User:Retro/DK64 is not in the DKC series

In the Donkey Kong Country (series) page, Donkey Kong 64 was listed as part of the Donkey Kong Country series.

I disagree with this categorization, and I have removed DK64 from the page. I think the fan consensus is with me. DKC Atlas, the most popular independent DKC fan site, categorizes Donkey Kong 64 as a "DKC Related Game".

However, aside from the fan consensus (which is important, but ultimately not the determining factor in this debate), I think the evidence points in favor of Donkey Kong 64 being separate from the Donkey Kong Country series.

The evidence
First, as far as I know, Nintendo has never issued a statement concerning this issue. A statement may resolve the debate, but it would have to be from someone who actually designed one of the games with Donkey Kong Country in the title, preferably someone who worked on the original trilogy. Some random Nintendo employee's opinion on the matter would not be sufficient for either side.

The second point to be made is the titles: all other Donkey Kong Country games in the series have "Donkey Kong Country" preceding the title, but Donkey Kong 64 did not. This is a relatively minor point, but it is clear that there is a distinction being made between this game and the other games in its surface presentation. Of course, the Nintendo 64 era was somewhat infamous for attaching 64 to the titles of its franchises, so this can be discounted as unreliable and insufficient for supporting the separation.

Really, the most important detail in determining Donkey Kong 64's position is the actual gameplay compared to other games in the series. Sure, much of the lore is the same (as Ber_udun notes "There are several references to the original trilogy in DK64.") However, it is quite clear from playing Donkey Kong 64 that it is not in the same series as the other games in the Donkey Kong Country series:

While Donkey Kong 64 is definitely a part of the Donkey Kong story (despite some people wishing it wasn't), the evidence points in favor of Donkey Kong 64 being in a category of its own, and not part of the more specific Donkey Kong Country series.

Another point to address
While considering this issue, I realized another interesting point of possible argument: Diddy's peanut popguns, which debut in Donkey Kong 64, are now an integral part of the identity of Diddy Kong in the modern DKC games. However, this does not change the position of Donkey Kong 64 in regards to the DKC series: while Donkey Kong 64 has definitely influenced the characters and story of the Donkey Kong series, and consequentially the DKC series, it does not belong in the same category as the DKC series.