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SNES Classics: Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo is the quintessential DK game for me personally and far surpasses any of its predecessors. It is just as fun to pick up and play today as it was in 1994. It is not just nostalgia talking either. This game does not monkey around.

Its controls are nearly flawless, the level design is quirky and full of flavor, the graphics are amazing for the time, and it even has an infectious soundtrack that really gets you in the mood. Even when the difficulty level ramps up it never becomes too frustrating that you want to shut off the game and throw the cartridge out the window.

It was a highly successful and critically acclaimed game for its time and has still to this day lived up to its classic status as one of the greatest games on the SNES. And it will always be one of my personal favorite games. It is that good.

But not everything about the game is great though. The advertising for this was pretty awful and has not aged well at all. Especially the making of featurette which served as the first sneak peek of the game to potential consumers. It is cringe-inducing and if anything turns you off from playing the game rather than get you into a frenzy counting down the hours until the release date. It is an interesting time capsule though and a prime example of how not to advertise or promote a video game.


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