That cute, little squishy guy is back in
Kirby 64: the Crystal Shards all his pastel glory to sweeten up 2-D life on Nintendo 64. With 3-D games such as
Perfect Dark and
Donkey Kong 64 getting the bulk of attention among consumers, Kirby provides a fun change of pace for both young and experienced gamers who don't necessarily need all three dimensions to have fun. Young gamers will love the bright, colourful graphics in this game, which is 2-D with some 3-D foreground and background elements. Kirby is joined by plenty of friends who will aid in his quest to recover the pieces of an important shattered crystal. While the levels are a bit too easy for older gamers, the gameplay in
Kirby 64 is original enough to entertain all ages.
Kirby still has an appetite for enemies, sucking them up and spitting them out, but he can also swallow them, inheriting abilities such as fire and cutter. Also, Kirby can now combine enemy powers, often with hilarious results. For instance, electricity plus stone turns Kirby into an electrifying little light bulb. Sure, all these powers aren't necessary to play the game, but they're a lot of fun. --Robb Guido
