SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Christmas Is A-Comin' " Edition

Christmas is this Sunday. Therefore, this is the last edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs before that special day of family-bonding, gift-giving, and celebrating the birth of Jack Lord or something to that effect. Some kind of lord. Anyway, this week we have lined up five winter-esque themes featuring some of most popular characters in gaming: Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Mega Man, and Kirby!

Starting off is a song from the Sega Genesis version of Sonic 3D Blast. We then dip our toes into chilly waters with a theme from Mario Party 3. Next up, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest shows us why it's one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. Mega Man 7 follows, and then Kirby Air Ride ends the festivities for now.

Click on the VGM volume name to hear each song. As always, the VGM Database houses every VGM volume ever recorded in this weekly segment on SuperPhillip Central. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1291. Sonic 3D Blast (GEN) - Diamond Dust Zone Act 1

Although the Sega Saturn and PC version of Diamond Dust Zone Act 1 in Sonic 3D Blast sounds much more Christmas-y, it was already represented in a previous edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. That said, the Genesis rendition is more well-known. It was also featured in remix form in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games for the Wii U.

v1292. Mario Party 3 (N64) - Chilly Waters

Chilly Waters is the very first board in Mario Party 3, the third and final installment of the Mario Party series on the Nintendo 64. It features penguins, snowmen, and a frozen lake smack dab in the middle of the entire board. The song is one you can sway to the left and right to as you listen to its jolly, party-like sound.

v1293. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES) - In A Snow-Bound Land

The irony of the song title "In A Snow-Bound Land" is that all of the levels that this song is featured in from Donkey Kong Country 2, my favorite in the DKC trilogy (as cliche a choice as that is), are set in icy caverns rather than snowy wonderlands (i.e. snow-bound lands). Still, it's a perfectly chill and ambient track like many others from Dave Wise's godly DKC 2 soundtrack.

v1294. Mega Man 7 (SNES) - Freeze Man Stage - Iceberg Area

There is a wide range of ice-themed Robot Masters, all starting with the OG, Ice Man from the original Mega Man. In Mega Man 7, Freeze Man takes on the role of the ice-themed Robot Master with his frosty stage set in the arctic tundra. He's the Robot Master recommended to take on first, if memory serves correctly. Even if it doesn't serve correctly, Freeze Man is pretty easy to take out with just the Mega Buster regardless.

v1295. Kirby Air Ride (GCN) - Frozen Hillside

Slip, slide, and ride in this icy track in Kirby Air Ride, a cult classic from the Nintendo GameCube. If you're looking for an atypical racer with a sensational soundtrack, Kirby Air Ride is definitely a game you should look into, given you can stomach the secondhand market price for the game. Frozen Hillside exudes freezing cold temps as you breeze through this winter themed course.

Top Ten Kirby Games

Kirby: Planet Robobot releases in the Americas exactly one week from today. SuperPhillip Central will no doubt be covering that, but until then, Kirby fans, why don't I satiate your appetite for Kirby with a list portraying the best to come out of HAL Laboratory and other developers? These ten Kirby titles are the best that feature Nintendo's determined and persevering pink puffball. After you've read my list and seen my arguments, feel free to let the community know your favorite Kirby games!

10) Kirby Mass Attack (DS)

Command up to ten Kirbys with the power of touch in Kirby Mass Attack! By tapping the Nintendo DS touch screen, you can create a star that your army of Kirbys will follow. Tap a foe or obstacle, and they'll charge at it like there's no tomorrow. Even with just using touch to control the Kirby squad instead of buttons and such, I never did feel out of control while maneuvering my pink puffball armada. This charmingly creative Kirby game may not be a typical platformer, but it's an amazing adventure that is full of incredibly clever ideas. This isn't the only touch-focused Kirby game on the list, so stay tuned!

