Kirby Air Ride began as a launch game for the Nintendo 64. It was first shown way back in 1995 and it looked promising at the time, but for various reasons the game was shelved. Usually when a game disappears for such a long time the gaming public never sees it again. Much to our surprise Kirby Air Ride was resurrected for the GameCube. Unfortunately, it would have been better had the game been left and buried.

Kirby Air Ride is Kirby's first game on the GameCube. He has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks to the cartoon show and some above average games. At the heart of the game lies Air Ride mode. This is where up to 4 players can race across vast landscapes to try and finish in 1st place. Along the way Kirby can suck up enemies and use their powers to help propel him to the finish line. Too bad then, that this mode is probably the least fun to play. The power-ups do little to add any excitement to the races. The main problem is the lack of speed and the one button control scheme. Unlike other racing games that use a button for acceleration and another button for braking, Kirby is hovering along the track by default. So, by not pressing any buttons and just using the analog stick you can race around the tracks. The "A" button brakes. By holding the button you can build up power so that when released a boost will be initiated, propelling Kirby faster down the track. In theory this might sound like good play mechanics, but believe me, this is what essentially ruins the game. The idea of having to brake in order to gain speed is just odd. It breaks up the flow of the game and also forces players to constantly slow down, thus creating a game that plays so slow that one begins to wonder if this really is a racing game. I've tested this game for hours. I've played it solo, with a friend, and with 4 players and no matter how much I played it, the verdict was always the same: boring!

Funny thing is, it's the other modes that save the game from receiving a lower score. Top Ride was a favorite to play with friends. This is a top-down view of a small track. The game play mechanics are the same as in the Air Ride mode, but the tracks are designed with unique hazards and there are better special weapons to use against your friends, creating a more heated match. This mode looks kind of like Super Off-Road, where the entire track fits on the screen at once. The objective is to still place first, but each round is way more exciting and brought about a lot of shouting back and forth between friends. We ended up playing this mode the most, but unfortunately it's almost something that we'd expect to find in a Super Monkey Ball or Mario Party mini-game. In other words, this mode alone can't save the game, but it did provide solid entertainment for a while.

The last mode of play is called City Trial. I liked playing this mode solo. It's difficult to explain what is involved, but basically you roam about this huge city and collect as many power-ups as you can. They will increase your speed, increase your defense, etc. You only have a few minutes to do this and there are other competing racers after the same power-ups. This mode is free roaming, so you're not stuck to a track. It plays sort of like Grand Theft Auto and you can even get off your vehicle and nab another. After the time limit is up you'll have to play a random mini-game with your powered up vehicle. This mode is fairly simplistic, but collecting the power-ups is fun while it lasts.

When all is said and done, Kirby doesn't offer enough gameplay to warrant a purchase unless you're a huge Kirby fan or a younger gamer. There are a ton of secrets to unlock, sort of like Super Smash Bros. Melee, but what fun are the secrets when the main game can't even deliver? Ironically this is Nintendo's first LAN game so you can actually hook up to 4 GameCubes together and enjoy your own game screen. Luckily we have Mario Kart Double Dash arriving soon. Don't pick this one up unless you're really hard up for a multiplayer game or until it drops to $19.99.