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Long live Kirby. A cute lil’ pink guy like this might not have been able to debut in 2010, during this age of guns and hardcore gamers. Yet if ever there were a more perfect home for him, it could be none other than Nintendo hardware, no matter how many Sack Boys and Kinectimals roll on to the scene. This is the original icon of cuddly cuteness that later characters like Animal Crossing’s villagers, Pikmin’s Olimar and many (but not all) Pokémon could never surpass.
But our world’s better with him, even for some of us who also love a bloody FPS or over-the-top fighting game. And it’s not just because he’s cute– his games are fun. Often easy (the first time around), but always approachable and accessible, and you can’t beat his trademark “inhale to steal your powers” move.
Yet this week brings us a Kirby we’ve never seen before, artistically evocative of Little Big Planet, of all things. And that inhale move? Out. Make no mistake though: this game (which even features excellent co-op!) is just as whimsical and captivating as previous Kirby titles, if not more so. Take it from someone who played the E3 demo. It’s possibly a must-buy for fans of platformers and stunning aesthetics alike– but I don’t want to get ahead of our impending review. Instead, take in our stories that celebrate our favorite pink puff.
Enjoy,
Noah
Issue 20: Powered by Kirby
Round Table: Kirby Unmic’d by Nintendojo Staff
Who should be the next voice for Kirby?
Kirby VS. The World by Adam Sorice
The pink puffball takes on all challengers, and we mean ALL challengers!
Thrown by the Wayside by Andrew Hsieh
Kirby and Meta Knight might be super-famous, but they’ve got a few friends who are just plain forgotten.
Kirby: Best and Worst Brawler
Kirby brings something very special to the Smash Bros. series that no other fighter can.
Hot Air: HALed by Aaron Roberts
A sweeping look at the Kirby developer’s many other titles.
Rainbow Kirby by Francisco Naranjo
Kirby is not always pink. Let’s check some of his other favorite colors!
Nester64x: Nintendo’s Favorite Monster by Nester64x
Nester reveals his fears about Nintendo’s own Hannibal Lecter.
Kirby’s Angry Eyes by Aaron Roberts & M. Noah Ward
You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. Or wait, yeah, you would!
Make Your Own Kirby Halloween Costume by Adam Sorice
Papier-mâché or cotton candy? We look at all the options.
Crafty Connections by James Stank
Some have noted the visual similarity between the DIY crafty look in Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet and Good-Feel/HAL Laboratory’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn.
Solving Problems, Kirby-Style by Carter Fagan
Conflict resolution is so easy when you’re Kirby.
Additional features in this issue…
Monday
- Nightly News Roundup by Andy Hoover
Tuesday
- Nightly News Roundup by Robert Thompson
Wednesday
- Dojo-Show-Go! Episode 113 by M. Noah Ward
- Nightly News Roundup by Carter Fagan
Thursday
- Nightly News Roundup by Abhinay Sawant
Friday
- Nightly News Roundup by Aaron Roberts
Coming Up Next Week…
Issue 21: Buttons Make Music
After years of jumping, shooting and solving puzzles, we never thought we’d love making music with our video games, too.
Kirby, Kirby, Kirby!
Kirby looks awesome, and co-op play too. Just wow!
I hated kirbys dreamland 1, the only thing that made this little guy unique was that he sucked… lol, literally. why did they take this feature away? Kirby wasn’t supposed to be in this game to begin with! Nintendo needs to work on creating new unique ip’s. Not sticking their current ones in new unique games
I’m actually surprised we were able to come up with this many stories about Kirby, but all that I’ve seen so far are great reads.
As Amishpyrate says, “Prince Fluff”, the angry-looking blue Kirby-lookalike character in Epic Yarn, was originally the main character. Now he’s relegated to being the character Player 2 takes on if co-op is engaged. The funny thing is Prince Fluff looks exactly like Kirby anyway. I’m not sure if that was a character design respec that occurred after Kirby was inserted, but if not, the Kirby influence would have been hard to ignore, regardless the *craftiness* of the game’s visuals. Regardless, I agree with Amishpyrate that I would LOVE an exciting new IP that catches fire. Pikmin and Animal Crossing (not to mention anything populated by Miis) hasn’t really captivated me like Nintendo’s other IPs. Or I’m just too OLD.
thanks for helping me out on my post there. I gotta admit I was pretty drunk when I wrote that last nite and it didn’t make total sense
Awesome. Been playing and loving Epic Yarn. Look forward to reading these and listening to podcast on HAL. Hope you guys go over HAL near bankruptcy before Kirby’s Dreamland and how our little pink puffball saved them and eventually paved the way for Sakurai to be a dev rockstar and Iwata to head up Nintendo.