Kirby Air Ride Review

By 2003, Kirby had become a Nintendo icon. He had a host of games, a playable-character role in the Super Smash Bros. series, and now even had his own anime. So it was obvious Nintendo would bring the little guy to their next-gen console, the Nintendo Gamecube. But instead of a platforming adventure, HAL created the first-ever Kirby racing games, and it ended up being the finest entry in the series.

Kirby Air Ride takes a lot from the Smash Bros. plate: the menu screens look almost the same, and it supports 4-player competition. The controls are extremelly simple: Control Stick to steer, A to hold down a boost and take on tight corners. This makes the game acessable to all audiences, but still has a lot of content for the experienced gamer; mostly because there are over 20 Air Ride machines, all of which control in their own special ways and have different strengths and weaknesses.

There are three modes to this game: Air Ride, Top Ride, and City Trial. Air Ride comprises of 10 tracks and is a good place to test your skills. These 10 tracks get kinda boring after awhile, but you can do Time Trials of these courses. Kirby's ability-copying in integrated in this mode by swallowing up enemies on the side of the track and taking their powers, acting much like the Mario Kart Item Boxes. Top Ride plays like the top-down racers of old, and has a much bigger emphasis on Item usage. They range from a cake that makes you huge to a giant cloud that zaps anyone unfourtunate enough to pass its way. The controls feel a bit weird, though; and once again, there's only 10 tracks or so to enjoy. But it's great in short bursts.

The mode that makes the whole game is City Trial. You are set over a fairly small city with 5 minutes to upgrade your ship for the minigame that appears after the timer stops. So much happens between those 5 minutes, though. You can find other ships lying around and hop on them, you can pick up patches that increase Offense, Defense, Flight, etc., much like an RPG, you can pick up items or copy abilities and destroy the other 3 opposing Kirbys and steal all their stats, you can gather pieces of a ship and then fuse them together to make one of the Legendary Air Ride machines, and so, so, so much more. The ending minigame is always fun: from a Drag Race to a Demilition Derby to a fight with King Dedede; all take advantage of one of the stats you boosted. To sum it up, it plays like an extended version of Mario Kart's battle mode on crack. You and your friends will not stop playing this mode.

The graphical and musical quality of this game is also astounding: each area has its own distint textures, and the music is all orchestrated and is absolute ear candy (though most came from the Japanese version of the Anime). This game has a bunch of replay value, too, in the form of a checkist with many different tasks to fill out. There are over 300 of 'em, so you have a lot to do if you truly want to be the master of the Ride.

VERDICT:
Gameplay: Ultra-addicting. One of the most fun multiplayer experiences ever. 10
Graphics: Well done. Not too spectacular, but it's good to the eyes. 9
Audio: The top-tier of epic. Tunes that seriously make you feel like a winner. 10
Overall: Never before has one simple gameplay mode made a whole entire game, and then some. If you want a game that is great to get into by yourself or with friends, but absolutely impossible to put down, this is it. No other GCN game is finer.

10 out of 10

Cave Story Review

In 2004, Indie game designer Pixel created probably one of the greatest downloadable games of all time: Cave Story. It became so popular that it eventually got an upgrade on PSP, WiiWare, and DSiWare. This review shall focus on the Wii version, though.

Cave Story plays and looks like the 2-D NES games of old, mostly Metroid and Mega Man. You are a lone robotic warrior named Quote who must fight his way through a deep and grand cave, picking up a variety of weapons upon the way. These weapons range from a simple handgun to an almighty laser. Each weapon has 3 different levels of power, and experience points for them are found from defeated enemies. This makes gunplay never get old, because you always wanna see the max your weapon of mass destruction can really do.

The one thing this game has what other NES games failed to convey was an amazing story. The evil Doctor has enslaved the rabbitlike Mijima people, and it's up to you to liberate the cave. Along the way, the plot takes so many stunning turn and heart-wrenching moments that I won't spoil any of it; though do have some tissues ready if you have a soft heart. An even more interesting part about this game is its endings: each show how the game will end in a variety of ways. Getting the worst one is suprisingly easy, but in order to get the best one, it requires some insane videogame skills.

