Donkey Kong Country is a treasure buried beneath the rubble that remains of the old Rare studio. Arguably one of the best platformers for the SNES, Donkey Kong Country was armed with charm, addictive gameplay, and some of the catchiest tunes you'd ever heard, and that - often - you couldn't stop humming. Today, we celebrate the Donkey Kong days of yore with some of the best contemporary versions of those classic songs.

Donkey Kong Country 3 was definitely a good game, but when compared to the seminal first title and the legendary sequel, Diddy's Kong Quest, it pales significantly. Saying that, the real reason no music from that game is on this list is because of one inarguable circumstance: David Wise. The very talented composer actually didn't have a real role in the music of that game, but it's alright - we'll always have the first and second games to immortalise his talents.

If you'd like some of these songs just head over to OCRemix. They're awesome.

Enough talk, though: have at you!

7: Pickin' Out the Fleas

By Sixto Sounds. Swanky Kong's barrel planes were bizarre, yes, but there's nothing wrong with this rockin' tune. Created to Swanky's Theme, it's a perfect mixture of rad and rock. Just listen to that guitar solo!

6: This Chase is Haunted (Haunted Chase)

By Prince of Darkness. Who could forget the skullcart rides in Donkey Kong Country 2? If you were a small child when playing this game, that huge Kremling ghost chasing you was the scariest thing next to fruits and vegetables.

5: Monkeys Disarm Your Kremlings

By Nekofrog. This one is a bit heavier, but it represents the boss battles of the second game. Remember the tune Crocodile Cacophony? Yeah, it doesn't get much better than this. Well... you know what I mean.

4: Castle Crescendo (Krook's March)

By Sole Signal. This is where it gets hard. I mean really hard. One of the best remix tracks I've ever heard, this one focuses on the later castle levels of the second game. It's literally a symphony of sound, and orgasmic to the ears.

3: Thrash the Plank

By SnappleMan. Paying a homage to the final boss music of the first game, Thrash the Plank is an instant Donkey Kong classic. That is, if you like your music with a side-order of cold steel and intense beats.

2: Re-Skewed

By David Wise. The main man himself had to make some kind of appearance. It is all his music after all, but Mr Wise took it upon himself to make a remix of his own track, just for OCRemix. Now that is fan service, and what I like to call "pure gold."

1: Beneath the Canopy (Forest Interlude)

By Fishy. Forest Interlude was an incredibly atmospheric track in Diddy's Kong Quest, but this one takes the entire banquet. It may not have the raw energy or chaotic rhythms of the other songs, but this one doesn't need it. The melodies within are mind-meltingly entrancing. I dare you to listen and tell me I'm wrong.


That about wraps up our countdown of the best Donkey Kong remixes we've heard. There are surely plenty of others out there, so feel free to post your favourites in the comments.

Labels: 2011, Andrew Whipple III, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Feature, OCRemix

May is drawing to a close, and here at GGTL, summer is beating at our doors with Mjolnir-esque intensity. Three sweet months of R&R are imminent, but, being gamers, we don’t want to waste our leisure time in the ordinary, boring travel spots, and neither should you. As such, we’ve assembled a list of five video game vacation destinations for you to visit instead of the usual, yearly trip to Bristol.

1: Crocodile Isle – Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (Virtual Console – 800 Wii Points)

A good, balanced vacation boasts a wide variety of activities to partake in. Crocodile Island offers a whole host of things to do across six distinct locations. History buffs will enjoy touring the island’s authentic Kremling galleon, as well as one of Crocodile Isle’s many historic castles (be careful of any low ceilings). Thrill seekers can visit the local amusement park, Krazy Kremland, or the haunted manor in Gloomy Gulch (still genuinely haunted!). Steadfast adventurers can explore Crocodile Isle’s natural volcano setting, or discover the deep jungle antics of the Lost World. Forget the factories and mine shafts of previous vacations—Crocodile Isle is the spot you’ll really go ape over.

2: Paradise City – Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box (PSN, Steam – $19.99)

Motor enthusiasts looking for a summer getaway won’t find a better spot than Paradise City. Leisurely cruise through the bustling streets, stopping by the stadium for a Wildcats game, or check out the Naval Yard for a bit of sight-seeing. Unwind by driving through Paradise City’s many hills and mountains, or stop by Silver Lake for a restful soak. There’s even a tropical island destination right across the suspension bridge! The best way to take in the sights? An aerial view, of course — courtesy of Paradise City’s many jumps and ramps.

3: Rapture – BioShock (Xbox Live Games on Demand, Steam - $19.99)

Forget a condo by the ocean — how about a condo in the ocean? For those who want to spend their holiday in peace and quiet, the ocean floor city of Rapture offers a quality, 1950s art deco style that’s sure to please even the most jaded art fan. Enjoy Rapture’s many gambling and hotel districts, and gaze in awe at the sub-Pacific setting. Management has let things go a little in the past few years, but it’s not like the place can just fall apart overnight, right?

