CGR Undertow - DONKEY KONG COUNTRY for Super Nintendo Video Game Review

[GnashingFact]

i miss playing this game when i was a kid when me and my big sister lived at my grandmothers house we would wake up easrly in the morning and we would play donkey kong country on nintendo all day i was around 4-5 im 17 now at the time i still remember this game and those moments like it was yesterday

but of course i was always the little monkey =[

[samuskillsjj]

Lol; Donkey Kong doesn't need shi*t.

[VintageGamerInc]

Nintendo was falling behind in '94? I remember it very differently. The SNES got Street Fighter II at least 6 months ahead of the Genesis in '93... that was a game the changer, and Donkey Kong Country cemented it. Sega was playing catch-up with Vectorman a year later in '95.

[keenart]

this game is the jam

[Eride2020]

best game ever made.

[Ricoh6502]

I remember getting this in 1994 and playing this for hours on end. My 5 year old brain could not fathom the awesomeness the visuals and the gameplay that could be possible on my SNES.

[UnivingIshiro]

Donkey Kong is better that Super Mario World...I said it.Now where's my giant bannana with a logo on it?

[MrSuperj1one]

wow memories

[Bubbymouse]

I am actually playing this right now, I just wanted to look this up and see if anyone remembered this AWESOME game! I'm at the AWESOME cart level right now. I just like to see that someone else thinks this game is the BEST THING EVER!!!

[GamerNinjaX]

@Bubbymouse and now we have...call of duty...

[0x28]

All I have to say is.. this is one of the games that programmers, artists and design teams put a lot of effort into. A true beauty. Unlike CoD and other shitty games these days..

[GamerNinjaX]

@0x28 I love how people say "if your 18 or older you must play call of duty because its MANLY and games like mario are kids games" all I got to say to that is bullshit, Call of Duty is mindless, it has no soul or gusto or even fun to it at all. Games like Donkey Kong Country has character, it has fun levels that always evolve into something, Donkey Kong Country (aka my favorite game of all time) has something for everyone, and is absolutely a timeless masterpeice, and I just played it last year

[0x28]

@GamerNinjaX The Donkey kong tune often plays in my head. :P CoD is just.. marekting. That's all it is.

[0x28]

His voice is too aggressive lol.

[MrROTD]

This game was the best looking game I ever seen at the time and it's really fun so no wonder it was a huge hit

[ROKINROD23]

i use 2 play donkey kong country now i go bannas all over the damn country

i started playin this game on my phone love it classic game

[WolvesAsParents]

i miss you RARE!

[pakiboy123456]

Omg I used to love this! Brings back good memories.

[YabusameLuna]

I miss David Wise.:(

[123mhangleslam]

The best Snes game of all time I have donkey kong country I & 2 on my wii virtual console and donkey kong country returns :-)

[Gibson299]

And this is the only CGR Undertow review from Dereck I like lol

[TheMarioo0]

i think super nintendo has better graphics than the N64 - THATS RIGHT I SAID IT!!

[spiderman97828]

I watched this... than I started to tear up.. this in my opinion is the best snes platfomer of all time.

[GamerNinjaX]

@spiderman97828 this is my favorite game of all time, and you even have spiderman in your name, which is undisputedly my favorite icon from my childhood and even now, YOU SIR have good taste XD

[therangersrule68]

very overrated game. I tried playing it the other day after a couple years and it bored me to death. Just about any other nintendo platformer is better

[GamerNinjaX]

@therangersrule68 *urges* but it is your opinion not mine so. I think it is perfect, it is a brilliant platformer that I can say is my favorite game of all time easily.

[fpvshitsonhsv]

@therangersrule68 Was and still is the best platformer of all time

[therangersrule68]

@fpvshitsonhsv That's your opinion, good sir, and I respect it

[StarFoxAutobot]

This is THE game that introduced me to Donkey Kong in general. 8D

[jeisensei]

I actually got one of those VHS cassettes

[TheAndrewscape]

I played this game when i was 4 and it still better then mw3!

[killa2514]

Thank God Rare didn't take DK to Microsoft it would've killed the legacy.

[supermariosunshine64]

God this made me remember how awesome Rare was...I still miss those guys.

[seshy100inuyasha]

Epic fail in the description LOOL!

[EkajTheSwordsman]

Miyamoto was just jealous that this game is better than Mario World.

[GamerNinjaX]

mario has nothing on this game.....yes I said it



[mrboyface]

AAAAH the nostalgia

[DanielGClapp]

LOL Donkey Kong didn't need shit!

[n64pwn3r]

I remember playing this at my cousins house when i was 4. I love this game and have the gba version. I am 61% through so far. Best game ever on super nintendo other than link to the past.

[tolitbrush]

this takes me back i remember every level all i did threw my childhood

nintendo FTW!!

