Here's a tip for you: When you boot up an GB original game on a GBA or Gameboy Player (And maybe GBC), rotate your D-pad. It changes the colour! Now that only leaves you with 4 options. But if you hold one of the main 2 buttons you have 12 color options. The B button is the key to the White, Grey and Black color scheme. If you already knew this than this is for the comment dwellers.
I've had a Gameboy Advance and SP since they came out. I've been playing a ton of games on them for over a decade including plenty of original Gameboy ones. Not once have I ever heard of something like this and now it just really blows my mind.
I owned a game boy and Sega mega drive growing up so my first and only DK experience for years was the DK Land trilogy. Still love them. I never knew the flaws as they were. I just thought they were hard :D That cloud level though........
The GBC version of DKL3 was actually the only version of it Japan ever got. The original Game Boy version was never released in Japan, so why they waited 3 years and denied the rest of the world the GBC version is beyond me, but yeah, the GBC one is just the Japanese version
I personally loved the first DKL game, more than the sequels since it had unique level themes and music. The controls may not have been perfect, but it's still a unique experience. I personally had no issues with the camera. Also, I've beaten it on a 3DS without save states, though not fully completed it.
Same. I play it on the Game Boy, and I've 100%'d it multiple times. The only thing that kinda sucks about it is there's no real bonus for doing it other than a "congrats" screen and its intrinsic value lol
I also didn't know about that for ages, I completed DKC2 100% and never knew about it lol. There were some parts where there were pickups inside pits and I always thought you get them with the team-throw move or by just taking the hit...
DKL3 was pretty fun, although the very final boss is one of the worst designed boss battles I've played. But other than that, I agree that DKL3 is the best in the Land trilogy
The Side Quest Gamer I agree that DKL3 is the best of the trilogy, especially after playing DKL 1 + 2, not so much 2. It's simply a joy to play and , like Exo said, the Japanese GBC version is the definitive version.
I didn't mention the final boss because I didn't do a spoiler section, but yeah. I agree 100%. I actually rage quitted. It's worse than the Death Egg Robot, Andross Brain, and Super Mario 64 Final Bowser combined.
ExoParadigmGamer Hmm... I might have to see this boss. I never did, even after I did my DKL video. I was just done with the game. EDIT: Just saw the boss fight. OH FUCK NO!
Donkey Kong Land was the first game I ever owned. my mother bought a gameboy Pocket and this game as a present for entering school. I beat this game as a 7 or 8 year old. Nostalgia hit me hard just now. I love my mum and I love Donkey Kong. Good old 90's.
ATTENTION COMMENTERS: If you're curious about the GBC remake of DKC1, then your question is answered at 23:08. Please watch the whole video before commenting on this subject.
Teraunce Foaloke tbh it would be a reebreak easily. it's the worest version of dkc and something was lost in translation as it was dkc running on the land engine.
I can't say I had any issues myself with inputs being ignored for the first game. But I can't agree more in saying DON'T PLAY THIS ON A ORIGINAL GAME BOY! IT'S TERRIBLE!
That screamer actually helped me. I was getting sleepy watching the review (dont get me wrong,its amazing,i was just tired),and all of a sudden im no longer sleepy. XDDDD
Man, I remember playing DKL 1 on the ORIGINAL gameboy. You did bring up that the backgrounds blend, the worst part of it on the Oringinal (ie not GB Pocket) the refresh rate on the original screen was too slow to keep up as well. That said, you not only have blending, you have blurring so bad that you can't see ANYTHING.
Axlkaitoshin And then you have people like CBR Overtone telling you that "the games are perfect because they're DKC... ON THE GAME BOY! It's so technically impressive that their flaws are moot!" It makes me wonder if some other reviewers actually played the games before reviewing them.
ExoParadigmGamer CBR Overtone Logic: Praise the Donkey Kong Land games (or just 1 and 2), but had little good to say about the GBC version of Donkey Kong Country.
@@ExoParadigmGamer Hey Exo, are you familiar with Super Mario World hacks? Because even the creator of the best one (especially of the 2000s), FPI (aka FBI according to WBG) thinks Whiny Bitch Gamer doing more Rant-views like “Why The Second Reality Project Reloaded is the WURST GAME IN THE WURLD!!!” would be absolutely hilarious. Sure, I can understand why it’s only ran in the mid-2010s, but disregarding how poorly viewed it is, it really is hyperbolically hilarious like Angry German Kid!
6 years later finding this gem. Thank you! This is the kind of review I was looking for. I grew up with the Super Nintendo, then the GB and GBA but I've never noticed the difference between the "Country" and "Land". I just found the DKLand 2 to buy and am hesitating whether to buy it or not but this video is helping me a lot. Thanksssss yoooo
Your perspective on these games is interesting. I never really thought about the visibility in that way. I do agree DKL1 didn''t control the greatest. All in all, it was nice revisiting the series with you. Cheers!
Honestly, the graphics is the main reason it succeeded. And having it on a Gameboy is amazing, they fit so much on those tiny carts, and they had incredible music, and graphics for Gameboy standards, shame about how the controls got gimped.
Fun Fact: What Cranky Kong said about DKC 1 only being popular because of fancy graphics was what Shigeru Miamoto (apology for bad spelling) said about the game to Rareware, which then he made Yoshi's Island in response.
I managed to snag this trilogy complete (with box/manual) on Ebay. And played it on my backlit GBA-SP. They look really good by Gameboy standards. It's like...how did they make the original Gameboy do this?
Nice video. I played through these a year ago and I pretty much have the same opinions. * Yes, the first game does get ahead with the later levels being pretty different than DKC on the SNES. * DKL2 loses a surprising points for the levels being so damn close to the SNES original. Until they play the game people won't realize how damaging it is. * I thought the controls were more "squirrely" in DKL2 than DKL1... but it's really matter of preference. * Also thought DKLIII was the best... and the time trial mode really does add a lot to the game.
