Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island or Donkey Kong Country?

The reason why I ask this is because... well, these games are actually very similar. Both appeal to a certain audience, both are spin-offs of Mario, both have taken full advantage of the SNES's capabilities, and they're platformers.

But which one do you guys think is the better of the two? Remember; it's all opinion-based.

I don't really think one is better than the other. They're both amazing games, but they both have very different mechanics and play styles.
I personally prefer SMW2 though.

I can't stand the linearity of DKC's progression and its static obstacle courses. DKCII and III are okay, mostly because of the design of their overworlds. Yoshi's Island is always a joy though. Lots of variety, Yoshi feels a lot more free-form than DK and crew. And while DKC's artistic direction is more impressive, YI's artistic direction is more enjoyable. Soundtrack? I see your Aquatic Ambience and raise you an Athletic theme. Bam, Kondo: 1, Wise: 0.

Strike up another one for Yoshi's Island. I agree that the level design in that game is better, but I also like its gameplay more. DKC's controls are more basic, and aside from some pretty awesome rolling jumps and barrel throwing, there's not really much else you can do aside from the basic moveset. Fitting with Yoshi Island's more expansive level design, Yoshi feels like a much more maneuverable character, and there's a lot of ways that you can deal with obstacles and enemies, all of which are easy to learn and can be employed to great effect with tricky platforming and puzzles.

Aesthetically, I think Yoshi's Island looks both more enjoyable and impressive, but that's primarily because I personally like more stylized artwork in general. The one thing I will say that the DKC series has over Yoshi's Island is a better overall soundtrack, which is primarily due to the songs in both games being of a similar quality and DKC having a greater variety. The Athletic Theme is great and whimsical and really fits the tenor of Yoshi's Island, but as one of about 4 distinct level themes, it's going to get stale fast. The awesome gameplay trumps this about 98% of the time, but it's still the biggest complaint I have about the game.