Is Donkey Kong Country 2 the Greatest 2D Platformer of All Time? | Retrospective
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- Hey Everyone, here's the second part to my Donkey Kong Country Series Classic Retrospective!
00:00 Introduction
05:30 Review
15:10 Conclusion
#donkeykong #donkeykongcountry #nintendo - Hry
DKC2 had some of the best music ever for any game.
What I really love about this game is the soundtrack, the level designs, and the introduction of Dixie Kong. If I have a nitpick, I'm not sure yet.
the whole series on the original snes are the best i wouldnt say my top platformer but its one of my go to games i would recommend
Yes! Between these, Mario 3/world and sonic 2/3k I'm always good for a revisit every so often.
I would also put MegaMan three
This is my favorite game of all time. When I was young (grew up in the 2000s) we only had a Super Nintendo, that my dad bought in the mid-90s with all three DKC games. No matter what, the second one was always my favorite! I fondly remember playing this and my dad would always tell me where each secret was.
I think DKC3 is criminally underrated. But it was DKC2 that was my favorite most of my life until I got into synthesizers.
DKC2 has the best music in the series. "Welcome To Crocodile Ise", "Jig Jig", "Lockjaw's Saga", "Snakey Chantey" "Hot-Head Bop" "Boss Bossanova" "Mining Melancholy" and my personal favorite, "Stickerbush Symphony" are just a few of the awesome tracks featured in the game. They sound great on the SNES and when they are recreated by profession music artists, they sound absolutely amazing.
I always felt like DKC2 had higher highs but DKC 1 had the better overall soundtrack.
@@NintenDeen it has less songs tho
I can't say "greatest", but it is definitely one of the best, especially for its time.
The best platformer game ever??? Don't know man, one of the best could be possible. Maybe the best in SNES.
I had this game when I was 12 and I played it so many times. DKC2 Soundtrack is another strong point... Beautiful music!!
if you were born in 1984 than favorite game of all time is Mario3 and sonic2
I replayed the DKC trilogy recently and surprisingly found DKC3 to have aged the best as a game.
I just watched the first video (and commented on it) so I think I know where you're coming from with this one. I loved all 3 and still do. 2 is my favorite because of the improvements. Higher difficulty, better design and graphics, more content, better bosses, more secrets. I couldn't say the music is better or worse, both games brought epic tunes IMO. I thought it was a good idea to let Diddy shine this time and Dixie doesn't feel like a random character either.
Now, I haven't seen anybody say dkc2 is the best platform of all time nor of all classic games. It certainly is regarded as the best of the trilogy and I agree. I wouldn't call ANY game the absolute best but that's just me, because I haven't played most of them (I'm more of a FG lover). Great content once again, looking forward to see the 3rd chapter.
This is really awesome keep up the good work!
the immersion in this game is incredible and the fact they did this 1 year after DKC means they were on a roll and in the zone!
Personally I prefer DKC3 as a game - its gimmicky levels feel more memorable with fewer areas of pure frustration, the way you explore and unlock secrets on the map feels a lot more interesting than the mostly-linear progression of the previous games, and the way way the game ultimately forces you to get every secret to get the final ending without a simple "get everything to pass" wall is really well done - in fact the game feels like a conceptual prototype to Banjo-Kazooie's "collect-a-thon". However, DKC2's atmosphere is better.
I don't know, Yoshi's Island, Celeste, and especially Hollow Knight are phenomenal contenders.
What will never out-perform the three Super Nintendo DK games are its immense style, diversity (aka "gimmicks"), and fun execution.
Question: is this going to be a video series about dkc or rare's journey with nintendo (1994-2002)?
It'll be Rare but I won't be covering ALL games. I definitely want to include the Banjo games, probably Conker as well as maybe a quick vid on my favorite multiplayer experiences with Goldeneye and DKR. I'm kinda figuring it out as I go along.
