The Making of Donkey Kong Country & Killer Instinct / Pre-rendered graphics

Рет қаралды 382,886

3 жыл бұрын

As a follow-up to my Aladdin / Cel animation video I decided to give the Donkey Kong video a huge overhaul. Both videos will be part of a mini series about the influence of technological advancements in tools and development processes in 16-bit video games. Part one: Cel animation, Part two: 3D packages, I'm planning to do a 3rd video eventually. I've also added Killer Instinct (one of my favorite arcades games ever) and the awesome Donkey Kong Country 2 to this video.
If you want to learn more about DKC check out this great interview with the Donkey Kong Country team by Shesez: • The Donkey Kong Countr...
///Support the channel:
All your views, likes comments and shares are really appreciated! My making of videos are part of bigger project. I set up a patreon for those who would like to financially support it: / strafefox
Narration by Steven Kelly
/ stevenmkelly
//Music and Sources
For the complete track-listing with time-codes skip to the end of the video
Sources used for this video are also listed there.

Пікірлер: 1 500

@OSW 3 жыл бұрын

The production values on this series are INSANE, it's better than television! Seeing your work makes me so proud to be a Patron 🤘🙂

@Puretea4711 3 жыл бұрын

what's "television"? Asking for a friend

@E180TEKNO 3 жыл бұрын

i agree completally

@ravager48 3 жыл бұрын

@@Puretea4711 A miserable pile of secrets. But enough talk! Have at you!

@LinktheSamoyed 3 жыл бұрын

He should get a Netflix series,

@tomservo5007 3 жыл бұрын

I'm not familiar enough with this channel to know the 'voice', I thought someone found and uploaded a 'behind the scenes' featurette from some bluray. The production values on this video is indeed 'INSANE'

@Level1Sword 3 жыл бұрын

"Rare made Donkey Kong Country in a BARN! And had to use PORTABLE GENERATORS!!"

@laziestoldman 3 жыл бұрын

Cranky Kong moment

@nonamenoname1942 3 жыл бұрын

... and act as a monkey to motion capture its moves)!

@marcianoacuerda 3 жыл бұрын

“Well. I’m sorry. We’re not RARE”

@ericandre5060 3 жыл бұрын

I bet that was the inspiration for that one factory level😂😂😂

@dun0790 3 жыл бұрын

Sounds so British lol

@Huggbees Жыл бұрын

I knew these games were beautiful but you showed me a whole new side to them.

@megazillasaurus Жыл бұрын

And diddy kong has a dream where donkey kong gets married to king k. Rool

@Krmelj1308 10 ай бұрын

Holy shit, it's the Riddler's biggest fan!

@diegoleao 3 жыл бұрын

Rare was able, at that time, to instill emotions to a child that he/she didn't even know it could experience at that age. All the visuals, sounds, and gameplay come together with such perfection that it seems for me like DK Country was an actual place I went to when I was a kid.

@carnage0685 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe that's why it was called Donkey Kong COUNTRY. Definitely not a stretch.

@Rezector 2 жыл бұрын

@@carnage0685 what does that matter?? lol

@carnage0685 2 жыл бұрын

@@Rezector ? They said all the visuals, sounds, and gameplay made it seem like an actual place they were visiting, and when people are on exotic trips, it's usually because they're visiting a different country. That's all- Nothing more, nothing less, lol.

@IsakAidee Жыл бұрын

Not unlike Hyrule Field. That place, and The Tivoli place with the carts and honeycombs were amazing.

@zacharycardon2353 10 ай бұрын

I concur! The 1st 15 minutes in Banjo Tooie broke my heart. After seeing Spiral Mountain decimated and two key characters die, I was about to swear off the Bear & Bird. After playing it again the next day, it's still my number one game of all time!❤

@thisisfyne 3 жыл бұрын

DKC is honestly one of the best games ever made. Putting aside the technical genius behind it, the sheer amount of fresh ideas, compelling gameplay mechanics, and artistic vision all come together to create a whole insanely coherent and endlessly replayable!

@tetsuoshima7385 3 жыл бұрын

True. And THAT soundtrack!👌🏻🙂

@somethingsomething9008 3 жыл бұрын

Dkc2 is much better

@emericask8r130 3 жыл бұрын

came here to say this - all things considered, it might be the best game ever?

