I love all 3 equally: Donkey Kong Country 1 is a lush, atmospheric introduction to the environments and characters, and the only game where you play as Donkey Kong. He makes his best bud Diddy feel welcome along for the ride. Plenty of challenges, and the first confrontation with K. Rool is memorable. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is the most epic and cute - Diddy and Dixie make the best team out of the 3 pairings, and overall, it is without question the most exciting. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble cements itself with non-linear exploration, mystery and intrigue - and there's no denying that Dixie and Kiddy are cute together. One of the best trilogies ever made.

13:32 "In certain levels, you'll jump into a barrel, which will transform you into that animal. THERE'S NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE, except you don't get an extra hit, but you DON'T HAVE TO CHASE THE ANIMAL BUDDY down if you get hit." That's what I thought for longest time. However, I recently saw another review of the game that pointed out that it's actually a TOTAL GAME-CHANGER! You see, in DKC1, there was always a possibility that you could lose your animal buddy and never get it back. That meant that it would be pretty unfair for the levels to require the animal buddies' abilities, as it would make the levels infuriatingly difficult, if not IMPOSSIBLE, if you lost your animal buddy. As a result, in DKC1, the animal buddies were nice to have, but were never really NECESSARY, unless you were going for secrets (and even THEN there were usually ways to get them without the animal buddies). However, with TRANSFORMING into the animal buddies, the possibility of losing your animal buddy was gone! This allowed Rare to actually design levels AROUND THE ANIMAL BUDDIES' ABILITIES. Levels like Rattle Battle and Web Woods were MADE for their respective animal buddies in a way that levels in DKC1 just couldn't be.

The second games does everything better, However the first game feels like how a Donkey Kong game should be.

The reviewpart of DKC2 touched my heart. The way you described your experiences in your childhood... mine were exactly the same. It was such a wonderful time. :) You did an awesome job, thank you for this review that took you many many hours, I guess. Greetz a german gamer girl*

I love all 3 games equally. Each one of them had their own unique charm and appeal to them. And they were are great and fun to play ^_^.

Almost everyone forgot the real reason people didn't pay much attention to DKC3. The Nintendo 64 was released before it meaning that most people were playing SM64, Starfox and Goldeneye instead of focusing on DKC 3 or any other Super Nintendo game for that matter.

Dixie and Kiddie. The DK barrel still matches

The original Donkey Kong Country is my favorite of the 3...well its also my favorite game of all time.

Actually the dk thing still works d = Dixie k = kiddie

Great review of the trilogy. These 3 games are my favorite games of all time. I'm 32 now and was 9,10 and 11 when they each came out. Hours of fun playing to full completion. I still own them all to this day complete in box. My son is now getting to the age where I can sit and play them with him. DKC2 soundtrack is the greatest game soundtrack of all time.

your editing is not a waste ;3 its damn awesome great video, i used to love these games when i was a little bud. altough i wasent really a 100% kind of guy

This was a really good review, and the editing is the best I've seen from you yet, CJ! I have to ask, where did you find those DKC sound effects (Enemy noises, DK howling, etc.)?

I love DK 2! So many good memories. One of my best birthday presents ever as a kid.

In my opinion this is the best review for the DKC trilogy! Not because of the standart information, more because that personal detail and charm you put in that video, never had the feeling that someone else was doing the same. Definatly should be checked out by every fan of DKC and reviews! Btw, nice punts and a hilarious ending, thanks for that. Really lookin forward to your next videos and I hope you get the 100k views (even if you deserve way more). Best regards, Exorion

This was an excellent review. Donkey Kong Country 2 is my favorite 2D game of all time and throughout the 90s Rareware was the best of the best, always putting their heart and soul into their games.

out of all of your review videos that you made so far, I say this is not only your best one yet but also my favorite one yet.

DKC Trilogy was soo ahead of what other games could do on the SNES it could of been on the N64 and wouldn't of looked out of place.

DKC2 is my favorite, except for having to pay to save. Creates a whole-meta strategy of keeping an eye out for which levels have the most easily-farmable coins.

It's been the opposite for me, I completely missed out on DKC2 and only had 1 and 3. But one day when I was back into playing Snes games, my friend's cousin offered to sell me DKC2. But my friend was a jerk and bought it from him, so I couldn't own the game. He at least let me borrow it and it was my FIRST TIME playing it. It was literally Thanksgiving Day and I was down with a cold all of a sudden. But I played STRAIGHT through the entire game that night. I LOVED it, I had no idea this game existed!! One of the BEST SNES games that I ever missed out on as a kid. At least I was 12 when I did get to play it.

