Platforming Week: Donkey Kong Country 2

Thanks to a long (but excellent) night filled with fun and fighting games, this will be a shortened (and cheapened) post. Still, I would like to try and keep up with a post a day, so I'll give it a shot.

Whereas Castlevania IV was a game I played several years after the SNES still had games coming out, Donkey Kong Country games were childhood favorites. I remember getting excited around the release dates of Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3 in particular. Donkey Kong Country 2, however, stands out in my mind easily as my favorite of the 3. The other 2 were good (though 3 was my least favorite... that stupid big baby...) but my heart lies with 2. I even remember being at my friend's birthday party when I was still in elementary school and his big present being Donkey Kong Country 2. I was so excited to see the game... But enough with the nostalgia. Let's talk about the game at hand.

Soundtrack
The original Donkey Kong Country definitely had some great music but DKC2 certainly lives up to if not surpasses its predecessor's soundtrack. Many of the tunes are memorable, but I have to admit, nostalgia does play a role in this regard. Nevertheless, tracks like "stickerbrush symphony" from the thorn/bramble levels are very catchy and will remain favorites of mine for years to come. One other thing I really like about the game's music (and this isn't as attributable to nostalgia) is the death music. Not so much the tune itself, but the fact that it changes. All of the levels have a death tune that fits the theme music of the level you're on. While this isn't a major plus, it certainly is noticeable and a nice touch. After all, while you'll still be hearing the death music a fair amount, it makes it less annoying to hear different themes for different levels.

Difficulty
None of the Donkey Kong Country games are known as being "the hardest games ever," or anything, but Donkey Kong Country 2, as I recall, was the toughest of the 3. It never feels too difficult, but I never felt it was too easy. It finds a decent balance, and thanks to battery back-up save points, you'll rarely be sent back more than a level or two after a game over. Not to mention, after you reach a save point in a world, assuming you have a few coins, you can go back to it after any level and save your game. This allows you to go through some of the toughest sections of the game without having to replay any levels... or, it would if it weren't for bonus rooms and DK coins, but I'll address that later.

Control
There isn't a lot to be said here other than that the game controls well. The cartwheel-to-jump in mid-air is a fun mechanic carried over from the first game that allows for long, tricky jumps. It also should be noted that Diddy and Dixie control slightly differently, allowing for more variety.

Overall Fun Factor
With varied play mechanics such as barrel blast timing, roller coasters, and hot-air balloons, the game avoids feeling stale or mundane. Different animal buddies with different abilities add variety and keep things fresh as well. Everything sounds pretty great, right? Well it is... but there's one thing I am not as big of a fan of. To really beat the game and see the game's true ending, you'll have to discover hidden bonus rooms and DK coins. This leads to some blind jumps and aimless wandering... things I don't like to see in platforming games. Luckily, as a kid, I avoided this problem by using a small pocket guide that shows the locations of the coins and bonus rooms. Some might call it cheating, but I enjoyed myself a lot more than if I would have repeated levels over and over again until I finally found all the secrets. The bonus challenges themselves are entertaining and varied, but I'm not as keen on their hidden nature. I can see why some people might like these hidden rooms, but to me, they are an early version of "fetch quests," which unfortunately would later come to dominate the platforming genre. That aside, there's a lot of great platforming to be enjoyed in DKC2 and it will always be remembered as one of my favorite games from my childhood.

Platforming Week: Super Castlevania IV

Most of you reading already know this, but Super Castlevania IV was actually not the first Castlevania game I played. Instead, I had a bit of an odd introduction to the series with the Nintendo 64 Castlevania. Calm down, take it easy... set that hate aside. I say that simply to illustrate what a drastic change I was in for playing Super Castlevania IV the first time and what a treat it was for me.

Soundtrack
The Castlevania series is known for having excellent soundtracks, and Castlevania IV doesn't disappoint. From subdued, eerie atmospheric tracks to Simon's exhilarating and powerful theme, the game has a wide variety of music. I'm not saying all of the music is memorable, but if it isn't getting you pumped, it's usually contributing to the atmosphere. Not to mention, towards the end of the game, some of the classic themes from previous Castlevania games return triumphantly to pump you up for the final battle. The soundtrack adds a lot to the experience and helps make a great game even better.

Difficulty
Castlevania IV is, with little doubt in my mind, the easiest game in the classic Castlevania series. This, however, does not mean that Castlevania IV is an easy game by any means. Super Castlevania IV poses enough of a challenge that it feels satisfying to beat, but not so much of a challenge that it results in feelings of extreme frustration and shouting at your television. This is a delicate balance that many platformers struggle with.

It should be noted that I have completed Castlevania IV several times, so it's difficult to remember how much harder the game was for me on my first attempt. I'm sure it took me many more continues than it does today, but thanks to its password system, I was always able to pick up not too far from where I left off. It has recently come to my attention that if you play through the game a second time without resetting or turning the game off, you will be able to play a harder version. I realize I'm not taking that into account when considering the difficulty, but to me, playing a game through to the end usually is considered "beating" it. It's not as though Dracula suddenly flies away and you don't kill him so you have to start all over to get back to him. It doesn't pull that crap.

Control
Perhaps the biggest reason Castlevania IV seems easier than its predecessors is its control. Castlevania I and III (and II, I suppose) feature that stiff jump mechanic, where if you line up a jump wrong, you're done. Castlevania IV allows you to change your jump in the air, which is a lot more forgiving. Not only that, but Simon can whip in 8 directions. That's 6 more directions than usual, and damn does that help. While rarely useful, Simon can even move while crouching. These play mechanics make for a lot fewer cheap deaths. There certainly still are some deaths you'll never see coming the first time, but not nearly as many as you'll encounter in Castlevania I and III.

Overall Fun Factor
Less frustratingly cheap deaths = more fun. A wide variety of levels, such as a rotating room and swinging chandeliers add to the fun as well. Add a neat Indiana Jones style whip-swinging mechanic and you've got icing on the cake. Simply put, this game is fun and I'm glad I played through it again today. I technically can't call it my first Castlevania, but some would say I could still call it my first "real" Castlevania. I prefer just to call it a damn fine example of a platformer.