My Reasons Why I Dislike the GBC Port of Donkey Kong Country

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

I'm aware that there are some good things about this port ('Winky's Walkway' extended, 'Necky Nutmare' as exclusive level, mini-games as extras, et cetera). But those features don't save this port for me, as there are too many flaws in the main game, and they're far too big for me to ignore. To anyone who says that "Donkey Kong Country" on Game Boy Color is basically "Donkey Kong Land", I strongly disagree. I'd go as far as to say even "Donkey Kong Land" is better. And that's saying something because the physics and mechanics in that game aren't perfect. If I were to rate this port, I'd give it a 5 out of 10. It's a mediocre port at best, for me at least. And to me, a half-good game/port isn't good enough. I prefer the Super Famicom and Game Boy Advance versions. Feel free to post a comment explaining why you like or dislike this port, and what version(s) of this game you prefer. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. It may take a while, but I'll do my best to respond. I'll be around. Just know that I won't be on this channel that often. Here is the link to my main channel: kzbin.info ---------- Due to Nintendo confirming how to pronounce NES as...'Ness' (as of August 2, 2018) through a game called "WarioWare Gold" (Japanese version), I'm referring to the original Japanese name for both Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES). The reason why is because I find Nintendo's confirmation very stupid. Back in the late 1980s and 1990s, they said 'N.E.S.' and 'Super N.E.S.' during the commercials. They said it themselves. Look those videos up, and you'll see what I mean. Now, after 1985 (released on October 18, 1985 in North America), Nintendo suddenly decided to change up the pronunciation of NES (from N.E.S. to 'Ness'). This will cause some confusion between the American/European consoles and the "Mother" ("EarthBound") character, Ness. Therefore, I'm referring to both of those consoles as the Famicom (FC) and Super Famicom (Super FC), as they are originally called that in Japan. You people are free to call those consoles however you want, but I'm sticking with the original Japanese names from now on. And to those who ask 'Why not call the third generation console just Nintendo?', calling the console that is also the name of the company, and that can cause some confusion between the console and the company. I could call Nintendo's fourth generation console just Super Nintendo, but some people would rather abbreviate the name to just Super NES or SNES for obvious reasons (mainly because the name is very long). That's another reason why I'm sticking to the original Japanese names. From time to time, I may even abbreviate the name Famicom to just FC and the name Super Famicom to just Super FC or SFC. I hope you people understand where I'm coming from with this.

[@MissJackietheLakester]

Are you still going to make KZbin videos on a different channel or something?

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

@@MissJackietheLakester Yes, on my main channel.

[@dragtogo2735]

Shooting Gallery wasn't great but it was a good idea. The problem is the first level being pretty hard over the other two levels after it. It should've been the third level because it shows how annoying to not to try to hit poor Diddy Kong or Donkey Kong. Too bad the GBA got rid of it though it improved the Fishing mini two multiple types of design level challenges. If there was a mod that had the shooting gallery right and a better designs for both mini games(fishing mini game from GBA, shooting gallery from GBC, and that dancing with Candy Kong GBA) that would be interesting indeed to see it in a SNES graphic design. Also my Donkey Kong Country GBC died on me and I thrown it in the trash because I beat a level and it froze with sheer frustration especially elevator attics(it's not like SNES/Super Famicom/Super Hyundai Comboy, whatever you like the call the console).

[@lounowell4171]

DK Land games are almost certainly better. The GBA remake has aged even worse than this one though - you can easily play the SNES version handheld in a number of different ways, at least the GBC port is somewhat technologically impressive. Also the GBC port seems to have better sound effects and music to the GBA port?

[@furanafriendszuentertainme2785]

@@lounowell4171 And good background screens (Except for the Game Over screen because THAT looks like a creepypasta)

[@kelp5801]

This was the first and only DK i ever played and it definetely has a very special place in my heart, but watching this i can realise it was not a very good port.

[@Mariathefox2345]

You will never be forgotten friend R.I.P August 31 2009 - December 31 2019

[@anthonychung5611]

This version is More Difficult than SNES and GBA.

[@Marguelctplays]

This will give a path of attempts

[@evan2902]

I'm with you. I'm so glad I grew up with the GBA version and later got the SNES version as a teenager out of curiousity's sake. I played through the first two worlds and I genuinely felt bad for complaining about the drawbacks of SMB Deluxe afterwards.

[@robertanderson9447]

The effort to make sure the footage didn't appear biased is admirable. And with a decade of experience under your belt, it's safe to assume you know your stuff. Rare poured so much into this GBC version to make it special, it's a shame they weren't able to get it fully polished.

[@anthonychung5611]

1:08:43 Me when I want to play the new semester and get the true ending in the 2022 Ported game/2019 Original Game which is Persona 5 Royal. The reason is I HAVE TO PLAY IT AGAIN TO GET IT WHICH IS TOO MUCH LIKE the new Tears of the Kingdom.

