Game Debate #149: Donkey Kong Country 2

[Reed Rothchild | 9,548]

[JamesRobot | 5,806]

I think I played it.  Clearly, it was forgettable.

[TDIRunner | 2,744]

The original DKC was one of my favorite games of all time, but my brother and I couldn't get into this one.  We never owned it back in the day and only played it through rentals.  Honestly, we probably didn't play it enough to give it a fair shake, but regardless, it never grabbed out attention from the very start the way that DKC did.  I loved the idea of adding a new character to play, but I hated loosing DK.  

[Splain | 2,571]

This one's on my backlog for this year so uhh, I won't be voting. As a kid I played DKC3 a ton, and I loved it. But everyone always says 2 is better.

[Jynx | 140]

If it's just based on my time playing it, I don't like Donkey Kong Country 2 very much. The music is great, but I don't like playing it compared to the first and third games. DK Country 2 isn't as fun with no heavyweight Kong, and the levels are always unpleasant to look at. That's what the game is going for with the story, but I still don't like it.

There aren't any areas that are nice to give you a break and make you feel good like the crystal caves, sunset jungle, misty mines, or treetop village from the first game, or the coral reef, lumber mill, or cliffs from the third game. I never want to keep playing as all the level graphics make me uncomfortable.

This is also petty, but DK Country 2 is too hard compared to the other ones. I've never finished the game because the difficulty and level graphics make me not want to keep playing. I got as far as the thorn levels, and never went farther.

Diddy is also my least favourite Kong on the SNES. He's okay for speed in the first one, but Donkey is almost always better as he can fight better. In the first game Diddy always dies by bouncing off armadillos. Dixie in DK Country 2 is better than Diddy for jump distance, making Diddy bad at what he was good at the first time. The only thing he's better at sometimes is throwing barrels depending on the level and enemies, but Kiddy in DK Country 3 can do that as well as fight strong enemies.

I rated it a three because I don't think it's very good. Again, I'm sorry if my English is not perfect. I won't mention it every time, but I thought I should since this is a long post. It's more noticeable the longer I type.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Samantha Garland

[Gloves | 11,794]

This is an easy 10 for me, and I'd argue one of if not THE best platformer of all time. The music, level variety, level of challenge, quality of control, graphics, everything about it is masterful. One of my favourite games of all time, I listen to the soundtrack regularly, and could replay the game ad infinitum.

[Brickman | 3,994]

21 minutes ago, Gloves said:

This is an easy 10 for me, and I'd argue one of if not THE best platformer of all time. The music, level variety, level of challenge, quality of control, graphics, everything about it is masterful. One of my favourite games of all time, I listen to the soundtrack regularly, and could replay the game ad infinitum.

My thoughts exactly.

Hands down the best DK game and he isn’t even a playable character 

I got a guide recently and plan to finally 101% it.

Depending on the mood I could be swayed to say that this is better than Mario Bros 3. I definitely go between this game and Mario Bros 3 as best platformer of all time.

[DarkTone | 986]

My favourite game on my favourite console. 

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

Great game from a great series.

[Sumez | 2,967]

I've often praised this game, but couldn't remember what I rated it, so I had to look it up.

It got a 7/10, likely on account of so much else in the genre (mainly Japanese games) just feeling tighter and more well designed and paced. But I love DKC2 regardless, and landed on an 8/10 for this poll, because I think it better reflects its standing in comparison to the more subjective takes of these threads.

It's the only of the three original DKC games that I'd consider truly a great game, but 3 is still fun, and even 1 is enjoyable despite its flaws.

The only thing I'd consider a step back compared to the first game is the fact that one of the two playable characters is rendered completely useless due to Dixie Kong having basically all of Diddy's strengths, and the ability to float. She only lacks his ability to carry a barrel in front of him, but holding it above her has equal (and often more useful) advantages.
DKC3 is actually the best of the three to balance this particular issue.

 

What I usually do praise DKC2 for, is its razor sharp ability to identify every shortcoming of DKC1 and remedying all of them.

The camera is now more intelligent and actively prevents unfair enemy collisions. The player is still rewarded for being observant, but is no longer required to either rely on memorization or rely on nervous baby steps through uncharted territory.

The stages employ much more variation, making the game's world feel like an exciting place to explore, this is realised in both graphics and stage design.

