Luigi Mario

Donkey Kong Contry

Developer/Publisher: Rareware/Nintendo

System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Genre: 2D Platform

Introduction:

I have been DYING to do this review for the longest time....and for good reason.

The year was 1994. Rareware teamed up with Nintendo, once again, to bring a new level in graphic quality, and needless to say, they REALLY did their job with this one. Donkey Kong Country. This has got to be one of the Greatest games ever created, and probably goes on my list of the Top 10 games of all time. But more on that later. Now, on to the plot.

Donkey Kong lives peacfully on his island, with his many, many, many bananas, which, even though it should be obvious, is his favorite food. One day, a mysterious new enemy known as Kaptain K. Rool sends out his army of Kremlings(Who are pretty much a bunch of walking, talking, crocodiles), to steal them all away while DK is taking a nap. When he awakes, he goes to satisfy his hunger, only to find his banana hoard completely raided, which nothing but a few small peels on the ground. Of course, DK is P.O.ed and sets of on an adventure to recover his hard-earned stash. This game also introduced a new pal of Donkey's. Of course, I'm talking about Diddy Kong. N-E-Way, here's your review.

Reviewed by: MattDDR

Graphics: A+   

Just look above...Anyone who's played this game knows full-well how good the graphics are. Every single little detail is artistic and colorful as it can be. The characters move so extrordinarily well, no matter WHAT they do. Whether you're walking, running, rolling, standing on the edge of a cliff(My personal favorite thing to look at), bouncing on an enemy, riding an animal friend, or just simply standing still to watch what they do, it all moves so well. And if you want a preview of this, without lifting a finger, just watch the opening animation. Lol. =D

So, what's with this? Well, I'm not sure the full story behind it, but I DO know that similar to Super Mario RPG, this was run on a 32-Meg cart. So what you see is basically almost the full potential of the SNES's power, and BOY is it grand? An excellent job by Rareware and Nintendo.

Sound: A+  

Yet another perfect score here. The sound is extraordinary. The misic is indeed memorable. Some of the music seems to fit the game. But in some of the stages, you'll hear mellowed out music that you wouldn't expect to hear in this game, given the storyline and all. But you will love it nonetheless. It's also one of the reasons why I loved this game so much. Another thing to love about the sound, go into a cave and you'll be able to hear the echos of just about everything there. I thought that was a really cool feature. Even when Donkey Kong stands still and lets out a holler, you'll hear him echo as well. So, a thumbs up on the sound. Nicely done.

Control: A+  

Even though the SNES has a total of about 6 Buttons(Not including Start and Select), You'll only need 3: Y,B,and A. Y will make you Run when held and will let you do a roll to bowl over just about anyone in your path. B is, of course, Jump, and A is to swicth partners, assumimg you have both of them with you. Also, Pushing Down and Y will let Donkey Kong slap his hands down on an enemy. It is slow, but will give you One Banana for every enemy you bash with it. In other words, it's pretty much useless. But the controls, overall, are flawless and you'll have no problems pulling of anything.

Gameplay: A+  

Don't think for a second that this is a kiddie game, because if you play, the moment that thought enters your head, your dead(Haha. That rhymes.^_^).

N-E-Way, the gameplay to this game is, well, in a word, FUN! The Kongs don't have many moves, but they don't need that many to make it through this game. The challenge seems easy, at first, but it get harder, and harder, and even HARDER as you progress through the game, especially when you reach the mines...There are about 6-7 areas on this game, and a TON of Stages, and Bonus levels, most, in which, are a challenge in itself to find. Plus, the Kongs have backup in the forms of animals friends. Similar to Yoshi in Super Mario World(I love you, Yoshi. ^_^), The Kongs can ride them horseback style to get them through the stages easier, and even to help you find some of those annoying bonus stages that are so hard to find. You have Rambi, the rhino. He can ram right over just about any enemy and bash through walls to find hidden Bonus Stages, another is Expresso, the ostrich. She can't attack the enemies, but She's as quick as lightning and can Jump high and flap her wings to float to the ground. The third, Winky, the frog. He's the Highest Jumper and cam jump on any enemy and kill them, even those annoying Bee enemies, you'll run into. Number 4 is Squawks, the parrot.....but he's only found on one level and carries a small light in order for you to see in the dark.....yay.......N-E-Way. The final friend is Enguard, the swordfish. This friend is only found in the water levels, but you'll want to find him, He'll help out QUITE a bit. In addition to the Kong's bonus stages, each of the animal friends has they're own stage....well....all except Squawks. You basically run around the stage, collecting the golden Icons of the animal and for every 100 you snatch, you score an extra life. Nice. Oh yeah, remember to look for the BIG icon. You'll definetly be glad you did. That's all I'll say about that.

Another thing to mention, extra lives are EVERYWHERE. But, they're in the form of ballons, and, yes, some of them DO float away if you leave them alone for too long. Of course, collecting 100 bananas'll give you an extra life as well, and they're all over the place, so, lives shouldn't be an issue. Also, there are 3 other Kongs that're out around the worlds to help you out. First there's Kranky Kong. He's, obviously, a bitter old ape who loves to rant about the old days of video gaming and loves to talk smack about how good he is. Because of that, he'll give you some helpful hints. The second is Funky Kong, who'll give you a lift to any area, provided you've already beaten it, of course. The third is Candy Kong, A pretty little female Ape who'll graciously let you save you game in a save barrel. You'll want THIS area often. Enemies are everywhere in this game, and the bosses, while really big, are a chinch to defeat, once you learn the patten to all of them. Be careful though. If you get careless and cocky, you will, Guarenteed, get yourself stuck and get yourself in a rut as well. I know I did. But weither you're a beginner gamer, or an expert gamer, you'll all love this game equally.

Simply Put: A+  

You folks basically get my point. When I say I love this game, I mean I LOVE this game. This is a prime example of gaming at it's absolute best, and also the end result of a really good game that was actually WORKED on. If all gaming companies put the same effort into a game that Rareware did, we'd have a LOT more good classics to cheer about. But oh well. Every little thing in this game is something to be loved. I'm kinda partial on the storyline, though.*Shurgs* Either way, this game just screams out: INSTANT CLASSIC. Hunt it down and give it a whirl. Not only will you be playing a fun game, you'll swear you were playing 32-bit. Have fun.