I was talking to someone on the bus on the way home today who said that Nintendo made "preschool games" and used Donkey Kong as an example. In my head, I was laughing.

I love all three games, but the third one has always been my favorite. It seems like most reviews don't really bring all the improvements to the table, and instead focus on superficial elements that may have been better in the second (such as all the disdain around Kiddy Kong). I'm not trying to say that 3 is better than 2, but I wonder if your opinion would be different if you had played the game when it was released and had the same nostalgic connection to it as you have with 2. That aside, enjoyable video!

Sir, I love you. Don't take that the wrong way. DKC2 is also my favorite Dk and also my favorite SNES Game. I just wish others gave it a chance because the only reason those people said that it's not as good as the first game, was because there were "too many" collectibles and Donkey Kong wasn't playable...really?!

Awesome video! Doing let's plays of the second and third game now. Will never get enough of the classics

My favorite video game trilogy of all time.Period..The first one is actually my personnal favorite video game ever, second game is beyond great and a big improvement over the already great DKC1 and even if the 3th one is concidered the ''least good'' it is still a freakin masterpiece of a 2D plateformer. To me it was supperior to the Sonic games and even the Mario games.

21:14 Actually, the DK barrel is still special for its initials. 😎 Fun Fact: In Japan, Kiddy's name is actually Dinky Kong (thereby keeping the specialness of the initials DK), and "Kiddy" is merely a nickname (like with Tails from Sonic fame). According to the Wiki page. the full name is Dinky "Kiddy" Kong. As for why he is not known outside of Japan as "Dinky", I don't know, I can't find any info on it, sorry. Diddy Kong's original name was "Dinky" (until it was changed due to Rare having legal concerns), however Kiddy's Japanese name did become Dinky. Then when the game was released worldwide, he got the nickname "Kiddy" slapped on as his official name and the rest is history (in all senses of the word).

This was SO worth the wait! I almost knew you would do a great job on this. Now to wait for the Tropical Freeze review... *shivers* hope I don't freeze to death from watching it.

Thanks for making this review!!! I have been looking forward to it :)

The DK of DKC isn't DK Jr, is the son of DK Jr who disappear, and Cranky is his Grandpa

CJszero this was the best you ever have done!!! Thank you so much for these reviews ^^

Donkey Kong has a godly singing voice.

FUNFACT: kiddy kong has a diffrent name in japan Dinky kong

This was a great review. You acknowledged pretty much all the details that made these games what they were and are.. Great review! Great games!!!

This is what got me to subscribe! It's so nice to finally find someone who appreciates DK as much as I do! I'm right there with you, I was one of the few who were actually excited for Tropical Freeze when it was announced! It's right up there with DKC 2 for me.

I believe the reason why the GBA remake of DKC3 had a changed soundtrack is because the music in the original SNES version was too deep toned for the GBA's speakers, so David Wise created a brand new soundtrack to fix that. The new GBA soundtrack is actually pretty good, it has a few mediocre songs but it also has some great ones!

I really enjoy this review CJ! It went very in depth and the editing was the best I've ever seen!

K. Rool: (gets eaten apart by Krem Sharks) Announcer: WINNER! (switches screen to artwork of cross-armed Diddy in DK64) SUPREME VICTORY! PERFECT!

Pros and Kons...nice one!

Dude you did an amazing review! Thanks a bunch for uploading this gem. Diddy's Kong Quest by far the best game ever. I wish I could get the soundtrack, it was a fantastic score.

I gotta hand it to ya buddy for making one big series review and not leaving any stone upturned in explaining everything about these classics.

Great review! The purple squawk also appeared in one lvl in DKC2. It was in the haunted area with the bumble bee's nest. :-D

Dk can also kill larger enemies than diddy

A very fair review. I'll check more of your videos. You won a new suscriber.

These games WERE my childhood......oh god it takes me back. Thanks for taking the time to make such an in depth and thoughtful review of them. Have a great day!

Bit late to the party but as far as I remember you actually DO get an extra hit in animal transformations, which is what the bottom left icon indicates, and hitting a barrel with no extra "health" should actually give you back that health icon.

when you told us the story about your best childhood friend moving away as kids, i was almost brought to tears cause i could definitely relate to you there. i also had a best childhood friend and we loved videogames and everything. but then he moved away as well and just hearing about this brought back good memories. :)

I just Gt the DKC Trilogy for 3ds and beat it in a week!! It's AWESOME!! It brings back so many fond memories!!

The nostalgia I'm felling right now.. Thanks for the video, man.