[GamerNinjaX]

Donkey Kong Country to me is to Derrick with Ocarina of Time

[GamerNinjaX]

my favorite game of all time.

[GamerNinjaX]

I WANT A NINTENDO LICENSED BANNANA

[GamerNinjaX]

did derrick just diss mario. THATS AWESOME.

[SickAudi]

my childhood:)

[goooooooism]

I FUCKING HATE POISON POND!!!

Good Review,Derek...

[xxcrysad3000xx]

I think I remember Miyamoto making a statement about this game and it's gameplay calling it "shallow", or something to that effect, or :all flash and no substance". Methinks he had just a tiny smidge of jealousy, that or he didn't actually play the game.

[secondaryscorpion]

@xxcrysad3000xx Miyamoto was a major producer of the game... you fucking retard...

[xxcrysad3000xx]

@secondaryscorpion He wasn't involved in the production or direction in any official capacity. The quote went: "Donkey Kong Country proves that players will put up with mediocre gameplay as long as the art is good," which he eventually walked back, explaining that at the time Nintendo was pressuring him to make Yoshi's Island's graphics look more like DKC.

[secondaryscorpion]

@xxcrysad3000xx Really? I'm sorry for calling you a retard, but I honestly thought he was a large member of the dev team in DKC. Maybe that was DKCR. Sorry for the mix-up and my jumping to conclusions.

[xxcrysad3000xx]

@secondaryscorpion It's all good, I just checked up a bit and found he did do some indirect consulting with Rare, mostly over the phone it said, about how the game was developing and such. So turns out he did have some role and I was partly wrong too.

[Zellonous]

@xxcrysad3000xx

Wow. I can't believe someone said "sorry, I was wrong" and the recipient said " it's all good, I am partly wrong too".

I didn't know people still did that on the internet.

[GamerNinjaX]

@secondaryscorpion objection!!! Retro Studios were the producers of Returns, Nintendo only asked them to bring it back.

[GamerNinjaX]

@secondaryscorpion I did not know that! I know in the credits it says "Creator of the Orignal Donkey Kong S. Miyamotto" but I never knew he produced it, I thought it was mostly rare.

[Solostudios1949]

4:45

[MrJeffreymetal91]

Is it me or does this dude sound like Dib from Invader Zim?

[chucknotchaz]

i hav quesh, yonkey dong, tank you

[starwarsROXmy]

this game was so much fun

[GamerTalz]

This is the game that got me into games, and the first I ever beat.

[MikeTgf9606]

Very nice presentation. DK-Country revitalized and set a new standard for the future of all gaming and gaming systems. One of the BEST games for SNES

[asumanator]

donkey kong kicks major ass



[JamesMorrow07]

There are three things that killed me constantly in this game: Wasps, barrels and mine carts!

[123retrogamer]

I love this game

[flyingfish64]

these graphics remind me of earthworm jim hd and the shit-tastic sonic blast for no reason

[DarthSchwartz]

still looks great today.

[Seantendo]

@TheSmackerlacker Hold down and push Y.

[TheSmackerlacker]

Woah, woah, WOAH! I've been playing this game for 15 years.... how the HELL did I not know that you can do the ground pound!? Tell me. How is it done?

[anyyoingorange]

5:56-6:15 looks like kayashkk from star wars

[DaFunk14]

This is such a great game

[WolvesAsParents]

first game i ever played

[trizzle316]

@WolvesAsParents same as me

[dkong1994]

@WolvesAsParents Really? It's a wonderful intro into to the world of video games isn't it?. I'm not joking when I say that I enjoy playing the DK Country games more than anything on the PS3. I love the SNES, It's my favorite system. You just can't compete with games like Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World. Another wonderful thing about the Super Nintendo is that the system still works like a charm since 91 My ps3 crapped out three times already.

[WolvesAsParents]

@dkong1994 oh i totally agree! there is nothing beats SNES (though GBC and N64 get close sometimes), honestly, this game, along with Link's Awakening, changed my life, and both have convinced of just how powerful video games can be

[thebrainstorm9803]

Does anyone know what happned to the Rareware company?. Are they still making games or were they discontinued?

[noog0909]

@thebrainstorm9803 They now work for Microsoft. They produced games like Perfect Dark Zero, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Kinect Sports, and they also helped make Kinect.

[thebrainstorm9803]

Donkey Kong Country is THE best game for the SNES! I still play it dispite the fact that I beat the game several times. I also still play the other DK games for the SNES.

I'm proud to say that I've finished all the DK Country games except for DK 64. That game isn't fun, it's a pain in the ass and gets too frustrating. and how in gods name are you supised to finish the first Donkey Kong with only one life that's insane!

[epicmini]

one of my favorite games of all time

[thebrainstorm9803]

@epicmini My FAVORITE game of all time!

