GameSpite Journal 10: Kirby Super Star

Did you know that when you do an image search for Kirby Super Star, you get a lot of results that involve Imperial Super Star Destroyers? I can’t even begin to imagine what Kirby would morph into if he swallowed the Executor, but I bet it would be very pointy and very awesome.

Why do the best Kirby games always show up at the end of a console’s life and fly under everyone’s radar? Much as I obsessed over the NES, I never realized that Kirby’s Adventure was amazing until I discovered emulation. And for all that I loved the Super NES, I didn’t even really know what Kirby Super Star was until they remade it for DS.

I should probably crack the shrink wrap on my copy of Mass Attack sooner than later, huh?

10 thoughts on “GameSpite Journal 10: Kirby Super Star

  1. Kirby is the Janus of Nintendo systems, ushering them into and out of life.

    (Also, Mass Attack is pretty good! Pick it up if you get a chance.)

  2. I did not actually like Mass Attack. I thought the utter abandonment of buttons kind of made it a pain for the most part, especially when you lose a Kirby or 4 because some are standing on one another’s head or don’t all leap fast enough or… just being able to set things to maybe “everyone leap” or “flatten out” or random stuff like that woulda done a whole lot for me.

  3. I have great memories of Kirby’s Adventure. I read about it in Nintendo Power, and being that kid that still didn’t have money for a Super Nintendo, I was still following the NES closely. Kirby looked awesome, and (in a bit of financial sacrifice from my parents) I ended up getting it for my birthday. Man, the game ended up being even better than my lofty expectations. I’m not sure how that’s even possible, especially considering how I wasn’t all that jaded at the time.

    Anyway, I’m saying it now: best platformer on the NES. Period. Don’t argue with me, or bring your lame “Super Mario Bros. 3” in here. Your Jedi mind tricks won’t work on me! ;)

    • Kirby isn’t as strong on the platformer front because of the mechanics. They do however work incredibly well in the Metroidvania subgenre, which is why I thoroughly enjoyed Amazing Mirror.

      • I’m not entirely sure I agree with the “mechanics” argument, but I think I know where you’re coming from, at any rate. It’s certainly not quite as “technical” as something like Mario 3, if that’s what you’re referring to. But at the same time, I don’t think it has to be, given the tremendously-varied moveset.

        That being said, there are times where I want the more technical platformers. I used to hate Mario, not because of a dearth of gameplay, but because everyone I knew played it to the near-exclusion of all else. Urgh. I’ve gotten over it now. :P

      • I try to avoid complacent gaming habits myself.

        Kirby literally isn’t as much of a platformer by design exactly because of his ability to float. Now granted, there are moments where precision is required, namely when faced with low hanging ceiling hazards, besides th fact that Kirby loses his speed when in float mode.

        Still though, Kirby is just different, and suited to different genres IMO. Nothing wrong with that, expecially given that we’ve gotten some great games out of him.

  4. Kirby Super Star is one of the big games of my childhood. Co-op with my brother I must have sunk uncountable hours into it. Still didn’t ever 100% the thing, but got pretty close! The co-op here works a lot better than Sonic 2 or even 3’s. I don’t think I ever found a better co-op SNES-generation platformer, in fact, though there might well be some I just flat-out missed.

  5. The best Kirby game is, indisputably, Canvas Curse. I’m stunned that we didn’t get more games like it for the DS.

    I really do love Kirby. However, I could not enjoy Super Star on the DS because they switched up the jump and suck buttons, and there was no option to switch them back. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I promise you, if there is a way to download a rom hack that lets me switch the buttons, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.

  6. Much like Sarge, I also got Kirby’s Adventure for my birthday and enjoyed it immensely.

    Unfortunately, I chose the N64 over Kirby SuperStar, but a store had the game on a kiosk for a while, so I would play a bit once in a while of the game, lamenting I would never find a cartridge to buy of it. Needless to say, it was one of the first games I downloaded as soon as I had a computer that could handle the ZSNES.

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