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I felt I had to share this. Now, it might be typical to give praise to the DKC games, but I grew up on these and have nothing but fond memories. However, the one that stood out to me the most was DKC2, with its dark themes and unforgettable music. The sole composer, Dave Wise, is one of my role models even today.

If you haven't played these games, shame on you.

I guess I'll just list my favorites, ordered from least to most.

I like the mood this presented, but some of my fondest memories are from racing the lava timer in the second ship hold stage.

The mine levels in DKC2 were some of the hardest for me, because they required a lot of vertical platforming and a single slip could result in you falling back to the beginning of the level. A good example of Dave Wise's tendency to use atmospheric sound effects.

I hated the swamp levels, and the music always made me feel so lonely. I loved how the insect sounds play into the percussion.

Fuck these levels. All of them were assholes.

This is a really typical pick, and pretty much everyone sticks it at the top of their DKC tracks and really high in their favorite tracks of all times. Honestly I feel it's a little overrated, though even the composer listed it as his favorite composition. It's less ambient than most of his tracks, but there's some melancholy aspect that's impossible to forget.

As a kid, I found the final boss fight to be amazingly difficult, and the poison gas clouds section scared the shit out of me. Back then I always thought this guy was King K. Rool's brother. Actually, I thought that up until about a year ago. I love the industrial feel of the track.

You know, I never really respected this piece until recently. But as I think back, this gives me a certain feel, like…. You've accomplished something big but there's a whole world out there waiting for you, and your adventure's only begun. It's got a great quest feel that suits the pirate theme of the game.

Ohhh, such fond memories of this one. Not only did Toxic Tower give me nightmares, but these stages just screamed that you were near the end of the game, and their difficulty only reinforced it.

Another highly rated piece and typical pick, but this one just gets me every time. It fits the stages so well, the percussion is absolutely beautiful, and the mood it gives off puts you right there in the scenery. By far my favorite piece in the game. This is what I think of when I remember DKC2.

I've got such nostalgia for the old DKC games, back when Rare was just before its prime, and definitely the time period where some of the best franchises started coming out. The music only makes it even better, and I can honestly say that I haven't heard anything that really tops the combination of atmosphere and mood that Dave Wise has done. DKC2 easily has the best soundtrack out of any Rare game (though their music in general is quite memorable), and many would agree that it has one of the best soundtracks of all time.

What happened to the compassion people put into these games?