Donkey Kong Country

Though I never owned a SNES growing up, I did have a good friend who owned one and frequently visited his house to play games and swim in his pool. I originally didn't want to play Donkey Kong Country, until I saw him playing it. Before I had seen it, I thought it was just like the original Donkey Kong where you play as Mario jumping over barrels, and swinging a hammer. When I first played it though I fell in love with it; the bright colors, the exciting game play that changed within each level, and that lovable oaf Donkey Kong along with little side kick, Diddy.
The game is deffinately a classic, and fans wanted more which led to Rare and Nintendo producing two sequels within a year after their releases. DKC 2 Diddy's Kongquest, and DKC3 Dixie's Double Trouble. Rare deffinately was the best producer of the DKC games with their imaginative puzzels, and hidden rooms scattered throughout the levels. It seems that every few steps you take in a game, there is a secret to unlock, or a DK Coin to receive. DKC is also one of the first for games where the characters we're 3-D set in a 2-D world, which helped make the game more visually pleasing.
I loved all three of them, but my favorite has to be the second one. You play as Diddy and Dixie Kong, two little monkey's who are out to save big Gorilla Donkey Kong from the Kremlings on Crododile Island. The game was ver pirate oriented having most of the Kremlings and Baddies wearing pirate clothes and accessories. It aslo took the puzzle and secret scheme one step closer by adding a lost world that the player could visit to unlock a bonus secret ending if all the levels were completed their. The tone and look of it was also alot darker. Probably because you were on the bad guys territory, and there is very little day time missions. Except for a few in the beginning and the bramble missions.
So share your thoughts on what you thought of Donkey Kong games? Do you think his newer games are as good or have they fallen?