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37 of 39 found the following review helpful:
 Our most played game ever---Addictive in the extreme!Jul 22, 2005
By Suzanne Amara
I am not sure just what it is that this game has, but it's got it! It didn't get great reviews, but it looked fun to me, and I bought it for my kids---well, it's been played far more than any of the other (too many) video games we have!
There are 3 basic modes---a standard racing mode, a overhead view racing mode and City Mode, which takes more explaining! The standard mode uses Kirbys riding on different vehicles, going VERY fast on different kinds of courses. Kirby can eat enemies and take their powers for a while. You can race each other, or the computer. All you really do is steer and slow down in order to power up for a boost. It's very simple to control Kirby, and you get a great feeling of being half out of control while still in control!
The overhead mode is kind of retro looking. You race a little Kirby around and around a small track (there are several different ones). The track looks like those little car tracks from the 70s. There are bonus items you can eat up as you race, some boost you, some hurt others.
The City Mode is what we play the most. It's WEIRD but fun! It's a city full of odd things---a section of trees, a section of run down buildings, a waterwheel, a castle, a subway, lots of underground areas---all sort of minimalistically portrayed! The real goal is to break open all kinds of boxes and get power up items, like better turning or better speed. In the standard mode, you have 5 minutes to do this. You can find different vehicles lying around, and ride them instead of your starting one. Then, after the 5 minutes, you compete in a random pick of one of 20 or so stadium events---a long jump, a race, a melee match, etc. It's fun as you might have collected items for a race, which do you no good in what you are actually doing, so all have a chance!
The most fun of this game is trying to finish the grids with records! There are a huge 128 boxes to fill in for EACH mode! Some are things like getting a certain score, but others are out there, like finishing with your time all a certain number on the seconds! We haven't filled all the boxes in any of the modes yet! But we have had fun trying---it's so neat to see after you finish a section if any of the little boxes get filled in! We are simple people, I guess---we enjoy that a lot!
If I had any complaint about the game, I guess I wish there were more unlockable tracks or modes---I love that, although I don't know why---I guess it gives you something to aim for!
All in all, a super game!
34 of 39 found the following review helpful:
Don't listen to the bad reviewsOct 17, 2003
I got this game the first day it came out, and boy was I excited. This game is every bit as fun as I expected. Over 300 goals to reach, a ton of different vehicles, and, of course, META-KNIGHT AS A PLAYABLE CHARACTER! There are three modes to this game-
Air ride- Normal racing
Top Ride- Mini-racing
City Trial- Upgrade your machine in a limited amount of time, and see how good it does in a random challenge I've noticed this game getting quite a few bad reviews. Don't listen to them. If you're a Kirby fan or a fan of Racing games, get this game. Remember kids, just because a game is E rated, dosn't mean it's kiddy!
17 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Blink-or-you'll-miss-it racing, Kirby styleNov 03, 2003
To be honest, when I bought this game, I was a bit doubtful. One-button controls didn't seem like all that great an idea, and I was considering buying F-zero instead. Nevertheless, I am a big fan of Kirby, having played most of his games, even weird spinoffs like Kirby's Dream Course, (basically Kirby Golf), so I decided on the less traditional game. I was glad I did. Lacking a storyline but not much else, this game leaves F-zero far behind in sheer variety of gameplay. If you get tired of the Normal Race and Time Attack modes, which each feature plenty of unlockables, you can compete in entirely separate top-view racing (I got used to the controls for this pretty quickly, considering). Also available is the vast City Trial, almost a game on its own, in which you race to boost your vehicle's attributes, such as speed, steering, etc., then battle in a random multiplayer contest. It will take any player a long time to complete every objective of this game, so even without other players it is extremely fun. One thing is for sure: If this is meant for kids, they must be kids who have really good reflexes.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Kirby is my home dog!Dec 20, 2005
By Terri Carlson
"Spenscarl"
Kirby Air Ride was my very first Gamecube game. Now looking back, I couldn't have chosen a better game! To begin with, the controls are very simple; all u use are the A button and control stick during races- perfect for beginners. Additionally, every vehicle has a different characteristic. I enjoy using each vehicle's special characteristic as an advantage during races. Also, this is the only game my sister will play with me. (Kirby is sooooo cute!) Playing with more than one person is twice as fun than playing solo, especially in City Trial(one of the 3 race styles u can choose from). Sure it gets boring after a while playing by yourself, but with others, the possibilities are endless! Over all, this game is great, but I strongly recommend playing multi player. I'm waiting with anticipation for the next Kirby game for gamecube!
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
One if the best racers I've ever played...Nov 20, 2004
If you've ever played Gran Turismo 3 for the PS2, you know for a fact that the reason the game is so good is because it's so realistic.
Now skip ahead to a different idea, an idea such as people are tired of playing video games with too many confusing buttons and such.
Not saying I have a problem with this stuff, but let's just say my Dad won't play any of my 2-player games with me because the "controls are too confusing". Well, he should get a load of this game. Control stick and the 'A' button. What, are you asking if that's a trick to perform in a video game? No, that's all you need to remember to use on the controller when you play Kirby's Air Ride. But don't think it's all just simple foolish kiddy stuff, as I will explain now.
There are three different game modes:
Air Ride, the racing part.
Top Ride, a mini-racer game that's a blast to play.
And last but not least, City Trial, which is basically exploring a large city and powering up your vehicle to prepare for a random minigame.
The levels you race in in Air Ride are amazing. They have an incredible sense of speed and they deliver some of the coolest effects seen in any game.
When you first start each race, you automatically accelerate. You'll quickly forget the automatic acceleration after about five seconds. The 'A' button is used to help make tight turns, then gives you a boost. Use it to your advantage. The 'A' button also can suck up enemies. Pressing 'A' again will help to use the enemy's special power. But basically when you're going through a race, you're gonna end up sucking up everything, and not really choosing what you want to suck up.
Top Ride, although it contols awkward at first, is one of the most addictive mini-racing games I have ever played.
And now we have City Trial, where you...well, I already explained it before, but powering up your vehicle and playing a fun minigame never gets old. The minigames sort of remind me of Super Monkey Ball, and if you play both of these games, you'll know why.
Oops. I forgot to mention that every mode in this game can be played with up to four players, which makes everything even more fun. It's also LAN compatible.
And if THAT wasn't enough, there's a staggering 150 unlockables. Completing these and getting more and cooler stuff adds to what is already an excellent game.
If you enjoy racing games, and don't mind your games sugary sweet, this game is a bargain for it's Players Choice price.
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based on 119 reviews
