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DKC2 Is Still King of Kongs
- Thread starter Kevin Shields
- Start date
We literally had a thread like two days ago about how DKC2 was overrated lol
But yeah, I've been replaying it on n3DS over the past week or so and it still holds up. The atmosphere and music are absolutely top notch and the platforming is really solid.
The game world feels really cohesive in a way that DKC1 and especially DKC3 didn't.
But yeah, I've been replaying it on n3DS over the past week or so and it still holds up. The atmosphere and music are absolutely top notch and the platforming is really solid.
The game world feels really cohesive in a way that DKC1 and especially DKC3 didn't.
Fug Slanderson
Member
I really liked the weighty feel Donkey Kong had in DKC. Conversely, I hated the flimsy brittle feel of Diddy Kong. The way a game feels is extremely important to me so not being able to be Donkey Kong in DKC2 killed the game for me and I played just a little bit. I never knew it was so highly regarded though...I think I want to give it another shot.
Spieler Eins
Member
Also, the writing.
Ultimadrago
Member
For the Game Boy Color certainly!
brandonh83
Banned
I agree.
Gotdatmoney
Member
Does the game tell you what levels have secrets you have missed? I'm in the second world and the game is solid (water levels where you have to trace the walls are fucking dumb though) but I don't know if I missed anything in a level for what I can tell.
Nocturnowl
Member
An exclamation mark after the stage name means you've found all the bonus/Krem coins.
Typically there are two per stage with one room hidden before the checkpoint barrel and the second afterwards.
Though a select few stages sneak an extra bonus room in.
The DK coin appears as a little logo after the stage name if you got it as well.
Gotdatmoney
Member
Retro's games are great, but one thing I miss is the darker aesthetics of DKC2. DKCR and TF are a little too Madagascar looking for me.
A lot of people like to call the pre-rendered graphics of the original DKC trilogy "outdated" and "ugly", but I think it gives the game a really unique and surreal style to the game that I sort of wish future games had.
.
This is my exact opinion. I cannot stand the new art style. The original was way better.
The new style is more cartoony for the environments but it still has some great looking levels:
Not the best pictures honestly but that's what I could find. Factory world also has some nice looking stages.
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
Wow, the difference in quality/sounds makes some of these tracks sound like they came straight from Perfect Dark.
nkarafo
Member
Thanks for these files.
Well, i guess it's a good time to post some of my work too.
Some time ago, i made a bunch of DKC songs in 5.1 and cleaned them up a bit using the separated SPC channels.
Give them a listen maybe they sound good on your system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gd1oTdRHWI
Download links in the description. Obviously, you need a 5.1 setup.
Well, i guess it's a good time to post some of my work too.
Some time ago, i made a bunch of DKC songs in 5.1 and cleaned them up a bit using the separated SPC channels.
Give them a listen maybe they sound good on your system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gd1oTdRHWI
Download links in the description. Obviously, you need a 5.1 setup.
MulderYuffie
Member
DKC3 is stil lthe best honestly haters gonna hate I love 3 but 2 is just right behind it with Tropical Freeze.
Shotgun Kiss
Member
I do feel the need to mention that a lot of World 4 in TF is poor. Especially that fucking underwater maze level. That level is outright bad.
I don't know why Retro insisted on limited oxygen when the original trilogy let you take your time underwater. The swimming controls are also nowhere newr as good.
I don't know why Retro insisted on limited oxygen when the original trilogy let you take your time underwater. The swimming controls are also nowhere newr as good.
were you using the dpad or the analog stick?
the swimming controls in TF were divine as long as you used the analog stick
in fact, that whole game plays better with the analog stick
Yup. TF has some of the best swimming in 2D platforming. You've got a high, high level of control and good options. Obviously a lot of people swear by the d-pad for 2d platformers, but it really isn't the best way to play TF.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
You actually feel like you are swimming in Retro's Donkey Kongs.
There's no immersion in Rare's.
You just move without any nuance.
