Simply the Best

They're all there in Cappa's post, which in itself is incredible!

Righty-hoo, let's go from bad to good.  Except there's not really a bad Kirby game, is there?  Maybe Air Ride, which, like most of the franchise, I've not played.  More "innocuous".


There are none more innocuous than Nightmare in Dreamland.  I played it, I finished it, I struggle to remember it, I will never go back to it.  Move along.

I did not finish Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.  I think it's probably better than Power Paintbrush, bar one thing: it's a home console game.  Yes it's downloadable rather than retail, but I am a lazy bastard and I expect a suitable return on investment for sitting through the loading sequences and such.  And while it looked pretty enough (on the Gamepad, but primarily on the TV you can't even look at), it provided a simple, 3DS-like experience that didn't justify turning on the TV (arguably pointless) and Wii U.

Power Paintbrush, however, I ploughed through.  I even finished the main game.  Time, I suspect, will not have been kind to it: the clumsy control scheme, "innovative" for the time, is rather irritating now, and the "boss fights" were taking the urine.  But I still have fond memories of it, especially the music: Silver Submarine in particular sticks in my head.

Triple Deluxe was, in a way, the perfect traditional Kirby game.  Did some vague new things, in the form of background platforming, the more detailed copy abilities and the throwaway Hypernova stuff (although the photos. we took of ourselves "hypernovafied" were both brilliant and terrifying).  Was polished and pretty.  The soundtrack was jolly good, with the final boss theme verging on magical.  And it was absolutely utterly inoffensive, with the possible exception of its difficulty.  It was good, but not great.

And thus far, I'd say the same about its sequel, Planet Robobot.  I'm only up to world 2-4, but it seems obvious from what I've played that it'll be better than K3D.  The robots improve on the Hypernova gameplay, and the Jet ability's a good new one.  What it's not is substantially different, or much better.  But let's wait and see, it has a long way to go yet.

Top of the tree, though, it's definitely Kirby's Epic Yarn.  My main problem, shared by all the above, was its ease, but it was beautiful and utterly charming.  Tried something new with the Kirby formula too.  



(Sorry, this was the only picture I could find.  Bloody Americanised Internet.)  And of course I can't let this opportunity go past without plugging the simply amazing Outer Rings music!


That's what little I've played of the genre.  Marks out of ten would go 5,6,6,7,7?,8 respectively.  It's worth noting that, while Kirby is almost never bad, the one Kirby game I've played that makes it to "great" started off life as a different franchise entirely.

The only Kirby game I feel I've missed out on is Fun Pak.  I feel no burning compulsion to play it, but that might change should I get over my 2D platformer ennui.  While Nintendo keep being Nintendo, that seems unlikely.

I do like Kirby but I've only played a few of his games, which will make ranking rather different

Kirby's Epic Yarn & Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, I've owned and played bits of but not enough to pass any sort of judgment. I also think I've some of the puzzle games and own some on the Wii U VC but my Top 5

4/5. Dream Land, Dream Land 2 GB, I've finished one of them but not sure which
3. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards N64, Got this for a birthday once of a mate
2. Kirby's Fun Pak SNES, This was hard not to put a number 1 due to all the content
1. Adventure NES, When I got a NES in like the year 2004 this was one of the first games I bought for it from the local retro shop and it was so dam good still

Wowsers - cheers all for celebrating Kirby, and big cheers to Mr. Cappuccino for his comprehensive list.

I got my thoughts here now: Despite being immensely lovable, and I sneaky Smash Bros. "main" as I believe you kids call it, I've actually only played 4 Kirby games properly.

I should have bought by now: Kirby Planet RoboBot and Kirby's Dreamland 3 (the latter on VC). Sorry.

A bit disappointing is: Kirby's Dreamland - it was the first one, but it didn't really tax even the GameBoy. I hope that sentence makes sense.

Pretty good is: Kirby 64 The Crystal Sharts *laughs at own joke* *still laughing* *breathes in* *more laughing* - I definitely played it, and yet find myself not remembering too many of the levels. But the item combination was great - discovering what (sometimes useless) pairing of abilities would bring. Favourites include the Electric/Flame combo, with the Dexter's Lab "MY HAIR IS ON FIRE! MY HAIR IS ON FIRE!" animation, and - what other game apart from Mario and Sonic at the Olympics gives you this - a curling stone. It also felt a bit desolate at times - blame the N64's space-to-enemies ratio for that, as well as the (excellent as usual) music - try the Ruins.

