"It's Even Tougher Than The Original" - Donkey Kong Country 2 For The Super NES
Written: Dec 29 '08 (Updated Jan 10 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful graphics, brilliant level design, tons of replay value.
Cons: Somewhat disappointing soundtrack, may be too difficult for some.
The Bottom Line: Donkey Kong Country 2 is easily the best game in Rare's Donkey Kong Country trilogy. And is one no self-respecting SNES owner should be without.
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| marty1982's Full Review: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest for Supe... |
The original Donkey Kong Country was a smash when it was first released in November, 1994. Not only did the game succeed in giving the Super NES the killer app it needed to overtake the Sega Genesis, but it also showed that the aging 16-bit console could easily compete with more powerful machines like the ill-fated Panasonic 3DO and Atari Jaguar (if only momentarily). And so, logically, a sequel was in order. And Rare delivered it just a little over a year later with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Offering improved graphics, a larger selection of worlds, even more secrets, and a brand new character (Diddy's girlfriend Dixie Kong), Rare basically took everything that made Donkey Kong Country a success and fleshed it out into one giant platform gaming opus. So did they succeed? Read on.
When you first begin playing DKC2, you'll immediately notice two significant changes from the first Donkey Kong Country:
1) Donkey Kong is no longer a playable character. Rather, as Diddy or Dixie Kong, your quest is to rescue DK from the clutches of Kaptain K. Rool (returning after his stint as "King K. Rool" in the original). While this may ruffle the feathers of more picky gamers (after all, it's called "Donkey Kong" Country but doesn't star Donkey Kong!), most people should easily be able to overlook the rather dubious change in casting and enjoy the actual gameplay (more on that later).
2) The setting and mood are considerably darker than in the original. Instead of the sunny tropical island (full of lush jungles, ancient ruins, and deep forests) you explored in the first DKC, you're now exploring a murky wasteland full of muddy swamps, haunted forests, and trecherous volcanoes. The color scheme is darker, the music is more abrasive, and everything is simply gloomier and more sinister than one year prior.
In terms of gameplay, Donkey Kong Country 2 is very similar to its predecessor. You control a party consisting of either Diddy, Dixie, or both characters. And if you have both in your party, you can swap their positions at will. Both characters have their own unique talents (Diddy is faster and Dixie can use her ponytail as a helicopter to cross wide chasm's). Along the way, you'll find several animals (some returning from the original and some completely new) you can ride, each with their own unique strengths and abilities. And, in a unique twist, there are some points where you'll actually be able to transform into these animals (a feature that would be used much very frequently in DKC3).
Where Donkey Kong Country 2 differs most from its predecessor in terms of gameplay is with its new currency system. In addition to collecting bananas, you'll now be collecting three different types of coins throughout the game: Kremcoins (which are collected when you complete bonus levels and used to unlock hidden levels in the game's "Lost World"), Banana coins (which are scattered throughout each level and used to buy the help of other Kongs), and Hero coins (special coins often located in hard-to-reach areas - collect them all, and you'll get a big surprise at the end). Unlike in the original, the Kong family will no longer be helping you for free. If you want to save your game, play Swanky's Bonus Game, get Cranky's advice, or use Funky's Flights, you will now need to pay them a certain number of Banana Coins. This is probably the most annoying new feature of DKC 2, as it's always frustrating to repeat a previous level how-many-times to collect a certain number of banana coins just so that you can save your progress (fortunately, Rare realized this and removed the "pay to save" feature in the third DKC game). You're also going to need to do all the saving you can, because Donkey Kong Country 2 is easily the hardest of the three DKC games. Once you reach World 3 (Krem Quay), the levels will become even more challenging than they were in DKC1's final world (Chimp Caverns). Fortunately, unlike other challenging 16-bit platformers (Sonic The Hedgehog, anyone?), the game is challenging without being too cheap. So while you will definitely be frustrated at times, there will rarely be a moment where you exclaim, "That just isn't fair!" Speaking of which, the levels are every bit as well designed as they were in the original. And because of all the new abilities and features, there is even more room for exploration within them. The hidden bonus rooms (easily the most fun part of DKC1) also return. But rather than just being the fun diversions they were in the original, they're now objective based games that you must complete to earn kremcoins. Plain and simple, almost everything is bigger and more challenging in Donkey Kong Country 2. And, when all is said and done, the game will probably take you a good nine or ten hours to complete, which is actually fairly long for a platform game (let alone one from 1995).
The graphics in Donkey Kong Country 2 are a definite improvement over the original's. Both the characters and environments are more detailed, the computer rendering is better, and there are more special effects. Interestingly, Rare also tried to give DKC2 a more cinematic look, so you can expect a fair amount of movie-like static when playing through the game. Unfortunately, the soundtrack in DKC2 is a slight step down from the original's. Rather than the calm and relaxing jungle music of the first game, DKC 2 (in keeping with its harsher tone) has a darker and more menacing soundtrack - you'll immediately notice this as you compare the overworld themes of both games. Unfortunately, the compositions, when all is said and done, just aren't as memorable as they were in the original. This isn't to say they're bad (far from it), but compared with the original, they generally come up a bit short. Meanwhile, the sound effects are just like they were in the original DKC. Appropriate but nothing to shout about.
Donkey Kong Country 2 is ultimately the best game in the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. The later Donkey Kong Country 3 would return to the sunny tropical atmosphere of the original and provide a much less linear quest. Unfortunately, some dubious design decisions and less creative level design would ultimately keep it from living up to the second DKC game. If you still play the SNES and haven't yet purchased this game, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy on Ebay. And if you own a Nintendo Wii and have access to the Wii Shop Channel, well, then you know precisely what to do.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
marty1982
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Location: Ferndale, MI
Reviews written: 169
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