DKL was the first Donkey Kong game I've ever played when I was just 4 so I really liked it. But I remember it took me two years to finish it. When I did it I couldn't have been happier.
I know it has been a little while since you have posted this and many other RoR's, but since you have made these videos, they have become nostalgic to me as I have very fond memories involving them. Whenever I come back to them, I always think of the good times I had involvong them and the DK games and the different memories. And because of this, I want to say thank you very much for providing this wonderful content and the memories along with it :').
The Donkey Kong Land video games *_ABSOLUTELY_*_ _*_*NEED*_* to be remasted in 32-bit graphics (to be on-par with the Donkey Kong Country video games in terms of the graphical quality)!!! Plus, the camera, especially when it comes to "screen crunch", and control issues really, *_really,_*_ _*_*really*_* need to be resolved there for a much more enjoyable video game gameplay experience - especially in the _Donkey Kong Land_ and _Doneky Kong Land 2_ video games, where the camera and control issues can be quite bad there (as 'ExoParadigmGamer' has mentioned in this RUclips video)!
I played it on my gameboy color as a kid. I hated it but i loved it. All the problems you had were the same problems i had back then. Ive never played it since i gave it away as a kid. But i played the hell out of it when i had it.
EPG you made me remember just how hard DK Land 1 was. I played the hell out of this in first grade and managed to beat it. My memories were initially fond, but the review made me realize how much I had to play to painstakingly memorize each level.
My father gave me this game (Dk Land as a gift back in year 2000 when i was 5. I had no way to get past from the weird cloud level, as the controls got really weird and the first checkpoint is literally 15 minutes of play from the start. Re-visited the cartridge 5 years later, already in a GBA, and could beat it. If that's not enough, internal battery was faulty and sometimes the savefiles randomly died. I also had the original Super Mario Bros remake (Deluxe), but the reduced visibility in that game (Compared to NES original) was no match for dk land tunnel vission camera.
Your videos are very good, man. I found you by accident and I'm glad I did. I love your look at remakes and you had a lot of the same thoughts I did after playing Land 1 for the first time. I can't wait to see what you come out with next!
This was a great review, thanks for this! I always assumed these games were inferior gbc adaptions, never having played them. But now I am definitely going to pick them up and try them out!
DKL 2 was a godsend for me. My favorite game on the go?!?! YES PLEASE! Nowadays we are so spoiled with portable games that no one would even give a shit.
+Hijynx87 I kind of see that, but at the same time, DKL2's controls and level design really just aren't as good as DKC2's, technical limitations of the GB withstanding. If I want DKC2 on the go, I'll stick to the GBA version.
It's all in the manuals. The mid-90's were just before in-game storytelling became common, but DKC and DKL were a little behind the times in that regard.
Totally disagree about DKL 1. I know, the camera is bad, but the controls aren't, in my opinion. I beat the entire game on an original GBC in about two months.
I feel that a lot of new game-centered channels are, more or less, rehashes. But on the DKC topic, you brought something worthwhile to the table; if for nohing else than solidly backed up viewpoints on the entire rare-made series. I am new to your channel, but I thank you for that.
@6:50 this level was the only reason why I never could beat DKL1 as a kid. I just beat this game for the first time thanks to it being added to the Nintendo Switch Online service and when I got to this level I immediately remembered why I couldn’t get past it. It’s complete bullshit. Awesome videos, man. I miss you, I hope you’re coming back.
controls, controls, controls....I wish reviews stopped talking about controls if they can't elaborate on them. there have been so many times where I would play a game a critic said had terrible controls and not have any issue with them, the reverse is also true.
You know, when I was a kid, I grew up with DKC1 on SNES and this, but I didn't know that there were two other games in the Land series until about a year or two ago. Guess I should check out the other two now...
Him: don’t play it on the 3ds virtual console. Play it on the gameboy color, advance, player and super game boy. Me being 11 and not rich like that: :/ not everyone has money
@@edgary2388 I used to have dk country 1 on my 3ds but the many 3ds stopped reading sd cards and I lost everything on it the only thing I can play on it now are the ds games I have, luckily I got a switch not long after the 3ds messed up
I like your videos. The SNES trilogy is my favorite trilogy in gaming, and, I enjoy all three for different reasons. I have not played the GB games, cause honestly, the small screen size always put me off. It would be great if someone made some sort of mod (impossible, I know) that extends the 'camera' by two tiles, or 32 pixels in each direction.
You usually put the sound "Suprise MF!" every time screen crunch screws you over in game reviews. Why didn't you put the "Surpise MF!" in this game review? It really needed it.
And after Legend of Zelda: A link to the past is _______ >:) Lol good marathon though. Sadly however, Donkey Kong Land 1 was my first Donkey Kong game ever. Needless to say, it did turn me off to the series for a while. lol
I find it interesting that DKC 1 has an "E" rating whereas 2 and 3 have a "K-A" rating. If you don't know, the "K-A" ESRB rating was a short-lived precursor to the "E" rating, and was only a thing from 1995 to apparently early '96 if 3 had it.
I started playing DK Land on my 351V handheld (no save states, don't worry), and yup, I have to admit it's painful. I can only imagine how bad it was on an old school DMG gameboy with that blurry dark screen.
I definitely think the donkey kong country games are second only to the old mario games as far as platformers go. Sonic is super overrated imo. It really suffers from the zoomed in not enough room to see problem i think especially combined with the games speed. I don't get how people always point that out in other games and seem to give sonic a pass for it.
how is it unfair? It has almost perfect controls and its not overly difficult. There are very few cheap deaths that you need to memorize levels for either. Once you get good enough you can run through levels you've never played before pretty fast because the controls are so good.
In DKL2 on the file select, hold left or right and press BBAA and never worry about having sufficient banana coins for saving. Hold left or right and press AABB to get 50 lives. In DKL3, press down down up left right on the title screen to get 50 lives.
