Donkey Kong Country
~SNES
Original Completion Date: October 14, 2008
Donkey Kong Country was the first SNES game to use pre-rendered textures and 3D models - which, for those of you who aren't up with the lingo of graphics, means it was a huge step forward for the SNES graphically. Along with it's revolutionary graphics, the music (done by David Wise) is also extremely well composed. Each song is perfect for every situation, and it's also super catchy. I often find myself humming area themes in my day-to-day life.
Donkey Kong Country also boasts an incredibly high replay value. Over my entire gaming career, I have always come back to Donkey Kong Country for a quick gaming fix. With such memorable characters as that cranky old bat (aptly named Cranky Kong) taunting you throughout the game; the sultry Candy Kong (who is obviously hooking up with Funky Kong); and that crazy crocodile, King K. Rool (who for some reason wants all your bananas) following you throughout the game, Donkey Kong Country is a game that has earned it's way into the hearts of many gamers since it's release in 1994.
My personal best record lies somewhere under an hour (not 101% completion rate). Over the years, I have developed a certain pattern for playing this game, and I have found that one of the best general ways to improve your time is by using strategic suicides in bonus levels. This means that while you don't lose a life and will spawn further in the level once you exit the bonus, you also don't get to reap the rewards. With enough skill however, it becomes unnecessary to stockpile lives anyways.
Super Star Wars features different music and characters from the movies throughout the game. The graphics are standard for SNES - smooth, easy to distinguish between the main character and background. But even on easy mode, it's ridiculously hard. Something about the difficulty level keeps you coming back for more, until you finally finish the game. Overall, I think Super Star Wars was a fairly decent game, with good replay value.
Also known in the PAL region as "Unirally", Uniracers is an exceptionally wicked game. While there isn't much variation in the original "race your unicycle against the computer to win a medal" concept, the game gets really exciting (Read: IMPOSSIBLE) on the last tour, where the computer can summon track and unicycle effects against you to throw you completely out of loop. He can make the track invisible, reverse your controls, and screw up the background to the point where it's probably the first video game to make anybody puke.
I finished this time around with a total of 63%, which isn't too great, but for what it's worth I thoroughly enjoyed all 63% of the game that I completed!
