Recap: Played but never offically owned DKC, owned (and, to some extent, disowned) DKC2 on the VC, and I'm intrigued to eventually give DKC3 a go.
Also, saying the pay-to-save system "made it more challenging" is like saying a hamburger tastes better if you tape a chocolate bar to the side: To some extent, you're correct, but it's not really being integrated into the experience very creatively or conveniently.