We’ve been trying to figure out this whole “video” thing ever since the 1UP Show was cut down in its prime. Live streams, game nights, daily news shows, static talking head videos, you name it. None of them ever quite stick. But I like this one! I want to do more of them.
Delightful, isn’t it? Or if not delightful, at least moderately entertaining. Which is about all I think you could hope for from free Internet content.
Charming! And amusing cast! While even pity doesn’t move me to support poor Marty’s stance, I at least felt like I’d been unduly unkind to the game. This should move us all to at least see how someone -could- like something that we may not…there are good points about the game interspersed admist the humorous rebuttals.
The last scene is sad. =(
Bob Mackey or a young Beck? You decide.
I’m.. I’m pretty jealous of that head of hair.
Lol @ Jeremy fake-playing Tron. :)
The machine was too loud so the video guy wouldn’t let me play for real :(
that actually was hilarious :)
“he’s ..err got a tie …”
Delightful, it is. If you do more of them, I will watch more.
Marty is right. DKC (and more prominently its sequel, but whatever) are easily better than any of the Mario games up to that point.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is better than New Super Mario Bros. but I’d take Mario 2, 3 or 4 over DKC 1, 2 or 3.
I like DKC but SMW is leagues better.
Donkey Kong Country is the zenith of ’90s art and creativity. Maybe as jaded adult with all the latest stabbing games for your PS3 and it’s NIVIDIA SUPRAXTREME 39402X2 graphics card, you can’t appreciate the sense of wonder the game’s revolutionary graphics and brilliant ambient soundscapes imparted on an entire generation of Nintendokids.
Snow Barrel Blast makes me feel like Edvard Munch – that ominous, foreboding music, coupled with steady march of the oncoming blizzard, creates a feeling of pure despair. You know shit is about to hit a fan. The fact that there are crocodiles and killer bees wandering about the level only adds to its sinister charm.
But you’d rather play Super Mario World, which is merely yet another one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s sanitized Disney-style playgrounds? It’s a good game, sure, but it lacks the emotional depth of Donkey Kong Country. When I play Coral Capers, it’s like slipping into an aquatic dream. In contrast, a water level in Super Mario World is like dipping your head under the bathwater. Oh wow, Koji Kondo switched the tempo of the main theme to waltz time – my cockles are tingling! Please.
Donkey Kong Country is about the experience more than the game play, although the game play is good, too. You just need to look at it with a child’s heart.
A brilliant piece of satire. Well done.
I have to agree with DKC having one of the best soundtracks on the SNES. It really brought you into the game. Whenever someone disses the DKC games, the music is the first thing I point to in my counter-argument.
Yeah, I liked this. Everyone’s personality shows through in, what I presume is, the writing. You guys should continue to make videos in this stye.
As for DKC, I feel it’s widely underrated by people currently in the gaming press who were 15 or older when the game came out. I’d say that sentiment goes for most Nintendo/Rare mascot-based games (especially when the conversation takes a step towards N64 territory.) It’s nice to see Marty championing games like DKC and Banjo-Kazooie, because I’m 22 and haven’t met a single game enthusiast my age who looks down at those games in hindsight.
Is DKC better than the original SMB? I share your opinion, Jeremy. Those games came out nearly a decade apart, so it’s kind of an unfair comparison. If they must be directly compared, I would say DKC is better. That said, DKC isn’t as good as Super Mario World (or even DKC2.)
Now if we’re talking about GBC ports, Super Mario Bros. wins by a landslide.
I suspect this was your plan, to touch off a bit of a firestorm. Well played.
For the record, _historically_, Super Mario Bros. is more important. Taken in absolute terms, though, DKC is the better game overall.
Now, whether it’s better than Mario 2, Mario 3, or World is possibly questionable. But in my mind, the question was whether it was better than the original SMB, and the answer to that question is ‘yes’.
This was great. I hope to see you guys doing more video in the future. You have a great crew at 1up currently. I know it has to have been difficult to adjust to all of the staff cuts, but the staff you have are doing a great job establishing their personalities in their writing and podcasts. I’ve certainly been enjoying all of your hard work Jeremy. Keep it up!
Oh and thanks so much for the Victor Ireland podcasts!
Ahh, nice article and very nice video. I always liked 1UP’s video content in general, so I hope you guys continue to produce some.
My two cents for the religious battle: I never really played SMB. So my vote goes to DKC.
Funny and quite charming! I like that very much.
I’ve always found it frustrating to see so many great personalities at 1UP, yet since the 1UP Show went away, we’ve never gotten a regular video show to fill that void.
I would watch more of this. I hope to see more scenario driven video content like this in the future.
DKC2 would have been a stronger argument. It’s better than SMB2 for sure, and I’d say DKC1 and 2 are better than SMB1 in at least a standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants way. Surely they’re lacking in bringing truly new things to the table, but it’s impossible for them to be a platformer and not by default be a lot like SMB.