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« on: July 07, 2024, 07:38:28 pm »
32. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)
With the news of Donkey Kong Country Returns headed to the Switch, I decided it was time I tackle the one classic DKC game I've never beat before playing its two more modern sequels. To be clear, I've played DKC3 several times, however I've never played it for more than a couple of hours. I remember seeing this game advertised all over the place, so it's a mystery why I didn't get ultra hyped for it back in 1996. I must have been so into the N64 that it completely overshadowed one of my favorite game franchises as a kid, I'm not sure what else prevented me from beating it for almost 30-years lol.
But anyhow, DKC3's gameplay, sound, and presentation are almost as good as its predecessors. Keyword, almost. The variety and theming of enemies, levels and bosses is great, but not at the same level of DKC, and especially not as good as DKC2. The audio was also lacking noticeably, no doubt because David Wise was not involved in it. However, for what it's worth, DKC3 still has a beter OST than easily 95% of all the games of this generation regardless, which is saying something. From a gameplay perspective, everything works as it did in the previous two games, however the design of certain stages and bosses, combined with some rather gimmicky mechanics like sucking up water in the elephant's trunk and spraying it seemed superfluous and really didn't make the game anymore fun. In fact, I kind of just found these tacked on mecahnics more of an annoyance than anything. Despite this, I still really enjoyed playing DKC3 which overall had tight, well balanced controls and gameplay. The final thing I wanted to say about this game, and perhaps by biggest issue is this games lack of an identity compared to the previous two entries. Both DKC and DKC2 felt memorable and distinct with their own style and feel, whereas DKC3 seems like a thrown together greatest hits at times, that lacks a lot of the same memorable bosses, stages, and other settings that really solidified the first two DKC games as timeless masterpieces. DKC3 just seems like a sequel that was pushed out to sell a few more SNES consoles at the very tail end of its life, except everyone had moved on at that point. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed DKC3, however it's without a doubt my least favorite of the classic trilogy. (7/7/24) [37/50]