an in-game text box for the sequels) of the SNES games?
Donkey Kong Land 2 was the game that defined my experience with the Game Boy! I spend so much time trying to 100% that game and get every DK Koin and Kremkoin! Good times. I remember Klubba guarding the entrance to the Lost World and would only let you in if you pay him. It made me think of Klubba wasn't really a bad Kremling but basically sides with whoever if you pay him.
My first video game I ever played was the GB Color port of DKC1. I was on a camping trip and my dad snuck the GBC with us much to my moms dismay. It was a boring day around the campsite and he let me try it and I fell absolutely in love. Following that, when we got home he finally showed me and let me try Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine on his N64, GC, and that christmas we got a Wii and I found my favorite game of all time; Mario Galaxy. And while Mario will always be my favorite, like Mario, I owe the start of my gaming career to DK ;)
For many of us, the Land games were our intro to the DK platformers. The graphics blew my mind when I finally played DKC1 after years of only playing Land.
It's interesting that Mega Mean Classic and X have GB/GBC entries that got more unique compared to the console games as they went on while DKC went the opposite. Although sometimes that works out better, so who's to say which one ages better in the long run.
As a kid, I played the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3 a lot. Back then, I had no idea it was originally made for the SNES, so when I searched for playthroughs of it on youtube, I was confused at first.
Fact concerning the fuzzy/glitchy graphics in Donkey Kong Land, I played the original on a grey original GameBoy back in the day and it did the same thing. It just happens sometimes.
Grant's story of almost quitting on the spot having to convert Stickerbrush Symphony to GB is a story that still tickles me to this day. GBA DKC3's OST is so cool and funny to essentially have another Sonic CD OST situation since there's alot to pick and choose of which is preferable. I definitely feel like alot of Wise's songs were made with the Pacifica's stages in mind. Stilt's village is the peak example but also I think its just a needs to be experienced moment so I'll leave that there. Also think its cool they moved Barbaros to Pacifica he fits more there.
Am I the only one who doesn’t have a problem with Donkey Kong Country GBC’s controls? They’re faster and heavier but they’re not inconsistent or awkward, in fact I actually like the increased speed compared to Land 2 and 3.
Heyo! I'm a dude born in 2000 and I actually grew up with the DKC GBA ports! My grandparents also had the SNES trilogy, so as a kid I could see the differences and additions, and it made me really appreciate both games in a way my child self wouldn't have otherwise - but I didn't notice DKC3 had different soundtracks, somehow? Being a kid is weird, y'know, lol.
As someone who grew up with the GBA trilogy, those ports hold a special place in my heart. I think something of note is the "hard" mode you can unlock in DKC1 for 101%-ing it, where you play through the entire game again with just Diddy in yellow clothes (I don't think this was in the original SNES game, but I could be wrong). And may just be nostalgia talking, but I do prefer David Wise's new soundtrack for DKC3 over the original.
Yeah, if there's one thing I remember from the GBA part of DKC 1, it's how you don't get that dark thunderstorm on Ropey Rampage, but instead it just feels like a rainy day.
My first DKC game was in fact the GBA port of the original game and believe me when i say i played the shit out of it. Still start it up every now and then.
The nostalgia I have for that DKC port on the GBA is unmatched: It came bundled with the SP I got for Christmas when I was 4 and it's been one of my favorites ever since. I have the SNES version now but I might go back to the port just to collect some snapshots and play the minigames. I've gotten 101% on the SNES but I have yet to do it with the added content on GBA!