[FatTomHenry8]

I think Rareware was so important for Nintendo like Polyphony Digital for Sony.

[MrAlekz]

I never played any of the Donkey Kong Country games until 2010 and I played all of them and found them to be some of the most enjoyable gaming experiences ever. And the soundtrack is amazing.

[SageTheAtheist]

WHAT A FANTASTIC REVIEW! bROUGHT WARM NOSTALGIC MMORIES TO MY HEART.

[KingDavid73]

this was one of the few games that made me wish I had a SNES along with my Genesis. This, Mega Man X (which I later got for PC), Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, and a few others, but I'll always be a Sega fan first.

[Solostudios1949]

4:45

[ElmntNinja]

Towards my opinion, Donkey Kong Country seris has better graphics than the ones we're having these days, even though I was born on 1996.

[ahsdjsdgfhjgdhhhhhhh]

@ElmntNinja

Also the Gameplay was much better in my opinion, even tough i was born in 1997 :)

[ElmntNinja]

@ahsdjsdgfhjgdhhhhhhh Indeed.

[Theoneclarence]

I grew up playing this game! Ahh brings back so many memories.

[Quartrez]

Hey I like Donkey Kong 3 ! OK, it doesn't have Mario and it's more like something like Galaxian than Donkey Kong, but eh, it's still a fun game.

[squishmario]

5:52 Donkey Kong's face is like, ZOMG BONUS!

[jasmin8ter2010]

4:37 LOL "DK didn't need $h*t" And nice use of the sound effect!

[vennom59]

need more donkey kong please i beg you rewiew donkey kong country 2 and 3 uppn on vc !

[pfeiferef2]

Please do reviews on dkc2 and dkc3

[SOUTHWESTENZ]

great review man

[IMAK3N0V1DS]

i think i just got high via nostalgia o.o

[IMAK3N0V1DS]

best platformer evar

[davisuke94]

Probably one of the best platform games of the history, if not the best.

[NintendoLinkGamer]

i should ask my cousin if i can have the boxs of his nes games

[noog0909]

@NintendoLinkGamer

This is SNES.

[NintendoLinkGamer]

@noog0909 i know it was a typo i wish i had an original nes but im fine with my snes

[tigras666]

It's the best super nintendo game !!! 

[Gibson299]

this game is still fucking awesome

Gameplway Wise VERY Fitting.

[NaJk93]

I remember when i was 3 years old, playing this game :) that would be 1996 and i loved it as a kid, and i still do ^_^

[5757Gamer]

i love this game but its second and third game sucks

[causeis3002]

I love DKC. Great review man. Peace.

[realkman666]

Hey, I actually had the VHS tape with the Killer Instinct preview. Good times.

[KyleZBGX270]

to anybody who saw a chegg.com commercial b4 the video started.. That, was, really, really, really,....really, really weird

[123deathbymonkeys]

@KyleZBGX270 yes i did for like freaking video i watched that stupid ad was there

[dgenerate707]

Dude if you reviewed this you so have to review Killer instinct

[friikkipiikki1]

better graphics than the wii

[powerth96]

@friikkipiikki1 you should start wearing glasses cuz i think it's something wrong with your eyes

[MrAdammassacre]

AWESOME! i remember playing it back in the day and just having my mind blown at how stunning it looked :D

[alpha493]

u cud say this game made ppl go "Ape Shit" XD

[mjrosedon]

This is My favaroite game of all time

[Anders2185]

Anyone remember that level where you had to collect the fuel to keep the platform going? God that was hard lol

[thejack5ons]

@Anders2185 lol im totally stuck on that level

[123doomdoom]

@Anders2185 it's easy

[Anders2185]

@123doomdoom yeah well back in 1995 when i was a little urchin it was lol

[GamerNinjaX]

@Anders2185 remember that level where you had to hit the barrel to say stop in order to keep those fast and deadly things asleep, gosh that was hard too!! this game is all around hard.

[spideymikey6]

im younger but this was my first and favorite game of all time and still iz i have it on Wii =3

[aerialdude]

ahhhh he missed a secret at 5:12

[crashbandicoot730]

you dont know anything about videogames

[kyguy95]

@crashbandicoot730 He seems to know alot to me

[Luigi84289]

Donkey Mario style was the best move the DK franchise ever made.

[therangersrule68]

I don't really understand this game. To me it's all style and no substance. The audio and visuals were good, but the gameplay was just boring and derivative. It never would have got anywhere near the hype/praise it did back in the day if not for the graphics.

[TheGameSquid]

@therangersrule68 I disagree. Sure, the graphics were a big draw, but the gameplay is still very, very fun to this day. It may not be as deep in terms of platforming as, say, the Super Mario series, but Derek is right when he says that DKC has a certain rhythm and fluidity to it that makes every level addictive, challenging and natural. You're always bouncing from one challenge to the next in a breakneck battle against death. It's a game that keeps me on the edge of my seat at all times.

