Editing Donkey Kong Country (section)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| CVG = 90/100{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=54}}
| EGM = 10/9/9/9{{efn|''EGM''{{'s}} four reviewers gave ''Donkey Kong Country'' one 10/10 score and three 9/10 scores.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}}}{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}
| GameFan = 100/100{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=33}}
| NGen = 4/5{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}}
| TOT = 97/100{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=39}}
| rev1 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev1Score = A+<ref name="EW: Review" />
| rev2 = ''[[Top Secret (magazine)|Top Secret]]''
| rev2Score = 5/5{{Sfn|Kopalny|1995|p=58}}
| award1Pub = [[1995 Kids' Choice Awards]]
| award1 = Favourite Video Game<ref name="GWRKidsChoice" />
| award2Pub = ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGM]]''
| award2 = Game of the Year, SNES Game of the Year, Best Animation, Best Game Duo{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1994|p=12–22}}
| award3Pub = ''[[GamePro]]''
| award3 = Best Graphic Achievement{{sfn|''GamePro'' staff|1994}}
| award4Pub = ''[[Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine]]''
| award4 = Game of the Year, Best SNES Game, Best Action Game, Best Graphics, Best Gameplay{{sfn|''Video Games'' staff|1995|p=44–46}}
}}

''Donkey Kong Country'' received critical acclaim and was lauded as a paradigm shift that set new standards for video games.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}<ref name="EW: Review" />{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=76}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}}}} It received perfect scores from several outlets.{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=33}}<ref name="EW: Review" />{{Sfn|Kopalny|1995|p=58}} ''[[Diehard GameFan]]'' and ''[[Total!]]'' said it changed expectations for 16-bit and platform games,{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=76}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}} and ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' wrote it "is to most 16-bit games what most 16-bit games are to their [[Atari 2600|Atari]] forebears. Once you've played it, everything else before it seems like a peewee".<ref name="EW: Review">{{cite web|last=Strauss|first=Bob|title=''Donkey Kong Country''|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/12/09/donkey-kong-country/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=4 June 2022|date=9 December 1994|archive-date=4 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904084629/https://ew.com/article/1994/12/09/donkey-kong-country/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' (''EGM'') called ''Donkey Kong Country'' "one of the few games that is actually as good as the hype",{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}} and ''Total!'' declared it the best game of 1994.{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}} ''GameFan'' said that ''Donkey Kong Country'' set a new quality standard that many developers would attempt to imitate.{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=79}}

The visuals were considered the best aspect. Reviewers considered them a major technological achievement, their detail unprecedented for a 16-bit game.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=78–80}}}} ''EGM'' said that the graphical quality prompted questions about the purpose of 32- and [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] hardware.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}} ''Total!'' said the character animations surpassed those of a Disney film and applauded the [[parallax scrolling]].{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}} Several critics said the graphics were the best on available hardware,{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}}{{sfn|''Nintendo Power'' staff|1994|p=102}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=78–80}}}} with ''Entertainment Weekly'' writing that they were comparable to [[matte painting]]s.<ref name="EW: Review" /> The soundtrack and audio were also lauded.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="EW: Review" />{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=81}}}} ''Total!'' said the music built atmosphere,{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}} ''[[Top Secret (magazine)|Top Secret]]'' wrote the "captivating" soundtrack asserted itself as a masterpiece in its own right,{{sfn|Kopalny|1995|p=58}} and ''EGM'' and ''Entertainment Weekly'' said the audio quality was unprecedented for the SNES and on par with a CD's.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}<ref name="EW: Review" />

Reviewers praised the gameplay for its variety and depth;{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''Entertainment Weekly'' appreciated that it did not build upon the original arcade game's design.<ref name="EW: Review" /> ''Total!'' described ''Donkey Kong Country'' as addictive, accessible and exciting, with humour, imagination, puzzles and secrets, that proved there was still potential in the platform game genre.{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''EGM'' and ''GameFan'' wrote that the game was lengthy and offered plenty of technique,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80–81}} and ''[[GamePro]]'' commended the [[replay value]] that searching for bonus stages provided.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}} ''EGM'' and ''GamePro'' found searching for bonus stages was challenging,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=52}} though ''GamePro'' said it was easy to "breeze through the game" without them and criticised the boss fights as simplistic.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=52}}

Critics frequently compared ''Donkey Kong Country'' to the ''Super Mario'' series,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} particularly ''[[Super Mario World]]'' (1990).{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=54}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=38}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}} Some considered ''Donkey Kong Country'' an improvement upon the ''Mario'' formula.{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}}{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}}{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''GameFan'' said it would be a worthy successor to ''Super Mario World'' even without the graphics{{sfn|Storm|1994|p=80}} and ''Total!'' wrote that it took ''Mario''{{'s}} best elements, increased the speed, and presented them better.{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37–38}} ''Next Generation'' felt the gameplay, though good, did not meet the standards of previous SNES games such as the ''Mario'' and ''Legend of Zelda'' series and prevented it from being a "typical Nintendo blockbuster".{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}} ''CVG'' wrote that ''Donkey Kong Country'' was the only SNES game that matched ''Super Mario World'', but that it would be a conventional platformer without its graphics. It warned that experienced players may find the game, designed for a broad audience, unoriginal.{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1994|p=54}}

===Accolades===
''Donkey Kong Country'' received many [[List of Game of the Year awards|Game of the Year]] awards.<ref name="IGN: History" /> For ''EGM''{{'s}} Best and Worst of 1994, it won Game of the Year, Best SNES Game, and Best Animation; Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong won Best Game Duo.{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1994|p=12–22}} It also received ''[[Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine]]''{{'s}} awards for Game of the Year, Best SNES Game, Best Action Game, and Best Graphics.{{sfn|''Video Games'' staff|1995|p=44–46}} ''Donkey Kong Country'' was the only video game included in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'s}} Best Products of 1994 list, coming in second behind the [[Chrysler Neon]],{{sfn|''GamePro'' staff|1995|p=155}} and it became the first game to win the [[Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Video Game|Favourite Video Game]] [[Kids' Choice Award]] at the [[1995 Kids' Choice Awards]].<ref name="GWRKidsChoice">{{cite web|title=First winner of "Favorite Video Game" in Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/397184-first-winner-of-favorite-video-game-in-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards|website=[[Guinness World Records]]|access-date=9 June 2022|date=20 May 1995|archive-date=4 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404001216/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/397184-first-winner-of-favorite-video-game-in-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards|url-status=live}}</ref>