9) Kirby's Dream Land 3 (SNES)

Borrowing the formula of Kirby's Dream Land 2, where Kirby joined up with three animal friends to help save the day, Kirby's Dream Land 3 introduces three more animal buddies into the fray, each with their own special abilities to assist Kirby on his adventure. Speaking of abilities, new copy abilities such as Kirby being able to launch himself into enemies as a fireball after eating a fire-based foe, open up the gameplay greatly and changes things up nicely. Then, there's the absolutely gorgeous and unique art style for the game to admire as well. Kirby's Dream Land 3 was the final published release from Nintendo for the Super Nintendo. PAL territories wouldn't see the game until over a decade later via Wii Virtual Console import.

8) Kirby Air Ride (GCN)

The sole non-platformer on this list of top Kirby games, Kirby Air Ride is a simplistic racer on the surface with surprising depth. The various racing machine Kirby and friends pilot accelerate on their own. The player just controls which direction they move, while using the A button to do tasks like braking, charging, boosting, and Kirby's signature inhaling ability to copy enemies' abilities. The multi-tiered tracks feature many shortcuts and ways to go, making each fun but difficult to master. Apart from the main racing mode, there are two others: a top down racer and City Trial. Each possess their own checklist of challenges, where completing a challenge unlocks a game bonus, whether it's a new racer, vehicle, or other goody. Not given much delight from critics at the time of release, the game has since seen a cult following.

7) Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

Taking the trademark abilities of Kirby-- inhaling foes, copying their powers, and flying-- and removing them might seem like a poor idea for a Kirby game. Nonetheless, Kirby's Epic Yarn is a delightful 2D platformer that may err on the very easy side, but remains an adorable, charming, and wonderful game regardless. The game is rendered with a knitted style, and the world is made of fabrics and clothing. Kirby can transform into numerous forms, such as a car and a submarine, for example. The low difficulty of the game comes from the inability for Kirby to die. Instead, when Kirby takes damage or falls into a pit, the player loses a fair amount of beads, the currency of the game. A side goal of each level is to get a specific total of beads, so dying a lot is counter-intuitive to this objective. Additionally, a second player can join in for some co-op fun. While it won't make you sweat with is challenge, Kirby's Epic Yarn is one truly epic Kirby game.

6) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)

Many franchises entered the third-dimension on the Nintendo 64, and Kirby did as well... well, sort of. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a 2.5-D platformer where environments, levels, and characters are made up of 3D. The paths in levels themselves are 2D, sometimes circling around an object to impressive results. The biggest shift gameplay-wise in Kirby 64 is the ability to combine two Kirby powers together to create a multitude of powerful combinations. The titular crystal shards are optional collectibles to gather, though collecting them all reveals the true final boss and ending. Kirby 64 is just the right length. It doesn't overstay its welcome, nor does it feel like you got the raw end of the deal game size-wise. Like any good Kirby game worth its weight in Maxim Tomatoes, it encourages multiple play-throughs, each as enjoyable as the last.

5) Kirby: Canvas Curse (DS)

I told you guys and gals that there would be another touch-centric Kirby game, and here it is. Kirby: Canvas Curse was the game for me that gave the Nintendo DS touch screen value to me early on in the system's life. The game involves players drawing lines to guide Kirby and the other three unlockable playable characters through levels filled with enemies, obstacles, and challenges. Kirby's trademark copy ability is here and shines, allowing Kirby to smack into a foe, take its power, and use it to solve puzzles within levels and take it to enemies. The rainbow lines that players draw can also be used as a shield to block projectiles and other dangers that would otherwise harm Kirby. Packed with content, Kirby: Canvas Curse was the Nintendo DS game that made the summer after the system's launch much easier to cope with until the deluge of great software hit the system that fall.

4) Kirby's Adventure (NES)

Players around the globe got to finally see Kirby in full, glorious color in a video game with Kirby's Adventure, the sole NES title in the Kirby franchise. It also marks the first appearance of fan favorite character Meta Knight, and gave players the ability to finally save their progress mid-game. Let me tell you-- that save feature is a godsend, as Kirby's Adventure isn't your typical short Kirby game that fans at the time had come to expect from the pink puffball. Featuring seven wonderful worlds, hidden secrets, entertaining boss battles, and the charm that Kirby games exude, Kirby's Adventure delivers on almost every aspect. A Game Boy Advance remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, released in 2002, while a 3D Classics Nintendo 3DS eShop version launched in 2011. While the remake is a very good game, I would have felt remiss if I didn't include the original, genuine article, the OG NES game, on this list instead.

3) Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii) 

Using the tried and true formula of past Kirby games, Kirby's Return to Dream Land (known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in other parts of the world) marked the first Kirby platformer to hit a home console since Kirby 64. The wait was definitely worth it. All the enjoyable and endearing gameplay goodness the Kirby series is known for is present and accounted for in Return to Dream Land. However, this time Kirby doesn't have to go it alone. Return to Dream Land offers cooperative multiplayer for up to four players to engage on an epic adventure, even allowing them to stand on top of one another's heads like a totem to move through levels as a synchronized team. The gameplay element of copying abilities from enemies is here, as are numerous Energy Spheres that give extra incentive to explore the creative and cleverly designed levels of the game. It might not have revolutionized the Kirby series as we know it, but Kirby's Return to Dream Land is almost as good a Kirby game as you'll ever play. Almost.

2) Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS)

While we wait patiently for Kirby: Triple Deluxe's successor, Kirby: Planet Robobot, to release in North America next week, allow me to talk about what I consider to be the second best Kirby game ever created. Kirby: Triple Deluxe might not push the envelope for Kirby platformers, but it executes the formula so incredibly well. The levels are masterful in their designs, using the Nintendo 3DS's stereoscopic 3D to have them sprawled in both the foreground and the background. Some really nifty visual trickery is on display here. The new powers such as Archer, Bell, and Circus, bring some new tricks to Kirby's ever-growing arsenal, and the visuals are as stellar as ever. Bonus modes such as one where you play the entire adventure as King Dedede, and the mighty challenging True Arena, bring even more gameplay greatness to players. For a handheld Kirby game, Kirby: Triple Deluxe can't be beat.

1) Kirby Super Star (SNES, DS)

What's better than one Kirby game? Well, let me answer that for you-- how about seven Kirby games and some bonus goodies! That's exactly what you get with Kirby Super Star (known as Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL territories). This compilation has several exciting mini-adventures in it, such as a re-imagining of the original Kirby's Dream Land with Spring Breeze, a four level journey to stop a crop-bothering bird in Dyna Blade, a gourmand's dream in the form of a food-chomping race against King Dedede in Gourmet Race, a massive system of rooms filled with 60 treasures in The Great Cave Offensive, a mission to take down Meta Knight's ship in Revenge of Meta Knight, the biggest adventure in the game known as Milky Way Wishes, and a coliseum series of battles in The Arena. A myriad of sub games are included as well. If that isn't enough, then you must be as insatiable as Kirby's appetite! It's this huge stream of good games and sub games that makes Kirby Super Star my pick for best Kirby title.

Honorable Mentions: 

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)
Kirby's Block Ball (GB)
Kirby's Dream Land 2 (GB)
Kirby's Dream Course (SNES)
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (GBA)

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGM - 500 Reasons to Enjoy Edition

This is a momentous edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGM. This edition is where we have reached are 500th VGM! It's been two years or so since we began this version of the list, and it's amazing to think back at all of the great music that has been featured on this weekly segment. This week we have music from The Wonderful 101, Tetris, and Super Smash Bros. Melee!

v496. The Wonderful 101 (Wii U) - The Won-Stoppable Wonderful 100

The Wonderful 101 was overlooked by many Wii U owners, but then again, it seems every title on the Wii U is overlooked. What is selling on that thing anyway? Regardless, hearing this vocal theme during epic moments of The Wonderful 101 energized players to push their gaming skills beyond their own limits.

v497. Tetris (GB) - Type A

Let's go old school for a moment, shall we? You cannot have a favorite VGM list without having this game and this theme on it. It's Tetris's Type A theme, an infectious melody that stayed with players long after they shut off the power to their Game Boys. Tetris was a game that sold Nintendo's portable system to the history books, and the game's addicting gameplay was a reason for that.

