LogFAQs > #929605851

Talking about DKC, 1&3 are good, at best, and would be somewhat forgettable if not for DKC2, which is one of the best platformers ever made.
It's really hard to find a trilogy where all 3 games are great(Sonic is tricky, because Sonic&Knuckles is technically a 4th-game. But the 1st one isn't great anyway). Super Mario Bros. was great for its time, but feels dated: it doesn't get great until 3.
Mega Man X would count, if we were talking about stuff exclusively on SNES. X-X3 are all great, but then it just kept going...and going. The classic series has a familiar problem: the 1st game is good but janky as hell. 2&3 are great though, even though they both have problems.