Valjean Lafitte
Banned
The roll jump that Donkey and Diddy can perform in DKC and DKC2?
Yeah they really should have given you unlimited oxygen. Having to manage that bar was just an uneccessary mechanic. It's not like you were ever at risk of running out, which made it that much more annoying
That's funny. DKC2 literally is made up of same places reskinned with different colors:
Woohoo we're on a pirate ship!
Now the endless ocean background is green...
I don't get why they made the ocean background green instead of putting the swamp background behind the ship foreground. It looks like a radioactive ocean rather than a swamp.
Tropical Freeze, on the other hand, has unique visuals for every single level. And mangroves fill with wrecked ships and aircrafts and fruit juicing jungle factories aren't exactly played out.
To me the DKC trilogy is what gets me going. Start it up and I can keep playing with a stupid smile on my face.
That's something I don't feel in the retro ones. A good game is not a guarantee for good fun.
While I love DKC2 the most, DKC3 has some solid leveldesign. The first DKC gets shat on, but the gamefeel is still unmatched.
Do I want retro to finish the set? Yes, I'd even play it. I'm sure I'll never like it as much as the old DKC games though. In a way I feel betrayed.
So yeah DKC2 is stll the king kong of expanding dong.
That's something I don't feel in the retro ones. A good game is not a guarantee for good fun.
While I love DKC2 the most, DKC3 has some solid leveldesign. The first DKC gets shat on, but the gamefeel is still unmatched.
Do I want retro to finish the set? Yes, I'd even play it. I'm sure I'll never like it as much as the old DKC games though. In a way I feel betrayed.
So yeah DKC2 is stll the king kong of expanding dong.
Surely you don't mean DKC1 because that's by far the weakest of the lot.
Aldric
Member
l haven't replayed DKC2 in a while but last time l did l remember thinking how bad the physics felt compared to Retros games. Far too slippery and with wonky collision detection. l thought the OSTs were very comparable and l'd give level design to TF, there's simply no equivalent to the platforming genius of Bopopolis in Rare's game. Really the only thing DKC2 did better was its use of animal buddies.
l also never got the obsession with DKC2's atmosphere. lt's a platformer featuring cartoony apes, it's not supposed to be a grim epic. Next thing you know people will ask for Donkey Kong to be more like Dark Souls.
l also never got the obsession with DKC2's atmosphere. lt's a platformer featuring cartoony apes, it's not supposed to be a grim epic. Next thing you know people will ask for Donkey Kong to be more like Dark Souls.
I have a couple of shots.
As for the thread, TF and DKC2 are pretty much neck and neck for me. Goddammit I love these games.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I dunno what's going on with DKC2 right now. Two threads in a week, people talking about it in the SNES thread, I randomly ended up watching the Game Center CX episodes with it...
screw it. The world's trying to tell me something right now, and that something is: "play DKC2 again." So I will. Right now.
screw it. The world's trying to tell me something right now, and that something is: "play DKC2 again." So I will. Right now.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
*2.5 hours of playtime later*
Holy crap, you guys. This game is incredible. How the hell did this exist in 1995?
Holy crap, you guys. This game is incredible. How the hell did this exist in 1995?
I am Christina Aguilera
Member
I don't think I'd put any of them up as "the best," but how are we all feeling about the Game Boy exclusive ones (preferably auto-colorized with a GBC)? I like DKL1 a lot for it mostly sort of being its own thing with exclusive (if unusual) level themes, and DKL2 seems like it at least captures the *gameplay* of DKC2 reasonably well.
UnnecessaryTodd
Member
DKC2 and DKC3 is like splitting hairs for me. I think 2 has higher highs whereas 3 was consistently excellent. The soundtrack for both are in my top 5 game soundtracks and I love the inclusion of the bonus barrels and their tie in to the Lost World of each game. It felt like a perfect formula.
