HOME                REVIEWS A-G                REVIEWS H-N                REVIEWS O-S                REVIEWS T-Z              CONTACT

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 2 Company: Rare/Nintendo Released: December 1995 Genre: Side-Scroller Graphics: 10.0 Control: 9.5 Sound/Music: 9.0 Storyline: 7.5 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

You had to know a sequel to Donkey Kong Country was coming, after the huge-seller it became for the Super Nintendo System. Rare managed to take everything that was great about the first game, including the spectacular visuals, and somehow constructed a sequel that's even more fun than the original. Not much has changed, other than the levels themselves, but Donkey Kong Country 2 has just enough new things in it to make it worthy of a purchase. I honestly didn't think the graphics would be able to get any better than those found in the first Donkey Kong Country game, but I think DKC 2 looks even better in almost every area. I honestly didn't think Rare was gonna be able to outdo the graphics found in the original DKC game, but somehow they managed to do it. The level of detail in each level is absolutely astounding. I caught myself, on many occasions, just pausing it to admire the visuals in the game. I noticed it even further when I began taking the screenshots for this review as to just how beautiful a game this one is. It's also the little things, like the lighting and transparency effects, that put this game on an entirely higher plane than most everything else released for the Super NES. Think of it like this, as good as DKC was in the graphics department, DKC 2 is even better. Even with everything that's going on onscreen at once, I rarely, if ever, saw any slowdown. Nobody made games that look as good on the Super Nintendo as Rare did. I know that there are some gamers who don't really care for the soundtracks of the Donkey Kong Country games, but I love them. Once again Rare created a great feeling soundtrack to go along with their brilliantly visualized game. I think what I like the most about the soundtracks in these games, is the fact that they don't stick out from the rest of the game. The music and sound effects seem to somehow blend in with the rest of the game. It's difficult to explain, but anyone that's played this series of games should understand what I'm talking about. The only real complaint I have is that sometimes the music in this game sounds too much like that found in the original. I know it's not, I guess the style is just so similar it seems like it. I guess that's not such a bad thing, since I really liked the original DKC soundtrack. Thankfully not much has changed with the gameplay of DKC 2. You do get a new gorilla to take control of in Dixie Kong, and with that comes the new move of using her ponytail to swipe enemies with. It doesn't add a lot, but it's at least something new to play around with. You'll also find some new animals to ride, one of favorites being a coiled up snake that bounces like a spring. The levels are a lot more intricate in their design this time around, with some of the underwater levels being a real challenge. Some gamers were hoping for a tighter style of play control, but they're going to be dissapointed as this game feels almost exactly like the original in terms of control. Imagine DKC with a little more creativity in the level design and you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this oustanding sequel. One thing worth mentioning for those fans of the first game, the bosses in this game are a lot more challenging. I mention that only because one of the main complaints I always hear about the original game was that the boss fights were entirely too easy. Rare has successfully remedied that problem, no need to worry. I loved the original Donkey Kong Country, and still play it to this day. But of the three Donky Kong Country games, it's this one that's always been my favorite. It has all the playability of the original, with better graphics (I know it doesn't seem possible), better level design, and a little more challenge. If you liked the original, you're gonna love this one. And for those that never played the original, this one will make you want to go back and buy it. One of the best side-scrollers ever made.