Does Donkey Kong Country 3 get more hate than it deserves?

[RedLink]

So I grew up playing the first two DKC games (my dad never got the 3rd for whatever reason) and whenever I read an article ranking the DKC games, it always puts DKC3 last.

Recently, I played through DKC3 and here are my thoughts on the pros/cons:

• Pros:
  • Best overworld map in the series
  • Most side content in the series through DK coins, bonus coins, bear coins, and banana birds
  • Only game in the series to fully realize it's theme (Nature vs Development). Note I haven't played Tropical Freeze so I can't comment on that, but all the other games either didn't have a theme or never fully explored it throughout the levels.
  • Great level design.
• Cons:
  • Kiddie Kong. He's a ridiculous concept as a character and that whining he makes when you die I outdid Baby Mario in Yoshi's Island.
  • Poorly rehashed story concept from DKC2.
  • Worst atmosphere in the series. Felt very childish and lighthearted.
  • Worst bosses in the series. Not to mention the most grotesque.
  • Ellie. Don't get me wrong, she had some cool abilities like being able to shoot water, but I felt she was a poor replacement for Rambi.
  • Worst music in the series.

So, taking all these into account, I do agree that it's the least fun to play out of the series, but it's still a great game. What's everyone else's thoughts?

 

[Djinn]

I think it was more of a buildup than an immediate "Hey this game sucks" mentality. For some reason Rare decided to alter the cast and remove powerrups with each and every sequel. By the time Donkey and Diddy were both gone it just did not really attract as much.

Then navigating the map was very different. It just looked like Rare went overboard with making change after change and ended up fixing things that were never broken. There is something about keeping things interesting and different per game but when too much is altered then it stops having that gameplay that attracted players the first time.

 

[RedLink]

I think it was more of a buildup than an immediate "Hey this game sucks" mentality. For some reason Rare decided to alter the cast and remove powerrups with each and every sequel. By the time Donkey and Diddy were both gone it just did not really attract as much.

Yeah, I don't understand why they changed the cast. They should've brought back DK for the 3rd one. I love Dixie, don't get me wrong, but if they were determined to lead with her than they should've chosen a much better partner than Kiddie.

I'm confused though as to which power-ups your'e referring to? The only one I can think of is the invincibility barrel, which was only in a few levels.

Then navigating the map was very different. It just looked like Rare went overboard with making change after change and ended up fixing things that were never broken. There is something about keeping things interesting and different per game but when too much is altered then it stops having that gameplay that attracted players the first time.

I actually liked the exploration element they added to the overworld. Though far from in-depth, it was a nice change of pace and added a little more freedom as to which worlds you could explore rather than a straight, linear fashion.

Really, I think what did it for fans was the big shift in mood from DKC2 to DKC3. DKC2 was very forboding and dark- you had DK kidnapped and had to find him. I mean really, just listen to the main theme music. David Wise did an epic job of really setting up the tone of the game:

 

[Salem]

Wasn't there a lot collectible items needed to progress through the game? I remember something like the banana bird or something.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

Kiddy Kong's one of many reasons why I don't like DKC3 all that much (seriously, baby characters always annoyed me due to being useless and crying constantly (but they're babies, duh!), so that particular character got me into not liking the game compared to the others). For Ellie, never cared about her. She's about as forgettable as Kiddy & not as good as Rambi, imo.

For the entire game itself, it's okay, but not great. I do agree that the soundtrack wasn't all that good compared to the previous games, but it did have some okay tracks to it. The ones I mainly listen to are the tracks that have that ambient feel to them (don't know why).

DKC2 beats DKC3, though.

 

[the8thark]

I do think DKC 3 is the worst of the 3 games. It's not bad though. DKC2 and DKC do have the dichotomy of natural levels to not natural levels also.
The best feature of DKC3 in my opinion is the cool ideas they had in some levels

• The Ellie race level. Sure there's a race level in DKC2 as squawk. But the Ellie one is nice too.
• First person shooter for a boss. A snowball fight.
• A gold coin bonus level where you get to shoot the enemies with a targeting crosshair on the screen
• The slow mo stage where you run and fall very slow
• The left and right is reversed stage. Ie when you press left you go right and vice versa
• Lightning Lookout - Hard as nails stage but it's sure unique
• Rocket Rush - pretty unique, also pretty hard.
• Koin was great idea. Made getting the DK coins a challenge

The Bosses in DKC3 were not too bad in my opinion. Not great though. At least they were better than the same boss just reskinned 10x over in DKC1. That game basically has 2 bosses, K Rool on the pirate ship and every other boss just reskinned you fight over and over. At least there was a lot of boss variety in DKC3.

