DK Battle 1994

I feel like another "year battle" poll. This time it's for 1994, the year of the revival of the Donkey Kong franchise.



EAD's Donkey Kong (AKA Donkey Kong '94)
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...20gb%20box.jpg

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...%20'94.gif


Rare's Donkey Kong Country
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...nes_boxart.jpg

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/hosted/...c%20screen.png



I'm a fan of both but if I had to choose it would be DK'94. DKC was overhyped because of its pre-rendered graphics although I do think it's an above average platformer. DK'94 was the more creative game, and still one of the best puzzle-platformers to this day.

Which do you like more?


*edit - I suck and accidentally didn't add the poll. If a mod could add it that would be great.

DK '94 hands down. That's still one of my all time favorite games and easily the best game released on the original GB. I was a gigantic fan of DK as a kid and played it on my Mom's Coleco to the point where I wore out one of her controllers. Then this came along and added in another 100 levels to play, I was in heaven.

DKC was just a pretty good platformer.

I liked Donkey Kong Country, but I loved Donkey Kong '94. Mario had a set of new moves (like the handstand) that expanded on the classic Donkey Kong gameplay. I throughly enjoyed going through all the levels, especially when the start of a new world would teach you a new mechanic that had to be used in subsequent stages. The last boss fight was also memorable.

I don't think there is even a comparison. Donkey Kong 94 is the best DK game ever made. I would love a remake. Wasn't Mario vs. Donkey Kong originally going to be a remake of 94?

DK'94 by a mile.
I never really like DKC. DK'94 just felt right from the get-go.

DK94 is amazing and needs a DS rerelease or something. I do think it's the better game, but I really like DKC too. It's a good platformer with excellent music and I still have fun every time I play it. DKC2 is better, though.

I can't imagine anyone picking DKC over DK'94. DKC was good, but not great. I think they could have easily done more with it and the rendered graphics were wasteful.

Yeah...'94 for me too. Even after all these years it still holds up.

Donkey Kong 94 is awesome. I bought it loose and expected an arcade port. Imagine how shocked I was when Donkey Kong got up after the fourth stage and hauled Paulina away.

I'm surprised at how much of a backlash there has been over Donkey Kong Country. The graphics are really dated but the platforming is still great and the music is absolutely incredible. It isn't as good as Donkey Kong 94 but it's still a fun game.

Hey, me too. I also enjoyed DK'94 far and above Donkey Kong Country.

Well, shoot. I thought I was the only one who believed that. Good thread. :)

I'm not breaking the trend. Not only is DK94 a brilliant reinvention of the series, but DKC is a pretty average game made popular by its technical merits.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

but DKC is a pretty average game made popular by its technical merits.

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That is the perfect way to describe that game.

Also, I can't make this a poll, but if you want to make a new thread with a poll I can merge it with this.

Okay, I'll make a new thread. Thanks.

Now with poll.

DKC all the way, just from the sheer amount of hours I put in to it.

there we go.

I LOVE DKC but I like puzzle games more than platformers, so DK '94 is the winner.

I loved DKC back in the day because of the graphics but DK'94 is a much better game.

Never played DK'94 so it's all DKC

.... you missed out.

DK '94, certainly. But...

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Originally Posted by Glass Joe

Donkey Kong 94 is the best DK game ever made.

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No, not since Jungle Beat came out.

This shouldn't even be a contest. DKC isn't that good of game honestly, and DK'94 is amazing.

I'm going to continue going against the Donkey Kong Country hate on this board. Honestly, this is the only place that I've ever seen so much hate for DKC...

DKC was a great platforming game, for its time, and it still holds up well today. I never liked the style of gameplay in the traditional Donkey Kong games, so I was very happy to see Nintendo do something different with the Donkey Kong character.

But it wasn't a great platforming game for its time. During its time some of the greatest platformers ever made were released, many on the very same platform. DKC was just an average platformer for the SNES made better by the wow factor of the graphics.

Yeah, DKC took no risks, and delivered by-the-numbers gameplay with no original ideas. Was the result playable and enjoyable? Sure, it nicked a proven formula verbatim and it works just like ever. But you know what? The same is true of Bubsy, Gex, and every other middle-of-the-road mid-90s platformer.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

The same is true of Bubsy, Gex, and every other middle-of-the-road mid-90s platformer.