v498. Kirby Air Ride (GCN) - Sky Sands

Kirby Air Ride was quite an unorthodox racing game, created in part by the mind behind the Kirby character and series, as well as Super Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai. You see, speed was controlled by one button and one button only. As for the race, Sky Sands is a desert course that takes place miles above solid ground. This Arabian theme suits the course perfectly, wouldn't you say?

v499. Puppeteer (PS3) - Across the Plains

We recently reviewed Puppeteer, and we enjoyed the game overall. It had a lot of story sequences that broke up the flow of the game, but all-in-all it's a solid title. The presentation is but a part of that, but we were really astounded by the soundtrack, composed by Patrick Doyle. Across the Plains delivers a very Southwestern America, Mexico desert-type feel to it.

v500. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN) - Great Medley

Here we are! The big one! VGM number 5-0-0! We've selected a big one, too, for this great occasion. It's the Great Medley, incorporating a myriad of themes from many of Super Smash Bros. Melee's combatants. In North America, the CD that this medley is a part of was available to Nintendo Power subscribers. We actually have an original copy of it, and orchestrated performances of Smash Bros. music makes it a gem in our music library.

My Trouble With Trophies and Achievements

When the Xbox 360 debuted, it introduced a novel concept to gaming - system-wide points for achieving certain in-game goals. Now, Sony would implement a similar system along the long in the form of trophies, which I actually prefer. Instead of some arbitrary point amount, you have gold, silver, bronze, and platinum trophies. These made seeing which feats in a given game are the most difficult by what color trophy is assigned to it. Generally, challenging goals are tied to gold trophies, trophies that take a little work and a little less time are tied to silver, and small goals are tied to bronze. With the platinum trophy, it is very simple to see what retail games on your friends' trophy lists were completed 100%. A loud, proud, and elegant platinum trophy icon is right there.

Are trophies/achievements (still) important to you?

Now, trophies and achievements are wonderful things because they enable players to delve deeper into games they might just shelve as soon as they see the ending or just grow tired of the game. At first I was addicted to collecting these achievements to boost my Gamerscore and show to my friends that I dominated a game. I let my Xbox 360 stay on overnight to complete one of the more dedicated and time-consuming achievements in Dead Rising in order to get the full 1000 Gamerscore (now knowing about the RRoD, that wasn't that smart in retrospect). But then I started to realize that I was not having as much fun. Why was I bending myself over backwards just to complete some arduous tasks that weren't enjoyable to do just to get some worthless point number?

So now I simply play through the games that I like, and if I really admire the game I am playing, I will go for the trophies (my 360 died on me, so goodbye to achievements) that seem reasonable.
For instance, I will happily try to get all the trophies in Ratchet & Clank, but will avoid trying to get 100% in Final Fantasy XIII.

But that's not the inherent problem with trophies and achievements that I have. No, I am of the Nintendo/Sega era. I grew up on the NES, SNES, Genesis, and consoles on, and I have a fond memory of doing in-game tasks and being rewarded for them with in-game unlockables. Back in the day (that's what the kids still say, right?), when someone beat a game on the hardest difficulty, they earned a cool unlockable. For instance, I remember beating Viewtiful Joe on the Nintendo GameCube on Ultra V-Rated mode (the most challenging of difficulties, not to brag) and unlocking Captain Blue as a playable character. That was on top of unlocking two other characters through easier modes. Nowadays it seems that all one would get for doing such a task is a meaningless trophy or achievement for all their hard work.

Viewtiful Joe had old-school sensibilities right
down to how the game awarded unlockables.

Going back to Dead Rising, that game did achievements right. Not only did you unlock Gamerscore points for doing specific tasks, but you were also awarded with in-game stuff like new weapons and costumes. If you wanted the most spectacularly overpowered weapon in the game, the Real Mega Buster (of Mega Man fame), you had to defeat 53,594 zombies in one run through the story. Why can't more games bestow the player with cool rewards in addition to points and trophies? I realize that some Xbox 360 games give out avatar pieces for some achievements, but I am meaning more in-game things and not system-related.

Looking good, Frank!

There were rumors that Nintendo would implement their own type of achievements into their upcoming Wii U system. That would have been just fine, but even then I would have hoped that developers would have still pushed for unlockable content.

Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby, Super Smash Bros., and the mind behind Kid Icarus: Uprising, does it right. His games have a checklist or prize wall that contains a smorgasbord of different challenges to do. Each time a challenge is completed, the box that the challenge sits in gets checked off and a reward is handed out. The neighboring boxes then reveal what the player has to do to satisfy the conditions of those challenges. This is how it has worked for Sakurai’s past games like Kirby Air Ride (GCN), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), and Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS). From trophies to new battle arenas, to new songs, to other rewards, there is no shortage of things to unlock.

The checklist feature of Kirby Air Ride.

These are the types of games where the rewards aren’t just points or virtual accolades. No, they’re things a player can use within the game to not only achieve goals but get something useful and fun out of it. That’s the type of era I was raised in, and I look with great nostalgia back at it (while looking like an old fogey). I hope some developers keep the old school mindset of unlockables as the short syllabic jingle that popped up when I got an achievement on my 360 just isn’t enough anymore.

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What about you, dear SPC reader? Do you still go after achievements and trophies and find the task enjoyable? Do you try to get 100% of the achievements in every game you play? Let the community know your thoughts on achievements and trophies in the comments section below.

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - March Madness Edition

Welcome to an all-new week here at SuperPhillip Central. As it is now customary of Mondays, it is time for SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs. This week we have music from games like Killer7, Kirby Air Ride, and Star Ocean: The Second Story. The lineup is there, so let's get to the music.

v66. Killer7 (PS2, GCN) - Dissociative Identity


I had not heard of Suda 51 until Killer7, originally one of the Capcom Five. We know what happened with that... Killer7 was a game where you had a limited range of movement. You could only walk on specified linear paths. This is all the while gunning down temporarily invisible Heaven's Smile infected. Dissociative Identity is the credits theme of Killer7, and it is a smooth tune that is accented by an easy piano melody and a percussive series of beats.

v67. Kirby Air Ride (GCN) - Checker Knights


Masahiro Sakurai's latest game, Kid Icarus: Uprising, is set to release in North America this Friday. Today, however, we listen to a theme from his GameCube cult classic, Kirby Air Ride. The game was simplistic in its controls, but fun as all get out. Kirby Air Ride introduced a challenge wall, something that would be seen in one of Sakurai's later games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. You would complete tasks and receive unlockables based on what task you completed. Checker Knights is one of two or so orchestrated themes in Kirby Air Ride. It is particularly peppy and lovely.

v68. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA) - Minish Village


The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was Capcom's final brush up with the fabled Zelda franchise. Capcom's Flagship studio would later be dissolved much like Clover Studios. Who needs quality studios when you could hand your properties off to Ninja Theory and Slant Six? I'm sure they'll do a great job with Devil May Cry and Resident Evil (this is sarcasm). The Minish Cap is a charming adventure featuring one of my favorite of Link's traveling companions, a Minish sorcerer turned talking hat, Ezlo.

v69. Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS1) - Theme of RENA


A hauntingly beautiful, sad theme for Rena, one of the two selectable main characters for Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS1) or Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP), Theme of RENA chimes in eerie female vocalizations. Star Ocean 2 remains one of my favorite RPGs to this day. Its combination of memorable characters, sci-fi/medieval setting, and marvelous music all add up to make one sensational game. If you have a PlayStation Portable, pick up a copy of Second Evolution, an enhanced version of The Second Story.

v70. MadWorld (Wii) - Come With It


Warning: This song contains explicit lyrics. As for everyone else, Come With It is a song by Doujah Raze who feels that they have to say their name at the beginning of every song that they contributed to the MadWorld soundtrack. I am not generally a fan of rap, but MadWorld's music gelled with me regardless. The catchy beats and the infectious rhythms add up to one unforgettable soundtrack. Add together some visceral action with it, and you have an interesting albeit violent game.

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This week's quota of quality VGMs has been filled. Next week we will have five more themes from video games to listen to. Until then, two new reviews will be posted this week, and we might even see another installment of the SPC Mailbag. Stay tuned, SPC faithful, stay tuned!