@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 2 жыл бұрын

I recently finished Donkey Kong Country and I'm fully with you. Outside of a few genuinely frustrating levels, I had a blast.

@propanesalesman660 2 жыл бұрын

@@somethingsomething9008 best one in the series

@nimascolari1508 2 жыл бұрын

One of the greatest games ever envisioned and perfectly executed.

@tayzonday 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for helping me to re-live some high points of my childhood.

@jasonredwine5270 2 жыл бұрын

♫ Chocolate Kong

@brokesquid 2 жыл бұрын

no way

@johnsmith-ir1ne 2 жыл бұрын

Wow didn't expect you here!! This KZfaqr we're watching is very underrated

@ator2659 2 жыл бұрын

@@johnsmith-ir1ne No one cares.

@johnsmith-ir1ne 2 жыл бұрын

@@ator2659 and you still replied. Me 1 you 0

@AlexRN 3 жыл бұрын

I remember the Christmas morning of 1994 and being blown away constantly but I vividly remember me telling my dad how this game looked incredible and was 3D because I couldn’t comprehend how incredible the first factory level looked. The chains hanging from the ceiling and blocking the view melted my 9 year old mind. Awesome. Truly awesome episode. The production values are off the charts!

@matadordeleoes 3 жыл бұрын

I played this game in 1996 when I was 7 years old. I dont have words to describe my feelings about playing this masterpiece.

@yaboijuanito1460 3 жыл бұрын

@@matadordeleoes wow you guys are old cuz i was born in the year 2002

@matadordeleoes 3 жыл бұрын

@@yaboijuanito1460 haha its normal. in 2002 I was 12 , really happy playing nintendo and psone , watching BDZ. Enjoy bro , you gonna miss these days.

@yaboijuanito1460 3 жыл бұрын

@@matadordeleoes cuz i remember in 2009 i remember the dsi and the dsi xl was coming out and brand new mario games and stuff man those are the good ol days cuz i also used to have a nintendo 64 since i was little and if you have instagram here is my instagram its @yaboijuanitominecraft99

@CactusbIah 3 жыл бұрын

This is the first time I've seen a video on this channel, and the quality is incredible. Rare did an amazing job with DKC, and you did an equally amazing job telling their story.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@Game_Hero 3 жыл бұрын

go watch the other videos too!

@MegaJessness 3 жыл бұрын

'Ey, welcome to the channel! And don't forget to watch all the other videos, they're so well put-together and are super informative :3

@no1noseme96 3 жыл бұрын

Oh man you're in for a treat

@HollowQuest_KoseiZero 3 жыл бұрын

Agreed! This video made me a subscriber. I love to see this kind of informative content.

@AndreasBabouris 3 жыл бұрын

I'm playing through DKC via Nintendo Switch Online right now, and it's so easy to forget this is a game made in 1994 for a 16-bit console. It has stood the test of time in just about every area, from game design to music and visuals. Seeing the details behind its creation helps to contextualize how much a display of pioneering technology it also was for its time. Thanks for the documentary, keep up the great work! 🙏

@ZealKingdom 3 жыл бұрын

I still own a complete copy of DKC, and a sealed copy of Killer Instinct. SNES era was the greatest. Amazing video, as always.

@user-oi1iq6tt4j 10 ай бұрын

Word, SNES had so many games

@user-oi1iq6tt4j 9 ай бұрын

I SNES agree, sorry Sega

@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 2 жыл бұрын

I've recently finished Donkey Kong Country, and it has quickly become one of my new favourite games. It's such a well made game with great design and superb production values. The graphics are incredible, but what really stood out to me was the soundtrack. I generally don't like Super Nintendo music, as it tends to sound like CD music coming out of speakers covered by a pillow, but Donkey Kong Country really contradicts that. The underwater level especially is an easy 10/10, hard to top. I'm looking forward to playing the other two games, especially 2 which I hear is one of the greatest 2D platformers ever made.

@IsakAidee Жыл бұрын

Have you played DKC2 yet?