I really like the DK Land series, I think they are some of the best platformers on the GB/GBC, it is a shame that you didn't play DKL1 on GBC from the get go, since that solves the issue of visibility, really the biggest problem is the wonky physics. Honestly in some regards it can be considered even better than the original DKC, it has more and more interesting level themes, more sensible collectibles and secrets, so it is actually possible and fun to go for 100% without a guide or blindly jumping on pits. I would love to see an SNES romhack remake of that game
@@JASpiring The thing with Super Mario World is that programmers have gotten to the point where they can completely change the coding of the game to create an entirely different experience. Like for instance, the Kaizo "series" (not just specifically Kaizo World 1,2, or 3), we've seen how programmers can change the behavior of a boss or an enemy to be different than how they are in the original game (like for instance the Big Boo boss being able to physically hurt the player), or changing the physics and coding of anything that can be interacted with. It also doesn't help that Mario World is a much more simpler game compare to the Country Trilogy (and also surprisingly easy to break kind of game) Now with the Country games, I'm not entirely certain for why there aren't many romhacks, or at least ones with greater attention, being talked about. I imagine it's very similar to the development process for the Country games; like what Johnny said, it was a very difficult process to make such games be able to run on the SNES. It wouldn't surprise me if many romhackers are not as familiar to the programming of the Country series. Again, I'm not certain about the reason, but I imagine these could be a few reasons for it.
Go to buyraycon.com/somecallmejohnny for 15% off your order, plus $20 off Raycon's Gaming Earbuds or $10 off their Gaming Headphones! Brought to you by Raycon.
Might have a buyer... what's the battery life on the gaming headphones? If it's not as long as my current 24h battery headphones, then not worth it.
@@KitoBallard
Not worth it at all.
Can't say I agree with your analysis overall tbh. More content/gameplay > better graphics in my books. Call that as a basic bitch Nintendo opinion, but I'll stick by it, and say the GBA versions of DKC are the definitive versions. 🤷♀️
ExoParadigmGamer would like this.
Johnny, you can only beat Donkey Kong 64 by completing it as the game will block you off from fighting the final boss if you meet the criteria, but your overall percentage is not at 101%. Donkey Kong 64 is the hardest collect-a-thon that isn't named Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
You can’t run from DK64 forever, Johnny. The power of Lanky Kong is too strong to resist.
“He has no style, he has no grace. This kong has a funny face! “
You can't resist him stretching all out just for you.
@@harold5337 it’s no longer that for me after the 24 hour Pokémon race. It’s
“He has no style, he has no grace. This kong is a fucking disgrace!”
AND THEN THERE’S CHUNKY! HE’Sdead.
Lanky Kong is truly the best sex Ed clown
I find it so funny that the plot of DK Land is Cranky going "You can't put this shit on a Game Boy!" and the other Kongs going "Bet". It's so meta and goofy but I think it works so well. I swear the 4th wall in Rare games is made out of plywood.
That scream when DK falls down a pit in the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country had me crying first time I heard that. I was used to the SNES original and didn't expect anything. But something about how unexpected it was to me and how goofy DK sounded had me in tears. 😂🤣😭
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH
The fact that DK never had that as his Star KO in Smash is one of the franchises biggest disappointments.
@@felixdaniels37 As much as I like the gritty style of smash, they should've kept their voices intact. Also Diddy's "AUEENAHAAAAAAU" would be great too.
He sounds like Patrick Star tbh
I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect they did the same thing the Mario Advanced games did and took the audio from the N64 version. I don't think it seems so goofy there.
For those who don’t know the reason why dkc3 on gba has a different soundtrack is due to the original game having a lot of bass which wouldn’t have been done well on a gba.
Blessing in disguise, I hope after illumination, Nintendo can contact LAIKA and have a DKC trilogy done in stop motion
I always assumed it had something to do with some falling out between Eveline and Rare. I had literally no basis for that assumption but I guess that was just the vibe I got, lol.
@@omnisel was there anything bad between them? If so I had no idea.
Considering the GBA sound hardware, I don't think it would have been any worse than the first two games. It wasn't any worse at bass than it was with its ear-screeching treble, so I can't see that being the reason. I'm guessing there were complications with the rights to the music, seeing as David Wise composed the first two games and Eveline Fischer composed the third.
