Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
Played on: Wii U (Virtual Console)
Originally available on: SNES
Genre: 2D platformer
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Nintendo
The
third Donkey Kong Country game for the SNES is truly the end of an era.
This is because it's not only the final entry in this beloved series up
until Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii, but also the last major
first-party release for the SNES, in an era when Nintendo's (and Rare's)
attention was finally shifting to the N64. It follows in the footsteps
of its predecessors when it comes to pleasant and challenging
platforming, but also introduces neat new ideas to the formula.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Played on: Wii U (Virtual Console)
Originally available on: SNES
Genre: 2D platformer
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Nintendo
So, what do you do when you release a game that turns out to be one of the defining killer apps for an entire console generation? For good old Rare of the nineties, you immediately start working on a sequel to improve every single aspect of the original. This is pretty much Donkey Kong Country 2 in a nutshell: a bolder, prettier and significantly better-designed follow-up that is breathtaking in its restlessness to set the standard of unforgettable 2D platforming.
Donkey Kong Country
Played on: Wii U (Virtual Console)
Originally available on: SNES
Genre: 2D platformer
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Nintendo
As impossible as it may have seemed a year ago, the original SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy was finally released on the Wii U Virtual Console. This should be great news for fans of platforming, as the series is certainly one of the most memorable the genre has ever produced. It all started with this title, which was a very big deal when it was released back in the latter half of the SNES's lifetime, helping that console to establish its ultimate leadership over the Mega Drive (a.k.a. Sega Genesis) in the console wars of the time.
It seems Nintendo of America has finally wised up and is releasing the original SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Wii U Virtual Console. This is awesome for a number of reasons: first, because it's one of my favorite gaming trilogies of all time (a tradition that continues to this day, given that I just elected Tropical Freeze as my favorite game of 2014), and it placed highly on my Virtual Console wishlist last year. Secondly, because it just dawned on me that I'll get to review them here, and the prospect of putting my love for the franchise in words fills me with joy. And finally, for a less selfish reason: I love that people who weren't gaming back then will be able to experience these games for the first time.
And yeah, now my afternoon at work is going to be that much harder to bear. Long live, DK.
My two favorite hobbies are music and games (with, as a good Brazilian, football/soccer coming in third). As such, it stands to reason that music plays a really big part on my gaming experiences.
This is a video I made a while ago, listing my 20 favorite tracks from the original SNES Donkey Kong Country games. I love listening to stuff like this to chill out while I work, for example. Give it a listen and see if you agree with my picks.