@thetriggeredone3461 Жыл бұрын

To say SNES music sound like CD quality music is a insult to music itself even the nes and very old system by the way has so many better tracks than the SNES

@thetriggeredone3461 Жыл бұрын

Also I give this game maybe an 7/10 or 8/10 cause this g me is really flawed

@samuelthehobo4441 3 жыл бұрын

DKC and Killer Instinct have aged quite well in my opinion. I just can’t believe that the SiliconGraphics workstations cost so much.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

I agree! I still love both games and although not everyone agrees their visuals too. The funny thing is.. SGI systems weren't even that expensive in a number of markets as the systems they replaced were more expensive (for example in pre-press and visual effects). The bulk of the production work at the company where I started my career was done on SGI. Especially in the 90s they easily made back their investment thanks to their speed and the exclusive graphics software.

@greysky1252 3 жыл бұрын

The framerate of Donkey Kong's animations are the envy of modern games.

@mastadope397 3 жыл бұрын

@@strafefox Just wondering what did you use to do for work regarding production. Etc.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

@@mastadope397 I was a multi-media designer/developer doing 3D animation, video and animation for CD-roms and DVD, coding for websites, Flash games, etc. It was a pretty cool and varied job and I was able to learn so much from colleagues coming from a completely different field.

@jonhanson8925 3 жыл бұрын

Just what I was thinking. Add in Mario RPG and I'd say that the pre-rendered graphics of the era hold up better than any of the full 3D that would come out for years and years.

@DjAdam16 3 жыл бұрын

Words cannot express the many feelings I had playing this game as a Kid.

@LinktheSamoyed 3 жыл бұрын

I remember seeing a tv ad and my jaw dropped.

@MrCalverino 3 жыл бұрын

I kinda teared up just remembering the awesome 16bit war... I was 10 when this game came out and I was knee deep in the war!!!!

@evilzinabyssranger5695 3 жыл бұрын

Me too! Its the platform game of my LIFE (DOnkey kong - snes trilogy). So much love. The forest, the music, the ambience , the colors and the charisma. Cant be even compared to the wii/wii u counterparts

@electron2601 3 жыл бұрын

@Craig Adams same!

@JanG859 3 жыл бұрын

@Craig Adams 10 and getting DKC 2 was my fondest memory.

@Cleve_Crudgington 3 жыл бұрын

Man, how can the DK Country music fill me with such a nostalgic feeling when I have no nostalgia associated with the games? It's so good.

@jackbauer9901 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. I did not know this was possible.

@smoothbeak 3 жыл бұрын

Because it's awesome music :) The music fills the game with nostalgia in a sense, go figure out that one!

@runningdecadeix4780 2 жыл бұрын

Because the soundtrack is *brilliant*. I don't use that word lightly. It's a masterpiece, David Wise is one of the greatest video game composers of all time, everyone loves and is inspired by the music in the DKC games.

@t_rexdiaz6778 2 жыл бұрын

@@runningdecadeix4780 you gotta give credit to Eveline Novakovic she made some awesome tracks for the 1st game

@TheMissKittyStar 3 жыл бұрын

The music in DKC2 was and still is magical to me, I love it so much The nostalgia vibes are hitting hard too

@SirCaco 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so thankful to Rare for the role they played in making my childhood so beautiful. Love these guys to death, everything they did and do now as Playtonic, I support.

@justinhunt1714 3 жыл бұрын

YUP! Banjo-Kazoi and Getforce gemini hold a special place in my heart

@Krystalmyth 2 жыл бұрын

@@justinhunt1714 I still love these guys for RC Pro-Am to this day. lol

@LittleBigKid707b 2 жыл бұрын

@@Krystalmyth LOVED RC Pro Am. I don't see it get talked about as much though. Seems under appreciated.

@dykodesigns 3 жыл бұрын

Donkey Kong Country is one of my favorite SNES games for it’s sound. The music of underwater level in particular is very mesmerising and made a lasting impression to me. As it happens, the Korg Wavestation is also one of my favorite synths.

@Skyforger23 3 жыл бұрын

Yes and the "mine shaft" song from the 2nd.

@tommyzorera 3 жыл бұрын

Its, not it's.