4: Uncharted Micronesian island – Far Cry (Steam - $9.99)

Palm tree, blue skies, cool ocean breeze, gently crashing surf, the sound of bullets whizzing by your head — Far Cry’s small archipelago truly has everything for a relaxing vacation. You’ll never gain a better appreciation for the island’s lovely foliage than as you stalk through it, desperately avoiding your enemy’s line of sight. Drink in the sights from one the island’s many vistas, then give that mercenary who’s in your sights a permanent vacation of his own. How about a nice ride on a jet-ski ride downriver? Just make sure to watch out for any incoming rockets! After vacationing to Far Cry’s tiny, mercenary-run island, you’ll wonder why you never went sooner.

5: Treasure Trove Cove – Banjo-Kazooie (Xbox Live Arcade - 1200 Microsoft Points)

Ahoy there! If your ideal vacation has you combing the depths for buried treasure, look no further than Treasure Trove Cove. Sail with Captain Blubber, captain of the Salty Hippo and all-around crybaby, as he searches for sunken booty, but be sure to watch out for sharks. Dance a jaunty beat to the island’s steel drum rhythms as you roam the beach collecting shells — some may be bigger than others! For something a bit more scenic, visit the island’s lighthouse and gaze at the unfortunately-low draw distance of the environment. It’s a pirate’s life in Treasure Trove Cove, so prepare to have your timbers shivered like nobody’s business.

Any gaming spot you’re booking with your travel agent this year? Sound off in the comments! The summer’s young, and there’s plenty of time for even more travel...

Labels: 2011, Andrew Testerman, Banjo-Kazooie, Bioshock, Burnout Paradise, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Far Cry

The music of Donkey Kong is something to be treasured, and we have David Wise to thank for that. While no longer working with Rare or the happy family of apes, Mr Wise’s harmony of sounds is his legacy, and that’s what we’re focusing on today. After all, Donkey Kong Country Returns is just days away, and what better way to celebrate than by taking a retrospective tour of some of the series' finest tunes?

There are plenty of amazing songs in the series, but for the sake of time we’re going to shift our gaze to the best game of the SNES trilogy: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. Containing inordinate levels of lascivious resonance, Diddy’s quest for glory was always entertaining and always had a killer beat. Hell, even the final credit roll rocked the house. Without further ado, let's count down the top seven songs of the game.

7: Jib Jig

The first time you hear this environmentally-themed song thrash about, the humming will commence. There’s no stopping it. Sure, it’s a bit short and rotates quickly, but this is an addictive piece that’s perfect background music for climbing the ropes high above your local pirate ship.

6: Mining Melancholy

Contrary to the title, this song is anything but gloomy and depressing. Kicking into high-gear, this song contains a very excellent chorus coupled with sounds that work wonders for the levels you hear it in.

5: Snakey Chantey

If you’re a Donkey Kong veteran like myself, you might say that this song sounds awfully familiar. You’d be right, of course, because this is a remix of Gang Plank Galleon from the final boss fight in the first Donkey Kong Country. Needless to say, it’s absolutely rockin’.

4: Bayou Boogie

It may surprise you that I enjoyed this song so much (since it starts off slower than a tortoise moonwalking), but just give it a few minutes to warm up and I promise it’ll jump down your throat. The song. Not the tortoise.

3: Hot-Head Bop

Goodness gracious. What could be better than this bubbling, magma-infused masterpiece? Well, the next two songs, obviously; it was really, really tough to place this one in third. The background noises throughout the duration really add to the mix and bounce of the song. It’s possible that this is the catchiest theme of the bunch. I dare you to listen.

2: Forest Interlude

A song that could either lull you to sleep or emblazon a steadfast love for Mr. Wise (or both), Forest Interlude is divine. Atmospheric as it is, this song is a pandemic of music that must be heard by all. If it isn't on repeat inside your head tomorrow at work, you’ve obviously haven't heard it more than once. That, or you hate apes.

1: Stickerbrush Symphony

How could a countdown be without this quintessential piece of work? The most famous of the bunch, Stickerbrush Symphony has been the foundation stone of several excellent remixes (including one in Super Smash Bros. Brawl), and continues to impress aurally even in 2010. Every part of the song breathes awesome and cures diseases. Trust me.

Bonus: Re-Skewed

Bonus barrels are a key part of the Donkey Kong experience, so this countdown quite simply couldn't be without one. Re-Skewed is David Wise’s own piece of remix work. It was released on the free album Serious Monkey Business via OCRemix, an album which plays host to quite a few excellent-sounding pieces including Beneath the Canopy (Forest Interlude). None, however, quite match the quality of the master himself.


Thanks for counting down some of the best songs in the Donkey Kong universe with Gamer's Guide to Life.com. Here’s hoping that Donkey Kong Country Returns... erm... returns, with some musical magnificence to rival those above, as tall an order as it seems.

Be sure to leave your thoughts or any musical treats we've missed out in the comments section, or let us know via our Twitter.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Feature, List, Retro, SNES, Top 7

Collectibles have been a mainstay in the video gaming world for some time now. With such high-profile titles like Grand Theft Auto IV and Assassin's Creed utilising them, it has practically become a necessity to include some type of collectible if you want a game to achieve greatness. However, contemporary collectibles and bonuses are all mostly failures, and quite frankly that’s because to this day there still hasn't been a title that's done collectibles better than the Donkey Kong Country series.

