I love the DKC series! I remember playing Diddy's Kong Quest for hours trying to unlock the damn Kremling world. Some of those tokens are really hard to get.
Crash and Spyro were also real great franchises too. Crash Bandicoot 2 was my favorite, especially with those jet-pack levels and riding Polar (I liked the night Polar level because it was spooky but exciting at the same time. I would just be riding in the dark when all of a sudden AN IDOL OUTTA NOWHERE!!!!! lol) Spyro 3 was also very entertaining, especially with the skateboarding mini-games. I hated the last world where you fight the Sorceress on the saucers though because it was so hard for me to aim that damn thing haha.
And WHY U NO PLAY BANJO-KAZOOIE?!?!?!?! Play it now! Play it sometime! It is truly an awesome game.