Cranky's Video Game Heroes

Cranky's Video Game Heroes is an awards ceremony hosted by Cranky Kong in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2, to see who can collect the most DK Coins. The player may be in this event when they beat the game, or by simultaneously pressing the L and R buttons after they beat it. In Donkey Kong Land 2, the ceremony is called simply Video Game Heroes, since Cranky Kong does not appear in the game.

When the player first sees Cranky's Video Game Heroes, Mario is found in first with 39 coins, Yoshi appears in second with 29 coins, and Link is seen in third place with 19 coins. To beat the three characters, the player must collect DK Coins on their adventure, and Diddy Kong will appear as one of the top three if he gets at least 19 coins, eliminating Link from the standings. Link's tunic will then be placed in the "No Hopers" bin.

In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 2, a few things have been changed. Mario now has 67 coins, Link has 50, and Yoshi has 39. Also, Yoshi is put in third place, while Link is in second place. Therefore, if the player gets over 39 coins, Yoshi will be eliminated from the standings, instead of Link.

In a corner of the screen, Sonic's shoes and 's raygun are seen next to a sign that says "No Hopers", most likely meaning that they failed to collect enough coins. Mainly, it was included because of Nintendo and Sega's rivalry at the time. This detail was removed in Donkey Kong Land 2 and the Game Boy Advance remake.