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Aussie Ben's Donkey Kong Country Review
Atrocious. Terrible. Appaling. These words could be used to describe the graphics of Pong, but we've come a long way since then. Donkey Kong Country, when first revealed to the gaming public, was assumed to be running on the Ultra 64. Pretty impressive at the time, eh? Even more impressive when told that all you'd need would be to buy another cartridge for your SNES rather than buy an entirely new system. After hearing that, people were listening, agape, about Nintendo's latest game developer, Rare. A star was born. I remember when first playing DKC myself - I was amazed. How did they do it? It looked like nothing I'd ever seen. The backgrounds, extremely detailed and intricate. The characters, each with their own expressions and in all different shapes and sizes. Never before had I seen so much effort put into a game. There was even a little "How We Created Donkey Kong" in the back section of the manual. Well done, Rare.
10.0
Not only being a feast for the eyes, Donkey Kong Country had, well, a kickarse soundtrack too. From the fast and frantic Tree Top Town, to the slow paced, eerie Stop and Go Station - and of course, who could forget the jazzy, jungle-y rhythm of Jungle Hijinx? The music is beautifully done, effective in each situation, and not always a happy cheery tune (ala Super Mario Bros.). The sound effects are equally impressive, with all sorts of natural animal sounds (such as monkeys, birds, rhinos and more) squeezed out from the SNES' sound chip. Kremlings roar and howl, DK beats his chest, bosses scream and shout and even Clambo thuds as he opens and closes. The amount of detail and care shows due to the fact that you'll pause the game just to listen to the music. Brilliant.
10.0
One of the best parts of DKC (which in my opinion, has been carried out through the series) is that of perfect spot on control. The Kongs are quick to react, jump when you press the jump button, and stop on a dime (or other small monetary piece). In other words, you have no-one else but yourself to blame for when you lose a life. No bad control issues here, sir. Aside from that, there's also your Animal Buddies - each with their own unique abilities. Rambi the Rhino can run at breakneck speeds, mowing down anything in his way and even breaking his way into secret bonus levels. Winky the Frog has an incredibly high jump, and is the only character who can kill those bastard Zingers (whom you will come to HATE). Enguarde the Swordfish is handy when you need to dispose of underwater foes, and Expresso the Ostrich (sigh) well...he can sort of fly, but because of his spindly legs, he can't jump on any enemies.
Stupid bird.
10.0
While DKC was first pointed out to be "Super Mario Bros. in a monkey suit" (sigh - luckily Rare was able to shake off accusations like that, eh?) it was great because of a number of reasons. Firstly, there was the much appreciated Two Player mode (which could either be done as co-op or rivalry) where one player controlled Donkey, and the other controlled Diddy. As each player was pretty much even, there were no real advantages, and it was up to you if you wanted to work together or against each other. The addition of four animal buddies, each with their own ways to help you was also something that hadn't been done before. And of course, there was the emphasis on not collecting items, but racing through at a breakneck speed through the levels. Many a controller was thrown away in disgust after hours of play. (But of course, not before a save point was found.)
8.5
Well, DKC may not have been completely unique. Who cares? It still holds up to the test of time, making one of the most challenging, beautiful (and of course charming) games to date. The fact that Cranky Kong alone was just there to abuse you was worth any price. How many games give you old memories from ancient videogame characters who are past their prime? Donkey Kong Country was created and executed brilliantly, and its two sequels are proof of this. I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say that I'm eagerly anticipating a Donkey Kong Country 4.
10.0
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