LogFAQs > #914444666

#2. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
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I mentioned in the opening topic that there was only one game on this list that I have intense nostalgic feelings for. Donkey Kong Country 2 was that game. I grew up with an NES and then a Genesis; and back in my day, that was all you could have. You had to choose one console per generation, and it dictated the type of experience you would have and the kinds of games you'd grow up with. But the beautiful thing about that single-console paradigm is that it made going over to a friend's house with another system feel like you were going to another world. And that's how it was for me when I'd get off at my friend's bus stop and play DKC2 endlessly with him after school.

DKC2 is my favorite multiplayer game ever. Sure, it's a blast to play Mario Kart with three other friends or murder your buddies in GoldenEye, but there was nothing else like working with someone to beat a challenging game. One player may be better at certain stages, the other might have mastered Dixie's glide. But as a 7 year old, it takes that combination of skills and months of work to advance in a game like DKC2. And that's what some of my strongest memories are: working with a friend to conquer what we thought was the hardest game ever, day after day.

Going back to DKC2 more than 20 years later to finally beat the Lost World was an absolute trip. I played single-player this time, and the game forced me to hone my skills until I was able to grind my way through the levels with a methodical rhythm--unable to make a single mistake. Like I said before, the gameplay of DKC2, when you truly master it, is nothing short of sublime. Hitting the right enemy at the right angle and the right speed in order to clear a seemingly impossible platform is pure bliss. Rare hit its stride in the second game in the series, perfectly blending the styles of Diddy and Dixie into an experience that I think is impossible to replicate.

Praising the music and visuals of DKC2 has been done to death, so I won't bore you with a feeble attempt to describe why these elements are so perfect. I will simply say that the soundtrack alone can give me shivers, it can transport me back 20 years to sitting on the floor of my friend's living room, controller in hand, in our quest to defeat K. Rool. The ambiance in DKC2 is matched by only a few video games in history, and it is a testament to how the medium can be an art form even when there is a minimalist narrative.

Donkey Kong Country 2 is one of the greatest games ever created, and the magic of the game was still there for me after all these years. But in my attempt to be as objective as possible there is one platformer that ever so slightly surpasses it in greatness...
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso