Definitely Tropical Freeze for me. It's the most imaginative, has the best music, best level design and wonderful visuals. The only negative was Cranky Kong; what a lame character to play as.

I'd go with the original next since it made such a strong debut and neither DKC 2 or 3 surpassed it in any meaningful way (in fact, neither were up to par, IMO), and I really didn't care all that much for Returns.

I've only played the very first on SNES (well I played the GBA port technically), DKCR, and Tropical Freeze. Of those, Tropical Freeze really takes it for me. Such incredibly level-design, music, challenges....just amazing in general.

DKC2 hands down. Followed by TF, DKC3 (very underrated), DKC1, and Returns.

Amen. I don't understand the hate for DKC3 at all.

I'm torn between DKC2 and Tropical Freeze. I have a ton of nostalgia for DKC2 but I guess I'll pick TF because of the fan-freackin-tastic soundtrack. I've listened to it so many times while working on digital art assignments.

personally 1 in my opinon by far. I think the overworld map and individual areas/levels are etxremely well designed. DKC 2 has some repetitive areas and I'm not in love with all the pirate ship levels. (I know, not a popular opinion). I like DKC3 but I think it clearly was a bit of a step down compared to the previous two, most likely a rushed development cycle as it came out at the very end of the SNES life cycle

I did not like Donkey Kong Country Returns much at all compared to the originals, somehow it fels like a bit of the juice was missing, like the level designs and perspective... it seemed less, er, smooth to me? something about the structure of a great platforming level has to be more natural to progress through than  a lot in that game. I don't like Diddy Kong having a jetpack at all either, ehhh.

Haven't played Tropical Freeze but I've heard good things

honestly I feel nothing in the platforming genre has matched the original DKC trilogy since they came out. They're extremely replayable 

DKC3 probably had the shortest development cycle of the original trilogy (it naturally sort of had to considering when it was released) and it shows a bit in some of the level designs.

I do think they were some extremely interesting concepts for levels in that game though, especially the timed 'race' ones that you needed to get a certain speed on to unlock certain things.

I think what hurts DKC 3 the most though is it is a bloated and confused. It has a lot of different things they attempted in it, from the different vehicles to manuever around the map in, to various different level types to unlock certain awards. Its a great game just maybe not as purely good at the other two

I do also think that a lot of people really don't like the 'baby' Kong character who constantly is crying and things in DKC3, I don't know, I find him a little annoying.

I think DKC2 gets a little too much praise, don't feel its as consistently great as the original in terms of mixing up level design and quality of the world map. I think its fairly obvious that people pick that as their favorite because you get to play as TWO light weight, easy to manuever characters, one with helicopter hair that makes for traversing levels easier

sure, Donkey Kong the character can be a bit of a pain to navigate with in the original game but I definitely feel that added something to the strategy and difficulty of the original. Having essentially two Diddy Kong's in DKC2 is a bit much imo.

I will give DKC2 credit for possibly being a bit more difficult than the original, but I still don't think its nearly as cohesively good of an overall experience as the first

Donkey Kong Country, that's first game in series that I played and had strongest effect on me.

Two days ago I start playing Tropical Freeze and I finding that's much better than Donkey Kong Country Returns that I didn't like too much.

The SNES games are legend. Tropical Freeze (I am currently playing it) doesn't even come close.

Tropical Freeze all the way. I could never get into the Rare DKC, I found them... weird,