| Kirby`s Block Ball |
| A Sympathetic Observation Man, would it stink to be Kirby. Not only would you be tremendously over weight, but you'd have to eat and bump your way out of every conceivable cutesy danger. Pain and gain. Stop the insanity! In Kirby's Block Ball, Kirby has been magically transformed into the sphere from a suped up version of Super Breakout. He is responsible for clearing level after level of blocks, which have been formed in a variety of different patterns. He also has to rid the screen of numerous little baddies. Additionally, the Kirbster can also be rigged up with some impressive special attacks, that will help him in his tricky task of mass block clearage. The Legacy... Nintendo, with the help of HAL Laboratories, has a way of making the most ridiculous games you could think of a sweet surprise. Although I've never been a tremendous fan of the Kirby Dreamland titles (I'm currently playing Dreamland 2 so we'll see if this changes), I have to admit, Kirby's Pinball is one of my all time favorite Game Boy games and Kirby's Dream Course has taken a position on my all time favorite Super NES games list. So, it was with a certain amount of anticipation, that I entered into the latest Kirby epic. Right away I was impressed by the cleverness of this diversion. Yes, it's a direct descendant of all of the Pong and Super Breakout variants that seem to filter out to the market place every year (still). The difference with Kirby's game, of course, is all of the Kirby-isms that are interspersed throughout. Kirby's Construction The game is set up all on one Game Boy screen. The only scrolling in the game happens after Kirby clears a level and he moves up to the next one. Bumper pads are positioned on up to four horizontal and vertical planes - bottom, top, left and right - but the number varies from level to level. The blocks come in a number of shapes, sizes and strengths. Some of the blocks can not be destroyed by regular Kirby, so you have to be a tad crafty if you want to get 'em all. Kirby doesn't just bounce around without any say in the matter either, he plays an active role in his own bopping. The press of the "A" button activates your little bumper pad which, upon contact, will puff Kirby up like a full vacuum bag and give him the brief ability to smash through some of the tougher blocks. Special Kirby abilities that the game features are: Burn Kirby - our pudgy hero can burn through just about anything Spark Kirby - Kirby zaps himself a wide path through the blocks Stone Kirby - he transforms into a solid chunk, allowing him to bust through anything Needle Kirby - becomes a porcupine doughboy with the ability to spike various blocks and stick into the bumper pads Double Kirby - can you guess this one? The Cute That Kills The graphics for the game are simple, classic Kirby. Rounded shapes, big cutesy heads, and lots of stars and such. Kids and parents will like the innocuous design. Older game players, without a taste for anything resembling a moving coloring book, will probably have to work hard to keep from running away from their Game Boys. In terms of the gameplay, however, I think you'll agree with me that the cute characters and design elements do little to alter the enjoyment of the diversion, regardless of how hardcore against such esthetics you may be. Volume Up? As strange as this may seem, the sounds and music in Kirby's Block Ball are not punishing. Melodies are discernible and change from time to time and the boings and sproings of Kirby being bopped around fit perfectly well. Yep, it's true, I had the volume up on the Game Boy - I didn't have ear phones in, mind you. No sense over doing things. Another Kirby Korker Nintendo's done it again. Kirby's Block Ball is a winner. I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as Kirby's Pinball Land but it definitely fit all the criteria for a solid portable entertainment. With eleven different levels each with five separate rounds, as well as four bonus games, Kirby's Block Ball should keep gamers on the go, smiling for a good long time. You know, for a fat little pudge who goes through life bouncing around, Kirby sure has a lot of tricks up his sleeve Reviewed by Diane Cote |
| Kirby`s Dreamland |
