[7/23/12 Update: Finished DKCR yesterday! Review updated below.]
Hi everyone,
Earlier this year, I spent a rather large chunk of time playing through Mega Man 1-6 (and 7, too) for the first time ever. What a series! It went from one that intimidated me most of my life to one that I now consider an all-time classic. You can read that thread if you want to know what I thought of each one.
Anyway, back in the mid-'90s when DKC1 was new, I bought and played the heck out of it, but not in the way that most normal people would. For some reason, I decided I'd try to find all of the hidden bananas that were in the ground. I don't know why I got so addicted to it, but there I was in college, spending hours upon hours slapping the ground in every level looking for those things.
Unsurprisingly, this approach to "playing" the game burnt me out by the 2nd or 3rd world. I shelved it, and later sold it.
Fast-forward to last year. I re-bought the series and decided that since I was working on my backlog, why not tackle this one? Well, I just completed all the SNES games the other day and finished the first world of DKCR on the Wii, so here are my thoughts:
-----
Donkey Kong Country 1 (101% Completion) -- I have a real soft spot for this one. It's the one I remember most, and the only one I bought back when it was new. I think that's true for a number of people who, like me, instead spent their money on games like Chrono Trigger and Yoshi's Island the following year vs. this game's sequels.
The gameplay itself is solid. One of the most infamous levels is that first mine cart stage with that evil Kremling waiting for you by the exit. Yes, I ran into him after so many tries getting through this and its bonus areas. Grr! By the same token, though, you can tell that Rare had a fun time designing levels like this.
The music in this game is what I remember the most, though. While the gameplay and controls are decent enough, the soundtrack is unforgettable.
Getting 101% in this was tough, but not because of the challenge... some bonus areas just seemed so randomly placed, especially that evil one near the end. I couldn't figure that one out without a guide.
Overall, this is a sentimental favorite, but it's outdone by its sequel. Score: A-
Favorite music:
Aquatic Ambiance - The definition of sublime.
DK Island Swing - Classic.
Fear Factory - I swear I heard these same notes in the emerging trance boom a few years later!
-----
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (102% Completion) -- I really liked the Diddy and Dixie combo in this game. They both controlled wonderfully and had their distinctive uses.
Overall level design in this game was simply superb, and the Lost World levels - although borderline insanity-inducing in some cases (wind + Squawks = kill me now!) - were a very welcome and rewarding challenge.
Music was also quite consistently good, and the obvious favorite pick is in my list below. David Wise, man... you're my hero. Music of this quality coming from an old 16-bit machine? We're just way too spoiled.
Difficulty in general in this game felt pretty amped up compared to the original, and by the time it was over, I felt like I could do anything. That's what originally prompted me to give the Mega Man series a try. My favorite of the series! Score: A
Favorite music:
Stickerbush Symphony - Perhaps the best song in the entire series.
Hot Head Bop - I love that bubbling lava and the piano.
Rattle Battle - So catchy, but I really sucked at controlling Rattly! Bad flashbacks to Spring Mario in SMG.
-----
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (103% Completion) -- I initially didn't think much of this one, but the more I played it, the more I appreciated the variety that Rare put in there. Lots of cool little ideas in the level design... not so much their structure, but things like having to think in terms of depth to avoid/dispatch certain enemies, reverse controls, fading light, the more open world structure, etc.
I also felt like the bonus stages were better "themed" than they were in previous games, but maybe that's just because I played this the most recently. Getting the DK coins was interesting at first, but it's like they ran out of ideas on how to free them. The team-based moves were cool for Dixie and Kiddy, but again, I felt their use was quite limited outside of reaching higher areas/ledges.
Kiddy himself? What a forgettable character.
I know there are folks on here that really like the more ambient and less melodic soundtrack of this game, but not me. I really had to think hard and search around on YouTube to find any that were as memorable as the previous games. The overall 'feel' of the music is similar, but I prefer Nintendo platforming music that you can't get out of your head and want to listen to when you're not playing the game. These reminded me of the ambient tracks from Final Fantasy X... they work in the context of the game, but not as much when listening to them outside of it.
DKC3 felt like the easiest of the 3 SNES games, but it was the one that took me the longest to get through. I was expecting to get demolished by the Lost World stages, but I flew threw them quickly (first one gave me the most trouble!). I didn't care for the fetch quests and pixel-hunt parts of the game, but good for Rare for trying something a little different. Working on 3 of these in a row had to have taken its toll on the team.
Anyway, I liked this game, despite the things I preferred in the previous two. It just wasn't *quite* as good. Score: B
Favorite music:
Arctic Abyss - I half expect Sinead O'Connor to start singing over this.