[@DeathKontrol]

You were the OG making content for this game long before I was. I love this game so much but I certainly understand the criticism. Thanks for all your videos. Ever consider speedrunning it? There are many intricate strats and movement techniques, in fact some of the features you criticize here are actually useful for speedruns, like fast steel barrels, being able to run/roll through barrels without picking them up, and even the screen crunch can be taken advantage of!

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

I am at least glad I uploaded the entire port of this game. I have no intention of speedrunning it. However, watching speedruns of it might be kind of fun.

[@bennel3588]

Even though I do not like the Game Boy Color version, I wonder if I can like the bonus rounds in that version better. It just seems like more was put into making the bonus rounds different. I remember some bonus rounds repeating in the Game Boy Advance version. I did not play the Super Nintendo version all the way through, but it has better graphics than the Game Boy Color version.

[@tunafissh]

Thanks I didn’t know level warps existed!

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

Well, now you know. You're welcome.

[@baifomet6425]

I played DK Country in the gbc port first when younger and it's the most I've played. That's why everytime I play the snes version, feels like some kind of awesome remake. I guess the original version was so good, it still can't be topped.

[@Lightblue2222]

The GBC is certainly the challenger. In that its most challenging..

[@coolman5242]

Watching this as someone who grew up on the GBC port and never played the SNES port, this was a very interesting take on it but I have to disagree with several points in this video. 0:59 This wasn't really an issue for me, it just game me the incentive to roll out of the way. Not sure how it is in the SNES version, but rolling constantly in this game is your best friend. 1:44 Honestly I didn't even know you could roll on top of the barrel so this is mind-blowing to me lol. 4:11 Eh I can see how this is jarring if you're used to the SNES version. 5:49 This one I don't fully understand, but restarting the level to get bonuses wasn't too much of an issue since the bonus stages weren't needed and the golden animal medals were around places often to the point I sometimes enter a bonus stage without being aware I collected all 3 medals. The levels in the game are fun so replaying them wasn't a bother. 10:00 I could've sworn there was, maybe it was at the top left of the level, but I would have to replay the level again. 11:40 Levels like this, Necky Nutmare(was stuck on that level for 3 years), and maybe a few other levels is why I always considered DKC to be a hard game back then. It's funny how those hard parts actually didn't exist in the official game, but I do find that to be a fair punish for missing the barrel even if it is jarring for SNES players. 13:10 Opinionated from my end, but I never had an attachment to the animal buddies and thought it was Donkey/Diddy transforming into animals instead of being individual creatures until you play the TD-like minigame in the GBC version. Still I never saw this as power ups, but different ways to change the platforming which is why I didn't mind losing them after getting hit. Also the Ostrich I do feel like there was some niche areas that made it easier to reach with it than Donkey/Diddy could and the Ostrich was somewhat the most useful one since his bonus strange gave the most lives than every other bonus stage. 21:45 I feel like the the warp barrel was under the platform position before you activate it(or it might've been in another auto-scroller level), but this wasn't an issue for me since I liked that level. 23:35 The point I said in the beginning that rolling is your best friend comes in handy here. This part isn't an issue since rolling and then jumping immediately afterwards gives you a higher jump that's high enough to hit the vulture. Although I understand that's not the point you're making here. 24:49 This one I agree with and I typically avoid the klaptrap at that part... or maybe I don't since I know where the hit detection is. 25:20 25:51 Okay this one I disagree with the most in the video since you clear didn't directly hit them and just hit the side of them(the game pausing after you die is an underrated feature), but at the same time you proved it can be hit from that hitbox at 26:23 so... I don't know, I guess this game has a weird hitbox where you can hit certain enemies to the side. 26:36 This one I remember requires an extremely well-timed jump, but it wasn't impossible but I fully agree that it's some BS on your first run of this port. Weirdly enough, I grew to like the challenge of jumping over the hit detection. 34:49 This one I agree with the most in the video, since the screen crunching does make that level 100% trial and error 43:43 Okay this one I kind of disagree with screen crunch ruining this level. It basically adds a cool layer of challenge to the level since the bees and vultures do cause you to need split-second reactions to beat the level and make use of switching sides with the the rope. Being on the left side of the rope can help you react faster to enemies and avoid dying while the right side helps you stay in the rhythm of the bees since certain bees can hit you on the left regardless of your position on the rope. Although the vulture part I do again that's definitely trial and error. The point on 100%ing it I agree that's where the fun stops for me since I never found Candy's challenges to be fun, but overall I don't see GBC being a "bad" port. Maybe not-as-good/harder port of the game, but personally I just don't see harder=bad. Maybe i'll do a playthrough or speedrun of this game someday to show you what I mean.

