N +

Donkey Kong Country was truely terrific game, millions of gamers remember very fondly playing and beating number 1, although about 90% of these same gamers will tell you they enjoyed number 2 that much more...

Donkey Kong Country 2 (DKC2) starts off with you playing as Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong's nephew, and "sidekick" from the first game, standing on Kaptain K. Rools shipwrecked...ship, at the base of a new towering island called "Crocodile Isle". The game is a small distance from Donkey Kong Island as you can see it clearly in the background. Diddy Kong finds a ransom note in the captains quarters. The story from the instruction manual goes as follows:

Donkey Kong had been relaxing quietly on the beach when he suddenly and mysteriously disappears over the night. Diddy and Dixie Kong find hundreds of Kremling footprints surrounding Donkey's smashed chair, so they begin to investigate. They quickly find a note left by Kaptain K. Rool demanding the banana hoard in exchange for Donkey Kong's safety. While Cranky was willing to give the banana hoard away, Diddy refused to do this after all he and Donkey had previously done to reclaim them (in the events of the original Donkey Kong Country). As Diddy was about to eagerly take off on a quest to defeat K. Rool by himself, Dixie tells him that she was coming along to help and there was no way of persuading her otherwise. Diddy, although displeased, sighed and allowed her to come, knowing that arguing was hopeless. Diddy and Dixie set out the morning after, hoping to prove themselves as "real video game heroes" and save their friend Donkey Kong.

So Diddy and girlfriend Dixie (who apparently adopts the last name kong out of love for Diddy)
begin their journey in heavy pirate terrritory, go through volcanic mountains, into amusement parks, swamps, beehives, brambel patches, into haunted forests and houses, marshes and submerged pirate ships to end up in K. Rools castle. I wont tell you how the final showdown goes down, but I will tell you that you can unlock "the lost world" by collecting certain coins along the way. And that this lost world is much much harder and features a very neat surprise once you complete all the levels in it.

The Kongs have a host of returning faces as well as a few new ones...Wrinkly Kong (who I reffered to as Gramma Kong in my youth) allows you to save your progress, and also teaches things to you at a cost. This IS Kong College after all, Information isn't free, however unlike real college this info does come cheap. The information she provides involve things like how to access hidden areas and what color ballon means what. Saving the first time is free at any location, then saving a second time in that location costs a couple coins. The Kong she replaces was the seductive Candy Kong.

Swanky Kong Is the host of Swankys game show. A Gameshow that tests your knowledge of the game only to pay off in marvelous prizes like extra lives! However if you get the questions wrong, you loose the coins you payed to enter the contest. The questions in each tent are always the same, so if you goof just remember which one is NOT the right answer and try again.

Funky Kong is back with his Funky Flights, allowing you to travel the overworld map to return to previous areas. The only real reason you do this is if there was a level with a bajillion lives at the start, or if you want to collect all the DK coins to unlock the Lost World!

Cranky Kong is just as cranky as last time, but does offer you gaming wisdom. Wisdom that comes in handy if you want to collect all the DK coins and finish the game 102%. When you beat the game you are rated on how many DK coins you found to see how awesome of a game-master you are. Mario is at the top spot with Yoshi in second and Link in third. If you take a look at the trash can you can see Sonics running shoes and Earthworm Jims gun!

Diddy Kong as always can cartwheel off of ledges and jump from mid air. He can also hang from hooks using his tale, and carry barrels in front of him for protection.

Dixie Kong carries the barrels above her head which makes many boss battles ultra easy, and can spin off ledges and jump from mid-air. But what makes this Kong really cool is that she can spin like a helicopter to slow her fall incredibly. Diddy Kong stands on her head with one toe while she does this .

The buddies are back!
Once again the animal buddies are back, almost all of them, Winky the frog is an unusable easter egg found in Krankys Museum and Espresso is just gone. However most of the animals have a charge attack, think of Samus or Megaman if they were animals... hold charge for a moment then release for massive damage!