Dixie Beat - I like the in-your-face approach, and the underlying DKC1 beat.
Water World - Kinda creepy, but nice samples!
-----
Donkey Kong Country Returns (100% Completion) -- When I originally created this thread, I had only gotten a few stages into DKCR. I was quite literally stunned by the quality of this game, and that feeling remained all the way to the very end. Like the SMG games, DKCR just keeps on throwing newer, bigger, harder, and more visually amazing things at you. You can't help but smile - even through the tough-as-nails stages - because the game is so wonderfully polished.
While the graphics and animation are truly great, the actual level design is just magical and inspired. They make the majority of the SNES game levels feel pretty tame, and together, shows that advances in technology can have a major impact on modern game design and presentation.
I first started with the horizontal Wiimote, but folks in this thread steered me right by switching me to analog/Nunchuk control. Yeah, I'm glad I listened. Control for the most part felt flawless. Made a lot of dumb mistakes, but those can be attributed to user error, or accidentally shaking and rolling DK to his death. But other than that, these controls are fantastic, and I wouldn't mind their return and further refinement in a sequel.
Complaints? Just a few: I didn't care for the way bonus rooms were done in this game. I loved the themed and varied ones from DKC2&3, and wish they'd done more of that here. I also didn't like the somewhat wonky/loose rocket barrel controls. Those were the only stages in the game where I felt like the controls were the reason why I was dying so much. I eventually got used to them, but I would let out a giant sigh every time I came up to a rocket barrel in a stage.
It could also be argued that the game was a bit too similar in tone to the first SNES game, which is true especially for the music, but that didn't really bother me. The game was just so much fun that the similarities just gave me more to attach myself to and revel in nostalgia.
Overall, this is one of the best games I've played this generation, and I hold it in as high regard as I do SMG2 and DKC2. Bring on a sequel, Retro! Score: A
Favorite music:
Palm Tree Groove - Love this jazzy take on the classic DK Island Swing theme.
Mine Menace - So good! While I wasn't a big fan of rocket barrel stages, this one was super-memorable, and what a great tune.
Rickety Rails - Intense all the way through... I loved the mine cart stages, and great music like this didn't hurt!
Golden Temple - Somewhat spoilerish if you haven't heard it yet, but definitely a throwback in every sense of the word!
-----
Thanks for reading through this. I really enjoy the series, and might have to revisit the side-scrolling Mario games next. It's been a long time.
Hi everyone,
Earlier this year, I spent a rather large chunk of time playing through Mega Man 1-6 (and 7, too) for the first time ever. What a series! It went from one that intimidated me most of my life to one that I now consider an all-time classic. You can read that thread if you want to know what I thought of each one.
Anyway, back in the mid-'90s when DKC1 was new, I bought and played the heck out of it, but not in the way that most normal people would. For some reason, I decided I'd try to find all of the hidden bananas that were in the ground. I don't know why I got so addicted to it, but there I was in college, spending hours upon hours slapping the ground in every level looking for those things.
Unsurprisingly, this approach to "playing" the game burnt me out by the 2nd or 3rd world. I shelved it, and later sold it.
Fast-forward to last year. I re-bought the series and decided that since I was working on my backlog, why not tackle this one? Well, I just completed all the SNES games the other day and finished the first world of DKCR on the Wii, so here are my thoughts:
-----
Donkey Kong Country 1 (101% Completion) -- I have a real soft spot for this one. It's the one I remember most, and the only one I bought back when it was new. I think that's true for a number of people who, like me, instead spent their money on games like Chrono Trigger and Yoshi's Island the following year vs. this game's sequels.
The gameplay itself is solid. One of the most infamous levels is that first mine cart stage with that evil Kremling waiting for you by the exit. Yes, I ran into him after so many tries getting through this and its bonus areas. Grr! By the same token, though, you can tell that Rare had a fun time designing levels like this.
The music in this game is what I remember the most, though. While the gameplay and controls are decent enough, the soundtrack is unforgettable.
Getting 101% in this was tough, but not because of the challenge... some bonus areas just seemed so randomly placed, especially that evil one near the end. I couldn't figure that one out without a guide.
Overall, this is a sentimental favorite, but it's outdone by its sequel. Score: A-
Favorite music:
Aquatic Ambiance - The definition of sublime.
DK Island Swing - Classic.
Fear Factory - I swear I heard these same notes in the emerging trance boom a few years later!
-----
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (102% Completion) -- I really liked the Diddy and Dixie combo in this game. They both controlled wonderfully and had their distinctive uses.
Overall level design in this game was simply superb, and the Lost World levels - although borderline insanity-inducing in some cases (wind + Squawks = kill me now!) - were a very welcome and rewarding challenge.
