donkey kong country 2 has some of the best aerial control of any platformer of the era, and it's weird that such a seemingly minute piece of the game would be its defining feature for me, but more than anything else this time around i appreciated that about it. a firm improvement over its predecessor with more intent behind the level design and articulated platforming concepts, diddy's kong quest is the one of its trilogy i'd full agree on the "classic" status it's garnered. i'm admittedly not as hot on the original as some are and 3's... definitely not for me, but 2 strikes a perfect balance with its comfortable difficulty and general flow.

the visual design is a lot more realized and dynamic, and an even more incredible soundtrack provides a deeply relaxing and memorable experience throughout the adventure. the game loses me sometimes with some of its lesser gimmick levels and some of the really vertically-inclined levels that feel like trial and error as opposed to genuine fresh test of the skills, but make no mistake; donkey kong country 2 is a FINE title with a lot to offer. though you hardly needed me to tell you that.