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    Donkey Kong Country

    Game » consists of 27 releases. Released Nov 24, 1994

    For the first time in Nintendo history, take control of Mario's former adversary as he travels through the island (with his nephew Diddy Kong) to recover his stolen banana hoard in this side-scrolling platformer from Rare (now Rareware).

    thetudedude's Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) review

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    Do Crocodiles Even Like Bananas?

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    Story-

    Donkey Kong is enjoying a nice happy life on Donkey Kong Island where he has amassed a very large banana collection and is training his nephew Diddy Kong in the ways of the ape. One day the Kremlings, led by King K. Rool, decided that they wanted all of Donkey's bananas so they stole them and threw Diddy into a barrel for good measure (...how rude). Of course, Donkey ain't having this so he sets out to free Diddy, find every last banana and put the Kremlings on the extinct list for good measure!


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    Overview-

    Donkey Kong Country is a running, jumping and rolling platform game where your object is to make it from the start of the level through various obstacles and enemies on your way to the finish (or exit). Donkey and Diddy can work together (whether playing single or multiplayer) by "tagging" each other in at different times and utilizing their unique abilities. For instance, Diddy can move faster and jump higher while Donkey can defeat some enemies that Diddy cannot and also slam his hands on the ground to damage foes and shake items loose from trees. Both Kongs can attack by rolling (or cartwheeling) and jumping on enemies but can also ride on animal buddies (found randomly in crates) such as Enguarde the Swordfish who can swim with ease and charge forward with his large sword-shaped bill in underwater levels.

    The levels are populated with multitudes of Kremlings that block your path as well as the typical hazards that inhabit platform games (most notably pitfalls) but there's also plenty of unique innovations like barrel blasting and rope swinging that keep this from feeling like just another run and jump affair. The different stages are divided among 6 zones complete with a boss battle at the end of each one guarding entry to the next area. Guide Donkey and Diddy through all the different levels of Donkey Kong Island defeating as many Kremlings as possible (including King K. Rool himself) to retrieve Donkey's precious banana hoard and complete the game!


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    Critical Analysis-

    • Gameplay: 5/5 (I love it)
      While some of the enemies can fall into the forgettable realm, overall I find the gameplay to be awesome thanks in large part to the excellent level variety which feels new and fresh in seemingly every stage. Barrel Cannon Canyon and Mine Cart Madness stand out to me as personal favorites but I also have to give a tip of the cap to any of Donkey Kong Country's water levels which are among the best swimming type stages I have played in a platform game (or game period). How can you not like a game where a gorilla rides a rhino and charges at an army of crocodiles in order to get his mountain of bananas back?
    • Controls: 5/5 (I love it)
      There is no better way to say it... Donkey Kong Country has some of my favorite controls that I have ever used within a video game... PERIOD. Whether running and jumping over gaps or traversing the many ropes of Donkey Kong Island, the controls feel tight and responsive every step of the way and never let you down. Even after extensive combing I truly cannot find one complaint, these are simply some of the best "handles" I have ever experienced in any game bar none.
    • Music/Sound: 5/5 (I love it)
      Yet another high point for the game, the sound effects are good and appropriate but the real star here for me is the excellent music. Ranging from heavy drum beats to soft and mellow easy listening melodies, the music always gets me hummin' and many of the songs are staples in my playlist at home. Time to grab the bongos!
    • Graphics: 3/5 (Meh)
      The visuals are the first real stumble for me in the critiquing department. While they were certainly revolutionary in their time, they haven't aged well compared to the more transcendent cartoon-like graphics of other games in the 'tude era specifically the backgrounds and over worlds. The sprites still look good though and I definitely give credit for making them appear fluid when they're moving which is the high-point for me graphically. My God, those over world screens look like a sat-on painting though... YUCK!
    • 'Tude Meter: MODERATE (Coolness not guaranteed)
      The 'Tude Meter spikes up whenever Funky Kong is around with his sunglasses and surf board in tow however the rest of the game doesn't push the envelope in any way in terms of edginess as it's definitely a more universal type release that's meant to be appealing to everyone limiting its chances at moving too far within the moderate range. Still, Nintendo wrote the book on how to be successful during this time without the need to appeal to this category and this is yet another outstanding example but what were they really supposed to do anyways? Maybe Funky could take Donkey out on the town and shop around for a leather jacket and sick sneakers instead of wearing just a plain old tie?

    Final Verdict: 5/5 (Great game)

    WOW, what a stellar performance from start to finish! While the Mario Bros. series had always been the staple and measuring stick for great Nintendo first-party "run n' jump" titles, Donkey Kong Country swung in on a vine outta nowhere to claim a seat at the table of the highest-order right away establishing itself among its peers with the impact of a silverback gorilla's ground pound! With an outstanding combination of hairline-precision controls, ridiculously awesome music and robust level variety, Donkey Kong Country is pure unadulterated fun showcasing many of the best traits that fuel the lifeblood of the platforming genre while simultaneously innovating several new ideas to the difficult-to-experiment-with formula. I mean, who doesn't want to charge through army helmet-wearing alligators and armadillo legions with a pair of primates riding a rhino at maximum speed while a bass-thumpin beat propels you forward? ...And that's literally just 1 of the stupidly amazing out-of-context scenarios that you'll find yourself in after Donkey finds his bank vault-like banana hoard stolen from the game's onset.

    As far as detriments go, Donkey Kong Country's visuals aren't exactly what I would call "eye-candy" with over world screens and backdrops appearing like abstract Rorschach ink-blot tests at times though the sprite work deflects much of this criticism. Additionally, like many other Nintendo first-party products, the game lacks a resolute grittiness suspending the laws of realism to ensure a family-friendly product which doesn't exactly warm itself up to someone like myself. Honestly, these mentions (and any others) are entirely minuscule though and only worth noting so you know that it was actually diagnosed from an analytical perspective since I'm usually having WAY too much fun rolling into snakes and jumping mine carts from track to track to really ever notice any of these slights. In the end, Donkey Kong Country is without question one of the most satisfying and simple to pick up and play games EVER beating its chest proudly as it gazes down on the crowded undertow of inferior titles below it. In the grand exhibit of video game culture, there can be no denying the masterpiece status that affixes itself among this epic adventure of potassium intake!


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    Parting Thoughts-

    • Pros-
      *Top-notch controls
      *Incredible soundtrack
      *Fun tagging system works well in both single and multiplayer
    • Cons-
      *Smudgy looking backgrounds
      *Bosses are a little too easy
      *I HATE giant bees

    The 'Tude Dude's Bottom Line-

    Inflating unexpected charisma into an already beloved classic franchise, Donkey Kong Country hits all the right notes while establishing a new evolutionary foothold in the genre.


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    Other reviews for Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)

      DKC boasts a beautiful presentation and timeless gameplay 0

      The first thing you notice when you play Donkey Kong Country is how different it looks from the other 2D games of it's time. The characters, objects, and environments all have depth to them, and the rendered lighting gives them a much more realistic look. Gorgeous environments make use of the technical prowess, with colorful jungles, intimidating factories, haunting caves, and sublime ocean levels spread throughout the adventure. The ambient soundtrack matches the graphical excellence and they b...

      2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

      Why is this game so good? 0

      Donkey Kong Country from start to end is one the mosst fun games to ever hit planet Earth. You can take control of either Donkey Kong or the newly introduced Diddy Kong. This game is a platforming that executes the genre perfectly. You have the average controls of jumping and moving around, but also is a forward roll. Each set of levels are so well designed with beautiful 3D graphics on top. The control is very smooth and does not fail. While the game can be very hard, this game is still very fu...

      1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

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