| Kirby's Dream Land suffers from an enormous flaw you just cannot ignore: there is no way to save your game. This means that unless you're going on a long trip and will have nothing to do except play Game Boy, this is a game that will rarely get played. The game play is the classic "swallow the bad guys" Kirby platform action that's been around since the NES. On the Game Boy, despite the lack of color and the miniaturized screen, little is lost in the graphics department. The visuals are pleasant and distinctive. Kirby's worlds are filled with cutesy characters that pop out from cutesy buildings. I enjoyed the fact that this round little creature got from place to place by riding stars. Being shot from the spout of a whale up to a higher level is quite cool as well. The sounds in Kirby's Dreamland are comprised almost entirely of Kirby's vacuum suction, twinkling stars and baddies popping into star dust. The music has that familiar jingle quality that will keep you humming after you shut down your Game Boy, sort of a cross between your favorite happy cartoon, your favorite happy commercial and the theme from The Price Is Right. There's quite a bit to see in this little cart. Younger gamers, who are looking for something to do while they're sitting in the backseat waiting to get to Disneyland, will lap Kirby's Dream Land up. Older gamers, looking for some quick fun before the boss gets into work, will find it a drag that they can't save their progress and are forced to see the same levels again and again. A good Game Boy introduction for Kirby but a shame the proper tech wasn't added into the cart. Reviewed by Diane Cote |
| Kirby`s Dreamland 2 |
| Kirby's games have gotten better and better over the years. This latest Game Boy diversion is among the most solid platform adventures ever released for the portable. It features crisp graphics, melodic tunes and a "can't stop" playability that's just perfect for traveling. The cart also comes packed with a built-in storage battery, so picking up where you last left off isn't an issue. Filled with busy little enemy critters, special power-ups and bonus levels galore Kirby's Dream Land 2 is a heck of a solid investment. Cute N' Cuddly In case you needed to be refreshed on video games basics #253: Kirby is a fat, pink marshmallow shaped protagonist who can eat more than your football playing teen aged brother. Needless to say, the dude is cute. Kirby's environments are also cute. Everything looks soft and kid-friendly. Never mind that stinking bad guys into his big gaping hole might be one of the most frightening images an adult could ever conceive of. For kids, and adult game players who know better, this animation is profoundly effective no muss, no fuss. Well, in Kirby's Dream Land 2, the Kirbster gets to suck it back on a number of different and relatively complex levels. Of all the Kirby games I've played, this one definitely offered up the most challenges and the most diverse locations. Each of the seven islands that Kirby visits is loaded with separate and distinct stages. You'll travel in the air, under water, in the snow , over canyons and into an evil castle. You'll encounter all kinds of baddies. Some of them will be easily dispatched by a quick swallow, others will make you stand and fight like a macho pillow, and still others will cough up a special ability. The power-ups in this game are something to get excited about. With the right weapons, Kirby becomes a true menace to bad guy society. He can gain the use of a boomerang cutter, or have the ability to shoot fireballs, or my favorite, turn bad guys into ice cubes - perfect for throwing into your mid afternoon Kool-Aid, eh, Kirb? Thirsty, guy? Lullabies The tunes in Kirby's Dream Land 2 are sweet enough to make Mother Goose gag. Bouncy, light and tamer than a kitten at milk time is how I'd describe these little melodies. The sound effects tag right along on the cute ride. The only thing that might bug you is the tinny speaker on the Game Boy, which makes all of the higher pitched effects sound even more irritating than they already are. I wouldn't worry though, as long as you don't play your Game Boy with headphones plugged in (are you a masochist?), you should have no problems with the audioscape of Dreamland 2. Like You Couldn't Figure That Out Guess what? Kirby's Dreamland 2 is exceedingly easy to play. But, it's also quite long and it gets progressively more difficult as you work your way through. The controls are simple. You have one button to jump, one to consume and by pressing up on the direction pad, you puff up like a balloon and float for a while. The controls change a little bit if you scoop a power-up or if you hitch a ride with one of your three animal buddies (Rick the Hamster, Kine the Fish and Coo the Owl - I swear I'm not making this up) but for the most part this game handles as smooth as melted butter. Get The Card Out Kirby's Dream Land 2 is a must buy Game Boy title. It's got plenty of stuff to do and see and the game continually surprises you with its inventiveness. The coders and artists behind this game have been working on the Kirb for years, and of all the good Kirby games I've played, this one takes second place right behind Kirby's Pinball Land. I even enjoyed it more than Kirby's Super Star for the Super NES. What can I say? Some of that Miyamoto magic has rubbed off on this cart. I'm giving Kirby's Dream Land 2 9.5 out of 10 Reviewed by Diane Cote |