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

I actually did play the GBC port first back in the day. Several years later, I got around to playing the original version and the GBA version. And I thought to myself, 'Wow! This is actually better! Why haven't I played this much earlier?'. I found myself enjoying those versions more. 0:59... Even if the player can roll out of the way, sometimes it's unavoidable with the amount of invincibility frames. This is where the original and GBA versions beat the GBC port. 1:44... Well, due to how much experience I had over the years, I had to include it. 4:11... Exactly. 5:49... If you're not going for full completion, then it isn't going to be an issue. But if you're going for full completion, it can be very rough, especially the first time. I had this issue in 'Orang-utan Gang'. 'Blackout Basement' isn't too far behind either. The original and GBA versions are more forgiving with this. 10:00... I checked everywhere for the Warp Barrel. It was removed. I even saw a speedrun of this game. Nowhere to be found. 11:40... To each their own. 13:10... To each their own. Expresso can be useful in his own bonus stage to gain extra lives. But just about any other area, he is literally useless. 'Ice Age Alley' is the biggest example of this, as it's literally impossible to reach the second bonus area with Expresso, due to his gliding speed being butchered. Therefore, only Donkey and Diddy can reach the second bonus area either by jumping on a Klaptrap to get a tiny bit of jump height or by rolling/cartwheeling and jumping, and it's not easy. 21:45... I checked everywhere for the Warp Barrel. I even looked at a speedrun of this game. Nowhere to be found. Not an issue if you like that level. But others may find that level (as well as auto-scrollers in general) to be tedious and boring. 23:35... It's possible, but players aren't going to know about that roll-jump feature. I certainly didn't the first time I played this port. 24:49... One of the main problems. The hit detection at certain areas can be inconsistent. 25:20, 25:51, 26:23... Klaptrap's hitbox is weird. It's possible to hit that enemy at the edge of the ground, but the way it was done doesn't match the original and GBA versions. 26:36... It shouldn't depend on the character you're controlling. Donkey has a much harder time jumping on Necky, while Diddy has it easy. It's due to size differences between them. Watching a speedrun of this, I found out that it is possible to just go under that enemy. But nobody is going to do that on a casual playthrough. That's a poor enemy placement right there. 34:49... Agreed. 43:43... Some people aren't going to know about switching sides on the rope. Therefore, it can be very frustrating. For the longest time, I never got 101% until I learned about the Sticker Pads. It seemed like a cool idea at the time. But the more I played it, the more I disliked going for 101% in this port. Playing through the game three times to get 101% isn't something I call fun. Ultimately, this port fails to be faithful to the original version. All things considered, this is a mediocre port for me. It's far from being the worst game I've played. But this port isn't good enough for me. There are some good things about this port ('Winky's Walkway' extended, 'Necky Nutmare' as exclusive level, mini-games as extras, et cetera). But those features don't save this port for me. It's a shame, because Rareware tried to make this port special but weren't able to fully polish it. Had they done what they did from the GBA version, it would've been on the same level as "Super Mario Bros. Deluxe" on GBC. It could've been a decent port, and to a degree, better than the GBA version. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When you eventually do a playthrough or speedrun of this port, please let me know.

[@coolman5242]

@@WilliamGamesWereGood Sorry it took me a while to respond, despite what I already explained in my other post it's also because I didn't particularly disagree with most of your points. A lot of your response did make sense in a preference standard while other points I made were just too niche to continue defending. For the warp points, well, all I can say is I looked everywhere for my GBC and was unable to find it so if I do uncover it and can prove that those exist/rerouted to another location on the level then I will tell you at some other time. My only argument left is how you make about how a casual player would interpret this or that part while at the same time stating a completionist would tackle this or that part. Thing is, casual players don't typically 100% games and consider getting to the ending to be their completion so I wouldn't really meld the 2 groups together. If your argument is that completionist or someone playing this port in 2020+ then yeah I 100% agree that this port aged poorly and would recommend the SNES version over it. It's the reason I can't say this port failed to be faithful, but it's not 100% faithful. You have to remember given the time period when they developed the GBC version they were trying their best to downgrade one of the most graphically advanced SNES games at the time to fit it on a cartridge with tiny MB in what essentially in universally considered a rush job. If their intent was to rival SMBD then yeah I agree they did a bad job, but compared to a lot of 90s games ported to handheld(like Sonic the Hedgehog on the Game Gear for example) is does shine out for being one of the better ported games. Also seeing how without playing the SNES version myself and still consider this to be one of the greatest platformers of all time, I say they did a pretty good job. But seeing how you say you also grew up on this port and claim for it to be a frustratingly bad port, it does inspire me to go try out the SNES version on NSO then i'll hopefully get the sensation of your critiques over the port.

