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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Donkey Kong Country 1 vs 2

 

I think the best is...

Donkey Kong Country 12 32.43%
 
Donkey Kong Country 2 25 67.57%
 
Total:37

while we're at it, I'd also like to make a case for DKC3 over DKC2.

More levels overall (I think it's like 45 levels in DKc3 vs 39 in DKC2)
- (Edit - I just did research and it's telling me 52 levels for DKC2 and 48 for DKC3 but that's certainly not right, lemme go look. turns out DKC1 had 40 levels total. 33 normal levels and 7 boss levels. DKC2 has 39 levels and 8 bosses, so 47 levels total. DKC3 has 40 levels plus 8 bosses, so 48 total levels. Only 1 more than DKC2).

More things to do/collect
- DKC2 had kremkoins and DK koins for collections as well as Banana Koins for currency. DKC3 had bonus koins and DK Koins (Which also required puzzle solving), as well as bear koins for currency. On top of that it ALSO had the brothers bear quests and the banana birds. both of which I personally quite enjoyed.

Equal or better level design.
- While DKC2 is no slouch, I thought there were more cool gameplay mechanics and more variety in levels, making each and every level in DKC3 seem unique and original, whereas there was a lot of redundancy in DKC2's level designs. I can barely tell a difference between the marsh levels or the hive levels or the coaster levels.

More freedom on the World map
- It wasn't much, but being able to swim freely to explore or drive motorboats places as the world map opened up was and is a big deal to me.

More minigames/side content
- I thought the bonus games like Cranky's swank tent was a better minigame than the nonexistent minigames of DKC2 or the trivia.

More secrets/codes
- another super minor thing, but I really, really enjoyed the codes you could put in on DKC3 compared to the codes in DKC1 or 2. I just liked the changes a lot more.

On the flipside, yeah, I know why people like DKC2 a lot better overall. The art direction - the pirate theme and semi-serious tone to it all - was one of the best in the history of all gaming, and the soundtrack might very well be the best soundtrack ever. The art direction and music and tone and visual style is just better in DKC2, no doubt there. I don't personally hate DKC3's art direction, but I understand why the goofier looking art style turned some people off (same people who hated Wind Waker upon its release, I'm sure), but it's not as bad as people seem to act. it just can't hold a candle to 2. The soundtrack to 3 is also phenomenal and atmospheric, it just doesn't even come close to the quality that was 2's astonishingly great soundtrack.

Kiddy Kong sucks, though. DKC3 would have been better if that was Donkey Kong

That said, the only BAD things about DKC 3 are the art direction and sound design, which I still don't think is bad by any means, it's just not as good as the prior two games in the franchise. I think, from a gameplay perspective, DKC3 is the best of the SNES trilogy.

but I think we can all agree that, when it comes to game and level design, Tropical Freeze is the best. (Hurts me to say it, since TF isn't one of my top five favourite games of all time, like DKC2 and DKC3 are...but hey, nostalgia matters.)



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Donkey Kong Country set the bar...

Donkey Kong Country 2, took that bar and threw it out the window with improved visuals, audio, controls and threw in style, substance and strong art direction with brand new gameplay mechanics to truly mix it up.

It's a sequel that takes the best of it's predecessor and absolutely improves on it in every single way, it's a sequel done right.



--::{PC Gaming Master Race}::--

Runa216 said:
while we're at it, I'd also like to make a case for DKC3 over DKC2.

More levels overall (I think it's like 45 levels in DKc3 vs 39 in DKC2)
- (Edit - I just did research and it's telling me 52 levels for DKC2 and 48 for DKC3 but that's certainly not right, lemme go look. turns out DKC1 had 40 levels total. 33 normal levels and 7 boss levels. DKC2 has 39 levels and 8 bosses, so 47 levels total. DKC3 has 40 levels plus 8 bosses, so 48 total levels. Only 1 more than DKC2).

More things to do/collect
- DKC2 had kremkoins and DK koins for collections as well as Banana Koins for currency. DKC3 had bonus koins and DK Koins (Which also required puzzle solving), as well as bear koins for currency. On top of that it ALSO had the brothers bear quests and the banana birds. both of which I personally quite enjoyed.

Equal or better level design.
- While DKC2 is no slouch, I thought there were more cool gameplay mechanics and more variety in levels, making each and every level in DKC3 seem unique and original, whereas there was a lot of redundancy in DKC2's level designs. I can barely tell a difference between the marsh levels or the hive levels or the coaster levels.

More freedom on the World map
- It wasn't much, but being able to swim freely to explore or drive motorboats places as the world map opened up was and is a big deal to me.

More minigames/side content
- I thought the bonus games like Cranky's swank tent was a better minigame than the nonexistent minigames of DKC2 or the trivia.

More secrets/codes
- another super minor thing, but I really, really enjoyed the codes you could put in on DKC3 compared to the codes in DKC1 or 2. I just liked the changes a lot more.

On the flipside, yeah, I know why people like DKC2 a lot better overall. The art direction - the pirate theme and semi-serious tone to it all - was one of the best in the history of all gaming, and the soundtrack might very well be the best soundtrack ever. The art direction and music and tone and visual style is just better in DKC2, no doubt there. I don't personally hate DKC3's art direction, but I understand why the goofier looking art style turned some people off (same people who hated Wind Waker upon its release, I'm sure), but it's not as bad as people seem to act. it just can't hold a candle to 2. The soundtrack to 3 is also phenomenal and atmospheric, it just doesn't even come close to the quality that was 2's astonishingly great soundtrack.