I don't care what people say no matter how terrible the game may be Donkey Kong Land 1 was and still is one of my favorite games on the gameboy. But yeah I gotta agree with your review on the basis that I would not recommend the game anyone who did not play it when it first came out and I do acknowledge the fact that the game is pretty bad but gosh darn is it alot of fun at least to me
Everyone I knew and met Loved Donkey Kong country 1 when it came out and for years afterwards. Perfection is an illusion, but back in the day, games were obviously simpler tha nthey are, yet they became so iconic and lasting.
I remember having the original GB version of DKL3 back when it first came out, and I remember loving it, but not being able to get past the third or fourth world for some reason. There was something about one of the levels that was just way too hard for me to get past. When I got the fan-translation for the GBC version and played it on VBA, I fell in love with it. Managed to 103% it, though I've got to admit, whenever I replay it, I just make it to the final boss and win lol. Edit - After 103%ing and 105% Donkey Kong Country 3, I can now confidently say I prefer GBC Donkey Kong Land 3 overall. I LOVE this game.
Thanks for mentioning my review of DKL. The input issue is probably one thing I never mentioned, because I thought that was on me. I'm surprised that is not the case. Also. that cloud level, can go fuck itself! I think that is as far as I made it before I gave up. I will say this about DKL2 and DKC2 as well. I am not a fan of the Bramble levels. I know they are fan favorites because of the song Stickerbrush Symphony, but that is all I see from it. DKL2's version of Bramble Blast is more annoying than the DKC2 version, due to the camera. It could also be that DKC2 is the one I played least, in the series. And fuck the DKL2 water levels... and lack of 1-up balloons. But most of all, FUCK THE CAMERA! There are levels where falling is pretty much an instant death because the Kongs fall faster than the camera can keep up with. I lost a few lives from that, usually on my last life. I saw that game over screen so many times. DKL3 is an absolute joy to play, though the camera makes me a bit more cautious when I play it. Only because of my, somewhat, poor eyesight, the snow levels were the biggest annoyance. Luckily, the Japanese-only GBC version fixes this issue. So play that one! Just not on the Virtual Console because it's in black and white. I'm disappointed that the Super GB and GB Player color palettes were not a feature with the 3DS VC for GB games. Great review Exo!
+thomas garrett (Pokemastertomm) I'd recommend the GBA version. It's got a more lenient save system and a status screen for bonus rooms and KONG Letters.
That level you talked about in Donkey Kong Land 1 and Stampede Sprint in Donkey Kong Country 3 had a baby, and its called Trip's Story in Sonic Superstars.
When I was a kid, Donkey Kong Land 2 was the version I played in the 90s mostly because my parents were too middle to low income to allow me to get a SNES at the time. Never had the NES either to be honest. They would say that Video Games cost too much money and they instead got me a GameBoy since during the mid 90s it was priced at a fair retail price for them compared to when it first released in 89 at a much more expensive price. And they often traveled allot around my home state on holidays, so it meant I would take my GameBoy and batteries to play it. Donkey Kong Land 2 was the first game I completed including getting to the special stages and the level Animal Antics from my memory was easier than the SNES version.
I've noticed :D But that specific Donkey Kong voice clip was hilarious due to the fact I've heard it more than 100+ times in- game and I would always joke about it xD
Thanks for letting us know about the third game in color being available in English online. Good to know. I liked these games, but only played them each once
My opinion; I enjoyed DKL1...It was a very difficult title (the cloudy levels are so painful!) But I felt very satisfied when I managed to reach the 100% percentage :) I liked DKL2 too because DkC2 is my favourite game in the series and playing a gb port of it was such a pleasure (I love game boy games)! I just completed DKL3 (gbc) some days ago and yes, I think it's the best of the land series...to be honest I even prefer this game rather than its Snes/GBA counterpart. Great video by the way!
I used to own Donkey Kong Land 1 when I was little and I have to say that while I remember the game being very fun I also remember the graphics looking really ugly making it hard to play it
I agree. I have the game myself and play it on an original Game Boy. They fixed it for the second and third but the damage has been done XD it's easier to play it on a Game Boy Color because the sprites have an automatic color palette that distinguishes them from the background.
That's probably why then... I owned a Gameboy pocket which didn't have color but instead had a little click wheel which allowed you to change the lighting on it...
TheIcefreeze I also have a Gameboy Pocket. Gave it to my little bro. Now I play my big original 80's Gameboy and he plays the little Gameboy :) I even bought us both USB adapter cords powered by portable batteries. Ain't no Gameboy batteries needed in this house XD
TheIcefreeze I was thinking of getting a Gameboy Light till I saw the prices. Apparently they only exist in Japan, so to have one mailed overseas is a LOT. But I wanted to start a collection of the old systems as long as they didn't cost too much XD
I think the DKL games while not as good as their DKC counterparts are good games for what they are and they were portable at the time too. I think the screen size and camera though was kind of a pointless complaint considering the system for what the games were for. Also in even the SNES games it's actually encouraged to take your time. You have only 2 hits after all. As such slow and steady is the key to beating the GB games as well. If you rush you may end up ambushed by enemies like jumping Kritters or mistime a jump. For me DKL1 was good. I never played DKL2 yet though but from what I seen it's a good re-imagining of DKC2 so I might download a ROM to try it. DKL3 was the best one.
I thought it was just a matter of getting used to the controls on the first one. I was really addicted to that game and regret till this day that I lent it to someone who just disappeared and never returned it to me. But the fact that I never got into the original SNES version since I didn't own one may be the cause of it.
I've noticed in all three DKL games that the player sprites have random lines coming out of them, usually before an enemy comes on the screen...is there some decompressing or loading going on that makes this happen? The "K" at 15:20 has the opposite, lines missing from it the whole time it's on-screen! The boss at 15:41 does it as well! It seems to only go away when they load new graphics or move.
