Um...hi people?
Figured I'd introduce myself. I'm Rapture, and, well, I'm maining DK now. Dunno if that warrants an introduction, so I apologize if it doesn't. I'm from Atlantic North and relatively new to Smash competitively, as I've only played in one tournament (one that Will ran back in April on Long Island).
So, yeah, if you see me around, that's me.
Also, to comment on the discussion, I'd have to say that DKC3 too was the strongest of the series, followed closely by DK64 (if you count it as part of the series, I do to an extent).
DK64 was definitely a lot about collecting, but I think it did it at a pace that didn't make it boring. I felt it all had some sort of purpose behind it, and it did. It wasn't just collecting just to collect. Collecting one thing got you a new weapon upgrade or a new area or a new character or something. It wasn't just mindless collecting, in my honest opinion.
Plus, the stage layout was pretty awesome. Back in the day, I felt the levels to be so expansive. While I think the hub world (namely DK Island and the closeby Kremling lair) could have been a bit bigger, but levels themselves always struck me as pretty good in size and made for a wonderful experience.