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Iwata reveals three canned Kirby games, more than a decade in the making
The relative ease of Kirby games usually result in their powderpuff protagonist avoiding death from start to finish -- however, Kirby's not immune to the most permanent form of death there is: Project cancellation. In the most recent Iwata Asks, Kirby's Return to Dreamland producer Shigefumi Kawase revealed that three installments in the franchise were killed off mid-development, explaining "We spent 11 years ... making and abandoning these three games." The three Kirby titles in questions would have been starkly different: One was a 2.5D four-player adventure title (sort of like Return to Dreamland, but with more depth), one was a fully-3D exploration-centric game and the other was an animated platformer with "pop-up visuals." They sound charming as all-get-out, which makes us all the more forlorn that they're dead as doornails. Goodnight, sweet princes. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland review: Sleepwalking
Kirby's Return to Dreamland is too easy. I know I'm going to have to back that up, given that you couldn't die in the previous Kirby game, and I loved that one -- and given that Kirby has never exactly been synonymous with brutal difficulty, and that's kind of the point. But Kirby's Return to Dreamland, unlike Epic Yarn, centers on giving Kirby the most impressive, most exciting, and most powerful powers he's ever had, and then fails to put them to any kind of interesting use. Really, the only ability you have to master in order to succeed in this game is pushing the attack button. %Gallery-125891%
Kirby returns to Dream Land on Oct. 24, after a stop at PAX
Nintendo's announcement of its PAX offerings includes a surprise bit of news. Kirby Wii has officially had its name changed to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and it's been given a release date of October 24. Hey, another Wii game to look forward to -- how about that! Nintendo will be showing off Kirby's latest Wii outing at PAX, along with Kirby: Mass Attack, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Fortune Street, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Kid Icarus: Uprising. Nintendo's PAX lounge sounds pretty amazing even without the games: the two-floor lounge in the North Galleria will offer giant Pokedex 3D cards, a Dragon Quest-themed "monster friend mash-up" photo booth, and a fully Kirby-themed area with Kirby beanbags and pink cotton candy.
Report: Kirby Wii officially named 'Kirby Returns to Dreamland'
After waking up just in time to briefly appear at Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference, Kirby will apparently be heading back to Dreamland in his forthcoming Wii appearance. In speaking with a Nintendo rep at this week's San Diego Comic Con, Siliconera heard that the none-too-subtly-named Kirby Wii will actually be named "Kirby Returns to Dreamland" when it arrives this fall. Nintendo has yet to confirm the title, but we expect we'll hear official word when the company decides to make a big release date announcement. And given how much we liked the game when we played it back at E3, here's hoping that announcement comes soon.
Kirby Wii preview: King Dedede, you, and me
It's hard to speak about Kirby Wii without a tinge of regret, and harder still to do so after seeing this video of a very similar, cancelled Kirby title for the GameCube. The game was never quite "cancelled" per se, but it was put on hold for quite some time while its developer, HAL Laboratory, pursued other projects -- Picross 3D and Face Raiders, among others. Among a mess of other logos flashed at the end of Nintendo's E3 2011 presser, Kirby Wii prominently stood out, reminding us that the game still exists. And when I spotted the game in Nintendo's press area available at a hands-on kiosk, I jumped at the chance to finally play the six year old game. What I found was a New Super Mario Bros. Wii meets single-player Smash Bros. Brawl mashup, with a hefty dollop of pink fluffy Kirby covering everything. Something not quite as "hardcore" looking as the GC game, but not far off.%Gallery-125891%
Nintendo mass announces Wii, DS game launch dates
Clearly, Nintendo wants the back half of your year to have a strong financial plan. In two lengthy lists we spotted on the company's press site, everything from Kirby Wii to Pro Jumper! Chimaki's Hot Spring Tour Guilty Gear Tangent was given a more clear release date, with Kirby arriving some time in fall and the latter mystifying DSiWare shopgoers on June 23. If one game starring a puffy pink monster just wasn't enough, how about one for your DS on September 19? 'Cause that's exactly when Kirby Mass Attack is launching. A whole mess of other release date/windows/seasons are categorized for your fiduciary planning needs, just beyond the break.
Nintendo teases new Rhythm Heaven, Mario Party 9, Kirby titles
Though Nintendo didn't do its traditional "Here are a bunch of logos of games we're making," it couldn't resist a little info dump at the end of the company's press conference. Shown on a screen as attendees exited were logos for [deep breath] The Rolling Western, Paper Mario, Super Fossil Fighters, Rhythm Heaven, Fortune Street, Kirby Mash Attack, Kirby Wii and Mario Party 9. What systems are these games for? Who's making them? We have no idea. Have a nice day!
