Donkey Kong Country (video game): Difference between revisions

Introduced in 1994 for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], and ported to the [[Game Boy Color]] four years later and to the [[Game Boy Advance]] six years after that, ''Donkey Kong Country'' introduced the groundbreaking technique of using pre-rendered 3D graphics in a 2D console game<ref>It had already been done in arcades.</ref>, and marked the final decisive milestone in the early-to-mid '90s [[Console Wars]] between the [[Sega Genesis]] and [[Super Nintendo]], with the latter emerging in the lead in the west. It also brought the star of ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' back into the limelight (though the game makes it clear that [[Legacy Character|the Donkey Kong you play as is different from the original, and that the original Donkey Kong is the older and aptly named Cranky Kong]].; Thethe ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]'' games may have [[Ret Conned]] this though).

The original trilogy on the [[Super Nintendo]] features a developed three-part story arc. In the first game, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong must reclaim their stolen banana hoard as well as defend their island from the invading army of [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|reptilian-humanoid Kremlings]], who apparently want to milk the island dry of its myriad natural resources with their monstrous factories. In the second game, Donkey Kong is ape-napped and held for ransom (a ransom of bananas, of course) by the Kremlings' [[Paper-Thin Disguise|master of disguise]] leader, <s> King</s> ''Kaptain'' K. Rool, and so Diddy and his girl-friend Dixie must travel to the Kremling homeland, Crocodile Isle, to rescue him. In the third game, the Kongs' celebratory vacation in the Northern Kremisphere is cut short when the Kremlings arise once again, this time under the leadership of the mysterious Kaos ([[Name's the Same|not to be confused with]] [[Get Smart|that other KAOS]]), and the Kongs start going missing. It's up to Dixie and her enormous, [[Super Strength|super-strong]] infant cousin, Kiddy Kong, to get to the bottom of things.

''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', from 1999, brought the series onto the third dimension in a big way, and is considered by many to be the last "true" entry (considered by others to be a ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'' clone<ref>likelyLikely because it uses the same basic engine as B-K with many of the same game mechanics.</ref>) in the ''[[Donkey Kong Country (video game)|Donkey Kong Country]]'' saga (although the Paon games work within the same continuity). In it, King K. Rool returns with a vengeance. Figuring that if he and his people can't have Donkey Kong's island, nobody can, so he steers an enormous high-tech warship next to it and plans to blast it right off the face of the Earth with his secret weapon, the [[BFG|Blast-O-Matic]]. This game unites a [[Five-Man Band]] of Kongs (Donkey, Diddy, Dixie's sister Tiny, Kiddy's brother Chunky, and odd-man-out Lanky, although other familiar faces such as Cranky and Funky lend a hand along the way) who set out to find a series of 200 solid-gold giant bananas and the missing blueprints to the Blast-O-Matic in an effort to trounce the Kremlings for the final time.

* Cranky Kong, who [[Nostalgia Filter|reminisces about the old days of video games]] and gives advice.

* Funky Kong, whose jet barrels allow Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to return to any previously completed level.

* Candy Kong, who had a save point in the original game.

* Wrinkly Kong, Cranky's wife, who in the second game ran a school called Kong College which gave players tips about how to play the game, and where players could also save their game.

* Swanky Kong, who in the second game hosted a quiz game in which players could answer trivia questions in order to win extra lives.

The [[Game Boy Color]] port of ''Donkey Kong Country'' has two extra mini-games: Funky Kong's [[Fishing Minigame]] and Candy's Challenge, where you perform in luck-based tasks similar to the various [[Bonus Stage|Bonus Stages]]. Funky's Fishing Game is also seen in the [[Game Boy Advance]] port, though Candy's Challenge is replaced by [[Rhythm Game|Candy's Dance Studio]]. Also in the GBA port, the player can fill the Kongs' scrapbook by finding cameras and performing in-game feats of varying difficulty. The GBA port of ''Donkey Kong Country 2'' contains the mini-games [[Racing Mini Game|Expresso Racing]] and Funky's Flight Challenges, in addition to bringing back the scrapbook feature. There is also a new boss, Kerozene, to fight. In both games, all the mini-games must be won each time they're encountered and the scrapbook must be completely filled in order to achieve the highest completion percentage. (Inin the port of ''Donkey Kong Country 2'', there is an additional mini-game at Klubba's Kiosk called Bag a Bug, but playing it is completely optional.). The GBA port of ''Donkey Kong Country 3'' contains the mini-games Funky's Rentals, Cranky's Dojo, and Swanky's Dash. There is no scrapbook feature this time around. All of Funky's challenges must be completed to achieve the highest percentage, but Cranky and Swanky's games need only to be won once. The game also adds a new boss, Kroctopus, and a new area, Pacifica, containing six additional levels.

A [[Racing Game]] [[Spin-Off]] appeared as ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''. There was to be a sequel to ''Diddy Kong Racing'' called ''Donkey Kong Racing'' (go figure), but Rare's contract with Nintendo for usage of the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise ran out. Then Rare got bought out by Microsoft, demolishing any remaining hope that the contract might be renewed. However, Nintendo did toy with the franchise for a while, producing the ''[[Donkey Konga]]'' trilogy of rhythm games with [[Namco]] as well as ''[[Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'', an [[Needs More Love|underrated]] action-platformer that is not set in the DKC''Donkey Kong Country'' continuity, but is nevertheless very reminiscent of its style. Following this, they handed the character over to Paon, a company that produced Donkey Kong''DK: King Ofof Swing'' for the Game Boy advanceAdvance, ''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' for the Wii, and ''DK: Jungle Climber'' for the DS.