The way that Bottomless pits are handled is awful. The very bottom of the screen is always treated as a death barrier. God forbid there's an enemy on screen and you fall.
The glitch you've mentioned, where going under the camera equals death, is present on every DK Country (except remakes) and Land game, although it's very common in the Land games due to the small camera and its delay to follow the character.
Toails77 Honestly, I have zero issues with the camera in the SNES games (besides the select moments I mentioned in the previous reviews). In fact, I dare say playing the DKL games makes me want to apologize for calling those few moments out.
well, yeah playing it on a gbc, gba, or super game boy may be a better experience, but in case you haven't noticed, getting your hands on a physical copy of the game and one of the previously mentioned pieces of hardware isn't really easy
Coincidentally, I was looking for a good video talking about the DKL trilogy earlier today. I found two before this, and they were okay, but this one is definately the best, as it provides the most details about each individual game, as well as pointing out their varying amounts of originality (something which I noticed, myself).
I don't mean to sound snide, but there is no DKL version of Northern Hemispheres (even though for some reason the Mario wiki implies so). It's completely different and original.
@@mrpiccionedivino5598 No, I meant the first line spoken. That "greetings and welcome back gentle and ladies-men" with the alien like hand wave. Like someone's puppeting him. That was as far as I could get.
Weird, I've been playing DKL1 since '98 and never had an issue with the controls. I'm usually pretty sensitive to these things and have never found the controls annoying. Same with camera?? Maybe because I started w/ DKL1, I was trained on the hardest. But I've always found DKL1 to be an extremely tight game and can still play it with no issue.
Here's a tip for you: When you boot up an GB original game on a GBA or Gameboy Player (And maybe GBC), rotate your D-pad. It changes the colour! Now that only leaves you with 4 options. But if you hold one of the main 2 buttons you have 12 color options. The B button is the key to the White, Grey and Black color scheme.
If you already knew this than this is for the comment dwellers.
+Neo kirbyvskirby I remember how I used that to always play the GB Batman with a B&Y scheme. Brings back memories.
Wait, really? That's awesome! I've got to try that out now
I just tried that and...
I WISH I KNEW THIS YEARS AGO! THANK YOU
I've had a Gameboy Advance and SP since they came out. I've been playing a ton of games on them for over a decade including plenty of original Gameboy ones. Not once have I ever heard of something like this and now it just really blows my mind.
I liked doing that, but I forgot that you needed the dpad
I like how you start with praise where praising is deserved and THEN you point any flaws you noticed.
+Jerred Zoll It's not about perfection, it's about being respectful and level-headed. I'm not sure what exactly you're going on about.
*****
Nevermind. This is getting out of hand. Bye.
Flaws are the most important part, a single flaw can bring a 10/10 game down to a 0/10 game
I really like your profile picture, if I am correct and that is Tom Baker's Doctor.
Yeah, that’s called being critical, I hope that’s something you learned in the last 9 years.
I owned a game boy and Sega mega drive growing up so my first and only DK experience for years was the DK Land trilogy. Still love them. I never knew the flaws as they were. I just thought they were hard :D
That cloud level though........
Heyyy. I know you!
Love ur vids!
Hey I Wasn’t Expecting You Here
The GBC version of DKL3 was actually the only version of it Japan ever got. The original Game Boy version was never released in Japan, so why they waited 3 years and denied the rest of the world the GBC version is beyond me, but yeah, the GBC one is just the Japanese version
I personally loved the first DKL game, more than the sequels since it had unique level themes and music. The controls may not have been perfect, but it's still a unique experience. I personally had no issues with the camera. Also, I've beaten it on a 3DS without save states, though not fully completed it.
+Natok the Dragon [PresStarToPlay] Continue to enjoy the game, by all means. I just chose to be honest as always.
I sure will! And it's great to be honest.
I agree!
@@FireRising86 yup
Same. I play it on the Game Boy, and I've 100%'d it multiple times. The only thing that kinda sucks about it is there's no real bonus for doing it other than a "congrats" screen and its intrinsic value lol
Huh. I absolutely don't remember roll jumping at all in the SNES games. ... how did I beat them without this apparently awesome ability?
I also didn't know about that for ages, I completed DKC2 100% and never knew about it lol. There were some parts where there were pickups inside pits and I always thought you get them with the team-throw move or by just taking the hit...
I knew about it, but was very reckless with it when I was a kid.
@@JODA93 same when I kept losing. 🤣😓
@@NCXitlali I found out by just jumping out of panic.
@@cypher838 😂 those were the days!
DKL3 was pretty fun, although the very final boss is one of the worst designed boss battles I've played. But other than that, I agree that DKL3 is the best in the Land trilogy
The Side Quest Gamer I agree that DKL3 is the best of the trilogy, especially after playing DKL 1 + 2, not so much 2. It's simply a joy to play and , like Exo said, the Japanese GBC version is the definitive version.
I didn't mention the final boss because I didn't do a spoiler section, but yeah. I agree 100%. I actually rage quitted. It's worse than the Death Egg Robot, Andross Brain, and Super Mario 64 Final Bowser combined.
ExoParadigmGamer Hmm... I might have to see this boss. I never did, even after I did my DKL video. I was just done with the game.
EDIT: Just saw the boss fight. OH FUCK NO!
GaminTank yeah, it's Bubsy levels bad
GaminTank The Side Quest Gamer To be clear, we're talking about K. Rool's Last Stand in DKL3.
Donkey Kong Land was the first game I ever owned. my mother bought a gameboy Pocket and this game as a present for entering school. I beat this game as a 7 or 8 year old. Nostalgia hit me hard just now. I love my mum and I love Donkey Kong. Good old 90's.
ATTENTION COMMENTERS:
If you're curious about the GBC remake of DKC1, then your question is answered at 23:08. Please watch the whole video before commenting on this subject.
ExoParadigmGamer Kinda sad about this fact as that's the only one I've ever truly seriously played and own in physical form.
