Donkey Kong Country Returns, and has gotten great reviews (even from me!) and has also become a major success story. Now, of course, being an avid gamer, an avid blogger, and an avid lover of opinionated lists, I have to come up with another list—now involving the Donkey Kong Country franchise. This is a list of the 10 best adventures under the Donkey Kong franchise. P.S. Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong 94’, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong do not count because they are moreso Mario adventures.
10) DK Jungle Climbers
System: Nintendo DS
Surely its much better than GBA’s King of Swing, but none of us honestly have any reason whatsoever to play this game—when you can play the Donkey Kong Country games on the GBA.
9) Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
System: Nintendo Gamecube
The recurring theme of the Gamecube was this: games with excellent potential but ultimately failed to deliver. Jungle Beat falls in this category as it provided a clever gameplay mechanic (bongos to move and attack) but only 8 short levels to boot. Then add the fact that the game was quite easy, leading to you being able to complete the game in a mere day or two.
8) Donkey Kong Land 2
System: Game Boy
I have nothing against the SNES version. But unlike Donkey Kong Land (and 3), part 2 was practically a watered-down version of the SNES classic, not really changing anything unless necessary. So the question is: if Donkey Kong Country 2 exists, why spend $30 on a inferior version with no colors?
7) Donkey Kong Land 3
System: Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Now we are talking. Donkey Kong Land 3 uses a similar plot to its SNES sister, but with totally different levels and a different approach to the adventure. The focus became much less on the exploration and much more on the passing level to level. The level design in this game was pretty good, as only the bosses were a bit weak.
6) DK 64
System: Nintendo 64
DK 64 could have been the next Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazzoie; a platform game that alters the direction of the entire genre. Instead, we got a massive, massive game with plenty to see and do---yet was far too easy. A quest that should have taken weeks to complete instead dipped into a short adventure because of the sheer easyness of it all. Luckily, it was a fun quest.
5) Donkey Kong Country 3
System: Super Nintendo
Besides the very poor presentation, poor timing, poor marketing, and unexplainable lack of Donkey and Diddy, this was a darn fun game. The level design was fantastic, the graphics were the best the SNES would ever see, and the deep exploration aspects of the game made it a lengthy quest. But, the presentation, weak payoffs, and lack of the more popular monkeys prevented it from being something...epic.
4) Donkey Kong Land
System: Nintendo Game Boy
This bad boy adventure on the Game Boy is one of the most underrated achievements in gaming history. Just one year after Rare pushed the envelope and graphical limitations of the SNES, they turn around and do the same to the Nintendo Game Boy. With just a couple colors, they were able to transfer the vibrant look of the jungle into the much smaller machine. Now add 30+ original levels, a great soundtrack, and great replay value and we have ourselves a handheld classic.
3) Donkey Kong Country Returns
System: Nintendo Wii
This game lacks the ability to play as Diddy. This game has no kremlings. Nonetheless, this is an addicting, frustrating, intense, and very fun game that nearly perfectly captures the magic of the Donkey Kong trilogy back in the 90s. Hopefully this new generation of gamers can accept this great platform adventure and give it the strong following Donkey Kong received 3 gaming generations ago. My I am getting old...
2) Donkey Kong Country
System: Super Nintendo
There's just something about the original that makes it age like fine wine, it has that special magic. The art style, the music, the fun levels, and the slick presentation is what gives the original Donkey Kong Country its mammoth success and mammoth following for years upon years. Almost like the Citizen Kane of Rareware video games, it would be years before Rare was able to duplicate such magic and fame with a new franchise (Goldeneye 007 anyone?). If you love games, you must play this at least once in your life.
1) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
System: Super Nintendo
Everything that made Donkey Kong Country so special, was improved upon in the sequel. Surely there was no Donkey Kong, but darn it we had the awesome Dixie, awesome new animal friends, a great barrage of enemies to fight (Pirates! How awesome is that?), among the best level design in gaming history (You fight in a ship, in a volcano, in a crazy theme park, etc.), a very lengthy quest with tons of goodies to collect, dozens of secrets, the greatest soundtrack released by Rareware, and overall one of the greatest video game sequels of all-time. Take notes my friends, because this is a sequel so incredibly good, its nearly underrated because of its lack of hype amongst the greatest.
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