The difficulty ramps up way more than it ever did in DKC1. 1 is a super easy game, but it's also a largely unfair one in many occasions. DKC2 is a much more fair game, but leverages this balance to create much more challenging stages, which manage to be so in a fun way rather than frustrating.
I think this results in the final areas of the game feeling like much more of a climax, and the secret area like a genuine reward. Oh yeah, that's another thing they added in DKC2 - all the secrets now serve a purpose which can be exchanged into more gameplay, which makes it a lot more fun to go for.

Overall it's just a super entertaining game, and one of many must-plays on the SNES. You can skip the other two, but don't miss DKC2.

[docile tapeworm | 4,203]

It seems like this game is generally the favorite of the franchise. In my experience DKC floored me upon release. I even got a dkc super set for birthday or Christmas. I had always borrowed a Super Nintendo or played at friends up until then.

I played DKC endlessly. I don’t remember playing dkc2 until much later in life and when I did It didn’t capture me like the first game did. I have since acquired copy’s multiple times, each time giving this game another play. I never make it very far. 10-20 minutes of game time and I never go further.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,548]

3 minutes ago, docile tapeworm said:

It seems like this game is generally the favorite of the franchise. In my experience DKC floored me upon release. I even got a dkc super set for birthday or Christmas. I had always borrowed a Super Nintendo or played at friends up until then.

I played DKC endlessly. I don’t remember playing dkc2 until much later in life and when I did It didn’t capture me like the first game did. I have since acquired copy’s multiple times, each time giving this game another play. I never make it very far. 10-20 minutes of game time and I never go further.

It's because you're an old man

[docile tapeworm | 4,203]

4 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

It's because you're an old man

Dude I did get that copy with the 1-chip I just picked up…let’s go! I bet fin would sit with me during a play through.

[mbd39 | 2,025]

11 minutes ago, docile tapeworm said:

It seems like this game is generally the favorite of the franchise. In my experience DKC floored me upon release. I even got a dkc super set for birthday or Christmas. I had always borrowed a Super Nintendo or played at friends up until then.

I played DKC endlessly. I don’t remember playing dkc2 until much later in life and when I did It didn’t capture me like the first game did. I have since acquired copy’s multiple times, each time giving this game another play. I never make it very far. 10-20 minutes of game time and I never go further.

Thank you. While I like DKC2, it doesn't have the same magic as the first. I think the original is more fun and doesn't get as frustrating.

 

 

[Sumez | 2,967]

I'm not sure 10-20 minutes is enough time to judge DKC2 at all

[Hammerfestus | 3,860]

Gut reaction is 9.  Excellent game.  I really liked the addition of Tails.  I also like riding the swordfish.  

[Webhead123 | 679]

Objectively, this game likely deserves a 9 or 10 for everything it is and does on the SNES.

Subjectively, my gut reaction is to give it an 8 mostly because it didn't "wow" me the way the original DKC did and, as a result, I haven't spent nearly as many hours with it. But I can recognize that I'm being rather unfair and superficial in that comparison and when it really come down to it, DKC2 is probably one of the best action-platformers ever made.

So, I'll give it a 9/10.

[docile tapeworm | 4,203]

5 hours ago, Sumez said:

I'm not sure 10-20 minutes is enough time to judge DKC2 at all

I felt like I had seen enough. But I’m curious how long in your opinion should I play the game before I can give my opinion?

games that I enjoy capture me fairly quickly. Within the first few minutes.

Edited April 14, 2023 by docile tapeworm

[rdrunner | 422]

9/10 - Are DKC games like Mega Man, where people's favorites are usually the first ones they played?

Most of my fond memories of this franchise are from the first game, but I love the whole series.

Edited April 14, 2023 by rdrunner

[Tanooki | 4,937]

I don't have the most favorable score on this one, preferred the original, and even the third over it.  Wasn't a big fan of the loss of the larger kong mechanic, but what really bothered me was making it a partly forced collect-a-thon and I never was a fan of it being other than optional (like bananas, coins, letters, etc for 1ups.)  Gatekeeping the game with toll bridge tokens repeatedly annoyed the hell out of me as I just wanted to enjoy the game and I'd have to go back and do some lightly challenging and tedious extra step or I couldn't proceed.  Thankfully DKC3 dropped that annoyance and added the goofy version of the big guy mechanic back in.  That said though some of the best tracks of the trilogy are in that game, dixie is fun too, and it has some quite nice stages which pushed it up to where I did put it.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,090]

20 hours ago, Sumez said:

You can skip the other two, but don't miss DKC2.

