i feel no hesitation in saying that donkey kong country is my favorite game from the golden age of platformers; hell, my favorite platformer ever. every word of impossible nostalgia-drunk exaltation spilled from the mouths of nintendotubers over the snes drivel they grew up with is fulfilled in dkc's pre-rendered 3d glory. fuck mario. this is what they told me smw would be like. even the water levels are good. if this game didn't play like a dream- constantly challenging you, though never unclear of its expectations or punishing with its lives- it would still have more style than pretty much any game in its genre released then or now. such technical wizardry was performed here that the game's assets and soundtrack look and sound somehow worse uncompressed. every level is a real place and i want to be there. aquatic ambience is cited incessantly in "greatest ost" lists for good reason. rare's nintendoid output would only improve (see: the sequel to this game), but this will always be their greatest achievement in my eyes. it was here first. it came and it conquered. shine on, you crazy kong.