Kirby Air Ride Gamecube Iso
Manric Hock
The visuals and music compliment the cherubic atmosphere that we've come to expect of the Kirby franchise, although the intro and menus look to be taken directly out of Super Smash Bros Melee. This works fine for the game and it makes sense that Hal Laboratory, coders of both these series, would reuse this interface - even if it may appear a bit lazy on their part.
I've always been interested in this game & have been meaning to get it. I will eventually even if the reviewer thought it was a little too simplistic for an adult looking for a single player game (that's me ).
@WiiLovePeace You should check it out. There is a good amount of fun to be had here, it's just a shame that there isn't a focused single-player mode. Personally, I didn't really enjoy this game until I played with a few people.
City Trial is the best mode, btw. I really wish they had offered more maps than just the default one to play on, as well as a sort of "Battle Mode" where the whole point would be just to destroy your opponents. Oh, and they should have removed Top Ride, nobody liked that mode.
One of they few Gamecube games I remember playing a lot of, sadly my Cube broke years ago I really, really hope Nintendo releases this on the Wii U virtual console. I can't really give this a score as I was very young like six years old when I last played this game (which was about 9 years ago).
@DRL
Nah, it's cool. I was mostly kidding/exaggerating anyway. Like I said, I think this game could have used some polish, and then I feel it could be a lot better than it is. Cut some of the fat(Top Ride), give us more variety(more maps in Air Ride/City Trial), and maybe some other stuff, and the game could really be fun.
I'd have given it an 8, but a 6 is not a bad score. Kirby's Air Ride is a really fun racing game, as I've always enjoyed it for roughly nine years now, and it's my eighth favorite Kirby game of all time.
This game certainly looks interesting, even though I have never played it. I might buy this sometime down the road. There's certainly a lot of divided opinions about this game, so I'll have to play it to see what all the fuss is about. Great review, by the way!
I still play this game when my siblings want to play something with me. When I was younger, I just played City Trial Free Mode though.
@shinpichu Actually, once I got the hang of the controls, I liked Top Ride. But I understand that I'm practically the only one. xD
@Yosher
I wouldn't say that. I love the game, and the two games were made with the same basic philosophy in mind(easy to learn, hard to master), but personally I think that there isn't nearly as much depth in Air Ride as there is in SSB(especially Melee).
@shinpichu
Both games were developed by the same developer, so maybe that's kind of clouding my view, but even before I knew about the games sharing developers I kind of had a SSB-ish vibe when playing it. Both games give you simple controls that can have more depths to it when you really master them. Obviously SSB has that more than Air Ride, but still.
6? Thats too low imo
A 7 or higher would be good. While the racing doesn't do much, the ctity trials with friends is what saves this game. I have spent lots of days playing this game and completing 100% the checkbox challenges.
It is fun and deserves more that is is usually labeled. :/
I love Kirby Air Ride. I don't think the Air Ride mode is really that great, but Top Ride is really fun, and City Trial is the best! I wish that they would make a new game based on the City Trial mode.
I borrowed this game after reading reviews, and I ended up liking it. I am not a huge racing fan so that limited its appeal to me, of course. I loved the wacky and varied track design and the tons of achievements you can get. I do agree that there could have been a more focused single player experience, but still the game is pretty good, and I would lean between a 7 and an 8.
I would say this is the best Kirby Spinoff Kirby title and one of the 10 best GameCube titles. The only serious problem is that most theg stars aren't ideal for racing. And that there is a lack of stages. I also wish that there were more stages for City Trial. I would be quite happy if this was remade for 3DS or Wii U.
the score doesn't seem to fit? It seems to basically say "grand prix mode suddenly makes for an in-depth single player, but this game doesn't have it, 6/10". ...what? I don't...understand...just from basic sense. I'm not annoyed, just...kinda confused.