@Ainnem 2 жыл бұрын

So please listen to this: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a-CepbmVptqpdH0.html

@dadamj 3 жыл бұрын

Rare will always have a special place in my heart. At a very young age they subconsciously set my expectations on what a amazing game should be. Everything about their work just oozes quality and attention to detail, you couldn't help but be drawn to it. Such a great video that really did their work justice. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

@skankcor3 3 жыл бұрын

As an avid DKC fan, I’ve devoured every video on this subject and heard the retrospective many times yet you’ve managed to make something that feels incredibly fresh and uplifting. Thank you.

@wmvnotmp4 3 жыл бұрын

Getting new strafefox videos are always the best days of the year

@canalnerdcronico 3 жыл бұрын

Man, your content is a tremendous inspiration. Thank you for investing your time in this hard work.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks and really cool to hear you find it inspirational!

@ninja_tony 3 жыл бұрын

@@strafefox it really is, I was going to comment the same thing! As an artist and videographer myself, I can only imagine just how much work you put into your videos. The production quality is insane, and it really sets you apart from every other game related channel on the platform. And aside from the fact that your videos are a technical inspiration, you always have such an incredible way of discussing the games at hand in such a refreshing way. I don't know how I ever found your channel to begin with, but I am so thankful I did, and I am always so excited when I see you've uploaded a new video!

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

@@ninja_tony Really awesome to read Ninja Tony! Thanks so much

@RolyWestYT 3 жыл бұрын

How you don’t have millions of subscribers with all this work you put into your videos is insane to me! Thanks for always keeping everything such high quality it’s a real pleasure to see you everyone you pop up on my feeds ❤️

@null_state 3 жыл бұрын

It's only a matter of time!

@fred6907 2 жыл бұрын

He deservers millions of subs, the production value is insane.

@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 2 жыл бұрын

not everyone is invested in the limited hang out called 'video games'.

@Verlisify 2 жыл бұрын

DKC is my favorite series on the SNES. Amazing video to go into details I wasn't aware of

@The8BitDuke 3 жыл бұрын

Killer Instinct is so underrated, no idea why! Another excellent job!

@BLINDCABBY 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely one of my all time favorite games.

@BLINDCABBY 3 жыл бұрын

@@alderChristianHarten you mean street fighter?

@richmlvcable 3 жыл бұрын

KIMMM WOOOOO!

@mattb9664 3 жыл бұрын

Pausing the video right now so that I can stream it to the TV- way more worthy than just a phone or tablet view!

@of-Rivia 3 жыл бұрын

Beautiful work. DKC1 is a masterwork of game design. DKC2 and Killer Instinct are two of my favorite games of all time. I learned a lot from this video even though I already knew a lot about Rare and these games previously. Superb work, mate, thanks for making this wonderfully informative video.

@GameplayandTalk 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing stuff as always! I love the additions to the original video on Donkey Kong Country, and the added segments with Killer Instinct are just icing on the cake. That game is still one of my favorites.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Austin! Yeah Killer Instinct is also one of my favorites. It's actually the game that I put the most money in of all arcade games :) It was such an amazing game to witness when it first came out and got me really hyped for the Ultra64 at that time.

@SRC267 3 жыл бұрын

Can't wait to watch this later today! I know this going to be epic.

@elm4nsuri 3 жыл бұрын

same here!

@Pokemon60660 3 жыл бұрын

Hello again ! Found you on another channel and commented about your profile picture. What are the chances lol

@samuelthehobo4441 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve seen other videos about SiliconGraphics and Rare, but your productions always make the videos miles better.

@deepcloudsmusic 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you this was incredible to watch!

@Xale007 3 жыл бұрын

Imagine a HD version of Donkey Kong Country

@matadordeleoes 3 жыл бұрын

there are 2 levels from DK2 remake by a developer and published in some random ytube channel. If nintendo had the interesting of make the remaster it would be like printing money

@Canthatcrazy 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah! Seeing it in the original form before they had to downscale it for the SNES. I'd buy it day 1

@VicDrums83 2 жыл бұрын

Have you played tropical freeze? Granted it wasn't a Rare title, I would say it's the closest thing we're going to get to a dkc experience with current gen consoles.

@poweroffriendship2.0 3 ай бұрын

It does. It's called Donkey Kong Returns and Tropical Freeze.

@Jesse__H 3 жыл бұрын

Strafefox is right up there with Ahoy in the absolute top echelon of YT videogame documentaries.