Totally disagree, as it depends on what you're looking for.  If you've got copious amounts of free time to kill and you favour long adventures and looking for cryptic hidden secrets and going on collect-a-thons, then yeah, DKC2 hits all the right buttons and does it sublimely.  But if you're looking for a quick-paced run 'n gun action game that can be beaten in an hour or two, DKC1 is the better choice by far.  Hell, you even get to play as the actual character that the game is named after, which is way cooler than playing as a little girl or a dumb-ass baby.

I got rid of my DKC2 cart years ago, but DKC1 will be with me forever...

[Sumez | 2,967]

5 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

I felt like I had seen enough. But I’m curious how long in your opinion should I play the game before I can give my opinion?

games that I enjoy capture me fairly quickly. Within the first few minutes.

I mean in general, I'd say you can judge the core gameplay within 20 minutes, sure.
But if you did enjoy DKC1, which has the exact same core gameplay, 20 minutes of DKC2 is gonna show you nothing aside from "if you liked that, you'll like this".

Most of the things DKC2 does better than DKC1 comes through delving further into the game, just read my first post in this thread for details - Getting the coins, finding the hidden areas, and the way the difficulty scales more fair but also more steeply throughout the entire game.

The first world is thematically brilliant, but I'd say play through at least two worlds before you judge DKC2 - though the best stages are in the last two worlds.

 

At the end of the day though, you'll be randomly bumping into much fewer enemies as they come into the opposite side of the screen compared to DKC1 - especially in the underwater stages. That alone makes it a better game.

 

1 hour ago, rdrunner said:

9/10 - Are DKC games like Mega Man, where people's favorites are usually the first ones they played?

At least all the Mega Man games are notably similar outside of the early wonkiness of MM1. DKC2 was such a massive upgrade over the first game it's hard to make that comparison.
DKC3 is probably the more divisive one.

43 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

Gatekeeping the game with toll bridge tokens repeatedly annoyed the hell out of me as I just wanted to enjoy the game and I'd have to go back and do some lightly challenging and tedious extra step or I couldn't proceed. 

Once again you're criticizing a game based on false facts that you just made up. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're doing this repeatedly and I'm starting to wonder how much it's on purpose?
The game never blocks your path forward in this way. Those bridges are optional side paths which only exist to allow you into the hidden bonus stages, which are much more difficult stages designed to be tackled after the main game, for people looking for a bigger challenge, similar to the Star Road in SMW. You're typically meant to not have the money when you first find the bridge, and then come back later if you want more out of the game.
The kremkoin and DK coin hunting is really well implemented and super fun to go for, especially using the in-game hints from Cranky Kong - but you can just ignore them if you want, they are in no way mandatory.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Sumez

[Sumez | 2,967]

24 minutes ago, Dr. Morbis said:

Totally disagree, as it depends on what you're looking for.  If you've got copious amounts of free time to kill and you favour long adventures and looking for cryptic hidden secrets and going on collect-a-thons, then yeah, DKC2 hits all the right buttons and does it sublimely.  But if you're looking for a quick-paced run 'n gun action game that can be beaten in an hour or two, DKC1 is the better choice by far.  Hell, you even get to play as the actual character that the game is named after, which is way cooler than playing as a little girl or a dumb-ass baby.

While DKC2 has way more to go for for the long haul, you can play it through just as fast as you play through DKC1. Both games have six worlds with 5-6 stages and a boss in each, and if you spend longer on DKC2 it's probably because it's a tougher game that you're less familiar with, or because you're going for all the optional content.

DKC2 works completely well as a quick-paced single session playthrough, and if only because of the generally more fair design, and more balanced and challenging difficulty curve, it's still the better choice for this purpose. Compared to 2, DKC1 feels like a prototype, and it seems to me people who cling to that game are generally governed by their personal history with the game, or probably didn't give DKC2 a fair enough shake.  

[Foochie776 | 1,055]

8/10

 

I grew up playing the first so my nostalgia tends to lean towards that one. I had completed 2 & 3 for the first time in the last year or so and I think my personal order would be 3, 1, 2. 2 has great music but I feel like Diddy had no purpose. The other two games each character feels different (for better or worse) and like they had their own things, this game they felt more or less the same. The music was killer though, Stickerbush Symphony is a top tier song for me. As someone had mentioned earlier the game isn’t super visually appealing overall too. Despite my complaints, it’s still a very good game but I think the other two did it better. 

[OptOut | 8,889]

Best SNES game, best 2D platformer of all time. 10/10!