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Ben Cartledge's Donkey Kong Country 2 Review
Bugger me! I'm still impressed with the graphics, even when comparing them
to today's standards. Multi-layered backgrounds, excellent character
animations, and photo realistic environments. The water looks even better
than it did in Donkey Kong Country, as does practically everything else.
Diddy's appearance and animations haven't changed since the original, apart
from a juggling routine he performs when you leave the controls alone
(though, why you would do that in a game this good is beyond me), but,
that's a good thing. Diddy looked excellent in Donkey Kong Country, so why
fix something that isn't broke?
If you're good enough, you'll end up seeing some well known, non-Rare
characters, and even they look fantastic.
Breathtaking.
9.5
What the hell are you reading this for? You should know by now that the
sound in this game is top quality just by looking around this site. If you
haven't done so yet, get your arse over to the top ten DKU melodies page in
the features section, where around 5 out of the top ten tunes are from DKC2.
There has yet to be better music to be heard coming from a console. Hyrule
Field? Pah! Give me the music from the mining levels any day. Surely the
best cheat in the game is the hidden music test option. Press down 5 times
on the player mode selection screen for a little piece of heaven.
10.0
Of all the times I died in the game, not ONCE did I blame the controls. Even
in the ex-f##king-tremely hard bramble section of Animal Antics.
Play this game, and you'll quickly realize how much better platforming was
with a D-pad. Dixie's helicopter-like hair spin is flawlessly executed, and
the Animal buddies are now more fun than ever before, with more powerful
moves available by charging them up. You really will forget that you have a
control pad in your hands, as the game's simplistic button configuration
means you're never thinking about which button you're going to press. It
just comes naturally.
If I had to make a tiny complaint, it's that using the "spin off edge then
jump, to gain more distance" is not as good as it was in Donkey Kong
Country. Firstly, in DKC, you did not fall until the spin ended, whereas in
DKC2, you do, just slower. And secondly, it's practically impossible to
perform with Dixie.
Oh, and I hate Web Woods, due to the fact that you have to make PERFECT web
bridges throughout the entire level, which just gets annoying.
9.0
The gameplay is unrivalled, just like the graphics and sound. Unfortunately
though, Cranky isn't kidding when he shares his opinions about the story
with you in the manual. Donkey Kong's been kidnapped. You have to rescue
him. That's it. And there's no explanation of the story in the actual game.
You have to read the manual. In the game, the closest things you'll find to
a story is the piece of paper in the first level, that says "We've kidnapped
that lumbering fool Donkey Kong, and you'll never see him again! Har, har,
har!", and Donkey himself tied up at the end. But, everything else MORE than
makes up for the poor storyline.
The levels are incredibly varied. One minute you'll be climbing ropes as
quickly as possible, to escape the rising water with a pissed piranha
swimming in it. The next, you'll be flipping switches while on an extremely
fast roller coaster to open closed doors which are in your path. And the
next, you'll be dashing over ice, before it turns back to water, and you
become the dinner of another pissed piranha.
If that wasn't enough, Rare have included a wealth of secrets, including
countless bonus rooms, and a deviously hidden video game hero coin on every
level.
There's no other game like it.
8.5
Unfortunately, no game comes without it's flaws, and Donkey Kong Country 2
is no exception. And these flaws come in the form of a lost world.
The concept of getting to it is excellent. Collect coins in hidden bonus
rooms in normal levels to "persuade" a hulking Kremling guarding the barrel
that leads there, to let you past, and the fact that you have to get to the
lost world levels from each normal world, rather than the normal "completing
one level leads to the next", is great. As is the fact that you HAVE to find
the bonus barrels in these levels to complete them.
But the three main flaws of the game come in the final moments of the game.
First up, Animal Antics. What would you say if I was to tell you that you
haven't finished all the bramble sections of the game yet? And what if I
told you that you were Squawks again? Still not hard enough for you? How
about some wind that constantly changes direction, and small passageways to
negotiate, filled with Zingers (the invincible variety) that move around,
and the fact that there's only one DK barrel to help you (which is placed so
it is touching some brambles)? Oh, and not forgetting that this part of the
level is 5 whole minutes away from the checkpoint barrel. In short, this
level is just unfair.
Then, after you finish this level, you access the "real" battle with K.Rool,
which is easier than the normal one. After (quickly) beating him, you are
then treated to a poor (even if it is beautiful) cut-scene of K.Rool's
island sinking.
Sorry about these long complaints, but they are fairly major ones, and after
raving on about the game, I thought I should explain the bad bits too.
But, when it all comes down to it, these quibbles can't detract from
excellent gameplay, breathtaking graphics and sound, and an otherwise
perfect game.
Buy this game now. You'll be playing it for weeks, and mark my words, you
will NOT be disappointed.
If you are, you're an arse.
9.9
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