Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - by Spectre316
Introduction:
My favorite level in the original Donkey Kong Country
(released a year earlier than this one) has always been
the mine cart level. Everytime I pop DKC in my SNES,
I play the game simply to get to that level. It's like
a roller coaster... well, almost. It's fast, fun, and
rather diffucult.
I don't have a favorite level in this game, this being
the sequel to the groundbreaking DKC. Donkey Kong Country
2: Diddy's Kong Quest simply bypasses the original DKC,
and laps the poor game a few times before DKC can ever
finish. Everything you loved in DKC, including that
mine cart level, is in DKC2, and much, much more.
Graphics [9.5/10]:
In 1995, these graphics were a dream. The Rare team
were able to create 3D-like characters, in 3D/2D colorful
worlds, on the ol' 16-bit SNES. Who cared about a thing
called "Playstation" or some ugly square block called
the "Saturn" when they could be playing something of
better quality cheaper? (The first PS games had OK graphics,
but they surely wern't as colorful or vivid as the graphics
in this game.) But since graphics don't make a game...
Music/Sound [9.5/10]:
...sound can make any game from bad to good. I don't
know if the music actually makes DKC2 better, but it
certaintly doesn't make it worse. The music in DKC2
is sometimes lively, sometimes beautiful, and even sometimes
haunting. The sound effects are great, too. For a treat,
when you have a few options of either starting a two
player game or a one player game, press down until you
get to the last option. Now press down five times, until
you get to the sound test. Scroll through the music
to hear how nice platform game music can get.
Challenge and Replay [7.5/10]:
It varies. The challenge in this game is pretty nice,
given the bee nest levels and a few others. To find
the DKC Coin in most of the levels is also pretty hard.
The replay is mediocre. You'll most definetly want to
play it again and again, but after finishing the game
(which is no easy task, anyway) you'll probably not
want to play it ever again.
Conclusion/Overall [9/10]:
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is the best
DKC game of the trilogy. It features nice graphics,
a haunting score, smooth control, and amazingly fun
gameplay. It's easy to pick up and play, and it's also
fun with a friend. Get this game immeadietly if you
still have yet to experience the DKC phenomenon.
