For me, the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a reason to celebrate. No, not because it gives me a reason to turn on my WiiU for the first time in months. It’s because the original Donkey Kong Country has a special place in my heart. Besides being a really fun game, the inventive 1994 side-scrolling platformer was also the first game I ever got from a publisher to review, and doing so made me realize I could have a career as a video game reviewer, a career that continues, twenty years later.
![](https://i0.wp.com/paulsemel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Donkey-Kong-Country-main.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1)