Looking at both through the same lens now, I'd say I enjoy Retro's more. I imagine it's different playing the SNES games as they came out, though the SNES era was my Void Gaming period so I can't speak for that, just how they stack up now.

Tropical Freeze is so freaking good, regardless.

Retro's by far, and I really don't see how anything but nostalgia could say otherwise.

Rares Trilogy. They were miles ahead of there time. Those games were also competing with the next generation. Still to this day they are amazing games that aged very well. Limited technology with the SNES hardware aswell.
Not saying Retros DKC series isnt good, there great games too.

I also feel alot of the voting is based of gamers who had never played the OG games or not much of them.

Retro's series is good and all, but Rare's is frankly on a different stratosphere. For me, it's really the aesthetic, though. Rare's DKC unnerved me.

I feel that the Rare games were better, but todays Rare could not make a DKC as good as Retro.

Retro's DKC Tropical freeze is the best the series has ever been imo.
So Retro > Rare by todays standards (we have no idea if rare can still do a good DKC game, we know Retro can).

I've played DKC2 and Tropical Freeze very recently. That's a rough decision, because both are among the greatest platformers ever made.

DKC1/3 and Returns are about equal, I'd say. I went with Retro simply because it has more spectacle and set-pieces, but the Rare's trilogy rock-solid gameplay and design really mean it should be equal.

Obviously Rare as they created the DKC IP and I feel like they had more original level themes. I mean Tropical freeze increased tremendously in terms of themes but DKCR was a complete lackluster (forest world+jungle world? and no water level)

Rare did amazing things in DKC with the SNES

I havent not felt that feeling when i played the new DK on wiiu. It looked good but meh. its even less likely I will try it again on switch barring a killer sale, which its a Nintendo title so I am not holding my breath.

For sure Rare's . with that said, tropical freeze is the best dk game ever. but the music, background, stages, bonus challenges as a whole from rare are better. dkcr was great, but not amazing.

I'm seriously hoping for a 3rd dkc to be announced at e3, despite everyone's dismay.