The graphics are ,in one word, stunning. Even with the orignal filter on, these are the greatest hand-drawn sprites ever made. The music is something of beauty, too, and thanks to a recent patch, the music bugs have been all fixed.

Some negative aspects of the game are more of annoyances than actual problems: the tiny character can be kinda hard on the weak at seeing, the music is still a bit on the quiet side, and getting the best endings takes multiple playthroughs.

VERDICT
Gameplay: Insanely fun. There are no control errors and the story is very gripping. 10
Graphics: Brilliant. Best pixelated visuals done on any console. 10
Audio: Fits every area and is well-made. 9.75
Verdict: This is one man's love letter to all things that make gaming fun: Great gameplay, an amazing plot, brilliant graphics, and well-done music. If you like games in general, this is not to be missed.
10 out of 10

Mega Man 4 Review

In 1987, Capcom launched probably their most recognizable franchise: Mega Man. His weapon-stealing, shooting action became so popular that it produced a very large number of sequels and side franchises. Mega Man 2 is the most well-known and popular out of all of them, but one title in the franchise, Mega Man 4, remains sorely overlooked.

Mega Man 4 starts off with a little backstory on the Blue Bomber's past; how he turned from humble cleaning droid to a super-fighting robot. Pressing Start sends you to that all-to familiar Boss select screen, an important staple in the franchise. These robots this time around are well-designed and feature some of the most fun stages in MM history. Dive Man's stage is decievingly difficult, with underwater physics and death spikes all around. Pharoah Man's stage has branching pathways that lead to some tightly-spaced platforming. Toad Man's stage is water-logged and full of dizzying effects. And the story is even more interesting this time; a Russian scientist is now the evil mastermind of these new Robot Masters, though it's not long until you figure out who the real villian is.

The new gimmick of MM4 is the Charge Shot, which allows Mega Man to hold a Buster shot in, then release it to make it much more powerful. While it erases some of the challenge, it is still a very welcome addition. The weapons this time around are the series' best: every one is used numerous times throughout the game. The Rain Flush and the Pharoah Shot in particular are very usefull, but not brokenly-spammable like MM2's Metal Blade.

The graphics are vibrant and still amazing, but unlike MM3, do not cause horrible slowdown and flicker. The music is the series' best: with amazingly atmospheric tunes and beats you'll be whistling for weeks. One small complaint about this game could be that the password saves still won't let you advance to any of the castle stages, which ruins some replayability, but the game is so polished and fun anyways that you probably won't notice it as much.

VERDICT:
Gameplay: Polished to perfection. Capcom got everything right this time. 9.75
Graphics: Still well-done, and almost no slowdown. 9.5
Audio: Amazing, but great music is a Capcom standard. 9.75
Overall: It all adds up to be the greates MM in the whole series, even better than Number 2. If you're planning on picking up one Mega Man game, make it this one.
9.75 out of 10

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Review

The big End of the Year Review!



In 1996, Nintendo and Square Enix came out with the first Mario RPG on the SNES. Later in 2001, Paper Mario came out. While we waited for the next Paper Mario on GCN, which would not arrive until 2004, Nintendo treated us to a portable Mario Adventure. What we didn't know is that it would be one of the greatest games of all time.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga starts off with a very humorous catch: an evil witch Cackletta has stolen Peach's voice for her own nefarious reasons, so Mario and Luigi journey to the Beanbean Kingdom. The RPG action works like Paper Mario and even Super Mario RPG, but you control Mario with A and Luigi with B. The game focuses heavilly on timed button presses: jump at the right moment when an enemy throws something at you and you can avoid damage completely, or if you press the Jump button right before attacking, you can deal more damage on the enemy. There are also fancy Bros Attacks that are multi-button combos. There are only 8 Bro Attacks, but they're so fun to do that you most likely won't notice.