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Full-Bellied Edition

Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, so now it's time to get back to business here at SuperPhillip Central. Time to show some brand-new VGMs with the community. This week we have some titans in God of War, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, and Final Fantasy XIII as well as lesser-known games like Super Princess Peach and Kirby Air Ride. It's bound to be a good edition of the VGMs. Just don't fill your bellies too much.

v611. God of War - Minotaur Boss Battle

We go from one boss battle theme with chanting to another with God of War's Minotaur Boss Battle. In order to defeat this minotaur menace, you had to drive a wooden stake through its chest. And I'm not talking about some one foot stake either. I'm talking a huge, massive stake through a huge, massive creature. The battle was immensely satisfying to partake in, and it's definitely one of the highlights of the original God of War for me.



v612. Super Princess Peach - Bowser's Villa 1

I'm doing my best to keep this a theme-free week. Perhaps that's the theme of the week! I can't stay away from it after all! Regardless, RNolan## requested some more Super Princess Peach music, so here is my sample. It's one of the final levels in the game, Bowser's Villa 1 full of fire and fearsome foes. The game is still one of the more criminally underrated and overlooked DS games on the market, so if you have a chance to pick up a copy, please do so. Do it for the nonexistent children!



v613. Kirby Air Ride - Celestial Valley

This next track comes from another happy-go-lucky hero, Kirby. Whereas Princess Peach participated in platforming peril, Kirby is racing his little heart out in Kirby Air Ride. This theme comes from the second course in the Air Ride mode, Celestial Valley. Kirby Air Ride came with three modes: Air Ride, the main racing mode, Top Ride, the Super Off-Road style perspective mode, and City Trial which put players in a city duking it out for power-ups and prestige. It was a great, fun, interesting racer which I recommend.



v614. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles - The Theme of Alexia I

We listened to part II of the theme of Alexia, the main antagonist of Code Veronica X, already. Now after a bit of a vacation, here's part I. It's just as haunting if not even more so as part II if not slower paced. The Darkside Chronicles is my second favorite rail shooter ever. It combines the mythos, the cool gunplay, the action-packed set pieces, and of course, the music of the Resident Evil series and puts them into bite-sized packages. Pick up a copy of the game if you have any interest in the franchise and a Wii.



v615. Final Fantasy XIII - Blinded by Light (Extended Version)

Blinded By Light is the battle theme of Final Fantasy XIII, a game I've been turned off of playing due to player input. The game seems a bit too linear and challenging for my liking. Plus why play a 50 hour RPG when you could be playing five 10 hour games instead? Catch my drift? This catchy battle theme does have me sort of interested. Keywords are "sort of". I doubt I'll ever play this thirteenth epic in the illustrious Final Fantasy franchise.



There goes my dinner just now. I must have had way too much VGMs for one week. This must mean our time together today is now over. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed my VGMs this week.

Kirby Air Ride (GCN) Retro Review

It's Saturday night here at SuperPhillip Central. Let's put out a retro review to mark the occasion. I'm here, you're here. Let's do it. A retro review-- that is... sicko. Here it is, Kirby Air Ride for the Nintendo Gamecube.

Chow down and speed up!

Kirby was ready for his first racer on the Nintendo 64, but it was canceled and later put on the Nintendo Gamecube. Now with updated assets, characters, and visuals, Kirby Air Ride aims itself to be a racer for everyone-- both casual gamers and veteran gamers. Is Kirby Air Ride the perfect racer for both gamers, or is this game just full of hot air?

There's three main modes to Kirby Air Ride. There's the titlular Air Ride mode for traditional racing, Top Ride for overhead Off-Road-style racing, and City Trial. There's no story to speak of, so progress in Kirby Air Ride is marked by three checkerboards each with 110 panels each, one for each mode. As you complete in-game tasks such as achieving a record lap or race time or sucking up ten enemies in one race, these panels unlock revealing a green or red square. Red squares are the good ones to get as they unlock content from new air ride machines, characters, colored Kirbies, music, and race options. Each time you unlock a panel, the four surrounding it will reveal what you need to do to unlock those adjacent panels. It's very similar to Super Smash Bros. Brawl's challenges, or should I say Brawl is very similar to Kirby Air Ride's challenges? You can even unlock the ability to open a square or two for free much like Brawl.