Really good is: Kirby's Adventure - I missed this at the time, having played the GameBoy version and thinking that this is a dumb game for dumb babies. But this is actually a massive epic advenutre. It really pushes the NES to the limit - you can tell it's quite a late game - and there's some modern platform game concepts here that Mario wouldn't handle until the SNES. There's just stuff everywhere. Music again is great - Butter Building is a highlight. Level names are a bit random, mind. Butter Building. Orange Ocean. Cake Place. Marzipan Library. Asparagus Train Station. I've started making them up.

Absolutely Excellent is: Kirby's Epic Yarn - yes I know it's really kiddified. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a nice thing that everyone can enjoy (except for the hard-as-nails last world). What was the point of finding collectable furniture throughout the levels, so that other NPCs could hang out? It doesn't matter - that's what. There's even an old-school kid's-story-style narrator. In an era where people were still pushing photo-realism, Nintendo hit the mark again with that great stylised woolly look. If it wasn't for this game, you wouldn't have Giant Yarn Yoshi Amiibo. And that'd be sad indeed.
In fact, not only are the graphics stylised, the music is as well, with the piano-led theme, and the melodica-rendition of traditional Kirby themes in the last world - Green Greens anyone? I remember the Iwata asks where Mr. Ando plays this live, and would send a link, but I'm too sad to look it up.


Not classified: Kirby Right Back At 'Ya! - did anyone ever watch this? When we first got Sky (about 10 years ago) I caught it on left-over-shit kids' channel POP! (along with the cartoon dragon that used to present CITV for a bit when I was a kid - bizarre). Obviously you can't actually make Kirby the star of a TV show, as he never says anything, and appears to be a big mentally less developed (can I say that? Sorry). So most of the action revolves around two kids who I don't remember from any game. AND KING DEDEDE IS FROM THE SOUTH OF THE US! It also features incongrous CG and traditional animé-lite. But you should all watch some of it.

Jimbob wrote:

Not classified: Kirby Right Back At 'Ya! - did anyone ever watch this? When we first got Sky (about 10 years ago) I caught it on left-over-shit kids' channel POP! (along with the cartoon dragon that used to present CITV for a bit when I was a kid - bizarre). Obviously you can't actually make Kirby the star of a TV show, as he never says anything, and appears to be a big mentally less developed (can I say that? Sorry). So most of the action revolves around two kids who I don't remember from any game. AND KING DEDEDE IS FROM THE SOUTH OF THE US! It also features incongrous CG and traditional animé-lite. But you should all watch some of it.

Imagine if they were to take the narrator from Epic Yarn & make a cartoon that way, kind of like Magic roundabout but with Kirby.

Jimbob wrote:

Level names are a bit random, mind. Butter Building. Orange Ocean. Cake Place. Marzipan Library. Asparagus Train Station. I've started making them up.

Asparagus Asylum? Where you enter the mind of Kirby and battle the eating disorder he clearly has & if you collect a power up it does damage to you.

Before Cappa's post I used to think of myself as a bit of a Kirby expert - now I realise that I'm a semi-pro at best. Anyway, here's my ranking of the fourteen Kirby games I've played.

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3:

2:

1:

Blimey, that's still a list and a half. If Cappa falls in battle, you get to be chief Kirby officer

ZeroJones wrote:

7:

Oh yeah - despite it also being in Cappa''s list, I missed this one out. Infinitely more enjoyable than Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, despite basically being the same game.

Jimbob wrote:

Kirby 64 The Crystal Sharts *laughs at own joke* *still laughing* *breathes in* *more laughing*

"This contest is over, give that man the $10,000!"

~

There doesn't seem to be much of a general consensus here with the Kirby series, there's no clear favourite. I bloody love the series though. It's been nothing short of excellent for the last ten years.

If anyone's interested in playing more, now's probably the time to be looking into it; with the exceptions of Tilt 'n' Tumble, Air Ride and Ghost Trap, you can play every single Kibry game on either a 3DS or Wii U.

