Celebration thread for Donkey Kong Country's 25th anniversary

[Uglier Rare Character]

It's been great hearing from all the old hats at Rare in GameXplain's recent DKC coverage. The way the Rare folks reflect on the series, it feels like they never expected the series to explode in the way it did during the mid-to-late 90s. They'd be too humble to admit it, but they essentially salvaged the character of Donkey Kong at a time when Nintendo didn't seem to have much else in mind beyond arcade throwbacks, by creating a brand around him with their vibrant cast of characters and worlds.

Fingers crossed we see more Donkey Kong content in the coming months and years. Nintendo has been mum on the series for what seems like ages but have so many directions they could go, from SNES DKC ports for Switch, a refurbished HD DKC Returns or the "new Donkey Kong experience" Reggie alluded to years ago, as soon as they want to take the time to invest in the brand's future.

 

[oatmeal]

Whoa. 25 years.

I remember a girl in my fourth grade class got it at launch and I was so jealous. It was the one thing I wanted for Christmas and it was sold out everywhere.

My mom ended up getting my aunt in Seattle to buy it and send it before Christmas.

Still one of my favorite games of all time. 2 doesn't carry the same nostalgia for me

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Fun fact the Donkey Kong in DKC is actually the grandson of the original character from the old arcade games. The original appears in DKC as Cranky Kong.

 

[hydruxo]

DKC 2 is my favorite game of all-time. DKC 1 is great too but DKC 2 was really something special. The whole trilogy holds up so well too though, I play through them all every year or two and they're still a blast.

 

[cecilpaladin32]

I still remember getting a VHS preview tape for the game from Nintendo before release. My parents wouldn't let me open that tape for the longest time since they couldn't verify who sent it (this was also when I got to learn that NOA was based in Redmond, which was good enough for my parents). Begged for the game for Christmas and got it. Easily the game I've beaten the most in my life. By the end, I could routinely finish the game in under 2.5 hours with 95% or so, and no more than three deaths - not because I was particularly skilled at the game, only because I had played it so much.

 

[Afro Thunder]

I'm super nostalgic about DKC1. It's my favorite in the series. 25 years...time flies...

 

[bionic77]

I remember getting the VHS for this game and thinking it was fake.

DKC2 is an all time classic.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

I have so, so, so much love for this series. Can't believe it's already been 25 years. Jesus. I still remember getting that Nintendo Power insider VHS in the mail that was all about hyping up DKC. It's peak '90s and just bursting with cringe, but I still love it to this day.

DKC 2 is still the best in the series and one of the greatest platformers of all time, but the entire series is a treasure and I hope we see another DKC title from Nintendo sooner rather than later.

Spoiler

Also, Dixie rocks and it's insane that she still hasn't made it into Smash -- even as an echo of Diddy -- but that's a different discussion for a different thread...

 

[jett]

This forum is intent on making me feel old as fuck it seems.

DKC1 was a mindblowing experience back in 1994. The SNES putting out those graphics beggared belief and the music sounded incredible. It wasn't the deepest platformer but it was solid fun.

 

[Leo]

The original trilogy is probably my favorite game series of all time. I have nothing but good memories of these games.

Congratulations, and thank you for all those magical moments.

 

[Gartooth]

Along with Super Mario World and Super Mario Kart, the original Donkey Kong Country was one of the first video games I ever played. This game shaped a lot of my love for video games and sucked me into another world which felt mindblowing to me, like it was a movie come to life.

There's so much I love about the gameplay from chaining rolls and cartwheels, the satisfaction of a well timed barrel throw, the minecart, and the animal buddies. Then in such a short amount of time we had gotten DKC2, DKC3, and Diddy Kong Racing, and it became this franchise that is synonymous with video games in my heart.

Just want to give a quick shout out to Gamexplain too that I'm really loving their coverage of the 25th anniversary, and getting together with some of the creative minds behind the series. The inception of the first game is always crazy to me, because as a kid I never thought of there being a "Donkey Kong" before this series, so it's kind of crazy what kind of things Rareware were thinking about when making Country.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

As a huge fan of the original DK trilogy in the early '80s, it was great to see the franchise return with GB DK and DKC. I borrowed DKC shortly after it came out and got it for Christmas 1994. I still don't rank it as high as the 16-bit Sonic and Mario games but it was really well made. They nailed the controls and atmosphere. And the music is often in my head.