@CasualGamers 3 жыл бұрын

For sure. It's a shame this isn't more promoted by YT

@CasualGamers 3 жыл бұрын

@Marc Carran such as?

@Jesse__H 3 жыл бұрын

@Marc Carran Of course there are. It's not harsh at all - I wasn't _excluding_ anyone in particular. Some other great videogame documentarians on KZfaq include Gaming Historian, Indigo Gaming, Jacob Geller, Summoning Salt, and many others.

@nick4810 3 жыл бұрын

@@Jesse__H Also noclip, gvmers, digital foundry retro, slopes games room

@ninja_tony 3 жыл бұрын

@@Jesse__H Exactly, there are several fantastic ones out there, but I certainly didn't think you were excluding anyone either. Rather, you were pointing out that this channel is really on another level for what a video game documentary can be.

@BloodoperaBlackvomit 3 жыл бұрын

Summoning Salt AND Strafefox on the same day. Love it.

@combeechan 3 жыл бұрын

inb4 Donkey Kong's color pallet were chosen from samples of real life barn wood.

@BerryMitchels 10 ай бұрын

I love how much effort you put into not only the information on these videos, but the custom stunning and nostalgic visuals as well. This one in particular might just be my favorite! Simply awesome

@Netoagsn 3 жыл бұрын

One of the few channels that's worth the wait.

@DragonMasterSubo 3 жыл бұрын

Rare really innovated a lot, their SNES games still look and sound great. It's a shame the company isn't anywhere close to what it used to be, but I bought pretty much everything they released growing up.

@somethingsomething9008 3 жыл бұрын

Donkey kong countrys graphics look ugly today espically without crt

@tjp_real 3 жыл бұрын

Rare is back. They have their one new company now. Playtonic games. They have made Yooka Laylee. It's like Banjo and DK64.

@joaonitro5149 3 жыл бұрын

@@somethingsomething9008 No, they don't. Actually, imo the models being pixelated hide the fact that they look outdated.

@NintendoPsycho 3 жыл бұрын

@@somethingsomething9008 Obviously.

@NintendoPsycho 3 жыл бұрын

@@tjp_real lol Rare is a shell now.

@MetalionMusic Ай бұрын

I pretended to be sick in 2nd grade one day at school just so I could go home and play DKC. One of my favorite games ever to this day... decades later and I still have many of the levels memorized... and the music... mmm... so good!

@serkanunal4784 3 жыл бұрын

These were the days! I really like the era of 8-bit & 16-bit but the RARE story from super NES into N64 does give me goosebumps to relive the moment when I bought my N64 and played those memorable games such as Killer instinct gold. The SNES peaked with the Donkey Kong country series and KI and thankfully it was not all over for Nintendo. Again amazing video by Strafefox!

@SteveEricJordan 3 жыл бұрын

strafefox + dkc, the ultimate combination. i will ALWAYS be in for that. dkc 2 is my favorite game of all time and my favorite soundtrack of all time hands down, period, full stop. and strafefox makes the best gaming documentaries on youtube and maybe my favorite videos on this platform. btw. i still miss the old narrator. (even though the new one is great too)

@TokoWH 3 жыл бұрын

Man these videos are always insanely high quality. It's an actual crime that KZfaq isn't promoting them more.

@four-play 3 жыл бұрын

The amount of research you do and the old footage you find is always impressive. Always a pleasure to watch your videos.

@saunterrrr 24 күн бұрын

90s Rare is unmatched. Firing from all cylinders, the group of people that brought us so many gems need more appraisal.

@SpaceyZee 3 жыл бұрын

I sound like a broken record, but the production value is just on another level. I'm going to up my patreon when I get home. -Victor B

@edwardota1991 3 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU!!

@odinsplaygrounds 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing video as always. Now this makes me want a uncompressed 4K release of these games, with highest quality assets! Would look so cool.

@Goldenfightinglink 3 жыл бұрын

16:55 "you'll be exposed to jungle fever" Classy 90s

@seraph4581 3 жыл бұрын

I'm happy to see this channel is finally getting the recognition it deserves! Some of the best gaming content I've ever seen.

