My favorite is definitely the Donkey Kong Country 2. Here are some of my opinions on the games...

- Dixie is my favorite character to play with by far. Her float gives you total control platforming.
- Kiddy is my least favorite. I don't like his character concept in general and he is just too damn bulky.
- The mini games in DKC3 are all the same throwing baseball game, over, and over, and over. Simon says was cool though.
- DKC2 had a trivia game show...Awesome!
- Pirates theme > Summer Camp theme w/ weird out of place Bears everywhere
- DKC3 is the easiest game in the trilogy and DKC2 is the hardest, imo. Hard > Easy any day for me.
- DKC3 had the best DK Koin concept for sure, but where is my Rockin Dixie/Rappin Diddy at level completion? Flag pulley was lame.
- When it comes to level design, both DKC2 & DKC3 had some fantastic levels, but the best enemies were in DKC2

The original was great, but DKC2 perfected the formula. DKC3 is a great game, but not as good as the other 2, imo.

Dkc2 had those annoying e vil toll booths and no large kong, reason I hate it compared to the other two. Doc3 took the good of both and added some really desirable changes and necessities.

I recently played through DKC3 again, and I'm giving it the edge over the original now. It still isn't as good as DKC2, imo, but it did enough to take over DKC1. The level design in some of the later stages of the game are just incredible. Lots of "change of pace" and pushing "series standard" boundaries type levels. Great Stuff.

Yeah, three is an amazing game. I beat it the other year 103% and loved every minute of it. Overall it isn't as challenging as 2 but getting some of the bonus coins (Swoopy Salvo especially) is down right brutal.

I bought all 3 DKC's as they were released back then. The 1st one is my favorite, i pretty much hated the 2nd one and the 3rd one redeemed itself. I still dont really like dkc2 or 3 though because of the lack of playing as donkey kong.

Things like the snow storm in front of Mt Rainier, the Ewok Villiages....the first game is just way better.

First one still takes it for me, part of that being nostalgia, and part of that being that I prefer the team of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong over the others.

I think 3 is a fantastic game, but I'd put that even behind Donkey Kong Country Returns.

First one for me too I still remember going to my japanese neighbour's house every day after school to play it on his superfamicom

3 is a great game, but the overall presentation of 2 is better in my opinion. As some others already mentioned, I feel that they toned down the difficulty a bit too much, the only challenging level I remember was the damn rocket level in the lost world.

I find the 3rd game to have the most unique and creative level design. Purely from a gameplay perspective, I think it's really great. However, I really enjoy the music and atmosphere of the first game even if some of the level designs are a bit repetitive.

Three was my absolute favorite, but that's because it was the only game of the three that I could actually beat. I was terrible at those games

I think DKC3 is actually the longest of the trilogy. 1 is definitely the shortest, it's beatable with 101% in about an hour and a half.

My favorite is 2, but 3 is almost as good IMO. 1 is an awesome classic but doesn't really compare to 2 and 3.

Also, not sure what you mean, but if you're referring to bonus/DK coins, they're not even required to beat the game. In fact, they encourage completion. You were rewarded with nothing other than a slightly altered message from Cranky for completing DKC1.

I actually just played this game all the way through 6 months ago. I had a blast playing it all over again. I forgot a few things along the way, but was able to go back and 103% the game. The poisonous pipeline was probably the hardest level in the game, but overall the game was much easier than the first 2.

DKC2 music rocks the rest of the trilogy though.

Man, I love this trilogy...

I love the 1st game

I prefer 2 then 3 then 1.


The barrels are too obscure in 1 so getting 101% is a chore.

I liked the adventure aspect of 2 and the secret world. The Tolls were only for secret stages and its only part of 102%ing the game so I dont see an issue with it.


3 I liked the overworld and stuff, but i just didnt like the character combos as much and the minigames werent as fun. the dk coins was a fun concept but the game was just far too easy overall

I owned DKC1 as a kid and rented DKC2 and DKC3. I didn't like the second as much because it was a lot harder, but I loved being able to fly with Dixie. I loved DKC3 because it was easier, and (admittedly) a lot more kid friendly with its brighter colours and cartoony enemies. However, playing them later in my teen years, I've grown a much stronger appreciation for DKC2.

DKC1 has awesome level design in terms of atmosphere, and I'd have to rank it slightly above DKC3 (though below DKC2) in that aspect. It probably has the most variety visually, but gameplay-wise it doesn't hold up to the other two in my opinion. I love looking for secrets, but in the original, it just felt like hopping down random holes.

DCK2 brought a whole lot of concepts that were missing from DKC1, like a lava world, a Gang Plank Galleon world, being able to climb, the concept of bonus games and not just bonus rooms. The difficulty was brought up and the collectables were introduced magnificently imo. There was enough to keep me coming back, and even without the hidden coins and such, the levels were fun enough to play on their own. I still play the game through once in a while.