@@zanegandini5350 No. David Wise himself said he tried to get Eveline's soundtrack to work but it was too bassy and didn't sound good. He even wanted to include both soundtracks as a toggle option.
You can only delay the inevitable Donkey Kong 64 video for so long Johnny
Funny enough, DKL2 actually is a sequel to DKC2 like DKL is for DKC. Donkey Kong gets apenapped again and the island that sinks at the end of DKC2 actually rises back up from the depths of the sea, which explains why certain areas are combined and why certain levels were cut. However, this was only in the instruction booklet (similarly to how DKL1's story was only in the instruction booklet).
You can’t hold us off of the donkey Kong 64 review forever
Funky: ¡¿Donde esta mi review de Donkey Kong 64?!
Johnny: Se fue
Funky: *¡¡¡SE FUEEEEEEE!!!!!* 🤯
Yeah he can’t hide forever
Do you know how many bonus stages that damn game has? 😂
But at the expense of your sanity please!
I had DKC on game boy color as a kid, I completely forgot how awful the controls were until watching this
First thing I remembered
Finally got to see his take on the series; now’s your turn.
Seriously, like him, we’re still waiting on your opinion on these games. Some trigger vids, of course.
Rank every DK game lol
same. I also had DKL2
No way its the legend
21:10 Legitimately cracked up laughing 😂
Johnny has upgraded from the earbud sponsorship to the premium headphone sponsor!! They grow up so fast!! :,)
I don't know... It's still Ray's con. Wired IEMs would take you farther.
@@Code7Unltd was just a joke my friend
@@Code7Unltd aaaah dingus
DKC3 GBA was the only DKC I played as a kid, now I’m able to play the trilogy and enjoyed them immensely.
However, DKC3 GBA is by far my favorite out of the entire series, nostalgia at its finest.
As for the bit about DKC3 GBA’s soundtrack, it was remade because of how bass heavy the original DKC3 OST was, it’d catch the GBA speakers on fire.
Huh, so thats why they changed the music, makes sense
@@Future_Vantas Yeah, it would’ve been cool if we ever got GBA remixes of the SNES DKC3 OST.
@@KMDEOD Or vice versa
@@rcspriter Ooooh, yes!
@@KMDEOD No, because they would just be the same songs but worse.
Donkey Kong Land's got some nostalgia for me being a GBA kid who would always scrounge for the older titles that I could get for cheaper than full-price GBA games, so I'm glad you're giving them some love here.
nuzlocke guy
To be fair it's not like there was an original DK platformer for the GBA
@Sonic TempleOS Holy shit that's cheap, wish GB games were that cheap nowadays lol
@@the9thinning1 I know right
So the reason David Wise had to replace Eveline Fischer's original score for DKC3 for the Advance port was because her original score contained so many low bass notes that it would cause the GBA's speakers to literally catch on fire.
If David Wise had had more time, he probably could have found a workaround for this, but he was on a tight deadline, so he composed an entire new soundtrack in less than six weeks. He said that he felt horrible about doing it because he really wanted to do right by Eveline's score, but it unfortunately couldn't be done with the tight deadline approaching.
Thank you for sharing this info, truth to be told I dont like the DKC 3 GBA soundtrack and its one of the msin reasons I never touched that port and its frustrating to know it could have been great if not was the time restraints. I feel sad for David Wise having to make such a rushed and mostly unfitting ost to replace all the amazing Eveline work for DKC3.
Except, the DK Land 3 had the OG soundtrack, so what's that about?
@clayton_games Not sure tbh. I think with those, it helped that they were limited by 8-bit instrumentation. But with the GBA, they wanted to replicate the sound of the SNES originals as much as they could and the GBA's hardware just wasn't up to the task in DKC 3's case.
@@clayton_games Eveline also got to re-create her own score for DKL3, so she was more familiar with what she was working with and how she could alter it. She wasn't around by the time DKC3GBA was being created.