@laziestoldman 3 жыл бұрын

You dropped this, your majesty 👑

@mrob0989 3 жыл бұрын

Dude. This channels quality is just way too good. This is one of those channels that when they upload a video I go out of my way to set time aside to watch regardless of what the video is about. They could legit make a video of a grandfather clock swinging for 30 mins and I would watch the whole thing.

@SaltyRamen. 3 жыл бұрын

The music composer of donkey Kong though. That is on a different level all together

@gospodin338 3 жыл бұрын

LET'S GOOOOO HE MADE A VIDEO

@dontletmebrown 3 жыл бұрын

Simply unbelievable production value. Thank you for the video!

@3DSage 3 жыл бұрын

I get so excited when you uploaded! Time to watch and enjoy :)

@MagisterHamid 3 жыл бұрын

Imagine if Rare still have the original SGI rendered Donkey Kong, the version before they downscaled it to SNES.

@DatBoiRatchet 3 жыл бұрын

What happened to the original SGI renders? I always ask this but I never get a reply 🤔

@majinya6199 3 жыл бұрын

@@DatBoiRatchet They lost most of the models and the ones that did survive were on obsolete programs that the newer devs at Rare didn't know how to access them, Rare had to remake the sprites for the GBA port frame by frame using the SNES version as reference.

@gozinta82 3 жыл бұрын

It would look like garbage in comparison to today's standards. If you look at most of RARE's work on the SNES and early N64 games, their anatomy is pretty crappy, and purposely hidden by their poses and things like that. Take Killer instinct 1 and 2 for example. Watch a segment of their FMV's to get an idea of how well those clanky meshes were rigged (probably non-inverse kinematics setup for animation).

@matadordeleoes 3 жыл бұрын

@@gozinta82 I played this game in 1996 when I was 7 years old, it was a top game back then. we did not have so criticism about it , it was just revolutionary ...

@gozinta82 3 жыл бұрын

Robert Spiller agreed it was, i played it too. But now u can see some of the faults. Completely normal for any decent game.

@Altercate 3 жыл бұрын

Great job as always! I can't believe my eyes when I see the production values in your videos! You're an inspiration, for sure 😀

@paulnewhouse5126 3 жыл бұрын

I was just thinking about this channel, good to see you back since i love these videos! Still a highly criminally underrated channel.

@Slipknlov 3 жыл бұрын

the Diddy's kong quest part was so nostalgic to me, i almost cried

@razeezar 3 жыл бұрын

I have fond memories of getting up in the morning pre-dawn before getting ready for school - Just so I could get some peace and quiet to enjoy playing Diddy's Kong Quest before my siblings woke up. :-)

@mikekhoshaba4452 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video, Donkey Kong is one of my favourite games of all time, the audio in that game is super memorable to me, especially the water theme. Cool to see how it all came together.

@arthurcuesta6041 2 жыл бұрын

This documentary was amazing for many reasons. Thank you for this work and the massive nostalgia hit.

@walterjr9702 3 жыл бұрын

"I cant believe you're still watching" 😀😀😀

@pyro-millie5533 2 жыл бұрын

Man what a fascinating game development method! I’m here from the “Low Poly” video about the progression of Donkey Kong models. When he showed the High Res Donkey Kong Country version that wasn’t even made out of polygons, and then mastered for 16 bit graphics on a freaking NES!?! In freaking 1994!?! I was like “Damn. I have to know more!” So I’m so stoked that you’ve explained the production process of this game! How cool and experimental, and damn it had such a beautiful result with the 16 bit pallet and smooth motion too. I grew up loving Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii, and now I need to break out the NES pack for the switch and play the OG.

@enilenis 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks to the game industry, I'm in the film industry. I used all the systems and all the software mentioned in this video. It was such an amazing journey, to see the tech evolve, and to have access to things that cost as much as a house. To be lucky and hang around the right people in the 90's. To learn 3D as it evolved, from the power animator days. From SGI machines. I remember it all. Such a cool memory, full of flashbacks. Even the music composing parts. I'm using these Korgs and Rolands right now. Retro never went out of style for me. I love old school tools. Limits on everything. The need to think creatively. To have hardware constraints.

@user-ik8vy1rg8f 3 жыл бұрын

DK2 is a masterpiece. I'd love to see a high res rendered version without all the aliasing.

