E3'03: Kirby's Air Ride - Impressions Preview

Amidst the manic pace of Mario Kart: Double Dash, Kirby’s Big Air Ride certainly provided some welcome relief at last months E3 event.<br><br>Whilst we would have liked to see Kirby return in an original 3D platformer for the GameCube, fans of the pink one will have to make do with this cross between a kart racer and snowboarder with a splattering of Kirby action chucked in for fun.<br><br>Picking from a variety of vehicles on offer, players must race down courses styled in a similar manner to a ski run without the snow. The game offers a variety of surprises, most notably the lack of an acceleration button, in fact the complete lack of buttons; besides the analogue stick, the only button used is the A button to eat the opponents and slow down to gain a speed boost.<br><br>Let me explain that one; when approaching a corner you hold onto the A button to slow down, holding onto it will charge up a bar which gives you a speed boost out of the corner. It’s a simplistic technique that will suit the younger fans, however it certainly adds a notch of skill to what would otherwise be a mundane racer.<br><br>In traditional Kirby fashion, players can eat the various opponents that feature on the course giving him a variety of different techniques and abilities; for example, sucking up a certain character grants Kirby a green hat and sword similar to those worn by Link, whilst sucking up an electric creature grants Kirby the ability to shoot electric sparks at other competitors.<br><br>Thankfully the wonderful and wacky course designs make up for what would have otherwise been an overly simplistic racer. Courses are bright and breezy and feature all manner of boosts and rails to grind through, whilst the lack of action may deter some, you certainly gain a buzz from boosting out of a corner onto a boost-pad and hopping onto a corkscrew rail to grind towards the end of the level.<br><br>Visually it’s a very simplistic affair that will win few awards. Character models and environments are extremely basic and feature minimal detail, however the frame-rate is kept at a lovely smooth 60FPS even during the 4P split-screen matches.