What are you playing?

[Sarge]

Using Exhuminator's excellent symbolism for beaten. I've actually played all of these!

Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Adventure
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby Super Star
Kirby's Dream Land 3
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Kirby: Squeak Squad
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Kirby Mass Attack
Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Exhum, I thought you beat this?)
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby's Avalanche
Kirby's Block Ball
Kirby's Star Stacker
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Kirby Air Ride

I like to split the series into the goofy and the traditional. The offbeat games are just too different for me to really stack them up. As far as the traditional ones go, my favorite is Kirby's Adventure. The remake is good, too, but I don't like the changes in the physics in that game, with the standard walk but the immediate running jump. It's not very consistent. Physics are also my gripe with KDL3, the way when you exhale you drop straight down. It really messes with the flow of the game.

I think my next one is probably KSS, although I love KDL2 as well. But the 3DS games are probably better than it KDL2, and Return about even. Kirby 64 is all sorts of underrated, and Squeak Squad, Amazing Mirror, and KDL bring up the bottom. The mainline series is remarkably consistent in quality, though.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mighty No. 9 exhibits some of Inti Creates' worst design habits. The biggest issue is the sheer number of instant-death traps, including stages that can't be cleared (as far as I can tell) without a particular weapon in tow, and blind jumps with spikes at the bottom. On top of that, I've run into at least one boss with an instant-kill move, and in a game like this, that's no fun. They really should have figured out the balance was off when they compensate by having a little robot give you a crapton of power-ups upon dying, one of which is potentially an extra life.

I may see it through until the end, because the dashing around is a lot more fun than I anticipated, but dang, if the game isn't full of the sorts of unfair difficulty that Mega Man is just occasionally guilty of.

[PartridgeSenpai]

So... should I just put the rest of Kirby on the backburner until I get married or something?

Actually yeah, I guess Dream Course is kind of like old golf games of that style. Hit Kirby around an isometric level to beat up the baddies. I just looked up videos... I forgot it wasn't a free roaming Monkey Ball kind of thing.

If you're looking for classic-style Kirby solo fun, I'd recommend any of the DS entries. Thought I haven't played Triple Deluxe, Popo Sensei tells me it's much like Robobot. I can say from experience that Squeak Squad and Robobot are both great fun and worth playing

[Sarge]

Yeah, Triple Deluxe is very similar, just without a mech. I think I liked it better overall, even.

[isiolia]

I'm sure isiolia could back me up on this, but DS2 just might have the most player depth in the entire franchise. It has the most magic paths (Faith, Int, Pyro, and Hex), most weapons and equipment, most everything. The onslaught of builds you could make in this one is probably endless. The only knock I can think of giving it is that the atmosphere isn't as thick as the other games, but when it comes to the gameplay... it's just supremely fun. Still a 10/10 in my book. I probably have a combined 200 hours worth on merely two characters across my PS3 and PS4 versions.

Likely true. I think for builds it's the only one to do power stance as well. A consideration with it is that they apparently built the game world and then switched directors, so Yui Tanimura wound up redesigning the whole game, but using the already-created assets (per the Design Works interviews, which are -great- BTW). Except the DLC, which they did after the base game, so that was all from scratch.

[Ack]

I'm just surprised Exhum hasn't played through Kirby Super Star.

[alienjesus]

I only need to play these to finish the Kirby series at this point, nearly done them all:

Kirby: Planet Robobot
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby's Star Stacker
Kirby Air Ride

I still need to finish Kirby's Pinball Land too, but I've played it quite a bit.

[marurun]

I actually really enjoyed Epic Yarn. But I think the NES Kirby's Adventure is my favorite in the series.

[Exhuminator]

Kirby & The Amazing Clusterfuck

Yeah, that's why I hadn't played that one yet. I think the other Kirby on GBA is a remake of Kirby's Adventure? And that's why I haven't played it. How can you improve on perfection?

So... should I just put the rest of Kirby on the backburner until I get married or something?

A surprising amount of Kirby games are co-op. But keep trucking through the ones that interest you. The really good ones you could always revisit via co-op someday.

I was always under the impression Dream Course was a crazy golf game. Is that not the case?

It is a crazy golf game, more like a crazy mini-golf game, that allows two players. And I love mini-golf, and I love playing games with people IRL, so it was a big win for my personal tastes. I'd like to play through it again with my wife sometime, just to see if it holds up. I haven't played it indepth since 2000 or so.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Exhum, I thought you beat this?)

Yeah, that's the Wii one. I did beat it (4 player co-op too), but I forgot I beat it. So that tells you exactly how highly I think of it.

I'm just surprised Exhum hasn't played through Kirby Super Star.

I remember trying Super Star back in the late '90s, and being turned off that it seemed a collection of random mini-games, instead of a normal Kirby platformer. So I put it away. Years later I started reading people on the internet always talking about how great Super Star is. And then the DS port came out, and I figured that'd be the best way to revisit it... to give it a second try. Just haven't gotten around to doing that yet. I don't tend to prioritize Kirby games. I kind of have a grudge against Kirby games, because Nintendo makes so damn many of them and yet ignores other franchises for years at a time. I assume that's because Kirby games are easy money. But anyway, I'll give Super Star another try sometime.

---

Demon's Souls
I finished world 4 last night, the boss fight with Storm King was some truly epic stuff, I really enjoyed that battle. And now I understand what Xeo meant about 4-3 being a great grinding spot.

After that, I went to 1-3 and made it all the way to Penetrator. Good lord is that guy an asshole. I fought him five times last night, twice I managed to get his health halfway down, but eventually I would get... penetrated. Might have to come back to him later after gaining some more levels.

[Sarge]

KSS does feel like that to start, because the first games you have access to are short. The later modes, however, are very long and involved.

[isiolia]

After that, I went to 1-3 and made it all the way to Penetrator. Good lord is that guy an asshole. I fought him five times last night, twice I managed to get his health halfway down, but eventually I would get... penetrated. Might have to come back to him later after gaining some more levels.

You can also get a ring of keys off of an enemy in 1-3 that'll get you through the locked door back at the entrance of the Tower Knight arena. Free the prisoner in there, and he'll help you on Penetrator.


I actually started up DeS last night to do melee, but basically just did through 1-2 and then up to Flamelurker...and ran low on healing items. So, I'll probably go elsewhere for the time being as well.