Music was also quite consistently good, and the obvious favorite pick is in my list below. David Wise, man... you're my hero. Music of this quality coming from an old 16-bit machine? We're just way too spoiled.
Difficulty in general in this game felt pretty amped up compared to the original, and by the time it was over, I felt like I could do anything. That's what originally prompted me to give the Mega Man series a try. My favorite of the series! Score: A
Favorite music:
Stickerbush Symphony - Perhaps the best song in the entire series.
Hot Head Bop - I love that bubbling lava and the piano.
Rattle Battle - So catchy, but I really sucked at controlling Rattly! Bad flashbacks to Spring Mario in SMG.
-----
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (103% Completion) -- I initially didn't think much of this one, but the more I played it, the more I appreciated the variety that Rare put in there. Lots of cool little ideas in the level design... not so much their structure, but things like having to think in terms of depth to avoid/dispatch certain enemies, reverse controls, fading light, the more open world structure, etc.
I also felt like the bonus stages were better "themed" than they were in previous games, but maybe that's just because I played this the most recently. Getting the DK coins was interesting at first, but it's like they ran out of ideas on how to free them. The team-based moves were cool for Dixie and Kiddy, but again, I felt their use was quite limited outside of reaching higher areas/ledges.
Kiddy himself? What a forgettable character.
I know there are folks on here that really like the more ambient and less melodic soundtrack of this game, but not me. I really had to think hard and search around on YouTube to find any that were as memorable as the previous games. The overall 'feel' of the music is similar, but I prefer Nintendo platforming music that you can't get out of your head and want to listen to when you're not playing the game. These reminded me of the ambient tracks from Final Fantasy X... they work in the context of the game, but not as much when listening to them outside of it.
DKC3 felt like the easiest of the 3 SNES games, but it was the one that took me the longest to get through. I was expecting to get demolished by the Lost World stages, but I flew threw them quickly (first one gave me the most trouble!). I didn't care for the fetch quests and pixel-hunt parts of the game, but good for Rare for trying something a little different. Working on 3 of these in a row had to have taken its toll on the team.
Anyway, I liked this game, despite the things I preferred in the previous two. It just wasn't *quite* as good. Score: B
Favorite music:
Arctic Abyss - I half expect Sinead O'Connor to start singing over this.
Dixie Beat - I like the in-your-face approach, and the underlying DKC1 beat.
Water World - Kinda creepy, but nice samples!
-----
Donkey Kong Country Returns (100% Completion) -- When I originally created this thread, I had only gotten a few stages into DKCR. I was quite literally stunned by the quality of this game, and that feeling remained all the way to the very end. Like the SMG games, DKCR just keeps on throwing newer, bigger, harder, and more visually amazing things at you. You can't help but smile - even through the tough-as-nails stages - because the game is so wonderfully polished.
While the graphics and animation are truly great, the actual level design is just magical and inspired. They make the majority of the SNES game levels feel pretty tame, and together, shows that advances in technology can have a major impact on modern game design and presentation.
I first started with the horizontal Wiimote, but folks in this thread steered me right by switching me to analog/Nunchuk control. Yeah, I'm glad I listened. Control for the most part felt flawless. Made a lot of dumb mistakes, but those can be attributed to user error, or accidentally shaking and rolling DK to his death. But other than that, these controls are fantastic, and I wouldn't mind their return and further refinement in a sequel.
Complaints? Just a few: I didn't care for the way bonus rooms were done in this game. I loved the themed and varied ones from DKC2&3, and wish they'd done more of that here. I also didn't like the somewhat wonky/loose rocket barrel controls. Those were the only stages in the game where I felt like the controls were the reason why I was dying so much. I eventually got used to them, but I would let out a giant sigh every time I came up to a rocket barrel in a stage.
It could also be argued that the game was a bit too similar in tone to the first SNES game, which is true especially for the music, but that didn't really bother me. The game was just so much fun that the similarities just gave me more to attach myself to and revel in nostalgia.
Overall, this is one of the best games I've played this generation, and I hold it in as high regard as I do SMG2 and DKC2. Bring on a sequel, Retro! Score: A
Favorite music:
Palm Tree Groove - Love this jazzy take on the classic DK Island Swing theme.
Mine Menace - So good! While I wasn't a big fan of rocket barrel stages, this one was super-memorable, and what a great tune.
Rickety Rails - Intense all the way through... I loved the mine cart stages, and great music like this didn't hurt!
Golden Temple - Somewhat spoilerish if you haven't heard it yet, but definitely a throwback in every sense of the word!
-----
Thanks for reading through this. I really enjoy the series, and might have to revisit the side-scrolling Mario games next. It's been a long time.