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Bubsy, seriously? DKC wasn't Mario World level but tuned enough to stand above Bubsy, Gex, Aero, Ristar, etc.

Never played DK '94, might have to check it out. *-neo

DKC had great style/atmosphere and a sweet soundtrack.

The gameplay was OK. The level designs were great, though a bit redundant. The boss designs were completely retarded.

I don't get why people hate it so much. It's a good game. Maybe not the best platformer ever, but still pretty good, and far from being the generic piece of shit that people paint it as.

I have to go DKC on this one, although I also never played '94. I rented DKC while my house was being remodeled and played through it in 3 days when I was like 14 or something. I have nothing but great memories of that game, and playing it again today is just as much fun.
But they still should have remade Killer Instinct (the first one) before going forward with more DK's.

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Originally Posted by neoalphazero

Bubsy, seriously? DKC wasn't Mario World level but tuned enough to stand above Bubsy, Gex, Aero, Ristar, etc.

Never played DK '94, might have to check it out. *-neo

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I've already gone into how I think Mario World was lame as well. And Bubsy wasn't a terrible game, it just had no personality. Similar issue to DKC. The market was saturated at the time, and all DKC has was bad artwork rendered with a lot of frames and colors.

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Originally Posted by wEEman33

DKC had great style/atmosphere and a sweet soundtrack.

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I'll give you the soundtrack, but it is the quintessential embodiment of poor art design.

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I don't get why people hate it so much. It's a good game. Maybe not the best platformer ever, but still pretty good, and far from being the generic piece of shit that people paint it as.

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It's not hate, the game just doesn't deserve the success and longevity it's enjoyed. I played the game, I liked it ok, but I don't think it's a classic.

DKC's release meant a lot more to me and had a bigger impact on my gaming childhood. DK94 was really rewarding but I rarely if ever have had it come up in a gaming conversation with anyone.

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Originally Posted by neoalphazero

Bubsy, seriously? DKC wasn't Mario World level but tuned enough to stand above Bubsy, Gex, Aero, Ristar, etc.

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Ristar rapes the shit out of DKC.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

Ristar rapes the shit out of DKC.

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Artistically it's excellent, but honestly if I want to careen around a screen with the Genny I'd take Sonic or Rocket Knight Adventures. *-neo

But would you take DKC?

Exactly.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

But would you take DKC?

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Vanilla platforming with good pacing versus swing, swing, swing, swing ....yeah I'll take DKC in this case. Ristar had some great touches (the music stage was brillant), but it gets tedious after a few levels. *-neo

I still really like DKC, but SHUT UP FROGACUDA I love Gex and it is way better than Bubsy :(

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Originally Posted by Grave

I still really like DKC, but SHUT UP FROGACUDA I love Gex and it is way better than Bubsy :(

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I don't think any of them are bad, just generic. Bubsy was decent too, until the shitty 3D one.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

I've already gone into how I think Mario World was lame as well.

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:O

Both DKC and SMW were good games; DKC was very well presented for a Rare game (amazing soundtrack and graphics), it had a lot of variety between levels (mine car level, stop/go level, running from millwheel level, sliding ropes level, completely barrel level, moving platform level, underwater with chasing octopus level, etc.); it had a decent amount of secrets to find; and some of the levels were pretty hard for a platforming game at that time (most of them were incredibly easy though). But god did the bosses suck, HEY HUGE VERSION OF NORMAL ENEMY IM GONNA HIT YOU THREE OR FOUR TIMES AND YOU'LL DIE. OK?

SMW was a very solid game; although it was really annoying how once you finished the secret levels and it looked like Bowser took a shit all over the map and made enemies wear halloween costumes.

I only voted DK94 because it was incredibly fun; and it had the replay value of trying to beat your friends quickest clear times. I play that game with my friends and sister, A LOT.

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Originally Posted by Pineapple

But they still should have remade Killer Instinct (the first one) before going forward with more DK's.

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A) Killer Instinct sucks
B) Wut? I'm pretty sure KI1 came out after DKC, how do you remake a game that's not out yet?

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Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

A) Killer Instinct sucks

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WRONG

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Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

B) Wut? I'm pretty sure KI1 came out after DKC, how do you remake a game that's not out yet?

