Finished playing Kirby Super Star Ultra

Finished playing Kirby Super Star Ultra (2008, HAL Laboratory, NDS) on 12/31/2015.
Gameplay Hours: ~35

Kirby tackles multiple new and old adventures and challenges in this remake of SNES' Kirby Super Star. With updated graphics, a new storyline, added content and fully rendered cutscenes it will be hard to put this game down!

8/10 – I read a couple of reviews and opinions on this game and a lot of them mentioned how disappointed they were with how easy this game was. First of all, it's Kirby. It's meant to be easy because it's target audience are beginner-level gamers, right? Second of all, it's not THAT easy. Sure, the first few adventures presented to you are not frustrating or that much challenging, they're easy and fun! But unlock the hidden games and you've got yourself quite a few challenges ahead of you. All I'm gonna say is... True Arena. That sh*t drove me to tears. No regrets though. This game was easy, fun and challenging with lots of content. The only thing that bugged me was the quality of the cutscenes. They were full of "JPEG artifacts".

Finished playing Kirby: Squeak Squad

Finished playing Kirby: Squeak Squad (2006, HAL Laboratory, Flagship, Natsume, Nintendo DS) on 11/7/2015.

Hours: ~15

Kirby is happily about to scarf down a mouth-watering strawberry cheesecake slice when it is suddenly snatched from him by a gang of treasure-hunting mice known as the Squeak Squad. Kirby then chases after his delicious desert only to find himself in another grand adventure with evil lurking in the shadows.

7/10 – This game was short and sweet. The only gripe I have with it is that it mind numbingly easy. I mean, it's a Kirby game, but this is a bit too much for a Kirby game. Specially with the last boss, I expected another, stronger final form out of the thing. But don't get me wrong, it was still fun. What I really enjoy about these last few Kirby games I played is the hidden collectibles, specially the spray cans that allow you to change Kirby's colors. Although most color options are an eyesore (with neon green and cherry being some of the worst), a few are more gentle to the eyes and I found that my favorite one is chocolate Kirby. Oh, I also missed the Smash power from the Amazing Mirror game, but instead I got the Ghost power that allows you to possess most enemies and control them however you please. Another thing I really enjoy are the level backgrounds, some even look like Bob Ross paintings. It's great.

All for a slice of cheesecake. Oh, Kirby...

Finished playing Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Finished playing Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (2004, Flagship, Dimps, HAL Laboratory, Game Boy Advance) on 10/15/2015.

Gameplay Hours: ~30

The Mirror World above Dreamland has been invaded by something malicious. Meta Knight tries to save the Mirror World but… something caused a change in Meta Knight’s heart as he comes to attack Kirby and divide him into four, different-colored Kirby copies. Curious they jump on a star and follow after Meta Knight into the Mirror World.

7/10 – This game was good. Not much different from the last one I played... Nightmare in Dreamland, I think. But at the same time, it was different. Levels aren't linear. Each level has a map of rooms which adds an exploration feature to the game. Finishing Level 1 doesn't exactly mean you go straight to Level 2. Depending on the paths you take you might end up in Level 5 or 9. I think what really sets the game apart is what its advertised for – multiplayer. If I had played with other friends the experience would've been very different. Perhaps more exciting. I think what I enjoyed the most in this game is the ability to change Kirby into various colors by using spray cans you find by exploring levels and finding treasure chests.

Finished playing Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland

Finished playing Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland (2002, HAL Laboratory, Game Boy Advance) on 07/20/2014.

Kirby finds himself sleeping with no dreams. When he checks on the Fountain of Dreams, he finds that King DeDeDe has broken the Star Rod into seven pieces and scattered them throughout Dreamland, guarded by his minions and one piece for himself. Kirby must retrieve all the piece and put the rod back together! Or no more dreams will ever be dreamt in Dreamland!

9/10 - It's a very nice remake of the original NES Kirby game with the addition of the equally wonderful mini-games. I've no complaints about it aside from it being a short game, even with the Extra mode option. Now, of course, and probably to be expected, I was really excited to play the Meta Knightmare game which is unlocked after beating Extra mode. In Meta Knightmare you play as Meta Knight through the same levels you do with Kirby with the exception that you cannot save your progress, you only have 3 points of health, you cannot play the mini-games for extra lives and pushing the big star buttons hidden throughout the levels does not count toward the 100% completion of the game. This mode was quite challenging and I only made it half-way through, but playing as Meta Knight feels really badass... as it should. He runs faster than Kirby, which can be counterintuitive if you're not careful, and his sword can break all breakable blocks. The sword can be thrusted upwards and used to "drop-stab" while airborne. Of course, he just can't suck up or swallow enemies for their abilities. This was a great game overall, onto the next one.