I played DKC:R and was kinda disappointed. The bonuses were so very very similar and didn't provide an interesting challenge. At all. Part of what I loved about the bonus barrels of 2/3 is that they were a step above in difficulty, they were like a mini level unto themselves. They were interesting and difficult and rewarding. DKC:R fails at that spectacularly.
I never played Tropical Freeze because I felt that Returns was such a departure in all the wrong ways. Also motion controls but that's more of a nitpick. I really like some of the level design and particularly the art of DKC:R and TF but the bonuses were a HUGE part of my enjoyment of the earlier games and I feel their lackluster adaptation here removes a core aspect of the game.
I played DKC:R and was kinda disappointed. The bonuses were so very very similar and didn't provide an interesting challenge. At all. Part of what I loved about the bonus barrels of 2/3 is that they were a step above in difficulty, they were like a mini level unto themselves. They were interesting and difficult and rewarding. DKC:R fails at that spectacularly.
I never played Tropical Freeze because I felt that Returns was such a departure in all the wrong ways. Also motion controls but that's more of a nitpick. I really like some of the level design and particularly the art of DKC:R and TF but the bonuses were a HUGE part of my enjoyment of the earlier games and I feel their lackluster adaptation here removes a core aspect of the game.
Tropical Freeze doesn't use motion controls. It uses buttons only.
Also, the level design and art gets really creative in TF... Try it!
TheRedSnifit
Member
Finally, people waking up and realizing that DKC3 is the best of the originals.
UnnecessaryTodd
Member
That's funny. DKC2 literally is made up of same places reskinned with different colors:
Woohoo we're on a pirate ship!
Now the endless ocean background is green...
I don't get why they made the ocean background green instead of putting the swamp background behind the ship foreground. It looks like a radioactive ocean rather than a swamp.
Tropical Freeze, on the other hand, has unique visuals for every single level. And mangroves fill with wrecked ships and aircrafts and fruit juicing jungle factories aren't exactly played out.
The green ocean background is literally for a single level and as far as variance goes, there was only so much they could do. I can't even think of other areas in the game with retextured backgrounds, so "made up of" is a strong phrase to use to attempt to prove your point.
And also:
It's green because it's sunset. It's not exactly realistic but that's what it actually looks like.
EDIT: That's the wrong level, my bad. The Rattly level is more green.
Do they fix the bonuses being interesting? Or is it still just "collect bananas in a themed room. And also puzzle pieces"
lucablight
Member
The Retro games stripped away a lot of the soul and charm of the series that was present in the Rare trilogy. I really enjoyed the Cranky Kong humour in the original trilogy and in Donkey Kong country returns they get him to write a letter and sign off with -Love Cranky. Wtf?! Did they even research the character?
Also some aspects of the Retro trilogy are just poorly designed non stop. I lost count of the number of times I rolled off the edge of a platform when I was trying to extend my jump to the next one due to the poor physics.
Also the way the collectibles are designed in the Retro duology is dumb. I searched every nook and cranny to get the DK coins in DKC2 and 3 because I knew I wasn't going to get continually frustrated by dying and I looked forward to the hilarious unlockables. In The Retro games I didn't even bother because there were too many of them and the difficulty made it too tedious. Not to mention the inclusion of Dixie Kong in Tropical freeze made the other Kongs completely superfluous.
The Retro games aren't horrible but they are way overrated considering their flaws and strange design choices.
Also some aspects of the Retro trilogy are just poorly designed non stop. I lost count of the number of times I rolled off the edge of a platform when I was trying to extend my jump to the next one due to the poor physics.
Also the way the collectibles are designed in the Retro duology is dumb. I searched every nook and cranny to get the DK coins in DKC2 and 3 because I knew I wasn't going to get continually frustrated by dying and I looked forward to the hilarious unlockables. In The Retro games I didn't even bother because there were too many of them and the difficulty made it too tedious. Not to mention the inclusion of Dixie Kong in Tropical freeze made the other Kongs completely superfluous.