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TIME PARADOX!

To give my contribution towards TNL's DKC hate:


*The primary offender by a million miles is Rare's horrible re-design of the Donkey Kong character. It wouldn't be so bad if that design died with DK64. But it's still here. Ugh.

I love the dumb/stubborn looking gorilla with plus signs for teeth.

I can't stand the "hip", "now", "in", "fresh" douche with the styled hair and tie.

I'd be quite happy to forget the Rarekong games and have no feelings towards them one way or the other if Nintendo would let me.


*The game is brutally ugly. Even in 1994 it was obviously brutally ugly. No fronting. I couldn't/can't stand how the SNES Rarekong games look.


*The game mechanics never had any inspiration to them. I can't fault anything with how the Rarekong games play, but they are the epitome of coloring within the lines.

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and it still holds up well today

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False, I liked the game a lot when I was younger. But now that the graphics aren't impressive there isn't anything special in it at all.

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Originally Posted by Cheebs

*The game mechanics never had any inspiration to them. I can't fault anything with how the Rarekong games play, but they are the epitome of coloring within the lines.

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The one gameplay element in DKC that did feel new to me was the ground slap. It doesn't surprise me that it was Miyamoto's idea.

What I like about DKC's gameplay is the smoothness. The levels are designed to encourage you to barrel through them as fast as possible. A perfect example is the Stop/Go level, where running through as fast as possible means you'll hit each sign at the very instant it switches back to "Go". I like that sort of speed-platforming. It's the same sort of thing that Wonderboy/Adventure Island did, and Sonic failed to do.

I'm not fond of the two DKC sequels because the added collectathon elements take away from the pacing.

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Originally Posted by bVork

It's the same sort of thing that Wonderboy/Adventure Island did, and Sonic failed to do.

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You are bad at Sonic.

Well, I respect everybody's argument about why DKC was just an "average" game but I'm not buying into that belief.

My love for DKC probably stems from the memories I have of it though. I got the game for Christmas back when I was in the 8th grade and I remember playing the shit out of it. I remember waiting, for what seemed like ages, to get the game....and they used to show commercials for it everyday on that "Channel One" TV show during Advisory. So I was really hyped up for DKC to be released, and it honestly did not disappoint me in any way (other than how insanely easy it was).

For the record though, playing as Donkey Kong wasn't that great....Diddy was always the best one to play as :)

I think that's the case with a lot of people. I can go back and play DK'94 like it was brand new. The gameplay makes it more timeless. DKC just gets old after the first two worlds as the innovation dies pretty quickly.

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Originally Posted by portnoyd

I think that's the case with a lot of people. I can go back and play DK'94 like it was brand new. The gameplay makes it more timeless. DKC just gets old after the first two worlds as the innovation dies pretty quickly.

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Maybe I just need to check out this DK'94 game that you all speak of. Does it play just like a traditional Donkey Kong game? Or, did they change some of the gameplay mechanics to spice it up a bit? Honestly, I could never really play "old school" "Donkey Kong" without getting bored after five minutes. I didn't really care for Mario vs. Donkey Kong either...So, I guess the only games I've enjoyed, that star DK, are DKC and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

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Originally Posted by magnifiedplaid

Maybe I just need to check out this DK'94 game that you all speak of. Does it play just like a traditional Donkey Kong game? Or, did they change some of the gameplay mechanics to spice it up a bit? Honestly, I could never really play "old school" "Donkey Kong" without getting bored after five minutes. I didn't really care for Mario vs. Donkey Kong either...So, I guess the only games I've enjoyed, that star DK, are DKC and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

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IT looks like old school Donkey Kong, but it's actually a puzzle platformer with like 80 levels, lots of new moves, etc. Its like Mario vs Donkey Kong on GBA, but it's better than that.

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Originally Posted by bVork

What I like about DKC's gameplay is the smoothness. The levels are designed to encourage you to barrel through them as fast as possible. A perfect example is the Stop/Go level, where running through as fast as possible means you'll hit each sign at the very instant it switches back to "Go". I like that sort of speed-platforming. It's the same sort of thing that Wonderboy/Adventure Island did, and Sonic failed to do.

I'm not fond of the two DKC sequels because the added collectathon elements take away from the pacing.