[Luigi84289]

The graphics in this game are still unmatched. This game was why I didn't get an n64. Mario 64 and DK 64 don't have anything on this with how fake those games look with the geometric polygon 3d choice.

[17R3W]

@Luigi84289

Agreed. I think they should re-do this game (with the same models) but in HD.

DKC still looks amazing imho

[Rationalific]

Best SNES game ever!...followed by Super Mario World, in my opinion. I owned a Genesis, but it was really these two games that really made me want to buy an SNES, too!

[awesomemememe]

is this kid trying to be funny? i'm confused about the whole CGRUndertow vs the actual cgr with mark. is cgrundertow just a bunch of 14 year old nerds?

[WeShallC]

brings me back thanks

[Trevguy00]

Derek... I think you've officially launched yourself close to Marks level.. Very nice review.. And stay Metal! =D

[smashbrosfan25]

Man was this game ever hard thank God for the 50 live code

[DeltaPhi79]

2.5D! :D

[Ryoga2K]

I agree that this is perhaps not only one of the most memorable games that bears the "donkey kong" name, but it's also really influential for the SNES itself, if you had a SNES already it made you proud of having it and making a great decision when you chose it, on the other side it showed that the console still had a lot to give and made a lot of people buy it as a second console, that's why the SNES ultimately surpassed the Genesis in sales in the US even if the first had a massive following.

[Luigi84289]

@Ryoga2K That and the whole Mortal Kombat BS fiasco didn't help. Most people don't realize that for as big a stink as nintendo put up for that games console debut, 2 and 3 were completely faithful ports. Blood, fatalities, everything was left completely intact. It was just an ass move by nintendo to try to weaken sega because they couldn't deal with real competition at the time.

[Lukaz1989]

i remember LOVING this game!

[TreavorClark]

u cant say its on like donkey kong anymore...nintendo trademarked it...bastards

[ledawg1138]

Great review, but you realize you now must reivew the two sequels. Or, three sequels now, but I know "DKC Returns" will be coming soon.

[TheCommentGuy8]

which ver is better, the GBA ver od the SNES ver

[MrAzazel666]

@TheCommentGuy8 SNES definitely.

[JURPO90]

@TheCommentGuy8 snes version

[17R3W]

@TheCommentGuy8

SNES for sure. The GBA version has some extra things, but the graphics simply don't hold up. The GBA is lower res then the SNES (at just 240 × 160).

If you want to take DKC on the go, emulate the SNES version.

[smashbrosfiend]

ITS ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

[anyyoingorange]

@smashbrosfiend

thats what she said

[IMAK3N0V1DS]

I'm so glad I was around in the late 90's!

[NWpowerhouse85]

@IMAK3N0V1DS This game came out in the mid 90's :P

[trillhouse992]

Thumbs up if you only watched only the first 20 sec for the music!

[Icestationzero]

loved this game back in the day

[liltaye850]

Cranky is the original Donkey Kong.

[pengywengyman]

Does anyone else think that Cranky Kong was the original Donkey Kong because he plays the original song like he enjoys his time period more than the one of a stylish Gorilla with a tie? And with that, he doesn't have a tie, like the 'new' DK.

[Drag0nfoxx]

@pengywengyman - They actually confirmed somewhere that he is the original DK. The current DK is DK Junior from Donkey Kong Jr. and Super Mario Kart.

[EldestSauce]

@pengywengyman uh everyone thinks that

[CountryAngel100]

This game was one of the components of my childhood.

[vestibual]

This game is the same age as me :D I love this game :DDDD

[Chaniyth]

Rare always pushed console hardware to it's limits, and DKC is no exception, great series for the Super NES. :D

[Minou427]

the mountain in the background at 5:26 is a real mountain and i didnt realize this back in 1994, but now that I hike the north cascades in washington state, i can say without a doubt that it is mt shuksan. its so awsome that RARE put this in the snow lvls of DK country.

[crammage]

best music on snes is f-zero

[Robertskull9]

@crammage i agree

[nukeking1]

Wrong. Mario is Nintendo's hairiest icon.

[peter30509]

@nukeking1 that sounds so wrong its not even funny

[Koolkitties]

I still like Donkey Kong Country's graphics. They animate well.

[Ironscimitar]

I wish i still had the VHS tape I got from Nintendo. FUCK.

[morfes]

Classic.

[ZeroDragon]

This game is a legend, music, gameplay and graphics are awesome and it has a good number of levels and variation.

Today we have better tecnology than before, but games these days dont leave an impact on your life like these games on the snes.

[JakkuShingler]

If you love this game I have to reccomend Tarzan for the PS1, surprisingly, its actually a great platformer, and watching this reminded me of the fun I had with it as a kid.

[hayotro]

This is one of my favourites game,