Is there a single greatest platformer of the 1990s? Kevin Cortez thinks so, and he's not shy about it. This week on Last Save Lounge, the cozy gaming podcast about the games that saved our progress (and a little bit of us), I'm joined by journalist and content creator Kevin Cortez — whose work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, HuffPost, and Mothership — to talk about his favorite game of all time: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for the Super Nintendo. Kevin lays out exactly why — the tightened controls, the soundtrack, the level design that escalates from world to world, and a difficulty curve he calls \"just right.\" We also dig into the distinction he draws between his favorite game and the most important one (that'd be Super Mario World), how DKC2 was the first game that taught him a sequel could actually surpass its predecessor, and what it was like revisiting the game as an adult to prep for this conversation.
In this cozy gaming podcast episode, we explore:
Last Save Lounge is my weekly hangout for people who still think about the games that shaped them. Come find me @lastsavelounge on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. If you'd like to buy me a metaphorical coffee (I run on good conversations and caffeine), you can do that at patreon.com/hoodieweather. And if times are tough, you are too — you can still become a free Patreon member and get exclusive benefits.