Kirby Fighters 2

Under normal circumstances, a fighting game where more than three-quarters of the roster is made up of the same character might seem strange or boring. But when that character is Nintendo's loveable icon Kirby in Kirby Fighters 2, "normal circumstances" go flying out the window. Outside of five guest fighters, or "Buddies," the game's built on a roster of seventeen different versions of the titular character, each based on a "Copy Ability" the hero has used in previous games. So despite appearing to be watered down, there's actually a robust selection of unique abilities and tactics to choose from. Whether it's the beetle version of Kirby that can ram and impale opponents on his massive horn, or the kid version of Kirby that swings and slings his yo-yo around to take opponents down from a distance, players are sure to find at least a couple of personal favorites to play with.



The controls in Kirby Fighters 2 are fairly basic and easy for gamers of all ages and skill levels to pick up and play. There's a lot of arcade style button mashing with an occasional tilt of the thumbstick added to pull off a special move and no complex commands to memorize. That said, the game isn't easy by any means. Climbing the tower in Story mode starts simple enough, but quickly becomes a daunting and even frustrating task. Plus, once you choose your fighters at the start of each chapter, you're locked into that choice until you either climb to the next tower or give up and start over. Multiplayer is the game's bread and butter though. There's nothing more fun that getting some friends together and having that old school classic arcade experience. Multiplayer is at its best in local play with friends sharing the fun in the same room. The game does support online play, which works quite well on the whole, but does suffer from the occasional lag that can hamper a match. Still, for a casual competitive game night for all ages, Kirby Fighters 2 is a party waiting to happen.