DCK3 is a close second for me now. While it certainly has a lot more variety in terms of gameplay, sometimes it actually felt like a fault to me. When I wanted to play a really fun, challenging level at a certain point in the game, I'd get a Rocket Ride, or something where the controls were inverted. It's something that's easiest to appreciate in a first-time playthrough when it's unique. After you've completed the game and mastered all the game's tricks, it's not a pleasant surprise but more of a let down in a way. The game is still great, and I agree with almost everything else that's been said about it, so don't get me wrong- It's not often that my only complaint about the game is that there's a lot of variety! If you want a straight platformer with great level design and lots of secrets, I'd recommend DKC2. If you want an innovative 2D platformer that mixes up gameplay styles, I'd recommend DKC3. If you want to play the DKC series, I'd recommend playing DKC1, because I find it hard to go back after playing its sequels.

"- Pirates theme > Summer Camp theme w/ weird out of place Bears everywhere
- DKC3 is the easiest game in the trilogy and DKC2 is the hardest, imo. Hard > Easy any day for me." -KingYoshi

I disagree with both of these, saying the bears are out of place is like saying something that happens in a sci-fi movie wasn't realistic... And I don't think its the easiest, it took me a very long time to find and manage to get all the bonuses without looking them up, and when I went from dkc 3 to dkc 2 I was at the same level of play in fact I would say it was easier in dkc2 but probably because I mastered the control of dixie.

Of course we are all allowed our opinions and I agree the mini game in dkc3 seemed thrown in with little effort. And after you buy the mirror with the bear coins you never need them again... So the bear coins were rather stupid also.

I will agree that 3 has the best world map. They did a good job of giving the player more options as far as choices and mobility... However, this guy <------ says DKC 1 still rules all

Its just an opinion, just cause the majority doesnt see it as their favorite doesn't mean you have to justify it as your choice in the series. What matters is that its fun to you, you dont have to prove that to anyone else.

I know I am bumping an old topic but I want to join in on the conversation, now that I've played parts 2 and 3. I am currently going through 3, and I was enjoying it quite a bit until... Lightning Look-Out. Oh my gosh. I have never PERSONALLY encountered a more infuriating level in the DKC trilogy than this one. DKC 1 and 2 I beat, but LLO has sapped all my joy, and I am going to take a break from DKC3. I swear, I tried that level 30 times, and I can never make it to the end. Any tips? The lightning seems unpredictable. It's just not fair. I've looked up guides and youtube videos. None of it seems to help. I always die somehow before I get to around 3/4 the level. It is giving me a serious WTF headache. Also, I have to say I find DKC3 much more difficult than what many people claim. I read so many opinions that state DKC3 is the easiest of the 3, so perhaps I came into it expecting too much of a cakewalk when it really isn't IMO. I like DKC3... until Lightning Look-Out. Damn that level.

As for the series, my preference goes DKC > DKC2 >>> DKC3

One thing for sure about Kiddy Kong...he had the best "lost a life" sequence ever! You know, where he throws a tantrum?

My favorite is the 2nd one. Best music, best stage design, best challenge, best characters (yes I like Dixie). All around classic game. 1 is also classic, but I prefer 2 due to the better music and stages. They are both my favorite retro games of all time. I like Donkey but prefer Dixie, flying around with her is fun and I liked being able to skip over certain areas or reach that hidden barrel. 3 IMO fell short in the music, challenge and stage design categories. Kiddy Kong was just useless and annoying. I will admit I like the map screen better and the stages were still well done, just not as good as 2. The first 2 games are as close as you can get to a perfect platformer. I never get tired of playing them, I go through them at least once a year and always have a blast playing. The music in 1 & 2 is just amazing. For a while I had a hard time deciding if I liked the first or second one better. Another thing I will say about the 3rd is that I like how they did the DK coins. If there is one bad thing I can say about 2 is that having to pay the kremcoins each time to enter the lost world kind of sucked.

As much as I like playing through all three (and it never gets old), I'd agree that DKC2 is my favorite of the series. It took everything that made the first game great and just added new elements to it. Hmm. Now I think I'll be playing through them today.

If I remember correctly a flash of lightning will appear above your character for a brief second or two before it strikes the ground. Use zingers as shields and only jump in the water after the lightning strikes the ground.

I have always loved these games. I bought the first two as a kid, and played them relentlessly, though never finished them as they got a little too hard for me (around 1/2way through the first, and I think the bee race in the bramble level in 2), and only ever played 3 at a Nintendo event back in the day, but I picked it up from here and hope to enjoy it soon (Thanks alexkidd!...I think ). I'd say 2 is my favorite, gameplay aside, just for the music & pirate theme. I do wish Kiddy Kong had been replaced by Funky...I think Funky would have been a blast to play. He's like the Michaelangelo of the Kongs.

-R