Kiddy Kong sucks, though. DKC3 would have been better if that was Donkey Kong

That said, the only BAD things about DKC 3 are the art direction and sound design, which I still don't think is bad by any means, it's just not as good as the prior two games in the franchise. I think, from a gameplay perspective, DKC3 is the best of the SNES trilogy.

but I think we can all agree that, when it comes to game and level design, Tropical Freeze is the best. (Hurts me to say it, since TF isn't one of my top five favourite games of all time, like DKC2 and DKC3 are...but hey, nostalgia matters.)

While I don't entirely agree, thanks for this post, very well put and got me thinking.

I'm definitely in the camp that DKC3 is underrated; I actually have trouble deciding which is better between it and DKC1. I don't have an issue with it's art style at all, (and I'm one of those who hated Wind Waker's art style :p) and I do really like the variety in its levels, I guess I just prefer DKC2 due to the combo of Diddy + Dixie over Kiddy +Dixie, and DKC2's soundtrack.



Slownenberg said:
Played DKC1. A bunch of years later I bought DKC2 because I heard it was the best of the bunch but only played it a bit. But DKC1 was such a fantastic game.

Slightly off topic, but, I heard DKC Tropical Breeze was super good so I bought it a while back but it doesn't feel like it has the magic of the originals. Like it's an OK game, but I've only managed to play if for an hour or two because I play it for like 20 minutes at a time then I'm like eh whatever. That and NSMBUD both feel underwhelming. Maybe its just because indie 2D platformers have gotten so good that these classic series seem kinda boring now. Anybody think DKC Tropical Breeze really isn't that interesting? Or should I play more into it and it will get better?

In my opinion tropical freeze is the greatest 2d platformer ever made.



Both very good games. I've always preferred the original. I think all of its charm became ingrained in me over years of playing it since childhood. I was quite late playing DKC2 properly, so it never had a chance to work its magic on me the way the first one did as a kid.

Also, Animal Antics drives me insane.



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drbunnig said:
Both very good games. I've always preferred the original. I think all of its charm became ingrained in me over years of playing it since childhood. I was quite late playing DKC2 properly, so it never had a chance to work its magic on me the way the first one did as a kid.

Also, Animal Antics drives me insane.

Yeah if I have one issue with DKC2 it's that Animal Antics and that level with the bird race (Screech's Sprint) are absurdly difficult to the point of just not being fun, which is a shame as the rest of the game is so amazing. DKC1 never quite got that harsh.



curl-6 said:
drbunnig said:
Both very good games. I've always preferred the original. I think all of its charm became ingrained in me over years of playing it since childhood. I was quite late playing DKC2 properly, so it never had a chance to work its magic on me the way the first one did as a kid.

Also, Animal Antics drives me insane.

Yeah if I have one issue with DKC2 it's that Animal Antics and that level with the bird race (Screech's Sprint) are absurdly difficult to the point of just not being fun, which is a shame as the rest of the game is so amazing. DKC1 never quite got that harsh.

wait, really? I never found either of those levels to be all that difficult, to be honest. I found stuff like Chain Link Chamber (and most of K.Rool's Castle) harder. 



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PS4, PS3, PS2, PS1, WiiU, Wii, GCN, N64 SNES, XBO, 360

3DS, DS, GBA, Vita, PSP, Android

Runa216 said:
curl-6 said:

Yeah if I have one issue with DKC2 it's that Animal Antics and that level with the bird race (Screech's Sprint) are absurdly difficult to the point of just not being fun, which is a shame as the rest of the game is so amazing. DKC1 never quite got that harsh.

wait, really? I never found either of those levels to be all that difficult, to be honest. I found stuff like Chain Link Chamber (and most of K.Rool's Castle) harder. 

There were other levels that were hard, but the parts where you played the bird surrounded by brambles and having wind/a race to makes things even trickier were the only parts that made me rage and want to quit.

There weren't any levels in DKC1 that really had me wanting to throw the controller.

So DKC1 I think is slightly better balanced, although I feel DKC2's greater depth and variety still make it the better game overall.



For me it's DKC3 > 2 > 1, but I think all three should be played together as the design progresses and opens up fairly naturally from the beginning of the first to the end of the third.



I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.

Slownenberg said:
Played DKC1. A bunch of years later I bought DKC2 because I heard it was the best of the bunch but only played it a bit. But DKC1 was such a fantastic game.

Slightly off topic, but, I heard DKC Tropical Breeze was super good so I bought it a while back but it doesn't feel like it has the magic of the originals. Like it's an OK game, but I've only managed to play if for an hour or two because I play it for like 20 minutes at a time then I'm like eh whatever. That and NSMBUD both feel underwhelming. Maybe its just because indie 2D platformers have gotten so good that these classic series seem kinda boring now. Anybody think DKC Tropical Breeze really isn't that interesting? Or should I play more into it and it will get better?

That's how I felt about DKC Returns and the NSMB games as well. I recognize the advancements over the original games, but I find the later games lack the magic of the older ones. The DKC trilogy and Super Mario Bros 3 do possess something special. I found the same thing with the original Ducktales and the remake, the remake is just not as enjoyable.



I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.