Topic: Let's talk Nintendo's Kirby

[RichterB]

I am an experienced player of Nintendo franchises since the beginning, more or less. But one I never really delved much into was Kirby, and now the Kirby's Dream Collection is coming out this year, which seems a great celebration of the franchise, and one of the best anniversary gifts I've ever seen. That raises the question, though. What Kirbys are actually worth playing (as a relative newbie). Read on:

I admired Kirby's Dreamland 2 and 3 back in the day, but never played them. The first and only game I played through was Kirby 64, which I found fun and endearing, if a little easy. Since then, I have picked up Kirby's highly touted Kirby Super Star entry for the Wii's VC. Now, I've been playing it with a Gamecube controller, which is frustrating and clunky...but even so, the game feels sort of inane and clunky to me. It certainly has charm, but that's about it. I don't find it any better than Kirby's rival, Starfy, which was finally released in the US a few years back on the DS, and left a good deal to be desired despite a lot of good aesthetics and fundamentals. There are so many options with a helper summon and power stealing that it comes off as both overwhelming and pointless. So, that takes me back to Kirby's Dreamland 2 and Dreamland 3 as my big hopes for enjoying the series. It may be that Kirby isn't for me. I like the idea of the symbiotic animal helpers and Kirby's basic flight, as well as the inhale-and-spit gameplay. The power stealing and/or combining worked well in Kirby 64, but it seems like the idea has been taken too far to the point of distracting or replacing the level design, which I really don't like.

Based on what I've said and your own experiences, what would you say to me?

[Arma]

I've played a few, the first game for the Famicom is always a good one to get started into Kirby's world. For the Super Nintendo I finished Kirby Super Star and I remember it was a very fun game, some stages were harder than others, I had a hard time with the last one which is like a shooter game and you have to avoid all the obstacles taking as little damage as possible because after it comes the final boss, I played Dreamland 3 too. It's a nice game.
There are a few for the GBA, very good games too. The last one I played was Kirby Mass Attack and loved it.
Above all we're talking about simple plots, cute graphics and music, mini games and puzzles, fun gameplay and different levels of difficulty making the entire series highly replayable. You can go play the Nes game now thinking it's gonna suck for being so old but it's an absorbing game that has aged well.

It's a series focused on entertaining all audiences and I think it delivers that just fine. Each game maintains the right feel but at the same time has it's own detail that makes it different from other titles of the series. When I play Kirby I just do it knowing I'm gonna have fun, I don't like to get dense and start analyzing every simple aspect of the games because that's not always relevant, some games are just meant to be played and enjoyed. Kirby is one of those games.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

They remade Kirby Super Star (SNES) for Nintendo DS and gave the game a lot more features, making that version better than the SNES version.
That version is "Kirby Super Star Ultra" (DS).

[Johnny Alucard]

The best.

Kirby Air Ride: City Trial

[Inccubus]

Personally, I found Kirby 64 to be the worst title in the series. I love pretty much all of them. If there's any one that would feel inane and pointless now it's the first one for GameBoy, Kirby's Dreamland. It's lack of a power'up system like it's sequels makes it age badly, and this is only compounded by the fact that one of the "mini" games in Kirby Super Star is basically a remake of it. If you liked Kirby 64 you'll probably like KDL3 with it's combination of helpers & powers.

[Abnormal Freak]

The Wii collection basically has all of the main titles in the series sans Return to Dream Land, so if you were ever going to give Kirby a chance, that collection will be what makes you a fan or puts you off for good.

You might dig Kirby's Adventure on the NES. There's a very good remake of it on GBA called Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Yeah you don't really 'have' to play Kirby's Dreamland if you play Kirby Super Star's "Spring Breeze".  However, that minigame story doesn't have all of the stages the original had.  They should do a full remake of that (maybe that's in Super Star Ultra? I don't have that game).

[Lumi Kløvstad]

This is STILL the most relevant Kirby video I know of.

Kirby is a fucking monster

[Havatchu]

I wish I wasn't a noob on this site, because I would truly love to like or respect or whatever your post, because I know I've seen it somewhere.

Other than Zelda, Kirby is probably my favorite Nintendo franchise, it would have been DK, but Rare selling to Microsoft and no Kremlings put a bad taste in my mouth. I still love DK, but the franchise has lost some of it's integrity because of that.

Sadly that also means there will probably never be just a straight platforming Banjo-Kazooie ever again.

Looked up Bomberman real quick, apparently Konami has had rights to him since just this year? Damn, let's see something! Not sure why I mentioned him, but I feel Kirby and Bomberman have the same level of campiness to them, I view them as sister franchises, and something I'm more apt to like than Mario.

Yes, I like Mario as well, but I haven't touched one since the N64.

Edit: Oh look, now I've done it.

[Johnny Alucard]

it would have been DK, but Rare selling to Microsoft and no Kremlings put a bad taste in my mouth. I still love DK, but the franchise has lost some of it's integrity because of that.

You didn't like Donkey Kong Kong Country Returns? I thought that game was great! One of the best platformers in a long while.

[Havatchu]

You didn't like Donkey Kong Kong Country Returns? I thought that game was great! One of the best platformers in a long while.

I don't own a Wii, so I can't say I don't like it, but I'm sure I have no problem with the game from what I've seen in gameplay, it's just bullshit that there are no Kremlings anymore.

[Abnormal Freak]

What's bigger bullshit is the fact you have to shake the remote to roll/run. Apparently that was at Nintendo's insistence, not something Retro wanted. I hope the Wii U does away with worthless and hindering waggle controls.

[darkwzrd4]

Kirby is GAY. Period.

[Phoenix7786]

If I was able to eat as much as he does and not gain a pound I'd be pretty darn happy too.

[Johnny Alucard]

So, was anyone hear lucky enough to snag that Kirby's 25th Anniversary coin off Club Nintendo?

It seemed to have sold out within minutes due to all the people getting extras to sell on eBay.