Nearly every element of SS is perfect. The plot is gut-bustingly hilarious with many quotable lines, the pacing is perfect for any style of gamer, the areas are well-designed, and the enemies are some of the most creative in the genre, from a Christmas Tree Hermit Crab to a gladiator made of soda. Every character is well thought-out and has very convincing personalities. SS is also a homage to the Mario series in general, with many cameos and gameplay parts sure to set the nostalgia glands on haywire.

The Graphics are goregeous, with every thing in the game full of emotion, plus it adds to the humor. The music is also up with other GBA greats; Alphadream really nailed the musical feel of Super Mario RPG and then some.

Pulling any critisizm on this game would be nagging, but you could say the game is a bit on the short side. SS is very replayable, however, with multiple ways to approach it.

VERDICT
Gameplay: An RPG that manages to emulate many other gameplay styles, while still being true to the source material. Brilliant stuff. 10
Graphics: Well-animated and very humorous to look at. 10
Audio: Excellent. A great listen. 10
Overall: Never before have I played a game that excels at nearly everything it does. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is so good, that I would go to such lengths as saying it is the culmination of RPGing in general. If you do not own this game, you are truly missing out on something special.

10 out of 10

Favorite Games for each System

Just thought I'd like to post the list of my favorite games per system. Here they are:

NES: Mega Man 4


SNES: Super Metroid


N64: Super Mario 64


GCN: Kirby Air Ride


Wii: Super Mario Galaxy 2


GB/C: Pokemon Red


GBA: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga


DS: Pokemon SoulSilver (Even though Warioware DIY comes pretty close to 1st)

Kirby's Epic Yarn Review

Nintendo loves to keep us waiting. The last console Kirby game was 2003's rather excellent Kirby Air Ride, but since then the little guy's been demoted to the handhelds. But Nintendo, partnered with Good-Feel, set to change that on the Wii; and Kirby's Epic Yarn is unlike any other game in the series.

The story of Kirby's Epic Yarn (KEY for short) starts when Kirby eats a magical Metamato. Apparently, an evil sorcerer named Yin-Yarn didn't like that, and sucks him into Patch-Land, a world made completely out of textiles. (These cutscenes are told by a PBS Kids-esque narrator that is charming at first, but gets kinda obnoxious; thankfully, you can skip the scenes.) Kirby's form changes into Yarn, and soon finds the air goes right through him in this world. Kirby still has a few tricks up his sleeve, though; he can stretch out a whip-like strand of yarn that has multiple uses, like rolling up enemies into yarnball projectiles, swinging across pits Indiana Jones-style, pulling zippers to open up parts of levels, and much more.

The next biggest change is Kirby's morphing powers. At any time, he can turn into a car by double-tapping a direction, he can turn into a parachute by holding 2, and turn into a weight by holding down in air. These instant-morphs are basically the Wheel, Parasol, and Stone abilities of old, abiet at any time. But at certain times in the levels, Kirby can touch a morphing orb and turn into a large variety of objects. One levels morphs Kirby into a tank, and the missiles are guided by moving the Wii Remote. Another level transforms Kirby into a Mole Tank, allowing him to drill deep in the surface. The best transformation, in my opinon, is the Firetruck, where Kirby can aim the hose via tilting the Remote. There's enough morphs to keep your attention for a long time, and often brings me fond memories of the vehicle transformations in Yoshi's Island- a game KAR shares a lot of influence to. Note that this game can be played with two people, which is a blast.

KAR features a lot of replayability: every level has multiple achievements and lots of alternate paths. One aspect about this game that is unlike any other Kirby game, though, is the inability to die; Kirby just looses beads if he's hit, and gets saved if he falls down holes. Getting to the end of the level without loosing any beads is pretty hard in its own right, though, and the later levels have especially tricky locations of treasure chests.