Johnny is desperately trying to hold off the Donkey Kong 64 video
Can't say I blame him
Lol Johnny can't hold Donkey Kong 64 Forever. That game is Bloated and Hell to finish 😂
Meanwhile I've been replaying DK64 since it's one of my favorite games this time trying to 101% it. Lets see which happens first Johnny's DK64 video or me getting 101% on it.
I dont blame h
Can't blame him lol I would do the same thing
Honestly DK traveling to an urban city in the final level of Donkey Kong Land 1 does surprisingly help add some Mario lore and give some evidence that he is the founder of New Donk City lol
20:30 According to David Wise, the reason they made a new soundtrack was because the SNES soundtrack had a lot of instruments, etc. that would be poorly represented on the GBA, and it was actually easier to make an entirely new soundtrack than trying to port it over.
And the heavy amount of low bass in the soundtrack could make the tinny GBA speakers catch fire
DKC3 GBA has a new soundtrack because of hardware limitations, but not the kind you'd expect! The original game has a very deep and bassy quality thanks to Novakovic's (nee Fischer) fascination with low ambient drones. When Wise was converting the tracks to the GBA, he found that the speakers on the GBA could not produce the low sounds the original soundtrack had, and left the music altogether very much lacking a backbone. You can hear this a lot on the soundtracks to DKC1 and DKC2 on GBA as well: Fischer's compositions in "Life in the Mines", "Misty Menace" and "Cave Dweller Concerto" take pretty big hits in the conversion. So, instead of fussing about with the conversion with a deadline breathing down his neck, Wise decided to just compose a new soundtrack, which took three weeks supposedly.
I have fond memories of playing Donkey Kong Land 1 and 3. DKL1 was one of my first every GameBoy games, so that one especially holds a special place in my heart.
1:45 "oh these are pretty cool bananas"
13:19 There's an English patch for DK Land 3 on the GBC, thankfully.
I like how you can visibly see the DK64 cartridge on Johnny's game self at the start, then he pulls it off to show everyone at the end. Really nice little attention to details there.
I believe that the reason for DKC3 GBA's new soundtrack is just that the GBA's sound hardware doesn't handle low pitches very well, so they had to redo the music for the DKC3 remake since the original soundtrack is pretty much nothing but low pitches.
HE HAS MUCH STYLE
HE HAS SOME GRACE
THIS JOHN NEEDS TO PICK UP THE PACE
The music in the DKL games kicks arse. I was really surprised at how great they sound in 8-bit.
Hell yeah, I went on DKL1 and the first thing I heard was a complete bop in the first level, the jungle theme slaps in 8 bit
Kremlantis is the best water theme in DK imo
That’s a funny way to spell Aquatic Ambience.
@@DrSuperLuigiSeth1 aquatic ambience is my fourth favorite
It goes kremlantis, funky waters, lockjaw saga, aquatic ambience
Story regarding my copy of Donkey Kong Land that spans 20 years:
I loved Donkey Kong Country but did not have an SNES in 1994, I was merely a Game Boy... boy. Imagine my joy when DK Land came out. I loved this game, because it was the closest thing I had to the real thing at home. But trouble was brewing: the save system is so bizarre on DKL that I never made it very far, and eventually it stopped saving at all. Initially I thought maybe I was doing something wrong, but after pouring over the manual I couldn't get the game to save my progress. I concluded my game was likely broken, but when I was young didn't know how to get it fixed or returned. I could hear a spring/rattling sound in the cartridge, but I think I just gave up and moved onto DKL 2 when that was released.
In 2017 with an engineering degree in hand, confidence with a soldering iron, and a strong case of nostalgia coming over me, I unearthed my old collection from my folks house. I opened up my copy of DKL, and sure enough, the battery terminal had come loose (probably back in 1995) and the game wouldn't save progress because of it. It was an easy fix that I was able able to perform some 20 odd years later.
