In terms of 2D platformer series, DKC reigns supreme for me, and among this series, DKC2 is easily the series' peak. It kept everything great about DKC1 and improved on all its shortcomings. Unique and challenging bonus levels as opposed to the uniform ones we got in DKC1. Speaking of challenge, DKC2 is much more challenging than DKC1 and that's not strictly accounting for the Lost World. They also did a great job of incorporating more of the animal buddies and their unique mechanics into more levels; felt like only Enguarde was a required mechanic to master in the 1st game.

Awesome game through and through. I wish I had experienced it as a kid, but glad I eventually got around to playing it now.

The Virgin Diddy's Kong Quest
-no one remembers that name
-stupid play on words

The Chad Diddy Kong's Quest
-everyone remembers that name
-straight to the point, no wordplay

Oh and the game's great too. Not as good as the first but I'm in the minority on that.

The devs took the criticism of DK being infinitely worse than Diddy in the first game and just replaced him with a better more agile Kong in Dixie and god damn do these characters just control like a dream. The game is lightning quick and unapologetically difficult but stays fair all the way through. It even manages to make getting 100% one of the most fair, fun and challenging experiences in any game I've played (even the also outstanding Tropical Freeze misses the mark on that front).

You probably saw this coming but it can't be overstated how beautiful the soundtrack is. It manages to be funky and catchy while retaining the breath taking ambience of the first game.

If you haven't already, do your self a favour and play this game. Even if you don't quite get the games legendary status on your first go around you're sure to realise on subsequent playthroughs.

I can comfortably call this one of my favourite games of all time.

Este es la Crème de la crème de la trilogía, y si debo de criticar algo de este juego, sin duda será algo nitpicking (como la forma de moverse en el mapa, o un poco de pretención con el jefe secreto, pues parecía que iba a ser una batalla más larga). Artísticamente es más cohesivo, y te abren un mundo de posibilidades en los niveles. La dinámica del duo es más virtuosa y no necesariamente tienes que depender de un personaje; Diddy es más rápido, pero con Dixie planeas; con cualquier personaje puedes terminar el nivel, aunque con sus respecta variaciones que te incita al replay. Cada nivel se siente único, y más cuando le dan verdadera importancia a los coleccionables, recompensandote para el mundo perdido, donde podrás jugar niveles únicos; con gimmicks y dificultades exóticas, sin contar que aquí encontraremos el verdadero final de la obra. La interacción con los animales es más amplia, pues ahora nos podemos convertir en estos personajes, por lo que el diseño de niveles abre un abanico de retos capas de complejidad. Los jefes son competentes, cumplen perfectamente el rol de ponerte a prueba, sin sentirse sosos o estúpidos.
Realmente es un título que VERDADERAMENTE recomiendo, incluso si no estás interesado en la franquicia de Donkey Kong.

This game isn't hard, it's challenging. It strikes the right balance of being a fair challenge which many platformers fail to do. If we are going to compare this one to the original then first I have to say that I find Diddy and Dixie way more fun to control. It's fun to experience these challenging platform sections when playing this two characters. However I feel it's missing the magic of the original. Donkey Kong Country 2 is a great game and a great challenge for those who are looking for something to really test their skills, but I think as the years go by i'll be more likely to pick up the original more.

I gave up on Donkey Kong Country somewhere around the ice levels, though I'd been tempted to all the way back at the first minecart hellscape. Catching the player by surprise with a precise jump or off-screen enemy they have no time to prepare for is old-school sadism, aimed at people who'd rather memorise a layout than question its design. I've got no patience for it.

This, on the other hand, is a gem. It makes the small but significant change in its design philosophy that the player should be prepared for the challenges they have to face. So each level tells you how to play it at the start, then slowly ramps up the difficulty so you have only yourself to blame for mistakes. On a macro level, the difficulty increases steadily as well - the game builds on its own architecture while constantly throwing in new surprises. And thank God for Trixie Kong. Her flutter is a game changer, especially with the emphasis on vertical levels. Though it should be said that the two partners feel balanced this time, instead of cumbersome Donkey Kong dragging down his own game.

I still have a few issues with the shaded graphics, which sometimes make confusing e.g. what is and isn't a ledge. But in every way - not just gameplay-wise but musically, stylistically - it's a terrific improvement.