Wow, these games could easily be mistaken for Ps1 titles. Pretty impressive what they were able to get out of the Snes.

I missed out on DKC3 as well due to saving up for the N64 back in late '96, and I've still yet to finish the game. DKC2 clearly stands out as the greatest of the three, with DKC1 as the runner-up. You pretty much summed up all the pros and cons of this trilogy, I couldn't agree more. A good review indeed!

This is one of my favorite videos on youtube! I've probably watched it like 4 times already!

DK Jr. is Donkey Kong's dad, not him. So he's not "next to himself" he's next to the kid version of his dad.

I love these games so much but specially DKC2. I'll never forget those early saturday mornings where i would wake up and play this. it's a masterpiece.

8:35 "Oh no I died!"

Really hope you get your desired views because clearly you worked hard for this.

Well I finally decided to use Google+ and let me just say, this is one of the best game reviews I've ever seen! You really went over how much you love the games, things that can be overlooked, fantastic editing, great jokes, and more! Looks like this video is going to be a great stepping stone for me to finally get into the SNES games by playing DKC 1 & 2 on the Virtual Console that I haven't touched in years. Great work as always cj! Can't wait for your Tropical Freeze review, which A.K.A. I already beat the Secret Seclusion.

Actually if this theory is correct which it has been confirmed , then since Cranky Kong was the original Donkey Kong fighting against Mario back in the classic game "Donkey Kong" and is modern Donkey Kong's Grandfather it is obvious that Donkey Kong Jr. is the son of Cranky Kong, meaning that Donkey Kong Jr. is not the guy in Donkey Kong Country, that is Donkey Kong Jr son. so it would be as follows or at least would make the most sense Cranky Kong = Donkey Jr. = Donkey Kong therefore making Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong's grandfather, and making Donkey Kong Jr. the father of the modern Donkey Kong like its been said before Cranky Kong is not Donkey Kong's father its his grandfather , so who exactly do you think is Donkey Kong's father , well its obvious to say that it would Donkey Kong Jr. (P.S i could be wrong, but it seems to make the most sense)

In the Japanese version, Kiddy Kong is called Dinky Kong, so the DK Barrel still "makes sense". Actually, I never knew he was actually called Kiddy Kong until now. Feels so weird to me the different/English versions of terms I grew up with.

Tropical freeze is a legendary game

DKC2 always seemed more bright, and colorful. More refined and fun to play than DKC1 levels in my opinion. DKC3 seemed like it was targeted towards younger players.

DK4LIFE! The Donkey Kong Country original theme still gets me pumped today! Timeless game!

That's an awesome story with your friend xD

A wonderful little review/retrospective of what might be one of the greatest trilogies in all of gaming! I absolutely ADORE every single one of the games! Yeah, I have a favorite and a least favorite, but they're all an absolute (barrel) blast! 8D

You make me think of Dave of gamesack. Which is the best thing ever!

Great work as always CJ. Informative and entertaining in equal measure. This makes me brutally sad though because now that the VC took these games down, I doubt I'll ever get to play them. ;~;

I freaking loved the Brother's Bear. As a kid I was blown away that suddenly what had been a pure platformer got a few extra RPG elements and a slightly more fleshed out world. I've just played them in reverse order and I can totally understand why for most people DCK2 is the best, but personally the additions made in DKC3 make it the closest to my heart. The original must have felt amazing on release, but playing it in a universe where the other two exist, it feels like it's missing too many features. Where are my DK coins! Why can't I team up anymore!! In terms of things DKC2 got wrong, I hate not having enough coins to save and having to go grind for them, or the fact that just after beating a boss, I can't go save straight away, at times having to play through multiple levels first. As a kid, I never got past the second world because I had so much trouble beating the sword boss, and then didn't have enough lives to get through the first few levels of Krem Quay to the save point. Adult me was a little better at the game... Anyway in summary, all three games kick freaking arse, but I like DKC3 just as much as DKC2 and more than DKC1

my bananas weren't ready

At 1:43, I never thought of DK Jr. in Mario Tennis as a space-time paradox. I thought he would be the DK we know today, and the DK in the SNES days would be the modern day Cranky.

Awesome review again, CJ! I've been waiting for this one, 'cause I wanted to hear your perspective on DKC3. DKC3 has never caught my interest while DKC2 is literally one of my favorite games of all time. I just...don't know if I wanna play it. I might give it a try if I get the time. Also, great use of transitions again. ;) Those are really looking fantastic!

Awesome trilogy. Personally, DKC2 was and still is my all time favourite SNES platform game. Good video.