Just my opinion. I recently went back and played a bunch of games for the first time probably since the 90s. I played Mario 3, SMW, DKC 1-2-3. To me, after all these years the DKC games held up significantly better than any Mario. I couldn’t really play too much Mario to be honest. The game play just seemed too loose if that makes any sense. DKC 2 stood out to me over the others by far. Something about it. How dark the theme was, the music and the combination of diddy and Dixie made it the best to me. Again, just my opinion.
So it's a totally valid opinion. But I think Mario World and Sonic 3 definitely still hold up. I think I prefer DKC 1 strictly because of the atmosphere. DKC 2 all around is a better experience, but like I mentioned in my video I think it's not significantly better
it ranks up there pretty high, although I gotta admit sonic two, And Mario three give this Competition
Not different enough from DKC1?
DKC1 levels are far more horizontal while many DKC2 levels focus on verticality. The animal buddies felt more like an afterthought on DKC1 while many levels in DKC2 were designed with the buddies in mind and (as you said) take more of a significant role in this game. In DKC1, the boss fights felt like a waste of time while the boss fights in DKC2 were actually interesting. In DKC1, finding a lot of those bonus rooms were not intuitive at all, while in DKC2, finding most of the bonus rooms were. In DKC1, there was hardly any incentive to pick Donkey Kong over Diddy, while in DKC2, both Diddy and Dixie had clear advantages over the other.
Trying to compare DKC1 and DKC2 to Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles feels kinda disingenuous considering Sonic 3 and Knuckles were just 2 halves of the same game. A more fair comparison is DKC1 and 2 to Sonic 1 and 2. At a glance, they look similar and even feel largely similar, but one truly is superior to the other when you play it for long enough.
I follow what you say about animal buddies in DKC1 but the game could not have levels based around them for a simple reason: you could lose them. The only way to control an animal buddy was riding them and if you got hit the animal buddy would run away, so they had to make the levels to be beatable even if you didn't have them, while in DKC2 you can transform into the animal buddies, so even if you got hit, you would only lose a life point but still be in control of said animal buddy. That's why they could make levels based around them in DKC2 (and 3) but not in 1.
The final KRool fight is a little stretched... It could have been a little faster
I agree. Probably just a bit too long but my issue was always that it didn't feel as iconic as the fight in the first game
DKc 3 is great too
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: DKC1 controls like bricks, Mario World, while fun, lack mechanical intricacy beyond the feather. Platforming actually kills the pace of every sonic game and DKC3 is both too gimmicky and child-like, with no real atmosphere. The only "flawless" game is dkc2. :D
In my opinion, I love DKC3. I don't understand what you mean by no atmosphere. The game is teeming with atmosphere and that's part of what I like about it. The music is great, and every world feels different. You have the first world filled with docks and warehouses that have various unique puzzles. The second world has forests. The world after that is an island that randomly pops up and you have to drive your new boat to and it's an industrial zone and the other world is a water like world and I haven't beat it past that but I love it. It's not nearly impossibly difficult like DKC2 is. I can actually progress in DKC3 past the second world. DKC2 is just too hard for many people to enjoy honestly. It's a great game from what I can see, but I can't experience all of it because I'm not that pro at old platformers. In my opinion, DKC2 is more for pro gamers to enjoy and the other games are for more casual gamers and most gamers are less pro and more casual. Yes, DKC3 is gimmicky but I think that adds charm to it, honestly. I like the idea of driving a boat around the map too. I think the graphics look a little nicer too in the 3rd one. DKC2 still looks good, but the resolution seems a bit off, like more pixel-like.
@@maskedmoleproductions2684 DKC2 and even one is heads, shoulders and more in atmosphere and tone-setting above 3, it's not an opinion, the only stages with actual atmosphere in 3 is deep water stages and canyons stages, otherwise, it's lacking. In DKC2 everything is geared towards telling the story of how Diddy eventually becomes a true hero, difficulty included.
DKC3 is a sunny Sunday of a holiday of winter, DKC2 Is the most important day of someone's life.
