34. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
SNES (1995)
Rare Ltd.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest starts off exactly where Diddy and Donkey Kong left off from their first adventure: On board King K. Rool's Pirate Ship. Only this time, something's amiss... Donkey Kong has been kid (er...ape?) napped! It's up to Diddy and Dixie to stop Kaptain K. Rool (I love Rare's take on this villain, changing him up for every game) and save the big ape and their bananas. Despite playing it a few times on the Super Nintendo, it was actually through the Wii's Virtual Console did I really get to sit down and enjoy the heck out of this game. It was a game that prided itself on its challenging level design, but while challenging was always fair (something that I do admire in the Donkey Kong Country franchise). When playing with my roommate, I would always be Dixie (her floating hair trick was always appreciated in the tougher levels), and together we defeated Kaptain K. Rool and saved the day! Dixie Kong is the best Kong out there for sure, and I can't wait to play as her again in Tropical Freeze.