It may be a bold claim, but Rare’s masterpiece is definitely the pinnacle of collectible mastery. I’m getting ahead of myself here; let’s set this scenario up. Collectibles. Games. They’re practically synonymous. They can be anything from tags of fallen comrades that you find on your romp through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, random shards of power hidden throughout a city, or balls of light that are set in hard to reach environments. Whatever it is that you’re collecting, it all adds up to something greater, something that could unlock a better ending, an achievement, or maybe just something as simple as bragging rights.

The name of the game is to keep the interest of the player piqued. These little devilish programs tether your attention to a solitary game, keeping a gamer engrossed in a title for extended periods of time. Their addictive nature can provide until, perhaps, the sequel hits stores or the developer managed to squeeze some DLC out. Grand Theft Auto IV is a perfect example of this type of play. Releasing two critically acclaimed and rather large episodes via DLC, the lure of more achievements and just being involved in Liberty City was enough for millions to take the dive. Unfortunately, the collectible side of things wasn’t nearly as polished or fun. Want an achievement? Well, get ready to wander about Liberty City to locate and kill over 250 flying rats. There’s no easy way to find them, unless you look online, and the only thing you get out of the deal is a shoddy number that adds up to a meaningless score. Where’s the fun in that?


Furthering my examples of heinous collection design, Assassin’s Creed comes to mind. It follows the same ridiculous attempt at garnering the attention of gamers by employing an impoverished flag collection system. Being the game’s expansive collectible, these flags are hidden very, very thoroughly throughout multiple cities. So much so, that there’s absolutely no way to tell where they might be stashed. If you were to investigate the whereabouts of all of these digital atrocities, you’d spend embarrassing amounts of time checking every nook and cranny and for what? The explicit sound of an achievement clambouring onto your television screen? No thanks.

The examples of triple-A games butchering collectibles are astoundingly high and continue on with the likes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Gears of War and many more. With all this amazing technology and immersive storytelling at our fingertips, you’d think we’d be able to one up a series that debuted on the SNES.

The main reason why Donkey Kong Country succeeds is accessibility. Anyone can jump in and immediately be familiar with how the game functions. Believe it or not, this accessibility actually accentuates the way the bonuses and collectibles work. You see, if you’ve played a Donkey Kong Country game in the past, you’ll know that bananas are the most common form of collectible. Grab 100 and you’ll be awarded with an extra life, but they also double as a tool in another important way. Say that you notice a lone banana looming curiously over a gaping chasm. You might ask yourself what it’s doing there and how you might grab it. In actuality that banana is marking a bonus barrel, the other form of collectible in every DKC game.


The banana marker is important because it helps people locate clandestine bonuses they need to achieve 100% completion. Without having to resort to annoying internet guides, it’s an extremely efficient and effective way to keep players involved. Unfortunately, the first DKC didn’t really award people for grabbing that elusive 100% mark, but where it failed, DKC 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest undoubtedly surpassed. It did such a superb job that, in actuality, DKC2 is the catalyst for this article.

It was fun to locate the bonus barrels in the first game, but DKC2 put more of an emphasis on making you want to find all the bonuses. This time around, if you were able to complete a bonus room you were awarded with a Krem Koin. These 'koins' could then be turned in at Klubba’s Kiosk to unlock special stages in a secret level called The Lost World. Not only that, each and every level in DKC2 contained one, hard to find DK coin. If you were able to obtain all Krem Koins and successfully find every DK coin, you’d be treated to a special boss fight and an alternate ending to the game.

Maybe it doesn’t seem like much, but let me assure you that it’s a big deal. What other game makes finding collectibles a rewarding and equally fun experience? DKC2 took the addictive nature of the collectible item and wove it into the balance of the overall game. You didn’t have to collect everything to feel like you’d accomplished something, but for the people who went the extra mile, there was something extra special waiting for them. We need more of that type of programming in our games today. We need a seamless, wholly integrated system that makes seeking out collectibles fun and actually doable again; no more of this game guide garbage.


I think what Rare did with the DKC series is unparalleled. It definitely can be mimicked, but with how trophies and achievements work nowadays, it’s unlikely. There have been games that reward people for their collecting efforts, such as Halo 3 with its unlockable armor pieces and Mass Effect with its stat boosts for unlocking certain achievements. Though mostly cosmetic, both these games at least hand you something worthwhile for completing a milestone, and that’s commendable. I just wish more developers would look to the system set in place by the Rare of yore.

Once again, collectibles are responsible for running a substantial amount of the gaming addiction. Practically every game sports some type of collectible, but none can come close to the unrelenting perfection set in place by the DKC series. There’s no reason why games can’t augment what DKC has done, but if one thing’s for sure it’s that the gaming industry would be a much better place if they did.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Assassin's Creed, collectibles, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Feature, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto IV, Rare