@Matt-gh2zm 3 жыл бұрын

I would pay $60 for this without question

@razeezar 3 жыл бұрын

Just like 'Empire Strikes Back' or 'Ride the Lightning' (Metallica) - It's the second one where the magic really happens!

@WasatchWind 3 жыл бұрын

This video was good enough that I decided to make a game documentaries playlist.

@haramaschabrasir8662 3 жыл бұрын

You only realize what masterpieces these old games are when you see documentaries like these.

@Yupppi 5 ай бұрын

Rare's history was really a perfect storm of talents and hard work, creativity and fearlesness. I wish the guys got their chance to make more Time Splitters, they seem really eager to deliver the fans.

@thejunkmanlives 3 жыл бұрын

its just depressing when u see just how much they could do back then with the hardware available. but today they cant even finish the game.

@mrwhopee 3 жыл бұрын

Exactly, now it's just push it out half finished, roll out some extremely heavy bloated patches sometimes 10's to 100's of gbs in size, and immediately start charging them for dlc/add-ons/cosmetics and the game will be mostly forgotten about in a couple months.

@Popcornpower 3 жыл бұрын

While I can see where you are comig from: Games have become more complex and the tech/workflows behind them as well. Additionaly you have to make sure everything has a nice performance, even on older machines.

@Skitz0frenix 3 жыл бұрын

Back then it was more passion driven I guess. Nowadays it's the publishers that's calling the shots

@thejunkmanlives 3 жыл бұрын

@@Skitz0frenix passion is something thats missing from most media now.

@razeezar 3 жыл бұрын

@@Skitz0frenix Believe it or not, there was a time when the 'A' in EA actually meant something within their catalog of games.

@newdykung6775 3 жыл бұрын

Wow what an amazing video as always can't imagine how fantastic to take a look behind the making of Kirby franchise

@clairebun 2 жыл бұрын

I think I always took for granted how technically impressive DKC was for its time. This applies both to graphical and audio, and I appreciate that this video briefly covers the latter as well

@wildwest1832 Ай бұрын

I think the graphics and flow of the game like not having to wait if you were good all helped these games stand up so well. The controls and movement feel very natural

@cookiemint8439 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome Video! Really hope you create a video about Treasure and their 16 bit masterpieces since they deserve the phonemical research and effort you put into your vids!

@BladeShadowWing 3 жыл бұрын

Well this is a surprise! Always glad to see new videos from you.

@Vititi16 2 жыл бұрын

In every single tiny aspect, Donkey Kong by Rare is an absolute MASTERPIECE!

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this, I´ll always remember my childhood when watching dedicated DKC or Killer Instinct content. I got a Wii and a Wii U to play newer DK installments, and a Xbox One to (finally) play the arcade versions of KI, I didn´t have the chance of playing it because of $$$. THANK YOU :)

@pedrovieira3407 3 жыл бұрын

This video is pure GOLD

@trenthoward6800 3 жыл бұрын

Your follow up videos are always so much more informative and entertaining than your first attempts, its an incredible show of improvement. Please, please take another swing at the Mana series sometime in the future now that squenix has pulled the series out of the back of the freezer.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks that's great to hear! And yeah Mana is on my list in combination with ChronoTrigger. I will start working on it soon.

@trenthoward6800 3 жыл бұрын

@@strafefox Now that's some incredible news to start June with! For Chrono Trigger will you be covering Yuji Horii's involvement in the project? I ask because most other historians tend to gloss over him for Sakaguchi, when it was a team effort every step of the way in the game's development cycle.

@strafefox 3 жыл бұрын

@@trenthoward6800 Yeah sure! Plus I've hardly mentioned Dragon Quest so far, so I have to set that right :)

@trenthoward6800 3 жыл бұрын

@@strafefox Great news, definitely looking forward to it!

@dcb6729 2 жыл бұрын

My mind was blown when I played this as a child. Everything from graphics to music to gameplay was perfection. Very nostalgic for me. I started playing this again on my switch after this video. 😊

@PeterLawrenceYT 3 жыл бұрын

Production is unbelievable. You really went through all that effort to do those classic 3D modelling and rigging shots. That's out of this world dude.

