17-Aug-2004 Nintendo's fuzzy pink testicle flomps onto GBA for some seriously entertaining platform antics Kirby's not so different from you and me. He's a flying pink blob, and instantly becomes a karate expert by popping a black belt in his mouth.
But hang on, that's not why you're similar. No, it's when Kirby gets attacked by a fruit-chucking cartoon elephant that he does what you'd do. He gets out the Nokia and calls his mates for some back-up.
That's the big twist in what is undoubtedly the finest Kirby game ever. If you're laying into a giant stone tree type thing and his boulders are cracking your bloated pink face open, you call up three other Kirbies to help you lay the smack down. Safety in numbers. They'll even hold switches down for you as well, at a push. They're good lads, but dumber than a box of hair.
Smash Brother If you can't quite believe that a Kirby game could be anything other than shit, look at the screens. The character design is hilarious. When Kirby sucks up a foe and takes on his abilities, the transformations will make you piss yourself. Whether he's swinging a sword, breathing fire or actually turning into a rocket, Amazing Mirror drowns you in charm. The awesomeness peaks when you get the Smash Bros power, which makes 2D Kirby mimic his 3D fighter self.
Kirby's 25 different forms means the gameplay stays fresh throughout, and for once in Kirby's history 'throughout' doesn't just mean a couple of hours. Amazing Mirror isn't a difficult game, but there's a lot of ground to cover to nab all of the mirror shards.
Breast Ever Instead of being a straight line, the levels sprawl out Metroid style, and there are multiple routes through - as well as a bit of back-tracking. The only pink blobs to have done that before are the ones with nipples on them inside Samus Aran's spacesuit.
It's a shame that the bosses require little more thought than simply chucking back what they throw at you, and it hardly qualifies as a platformer at times when you can just fly everywhere.
But if Nintendo put out a new 2D Mario game of this quality there'd be parties in the street. Like a porn mag, there's a lot of pink in here, and it's embarrassing to be caught enjoying it. But sod it - brave the shame, and sink into the pink.
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