Day 79 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble

Downloaded Donkey Kong Country 3 for Wii U as I hadn't played it in years. Every time I found an actual SNES copy it was being sold in a reproduction box without CLEARLY stating so, and the seller thinking they can charge above and beyond for it. Sadly for collectors this is becoming a huge problem as it's not difficult to produce a box closely resembling the original.

In DKC3 both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have been captured by the Kremlins, so Dixie must take the lead and save our beloved monkeys before it's too late. Luckily she has her cousin, Kiddy Kong, to help her out with his ridiculous strength and adorable blue onesie.

The DKC series always had superb artwork, but what makes DKC3 so special is the beautifully designed hub-world. A tranquil paradise you can navigate by swimming, renting a motor boat, or even a hovercraft! You also had to be on the lookout for hidden areas containing secret items and levels, as there's no shortage of collectables in DKC3!

I'm not usually one for games where you have to spend a vast amount of time collecting items, especially with recent games only offering you an 'achievement' as reward, but DKC3 has a ton of gear for you to uncover and it's all worth it. There's banana birds to pass on to Wrinkly Kong to keep her company and unlock a hidden ending to the game, a variety of coins used to exchange for items and unlock new areas, and of course, there's bananas. ^_^

DKC3 may be almost 20 years old (wow), but it's just as fun now as it was then, and you can't complain at a wonderfully designed adventure costing a little over £5.