Still haven't worked up the tenacity to finish the game, for all the reasons Johnny points out in the video, but I would say the inspiration is there.
I appreciate how the artwork of Johnny at the end is tan monochromatic like DK Land.
Fun fact, that laugh they gave Kroc the sniper in the GBA version of DKC3 is Baron Samedi's laugh from Goldeneye 007.
The reason dkc3 has a new soundtrack is because of all the low notes in the SNES soundtrack. Consistent low pitched can cause a gba to overheat and even set fire
Its a damn shame that the DK Land games are forgotten, hopefully they make it onto NSO when Nintendo realizes their GB emulator leaked months ago.
You can also get all 3 on the 3DS Eshop. You only have until next March though.
They better add Super Game Boy support for all games like emulators can do, I'm tired of GB games just being lazily emulated with zero options like real emulators can do
TBH I would love it if they would do this, I know they can, I just don't know if they will
Got some good news for you
Fun story involving Donkey Kong Land.. got the game for Christmas of ‘95 along with a Super Game Boy. Like all of my Game Boy games, I wrote my name on the back in red marker.
Some time around ‘98 I sold all my NES and Game Boy games..
Fast forward to a decade later, I was getting back into collecting games and happened to be shopping at a retro game shop about an hour away from where I grew up. I spotted that banana yellow cart behind the glass case and asked to purchase it. I get home and go to pop the cart into my GBA only to find “jeremy” written on the back in red marker.
Sometimes weird things happen like that.
For some odd reason, I really love 3, but I guess it just has to do with how much...stuff there is to do:3
Also, 21:09 is a great reaction!
nice to hear someone talk about these games
11:49 Well at least Johnny featured a short clip of the second season of the DKC TV series.
I'm glad Johnny reviewed the land games. I didn't have a snes growing up, so I had to play these to enjoy the Donkey Kong series. I'm glad that Nintendo made these who kinda wanted to enjoy the country games but didn't have the system for it. They may not be quite the same quality as the console counterparts, but take what you can get
I never knew any of these ports existed but I gotta say it's honestly kinda impressive that they made the games have such a similar look to the SNES originals on GB hardware. Even if it makes the game muddled and confusing to look at
Actually Johnny, Donkey Kong Land 3 has a different story like the first game. The Kongs (Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong included) and King K. Rool enter a scavenger hunt contest to find the Lost World and collect the goodies (DK coins, tokens, watches) scattered throughout the land.
Lots of nostalgia for this one.
These and WarioLand were the best games on the OG Game Boy.
Boy, I started laughing before he fell in the pit and I missed the punchline, I had to rewind cus it caught me off guard 🤣
i'm amazed you covered gbc dkc since that was my first dk game as a kid and few people i know ever heard of that port. i have played the original since, and yeah the gbc version isn't great, but for someone who didn't have an snes it was neat to at least experience it somewhat.
19:47 Most of us who have played GoldenEye to completion will recognize that laugh sample as the exact same one used for Baron Samedi, just at a normal pitch.
I'm so glad you covered the DK Land series. I would play this in highschool in the back of the library.
This was while other students playes with Nintendo DSs
The game boy may have been limited hardware wise but they still put out some really good platformers on it
From what I looked up, DKC 3's original music was supposed to be in the GBA version, however when they tried the GBA hardware caught fire ._.
I loved the DK land series, I didn't have a snes as a kid, so this was my introduction to the country series!
I just rewatched the DKC trilogy video yesterday.
The GBA ports of the DKC trilogy were how i first played these games, which eventually led me to play the original SNES trilogy. I was surprised by how different the presentation was and all the neat little things they added to the GBA ports. These versions may not be as good as the original ones, but they still have a place in my heart and i think there's a lot to appreciate about them.
The first two are definitely not although still good ports for what they were but there’s an argument to be made that DKC3 on gba is better than the snes port and I’ll make that argument if I have to
I remember completing the original DKL on my Clear "Play it Loud" OG Gameboy...
