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Donkey Kong Country 3
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
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Game Info
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Rare
Genre(s): Action, Platform
Players: 2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: November 7, 2005
Summary
In a world where ostriches wear tennis shoes and the Kongs clamber through exotic island adventures, KAOS is on the rampage and you must use Dixie’s skills to save the day. Dixie and Kiddy Kong take a run through the jungle to rescue Diddy and Donkey Kong! Baron K. Roolenstein, the leader of the Kremlings, kidnapped Donkey and Diddy, and Dixie and Kiddy must run, roll, hop, and swing across enemy-infested stages. Let the Kremling-crushin’ commence with all-new minigames, nine worlds to journey through, more than 50 levels and two-player mode. The beloved side-scrollin’ sequel to Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2 is now in the palm of your hands! Use Kiddy Kong's and Dixie Kong's unique abilities like the water skip and helicopter spin to go ape on the baddies. A ninth world, Pacifica, has been added to the original eight worlds. It includes six all-new levels - set from the deepest drain pipes to the tallest treetops - and adds two to three hours of brand-new gameplay. Play all-new mini-games to earn money and items. Compete in a series of boat races in Funky's Challenge, use a shield to block an onslaught of spiked creatures in Cranky's Dojo, or race through tunnels collecting stars in Swanky's Dash. Check back for more information on this game as the release date approaches, and be on the lookout for "Where is Donkey Kong?" Help us find DK in a charity benefit for all his real-life animal friends. [Nintendo]
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Play Magazine
Since 2D never really evolved far beyond this point, the game of course not only holds up but is a true blessing as it looks absolutely magnificent on the Micro screen. [Nov p.96]
eToychest
Diligent players should be able to blast through the entire game in around five hours, but there are plenty of secrets to watch out for.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
Games of this era hold up well even today, and the excellent two-player mode is nice for those of you (all seven!) that still use you GBA link cables. [Nov 2005, p.182]
N-Insanity
Through and through, Donkey Kong Country 3 is a port of the SNES original title. While a fun title to play every once in a while, the short, linear levels can get a bit boring at times.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
If Donkey Kong Country 3 was released today as an original title, it would redefine 2D platform gaming.
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
Keep in mind that Donkey Kong Country 3 is a new game for the GBA but it's not really a "new" game. If you're planning on purchasing it for someone as a gift do them a favor and ask them if they've already played this game on the Super Nintendo.
Read Full Review >PALGN
Thanks to a number of rewarding new bonuses, and excellent gameplay mechanics, Donkey Kong Country 3 offers one of the best portable platforming experiences on the GBA.
Read Full Review >Nintendo Power
And while the new features might make only die-hard fans go ape, DKC3 is still rock solid. [Dec 2005, p.116]
Yahoo! Games
Gamers on the go will undoubtedly enjoy this huge game with seemingly endless variety.
Read Full Review >Modojo
Its play mechanics are still rather amusing and its additional challenges and world will keep you busy, even if you nailed the game at 100 percent years ago.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
Donkey Kong Country 3 isn't a huge leap over "DKC2," but it's still a first-rate platformer with plenty to see and do.
Read Full Review >IGN
Donkey Kong Country 3 is another really solid platformer that's fun and challenging, but it's not something that's really going to grab you with anything new.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
The stylised visuals looks great after all these years (and better than most things on GBA, it has to be said), and the exacting, refined gameplay formula still had us as hooked now as it did back then.
Read Full Review >Da Gameboyz
Something bothered me though as there was no story in the intro and this can make the game really confusing to those who have never played the Donkey Kong Country games before.
Read Full Review >GamePro
DKC 3 is a passable casual adventure platforming title, but it just doesn't compare to the masterpiece of the original--how can you have a Donkey Kong game without the main ape anyways?
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Kelli L. gave it a10:
I think this game is the best one yet.
Ryan B. gave it a7:
I've never been a fan of the DKC ports for the Gameboy Advance because they always seem to emphasize the shortcomings of the GBA hardware. RARE tries harder to mask these problems in DKC3, but they are still evident: Certain levels are disgustingly washed out, sound effects are often changed for the worst, sprites and levels are resized, throw-away dialog was shoehorned in... but one benefit of all this, is rather than try to re-create the original SNES soundtrack using the lesser GBA hardware (resulting in a grainy transition), DKC3 for the GBA gets a brand new techno-esque soundtrack that sounds better than if they had tried to port over the music note-for-note. One of the more faithful Donkey Kong Country GBA ports, but it still manages to get too much wrong; there are options to adjust the volume of the music and the sound effects - but nothing to manually change the game's contrast? Shame on you, Rare.