My nephews are slowly getting into Nintendo. We gave them Bowser and Mario amiibi a few weeks ago and they're (allegedly) getting a Wii U for Christmas. Talk to them - or their parents! - about Kirby, though, and they've no idea what you're talking about. That is so wrong, because you're right, Cappa: Kirby is ruddy brilliant.

Just a question: I was thinking about getting The Crystal Shards. Is it worth it?

Wouldn't a 3DS be a better gift?

ZeroJones wrote:

Just a question: I was thinking about getting The Crystal Shards. Is it worth it?

I wouldn't recommend the outlay for an original N64 cartridge, but for £8.99 on the eShop, I'd say so. I'd predict that you'd give it 13/20 if you review it, and that's not bad for nine quid, right?

*slaps thigh* (and I actually did slap my thigh ) I'll do it! Thanks for that.

In other news, I went round town trying to find Kirby's Adventure Wii or Kirby's Epic Yarn for the aforementioned nephews - nothing. Anywhere. I've bought them from game.co.uk

@mas: I agree with you - there's probably more life in the 3DS, too. I'm going to wait and see what this blinking 'NX' thing is before I chat to their parents. The chances are they'll go for the Wii U anyway: it's going to be cheap as with a nice set of games as it comes to the end of its life.

Yeah that's what I was thinking as they're going to get a almost dead console, just before the replacement.

Where the 3DS will know has games in 2017 along with a far bigger library along with more child friendly.

Also didn't we have a thread where we didn't recommend the Wii U?

zero wrote:

@mas: I agree with you - there's probably more life in the 3DS, too. I'm going to wait and see what this blinking 'NX' thing is before I chat to their parents. Wink The chances are they'll go for the Wii U anyway: it's going to be cheap as with a nice set of games as it comes to the end of its life.

Depending on their age I'm sure they won't be too fussed about newer games & would still have a tonne of fun with the wii U, I know my nephews still regularly play theirs. (Mario Maker & Mario Kart 8 are the big two for them)

I've decided to get my nephews Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Adventure Wii. Did you know that KAW is rated 7?! The oldest one is only 6. Kirby's so violent.

I've also picked up Crystal Sharts (curse you, Jimbob / ). It's pleasant enough but feels oddly stiff compared to the best Kirby games. I'll keep going.

I've asked Andy and Cappa, both are fine for me to move this thread on as we've not really talked about Kirby since the 26th.



Yeah it's the first Nontendo game but most of us would have played at least one Sonic game over these past 25 years and with the two upcoming Sonic games in 2017, I think its time we talk the simply best Sonics.

Now myself one of the very first games I played was Sonic the Hedgehog 2, since then I've always liked Sonic and like Cappa with Kirby may have played the most of the series with a lot to say on what I have played more the 5 minutes off.

Could be good but not played enough of: Sonic Advance 1-3, Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic N  

The Crap: Sonic R, Sonic Riders, Sonic Boom, Sonic Shuffle

Better then crap: Sonic Chaos, Sonic Lost World, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Sonic 3D, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I

Mostly not really proper Sonic games but all better then better then crap: Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic Spinball

The Top Games:
Sonic the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Master System / Game Gear, both good simple 2D platformers made for the 8-Bit hardware but lack what makes Sonic great the speed

Sonic Heroes a fun follow up to the Adventure games with some good ideas with the whole team element

Sonic Adventure, Hasn’t aged well at all even with the DX version

Sonic Generations, the last great Sonic game which hopefully means Project 2017 will be good

Sonic Adventure 2, The best 3D Sonic game

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Wii U version of this was so great at launch along with playing some of you online. I’m surprised we haven’t seen a sequel already.

Best of the best:
5. Sonic the Hedgehog Mega Drive, The game that started in all which is still really playable but wasn’t in till

4. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Mega Drive, Where everything clicked which took Sonic to the dizzy heights of the series

3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Yeah two games but you have to have them together to get the full experience

2. Sonic CD, Mania is taking a lot of inspiration from CD as it got everything right with 2D Sonics which even made Mega CD worth getting

1. Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, Yes Andy the hipster choice on a system hardly anyone has played but you take Sonic 2 and improve on it, what more do you want then that

How many folk here like Sonic? I definitely do, but I can't see us getting much chat out of this. Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Wario; they'd have been a better shout than Sonic.

I don't think there's not enough folk who'd be interested in a big post like Mandlecreed did for Metoid or I did for Kirby, butI'll have a think about it all the same, and post something soon.

