Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Reviewed by JenTR
Ahh, the next game in the Kirby line. Could anyone get sick of that
cute little pink puffball? I know I sure can't. Just looking at the
back of the box I said to myself 'I have to get this'. And so I did. So
what did I think? Well, I'm sure you must care since you're here.
So let's get started.
Graphics: 10 out of 10
You can tell once you turn on the game that Kirby 64 has awesome
graphics. I love the way Kirby looks when he transforms into one of
his powers. And everything looks so real, not so fake and cube-ish like
I've seen in some other games. The graphics weren't made out of
polygons, which can really get irritating. Maybe because the game was
a side scroller? Maybe. But it sure looks good.
The movies were really neat too. The theater option allowed me to just
sit back and watch all of the cute little movies, something which is
very enjoyable.
Music and Sound: 9 out of 10
Just like the previous games, Kirby's got cute little tunes that stick
in your head. And that in no means is a bad thing. I didn't feel like I
wanted to bash the TV open because the stupid song would get
annoying. The sounds were cute too. I took off a point because I
noticed a couple songs in the boards were the same.
Game Challenge: 7.5 out of 10
Here's where some people might want to forget about buying Kirby.
But hold on, let me explain before you go chuck your games into the
dumpster. Kirby 64 is quite an easy game to play, like the previous
ones, if you just walk through the boards avoiding dying. That is of
course, very simple. BUT, if you actually play the game like you're
supposed to, you'll find it much more challenging. By that, I mean
finding all of the shards. Some may be right in front of your face,
some may be somewhere where you didn't expect it to be, and some
you'll be so stuck on you'll have to revert to online help. Yes, even I
had to do that for a couple shards. Note: (Comments on Jen's playing
ability are not allowed). *ahem* Anyways, the bosses are also hard
to beat. I barely made it past some of them, and I'm still trying to beat
that Boss Battle. For some reason it seems impossible...
Oh, another thing, this game is good for beginners and experts. Beginners
just go through all of the boards, forget about the shards, and beat only
6 of the bosses. They are rewarded with an ending. Experts go through all
the boards, collect every single shard, and fight the regular 6 bosses, but
are rewarded with a final boss fight and a much better ending. A game
for everyone, eh?
Game Play-Fun: 10 out of 10
A very fun game! It's hard to put down, because you just want to keep
going to see whats next. Finding all of the power combinations is a
plus also. I haven't mentioned the power combinations, have I? Thats
like, one of the main features of the game! Ok, Kirby can suck in and
swallow all enemies. Wait, make that almost all enemies. Stupid Kirby
look-a-likes... any ways, some of the enemies have special powers that
Kirby can copy. Like, Ice ability. Kirby swallows the penguin thing, Kirby
can now spin and shoot a icey smog out of his mouth. That can freeze
anything around him into an ice block. Or the bomb ability. Kirby swallows
the little bomb throwing dude, Kirby can now throw bombs. They can blow
up and destroy stuff. Now, if you think thats neat, you can COMBINE the
two powers to get and walking snowman with a bomb on his head who
eventually explodes! Isn't that neat? Quite a nice feature if you ask me.
And if you're not asking me, then... well, ask Chad! Chad knows stuff!
Alright I think I better move on...
Frustration
Can such a cute happy game cause frustration? Only in a few spots,
but it is very rare. Like the candy factory has a smashy thing that
smashes you and then you like, die. They're like, one after another.
So, if you get past 3 smashy things, and the 4th one smashes you,
you have to do all of the smashy things again! Fun fun fun, right? NO!
Also, some of the bosses towards the end maybe a little frustrating,
but you can figure out how to beat them and like, beat 'em. And the
Boss Battle. You don't really need to beat the Boss Battle, but it's
fun to do when you beat the game. Well, fun until you die. And then
you try again. And die. And then you try again. And die. And you keep
dying until you want that stupid tree boss to die because you've
killed him so many times and you just want to get to the Lava Man
and get past him. *ahems* Moving on...
Replayability: 10 out of 10
You can bet I'll be playing this game from the beginning once or twice
more. Or maybe even more than that. Because it's not like Zelda, where
once you beat it you can't replay it until you forget how to beat it. Kirby
is just fun to play, and you want to play it again, even though you've
already played it! Anyone ever play Yoshi's Island for SNES? It's
replayability is kind of like that. And I'm really hoping you wanted to
replay Yoshi's Island...
Game Value: 8 out of 10
Let me clarify on my ranking. Is the game worth going to Toys R Us and
shelling out $60? Not unless you're a rich little person. Is the game worth
getting for $30 on eBay? Most definitely! So eBay shoppers, get bidding! I
got Kirby 64 factory sealed for $30! Be smart like me!
Overall: 10 out of 10