Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Review

BLESS YOU NINTENDO!!!!
I can't believe they actually released this, and without any preindication! I'M SO HAPPY!!!

A very welcome surprise indeed. I have always considered DKC2 the strongest in the SNES series and I'm delighted that this has come out today. I didn't expect to see this any time soon. Simply a superb game - fantastic soundtrack, great level design and polished through and through.

Without a doubt the most unexpected release on VC yet. I still have the original cartridge, so I won't be downloading it, but knowing that it's there and that we got it first is awesome.

Yeah this one really came out of nowhere, definitely a nice surprise. Can't wait to sink my teeth into it. I had sold my Snes before it came out so I've never really played it for any length of time.

Yay! One of my favourite SNES games =)

I loved Donkey Kong Land II on the Game Boy, so the moment I got a pre-owned SNES, this was on my wanted list. After luckily finding it complete in Gamestation (£15 about, yeowch!), it became very heavily played! The best out of the Donkey Kong games if my two cents are anything to go by. I've only gone and downloaded it again! And I suggest you all do as well, especially if for the first time

Woot, nice to see a great game like this hit the VC. Hopefully we won't have to wait for it to reach the US quite as long as we had to wait for its predecessor...

Oh you lucky people in Europe! You guys always get great VC games and us American fans get the worst releases. You guys have had Zelda II for months and we still don't have it up to this day. Nintendo better release these games sometime this month!

Man this game is much harder than I remembered ... definitley frustrating but fair. Am litterally tearing my hair out on some of those lava levels!

Wow I never even saw this on the "coming soon" list. I guess Nintendo gave us a great surprise, because they knew they were giving us some terrible games. I guess now I have to beat Donkey Kong Country before I get this one! ( also I don't have enough points for it. )

This is among my favourite games of all time. The difficulty is just right in my opinion. And yeah, I love the music. I have played through quite a few times but never got 100%. I'm sure I got over 50% though. I didn't bother to go after everything for long though. Other games to play and all...
But, I may download this one again...

That music score in those Crystal Mine levels was so awesome, still play it on the original SNES cartridge.

On another note, I remember Miyamoto saying this games was only popular because of the flashy graphics, the gameplay was, in his opinion, crap. (Though that was not the way he said it). All in all, he just didn't like it

I remeber that comment Pieter, it was because DKC 2 and Yoshis Island was released the same day and DKC2 outsold it so he made the comment that people always choose graphics over proper gameplay. (Funny really as I prefer Yoshis Island graphics)

Yeah, I love the art style of Yoshi's Island. The funny thing about that is Miyamoto originally started making Yoshi's Island in the same graphical style as Super Mario World, but based off the success of the original DKC the higher-ups at Nintendo wanted him to use the same kind of technology as DKC to create more realistic graphics for it. He didn't want to do that, so he went in the opposite direction, making the game look more cartoony. Choice for the better in my opinion, the Mario universe wouldn't look right if it were made to look realistic.

On a much more on-topic note, I will definitely download this game, but probably not until I finish the first one.

i hate this game and the 3rd one. The original is so great, these ones were just tacky money making late commers. The music sucks, the graphics sucks, the gameplay sucks and no DK. Dixie...who?

Russ... kidding, right? The graphics and music are some of the best ever on the SNES. DKC was incredibly linear and could be completed really fast. DKC2 and DKC3 far surpass it.

Well, screw you, Russ, because Donkey Kong Country 2 is the best game in the country series. You know, this reminds me of a similar complaint in the Sonic series whenever one complains about games not focusing on Sonic. Once in a while, a video game series needs to take time off the main cahracter.

Almost unplayable with a gamecube controller. 2 most used buttons, b & y, are spaced out, making it very difficult to press them together (which is necessary in this game). This seems to really be classic controller only.

I agree DKC2 is the best of the 3. I remember when I first saw the screenshots of the honeycomb levels in Total! Magazine and was blown away. The 3rd one did not really build on it and the levels were not as interesting. I hated DK64 as it just seemed like a poor mans Banjo Kazooie. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was awesome though.

