Donkey Kong Country

"The classic is back, revamped and better then ever!"

Donkey Kong Country. Now that is one game that brings back major memories. It is the only game that my parents actually played with me as a kid. The first time I had girls in my room we played it. DKC is perhaps one of the most recognizable games in the history of video games. Donkey Kong began as a villain who always kidnapped princess, and the jumping man always came to save her. (The Jumping Man was actually name of the character, he later became known as a character named Super Mario ;)). When DKC came out, it was one of the first games I ever owned. I never actually got a GBA, but I just recently bought a GBA SP, and DKC was the first game I got for it as well. I have only owned it for 2 days, but I have played it to death. Even better is the fact that it is portable! I love the GBA port of DKC!

Graphics: Since I was used to the graphics of a GBC, I never knew that the GBA harnessed such power. I literally stood shocked when I saw the graphics of DKC. The graphics are the same, if not better then the SNES version. Not to mention, new background effects, (such as scurrying lizards, crawling spiders, flying birds, and swimming fish) to give the many worlds you explore extra depth. The last portable DK game I played was Donkey Kong land, and I absolutely hated it. The graphics were pretty bad (They tried to do so much, but a Gameboy system just can't execute great graphics), the levels and the enemies were odd and unrecognizable (A level in some strange cloud land? Flying Pigs? Strange Tornado baddies?). In DKC, everything is exactly how I remember, even the secrets and such are the same. What little changes they made still kept the essence of the original game.

Story: The DKC for SNES never really had anything to explain the story, beside you finding no bananas in your horde. In this version, they have done a good job to add some more story elements, which will help the younger kids understand it better.

Game Play: The same Kremling stomping, barrel blasting, beaver rolling I remember. While the levels in the beginning are easy for people who have played the game before, the later ones give more of a challenge. The controls are very simple, with maybe a 1 minute learning curve. Luckily, RARE added some new minigames which are actually pretty fun. There is a fishing minigame, and a dancing minigame. Fishing has you out in a boat, trying to catch fish in the time limit. It is actually pretty fun! The dancing is also pretty fun, which is the sort of game that you see at arcades, where you have to do certain moves at the right time. The 2 player modes are also fun, perfect for long road trips, or just a short car ride. I could play this for a long time to come.

Sound: The sound has been preserved almost exact, except for an occasional missing drum beat in the music. I am actually impressed with the soundtrack, which is great for a handheld game. Also, a few sounds have been changed, but they still have the same atmosphere as the original. They have also added some sounds, such as the yelling when your characters fall off a cliff.

Overall: This game is very fun, and I am glad I have chosen it for my first GBA SP game. It has lots of replay value, because it is just plain fun. The 2nd and 3rd installments were good, but they did not have the same effect on me as the first DK game. And, I have to say, DK64 was pretty bad. In my opinion, this is a great game for kids, teenagers, and adults alike, because of it's simple gameplay, almost anybody can pick it up and play it.

Buy, Rent, or Pass? Definitely buy this game. It was 30 dollars, but it was well worth the money for me.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/12/03, Updated 07/12/03