Teraunce Foaloke tbh it would be a reebreak easily. it's the worest version of dkc and something was lost in translation as it was dkc running on the land engine.
megamike15 maybe, but it also has some unique content and modes.
ExoParadigmGamer 18:50 How can you patch a cart for the english text (for the GBC reissue of DKL1)
Teraunce Foaloke Wrong. So did I
I can't say I had any issues myself with inputs being ignored for the first game. But I can't agree more in saying DON'T PLAY THIS ON A ORIGINAL GAME BOY! IT'S TERRIBLE!
That screamer actually helped me.
I was getting sleepy watching the review (dont get me wrong,its amazing,i was just tired),and all of a sudden im no longer sleepy. XDDDD
I thought my tablet broke. Then all of a sudden WAAAAAAH (BLACK KONG!!!!) it scared my grandma too XD
Red Wharf, WOOOOOW. I would not have expected that, I thought the show was too obscure to be referenced like that!
Do you mean the _Donkey Kong Country _*_animated T.V. show_* or the _Red Wharf_ T.V. show???
British developers, I suppose. I think the show was still being made at the time.
What, Red Dwarf isn't obscure...I'n the 90s it was a huge show
@@StevenVillman why would he be talking about the Donkey Kong TV show when the only thing he mentioned was Red Wharf?
Really interesting review. From my understanding the GBC remake of DKC1 is essentially DKL1, I think
Hey love you vids
Just saying
Um, no, completely different levels.
I can see why people say that, but it's definitely different enough.
Play them. It's a really dumbed down version, but it's Donkey Kong Country. It also has several improvements. FOR THE GBC, it was really well-done.
Like I said before, don't worry about length u have to get all ur thoughts in.
I have DKL3 on my 3DS. I was gonna buy DKL1 first, but by the reviews i've seen, I think I'll pass.
So did you end up buying the first game? As I own all 3 and have 100% each of them on my 3ds with none of these issues.
Man, I remember playing DKL 1 on the ORIGINAL gameboy. You did bring up that the backgrounds blend, the worst part of it on the Oringinal (ie not GB Pocket) the refresh rate on the original screen was too slow to keep up as well. That said, you not only have blending, you have blurring so bad that you can't see ANYTHING.
Axlkaitoshin And then you have people like CBR Overtone telling you that "the games are perfect because they're DKC... ON THE GAME BOY! It's so technically impressive that their flaws are moot!" It makes me wonder if some other reviewers actually played the games before reviewing them.
ExoParadigmGamer CBR Overtone Logic: Praise the Donkey Kong Land games (or just 1 and 2), but had little good to say about the GBC version of Donkey Kong Country.
Axlkaitoshin I should add, that going back now without that issue, I don't really mind DKL 1 that much. BUT THOSE CLOUD STAGES!! URRRRRG!
@@ExoParadigmGamer Hey Exo, are you familiar with Super Mario World hacks? Because even the creator of the best one (especially of the 2000s), FPI (aka FBI according to WBG) thinks Whiny Bitch Gamer doing more Rant-views like “Why The Second Reality Project Reloaded is the WURST GAME IN THE WURLD!!!” would be absolutely hilarious. Sure, I can understand why it’s only ran in the mid-2010s, but disregarding how poorly viewed it is, it really is hyperbolically hilarious like Angry German Kid!
exo's been donkey kong'd out for 8 years
What the hell is up with that earrape at the end?!
yeah i didn't like the stingers for the DK ROR's
in my opinion donkey kong land games are okay and i prefer the Donkey Kong Country Gba remakes over the Donkey Kong Land Games
Woah, you thought THESE games were frustrating? Then jak 2 is gonna give you one heck a bumpy ride!
Iris Rodriguez Is it bad that I am looking forward to Jak 2, just to hear his frustration? But yes, DKL1 is the most frustrating of the trilogy.
GaminTank Judging by the results video, yes, it is bad that you're looking forward to Jak 2, just to hear his frustration. =P
***** Ok. Thanks for confirming that. =P
6 years later finding this gem. Thank you! This is the kind of review I was looking for. I grew up with the Super Nintendo, then the GB and GBA but I've never noticed the difference between the "Country" and "Land". I just found the DKLand 2 to buy and am hesitating whether to buy it or not but this video is helping me a lot. Thanksssss yoooo
Your perspective on these games is interesting. I never really thought about the visibility in that way. I do agree DKL1 didn''t control the greatest. All in all, it was nice revisiting the series with you. Cheers!
Honestly, the graphics is the main reason it succeeded. And having it on a Gameboy is amazing, they fit so much on those tiny carts, and they had incredible music, and graphics for Gameboy standards, shame about how the controls got gimped.
Fun Fact: What Cranky Kong said about DKC 1 only being popular because of fancy graphics was what Shigeru Miamoto (apology for bad spelling) said about the game to Rareware, which then he made Yoshi's Island in response.
I heard that was a rumor, actually, and that he loved the Donkey Kong Country series, even calling it his "baby" at one point.
That was a myth that Miyamoto himself denied. He said he loved DKC.
I managed to snag this trilogy complete (with box/manual) on Ebay. And played it on my backlit GBA-SP. They look really good by Gameboy standards. It's like...how did they make the original Gameboy do this?
Nice video. I played through these a year ago and I pretty much have the same opinions.
* Yes, the first game does get ahead with the later levels being pretty different than DKC on the SNES.
* DKL2 loses a surprising points for the levels being so damn close to the SNES original. Until they play the game people won't realize how damaging it is.
* I thought the controls were more "squirrely" in DKL2 than DKL1... but it's really matter of preference.
* Also thought DKLIII was the best... and the time trial mode really does add a lot to the game.
got to say epg your views are note worthy. you give the good along with that bad and demonstrate what made them bad or good. keep up the good work
DKL was the first Donkey Kong game I've ever played when I was just 4 so I really liked it. But I remember it took me two years to finish it. When I did it I couldn't have been happier.