I feel like everyone who is giving the score some slack is doing so based on their memories of playing this game in the past. If all reviews were written based on that, I would say that Clay Fighter deserves a 9/10 (which is clearly doesn't). This is the type of game that I can only play for about 10 minutes at a time, because thats how long it takes to play every mode in the game. Sure there are other levels but its just more of the same. I think the reviewer is spot on with his diagnosis of the game. Just because its fun, doesn't mean its a great game. The only reason I could see the score going up from where it is now, is because since the controls are so simple you can play it with literally one hand. Which means I can play the game, and drink my beer at the same time. Cheers on the review, looking forward to the next one!
@theoldman
I never played Air Ride "back in the day." It's very much a recent addition to my game library, and I enjoy it very much, especially when I have friends around who know what they're doing.
What i find funny about everyone sticking up for this game is that when they do (you included), you start off by being appalled and rage filled over the review but then go on to point out all the things that you dont like about it. first you start off by saying "This is the only time I've felt rage at an NL review. Air Ride is one of my favorite games on the Gamecube, period." But then further down you add "Cut some of the fat(Top Ride), give us more variety(more maps in Air Ride/City Trial), and maybe some other stuff, and the game could really be fun." Could be fun? you just said it was one of your favorite games...didnt you? You have fond memories of it, I get it, but the score is exactly what it deserves. And a six is still saying the game is worth playing and picking up, just that it was simple and didnt offer much degree of difficulty. Go re-read the rating system and you'll see that a 6 a still a good score.
Namely that this game is the reason that Masahiro Sakurai (you know Kirby's dad) no longer works on the Kirby franchise. He got some much negative feedback from the publisher and was pressured to make the game play in a way he disagreed with that he quit.
So even though I love and have played all the Kirby games, this is the only one I will never own. Which isn't that hard as it was also my least favorite Kirby game of all time. Though, since I was in my twenties when the game came out, I guess it wouldn't really be part of my childhood nostalgia.
This is one of the most bizarrely-received games. Critics couldn't be bothered with it but every Kirby fan out there treats it like something of a minor masterpiece. I've never played it myself, but I've always been curious to see what all the fuss is/isn't about.
Eh, I would have given it a 7/10 if it were me, but it's obviously not. Good review, Dave! and dude seriously that is the best last name ive ever known of, how do you even pronounce such a legendary name
Clicked on this review figuring that it would get a 9 or 10. I was incredibly surprised when I saw a 6. Though this game is challenging in many aspects, it is certainly a fun experience. Being my favorite Gamecube game, I would have given a 9 at the least. I am angered by this false review.
Honestly, my main guess for why reviewers and fans have such different opinions on this game is how they play it. While I love Air Ride, it is not a game you should play, barring maybe multiplayer, for more than an hour in a row. But how worthwhile it is to keep going back to the game over and over again, from my experience, eventually made it so I played the game for 30+ hours worth in totoal. A reviewer doesn't usually get that chance, thus it gets old for them, thus they can't judge it like most games. Again, just a guess.
Great review! Just the right score for this game. Either people are blinded by nostalgia or really like this game. My cousins like this game a lot and I cant understand why. It is kinda fun for a while but Id rather play Mario Kart DD or F-Zero GX. This game just feels too simple compared to other great NGC multiplayer titles. Why is it using only analog stick and A-button? This came from the creators of SSBM, one of the most hardcore Nintendo games ever. Sure its fun to ride around that City for a while but I would have liked to see more maps in that mode. Air Ride mode wasnt very good. Top RIde mode was the mode I had most fun with in multiplayer. Personally, I liked that DK Bongo Racer on Wii more.
If there's one video game I've played to repetition ever since its launch and STILL haven't gotten bored of it, it's this one. City Trial is the PERFECT multiplayer mode, and literally everyone that I have known and talked to that has played this game agrees KAR is fantastic.
Again, City Trial is the real selling point to this game, and has given me and hundreds of other people endless fun. As I decide a lot of a game's merit based on how much I'll go back and replay it, this game definitely has massive replayability, and is still one of my all-time favorites.
What do all these games have in common besides strong story lines, addictive gameplay, and outstanding presentation? They are all 9/10 or 10/10.
I liked KAR when it came out, and I had fun playing it, however ANYONE who thinks it deserves to graded with the likes of those games mentioned above is out of their minds. To put them in the same league is ludicrous. Strong review, thanks for having the balls to say it how it is.