 

[Deleted member 59109]

I really hope there's a new DK game soon

 

[Rydeen]

I got Donkey Kong Country with a Super Nintendo bundle in 1994, first game console I paid for with my own money. My whole family spent that whole evening playing the game together, it's one of my happiest game memories with my family that I'll never forget. Still one of my favorite platformers ever as well, the game has a very specific rhythm to the platforming I think only Super Mario Bros. 3 gets close to, where playing the levels is almost like playing music.

 

[AndreGX]

.
Just want to give a quick shout out to Gamexplain too that I'm really loving their coverage of the 25th anniversary, and getting together with some of the creative minds behind the series.

Click to shrink...

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it :)

Spoiler

It might be wise to keep an eye out for another video in about 12 hours :)

 

[InASnowBoundLand]

Thank you, everyone! As a background song in Donkey Kong Country 2, I will accept the accolades in the game's name.

 

[babyzelda]

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

Happy Birthday to the big gorilla. Loved the original trilogy growing up, and then Retro modernized it and made it better than ever. What I wouldn't give for DKC 6 or something brand new...

 

[Jonneh]

We've got another special interview coming later, you would be Wise to watch!
Edit: Damn it Andre made the same pun a few posts earlier

 

[BGBW]

I'm looking forward to GameXplain's 25th anniversary celebrations of Kiddy Kong in two years' time.

 

[Santar]

One of my favorite games of all time. A truly amazing platformer with lovely atmospheric visuals, satisfying platforming, amazing music and tons and tons of secrets to discover.

 

[Nocturnowl]

I'm all for celebrating my fave series, and props again to gamexplain for delivering celebratory content.

So my dumb story about that fabled VHS tape, I was around 4 or 5 and still entrenched in an unwavering love for all things Thomas the tank engine. My dad being the eternal penny pincher he is tried to counter my whining about a new video by desperately grabbing a newspaper that came with the DKC video like "look, you can have this", safe to say I wasn't appeased.

And that DKC VHS tape went on to be recorded over numerous times, though it's short runtime made it useless for most things, I never actually saw the original Kong content on it.
So here I am today, a man who much prefers his Kong to his tank engine thinking, "shit, I should've watched it at least once".

 

[Jonneh]

I'm looking forward to GameXplain's 25th anniversary celebrations of Kiddy Kong in two years' time.

Click to shrink...

 

[Servbot24]

These games were so amazing to play as a kid, and they are still fun today. Not to mention they feature some of the greatest game music ever.

 

[Secretofmateria]

As a kid i always wanted
My own version of cranky's arcade, especially with the KI cabinet. This room is like a 90's kids dream

i first played dkc when i was 5 at my cousins. I had a snes at home but i didnt have dkc. I was always excited to go to this cousins just to play donkey kong country. One day she let me borrow it and i got to play it at home for like a week which was incredibly exciting. Then for my sixth birthday i got two new super nintendo games. One was super mario all stars, and the other was dkc 2. I didnt even know that dkc 2 existed at that point so you can imagine my immense surprise when i unwrapped that package. I pretty much dropped every other game i had including
Mario world, lion king, jurassic park, and magical quest starring mickey mouse, just to play dkc 2 exclusively. I was so enthralled by its visuals, music, and atmosphere, and the platforming was some of the best id ever experienced. I was dissapointed at first that i couldnt play as dk but i learned to love dixie and everything she brought to the table, she was a blast to play with. I never played 3 and didnt play another dkc game til tropical freeze, but im always going to love dkc 2.

 

[Jonneh]

 

[chronos4590]

The first video game I've ever played. There is a video of me playing it at 4yo. My most beloved game and I'm so lucky that this introduced me to the medium. Between the characters cool visuals and of course the music.

 

[Uglier Rare Character]

Aww yeah, it's great to hear that Wise is open to working on a future DK game, though unfortunate that Nintendo doesn't appear to have been in touch with him. They could probably use Retro as an intermediary to bring him onboard, though it may be the case that they want an internal Japanese composer for any game they're developing in-house.

 

[Metalgus]

I'd LOVE a complete retro collection/anthology Switch cart with the SNES and GB games and some museum type stuff like art, music, commercials, etc.

I don't listen to a lot of older videogame OSTs, but DKC1 and 2's are among them for sure.

 

[BlueManifest]

Is the anniversary today?