| Kirby`s Pinball Land |
| Believe it or not, Kirby's Pinball Land is one of the best games available for the Game Boy. It's not a traditional pinball game by any stretch of the imagination. With silly looking characters representing bumpers, bells and targets, the game looks unlike any pinball table you've ever seen before. Kirby, everybody's favorite wannabe marshmallow, stars as the actual pinball - how twisted is that? There are a number of different levels in the game and each screen presents a new series of challenges. Along with the straight ahead game, a whole bunch of really cool secret bonus games are strewn throughout this pinball adventure. It's a pure "high score" based challenge but because of the number of nifty twists in the design, the game will keep you coming back for more (a-d-d-i-c-t-i-o-n, learn to spell it!). There's even a save game feature which will let you pick up your last game exactly where you left off. As hard as you may try to ignore Kirby's Pinball Land, you should know it sports the perfect blend of challenge and levity. Exactly what a good Game Boy title should offer. I'm giving Kirby's Pinball Land 9.5 out of 10 Reviewed by Diane Cote |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Kirby`s Dream Course |
|
|
| I like game where I have to know all the angles. I likes games where I don't have to worry about something attacking me, it helps me relax. It can be challenging, but not suspenseful. This game is good for me because I don't have time to sit down and learn how to play a game then beat it. In Kirby's Dream Course I can sit down play a few rounds to wind down then go on with my hectic schedule. Plus I love all the little figures. It also really helps me when I'm baby-sitting. I don't have to worry about the kid going home and telling his parents about all the fighting I let he partake in, or the blood and gore I subjected him to. Graphics 9 out of 10 Kirby's Dream Course grafics...well, I liked them. They aren't very realistic, but since it's not supposed to be real this is a good thing. I love all the little cartoon like figures. Not just the little marshmallow Kirbys, but also the little speed demon tires, the rocks that stop you in mid-role, the tornados, and the flying capes guys. They're so cute (insert a "isn't that baby so cute" squeal here). The colors are all really bright and cheerful and happy. Music and Sound 8 out of 10 The music is also really up-beat and cheerful. It can lift your spirits. Okay, maybe not. But hey, it sounds good. It sounds like a cartoon show for kids, that I wouldn't hate. (Such as barney or tele-tubbies. I can't stand them). It could be a music score from one of the older Disney movies. Not a trek I would buy, but it's nice background music. As for the sound effects they are pretty much what you would expect. Very cartoony sounding. Some sound like they were on Super Mario Bros. (take your pick 1, 2, or 3). There cute, and they fit what happens when you hear them. Game Challenge 7 out of 10 I know it sounds easy. Make the little marshmallow thing hit the other things, then fall in a hole. However, it takes a great deal more intelligence then that. In order to win quickly, you must be able to figure all the angles out in your head before you take your shot. You can't just shoot something and win. I was able to beat all the different worlds/levels in about 7 hours. (not consecutive). Whereas one of my friends who is very good at fighting games needed 23 hours. (again, not consecutive) to win. Game Play-Fun 9 out of 10 I loved it! I don't know what else to add. This is a game where if you are good at it you will love it. If your bad at it, it will haunt you until you become good at it. You won't want to play, and you will hate the site of it, but you feel you HAVE to beat it, or lose you sanity trying. And I am VERY good at it. Frustration Well, I guess that there isn't an area where you can play against an AI. Then again, it would probably be hard to design it into a game like this. I would love to be able to design my own world/level. Other then these I can't think of anything. If your not good at this game you might have many more frustrations. See the paragraph on game play fun. Replayability 9 out of 10 Even though I have beaten them all before, I can still go through and try to get a better score, or beat them through a different route. I have had this game since it came out in `95 and I still love to play it when I get the chance. Game Value 9 out of 10 Defiantly buy! Now it's pretty cheap, but no matter what the price, this is a great deal. Overall 10 out of 10 Reviewed by Blaklite |