I know it has been a little while since you have posted this and many other RoR's, but since you have made these videos, they have become nostalgic to me as I have very fond memories involving them. Whenever I come back to them, I always think of the good times I had involvong them and the DK games and the different memories. And because of this, I want to say thank you very much for providing this wonderful content and the memories along with it :').
So dk land 1 is like a dkc 1.5
The Donkey Kong Land video games *_ABSOLUTELY_*_ _*_*NEED*_* to be remasted in 32-bit graphics (to be on-par with the Donkey Kong Country video games in terms of the graphical quality)!!! Plus, the camera, especially when it comes to "screen crunch", and control issues really, *_really,_*_ _*_*really*_* need to be resolved there for a much more enjoyable video game gameplay experience - especially in the _Donkey Kong Land_ and _Doneky Kong Land 2_ video games, where the camera and control issues can be quite bad there (as 'ExoParadigmGamer' has mentioned in this RUclips video)!
Also, thank you for making these. I loved these games as a kid and haven't thought about them in years; it's been fun watching you analyze them.
I played it on my gameboy color as a kid. I hated it but i loved it. All the problems you had were the same problems i had back then. Ive never played it since i gave it away as a kid. But i played the hell out of it when i had it.
EPG you made me remember just how hard DK Land 1 was. I played the hell out of this in first grade and managed to beat it. My memories were initially fond, but the review made me realize how much I had to play to painstakingly memorize each level.
My father gave me this game (Dk Land as a gift back in year 2000 when i was 5. I had no way to get past from the weird cloud level, as the controls got really weird and the first checkpoint is literally 15 minutes of play from the start. Re-visited the cartridge 5 years later, already in a GBA, and could beat it. If that's not enough, internal battery was faulty and sometimes the savefiles randomly died.
I also had the original Super Mario Bros remake (Deluxe), but the reduced visibility in that game (Compared to NES original) was no match for dk land tunnel vission camera.
Don't you mean the camera works in KONGtrast to the first two games?
Your videos are very good, man. I found you by accident and I'm glad I did. I love your look at remakes and you had a lot of the same thoughts I did after playing Land 1 for the first time. I can't wait to see what you come out with next!
This was a great review, thanks for this! I always assumed these games were inferior gbc adaptions, never having played them. But now I am definitely going to pick them up and try them out!
DKL 2 was a godsend for me. My favorite game on the go?!?! YES PLEASE! Nowadays we are so spoiled with portable games that no one would even give a shit.
+Hijynx87 I kind of see that, but at the same time, DKL2's controls and level design really just aren't as good as DKC2's, technical limitations of the GB withstanding. If I want DKC2 on the go, I'll stick to the GBA version.
Where does it say the games story? Is it in game or elsewhere?
It's all in the manuals. The mid-90's were just before in-game storytelling became common, but DKC and DKL were a little behind the times in that regard.
It's in the manual, and at the ends of the DKC games.
Totally disagree about DKL 1.
I know, the camera is bad, but the controls aren't, in my opinion. I beat the entire game on an original GBC in about two months.
I feel that a lot of new game-centered channels are, more or less, rehashes. But on the DKC topic, you brought something worthwhile to the table; if for nohing else than solidly backed up viewpoints on the entire rare-made series.
I am new to your channel, but I thank you for that.
Wow, the best version of it is so good! How do they do that with a Gameboy and a tiny cartridge!?
Imagine if someone made a DKC ROM hack to replace the levels with those of DKL 1 and 3.
dont go at 24:38
Let me put headphones on my sister that's sleeping. 3 2 1...
I never had that many problems with Land 1 and am always able to complete it 100 percent in around 2 hours. All 3 games are great imo especially 2 & 3
I passed it in 1hour with 30 minutes.
@6:50 this level was the only reason why I never could beat DKL1 as a kid. I just beat this game for the first time thanks to it being added to the Nintendo Switch Online service and when I got to this level I immediately remembered why I couldn’t get past it. It’s complete bullshit.
Awesome videos, man. I miss you, I hope you’re coming back.
controls, controls, controls....I wish reviews stopped talking about controls if they can't elaborate on them. there have been so many times where I would play a game a critic said had terrible controls and not have any issue with them, the reverse is also true.
Couldn't help but notice. Are the glitched sprites normal? Some of the sprites were glitching in the video as if your carts were dirty
You know, when I was a kid, I grew up with DKC1 on SNES and this, but I didn't know that there were two other games in the Land series until about a year or two ago. Guess I should check out the other two now...
Him: don’t play it on the 3ds virtual console. Play it on the gameboy color, advance, player and super game boy.
Me being 11 and not rich like that: :/ not everyone has money
Maybe you can emulate it. If you think that's piracy just buy it from the 3DS and then play it on an amulator
@@oscarzxn4067 I’ve tried to get citra every way I could but my laptop isn’t strong enough. That’s why I’m asking for an iMac for Christmas
@@edgary2388 I mean, just download the Gameboy Emulator then
@@oscarzxn4067 oh. That makes sense. I mean I already have Dk land one actually on my 3ds but I’m just gonna use a emulator for the other 2
@@edgary2388 I used to have dk country 1 on my 3ds but the many 3ds stopped reading sd cards and I lost everything on it the only thing I can play on it now are the ds games I have, luckily I got a switch not long after the 3ds messed up
could you do a short ROR for donkey kong country gbc please
I like your videos. The SNES trilogy is my favorite trilogy in gaming, and, I enjoy all three for different reasons. I have not played the GB games, cause honestly, the small screen size always put me off. It would be great if someone made some sort of mod (impossible, I know) that extends the 'camera' by two tiles, or 32 pixels in each direction.
You usually put the sound "Suprise MF!" every time screen crunch screws you over in game reviews. Why didn't you put the "Surpise MF!" in this game review? It really needed it.