Don't let those Waddle Dee get in your way!

Of the three main modes, Air Ride is probably the one that will get the most playtime for most players. There's nine tracks in all spanning from gardens to deserts to beanstalk skyways. Playing Air Ride only involves two inputs-- the control stick and the A button. Some might be put off by the simplicity of the controls, but there's a lot to do with just two inputs. You can swallow enemies, taking their powers for a limited time, gobble up foes and spit them out at rivals, slide around corners to shave precious seconds off your lap time, and hit boost plates to speed up temporarily. Holding the A button at a turn will slow your character down to a crawl allowing you to turn easily. Let go of the A button, and your character will boost out of the corner. There's plenty of powers for Kirby to consume from fire to ice to a speeding tire to a flying bird-- there's plenty of enemies to eat and powers to grab. Races are fun, and the simplicity of the controls means everyone has a chance to play without feeling the game's dumbed down.

Beanstalk Park is one of the more scenic courses.

The second of the three modes is Top Ride. This is akin to the Super Off-Road series of games. You play on short, small, isolated, and overhead tracks completing laps while avoiding your rivals and obstacles and collecting items dropped. There's two control setups available to use. One is the traditional Off-Road-style controls: left to drive left and right to drive right, regardless of the angle you're driving. The other uses all three-hundred and sixty degrees of the control stick to drive your warp star to the finish. Like Air Ride, there's several tracks to race on each with its own elemental theme from fire to water to metal to light. Each track has its own obstacles to avoid such as spinning floors, lava and magma floor, waterfalls, and much more. This is the true party mode of the game, and it's a heckuva lot of fun. Throw in some items into the mix, and things get even more crazy!

Classic overhead excitement in Top Ride.

The final mode in Kirby Air Ride is City Trial. This mode has up to four players scouring a city for appropriate vehicles and power-ups as they're timed. The goal of this city excursion is to grab as many helpful power-ups to assist them in the upcoming challenge that occurs once the time limit expires. These challenges range from a series of events. There's a demolition derby where the goal is to eliminate your rivals and score the most points. There's a high jump which is what it sounds like. Also, there's an event where players glide into blocks with different points assigned to them. The best score within two turns is considered the winner. Finally, there's a drag race where speed is key on this linear stretch of track. Each event has numerous different versions offering enough variety for all. City Trial was my least favorite mode as you're forced to at least play around in the city for three minutes before you can try out a new event. This meant just hanging around waiting for a new game to occur. It can get tedious. Thankfully, once you play a new event, you can select it from the stadium menu without having to go through that pesky city ordeal. Regardless, it's still a fun mode to play through with friends or even the competent CPU.

There's no time for shopping in this city!

No matter which mode you pick, there's plenty of options to tinker around with from number of laps in a given race to whether items or enemies are on or off. You can change how many CPU opponents there are, their handicap, and how much of a challenge they may or may not be. The Air Ride and Top Ride modes also have Time Attack and Free Run modes. One is the standard time trial whereas the other is a constant race to better your lap times on.

Kirby Air Ride's menus are very much designed and set up like Super Smash Bros. Melee even up to the tutorial videos. It's no surprise as both games were designed by the same developer. The game runs at a smooth framerate with no slowdown or tearing whatsoever. The music isn't what you'd expect from a Kirby soundtrack. That isn't to say it's bad. No, no. Quite the contrary. It's very epic-sounding and good! Just don't expect overly cheery music. Though you can expect some classic Kirby songs from series past thrown in for good measure!

All-in-all, Kirby Air Ride's simplicity does not detract from the overall game. It isn't a dumbed down racer by any means. There's plenty of depth and strategy, options to tinker with, and characters and vehicles to unlock. If you can somehow find a copy of this rare game, don't sit on your hands, pick it up and enjoy this enjoyable game. Kirby Air Ride doesn't quite soar into the stars, but it does come pretty darn close.

[SuperPhillip Says: 8.5/10]