@@Scrubermensch I guess everyone has their opinions. I personally like the cold northern region theme of DKC3 with it's snow and temperate forests. It's different, but in a good way. It feels like a vacation to the rocky mountains or somewhere like that. I don't really think it's much less varied than the other DKC games. I mean, DKC1 was mostly tropical jungles. And DKC2 mostly felt pirate themed. The third game was overall mostly temperate/ cold themed but still managed to have a different enough feel to most worlds. Now, I think DKC2 had more varied gameplay mechanics, which also made the game harder, and that's either good or bad depending on which type of player you ask. I would probably like it a lot better if I was better at getting the hang of it or if there was at least an easy mode.
So, not to give away too much of the next video, I think DKC 3 lives up to DKC 1 and 2. There are some settings that rival the first game and some gimmicky challenges that are on par with what we see in DKC 2. And I think of you actually take a look at the break down of stages you'll see all their settings are fairly dynamic. And generally the "themes" we often think excessively repeat through these games are mostly crammed in the first world.
However, I think the biggest conclusion I've come to is I don't feel like there's enough of a change between the games to really determine one is drastically better than the others. It's a solid trilogy all around imo.
@@NintenDeen personally the superiority of 2 above 3 is atmosphere. Thematically speaking, Krocodile Isle is much more distinct than the northern kremisphere.
Not sure if I agree with the idea that DKC2 changed very little from DKC1. A good chunk was changed. The level design was more varied, more gameplay variety was added in with the Animal Friends (who had whole levels dedicated to them, unlike the very situational manner DKC1 handled them), Diddy and Dixie were a much more balanced duo compared to DK and Diddy (with Diddy and Dixie complementing each other far better), and the bonuses actually meant something and resulted in a Lost World that provided the game's true ending. Enemy placement was also tweaked to be fairer than the original, which tended to have a lot of "gotcha" moments. The boss fights were also given an upgrade that made them much more worthwhile than the first game's super basic non-K. Rool bosses.
quality video
Thanks! I appreciate the comment
Cool break down. DKC 2 is top for me because of the environments but how I despise Tower Climb.
Best 2D platformer ever in my opinion, no flaws, no frustration, just pure fun
I can't take someone that says DKC2 isn't a huge an improvement over DKC1seriously. It means you just looked at the mechanics of each game very superficially. It's not a surprise that you use cheats to complete the game
You're mad I used an in-game method to complete it for this playthrough? It's not like I haven't completed it a hundred times before in the past lol.
You can disagree and "not take me seriously" all you want. The biggest improvements in my opinion are the boss battles. Everything else, while still improvements, are not super groundbreaking drastic improvements. In my humble opinion, of course. Thanks for watching
@@NintenDeen I honestly disagree, the feel in controls from dkc 1 to 2 ( 3 being the same as 2) are totally different, you can feel that the DKC 2 was more polished and easy to control.
The feel while throwing a barrel was tons better in DKC 2 the animals are more fluid and the Bonus games are more intuitive.
The bosses are a sole proof of the fluidity of DKC 2, in DK1 it felt rushed and unpolished.
The gimmicks and barrel cannons are a lot better and the controls more responsive.
The change is not as big as the difference between Super Mario Bros. 3 to SM World, but still huge.
@@NintenDeen Not to mention that the new ideas like bonus coin, DH coin, lost levels, the buddy throw and the information in the level title showing if you got the DK coin or not, or if you got all the bonus coins.
@@NintenDeen so having much better level desing, much better enemy placement (count how many times you get hit by an enemy you couldn't see in DKC1, it never happens in DKC2), better enemy variety, a much better character to play as (Dixie), the team up mechanic, the animal barrels that made possible to use the animal buddies to their fullest potential, bonus barrels are hidden more cleverly and are much more fair and fun to find, the bonus rooms are all different compared to the same boring ones of DKC1 so you actually have a reason to go for 100%, it has a new set of levels in the Lost World, the levels themea are better and more varied (DKC1 has the entire last zone being the same boring caves with no new level theme), the animal buddies are much better to control (Squitter and Rattly shit on Expresso and Winky), it has a much better difficulty curve, all the bosses are better and it managed to even have a better soundtrack. Now tell those are minor improvements. Every single aspect of the game has been polished, evolved and perfected. The games are not even comparable, the improvements are exponential.
