Simply the Best

I guess it's like Marios and Zeldas... some people like the 2D ones, some people like the 3D ones. Some people like both. Some people like neither. *Jimbob is quietly removed from the stage*

This is a bit messy, but:

WORSTEST: Metroid Other M*. Just. I actually enjoyed the "3D?" gameplay. But changing how you hold the controller to switch to first person? And of course the story. "What's Samus' character?" "Quiet, stoic, and self-relia-" "I CAN'T HEAR YOU I'M TYPING TROUBLED AND EMOTIONALLY HELPLESS INTO THIS DOCUMENT"

ALSO KIND OF WORST: The Primes. I don't like them. They make me motion sick. And again motion controls. I didn't read the bit about Samus being paralysed by my cat sitting in my lap.

I NEVER PLAYED: Metroid 2. Therefore, my review score is 97/104.

GOOD: The first one, with Zero Mission being obviously better for obvious reasons. The 2D Metroids are ace. The NES version's slowdown can make the last sections unbearable, but 0M fixes this and adds ShinyBum Samus.

VERY GOOD: Metroid Fusion. It's a bit piecemeal, and I can't believe I had to look a couple of things up, but this is a stonker.

*AIRHORN*: Super Metroid. I don't know why I didn't buy this at the time; it was raved about then, Total! magazine giving it both a 96% and this cover   . I waited to take a "gamble" on the Wii's Virtual Console. It's a great way of telling a story without words (ignoring the first section that has words).


*should a historian be confused by the subsequent posts, I originally wrote Zero Mission instead of Other M.

Jimbob wrote:

WORSTEST: Metroid Zero Mission. Just. I actually enjoyed the "3D?" gameplay. But changing how you hold the controller to switch to first person? And of course the story. "What's Samus' character?" "Quiet, stoic, and self-relia-" "I CAN'T HEAR YOU I'M TYPING TROUBLED AND EMOTIONALLY HELPLESS INTO THIS DOCUMENT"

Wow, Zero Mission sounds like an even worse character assassination than Other M!

Actually, Metroid: Zero Mission = M0M
Metroid: Other M = MOM
MIND BLOWN

No, Jimminy Jim Jim has just written Zero Mission where he meant to write Other M...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Long have I mocked people with the That's the joke meme! And now it has been turned on me. The shame!

You think that's bad? I'm going to fix my post now and make all of the subsequent ones nonsense! MWA HA HA HA HA HA!

Our only chance of fixing this is to travel back to 1955! *starts DeLorean*

Er... it has a clock?

I should say that, despite all the subsequent typo-related #bantz, that remains a top-drawer post from Jimminy Jim Jim. Many laughs.

Here's my top 3 along with a few words on each of them.

Number 1:

Number 2:

Number 3:

Honourable mentions:

@Jas on your top pick have you played SOTN?

Nope, but I hear it's meant to be a belter & I should have mentioned it's just not the the interconnectedness of Super Metroid's world that love but also the sci-fi aesthetic.

Is a week long enough do we think? I've not dedicated the time I'd have liked this week between being off and e3, so I'll be starting the next one a little late, just interested if going forwards it should be 2 weeks or stick to the 1 less busy week?

I think two weeks is fine Andy, stops people from getting bored with it.

I agree with Balla - but I'm much more interested in your Metroid-related thoughts, Andy!

I'd be happy with either; I think we can cover a series in 1 week, but 2 gives us time for everyone to have their say and nobody to feel rushed.

Yeah, two weeks would work best I reckon... plus it gives me a chance to set aside a good chunk of time and draft up my thoughts, as I've a fair bit to say!

Hoping the next round is something less marmitey.

Anyone up for counting down their favourite Kirby games? I'll start in the next couple of days...

Yeah, sorry for the lack of updating, I keep not having the time to actually sit down and think/type so go ahead!

Good call! It takes a terrible person to hate Kirby.

Let’s begin with the stuff I wouldn’t recommend playing. In truth, there aren’t any, because the worst Kirby game – Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube – is still worth a shot, if only out of morbid curiosity to see how it went on to influence the latter Smash Bros. games. That said, I don’t think Air Ride's core idea or mechanics work all that well, or that it is worth the high price that it goes for second hand. Next on my rankings from worst-to-best is Kirby’s Dream Course on the SNES; it’s a good idea for a game that, again, I don’t feel works very well. Like Air Ride, it’s too clever for it’s own good, and is overly complicated as a result. The same could be said about Kirby’s Pinball Land on the Game Boy; it just doesn’t ever come together. I think that these three are missable enough.

Kirby Star Stacker and Kirby Block Ball are unusual Game Boy puzzlers, and unlike anything that’s come out since, but they’re quite shallow. They’re decent, unquestionably, but you can’t talk about them in the same breath as other Game Boy games in the genre, like Tetris and all that. Kirby’s Avalanche on the SNES is just the same as any old Puyo Puyo game, but with the usual Kirby sounds and ditties. Nothing fantastic or massively exciting, but, again, it’s unquestionably decent.

I’m not mad for the Metroidvania approach that Kirby & The Amazing Mirror goes for, or the way in which it recycles so many of the assets from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. I don’t think Kirby had the best time of it on the Game Boy Advance; to me, these are two fairly ordinary, middle-of-the-road platformers on a handheld that had loads of them in the first place. A big issue with Nightmare in Dream Land is that it is a loose remake of the original NES Kirby game, 1993’s Kirby’s Adventure. That’s still a good game…by NES standards. Ancient, but good-ish. If you keep your expectations in check, you can still have a reasonably good time with it. Very basic, but it’s perfect Sunday afternoon fodder, in my opinion.

