Donkey Kong Country (SNES, 1994)
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES, 1995)
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES, 1996)
Why You Should
Play It
Donkey
Kong Country is one of those games both kids and magazines loved back
in the day.
But lately, it's been “trendy” to say DKC was
overrated. EGM even called it one of the ten most overrated games of
all time in April of 2005 despite naming it their 1994 game of the
year. At some level, the backlash is understandable. DKC had a huge
prerelease hype campaign. The game seemed to follow you everywhere
you went for a few months in '94. There were ads everywhere, TV
spots, even a ridiculously bad promotional VHS tape; it was
inescapable, which was an impressive feat considering we didn't have
the internet and gaming didn't have anywhere near the number of
advertising avenues it does now.
Yes,
more than any other game on this list, DKC seems like an artifact of
a bygone era. It represents the “Console War” of the 90s in full
swing and it drips with that kind of “90s Attitude” that the era
would become synonymous with in retrospect. And yet, something about
it feels less antiquated than many of the games it shared its release
window with. Regardless of how you feel about DKC aesthetically, it's
an exceptionally well-crafted game. It wears the trappings of what we
like to call a “platformer”, but it does so much with what was by
then a well established formula that it deserves to be held in a
category all its own.
This
should come as no surprise, considering that DKC, despite bearing the
name of a first-party Nintendo property (the property that launched
the company into the gaming business, in fact), it was outsourced to
Rare, a developer that had proven itself with titles like Wizards and
Warriors, Snake Rattle 'n' Roll, and Battletoads on the NES.
What
Rare brought to the platforming genre was the sensibility that while
what is now referred to as “'tude” was important to distinguish
oneself in the 90s, good game design should still be paramount
amongst all other concerns. This is what elevates DKC so far above
games like Bubsy and all the other forgotten “mascot” platformers
of the day. If you took away its unique aesthetic, its charm, its
visual motifs, the sheer experience of playing it would be thrill
enough to make it noteworthy. Tearing through tunnels in a mine cart
in DKC1, blasting your way around a maze made entirely of thorns in
DKC2, or trying to keep a hungry piranha well-fed with your enemies
before it turns its fangs on you as you negotiate an underwater
labyrinth in DKC3, the DKC franchise has arcs that tell stories in
its stages and creates unique, unforgettable moments just as
competently as Mario or Sonic.
One
thing you could not take away from DKC without compromising its
integrity, however, is its music. Dave Wise is every bit as
responsible for DKC's success as the programmers who toiled over the
games for months and years on end. There isn't a single piece of
music in the first two DKC games that isn't absolutely indispensable.
DKC2 in particular has one of the most celebrated video game
soundtracks of the classic era, inspiring an epic remix of the entire
soundtrack by the talented and dedicated folks over at Overclocked.
The third game suffers a little bit in this regard due to Evenlyn
Fischer taking over Wise's duties, but DKC3 still has some moody and
memorable pieces and still triumphs as a game thanks to its level
design, which is arguably superior to the first two games.
Some
of the fallout that's occurred over the years with everyone's love
affair with DKC is no doubt due to its somewhat dated appearance. In
1994, before Playstation and N64, when impressive-looking 3D was
still a few years off and all we had were crude attempts like Star
Fox and Virtua Fighter, DKC's “Silicon Graphics” modeling was a
pretty big deal. Like other early attempts at some semblance of 3D,
however, Silicon Graphics began showing its age quickly. A lot of
games that used it look outright ridiculous now, and while DKC fairs
better than most, it's unavoidable—the first game looks kinda ugly.
By the second and third games, however, Rare had really perfected its
technique. The models don't all look like they're made of slick
plastic and the level of detail in some areas is almost insane.
Whether
you grew up loving or hating DKC, or if you were ambivalent and
completely avoided it, it's a gaming experience that should not be
missed. Go back and give it a go, whether for the first or the
umpteenth time. Perhaps the elapsed years will allow you to
appreciate some of the finer details you may have missed because you
were too busy ogling the graphics or cursing its existence while you
pledged your allegiance to Sega.
Potential Barriers
Platformers are a fairly timeless lot. They've enjoyed a recent renaissance in the indie scene, and frankly, they haven't changed all that much (and that's sort of the idea). Thus, DKC shouldn't be difficult for most contemporary gamers to enjoy, even if its aesthetic seems somewhat dated.
Current Availability
All three DKC games are available via the Wii's Virtual Console. The games were also ported to the Game Boy as the Donkey Kong Land trilogy, though with some obvious scaling back considering the hardware capabilities. They were later ported more accurately to the Game Boy Advance, but still with some graphical downgrading, though the third game has a pretty bitchin' new soundtrack by Dave Wise.
If You Really Dig It
Platformers were the end all, be all of gaming in the early 90s, and as such, there is no shortage of games of DKC's ilk. But there are only a few I would say are worthy of being held alongside it.
Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis, 1993)
Sparkster (SNES/Genesis, 1994)
Rocket Knight (Playstation Network/XBox Live Arcade, 2010)
Rocket Knight is one of the more beloved (and sadly, forgotten) platforming mascots of the 16-era. Like any of Sparkster's brethren, he had a unique schtick that made his game stand out, and for him, it was his jet pack, which allowed him to blast across stages like an airborn Sonic the Hedgehog.
Earthworm Jim (SNES/Genesis, 1994)
Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES/Genesis, 1995)
Earthworm Jim is one of the greater, more personality-infused platformers of the 16-bit era. While it doesn't share a whole lot in common in terms of tonality or in gameplay meechanics with DKC, it is one of the few platforming franchises that could compete with it both in the field of popularity and in design.
Tomba! (PSOne, 1997)
Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return (PSOne, 1999)
By the time Tomba! came around, platformers were well past their prime, and gamers were looking for gaming experiences that had grown up with them, like Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, and the like. Platformers really had to distinguish themselves to be successful, and Tomba! accomplished this by having a fairly unique aesthetic and some rather deep exploration.
Rare's N64 Platformers
Banjo Kazooie (Nintendo 64, 1998)
Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo 64, 1999)
Banjo Tooie (Nintendo 64, 2000)
Conker's Bad Fur Day (Nintendo 64, 2001)
Rare followed up the DKC trilogy on N64 with one of the most impressive turnouts any company has ever made on a single piece of hardware. Rare was really the backbone of the 64 for most of its life span, and their platformers were second to none. The Banjo games are the true successors to the DKC flame, combining the spirit of the SNES games with the modern sensibilities brought on by Mario 64. Donkey Kong 64, while solid in its own right, doesn't quite live up to its namesake. Conker isn't really a pure platformer in the same sense as the other three, but it's worth mentioning here as much of its humor is directly referencing the attitude-infused era that gave birth to games like DKC.
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii, 2010)
After a decade of silence, Donkey Kong Country finally returned. This time helmed by Retro Studios, the team that triumphantly resurrected the similarly great but dead Metroid franchise, DKCR is one of the greatest revivals in gaming, in an industry where revivals are often soulless affairs designed to garner hype and sales from vulnerable and hopelessly nostalgic 30-something gamers (see: Bionic Commando).
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