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Bingo, still favor DKC2 for it's overall better presentation and heavenly soundtrack though.

Cripes, this thread made me remember I still have to finish Jungle Beat, loaned it out to a ton of people and found it difficult to play at my old apartment late at night. *-neo

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

IT looks like old school Donkey Kong, but it's actually a puzzle platformer with like 80 levels, lots of new moves, etc. Its like Mario vs Donkey Kong on GBA, but it's better than that.

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Seriously better. I was disappointed with Mario vs DK as I was really hoping for DK'94 #2. Still a good game but definitely missing the charm and edge DK'94 has.

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Originally Posted by portnoyd

Seriously better. I was disappointed with Mario vs DK as I was really hoping for DK'94 #2. Still a good game but definitely missing the charm and edge DK'94 has.

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Truth. MvDK is decent, but its developers obviously didn't have the know-how or the creativity to pull off DK 94's elaborate drawbridge puzzles, so they leaned on the colored switch sequence puzzle, a total design crutch/cop-out, for about 90% of the game.

DKC is pretty rad. Most of the levels lend themselves to Wonder Boy/Adventure Island style speed platforming like bVork said, but the cumbersome secrets -- like off-screen barrels and tucked away breakable walls -- are counter-intuitive to the whole locomotion thing.

What I don't understand is why DKC is berated for its lack of innovation while derivative shit like New Super Mario Bros. is almost ubiquitously heralded for its "old-school gameplay" or whatever.

...I know the answer is that the "old-school gameplay" pass is a double standard reserved only for first party Nintendo games, but I still wanted to get that out there.

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Originally Posted by A Robot Bit Me

What I don't understand is why DKC is berated for its lack of innovation while derivative shit like New Super Mario Bros. is almost ubiquitously heralded for its "old-school gameplay" or whatever.

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Not that hard to understand. In 1994, 2D platform games had completely flooded the market to a degree that no other genre has matched before or since. But in 2006, it was something nostalgic that we hadn't gotten in a while. As a general rule of thumb, rehashes become much more readily accepted the more time goes by.

I'd buy that, but I remember DKC being very well-received at the time of its release. It wasn't until fairly recently that is started getting shat upon. Earning a spot on Gamespot's "Most Over-Rated Games of All Time" list seemed to spark the h8.

Well, they're still wrong! But it gives me hope that Ocarina of Time will get shat on eventually!

I'm starting to think all of you people who are voting for DKC haven't actually tried the game since you were young. If you go back now and try it you'll see it's really not that good of game, meanwhile DK'94 is still awesome to this day.

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Originally Posted by A Robot Bit Me

I'd buy that, but I remember DKC being very well-received at the time of its release. It wasn't until fairly recently that is started getting shat upon. Earning a spot on Gamespot's "Most Over-Rated Games of All Time" list seemed to spark the h8.

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I dunno, I think a lot of us felt that way at the time, but the graphics whores outnumbered us. Since the graphics whores have moved on, we're what's left.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

I'm starting to think all of you people who are voting for DKC haven't actually tried the game since you were young. If you go back now and try it you'll see it's really not that good of game, meanwhile DK'94 is still awesome to this day.

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That, or they just have never played DK '94 and have no idea just how much awesome was crammed into that tiny cart.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

I'm starting to think all of you people who are voting for DKC haven't actually tried the game since you were young. If you go back now and try it you'll see it's really not that good of game, meanwhile DK'94 is still awesome to this day.

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I still like DKC and DKC2. Played both earlier this year.

For the record, I still like Gex too and I just played it two or three days ago. :(

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Originally Posted by A Robot Bit Me

What I don't understand is why DKC is berated for its lack of innovation while derivative shit like New Super Mario Bros. is almost ubiquitously heralded for its "old-school gameplay" or whatever.

...I know the answer is that the "old-school gameplay" pass is a double standard reserved only for first party Nintendo games, but I still wanted to get that out there.

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*NSMB didn't shit on Mario's character design/art style. Furthermore, the game is not as ugly as a rhino's armpit.

*NSMB hit in the middle of a side-scroller drought.


*NSMB took plenty of flack for not pushing the genre anyway.


*Bouncing goombas.

I never got around to playing DK94, I always wanted to though.

Just one of those games that kinda slipped through the cracks.