Diddy Kong's Quest is an amazing achievement through and through, and still remains an instant classic 2D side-scroller.
Gameplay:10/10
The story goes like this, King K.Rool is at it again and this time, he kidnaps DK! WHAT?!?! How the hell can this be a great game if you can't play as Donkey Kong? Well, it is. See, you play as Diddy Kong, DK's nephew from the original Donkey Knog Country. However, you now have a new sidekick named Dixie Kong (who is supposally Diddy's girlfriend), who has the awesome ablility of twirling her hair like a helicopter and give her more time to land on the ground. Both of them now set off in another adventure to rescue DK. The gameplay is kind of the same as in the first DKC. However, a new twist was added in that made the game really great; you could jump on one Kong's shoulders and either throw him/her in the air to grab stuff or launch yourself in the air (via barrel), throw your kong over a ledge to the other side (and the other Kong will somehow follow though and not get hurt) or to attack an enemy. DKC2 plays like the first. You go through a stage attacking baddies, collecting bananas, and get to the end of the level. When you do get to the end, there is a target spring you jump on to end it. You can boringly jump on in from the ground and end the level and not get any items............or you could jump from a rope or a higher level to not only get bananas or a life balloon, but watch a hilarious cutscene of Diddy or Dixie doing something funny (Diddy holds a boombox on his sholuder and starts rapping, Dixie starts playing the guitar). It gets repetitive, but funny nonetheless. The biggest change however from the original is its difficulty. It's probably me but........This game is hard! The first 2 worlds are somewhat easy, but from the third world after, it gets tough. I dont remember the first DKC being that hard (but then again, it's probably me). Still, the gameplay is as fun and exciting as ever.
Graphics: 9/10
Graphically, the game kinda looks the same as DKC, but the backgrounds and sprites now look alot richer and more detailed. Everything looks exactly as it should, from the rich jungles, to the murky swamps, it looks fresh and is easy on the eyes.
Sound:10/10
Probably my favorite part of the game. The music is outstanding, from the flute sounding pirate song, to the atmospheric Bramble levels (the ones w/ the vines in the background). Even the fun, crazy tune of the Krazy Kremland cart ride levels just heighen the gameplay even more. Some levels repeat some of the tunes, but nonetheless, they never get tiring to hear. The Kongs sound just like they should......like monkeys. This has to be one of the best sounding SNES games ever made.
Value: 9/10
There is alot of stuff to go back for. But if your ultimate goal is to go for 102%, then good luck. Getting through the normal game is one thing, but collecting every bonus game coin AND DK coin and finally defeating K.Rool once and for all.....well.....thats gonna take awhile. Besides that however, if you just wanna play through the game again at a faster time, or collect as many lives as you can, you'll still behaving a good time just living the game experience all over again.
Conclusion (Tilt:10/10)
I love this game, and it is up there with some of the best SNES ever made I bet. This is what a sequel should be. A game that has most of the elements that made the original so great, but has enough new gameplay mechanics and uniqueness put into it that makes it even better. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest is just a masterpiece that remains one of the most fun and inventive SNES out there. If you never owned a SNES, or did and didnt buy or play this game back in 1995, then I feel sorry for you.