I can see it being a bit like Metroid which not to have as many fans as you would have thought but Sonic is a gaming icon and if we ever to do with Sonic, now seems to be the time (well maybe 30th anniversary).

Even a lot of us played Sonic Racing Transformed as they got it for the Wii U on launch, so that can be the best.

Wrap that. There's loads of good Sonic games.

...tons of absolute bollocks as well, but still...

EDIT: I started to type something out, but to be perfectly honest it bored the arse off of me, so I've dingied it. You don't give a toss what I think about Sonic Triple Trouble on the Game Gear, and neither do I! I suggest we move on swiftly. Anyone for Starfox next?

Opening One

My laptop says it's got 45 minutes of battery life left! Better get through this quicker than Son

Opening Two

Do you ever get that thing where you see or think about a word so often it loses all meaning? What does 'Sonic' mean?

Well, he used to stand for fairly decent platforming and now, it's probably fair to say, his main thing is maddening inconsistency. Still, that Mania game looks the business... y'know, the one that's perfect for Nintendo consoles but isn't coming to them?

THERE WILL BE NO OPENING THREE. Let's list 'em up!

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A good 12 from you Zero

That's a shame that you didn't like Sonic Rush very much. I got nothing but satisfaction from it, and I regarded it as the DS' first great game since WarioWare Touched some nine months before. Looking back, I might go as far as to say that it's my favourite Sonic game of the 2000s.

Awesome post Zero. I think anything other than Sonic 2 as #1 would be inaccurate, unless it's Sonic CD (which I haven't played unfortunately).

I'm a fan of SEGA - I was there during the Mega Drive and during the Dreamcast (had an N64 instead of a Saturn), but Sonic is a series that I've never really enjoyed THAT much. I had the first two on the Mega Drive and they were enjoyable enough, but I like taking my time in platformers in order to collect everything. Sonic 2 benefitted from the spin attack so much that (as Zero says) it made Sonic 1 look primitive.

Sonic 3D Flicky's Island was mildly entertaining, but only as a part of that Mega Drive collection. Would have felt cheated out of £40 at the time. I quite liked Sonic Adventure at the time but as one of the Dreamcast magazines said in 2001 after re-rating it (dropping it from 90% to 75%), it was deeply flawed. The camera was horrible and coupled with corny voice-acting and an insistence on exploring empty areas, it was merely a tech demo for the Dreamcast with a bunch of set-pieces thrown in. Sonic Adventure 2 was a better game but again, all I can remember from it is snowboarding down a slope away from a runaway truck.

My favourite Sonic game is actually a poorly reviewed one - Sonic Heroes. I really enjoyed this game, although it was a bit stop-start given how you'd have to cycle through the three characters to progress. It actually felt like a platformer though - one that wasn't on-rails with minimal input from the player (which even stuff like Sonic Generations felt like). I enjoyed Sonic Rush on the DS and the three Sonic Advance titles which are probably the best Sonic games from an overall "platforming and tight gameplay" perspective. The Neo Geo Pocket game was good too but not as great as the hardcore Sonic fans make it out to be.

Not played any recent ones other than Sonic Lost World on the 3DS, which was kinda 'meh'. I'm looking forward to playing Sonic Colors as part of the NGamer anniversary threads, but otherwise, I'm not really fussed about Sonic and wish SEGA would put their money/efforts in to their better series (Jet Set Radio, Outrun etc.).

Just didn't take to it. It felt cramped to me. Favourite Sonic game of the 2000's is Colours. I've got a real soft spot for that game, which is odd considering how awkward it can be in places. I suppose that once I've taken to something, I'm in.

And thanks, gjones - your reply came in just as I was posting. Never thought I'd enjoy writing about Sonic.

Glad we've dome use out of Sonic best of, I would have liked to see a bit more to be honest for a gaming icon of the past 25 years even on Nintendo-centric gaming forum as Sonic has over the past few years has felt home on Nintendo.

Which does make Mania seem weird its not coming to a Nintendo at the moment also a few were excited for that on here where are they.

@gJones seems I'm a hardcore Sonic fan then

@zJones wouldn't Colours be 10's as it came out Nov 2010 not 00's

My fav 00's by my list is Sonic Adventure 2, on that note I do think like Cappa says could be time to move on back to Nintendo.