Kirby Fighters 2

Kirby Fighters 2 is an unremarkable fighting game that doesn’t really do much to separate itself from Super Smash Brothers. The fighting is decent and the story mode is fun, but there’s little reason to carry on playing once you’ve climbed the tower, especially with the multiplayer servers already feeling empty a few weeks after release. At less than half the price of Ultimate, Kirby Fighters 2 is a great compromise if you’re looking for a simple fighting game.

Kirby Fighters 2 achieves nearly all of its glory in Story Mode, but there’s still some fun in short bursts if you have friends to play with or enjoy the time trials. Skip online unless you’re playing with friends. But even that risks your sanity.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a kid-friendly fighting game that holds rather limited appeal.

A charming, breezy brawler Kirby Fighters 2 is a solid gateway fighting game hampered by limited modes and the occasional difficulty spike.

I feel that I can't be too harsh on Kirby. Kirby was created for simplicity in almost every regard. He is small and round, making him simple to draw. He has a cute, friendly expression on his face at all times. Even his first game was designed from the ground up to be approachable for younger and less experienced players, thus the decision to give Kirby a near-infinite jump, allowing him to sail right over difficult platform challenges and enemies. As a result, I have a lot of patience for the tiny warrior, as I know what he was created for, and what he continues to represent in gaming. But th...

Kirby Fighters 2 is very much Super Smash Bros. for kids and/or hardcore Kirby fans. It's a similar experience just made worse by the simplistic and slow fighting and the limited variety of overall gameplay content.

If your favourite character to play in Super Smash Bros is Kirby, well, do I have some good news for you. Kirby Fighters 2 is going to scratch that very specific itch, because while it plays like Smash, pretty much every player character is Kirby wearing a different hat. It’s a very cute and colourful concept, but whether it holds up after a few hours of play is another matter entirely.

Like many enduring fighting game franchises, The King of Fighters operates under the axiom that if it ain't broke, don't fix it and continues to deliver the thrills that fans of the series have enjoyed for nearly twenty years. While the game doesn't revolutionize the formula, it also doesn't try, retaining what has made the franchise so endearing while providing updates to stand a bit closer to its contemporaries. More geared towards counters than, say, Street Fighter's emphasis on combos, Th...