|
|
| Kirby`s Dreamland 3 |
| Everybody loves Kirby. It's next to impossible NOT to love Kirby. He started out on the small screen with Kirby's Dream Land. They've made some other games from him, which include Pinball, Blockball, Avalanche, and Superstar. Little kids love Kirby 'cause Kirby's so darn cute. And here he is again, with his best game ever. This game will redefine the standards for all other SNES games to come. Graphics 9.5 out of 10 The graphics on this are awesome. It's pastel, which makes it nice. But the backgrounds, oh, the backgrounds are awesome. Go and fight King Dedede. You're not just standing there fighting him. You're on top of his castle. It's a dark and stormy night. He also looks really freaky. Also the baddies look real cool. Lickums (the hidden guy who tries to eat you) looks really really cool. There's even a little touch of 3D. If you get Chuchu and umbrella you'll see what I mean. The only flaw was that all the guys look just like in KDL2. There weren't very many new guys. The bosses also looked the same as before. But you have to say, that's the only flaw in the graphics. Music and Sound 9 out of 10 The first thing that I noticed other than the great graphics and the awesome gameplay was the radical music. There are so many different musics! The sound effects are neat too. Some of the sound is the same as KDL, but they've REALLY jazzed it up. The King Dedede music has the same melody but it sounds much better. Also there are new music altogether for sand canyon (level 3) because it's a new level. There are also new sound effects for when you get killed. But some of the music is the same. That's why it's not a 10 but a 9. But overall, the sound a music totally rocks. Game Challenge 11 out of 10 This game just defines challenge. Sure, it's easy enough to beat the levels. But the heart stars make it a mega challenge. I got it about the day it came out in stores and I still only have 1/2 of the heart stars. Some of the heart stars are obvious, while others are not. The first one is easy: Don't squish the flowers. The first one in level 2 took me a while: you need pitch and broom power to water the plants but you still have to avoid squishing them. #1 in level 3 is really weird: this you squish the flowers but don't squish the mushrooms. Some of them you know how to get but they're really hard to get. The bosses are extremely hard too. And, boss #4, took me 18 game overs. Dedede took 25 game overs. Overall, this DEFINES the word Challenge in video games. Game Play-Fun 11 out of 10 This game so fun!!! The 1 reason I didn't play it until 4:00 am is that my Mom keeps my video games upstairs where I can't get them. There are 8, yes 8, count 'em, special abilities which you get from munching baddies. The are: Ice (from Mr. snowman), Fire (Koko), boomerang (from load propeller or that weird bird guy), spikes (from the spikey guy [name:???]), Rock (from rocky or blocky), sparks (from sparky), umbrella (from those umbrella guys), and broom (from Keke or broom hatter). There are also 6 friends. Rick the hamster, Kine the fish, Coo the owl, Nago the cat, Pitch the falcon, and ChuChu, this weird blobby thing that is supposedly Kirby's girlfriend. What's really cool is when you have a power and a friend. That's lots of fun. It's also nice to play with your friend over because they can be Gooey, Kirby's best friend. Frustration I only have one thing to say about frustration: Where are those heart stars! That's the only frustrating thing. Those darned heart stars. Replayability 9 out of 10 You can't give something a 10 in this category because it will eventually get boring and old. But you really have to do each level twice. Just for the fun of it you must do everything in the game twice. But this game never gets boring because there are so many secrets. Like level 6 and (my friend says but I'm not sure) level 7. But you can do it over and over and it doesn't get boring. Game Value 10 out of 10 It's definitely worth the $50.00 I paid for it. Kirby has always been my favorite video game character and this game shows it. This game is worth any price it's marked and $10.00 more. This could be Kirby's final appearance on SNES. But it is defiantly worth the price. Overall 59 out of 60 Overall, this game is awesome. A 59 out of 60 overall. Kirby will never go out of style. He's cute and lovable. That's why I think this game is awesome. One final thing: KIRBY ROCKS!!! Reviewed by Matt Thompson |
| Kirby Superstar |
|
|
