Get ready for a Kong-tastic adventure. Rare and Nintendo somehow managed to surpass the greatness that was 1994's Donkey Kong Country with this impeccable sequel, carrying on the legacy in splendid form. The titular ape has been monkey-napped by Kaptain K. Rool's evil gang of kremlings, and it's now up to Diddy Kong and his gorilla friend Dixie to rescue the king of kongs. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest encompasses all the same feel-good gameplay stylings of the original, bringing to gamers over one hundred levels with varying degrees of complexity and challenge. Each kongs possess a notable strength: Diddy with his nifty cartwheeling technique and faster movement, and Dixie's power to glide by twirling her ponytail.
Indeed, the foundations here are quite similar to DKC 1, but certain key aspects make Diddy's Kong Quest, in our view, the superior game. DKC 2 has enhanced ACM graphics, programmed to perfection with beautifully rendered graphics, smooth scrolling backgrounds, and far cleaner animations. Revamped level structures with a greater emphasis on precision platforming and high jumps now compliment the abilities of the two tinier kongs. The difficulty was also raised significantly, answering our only real issue with DKC 1, that being its short runtime. This sequel also sports new animal companions, tons of hidden areas, new baddies, multiple endings, and another spectacular soundtrack by David Wise. Tremendous fun to be had.
JET'S REMARK:
Diddy and Dixie Kong exhibit the all-important cool factor at the end of each level. Hit the flagpole and either Dixie jams out on guitar or Diddy dons a pair of shades and throws down some bars!
Review Station Last Stop
Brilliant visuals and solid gameplay make this a hot, hot, hot game to get. Between DKC 2 and Yoshi's Island, Nintendo continues to give us reasons to keep Playing it Loud on Super NES.