The Nintendo gods have blessed us by imparting us with this wonderful gift. It's just like Nintendo to surprise the unhappy VC masses with this bomb of a gift, and I am totally ecstatic that they released it. When DKC1 was released a few months ago, I dreaded the thought that Nintendo would hold the release of DKC2 hostage for as long as it can, but seeing it out in display, I'm definitely getting it soon. Praise Nintendo for this bounty!! lol

I just hate how you can't configure the controls for the controller. Is there any hope of Nintendo releasing a downloadable patch for something like that? It's a crime to have to play DK using the crab method. Do that really want us to buy the classic controller that badly??

Are you kidding me, Martin Brice? DK64 was the best out of all of the DK games. I've never met a person who hated it. That's almost unbelieveable!

I'll be downloading DKC2 as I missed it the first time around!

this game rocks! Oh.... i finally beat the origional cartrige version today after 10 years. 0.o

Yay, now the only 3 games i truly want now are donkeykong country 3, Zelda:majoras mask and super mario world 2

Couldn't wait to play this game, DLed it and found out it really is unplayable without the classic controller. I'm gonna buy it today, but they shouldn't have put the GC icon on this one.

Yeah! Beat the game. Now on to beat it 100%!
78% as of right now. 65 Krem Koins, 23 DK Coins.

Martin Brice, I hated DKC 64 as well.

Elmernite : It's 102% in DKC2 if you want to get everything.
DKC 1: 101% / DKC 2: 102% / DKC 3: 103%

I too had the feeling that DK64 feels a lot more like Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie than DKC1/2/3. My biggest gripe was the music, that just couldn't bring over the atmosphere that the SNES-DK's had.
Apart from that it was a great(!) platforming game on the N64.

Back to topic: DKC2 is an outstanding game and recommended for all platforming lovers. Graphics, music, gameplay.. everything's cool and a step further from the first one.

DKC 2 is one of the best platform game i have ever played with very nice graphics lovely music and a whopping challenge. I downloaded this gem instantly even though i have a copy for SNES as well as a copy of DK3 its good to play without having to pull the ancient machine out of my cuboard. I am really looking forward to DK3 coming to the wii. Then i intend to complete both of them but this time find more secrets than i ever did in my SNES days. I am also looking forward to downloading DK64 for the N64 cos ive never played it.

Better than the original, and more importantly, one of the best games on the VC at the moment, and would probably rank in the top 3 SNES games for me. Buy it now!

LIAM, you'll love DK64! It's my favorite game on the N64!

Too bad they don't have 2 player mode on this VC Version.

Icegoten - It's the same as it's always been, just not a true simultaneous 2 player game. You take turns in controlling the main character like Sonic 2.

I called Nintendo of America to complain about this game, and they offered me a $10 discount on a classic controller. Then I pretended like my son had lost a finger and it was hard for him to play, and they sent it to me for free! It's a bit of a rude thing to do, but I agree, the DKC series is all about flow, and in the later levels, it is damn near impossible to play while holding the GCN controller like that. They need to put a warning for this. But! Free classic controller, and I'm loving it. This is an amazing, awesome game, and IMO the best platformer on the SNES.

Great story. I like how the customer is always right in the USA. Here in Europe they'd probably tell you to get on your bike!

I just completed it 102% and damn, this game is tough at certain parts. Especially, the Lost World levels will have you yank out a few hairs, but it's very satisfying after finally squeezing out that final DK coin.

All in all, Donkey Kong Country 2 is an awesome game. Definitely one of the better SNES platformers and one of the better games available for Virtual Console, period. Great graphics (for the SNES, of course), some of the best music you'll ever find on a Nintendo console, very solid gameplay and one heck of a challenge. For €8/$8 you can't go wrong with this little gem.

I likewise just managed to beat it 102%.

I pretty much have to agree with everything Steven said. Well, worth the effort to finish the game. Now I just can't wait for DCK3.
-Elmernite

I hope DKC3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble comes out too.
The GBA port changed all of the games music. Some where better than the original but I hated the new boss song (It's a piece of garbage in my opinion.)
This game has good levels, good tunes ( so good it wasn't changed it the GBA port), and a fair challenge.

Hey Drake what the hell is russ on about??? The first DKC does not come anywhere near DKC2 or 3. Your right Drake DKC is so linear and inferior compared to DKC2 AND 3. you cant be serious Russ

I never owned this game back in the day, but I did have Donkey Kong Land II for the Game Boy. I played that little banana yellow cartidge a lot, almost fearful that it would burn out the circuit board inside. Seeing the SNES version readily available on the Wii is great.