Rhambi the Rhino makes his return with the same skills he had in the first game, breaking through walls to get to bonus areas, as well as being so brute he can kill most enemies in the game. The only ones I can think of that he couldn't take on were the red bees, and maybee water creatures (not that he ever met any). His charge move when released creates an intense burst of speed that causes him to trample anyone in his way, and lets him break into harder to destroy walls.

Enguarde the swordfish is also back to destroy the baddies underwater. His old moveset is there as well, "poke the enmies with the nose". His power-up is just like Rhambis. Release the power up to bolt through the water through enemies and secret areas. The water is filled with more characters that can't be killed though, so using this move across vast spaces is risky.

Squawks is back, and stronger! This time instead of just carrying a flashlight, he carries the Kongs, AND he can spit out eggs(they look like peach pits to me though) at enemies. The purple Squawks is weaker though, he still carries you, but he can't fly up, he can only decend and decend slower by flapping wings. There is also a black Squawks named Skreetch who you must race playing as Squawks himself. The race takes place inside a huge laberynth of brambel patches. I probably died 30 times the first time I got to this area. Now I can smoke that bird easyXcore!

The NEW guys include:
Rattly the Rattlesnake. Basically this guy replaces Winky and looks like a huge spring. Rattly bounces around and can bounce higher when a button is pressed, and even higher with his charge-up. He is a really weak offensive character because he is so tall and narrow and can only attack by hopping on enemies.

Squitter the spider. Pretty much the most unique character in the game. He has the ability to shoot a web-shot that can dispose of enemies, and web platforms that will stick in the air and allow you to stand on them for short periods of time before they give out. You can only have two platforms at any time, as the oldest one will dissipate as soon as number three is shot. This enemy cannot kill ANY enemies with his body, only with his webbing.

Clapper the seal does not move, and you cannot ride him. What he does is cool down the water when you hop on him in one or two levels. The ship had sunk near a volcano, and if the water is too hot you will die! the water heats up quick, but there are plenty clappers in the ship. There is also another level where clapper will cool cold water off to turn it into ice! The Kongs can swim, but when there is a piranha faster than sonic in the water who kills you with one bite, you want to be outside or on top of the aqua-de-death at all times.

Glimmer the anglerfish is also non playable, he helps you in one level EXACTLY the way Squawks did in the first game... except underwater. Swimming around in a ship that sunk in a swamp means you cannot see anything unless you got a light to guide you, and thats what he does, he follows you around with a light on his noggin'

Squitter, Rhambi, and Enguard also at times will be controlled by YOU directly, you will not be riding them, you will become them by jumping into special barrals.

The Lost World
Without Spoiling too much I will say that their is an epic battle to take place at the last stage of the Lost world. I wont say who or what you battle, but it is a good one. As I said before you really have to work hard on making it this far by collecting every DK coin along the path, as well as finding every bonus barral to fund your trip into the lost world. Klubba the Gatekeeper loves the Bonus Coins, and he has got cousin Klubbas postioned out in the other areas who also love these coins..

The music in the game still is ultra surprising for cartridge games that old. It seriously boasts one of the most memorable and amazing soundtracks in the history of Nintendo games. Every level in the game is perfectly attatched to it's music.

The scope of a level based sidescroller is also amazing, this game had more levels than Cranky could shake his dual wielded canes at, and they were all the perfect difficulty, except for the Lost World, these levels were VERY difficult, you HAD to become the game-master to beat them... which I did.

This game HAS to be one of your channels if you don't already own the game on your SNES. Sure it was put on the GBA, but it was a horrible port that hurt the music, destroyed the overworld, and became a little more uncomfortable to play with the gameboy button layout. If you are an old time player you need this game again, if you have never played this game before... you NEED this game!

N+ 11/10!
Cost: 800 Wii Points
Full North American Virtual Console list

- Captain Seagull

+ update: fixed pricing error from 500 points to 800. thanks guys!