| There have been many games for Super NES. Kirby Superstar is one of my favorites though that I have. The levels are great because they get harder and it's not to confusing for beginners when they start out. It's really fun when you get started and make it to the harder levels and different levels of difficulty. I really enjoy this game. Come with me and let me tell you a little about this great game! Graphics 10 out of 10 The graphics on this game are great!!!! I think they did a better job on this Kirby then any other one that they made. I especially like the Milky Way Wishes and the Arena when you finally get there. The graphics in the Milky Way Wishes are really great!!!! There's things from the stars and the different planets that you go on. I don't think they could be any better. Music and Sound 10 out of 10 The sound of this game is really cool because it doesn't get annoying or creepy sounding when your trying to beat an enemy. I think that's great because then you can consontrate better. If all games would be like that I think that would be the bomb. But sometimes it is better when the music changes but it does not get creepy sounds. All out of all I like it. Game Challenge 10 out of 10 The game challenge is pretty good because as I mentioned before it is easier in the beginning when there are beginners starting. Then it does get harder and it is a really fun game!!! It doesn't get to hard but harder. The Arena is very fun and difficult and you get to challenge all the enemies that you faced all throughout the game. I like the levels of difficulty. I think there great! Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10 This game is very very fun!! I like all the different games and stuff. That's why I like Superstar games. I think there really cool. The Grand Prix is very fun I like that game because it's fun to see if you can beat the guy. I beat him a couple times and it wasn't to hard but it was challenging. I also like Milky Way Wishes. I think it's neat with all the different planets that you play. I think it makes it look neat and very fun. Frustration This game is not really frustrating. I think with the good music and all that it takes away a lot of the confusion. Sometimes I know when I can't get passed one of the enemies I get a little frustrated but everyone does unless there wizes at Nintendo. Then finally when I get passed it I am very happy and I feel like I can beat the rest. Replayability 10 out of 10 The replayability is great because you can play it over and over again but also it saves. I like the games that save because you could be spending hours on trying to beat something and then just your mom tells you to shut it off and which everyone's does and then you have to start all over the next time so I really like the game because it does save. Also to erase the game is not to hard to find out but also it is confusing to little kids so they can't go and just erase it. I like the idea of the hidden erase button so it's not so find able. Game Value 10 out of 10 I think this game should be worth a lot because it's a really fun game and you are always finding new things even when you beat the games a million times. I'm not really sure what it is really worth or how much it cost either because I got it for Christmas and I don't dare asking my mom. So I think it should be worth a lot though. Milky Way Wishes 10 out of 10 I know I have talked a lot about Milky way Wishes but I really like this part of the game. I think the planets that you play in are really neat and I like the last enemy. I'm not sure what he's called but it's really neat on a planet like thing and I think it's really neat! The Arena 10 out of 10 I think the arena is really cool because you get to face all your enemies that you played all through out the game and you only get a certain amount of things until you beat so many things. And if you die then you start over. I like it because they usually are spread out between hard things and easy things. So I like that part. Overall 10 out of 10 I really like this game because everything in it is a 100%! I love it!! I would recommend it to anyone that loves Nintendo and beginners because it's to getting used to become a really good player. This game level is not hard and not to easy. It just depends on the game your playing. I really enjoyed playing it and beating all the levels and I'm sure that anyone else would to!! Reviewed by Shawn |
| Kirby 64 |
|
|
| The evil Dark Matter has shattered the crystal of the Fairies and scattered its shards all across the solar system. Now the pink hero/cream puff/eating machine Kirby must team up with the fairy Ribbon to find all the shards and rebuild the crystal. Explore different planets in this 2D side-scroller with 3D graphics. Eat baddies and copy their powers; combine powers to make new ones, all in an effort to thwart Dark Matter. Rewiewed By Randy |
 |