I'm hoping that one day, Retro will remake the DKL games on the 3ds or Switch.
And after Legend of Zelda: A link to the past is _______ >:)
Lol good marathon though. Sadly however, Donkey Kong Land 1 was my first Donkey Kong game ever. Needless to say, it did turn me off to the series for a while. lol
I find it interesting that DKC 1 has an "E" rating whereas 2 and 3 have a "K-A" rating. If you don't know, the "K-A" ESRB rating was a short-lived precursor to the "E" rating, and was only a thing from 1995 to apparently early '96 if 3 had it.
I started playing DK Land on my 351V handheld (no save states, don't worry), and yup, I have to admit it's painful.
I can only imagine how bad it was on an old school DMG gameboy with that blurry dark screen.
I am interested in checking out the GBA games. However, not the Land games..
I definitely think the donkey kong country games are second only to the old mario games as far as platformers go. Sonic is super overrated imo. It really suffers from the zoomed in not enough room to see problem i think especially combined with the games speed. I don't get how people always point that out in other games and seem to give sonic a pass for it.
nate DKC Is Also Overrated DKC Is Also Unfair
how is it unfair? It has almost perfect controls and its not overly difficult. There are very few cheap deaths that you need to memorize levels for either. Once you get good enough you can run through levels you've never played before pretty fast because the controls are so good.
nate The Controls Are The Worst
Christopher King When I Played It On Wii, The Controls Were Bad
Why random battletoads picture?
In DKL2 on the file select, hold left or right and press BBAA and never worry about having sufficient banana coins for saving. Hold left or right and press AABB to get 50 lives.
In DKL3, press down down up left right on the title screen to get 50 lives.
I don't care what people say no matter how terrible the game may be Donkey Kong Land 1 was and still is one of my favorite games on the gameboy.
But yeah I gotta agree with your review on the basis that I would not recommend the game anyone who did not play it when it first came out and I do acknowledge the fact that the game is pretty bad but gosh darn is it alot of fun at least to me
I 100% DKL1 and I thought the controls and camera were fine enough, not perfect, but well enough so I could get some enjoyment out of it.
Is DKL3 worth playing on 3ds?
I dont see why not
No it’s not
It’s dose the og game boy thing there for making it hard to see enemies
Wait, the extra lives in DKL3 are still modeled after Diddy's balloons instead of Dixie's?
Everyone I knew and met Loved Donkey Kong country 1 when it came out and for years afterwards. Perfection is an illusion, but back in the day, games were obviously simpler tha nthey are, yet they became so iconic and lasting.
I remember having the original GB version of DKL3 back when it first came out, and I remember loving it, but not being able to get past the third or fourth world for some reason. There was something about one of the levels that was just way too hard for me to get past. When I got the fan-translation for the GBC version and played it on VBA, I fell in love with it. Managed to 103% it, though I've got to admit, whenever I replay it, I just make it to the final boss and win lol.
Edit - After 103%ing and 105% Donkey Kong Country 3, I can now confidently say I prefer GBC Donkey Kong Land 3 overall. I LOVE this game.
Thanks for mentioning my review of DKL. The input issue is probably one thing I never mentioned, because I thought that was on me. I'm surprised that is not the case. Also. that cloud level, can go fuck itself! I think that is as far as I made it before I gave up.
I will say this about DKL2 and DKC2 as well. I am not a fan of the Bramble levels. I know they are fan favorites because of the song Stickerbrush Symphony, but that is all I see from it. DKL2's version of Bramble Blast is more annoying than the DKC2 version, due to the camera. It could also be that DKC2 is the one I played least, in the series. And fuck the DKL2 water levels... and lack of 1-up balloons. But most of all, FUCK THE CAMERA! There are levels where falling is pretty much an instant death because the Kongs fall faster than the camera can keep up with. I lost a few lives from that, usually on my last life. I saw that game over screen so many times.
DKL3 is an absolute joy to play, though the camera makes me a bit more cautious when I play it. Only because of my, somewhat, poor eyesight, the snow levels were the biggest annoyance. Luckily, the Japanese-only GBC version fixes this issue. So play that one! Just not on the Virtual Console because it's in black and white. I'm disappointed that the Super GB and GB Player color palettes were not a feature with the 3DS VC for GB games.
Great review Exo!
GaminTank Nintendo seems intent on pretending the Super Game Boy was never a thing, and it confuses and irritates me.
***** It's a shame because it would really help these games.
If I've never played Donkey Kong Country, should I play the original version or the Gba remake?
+thomas garrett (Pokemastertomm) I'd recommend the GBA version. It's got a more lenient save system and a status screen for bonus rooms and KONG Letters.
EXO: I know how to fix these games!
*ports the DKL games onto GBA*
??
@@ChiefMedicPururu GBA has bigger screen resolution which means more visibility. Screen crunch was a big problem in these games
@@animatorbroman3710 Yeah, but nobody will be fixing that anytime soon. I take the games as they are.
That level you talked about in Donkey Kong Land 1 and Stampede Sprint in Donkey Kong Country 3 had a baby, and its called Trip's Story in Sonic Superstars.
When I was a kid, Donkey Kong Land 2 was the version I played in the 90s mostly because my parents were too middle to low income to allow me to get a SNES at the time. Never had the NES either to be honest.
They would say that Video Games cost too much money and they instead got me a GameBoy since during the mid 90s it was priced at a fair retail price for them compared to when it first released in 89 at a much more expensive price.
And they often traveled allot around my home state on holidays, so it meant I would take my GameBoy and batteries to play it.
Donkey Kong Land 2 was the first game I completed including getting to the special stages and the level Animal Antics from my memory was easier than the SNES version.
Omg that ending made my day.
Cosmo SilverWing I always put a little Easter Egg at the end.