@ricardocantoral7672 3 жыл бұрын

YES ! MOAR SPLASH WAVE !

@grahamjhallaudio8198 3 жыл бұрын

It’s such a treat / event when I see Splash Wave has posted! 🤩👌💕

@dallows3235 3 жыл бұрын

It all makes sense now why the DK trilogy, Killer Instinct & Battletoads were my favourite SNES games - They’re all artistically linked. Fantastic video!

@dungeonseeker3087 2 жыл бұрын

David Wise' DKC2 soundtrack stands as the greatest 16 bit OST ever created (IMO). The entire game was incredible but the music really set it apart from the competition, every setting had a unique and yet still fitting song to go along with it, Stickerbrush Symphony is pure genius.

@--SHEPHERD-OF-MOTHER-EARTH-- 3 жыл бұрын

wow what a surprise! welcome back! SKÅL 💪😎👍

@jonathanfaber3291 3 жыл бұрын

Return of the king!

@ImmundaDeus 3 жыл бұрын

Whoa, this is some of the best editing/producing I've ever seen on KZfaq. You put in hard work. Much respect.

@bluered1322 Жыл бұрын

I remember playing dkc and killer instinct with my older brother and sister as a little kid. Some of my earliest memories. Its crazy the amount of effort that must have gone into making games perfect right at launch. And so extremely memorable

@VintageRetrogames 3 жыл бұрын

Your videos are gorgeous!

@KryticalmindRises 3 жыл бұрын

Much love from Brazil

@JoshLightWork 3 жыл бұрын

oh man. I grew up with the Donkey Kong Country games (my brother and I first played it when I was 6 and he was 8) and still listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis. that was fascinating and extremely well put together. thank you for the 25 minutes of fantastic entertainment and a trip back to my childhood. cheers!

@Sirvanic 3 жыл бұрын

Played the hell out of both DKC and KI. Amazing games. KI coming in a black cartridge really sold the "this game means business" factor. My little brother loved the Killer Cuts bonus music CD so much it became the inspiration for him to go into music production himself. Both DKC and KI have some of the best soundtracks in gaming ever. Props for this video, too. Felt very professional.

@RootVegetabIe 3 жыл бұрын

"Myst and Rise Of The Robots" It's great that both of these games went on to be huge hits.

@backup368 3 жыл бұрын

Did you know? Diddy Kong's shirt is meant to be a different shade of red from his hat?

@unseenhues 3 жыл бұрын

Quite possibly the highest quality KZfaq doc I have ever seen. Truly incredible work. Thank you.

@Feelin_DanDy 3 жыл бұрын

"I can't believe you're stilling making these high quality videos!" ....please don't stop

@CHRISPYakaKON 3 жыл бұрын

Always love seeing videos from this channel 😩

@jvogler_art4708 3 жыл бұрын

Imagining how this game would have looked if they never had to downscale the assets... It would look like nothing you'd ever seen before. It would look so strange.

@razeezar 3 жыл бұрын

With the NTSC and PAL television standards only being of 480 and 576 rows of pixels respectively, the graphics were down-scaled primarily to match the old CRT TVs that the games would be displayed upon. Although now that you mention it ... All three titles in the DKC series do actually display higher-res (albeit static) renders of the same 3D models of playable characters during the credit / game over splash screens. So in a way, we do still get an in-game glimpse of how it the characters looked in higher-res. As for the overall low screen res, it is part of that era's charm but I would still be very curious to be able to see an upscaled version of the games using the exact same models :-)

@gozinta82 3 жыл бұрын

@@razeezar I think what he may have been getting at is the resolution, which makes sense why they scaled it down, image-wise. They probably couldn't fit much more onto the cartridge given that everything was taking up sprites being pre-rendered.

@SeanandOreo 3 жыл бұрын

I just found your channel today. As someone studying computer graphics right now, I find these really fascinating. Subbed almost immediately.

@runningdecadeix4780 2 жыл бұрын

Those Rare employees truly made video game history there. DKC is one of the high points of the 16 bit era; one of the most beloved platforming series and has maintained a legacy (with the excellent DKCReturns games by Retro Studios) to this day. Killer Instinct was also one of the great fighting games of the day. Amazingly talented developers, they made history