24:18 ''To adress the elephant in the room...'' *Shows a playthrough of Ellie the Elephant in Bobbing Barrel Brawl* Genius!

I loved the soundtrack for DKC3 so much that I even had some tracts downloaded and I think Davis wise did work on some of the songs and I liked the background of the stages too.

great video CJ, you have done an excellent job

very nice review, thumbs up!

Hahaha fun review and i agree with you! Diddys Kong Quest is my favourite game of all time!! the memories. DKC2 - DKC 1 - DKC3. Dont know what happened with 3. -_-

14:47 you forgot the beehive levels. Good video tho !

The underwater theme from DKC3 is amazing. There are other 3-4 tracks which are great!

I just don't understand everyone's obsession with the second one. I mean yeah it's good, but I feel the third is extremely underrated.

it is things like this that make me realise my youth was more awesome then kids today will ever have

Hey cjszero01. You did a terrific job on reviewing all of these games. I used to own all 3 of them on Game Boy Advance until all of my GBA stuff got stolen, which fucking sucks. Anyways I will return to look at the rest of your DK reviews later. This video deserves 5 stars.

The extra 2 percent comes from paying for all of Cranky's tips, Wrinkly's advice, and completing all of Swanky's games successfully. You only get this 2 percent, though, if you have 100 percent. So you could do all those things, but if you don't have all the bonus areas complete, you can still have just 99%.

DKC 2 was my second game of my life for the glorious SNES and, nowadays, I still go to youtube to hear the wonderful soundtrack or to watch some gameplay. I loved it and still love it. I hope for a donkey kong country 4, but with less cartoonish graphics than Tropical Freeze and Returns, more similar to the origins.

So there's this way to make Winky Kong save your game for free every time in DK2. When you start the game and reach Winky, don't save yet. Progress to funkys flights, jump in the barrel and re-enter the first world. Go straight to Winky and save. Now she won't ever charge you 2 coins to save! Do this process every time you enter a new world because it only affects the one kong kollage at a time.

Odd. A review this old is this good? Far from the amazing stuff you see nowadays but you know alot of stuff. Good work.

I agree that DKC had a lot of things other platformers didn’t have at the time. Having levels named and enemy sound effects were great. DKC2 is very beautiful. DKC3 is really big too (not sure why the game is dissed so much) and fun.

This probably my favorite review at the moment. Maybe you can do a top ten Donkey Kong characters or a top ten Donkey Kong games. Or maybe a top ten Donkey Kong country Returns levels. I just like Donkey Kong :)

Worth the wait! Nicely done!

You hit the point! great great Video mate!!

The only way I could describe this game is *NOSTALGIA*!

You did miss something about the differences between diddy and donkey in DKC1, Donkey Kong can kill the big enemies whereas Diddy Kong gets knocked back by them

I never got the chance to play the sequels, but man... The first game was my childhood. I played the crap out of it, and even today after playing Battlefield 1 and games like that, this graphics still amazes me.

Oh, yes yes yes! The original DKC trilogy is just amazing! The gameplay, the graphics, THE MUSIC! OH THAT MUSIC! I tried out this series on the SNES but my best memories with them are on the GBA T-T This trilogy alone sements Donkey Kong Country as one of my favorite franchises in gaming (I really wanna play DKCR and TF someday!) Overall, these reviews were amazing, CJ! Truly one of your best works! I can't wait for the final video of Tropical Freeze week! :D

10 people disliked this, those monsters, this is Cameron's best review. Yes I know your first name CJ, fanboying for the win :)

This week has been very impressive. You definitely deserve the view to be able to do this again. Back in the day (I say that like I'm not 17) reviews weren't all just about opinion. Instead people explained the games like in Nintendo Power for instance, any you do that very well while then following up with logical, personal thoughts. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate such well-structured reviews. Keep up the great work!

Really great reviews! I totally agree about DKC2 being the best 2D platformer of all time. That game is just perfect.

here's my head canon on why DK can be seen next to himself in mario tennis: he used a time machine

DKC2 is the best one of the three hands down

I wasn’t shocked by whatever that thing is. Probably because I haven’t played the game and don’t know what the scary thing is.

Loved your review, but another character that showed personality through his animations was Sparkster in Rocket Knight Adventures.

The DK initials worked in DKC3's japanese version: Kiddy Kong was named Dinky Kong there.

Actually, 102% is achieved when you talk to all NPCs (Cranky, Wrinkly, Funky, and complete Swanky's quizzes) as well as collecting all the DK and Krem coins