I have recently rediscovered a well-written article on the site sirlin.net that explains why DKC2 is as good as it is
Sirlin is a game designer and a competetive Street Fighter player (and the lead designer from the HD Remix!)
It really is a nice read that covers anything one could think of, so enjoy:
http://www.sirlin.net/articles/the-secrets-of-donkey-kong-country-2.html
By the way: That skateboard looks awesome!
