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Kirby's Airride: A Fun and Simple Racing Game for the GameCube

Kirby's Airride is a racing game starring Kirby, the pink puffball hero of many Nintendo games. It was developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube in 2003. Kirby's Airride is different from most racing games because it has very simple controls: you only need to use the A button and the control stick to steer, brake, boost, and use abilities. You can also glide in the air and adjust your altitude by tilting the control stick.

The game has three modes: Air Ride, Top Ride, and City Trial. Air Ride is the main mode, where you can race on various courses with different Air Ride Machines, which are vehicles that have different stats and abilities. Some of them are based on Kirby's copy abilities from previous games, such as Wheel, Sword, and Wing. You can also suck in enemies and use their powers, or spit them out as projectiles. Top Ride is a mini-game mode where you race on top-down courses with simple machines that have different steering styles. City Trial is a mode where you explore a large city for a limited time and collect power-ups to improve your machine's stats. At the end of the time limit, you compete in a random event, such as a drag race, a battle royale, or a stadium challenge.

Kirby's Airride supports up to four players in multiplayer mode, and was the first GameCube game to support LAN play using broadband adapters and up to four GameCube systems. The game also has a checklist system that tracks your achievements and unlocks new content, such as machines, courses, characters, and music. The game has a colorful and cartoony graphics style that matches Kirby's cheerful personality. The game also has a catchy and upbeat soundtrack composed by Shogo Sakai, Jun Ishikawa, Hirokazu Ando, and Tadashi Ikegami.

Kirby's Airride received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its simplicity and fun factor, but criticized its lack of depth and variety. However, the game was a commercial success, selling over 1.2 million copies worldwide. It was also the last Kirby game directed by series creator Masahiro Sakurai, who left HAL Laboratory after its release. Kirby's Airride is a unique and enjoyable racing game that appeals to gamers of all ages and skill levels.

Development History

Kirby's Airride had a long and complicated development history that spanned two console generations. The game was originally announced as Kirby Bowl 64 or Kirby Ball 64 for the Nintendo 64 in 1995, and was intended to be one of the first games for the system. However, the game underwent several changes and revisions to its concept and gameplay, and was eventually cancelled for unknown reasons. [4]

The game resurfaced in 2003 as Kirby's Air Ride for the GameCube, with Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros., as the director. Sakurai wanted to make a racing game that was easy to play and accessible to everyone, and decided to use Kirby as the main character because of his simple design and ability to copy enemies. He also wanted to make a game that supported LAN play using broadband adapters, which was a new feature for the GameCube at the time. [1]

Kirby's Air Ride was the last Kirby game directed by Sakurai, who left HAL Laboratory after its release. He later explained that he felt exhausted and dissatisfied with his work environment, and wanted to pursue new challenges. He also felt that he had done everything he could with Kirby, and wanted to let other developers take over the series. [5]

Reception and Legacy

Kirby's Air Ride received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its simplicity and fun factor, but criticized its lack of depth and variety. The game has an average score of 64 out of 100 on Metacritic , based on 37 reviews. [6] Some critics enjoyed the game's colorful graphics, catchy music, and multiplayer modes, especially City Trial. Others found the game too easy, repetitive, and shallow, and felt that it did not live up to the standards of other racing games or other Kirby games. [7] [8] [9]

Despite the mixed reviews, Kirby's Air Ride was a commercial success, selling over 1.2 million copies worldwide as of March 2008. [10] It was also one of the first GameCube games to support LAN play using broadband adapters, which allowed up to 16 players to play together using four GameCube systems. This feature was later used by other games such as Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and 1080Â Avalanche . [11]

Kirby's Air Ride has become a cult classic among fans of the series, who appreciate its unique gameplay and charm. The game has also influenced other games in the series, such as Kirby: Planet Robobot , which features a Robobot Armor mode that resembles City Trial. The game also has several references and homages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl , Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U , and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , such as stages, items, music tracks, trophies, stickers, spirits, and challenges. [12] [13] [14] aa16f39245