In a probably completely unrelated note I started to need to wear glasses to school around that time... 🤦
I had the first DKC game on GBA, and Tree Top had the BEST music. I'd just stay on that level for half an hour listening to it. It plays with the melody so much more than the original.
Finally more YTers are giving DK Land some recognition
Dread it. Run from it. Expansion arrives all the same. *Donkey Kong 64 is inevitable*
No one gets me more excited with a new vid than you, man
Donkey Kong Country 3 on the GBA was what got me hooked on the series. I had played the first game on GBA before but 3 really captivated me as a kid. Love that you not only liked the new stages, but loved the new soundtrack as well. It’s sad that the new David Wise tracks are generally forgotten in discussions of the series’ music.
Not enough credit goes to the GBA ost. Stilt village goes hard.
And Waterfall as well. You can listen to the remixes of the GBA ost on TH-cam
The new GBA tracks get quite a bit of credit. In most discussions of DKC3's soundtrack, the GBA version eventually pops into conversation and arguments ensue about which version is better. The GBA Stilt Village has effectively been put on a massive pedestal compared to the SNES version.
With the runaway success of the Game Boy, it was no surprise that there would be Donkey Kong games for it, with Donkey Kong Land being almost like the original, but Rare threw some curveballs to subvert expectations. For the latter two Donkey Kong Land games, however, it made sense to be simple conversions of Country 2 and 3, given the amount of games Rare would go on to release on the Nintendo 64.
And it wouldn't be just the GBA ports of Donkey Kong Country that Rare got to work on, they made a few other GBA games as well, as well as a game (or two) on the Nintendo DS, but I'm sure those will have their spotlight in due time.
Yeah, I agree that the first DK Land is rough around the edges, but man I played it so much that all of that just kinda became invisible. You beat a game a dozen times and the annoyances kinda become funny little quirks that enhance the experience. Except those platforms you have to jump on to change direction in the cloud levels. Those must've not bugged you very much.
19:38-19:40
Always got a chuckle when Donkey Kong died due to that voice
Probably played the DKC GBA ports a bit more than the originals back in the day, owned the first 2 and emulated the third. Learned to 100% them all (as they differ a bit from have SNES originals) via a special web guide of the official Spanish Nintendo website of all places, which has surprisingly stayed up for many years. There was someone who did a color restoration of the first port and it looks great, hoping to see the other 2 games converted too. Also waiting for restored covers of the new soundtrack of DKC3 too. Edit: Johnny should also look up SMB Deluxe and the Super Mario Advance series someday, the YI and SMB3 ports even have new levels to boot
I would KILL to have DKC2 and 3's GBA ports being color corrected
19:52 Not sure if this is true or not, but that laugh sounds like a longer and pitched up version of the Baron Samedi laugh from Goldeneye. It might have been a sound file they had laying around and this is the original before they pitch shifted it.
I wouldn't say that DKL3 is the same as it's country counterpart. The story in Land 3 is a race to the Lost World whereas in Country 3 you are rescuing DK and Diddy from Kaos. Plus while the level styles are the same for the most part, all the levels are brand new. Also the pun names on all the DKL3 levels are very Rare-esque - they did love a good pun!
The race is also why the Super Game Boy border for DKL3 is clocks as it's all about a race against time to see if you beat K Rool to the lost world.
22:24 because anything resembling the halfpipes is a cardinal sin according to johnny xD
possibly the only dude on youtube to actually dig into the donkey kong series. somecallmejohnny and antdude, are the best guys on youtube, since avgn slowed down
Exoparadigmgamer made good reviews for this games.
you make the warmest videos on TH-cam. thank you
For future note, there's actually rom hacks out there that convert the first two Land games to Game Boy Color as well, which go a long way in differentiating what's what thankfully. There's also a SNES palette restoration for DKC1 GBA, bless the fans.
