Now, I know there's an old thread about this but you know what, I don't care.
So, Kirby Super Star Ultra came out a few days ago ( I think at least? ) and I finally got the chance to play it a bit (actually beat the game but whatever)
Granted, as was discussed in the previous thread, it's a port. But it's a mighty good one at that. My first impressions about the port job:
All the minigames are there, the game still plays and feels like Super Star on the SNES, the music is practically the same, the graphics are a tad better, the levels are exactly as they were on the SNES: they weren't changed at all. You still have the short Spring Breeze, the semi-short Dyna Blade, the treasure-hunt Great Cave Offensive, the uh, whatever, Meta-Knight's Revenge and the great Milky Way Wishes. The minigames have been switched for some lamer touch-screen ones, but this isn't so bad. So, as a port, it got everything right. No cross-platform discrepancies whatsoever.
But if that was just it, it would be (though some could believe it still is) just a simple money-making ploy. Porting a popular game to a handheld is always an easy way to get money, though I must say I like the idea of having portable Kirby.
The game adds a few things, or rather, a good enough slew of things to make it a semi-worthwhile port:
First and foremost, all the small cutscenes have been replaced with 3D CG vids, which are very faithful to the original's quirkiness and all that.
The meat of the extras, however, lies in when you beat the final game that was in the original SNES version. You first unlock Revenge of the King, which is basically a souped-up version of Spring Breeze. The short levels have been slightly lengthened, enemy placement has become meaner (so has level design) and all the baddies are a tad tougher and look meaner/creeper(though it's still just a Kirby game: cartoony at best) Some new bosses have been thrown in at the end of this mode, and I must say they were pretty cool.
Then you unlock Meta-Knightmare Ultra. This mode is basically Kirby Super Star Ultra Speedrun. It's not very hard. You play as Meta-Knight, which is basically the sword ability with added moves. If it was just that, it'd be easy, but the game made it even easier: you have some skills you can use after killing baddies, including the ever so cheap Heal skill. Unless you're 3 years old, you can't die. It goes through 5 levels, each one being one of the main games.
Then you have two Arena addons, one which has you playing strictly as a helper and the other is a souped-up version of the main Arena. For those seeking a challenge, go for this mode, even though it's the last you unlock. It can really be frustatingly hard.
No tears though, for whoever who went "OH NO MY SWEET MINIGAMES" when I said the original minigames were out. You unlock the Megaton Punch and the Draw minigames after beating a few modes, so no sweat. However, practically nothing, not even graphics, have been changed for either minigame.
Now, this game is short. I played it alot, especially tonight, but it didn't last me very long(beating every mode even). I think it retails at around 35$, and I think unless you really really love Kirby, it might be a tad too much for what is offered. Granted, it's a pretty great port with neat additions. If you can get a used copy (or can get it on your sd-card), go for it. If you don't like Kirby this wouldn't change your idea of it, but if you do and you got some money to spare, a DS and some boredom to kill, then you should probably give this a shot. I liked Superstar the best, having played it alot as a kid, and this made me feel the same kind of fun.
It has no online multiplayer, but it does have local multiplayer, and you can even play Spring Breeze with a friend with only one game.
I hope this was insightful to whoever cared or wasn't sure whether or not to get this.
I don't think I'm too good at writing reviews, but it's not like I really tried anyway