Donkey Kong Country

Rare is not a very popular company- or, rather, WAS Not a very popular company. Before Donkey Kong Country, the whole idea of Donkey Kong as an integral part of the Nintendo franchise was a joke- the only game that a Donkey Kong character starred in exclusively was, correct me if I'm wrong, Donkey Kong Junior.

So this idea was pretty revolutionary to gamers. Stick the ENEMY of the famous Donkey Kong game in a game where he is the Hero. Strange, but it seemed to work. Donkey Kong and his pal Diddy Kong are on a quest to get their banannas back from King K.Rool. The whole game is set on an island that (Magically) is sectional according to area, so you'll be going through mines, snow, and different environments to get your bannas back).



The graphics were extremely unique for the system. Instead of doing a Capcom-ish cartoon look, or a Mario-ish look, the whole game is in what you might want to consider psuedo-3d. To describe the game best, it looks like all the 2D characters were "Buttonized" with Photoshop or something- to be frank, it looks like everything is made from clay.

The majority of this game is a breath of fresh air from anyone who has ever played a Mario platformer. Instead of being stereotypical and stealing ideas from other games, this game plays simply, but can also throw you some meggido curves you wouldnt have expected. Not only can Donkey or Diddy Kong get through areas, but four animals- the Ostrich, the Rhino, the Frog, and the Swordfish- can help you through these areas. They all have their own specific abilities as well as specific weaknesses, and some handle much better than others in certain terrain.

Not only will you be riding and jumping through the game, but the game also features quite an array of different ways to get past things. The traditional style is the barrels you control and the ones you do not (Which, both require insane timing), but also jungle vines, bouncing on birds, etc etc. This keeps it from becoming old and repetitive, while also giving you a feeling of familiarity with difficulty when you run across a section that you don't know how to get through.

The game itself is not so much difficult as it is sometimes annoying. A lot of times, luck of timing comes into play. Then again, a lot of times, general luck comes into play. Finding some of the more complex bonuses in the game require me to either repeat a level to see it again, or just generally find it with a "Whoops!".

The only issue I have with this game that knocks it down two notches is the cheapness and, in general, some of the mechanics. Sometimes, I felt like I was playing a complex game that I really enjoyed. Then, two seconds later, I'm forced to trust my luck to getting past a spot. It really makes you wonder what kind of game Rare was making: a mental platformer, or a cheap platformer that reminds me of those s***ty movie games like "Hook" for the SNES.

Overall, I give this game three stars. I never really have been impressed with platforming games in general except for the Mario games, because it always seems everyone is copying the.... Mario games. This game, however, is a breath of fresh air and warrants itself to belong to any hardcore platformer's collection.

3 star(s) out of 5

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