I remember playing this game all the time during Christmas '95. Much better than the original and a lot of 2-player fun!

Great Game. Graphics are unreal considering it's a SNES game and the gameplay is just brilliant.

Given the glowing reviews and comments for both games, I'd like to download one of them... which is the better of the two?

Sorry BJ but I was so dissapointed in DK64... after Banjo I was expecting great things, in my opinion they failed.

Why is that, Martin Brice?

@ pocki
DKC2 is the better one by far. Get it for sure. DKC is fun and still a great game, but DKC2 makes it better in so many ways!
-Elmernite

This is as good as the DK series has ever got. With DKC3 the design was starting to get old and the music was not as good, then with DK64 it was OK but more Banjo-Kazooie than proper donkey kong. Since then all we've had is loads of bongo games.

Fan-tas-tic game, never had part two in my collection, i certainly
missed some awesome gameplay

I agree with tank2tank. After DK64, the series hasn't had any good platformers in a while. DK: Jungle Beat, from what I heard, wasn't all that good. Personally, I want a sequel to Donkey Kong 64.

Now we need DKC 3! That one really is awesome. I am very annoyed with the GameCube controls though: they really are a let down... So when basing this game on how I can play it (since I do not have a Classic one) it only gets 3 stars. But it does deserve 4 for the game itself!

Pieter. I made a dkc2 mines remix. As I love the song...

Is it alright to play with the GameCube controller? Or will I have to go get a Classic Controller to play it (like SMW)?

To Boo!/Panda sorry I'd recommend using a classic controller as B and Y are the main buttons which makes using a Gamecube controller really rubbish. And now time for my little rant about the Donkey Kong games:

Can't they give the Donkey Kong license back to Rare and let them make DKC4 for the DS or something? Or a remake of DK64 for the DS would be alright (and seems more likely seeing as they've already done Diddy Kong Racing)

Dunno about you but Donkey Kong games are getting worse and worse. Konga was fun for about a day, Jungle Beat was just a gimmick, I'm not interested in those GBA/DS jungle climber or whatever they're called games, and as for Barrel Blast... well thats just pathetic.

I miss the good ol' days when you first hopped into a minecart in DKC, or first had a ride on Rambi, or here in DKC2 unlocking the lost world... Ha- and that DK64 final boss in a really long hilarious boxing match!

Great game! Must Buy! Fun and at some parts really tough!

tank2tank, I completely agree with you. Nintendo needs to take a look back at what made the Donkey Kong games so great. But I actually, prefer if Rare goes back to Nintendo than the other way around.

Heck, Nintendo is doing the same thing with Mario. Ever since the Gamecube era, the Mario series is getting a lot worser (except Paper Mario: TTYD). Too many spin-offs and not enough platformers.

Great platformer. The first game was a bit overrated; it was too straightforward, and a bit on the easy side. Here, though, everything's working right: the gameplay is more refined, the levels are more complicated and have more variety, and the difficulty ramps up nicely as you go. And the thing that WAS great about the first game - the graphics - is just as great here. If you're torn between DKC1 and this, this one is a much better value.

I really think this game is classic it matches right to the first the only problem i have there's no donkey kong. The music is good again graphics just like the first this has a great story on it.

If Rare was not with Microsoft then they would still of been able to make this game. It is a shame that Rare can not make them anymore because they were the best with the DK series. Anyone looking for classic gameplay which will make you play for ages then buy this.

I haven't downloaded this one yet, but I remember it being a really fun game. I think I enjoyed this one more than the original DKC.

The best in the Rare DKC trilogy in my opinion.
The graphics are gorgious, the soundtrack is wonderfull, the enemies are funny, the levels are well made, the secrets are clever, the challenge is good, (but not to frustrating) and I like the overall pirate theme of the game. (Almost makes me wish they kept the Kremlings as pirates.)
And I can never get enough of Cranky's humorous (written) dialogue of the "good ol' days" of video games.

This game was significantly harder than the original; I can't believe I actually beat it.

Great graphics, great music, imaginative level design, and fluid controls. Get it.

Anyone who says this game is under 5 stars has some kind of a brain infection in the back of their head and should see a doctor right away. Crazzy ass game I love it. It's so hard. I'm in the last world I think only 2 levels left. But I'll still have the lost worlds and DK coins to do. By the way what are DK coins for anyhow?

