Thanks to everyone who responded for what I should play next. Please don't take the fact that I'm playing something no one recommended as an insult to your ideas. Every suggestion was great, but I need to play a few shorter games to keep my motivation going, and I know DKC can be completed in about 6 hours.
Let me say right off the bat: I hate this game. I know it's got a lot die hard fans, but I just don't see it. I mean when this thing came out back in 1994 it was the coolest thing in the world. This and Starfox made me totally regret my decision to write "Sega Genesis" on my list to Santa. But I never got to play it back when it wowed the world with it's 3D graphics, so I don't have any nostalgia factor when playing this game, which means it needs to stand on it's own merits.
And it has very few.
Aside from the fact that the graphics have aged almost as badly as those from Final Fantasy 7, the gameplay is a snorefest. It's generic buttstomping, run-to-the-right fare; there is no imagination or creativity in the level design. You know what it feels like? A flash game. Like one of those stupid corporate flash games that's barely playable and that's only in place to sell some dumb product - in this case, the product they're selling their graphics engine.
There is often a debate over graphics or gameplay. A game can certainly sell a couple million copies just based on graphics, though I think even the casual gamers are starting to demand a certain level of competence in level design. Back in 1994 though, nothing like this had EVER been seen before, so the graphics could literally carry this game, and according to game design rockstar, Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario and Zelda) the graphics were the only thing going for it:
“Donkey Kong Country proves that players will put up with mediocre gameplay as long as the art is good.”
And now, I have mediocre gameplay and ugly art, so there's really no joy that comes out of playing this at all.
Well, I guess there is one good thing... It should only take six hours to get it out of my life forever.