Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Many people have said this game rocks but falls a little short of the first. I disagree on the latter part. Original DKC was far better than most games, yet it gave me the impression of an old-style game updated and showing off the capabilities. This time they put extra effort into improving from there. No more Candy Kong kisses while you gather giant plantains.

You might miss working with the big guy, but that sure doesn't ruin the fun. Dixie Kong is cool in her own regard, making a swell teammate for Diddy. The enemies' pirate theme lends organization while keeping the game cracked enough for amusement. The scenery is easy on the eyes and the music is simply superb. And yes, the gameplay advanced as well.

If DKC is salt, then DKC 2 is sugar. Both delicious, but I know which I prefer.

Donkey Kong has now been kidnapped by Kaptian K.Rool and now Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong must save Donkey Kong from the clutches of the fat kremlin and his crew of kremlings.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a great sequel to the original Donkey Kong Country though sometimes I think this one lacks a little bit behind. I hate how they put some of the new systems in there like the coins to save a game and many coins to get to lost worlds though I like a bit of challenge. Like the original though there is really nothing to hate. What i've just said there was the only thing I didn't like.

An improvement is that now the levels are 200 times harder, Instead of having a heavy Kong and a Light Kong You end up having two flexible Kongs and now you get to buy Lost Worlds and the feel of the Kong Island/Jungle theme is gone and Now in this sequel we have K.Rool's lair and the theme is pirates.

I like the Honey Comb land like levels and you still get Animal Buddies back just like you do in the first one though there are newer ones.

This sequel does keep up well with the original though I still like the original better. I give this sequel an outstanding 9.1/10

I loved the first Donkey Kong Country and I was hoping for more excitement in this sequel. You can do more things in this game such as the helicopter twirl and buddy animal special abilities. The graphics and music are equally awesome as the first. So why do I give this an 8? The first thing that turned me off a bit was the coin system, in the first you could save your game free of charge, but here you need two to do that and if you are broke you're in big trouble. The same thing if you need to go back to previous levels. The second is the challenge can really rack your nerves till you go crazy. The commercial for this game said "even tougher than the original" and sure enough they weren't lying. I do like this game just not as much as the first.

"Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest" is one of those exciting games that keeps you tapping buttons from childhood to adulthood. This game is even slightly better than its fantastic predecessor.

The plot goes far beyond banana theft this time. Now, it's Donkey Kong who has been stolen by K. Rool (now reinvented as a pirate, Kaptain K. Rool), meaning that Diddy Kong has to go rescue him. Along for the ride is Dixie Kong, Diddy's blond girlfriend who has a unique ability: she can hover like a helicopter in the air by twirling her ponytail around very fast.

DKC2 is filled with fun challenges, amazing and well-realized characters, and a more in-depth adventure than the first game had. Travel through a pirate ship, a volcano, a bayou, an evil amusement park, a haunted forest, a creepy castle, and K. Rool's wicked flying fortress (The Flying Krock). My personal favorite is the forest (Gloomy Gulch), while my favorite level is in the amusement park, the breakneck-paced Rickety Race. Meet new animal friends like Squitter the Spider.

Above all, rescue Donkey from K. Rool's sinister clutches in this dazzlingly fun adventure for the ages.

The original "Donkey Kong Country" game was such a success that it pretty much usurped Mario on the SNES console for the title of "best side-scrolling adventure". This sequel, "Diddy's Kong Quest", however, manages to even improve upon the gameplay of its predecessor and make for an even better gaming experience.

There are two main reasons why this game is better than the original:

1. The level designs manage to be even more interesting. Not that the levels in "DK1" were bad, by any means, but they are just more interesting in this effort. When I think back to the iconic levels in this series, I'm usually thinking of ones from this game.

2. Dixie Kong is a better playable character than Donkey Kong. The main trouble with the DK/Diddy combo of part one is that DK is such a sluggish character. He "gets the job done", but only passably for a game that requires so much jumping. In that game, Diddy is the much better character. In part two, though, the Diddy/Dixie combination are pretty much equals. Diddy is still a bit more agile and nimble to work with, but the hair of Dixie (used for flying and throwing) makes her very valuable as well.

The only reason I can't give this game the full five stars? It doesn't let you save after every level. I know, I know...gamers weren't used to that feature like they are now. But it still doesn't make it any better (at least for me). After about the second stage, the levels in this game get quite difficult. Difficult to the point of the gamer feeling a real accomplishment after completing a level (which of course is the point!). Yet, there is a clunky system of gathering coins in order to save (and even then it is only after you reach the "save point" in each stage). You may have to beat 3- 4 VERY difficult stages (often with only a few lives to work with) in order to save your progress. I don't care what the "times" were like...that makes for more frustration and less fun.

Overall, though, "Diddy's Kong Quest" manages to slide in slightly ahead of its predecessor (no easy feat). I always had a bit more fun playing this game than the first one.