 

[WhiteNovember]

Soooo... Can we at least have DkC1 on Snesonline now?

 

[Birdie]

Surprise free DLC Dixie Smash drop any day now...

 

[BGBW]

Click to shrink...

(((A TESTAMENT TO HOW GOOD IT WAS AND IS TO THIS DAY)))​

 

[daTRUballin]

This game came out about 3 years before I was born. There. That should make you guys feel even older. Always wished I was older enough to have experienced that era of video games. Must've been one hell of a time.

Here's the promotional VHS tape that a few other posters have mentioned in this thread. It deserves to be posted on such a special occasion.



Always loved this and other Nintendo VHS tapes they used to send out back in those days lol. It's kinda sad how many of the people in this video aren't at Nintendo anymore. Then again, it has been freaking 25 years, so go figure.

 

[Gartooth]

Happy Birthday DK!!

 

[ghostcrew]

One of the greatest 2D platforming series. I fondly remember buying DKC1 from my local Virgin Megastore (not 30 mins drive from Rare it turns out!) back in 1995 or whatever it was. It came with a compilation CD called Go Ape! which featured DK adjacent bands such as Primal Scream and Radiohead. Wild.

It looked like the future.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Wow, 25 years. It was the first game I ever played, and the original trilogy still looms large over every platformer ever released in my mind.

 

[wholahay]

Happy 25 years to one of the finest pieces of art ever produced by human hands. I hope that nothing lasts of this era of human civilization besides the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, a SNES, and a CRT TV. The people of the future will know all they need to know.

 

[Gartooth]

I'm anxiously waiting to see if Nintendo drops the DKC games onto SNES Online today.

It would make sense then why they are absent from the service since launch.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Love this game and 2 and 3. I think I'm due a new play-through again soon. Maybe on my n3DS or Vita via Homebrew. I also have the trilogy on GBA.

 

[Josh5890]

I remember playing Donkey Kong Country at a Sears (ask your parents) back in the 90's, and I just knew right away that I needed this game. The memories I had playing that game were amazing. As a kid I loved the mini-games with the animals as it reminded me of that coin level in Super Mario World.

DKC 2 was a lot of fun as well. I loved playing as Dixie Kong and being able to float in the air.

DKC 3 was secretly my favorite as a kid. What really drew me towards the game as a kid was the open-ish world where you move around in vehicles.

This trilogy is up there for me with my favorite trilogies of all time, and I'm not talking about video games. I hold the Donkey Kong Country SNES trilogy on the same level as the Original Trilogy and the Lord of the Rings.

Also, shoutout to all of the minecart levels! There is no such thing as a Donkey Kong game without them!

P.S- Still waiting on that shadow drop on the SNES Online App Nintendo.......

 

[Betty]

The original Donkey Kong Country trilogy are some of my favourite platformers ever.

 

[Dad_and_Videogames]

The Christmas I got this back in the day was a great one.

 

[Dolobill]

I just so happen to be playing through DKC Returns currently in co-op. I never made it very far on the Wii. We're playing on Wii U now with the SNES Classic controllers and having a BLAST.

 

[Dphex]

I really hope there's a new DK game soon

Click to shrink...

in the meantime, play Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair, the game is really good

 

[AndreGX]

Finally finished up what I've been working on for a week: why I think DKC was so damn memorable.


Happy birthday Donkey Kong Country!

 

[Deleted member 59109]

in the meantime, play Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair, the game is really good

Click to shrink...

I have, I really liked it

 

[Gartooth]

Really happy to see the original development team along with Rare themselves celebrating this game's anniversary on Twitter. It really was the start of me becoming a fan of so many of their games and worlds.

 

[Uglier Rare Character]

And the capstone video on DKC's 25th anniversary:



Kudos to GameXplain for the week's worth of great insightful interviews, this is the pinnacle of what gaming media can be. It's unfortunate that the fans and former developers have to pick up the slack so hard in celebrating DK as a brand, with Nintendo not even able to muster a happy anniversary tweet for the series that put one of their oldest icons back on the map. Hopefully that changes sooner rather than later.

 

[AndreGX]

And the capstone video on DKC's 25th anniversary:



Kudos to GameXplain for the week's worth of great insightful interviews, this is the pinnacle of what gaming media can be.

Click to shrink...

Thanks so much! I'm thrilled that people seemed to enjoy our coverage, and we had a blast putting it all together. Truly a pleasure to speak to the original staff,