Donkey Kong series

[Spark Of Spirit]

It looks like every other classic series has its own thread except the Donkey Kong series and since it's a classic series that's just no good!

I'll post this series timeline from Wikipedia (I added a few games) as a source for the titles this thread will mainly be about discussing, though spin-offs and ports not listed are still welcomed such as Diddy Kong Racing and the many ports DK's games have received since the NES.

1981 - Donkey Kong
1982 - Donkey Kong Junior
1983 - Donkey Kong 3
1994 - Donkey Kong ('94)
1994 - Donkey Kong Country
1995 - Donkey Kong Land
1995 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
1996 - Donkey Kong Land 2
1996 - Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
1997 - Donkey Kong Land III
1999 - Donkey Kong 64
2004 - Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
2004 - Mario Vs. Donkey Kong
2005 - DK King of Swing
2006 - Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2: March Of The Minis
2007 - DK Jungle Climber
2009 - Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini's March Again!
2010 - Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
2010 - Donkey Kong Country Returns
2013 - Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis On The Move
2013 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

The history of Donkey Kong is pretty well known starting as the boss in the over 30-year-old arcade game and spanned the decades starring in arcade games, platformers, puzzle games, rhythm games of all kinds, and appearances in about every single Mario spin-off and party game.

Though he had a bit of a dip in popularity in the early 00s, he came flying back with one of the highest selling games on one of the highest selling systems in 2010 and is due to return in a sequel out this year! So what does everyone here think about Donkey Kong? Does anyone else wish Mario Vs. Donkey Kong would go back to the DK'94 style or am I alone there?

Here's the DK thread so post your comments here! 

[Nel_Annette]

I didn't know they even made it to a third Mario vs. Donkey Kong, let alone a fifth. o.O

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yeah, two of them are download-only on DSiWare and the 3DS eshop.

To be honest, I'm not all too crazy about them. I got the DSiWare one for free during one Club Nintendo promotion and it was kind of dull.

[GaryPotter]

I adored the DKC games on SNES. Thought they were second only to Super Mario RPG as the best games on that system.

Got the Land games a few years ago. I would have had so much trouble with them as a kid. Even now they're tough. The second sky level in particular in Land is one of the hardest levels in any game I've ever played.

Want Mario Vs. Donkey Kong and King of Swing but can't find any copies.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

For now I'll just talk about the Donkey Kong Country games:

Donkey Kong Country- Its a real classic. I feel that people just brush this one off a bit too much these days. I know that everyone likes its sequels better, but this is still an amazing game all the same, and it has some elements to it that just gives it a unique feel which IMO makes it just as relevant of a great game as any of the other DKC games. Overall its one of my favorite platformers.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest- This is probably the best game in the franchise. It is the most challenging, but for the most part that challenge feels fair. I suppose you could say that its easily the most balanced DKC experience ever, with tons of variety to keep things interesting, and it hardly ever feels boring. This is easily one of my top 3 favorite platformers ever.

Donkey Kong Country 3- To be honest, I was never too fond of this one in the past, but with all of the positive reception it has been getting from people on this board, I suppose its finally time for me to get around to replaying it to see if I like it any better than I originally did. I think the game was always constructed just fine, but something about it felt a bit off to me. I can't place my finger on it, but while I mostly had fun playing it, I also never felt compelled to go back to the game once I had turned my Super Nintendo console off. I kind of had to force myself back into it, and when I did I had some fun, but it just never addicted me on the level that the first 2 games did, but maybe that'll change on my replay. Who knows?

Donkey Kong Country Returns- I STILL haven't played this one yet. Whenever I finally get a Wii, I will remedy that.

[talonmalon333]

DKC2 > DKCR > DKC > DKC3

[Spark Of Spirit]

DKC3 had a lot of things going against it when it came out. Kiddy Kong was dumb (and drew extra ire from DK and Diddy fans), the music while good enough didn't supply a punch most of the time like the first two did, there are a lot of gimmicky levels (but few that are outright broken), and the setting is not as grand as the one from DKC2. Also replacing Rambi with an elephant that has a rat phobia was a head-scratcher. Basically on first impression it's a disappointment and since most people were already looking at the N64 at the time I can see why so many people passed it up or didn't dwell on it too long- I was one of them.

But just picking it up without any biases or notions (and just wanting to play a 16-bit platformer I never really played) I found there was a lot to like in it. I played the GBA version a lot before I finally got the SNES version on the VC and found it was pretty underrated. You can see Rare was starting to get into their collectable obsession here though it's by FAR the most toned down of any of their other games with that element and their aesthetic was starting toward their N64 style but the levels are quite fun and most of the bosses are clever. On a base level if you remove it from its time, quirks, and expectations as a DKC2 sequel, it's one of the best on the SNES and is a lot of fun to play through.