Call me crazy, but the whole pirate theme of Donkey Kong Country 2 didn't really reach me. I liked the plastic jungles of first game more, and third game tops both with SCIENCE.
But other than design, DKC 2 is really great platformer, definately one of the best on VC.

I never noticed that it was more of a pirate theme. Now that I think of It I guess so. Always fighting on a pirate ship and stuff.

The entire Donkey Kong Country series is an excellent one. For those who are considering trying it out, if you can, purchase all three titles. If you can't DKC2 or 3 are the way to go. There's a lot of improvements over the first in this one, although these improvements have yet to be quite as refined as they were in DKC3.

I like DKC2,then 3, then1.

Getting all the secrets is definitely worth it. The alternate boss fight and ending are ridiculously cool. The hardest level in my opinion is Animal Antics when you control Squawks. I still remember the feeling of total satisfaction when I finally finished the level.

I've finally finished the game! But I still have all of the secrets to do

Edit: watching the video of this game ( top of page) gave me lots of memories, not from childhood, from 8 months ago that's how long it took me to beat this game.

I was never impressed by this series back when it first came out and they certainly never convinced me to buy a SNES, however I felt compelled to give at least one DKC game a shot on the VC.

After playing DKC2 (supposedly the best of the series) I have to admit that it is a pretty fun and even sometimes innovative platformer.

That being said, however, it never reaches the heights of Super Mario World or SMW2. It doesn't even come close. This is a decent platformer mostly due to its size and secrets. The level design is decent for the most part and in some instances fantastic but there are far too many linear jumping levels and static or one directional enemies that might as well have been spike traps.

Also the graphics are horrible. I thought so back when the original was released and it is even worse looking to me now. It looks like someone took a ps1 title and squashed it flat. These games are nowhere near as attractive and timeless as Super Mario World or Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Still, it is pretty fun and there is a ton of game content to explore.

These really aren't 5 star games, though.

Some people just get Nostalgic for Monkeys I guess.

I got this game for christmas from a friend, i could not say more than THANNKKKKKK YOUUU! This is such a fun game, and for a snes game, the graphics are to die for..

Ah this game is just totally teh awesome. <3 and this is one of my very favourite games for the SNES. I like it more than the other two. I think the game is still pretty hard, too, well some levels are.

I remember playing a lot when I was young and I played it that much that the music from the level Rickety Race got stuck in my head badly. All I could hear was it even when the console was off! o.O haha, insane, but this game is nothing but awesome!

I love the music as well. Am I the only one or does anyone else think the music in Bramble Blast sounds a little similar to Edelweiss from The Sound of Music? I swear it does a little. lol.

This is definetly the best of the three. I downloaded this not to long ago and there was definetly an improvement. the gameplay was good and quite often challenging, the music is great and the graphics are even better. Defintely worth getting

This game is WAY better than Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island.

I prefer DKC1, but this also pwns.

Awesome graphics, an even more awesome soundtrack, perfekt gameplay, loads of Bonus games or hidden passages, animal-buddys which add something new to the mix, nice level settings, Pirate-krokodils... COME ON! THIS IS LEGENDARY! 5/5!

Wooohoooo best game ever ,my favorite one

Brings back memories of me and my dearly departed cousin. Funkmasta B, I play this for you, cuz. R.I.P.

I gave it a 4 / 5, though, because the controls aren't as responsive as I remember as on the SNES. Must be me. I don't wanna spend more money on one of those retroport adaptors or Super Famicom(it's not out here yet, so I call it the Japanese name) Wii controller, so it's not that bad to make me not wanna play it.

I should get this I have DKL2 and its fantastic but it looks so much better in color

very good game it was also very chalenging to beat,

I have faint memories of playing this game at Best Buy when I was real little, like 5 or so. I remeber it being quite fun. Problem is, I have too many old-school platformers from VC already, and I don't know if this one is special enough to download. But since everyone seems to say it's great I'll probably get it.

Best game EVER! No questions asked. GET IT NOW! =]

this game has nostalgia pouring out of it. i remember playing this with my cousin for hours. wish i could be with him playing it right now. =[

@Pikmin, #80. Well, if you say so...

This is my favorite Donkey Game. I love the pirate theme! When i would play this on the SNES i bought the Game Guide for it. Pulling that old Game Guide Book out again was like a blast from the past. Very fun!

The 2-player co-op here is amazing.