What I didn't like about DKC3

• The graphic style used. Just too cartoony for my liking
• Kiddy
• Stages that have no place in a world. The first world has a snow stage, why? It's just out of place for that world.
• Pointless simon says games in the crystal caves that served no real purpose in the game.
• The music was pretty average. Only DKC2 in my opinion had any good music out of the 3 games. DKC2's music was amazing though.[/quote]

 

[RedLink]

Wasn't there a lot collectible items needed to progress through the game? I remember something like the banana bird or something.

The banana birds give you a unique cutscene at the end, but that's it and the DK Coins access Swanky's races. Bear coins are for a fetch quest that gets you the banana birds. The only collectable needed to progress in the game are the bonus coins for the lost world.

I do think DKC 3 is the worst of the 3 games. It's not bad though. DKC2 and DKC do have the dichotomy of natural levels to not natural levels also.
The best feature of DKC3 in my opinion is the cool ideas they had in some levels

• The Ellie race level. Sure there's a race level in DKC2 as squawk. But the Ellie one is nice too.
• First person shooter for a boss. A snowball fight.
• A gold coin bonus level where you get to shoot the enemies with a targeting crosshair on the screen
• The slow mo stage where you run and fall very slow
• The left and right is reversed stage. Ie when you press left you go right and vice versa
• Lightning Lookout - Hard as nails stage but it's sure unique
• Rocket Rush - pretty unique, also pretty hard.
• Koin was great idea. Made getting the DK coins a challenge

Yeah, I also liked the Ellie race level. Quick paced and engaging. Plus keeping the parallel bird alive added another layer of intensity.

It was actually more of a 3rd person shooter, but I agree that Bleak was the best boss in the game, though that's not saying much.

YES, the crosshair bonus was awesome!

I actually wasn't a big fan of the two sewer pipe levels, but I'm glad they were in the game to add a unique twist.

I didn't think Lightning Lookout was as hard as everyone says. Ironically, I actually had more trouble with that level where the Koin shieldmen try and push you off.

Koin was definitely a better idea than the simple "find the DK Coin" in DKC2.
The Bosses in DKC3 were not too bad in my opinion. Not great though. At least they were better than the same boss just reskinned 10x over in DKC1. That game basically has 2 bosses, K Rool on the pirate ship and every other boss just reskinned you fight over and over. At least there was a lot of boss variety in DKC3.

What I didn't like about DKC3

• The graphic style used. Just too cartoony for my liking
• Kiddy
• Stages that have no place in a world. The first world has a snow stage, why? It's just out of place for that world.
• Pointless simon says games in the crystal caves that served no real purpose in the game.
• The music was pretty average. Only DKC2 in my opinion had any good music out of the 3 games. DKC2's music was amazing though.

Yeah, the redesigns to the enemies were mostly bad. I did like the buzzsaw Zingers though.

 

[Iridescence]

I don't think DKC3 ever got hate. Moreso, it was ignored. The first 2 games were so superb. Not that the 3rd game was lacking. Moreso that it follows the formula, wasn't as impactful as the first two and after beating two DKC games, I didn't want to play a 3rd.

 

[RedLink]

I don't think DKC3 ever got hate. Moreso, it was ignored. The first 2 games were so superb. Not that the 3rd game was lacking. Moreso that it follows the formula, wasn't as impactful as the first two and after beating two DKC games, I didn't want to play a 3rd.

You ever get around to it?

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Surprisingly yes, its a beautiful and very fun game and true to the DKC franchise. In fact its my favorite of the dkc trilogy. I'll take Ellie over Rambi any day, she was easy to control and had more versatility then most of the animal buddies put together. The music is good, the graphics are great, it was lighthearted and fun, DKC never had great bosses, unless we're talking K. Rool

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Wasn't there a lot collectible items needed to progress through the game? I remember something like the banana bird or something.

Yup, but the gold bear coins could be gained with a trick

 

[RedLink]

Surprisingly yes, its a beautiful and very fun game and true to the DKC franchise. In fact its my favorite of the dkc trilogy. I'll take Ellie over Rambi any day, she was easy to control and had more versatility then most of the animal buddies put together. The music is good, the graphics are great, it was lighthearted and fun, DKC never had great bosses, unless we're talking K. Rool

Really? Ellie over Rambi? I liked Ellie's water gun ability, but aside from that she was a pretty big downgrade IMO- not being able to charge, being afraid of rats, and lacking a frontal attack (w/o a water source). I will admit the rat phobia did lead to the fun Stampede Sprint level, but that could've been achieved any other way regardless.

The music is good, but kind of forgettable, especially when compared to every other game. Graphics are definitely the best, though some of the character models were a bit fuzzy. I have no problem with light-heartedness, but the game kind of went OTT with it. I mean come on, you get thrown in a crib as your game over screen.