It was also the last Donkey Kong platformer to have Dixie as a playable character, and her ability was well missed in the games to come. She kind of got a raw deal, I think.

DKC2 > DKCR > DKC > DKC3

From what I played of Tropical Freeze it might just be the best game in the series. I really liked DKCR other than a few issues but this one has sanded a lot of them off and added new features that fans have wanted. Also, using the grab mechanic to pull things is way more natural than the blow mechanic. It's still too early to say, but I think this game will surprise people.

[Nel_Annette]

DKC2 > DKCR > DKC > DKC3

I can agree with this.

Never really been a diehard fan of the series though.

[talonmalon333]

Spark, other than the waggle (which I never had much problem with), what were your DKCR issues?

[GaryPotter]

DKC3 had a lot of things going against it when it came out. Kiddy Kong was dumb (and drew extra ire from DK and Diddy fans), the music while good enough didn't supply a punch most of the time like the first two did, there are a lot of gimmicky levels (but few that are outright broken), and the setting is not as grand as the one from DKC2. Also replacing Rambi with an elephant that has a rat phobia was a head-scratcher. Basically on first impression it's a disappointment and since most people were already looking at the N64 at the time I can see why so many people passed it up or didn't dwell on it too long- I was one of them.

But just picking it up without any biases or notions (and just wanting to play a 16-bit platformer I never really played) I found there was a lot to like in it. I played the GBA version a lot before I finally got the SNES version on the VC and found it was pretty underrated. You can see Rare was starting to get into their collectable obsession here though it's by FAR the most toned down of any of their other games with that element and their aesthetic was starting toward their N64 style but the levels are quite fun and most of the bosses are clever. On a base level if you remove it from its time, quirks, and expectations as a DKC2 sequel, it's one of the best on the SNES and is a lot of fun to play through.

It was also the last Donkey Kong platformer to have Dixie as a playable character, and her ability was well missed in the games to come. She kind of got a raw deal, I think.

DKC2 > DKCR > DKC > DKC3

From what I played of Tropical Freeze it might just be the best game in the series. I really liked DKCR other than a few issues but this one has sanded a lot of them off and added new features that fans have wanted. Also, using the grab mechanic to pull things is way more natural than the blow mechanic. It's still too early to say, but I think this game will surprise people.

One thing I didn't care for was how the game ran substantially slower than DKC2.

I never really minded Ellie. I figured they needed to change things around to stay fresh.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Oh yeah, Ellie was fine once you find out about the water and trunk mechanics, but from first impression I can see why she'd be a letdown compared to Rambi.

Spark, other than the waggle (which I never had much problem with), what were your DKCR issues?

The roll didn't feel smooth and you usually lost momentum when coming out of it but in Tropical Freeze you keep it. Precise platforming was hard without Diddy because DK's weight was harder to control in the air but in Tropical Freeze you have more air control. The blowing mechanic was silly and frequently broke the pace but in Tropical Freeze the grab mechanic extends to everything from enemies to floors and walls (as well as the grass ceilings like in DKCR) but is mostly optional so it can be skipped. DK Barrels were sometimes not at checkpoints when in the old games and Tropical Freeze there is almost always at least one between checkpoints. But Tropical Freeze expands on a lot of things, too.

The barrel blast levels gain a lot from the usage of 3D whereas in Returns it was pretty basic. The mine cart levels now go back to the classic style of two hits instead of the one-and-done style of DKCR which just made them more frustrating than fun and they also allow you more room for error in Tropical Freeze (so you don't blow up because you jumped a millisecond too early) and again the 3D adds to them. The rocket barrel levels are gone. The music is being done by David Wise. The enemy types are more varied and require different approaches to tackle them. The level types look more original and from what I've played they make full use of them in unexpected ways. Swimming is back and it has been expanded to have attack and air mechanics. Dixie is playable and doesn't play like either Diddy or DK.

While a lot of those might not be issues for others (and I'm not saying DKCR isn't a good game because it's a great one) they were annoying for me and I'm glad Tropical Freeze looks so fun and a big improvement on it.

[Kiddington]

Hey guys, what about DK64? 

[GaryPotter]

His coconut gun can fire in spurts.

If he shoots ya it's gonna hurt.

[Commode]

I personally hope that DK64 never gets a rerelease.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It probably won't unless it gets remade from the ground up since Rare put stuff Microsoft now owns in it.

I really didn't like the game.