The only DK game I've finished is Donkey Kong Land. Which I did earlier this year. I've played DKC up to finishing the glacier world. But never finished it. I have to be in the right mood, sometimes I just find them frustrating, especially when it's levels with barrels. Timing a barrel wrong and getting insta-killed is ragequit bait.

I imagine Returns / Tropical Freeze is generally more approachable than the original DKC, you'd at least be able to see further ahead of you at least.

I will say that Donkey Kong Country, the first one, was by far the most important of these games in my lifetime. The amount of hype and anticipation behind this one title could only be matched by Super Mario Bros 3. The game’s graphics alone created a demand for other games that looked like that one. The other releases have all been shadows by comparison. The first DKC was the only time the series was among the most cutting edge releases while being at the top commercially and (except perhaps the first game). And on top of that, it was a really good game, and it is still one of the best platformers of its time… how the muscle instincts just seem to lead you to jumping and landing in the right spots… and today, its one of the few games (along with the second and third) that I keep coming back to.

I picked the third game as my favourite, because it’s sort of the end of that experience. The one I feel best about playing.

Donkey Kong arcade (though that's not really DK game). Two reasons for that:

- I honestly don't really care much for later, actual DK games - while I do find them to be good games for what they try to achieve, that sort of platformers never really appealed to me much.

- DK arcade, beside being great game to this day, was quite a big influence on platformers I do like, one with lot of exploration, which later evolved into Metroidvania and puzzle-platformer genres.

1. Tropical Freeze - greatest 2D platformer ever made; one of the greatest OSTs.
2. Bananza - So much fun. One of the greatest ending sequences to any game I've ever played.
3. DKC 1
4. DKC R
5. DKC 2
6. DKC 3

It took me years to notice the 3D effects in certain levels!!

Funny how people are different. I love the timing barrels levels for the same reason why you dislike them haha. I mean, it's challanging and when you finally beat the level you feel you're an awsome player

One thing that I really deslike in the Retro DKC games is how zoom out the screen is. I prefer to have the characters I control closer to me on the screen, like in the DKC games in the SNES. That's the same reason I didn't care so much for New Super Mario Bros. Wii and was so hyped for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Do you all also have this particular preference?

Very close fight between DKC2 and Tropical Freeze in the poll so far; good to see Bananza as the new kid on the block coming third best out of the whole series too.

For me it's a close fight between these three as well; each of them is spectacular, but if I absolutely had to pick one it'd probably be DKC2 for how sublime it's atmosphere is, and Diddy/Dixie being such a great duo.

One thing I should've mentioned that helps a Donkey Kong game feel like a Donkey Kong game is the presence of the Kremlings. None of DK's other antagonists have had the same lasting impact.

DKC was my first Donkey Kong game and I have a LOT of nostalgia for it. I even argue with myself that it is the best because of the original trilogy, that's the only one where you can actually play as Donkey Kong lol, BUT, I still have to say that DKC2 is the best, followed by DK Tropical Freeze, then DKC1 and DK64.

DKC2 is just too much of an improvement in every aspect. I still replay the game at least once a year.