Just gotta say, DK Land 1 has a rom hack that gives it a full color pallette. It also has some QOL changes
To paraphrase Scott the Woz, "Back then it was like: 'wow! it's Donkey Kong on the go.' Now it's like: 'wow! they sold this!'"
First instance of New Donk City? Outside Kong '94
Never a bad day when I get Johnny in my notification feed
I remember having vague memories of my childhood playing all 3 DKC games on my SNES, though the one that stuck out in my mind was always the 2nd one. Must've been the slappin' music.
Funky: ¡¿Donde esta mi review de Donkey Kong 64?!
Johnny: Se fue
Funky: *¡¡¡SE FUEEEEEEE!!!!!* 🤯
The gameboy color port of DKC game was how I first played it as a kid
glad this video came out when it did, I can now work on some stuff while listening/watching this on the side
Protip: When saying something about the sound "Sound extra crunchy" "All the kremlins... have something unique now". They play a clip of the sound.
Johnny has delayed the DK64 suffering by another few weeks. I hope not having to see Lanky Kong was worth it.
Lanky Kong please come back to us.
Also worth mentioning, didn’t the GBA games have actual opening (and maybe even ending) cutscenes that actually told the story instead of it only being done in the manuals (or an in-game text box for the sequels) of the SNES games?
Yes.
Donkey Kong Land 2 was the game that defined my experience with the Game Boy! I spend so much time trying to 100% that game and get every DK Koin and Kremkoin! Good times. I remember Klubba guarding the entrance to the Lost World and would only let you in if you pay him. It made me think of Klubba wasn't really a bad Kremling but basically sides with whoever if you pay him.
My first video game I ever played was the GB Color port of DKC1. I was on a camping trip and my dad snuck the GBC with us much to my moms dismay. It was a boring day around the campsite and he let me try it and I fell absolutely in love. Following that, when we got home he finally showed me and let me try Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine on his N64, GC, and that christmas we got a Wii and I found my favorite game of all time; Mario Galaxy. And while Mario will always be my favorite, like Mario, I owe the start of my gaming career to DK ;)
Donkey Kong Land has a color fan hack that really improves the clarity
"These are some pretty cool bananas"- Famous Last Words
For many of us, the Land games were our intro to the DK platformers. The graphics blew my mind when I finally played DKC1 after years of only playing Land.
DKL3's plot is _slightly_ different. Centering around the Lost World.
DKC GBC has an exclusive level, believe it or not.
I cannot WAIT for Jonny to cover DK64.
It's interesting that Mega Mean Classic and X have GB/GBC entries that got more unique compared to the console games as they went on while DKC went the opposite. Although sometimes that works out better, so who's to say which one ages better in the long run.
I have so much nostalgia for the first Donkey Kong Land. It was the first Gameboy game I ever owned and my school bus game of choice for years.
Great job on this review, by the way. It's in depth and funny with nice production quality.
As a kid, I played the GBA version of Donkey Kong Country 3 a lot. Back then, I had no idea it was originally made for the SNES, so when I searched for playthroughs of it on youtube, I was confused at first.
Fact concerning the fuzzy/glitchy graphics in Donkey Kong Land, I played the original on a grey original GameBoy back in the day and it did the same thing. It just happens sometimes.
Grant's story of almost quitting on the spot having to convert Stickerbrush Symphony to GB is a story that still tickles me to this day.
GBA DKC3's OST is so cool and funny to essentially have another Sonic CD OST situation since there's alot to pick and choose of which is preferable. I definitely feel like alot of Wise's songs were made with the Pacifica's stages in mind. Stilt's village is the peak example but also I think its just a needs to be experienced moment so I'll leave that there. Also think its cool they moved Barbaros to Pacifica he fits more there.
Did you mean David Wise?
Yeah, Stilt Village on GBA suits the Stormy Seas level well
@@BBWahoo in reference to converting Stickerbrush Symphony to GB? Because if thats your question... did you watch the video?