Moving into 'aye, it's all right' territoy here, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards passed me by when it originally came out on the N64 in 2001; it was either this or Zone of the Enders on PS2  with that AMAZING Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. I picked it up in around 2007-2008 for the bargain price for fifteen smackers in GameStation and…didn’t really miss much! The hybrid abilities are a great idea that should be revisited, but otherwise it lacks vitality. All in all, I’d say that it’s quite good for what it sets out to do. Ultimately, nostalgia is find, but I definitely prefer the more ambitious, varied and forward-thinking Kirby games that appeared after this.

I'd say that Kirby: Mouse Attack on the DS fails to make the most of the unique features of the system, and plays like a platformer straight out of 1993 (BC) as a result. Still, NGamer said something to the effect of “Kirby on autopilot still makes for a reasonably fun platformer”, and I suppose they’re right. It’s inoffensive enough, if you fancy giving it a swatch on the Wii U Virtual Console. I find it difficult to remember, though. Nothing stands out.

The three Dream Land games (the original and 2 on the Game Boy, and 3 on the SNES) are all of the same vein, and all of a similar quality. The graphical and audio flair of 3 can’t disguise it’s wholesale lack of new ideas, but –as traditionally-styled Kirby platformers go, I think that 1 and 2 still impress. I’ll always love the original Kirby’s Dream Land the most though, as it was my first computer game.

*intermission*

The rest of my list is almost entirely made up of Kirby games from the last decade. There’s not a duffer here; ever since Mouse Attack in 2016, I think the Kirby series has been largely excellent, and far surpass anything that people might have thought they previously had to live up to.

*/intermission*

I think that Kirby Mass Attack stands out as being one of the series’ better experiments. It reminds me of a downsized Pikmin rather than a more traditional Kirby game. It understands the DS well, which adds to it’s likeability. A very respectable effort, is this.

Kirby Adventure Wii is rock-solid, and – up to it’s release in 2011 – arguably the very best ‘classic’ Kirby platformer. Visually and aurally superb, and plays effortlessly. I felt that it was hugely underrated by the likes of Nintendo Game and ONM at the time – they gave it scores of around 70% or so, whereas it’s an easy 8.5-9 from me. Top drawer 2D platforming!

Which is better: Kirby: Power Paintbrush or Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush? In truth, I think that they’re both class, but the latter just edges it for me. While the DS original was rightly heralded as one of the best handheld games ever when it first came out in late 2005, I had a brilliant time with Rainbow Paintbrush on Wii U last year. It’s a really nice game, and it really highlights that games don’t always have to be complex; it’s sometimes good to just play something that’s joyfully uncomplicated.

Kirby Fun Pak might be my favourite game on the SNES. I love how imaginative and vibrant it all is. It’s an absolute delight to see, hear, and play. The 2008 DS update – Kirby Super Star Ultra - adds all sorts of new content. They’re both fantastic games, and amongst the very finest in the series.

Both Kirby Triple Deluxe and Kirby Planet Robobot don’t put a single foot wrong. Never mind that they’re excellent Kirby games, they’re just excellent games, full-stop. Both are comfortably in my 3DS top five, and I’d have to imagine that I’m not the only one who’d say that. Superb showcases not only for the 3DS, but the Kirby series altogether.

And, lastly, my favourite Kirby game of all time is  2011’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn, on Wii. This is one of the most captivating and charming games I’ve played in my life. I admire so much of what Good Feel did with this – it’s boundless enthusiasm, superlative animation and gorgeous soundtrack are all as good as it’s dazzling and peerless visuals. It’s unbelievable. I’ll wrap this up by saying that Kirby’s Epic Yarn is, to my mind, one of the best games of all time.

Man alive - I didn't realise you were such a big fan of the pink puffball, Cappa. I've not played anywhere near as many Kirby games as you have, but here's my run down:

Kirby's Dream Land is alright, but it definitely feels basic compared to later Kirby titles. I played this after playing Kirby's Adventure which I would definitely rate as being better - a Kirby game without copy abilities just doesn't feel right to me, and going back to Kirby's Dream Land felt stunted compared to Kirby's Adventure.

Kirby Super Star (or Fun Pak) was like playing Kirby's Adventure on steroids - bursting at the seams with additional modes including a shorter version of Kirby's Dream Land and brimming with character. It's probably where I'd point anyone looking to jump into Kirby, as it introduces all your key players and introduces you to classic Kirby platforming too.

My favourite of the four Kirby games I've played though has to be Kirby Planet Robobot. At first, I thought this might be recency bias in full effect, but it's just a bloody good videogame and easily in my top five games of this year so far. Super Star is brimming with character, but this is overflowing with it - the sheer joy I felt when Kirby hopped into the mech for the first time and barrelled through the stage like a juggernaut is above and beyond anything I felt playing the other Kirby games on my list. Kirby games aren't ever going to be intricate, lengthy experiences but they don't need to be, and to be frank, they shouldn't ever be that type of game. I play Kirby when I'm looking for something simple and something I know is pretty much guaranteed to be fun. Planet Robobot epitomises that idea for me.

Bloody hell, Cappa, that was an awesome post.

Fair warning: we will be disagreeing from time to time. I'll be giving this my best shot as soon as I can.

First of all, thanks to Cappa for giving what could be a great thread a kick up the rear. And agreed: that's a belting post, a proper paean to the series.

Second of all, I've played a tiny subset of Cappa's collection.  But mostly they're in pretty much the same order as Cappa, albeit with about 20% lopped off most of them.

Third of all, I'm at work now, so the detail will have to wait.

I'm gonna have to pull up a list for this one; my numbers of played Kirby games are shamefully low.