I understand kinda what you mean, foolmo. That's always been my problem with the later Metal Slugs versus the earlier ones, in that because of its new weapon system, they don't tier out the weapon pick-ups like the old days, so there could be big stretches of the game where you're forced to just rely on your starting pistol against very tough opponents. Possible, but tedious and not as fun.
But with DKCR, I never felt like I was outmatched with DK alone. Hell, sometimes I felt I was cheating the experience a bit by using the jetpack, a handicap to make up for me mistiming a jump or making a bad decision. Every single level in the game can be beat with DK and DK alone, through a combination of basic platforming game skills(memorization of the level, proper utilization of the protagonist's jump heights, his relation to the enemies through collision detection, etc). And its not a Contra/Metal Slug, "Oh so you got hit, now it takes three times as long to beat this boss without your cool weapons". Pretty much every level can be completed in three minutes or less on even an average, non-speed run playthrough. Its harder without Diddy, but kinda in the same way that its harder to beat a boss without God Mode activated.
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