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

@@coolman5242 Okay. I try to look out for both casuals and completionists to the best of my abilities, making sure both groups can enjoy the game without too many problems. Yeah, Rareware did try their best to downgrade the original version to the GBC. I'm sure it was cool at the time for people who played that port. Screen crunch in certain handheld games (mainly "Sonic 2 (8-bit)" on Game Gear) was, indeed, a problem. I didn't finish certain handheld games because of that. I didn't say it was a bad port, just not something I like. For some people, it's an okay port. For some people, it's a mediocre port. For others, it's a mixed bag. I've tried my hardest to like the port over the years, but just couldn't. So it ended up being a mediocre port for me. You seem to think it's an okay port, and that's fine. If one wants to be generous but considerate of others, the port should be no higher than a 6 out of 10. If one is somewhere in between, the port should be a 5.5 out of 10. If one wants to be critical but considerate of others, the port should be no lower than a 5 out of 10. No matter how good or great the games are, there will always be those who call certain games ("Super Mario World", "Donkey Kong Country", "Yoshi's Island", et cetera) mediocre because they're bland, boring, unfair, et cetera. I respect those who enjoy certain games I call mediocre. I look forward to what you can do to get the sensation of my critiques over this port.

[@bennel3588]

I do believe all of that could go into an SNES and GBA cartridge. When I learned about Necky Nutmare being in the GBC version, but not the SNES and GBA versions, I was not happy about that, because I did not play the GBC version all the way through. Right now, I have played the GBC version all the way through, and even got 101%. I prefer the GBC ending the most. I believe the reason for switching Candy's Challenge, switching the ending cutscene, and ignoring additional GBC levels was to give players a reason to play both the GBC and GBA versions, and probably the SNES version to see how the cast of characters are shown, because it's different from the GBA version. I do not see the cast of characters showing in the GBC version. I know how much threatening the level feels like to me in the GBC version. When I learned about stickers, I was not liking that I would have to go through World 5 and 6 again, because those seems like the hardest worlds to me, but I could just get the sticker, exit the level, and then beat the boss to save my game, because I think the game saves if I beat a level, Candy's Challenge, or boss. The dislikes I have on this game is the invincibility being shortened, going through the game 3 times to get 101%, and finding the stickers to get 101%.

[@bennel3588]

@@WilliamGamesWereGood Did you mention that you played the SNES and GBA versions? Do you still have them?

[@gcz-zy9ix]

i didnt even know you could jump on the kegs in the gbc port

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

Well, now you know.

[@clayton4887]

Good thing I’ve only played the GBA port of this game.

[@anthonychung5611]

43:28 GAME OVER!!! 😂😂😂

[@zioisaac5176]

Good bye.

[@Lightblue2222]

One question is.. did it at least improve on Donkey Kong Land? No jk, im actually wondering.

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

That game has its own problems, but I'll take it over the GBC port any day.

[@Catrunop]

NICE VIDEO but it’s sad that this is the last video for your channel rip. Channel 2009-2019

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

I've done everything I could on this channel.

[@Catrunop]

Well how adout you do a another channel of dkc on snes or gba

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

@@Catrunop It won't be for a long time, but I will upload both versions of that game on my main channel someday.

[@Catrunop]

Ok

[@Catrunop]

But these are pretty good reasons I did not know these

[@tahamohammad8842]

Dear god, what the hell is in that steel keg to go that fast?

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

Must not be much inside it in this version. But then again, there is usually nothing inside barrels to begin with. So this could all be just a coincidence in physics.

[@tsvtsvtsv]

seems like a lot of these could be fixed with a patch 🤔

[@tsvtsvtsv]

the music is way too fast in the gbc version also, right? is the general movement speed significantly faster too? would be a fun challenge to see how close people could get the gbc version to the snes version. they did an admirable job at the time and this version is still a neat curiosity, but imagine if it was actually as fun and playable as the original!

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

@@tsvtsvtsv The music is fine as it is in the GBC version. The general movement speed is significantly different, but it is not faster. In fact, I would say the general movement speed is slower.

[@shyguy85]

if you dislike this port why is your entire channel based around it genuinely curious

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

I had this port since I was 10 years old. It was my first GBC game. I liked it at the time. But over the years, I kept finding more and more flaws as I kept playing it. Then I discovered the original version as well as the GBA version. I played those versions, and that is when I realized that I was playing the inferior version on GBC the whole time. But yeah, there were practically no videos of this port on KZbin back in 2009. So I decided to upload this port while I enjoyed it at the time before I played the other versions. At least the video walkthoughs are uploaded for anyone curious about this port.

[@leilaboughezala9376]

Yes man you are learning

[@kooldoritos4205]

lol rip

[@WilliamGamesWereGood]

I've done everything I could on this channel.

[@leilaboughezala9376]

Stop