I've noticed :D But that specific Donkey Kong voice clip was hilarious due to the fact I've heard it more than 100+ times in- game and I would always joke about it xD
ExoParadigmGamer EPG and endcard jump-scares. I hate/love you for that.
The camera is the true enemy in DKL 1
fucking love your channel
what about the gameboy color version of donkey kong country you said your were going to look at it
***** no he said he would dedicate a short video to to the game watch the first donkeykong ror
Retro Wizard Did you watch this entire video? I brought it up.
ExoParadigmGamer jeez i'm sorry i must have not been paying attention during that part sorry i did watch the hole video though
That's okay.
Ever thought of going back to give DKC on GBC a look?
Man, these videos are really good.
I do love this new gaming interface. It needs work but I love the way it's structured. It kinda reminds me of how youtube originally was.
Thanks for letting us know about the third game in color being available in English online. Good to know. I liked these games, but only played them each once
Mikey! Why is there a picture of Battletoads at 2:56?
***** I dunno. Editing goof? I have those every once and a while. I'm surprised I didn't notice.
***** Sure enough, it's even in my Vegas file. Huh. I don't know what happened.
ExoParadigmGamer
Terrible game reviewer is terrible. RUINED FOREVER!!
My opinion; I enjoyed DKL1...It was a very difficult title (the cloudy levels are so painful!) But I felt very satisfied when I managed to reach the 100% percentage :)
I liked DKL2 too because DkC2 is my favourite game in the series and playing a gb port of it was such a pleasure (I love game boy games)!
I just completed DKL3 (gbc) some days ago and yes, I think it's the best of the land series...to be honest I even prefer this game rather than its Snes/GBA counterpart.
Great video by the way!
I used to own Donkey Kong Land 1 when I was little and I have to say that while I remember the game being very fun I also remember the graphics looking really ugly making it hard to play it
I agree. I have the game myself and play it on an original Game Boy. They fixed it for the second and third but the damage has been done XD it's easier to play it on a Game Boy Color because the sprites have an automatic color palette that distinguishes them from the background.
That's probably why then... I owned a Gameboy pocket which didn't have color but instead had a little click wheel which allowed you to change the lighting on it...
TheIcefreeze
I also have a Gameboy Pocket. Gave it to my little bro. Now I play my big original 80's Gameboy and he plays the little Gameboy :) I even bought us both USB adapter cords powered by portable batteries. Ain't no Gameboy batteries needed in this house XD
TheIcefreeze
I was thinking of getting a Gameboy Light till I saw the prices. Apparently they only exist in Japan, so to have one mailed overseas is a LOT. But I wanted to start a collection of the old systems as long as they didn't cost too much XD
I think the DKL games while not as good as their DKC counterparts are good games for what they are and they were portable at the time too. I think the screen size and camera though was kind of a pointless complaint considering the system for what the games were for. Also in even the SNES games it's actually encouraged to take your time. You have only 2 hits after all. As such slow and steady is the key to beating the GB games as well. If you rush you may end up ambushed by enemies like jumping Kritters or mistime a jump. For me DKL1 was good. I never played DKL2 yet though but from what I seen it's a good re-imagining of DKC2 so I might download a ROM to try it. DKL3 was the best one.
I thought it was just a matter of getting used to the controls on the first one. I was really addicted to that game and regret till this day that I lent it to someone who just disappeared and never returned it to me. But the fact that I never got into the original SNES version since I didn't own one may be the cause of it.
I've noticed in all three DKL games that the player sprites have random lines coming out of them, usually before an enemy comes on the screen...is there some decompressing or loading going on that makes this happen? The "K" at 15:20 has the opposite, lines missing from it the whole time it's on-screen!
The boss at 15:41 does it as well! It seems to only go away when they load new graphics or move.
For some weird weird reason, the GBC version of DKLIII removed animations on Wrinkly and Bear. Regardless, it looks great.
2:56 why battletoads?.
Honest editing mistake.
Did you mean to put TMNT instead?
The way that Bottomless pits are handled is awful.
The very bottom of the screen is always treated as a death barrier. God forbid there's an enemy on screen and you fall.
What did BattleToads have to do with this?
The glitch you've mentioned, where going under the camera equals death, is present on every DK Country (except remakes) and Land game, although it's very common in the Land games due to the small camera and its delay to follow the character.
Toails77 Honestly, I have zero issues with the camera in the SNES games (besides the select moments I mentioned in the previous reviews). In fact, I dare say playing the DKL games makes me want to apologize for calling those few moments out.
The Krem Cauldron thing was from the DKVine thing I mentioned on one of your other vids. They make little headcanons that they call "fanwanks"
4:22 I can see the stiffness just from footage. The characters warp up and down when jumping, from up and above, then ZIP to the ground
well, yeah playing it on a gbc, gba, or super game boy may be a better experience, but in case you haven't noticed, getting your hands on a physical copy of the game and one of the previously mentioned pieces of hardware isn't really easy
Coincidentally, I was looking for a good video talking about the DKL trilogy earlier today. I found two before this, and they were okay, but this one is definately the best, as it provides the most details about each individual game, as well as pointing out their varying amounts of originality (something which I noticed, myself).
I don't mean to sound snide, but there is no DKL version of Northern Hemispheres (even though for some reason the Mario wiki implies so). It's completely different and original.
Couldn't get past that intro greeting.
Like a 5 second intro but ok
@@mrpiccionedivino5598 No, I meant the first line spoken. That "greetings and welcome back gentle and ladies-men" with the alien like hand wave. Like someone's puppeting him. That was as far as I could get.
Weird, I've been playing DKL1 since '98 and never had an issue with the controls. I'm usually pretty sensitive to these things and have never found the controls annoying. Same with camera??
Maybe because I started w/ DKL1, I was trained on the hardest. But I've always found DKL1 to be an extremely tight game and can still play it with no issue.
I only hate that bug in donkeykong land were you can’t see player 2 on the statusbar and you only don’t get always player 2 once getting hit.