That's true about the boss fights, though I will argue that the Sword and Giant Zinger from DKC2 were solid. Even Klubba had some decent strategy in his fight. I did love the snowball fight with the Snowman in DKC3.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Really? Ellie over Rambi? I liked Ellie's water gun ability, but aside from that she was a pretty big downgrade IMO- not being able to charge, being afraid of rats, and lacking a frontal attack (w/o a water source). I will admit the rat phobia did lead to the fun Stampede Sprint level, but that could've been achieved any other way regardless.

The music is good, but kind of forgettable, especially when compared to every other game. Graphics are definitely the best, though some of the character models were a bit fuzzy. I have no problem with light-heartedness, but the game kind of went OTT with it. I mean come on, you get thrown in a crib as your game over screen.

That's true about the boss fights, though I will argue that the Sword and Giant Zinger from DKC2 were solid. Even Klubba had some decent strategy in his fight. I did love the snowball fight with the Snowman in DKC3.

I just think that bashing on Ellie because she's not Rambi is a weak argument, since each animal buddy brings their own unique skill to the table and she's not the first one to have levels designed around her. In fact there are plenty of animal buddies I prefer over Rambi. I don't like Rambi at all. I like Winky, Espresso, Enguarde, Ellie and Squitter.

She can use her water gun, she can draw barrels towards her, pick them up and carry them, she can still jump on foes and I personally find her easier to control then Rambi and he and Enguarde are the only ones that can charge enemies anyways. As I said, she's more versatile then most of the animal buddies, with the exception of Squitter. Murky Mill and Stampede Sprint are some of my all time favorite levels.

Klubba is fun, Kleaver is a neat concept but is waay too easy, I personally found King Zinger annoying to deal with because Squawks controls kinda clunky and the Lurchin boss fight is just awful, DKC makes easy or frustratingly difficult boss fights, they don't do a lot of challenging but fun ones.

There are quite a few unique levels in this game, Murky Mill, Doorstop Dash, the horrible Lightning Look-Out, Crack-Shot Kroc, Low-G Labyrinth, Kriss Kross Cliffs and on. I think this game is charming and plenty of people liked it back then.

The whole SNES Trilogy is excellent and I don't hate Kiddy, but he brings the heavy balance back that DKC did, its as finely crafted as the other two and I hardly find tracks like Rockface Rumble, Nuts n Bolts or Frosty Frolics unmemorable. Still to each their own in the music department.

 

[RedLink]

I just think that bashing on Ellie because she's not Rambi is a weak argument, since each animal buddy brings their own unique skill to the table and she's not the first one to have levels designed around her.

I agree it's a weak argument, but I guess she just lacked that raw power Rambi brought. Plus you have to understand that Rambi, Enguarde, and Squawks were the only animal buddies not changed up from DKC1 to DKC2, so it felt a little disjaring to replace him.

In fact there are plenty of animal buddies I prefer over Rambi. I don't like Rambi at all. I like Winky, Espresso, Enguarde, Ellie and Squitter.

Aww, that's a little sad to hear, but to each their own. Rambi was the first animal buddy and he'll always be my favorite. Winky was awesome, but Rattly was definitely more versatile so her replacement wasn't a downgrade. Espresso was just awful- aside from his bonus levels he was hard to control and completely useless against every enemy but klaptraps. Enguarde and Squitter were great.

Klubba is fun, Kleaver is a neat concept but is waay too easy, I personally found King Zinger annoying to deal with because Squawks controls kinda clunky and the Lurchin boss fight is just awful, DKC makes easy or frustratingly difficult boss fights, they don't do a lot of challenging but fun ones.

To be fair, all the boss fights in the DKC games were easy (though you could make a case for Kaptain K. Rool) and I don't correlate easiness with fun. For example, Demise in Skyward Sword and Deathstroke in Arkham Origins were both easy, but really fun to fight.

So that's how I essentially feel about Klubba and Kleaver. King Zinger and Lurchin both had some strategy to them, so I enjoyed them.

There are quite a few unique levels in this game, Murky Mill, Doorstop Dash, the horrible Lightning Look-Out, Crack-Shot Kroc, Low-G Labyrinth, Kriss Kross Cliffs and on. I think this game is charming and plenty of people liked it back then.

I personally thought Murky Mill was lackluster in design. Doorstop Dash was alright. I actually loved Lighting Look-Out and think it gets too much hate- it was one of the best levels in the game.

Crack-Shot Kroc was cool, but the level itself was pretty easy and the concept was taken from the first Shredder fight in Turtle In Time. Low-G Labyrinth and Poisoned Pipeline were both great in concept, but the level design itself was pretty safe.

The whole SNES Trilogy is excellent and I don't hate Kiddy, but he brings the heavy balance back that DKC did

No one hates his position in terms of character dynamics, but the character himself. He dresses in oversized pyjamas and emits that horrible scream when you hit an enemy that was even more annoying than Baby Mario's in Yoshi's Island.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

No argument from me about Kiddy's tantrum. :p