Kirby's Dream Course

"So... shoot there... Wheel! ...Plasma! ...Umbrella! Superjump! Stone! SCORE!"

This game is a classic, a shining gem in any pile of Super Nintendo games. This game is one of the most innovative games, bringing a traditional character to a whole new level of fun in an entirely new style of game (which always works well.... Sonic Spinball anyone?) I personally liked this game a lot, which is what inspired me to buy it on eBay 5 years after last playing it.

The following scores are relative to other SNES titles; I wouldn't compare the graphics of a Super Nintendo game to a PS3.

GRAPHICS: 10/10
The graphics in this game are simply perfect. Most people would at first criticize the lack of Mode7 graphics, stating that perfect graphics require some Mode7. However, the game creates an illusion of 3 dimensions perfectly without having to use Mode7. Just like Super Mario RPG.

SOUND: 9/10
The music is perfect. Not the best soundtrack... but the instruments are chosen for the scored perfectly. The songs don't 'skip' at all either, during any part of the performance. The crystal clear audio is only flawed by one thing: the sound effects. The sound effects in this game are kinda... well... tinny. Most of the sound effects are fine, but a lot of the noises from scoring in the hole while using different powers give odd 'sproing' type noises. Other than this minor setback, perfect audio.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10
With an innovative system like this, there's no way this could not get a 10. It's easy-to-use, and difficult to master. Getting a hole in one, while often easy, usually requires a lot of premeditated thought. You have to make a lot of calculations, to be able to discover "If I would head straight down this path at 75% power, the arrow would push me to the next enemy, and I'd be going just slow enough to hit the next arrow, get the umbrella, and after half a second, use the umbrella and hit the last 3 enemies on the way down and land in the hole." While that's one of the easier levels, it's still quite a bit of calculation to do for the hole in one. Even for beginners, decent scores are not difficult to attain.

STORY: 6/10
The story is where the game begins to fail. This game has no REAL storyline. However, being a sports-ish title, a story isn't really required. And.... it follows the Kirby storyline.... sort of. You have numerous encounters with Kracko; you eat enemies, and get powers. Pretty elementary.

REPLAYABILITY: 8/10
I love playing this game. I got it again for the sole purpose that I wanted to (bum bum bum) REPLAY it. Granted this isn't one of the games you would want to play every time your friends come over (Hello Super Smash Bros!!) it is one of the first Super Nintendo games you would pick up if you're bored. Just after Zelda, Super Mario World, and Kirby Superstar.

BONUS: 2 points
Kirby's Dream Course deserves two bonus points, simply for the fact that, without anyone EVER realizing it, this game is EDUCATIONAL. Yeah, I said it. Kirby's Dream Course taught me, and my friends, a lot about physics. Topspin, backspin, curves, angles of reflection.... learned it all from a Super Nintendo game, and ultimately improved my billiards ability.

AVERAGE: (10 + 9 + 10 + 6 + 8 + 2) = 45/50 = 9/10
This game falls into the category of Awesome. Kirby's Dream Course not only rocked the Kirby world, but it rocked the Super Nintendo. This is a game you would definitely want to buy if you ran across it at a yard sale, or on eBay. Simply put, it rocks out loud.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07