The Retro games aren't horrible but they are way overrated considering their flaws and strange design choices.
Trilobit
Gold Member
Retro's games are great, but one thing I miss is the darker aesthetics of DKC2. DKCR and TF are a little too Madagascar looking for me.
[...]
I have a couple of shots.
I am going to have to go with TheDinoman on this one. TF looks fine, but I really don't sense the 'darker' aesthetics of DKC2 in TF, not even in the silhouettey, rainy or dark ones. It's just two completely different styles where I feel TF is a bit mundane in comparison.
I was very disappointed when DKCR was first shown, because I felt the DKC was a series with powerful graphics and was expecting something amazing. I guess people had different expectations and that's okay.
Davey Cakes
Member
You can't really compare current DK with classic DK. The styles are too different.
TF is clearly trying to look like a cheery Pixar or Dreamworks movie. DKC2 was going for something else entirely.
I always loved how distinct DKC2 was from DKC1. It shared many aspects but felt a lot different. The aesthetics and music (which, yes, created a sort of "atmosphere," even in a platformer) really made it feel like a unique experience despite being a sequel.
TF is clearly trying to look like a cheery Pixar or Dreamworks movie. DKC2 was going for something else entirely.
I always loved how distinct DKC2 was from DKC1. It shared many aspects but felt a lot different. The aesthetics and music (which, yes, created a sort of "atmosphere," even in a platformer) really made it feel like a unique experience despite being a sequel.
The green ocean background is literally for a single level and as far as variance goes, there was only so much they could do. I can't even think of other areas in the game with retextured backgrounds, so "made up of" is a strong phrase to use to attempt to prove your point.
And also:
It's green because it's sunset. It's not exactly realistic but that's what it actually looks like.
EDIT: That's the wrong level, my bad. The Rattly level is more green.
Rattle Battle is also supposed to be in a swamp, not a radioactive ocean.
You really can't think of areas that use the same backgrounds?
DKC2 has 13 kinds of levels:
ship deck
ship mast
ship hold
lava
mines
swamp
brambles
hive
roller coaster
forest
ice
castle
jungle
Each of the 47 levels is one of those and each level of a kind uses the same background, sometimes recolored, sometimes not, with the exception of Haunted Hall having a library background instead of a carnival and the 2 final bosses. So that means 66% of the levels in DKC2 are "reskinned with different colors"
Here are 2 different hive levels from 2 different worlds:
All 3 brambles levels:
Magic Mushroom
Member
I don't think they're too difficult, but they're certainly challenging and I like that a lot.
Also, cheery games are awesome people. There is enough gloom in gaming as it is.
Davey Cakes
Member
Also, difficulty-wise, Tropical Freeze is a tropical breeze. People who say it's hard to need to play more platformers.
I actually found DKC2 harder in some parts. The secret levels stand out. Never did beat it 100%. If I went back today I probably could though.
I actually found DKC2 harder in some parts. The secret levels stand out. Never did beat it 100%. If I went back today I probably could though.
Kevin Shields
Member
What part are you up to? I feel the game really gets good in the second world. And then the 4th and 5th worlds are difficult platforming heaven...
not really but then again those collectibles aren't required to 100% the game, only the K-O-N-G letters. so they're not really an emphasis anyway.
Lord British
Member
Er... yes.
Nocturnowl
Member
Nah friendo, while I'll concur that Shoal Atoll is a pretty weak stage and that World 4 is arguably the game's weakest world it ain't bad.
Amiss Abyss, Deep Keep and Irate Eight are great water stages, makes the wet stuff not called lava lagoon from the original trilogy look small time.
Though if you had trouble with the swimming mechanics I can see how that would majorly impact your enjoyment, personally I thought they were the best swimming controls in a 2D platformer behind Rayman origins/legends.
That roll jump is struggle jump compared to the Retro cannonballing catapulting equivalent of speed running, head bopping dreams.
Still correct.
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
Tropical Freeze might be the best 2D platformer of all time, so no.