Donkey Kong Country 1 VS Donkey Kong Country 3: Planet of the Apes

The original Donkey Kong Country series holds a very special place in my heart. The Super Nintendo was the first game console I ever owned, and Donkey Kong Country was my first game. To put it simply, the game blew my mind. The stunning visuals, atmospheric soundtrack, tight platforming, insane difficulty, and expert level design came together to create something amazing. I spent all my free time playing DKC1, who needs friends right? My parents would often called me obsessed- they were right. Very right.

Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3 released in the next few years, and both were spectacular games. However, the reason I chose DKC3 for this comparison is because of the wealth of new mechanics and characters added. Although it kept the core game-play of the first two games intact, new features such as an explorable over-world, mini-games, and grabbing/throwing mechanics spiced things up. So what did I think of these additions? Well, although I did enjoy them, I thought they got in the way of the core game-play at times. Grabbing and throwing your partner character was cumbersome, and the over-world didn't really add much to the overall experience.

Where DKC3 has the original game beat was in sheer imagination. DKC1 is beautiful and vibrant, but the level locations are slightly generic. DKC3 took things up a notch- many notches actually. From waterfalls, to sewers, to mountaintops, to wooden cabins, to ship docks, no location was left unexplored. You can really tell that the genius developers at Rare worked hard to avoid limiting themselves to predicable, and expected, jungle settings. You never know what to expect from the next level, and this unprecedented visual diversity is reason enough to complete the game.

In conclusion, both games are fantastic. DKC1 is the very definition of simple, unadulterated platforming bliss. DKC3 has the same great platforming mechanics and superior art design, but is hampered by unnecessary mechanics and features. However, if I could only play one game for the rest of my life it would have to be DKC1 simply because it's so easy to jump into the game world and start playing. All you have to worry about are those nasty Kremlings! To be honest though, the real reason I'm choosing DKC1 as the winner is because it was my first game ever, how do you compete with that?! DKC1 is your Bit Brawl winner!