It is no doubt
They should have just called it Kong Country or Kong Quest.
Before watching the video:
Yes, yes it is, and that's not actually a super prestigious honor since its competition are games like Super Mario World and Celeste, which while fun in their own right, would not break into my 50 best videogames.
It's kind of like asking if Banjo kazooie is the best 3D collectathon. Unless you include Mario 64 and Breath of the wild it doesn't have much in the way of competition.
Dang, these are fighting words 🤣. I understand your opinions but don't necessarily agree with them haha.
After watching the video:
I was born after dkc2 had been released and played it alongside all the other videogames my brothers had at the time. So i knew nothing of the context of the game's release nor have I ever heard anyone call it the best 2D platformer ever made. Of the 2D platformers I've played this happened to be the best one, and of all the thousands of games I've played this happens to be one of the best.
I strongly disagree that the dkc series peaked at the first game then floated through. Looking back on it it may be hard to realize, but the first game has severe issues with poor difficulty curve, random jank, and crap that takes a lot of patience to get through. DKC 2 keeps things much snappier by comparison. Visually, DKC created the framework for the series, but the DKC2 designs and backgrounds are more colorful and varied. Musically a similar thing, the soundtrack in DKC1 is excellent (some songs are straight up masterful) but it also has more songs which feel generic. The snake controls better than the frog, the bird controls better than the ostrich and the variety of bonus levels keeps things fresh and engaging. There are pieces of DKC 1 which cannot be replaced and I cannot say DKC 2 is better than, but as a whole I think 2 rates slightly higher.
Afterthought: Yoshi's island is actually a strong contender for the title of best 2d platformer.
Bro there's a lot of good 2d platformers (some that would break the top 50)
You consider breath of the wild a 3-d platformer collectathon? Thats a new take I havent heard of lmao.
Coukd be the game was definitely top 10 even too 5
Donkey Kong County 2 is probably the 3rd best 2d platformer. The only games that beat it are Mario Bros 3 and Super Metroid.
Don't overlook DKC 3 bro.
yup great game.
DKC 2 is much better than 1. The music, game play, bosses are all better. More replay and the final boss was definitely better than 1. Love the k rool theme. All my opinion but it seems obvious.
1 had a lot great things about it...
donkey kong country none of them is the greatest 2d platformer.!
Who ever said.?. 🤷🏾♂️because of the graphics because of it’s concepts that really made good for media, promotion and brand and memorable imprints in gamers minds .?
Dk is not a smooth playing game and it has one tone right through, it’s range in freedome is limited
it is a good game.
But graphical fidelity aside.. it’s not great .!
Mario and sonic has that freedom of movement & world size and exploration that dk cannot replicate .dk is just a concept that took off an sold well because of the impact it had on the advancement of graphics & ip branding.
If striped of its graphics donkey country kind of suck .!
It’s more of a gimmic than anything else . There is a lot of elements that are just not fun
Donkey king country 2 was really good & a crown in the dk series .
Great game YES .!
Greatest platformer in the history of 16 bit.? 🧐 not even close .!!
Ok, after reading that ominous comment I'm honestly curious.
What would then be your Top 10 "Greatest platformer in the history of 16 bit"?
Of course no DKC games can be on that list, because they are "not even close" to being the greatest, so there gotta be at least 10 games better that the DKC trilogy.
I just hope their world building is not based around squares and their protagonists can do more that just run and jump.
@@kasquez first off if u read well you would see I say I is a good game, it is one of thee, but not the greatest plat of the 16bit like the title stated but the creator did say in the end it’s not .
I loved DKC2 as a kid, but for greatest 2D platformer I'd place Super Mario World, Sonic CD, and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood ahead of it.
Dkc1 feels too basic with less replayability and dkc3 music is ass
DKC3 is arguably better thanDKC1
@@miamimagicians shit music tho