@@Club_Weeg
It's funny, I JUST got to that part! I didn't know grant converted the SNES's soundtrack to GB
Am I the only one who doesn’t have a problem with Donkey Kong Country GBC’s controls? They’re faster and heavier but they’re not inconsistent or awkward, in fact I actually like the increased speed compared to Land 2 and 3.
Heyo! I'm a dude born in 2000 and I actually grew up with the DKC GBA ports! My grandparents also had the SNES trilogy, so as a kid I could see the differences and additions, and it made me really appreciate both games in a way my child self wouldn't have otherwise - but I didn't notice DKC3 had different soundtracks, somehow? Being a kid is weird, y'know, lol.
As someone who grew up with the GBA trilogy, those ports hold a special place in my heart. I think something of note is the "hard" mode you can unlock in DKC1 for 101%-ing it, where you play through the entire game again with just Diddy in yellow clothes (I don't think this was in the original SNES game, but I could be wrong). And may just be nostalgia talking, but I do prefer David Wise's new soundtrack for DKC3 over the original.
Jeez, K. Roll jumps around in DKL1 like an Olympic athlete. He's been certainly eating his Captain Crunch cereal.
Oh, I thought DK64 was next. We got japed! One would even say… _Jungle_ Japed?
I’m loving these thumb nail arts
Yeah, if there's one thing I remember from the GBA part of DKC 1, it's how you don't get that dark thunderstorm on Ropey Rampage, but instead it just feels like a rainy day.
My first DKC game was in fact the GBA port of the original game and believe me when i say i played the shit out of it. Still start it up every now and then.
I was not expecting you to talk about GBA ports after your but you did it anyway thanks and theses are my go to way of experiencing the trilogy
When you showed the difference between Fisher’s and Wise’s music tracks, I couldn’t believe it. That was jarring.
The nostalgia I have for that DKC port on the GBA is unmatched: It came bundled with the SP I got for Christmas when I was 4 and it's been one of my favorites ever since. I have the SNES version now but I might go back to the port just to collect some snapshots and play the minigames. I've gotten 101% on the SNES but I have yet to do it with the added content on GBA!
I really like the DK Land series, I think they are some of the best platformers on the GB/GBC, it is a shame that you didn't play DKL1 on GBC from the get go, since that solves the issue of visibility, really the biggest problem is the wonky physics.
Honestly in some regards it can be considered even better than the original DKC, it has more and more interesting level themes, more sensible collectibles and secrets, so it is actually possible and fun to go for 100% without a guide or blindly jumping on pits. I would love to see an SNES romhack remake of that game
Agreed. I'm surprised nobody's done that yet. Maybe Donkey Kong Country is just a lot harder to hack than Super Mario World?
@@JASpiring The thing with Super Mario World is that programmers have gotten to the point where they can completely change the coding of the game to create an entirely different experience. Like for instance, the Kaizo "series" (not just specifically Kaizo World 1,2, or 3), we've seen how programmers can change the behavior of a boss or an enemy to be different than how they are in the original game (like for instance the Big Boo boss being able to physically hurt the player), or changing the physics and coding of anything that can be interacted with. It also doesn't help that Mario World is a much more simpler game compare to the Country Trilogy (and also surprisingly easy to break kind of game)
Now with the Country games, I'm not entirely certain for why there aren't many romhacks, or at least ones with greater attention, being talked about. I imagine it's very similar to the development process for the Country games; like what Johnny said, it was a very difficult process to make such games be able to run on the SNES. It wouldn't surprise me if many romhackers are not as familiar to the programming of the Country series. Again, I'm not certain about the reason, but I imagine these could be a few reasons for it.
22:17 Johnny, you have no idea what true pain is if you haven’t played Drakengard 1 and 3.
You might not want to…
I hope we get a Returns and Tropical Freeze video too, so Johnny can rage at the temple stages