The graphical style of KAR is absolutely amazing. Everything in Patch Land is made out of things you could find at a crafts store. One level substitutes quicksand for yellow waving cloth, the next has a variety of sweets yarnified, and another has beautiful snow made out of cotton. Everything looks beautiful in this game. The music especially is wonderful. From orchestated remixes on classic Kirby tunes to beautiful piano solos, the music fits the mood of each world perfectly.

The stiching in the final framework has a couple of flaws, though. Along with the aformentioned inability to die, the game is far too short. Another big issue I have is that it really does not feel like a Kirby game: there's no inhalation, copying, or any other recognizable Kirby elements. But what the game is, it suceeds.

VERDICT
Gameplay: UnKirby but still very fun. A bit on the easy side, though. 9.0
Graphics: Unlike anything else out there. So much innovation in only 2 dimensions. 9.5
Audio: Enjoyable. 9.25
Overall: Kirby's Epic Yarn, while not all that epic, is a fine addition to the series, and a game all fans of platformers should pick up.
8.5 out of 10

Pokemon Red/Blue Review

In 1996, Nintendo launched an RPG on the Japanese GB: Pokemon Red and Green. These two games had a revolutionary idea: instead of having pre-set heroes like most RPGs, you had to catch animals and use them to fight. It was, at first, looking to be unsuccessful, until something clicked with the public, and they started selling like hotcakes. Nintendo took a risk and launched these games in America, and needless to say, our country has not been the same since.

Pokemon Red and Blue starts out like most RPGs of the day, but a notable difference is that it takes place in modern times. As the Pokemon Trainer Red (or whatever you named him), you walk around town, then you spot a patch of grass. The Pokemon Professor, Oak, will come over and tell you you need a Pokemon. You get to choose from 3 of the Pokemon he has. One is the cute Bulbasaur, the fiery Charmander, or the watery Squirtle. If you choose one, your rival (which you can also name) will choose another one that has a type advantage to yours (for example, Squirtle's a water-type, so his moves are more effective against the fire-type, Charmander). Type advantage is only one of the aspects of the Pokemon battle. To explain every single rule would take far too long, and it's best to figure out yourself every single rule.

Random encounters are very frequent in this game, but in a unique twist, you can "catch" a foe Pokemon and put them on your team. Only 6 can be in your party, so every team is different. The big catch about the game, really, is in the phrase on the box, "Gotta catch 'em all!" Some Pokemon are very frequent throught the whole game and are very easy to catch (with an item called a Poke Ball), like Rattata, Tentacool, and Zubat; while some are extremelly rare and very hard to catch, like Chansey or the legendary Mewtwo. The variety of the 151 creatures you can find and catch in this game is amazing, and has not been surpassed by any other sequel.

The plot itself is not the most amazing for an RPG, but it does the job well. You are tasked with beating all 8 Gym Leaders and getting their badges, then with those badges must ascend Indigo Plateau and challenge the Elite 4 to become the Pokemon Champion. Along the way you'll encounter Team Rocket (the "mob" of this game) and beat their leader, run various sidequests, and battle other Trainers (with their teams of Pokemon). The lack of various features from newer games like Abilities, a lack of a map, and Breeding means that this is one hard game. But once you develop a proper team, the challenge doesn't seem quite that daunting.

The music of this game pushed the GB to its utter limit: it still rocks today. Easilly some of the best on the whole system. The graphics, though, is something that might set those who started with the newer games off: they look downright ugly by today's standards. Another thing that might set people off is how slow Pokemon learn moves and how slow they level up. Get past those issues, and you'll enjoy a great game without all the confusions of the way-complex battle systems of today.

VERDICT
Gameplay: Not as complex as the newer ones, but still as addictive as it was back in 1998. 9.5
Audio: Fantastic. A joy to listen to. 9.75
Overall: If you're newer to the franchise, or wanna see where it all began, this is the perfect game to start out with. When you've caught all of the original 151, you really feel like the champion of the world. Easilly the greatest Game Boy game.
9.5 out of 10