Ask Guru Gobbo #19

No body updates the Super Smash Bros. Brawl page since... I don't play it :P Ha-hah! That probably will anger some folks. Really, tho', a lot of the site is in disarray. I try to update parts that I am familiar with, which mostly is older titles. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't have enough inner knowledge of the game to update the pages well. An example of what could happen is in Brawl itself: "Bront Burt is a bird." I don't want to be that guy who goes outside his area of knowledge to leave a horrible scar on a great product. As for the rest of the staffers, they are probably too busy playing Brawl to update the pages.

As for the Croc/Gobbo info, that's good to know. This is why I'm a Kirby Guru and do not claim that title for any other gaming series. I probably should have double-checked on that one before posting it. I only really did a quick Google check on the matter, and I saw something in the games sequel subtitle about Gobbos that made it seem like they were the villains. Of course, this was years ago. Yeah, I needed a refresher. But, hey, I'd rather be corrected and have things set right than forever be wrong.

Taking your serious queries, Project R.A.I.N.B.O.W. isn't really behind schedule, and I don't know why most people act like it is. It was having a steady flow of updates released about every other week. I know it promised to have everything probably wrapped up by the end of July, but the trend of how these updates were becoming available should have told everyone that the initial claim was not going to be met. Besides, this stunt was Disaster Kirby's doing, not mine, so he has ultimate control and responsibility on the program.

As for what the next letter unveiled is, I have no clue. There is not an order to these things. RSS was originally slated for the end rather than the fourth. These things are poorly planned, in case you couldn't tell already, if even at all. That's Rainbow Resort for ya, flying by the seat of our pants! Which, seguing, is what I assume Kindar Spirit is doing right now because she certainly hasn't been around here.

That is exactly the kind of stuff that I was talking about. Using the touch screen and stylus make for more than just Kirby with a Sword ability. Sure, Kirby could use his blade with the stylus control, too, but that would be a lot of individual focus on one ability when he has so many other options. However, putting this much attention into just the weapon would really give it reason to disclude all other abilities, ie: just have Meta Knight. This could be a great preview to what possibilities could come if they turned this stylus-sword action into a full fledge game instead of just one part in a compilation. Certainly, this would only be a scratch on the surface of what all could be done. I'm already wondering if you could zigzag up a tornado or cut a line across the screen with his blade.

It is a little saddening to see so little love given to the pink puff, but I can understand why. Adoring a, as I just described, pink thing is not a popular move in America. This ties into the marketing campaign used in America of "One tough creampuff". Kirby is innately stigmatized with his color. Characters like Link and Mario, that people grew up playing in their childhood, maintain the exact same level of awesome as they became older, if not becoming more enjoyable. Kirby, admittedly being more of a "beginner's game", keeps that childish image about it. Many folks probably shrug it off for more mature games, shooting things with guns rather than with stars.

Another aspect is the complexity and cult factor. Games like Harvest Moon, Zelda, and the Mother/Earthbound series all have very involved, complex, and layered storylines or a multitude of outcomes in play. In fact, any RPG fits close to these same features. The closest Kirby ever game to an RPG is Battle Windows. It's pretty a pretty shallow franchise, I'd hate to say, with the most depth lying in Meta Knight. It goes without saying that he gets a lot of the fandom in the series. I could say more, but a lot of this has already been stated.

When you have more to build on and do within the games, you generate more to talk about. There's countless possibilities, from my understanding, of how things can turn out in Harvest Moon. It's a very non-linear game. Kirby, however, just has that line through the levels to the main boss. I know, because I'm a fan, that the series actually does get rather involved and down right creepy when you dig into Dark Matter and other such things, but that's on the inside. Just glancing over the surface, you see a round, pink ball with rainbows and stars that really wants cake. It's all in misplaced judgement, I know, but I can understand why this eye is cast on the series.

Another point I almost hate to mention is the top tier of fandom. Like you said, not many sites out there care about Kirby in English. Whenever you do look for it, Rainbow Resort comes out on top. It's the king of Kirby in the States, no doubt. But, have you ever compared this site to another gaming site, like for Mother? Fans aside, the other sites themselves are a lot more polished and crisp. Here, we're more like an old internet dinosaur. People probably wonder why we aren't a fossil yet.

Really? This is a bonus mode of play that appears in the Nightmare in Dream Land remake of Adventure. It is a mode after the Extra Game that allows the player to go through the game as Meta Knight instead of Kirby. They must complete all levels without saving, three bars of life, and only the Sword ability (in affect), although it has enhanced capabilities that can pound stakes and light fuses, much like Master can do in Amazing Mirror. I'll admit that I've sometimes called it Meta Nightmare since I never played it and never learned what the mode was actually called. I naturally assumed "Knightmare" since it is a play on the two words, but I've seen some folks cut off the N, so I could never really tell. Yeah. Way for me to be an expert, I know. Cut me some slack. I have the original; I never bothered with the remake.

Meta Knight actually did just the same back in Super Star. Well, energy blasts, at least. It's been a while, and I know he spun like a tornado, but I can't quite recall if he shot them as well. Regardless, he accomplishes this with his overwhelming awesome. That's really it. How does anything happen in a video game, particularly when someone attacks? Swords are always shooting stuff: lasers, fireballs, beams. Technically, nothing should be able to generate a tornado, no matter how many times you whip it around. It all is a little peculiar, yes, but he is trained in... sword... mastery? Kirby, too, shoots energy from his sword, and he has his talents spread out. I think someone who has it as his weapon of choice could do a lot more damage with it.

You are correct, sir. Now, I don't dislike getting questions from the animated series since, as you said, I knew that would come up when I enrolled. I can't say I chipperly squeal, "Oh, boy! Time to crack this nut!" However, since I know generally little about it, it is still interesting to peel that onion and get to the inner layers that I never bothered caring about before. As for partner type people... I don't even know what that meant, really. If I were partnered with someone who adored the show, that'd be great. That was, after all, the set up of the Ask the Gurus priorly: one tackled the game series questions, one tackled the animated series.

Your comments on the series are actually a good point. I am aware that Sakurai can't get all of the blame for the series, but the part that ticked me off, Kirby not speaking, was his deal breaker. The Pokémon comparison is exactly what they were going for, with the expressed desire to turn Kirby into the next Pikachu. That is exactly why I could not stomach it. In Pokémon, you used the li'l guys as your tools: weapons for battle, keys in puzzles, or vehicles to get places. That's how the games worked, that's how the series worked. Kirby, on the other hand, was the star of his games. No one was his boss, no one commanded him. Er, well, outside of the player. Rather, the show brought us Twiddle Dum and Twiddle Dumber, characters pulled out of thin air, to carry the bulk of the show while Kirby played the ace-in-the-hole who was pulled out to solve the crisis. Again, I accept this differences, I accept that it was Sakurai's wishes, I just don't care for them.

Son, you got a lot to learn about women. For example, do you know that it's singular form is "woman"? ... That's about where my knowledge ends. Anyways, I would appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth. I never stated anywhere that he never expressed love. I said he had no expressed love interests. Vocabulary and phrasing, kiddies, learn 'em in school. This means there was never a girlfriend or princess he had to go off and save like there are in countless other video game titles. There are known relationships, with most of the Animal Friends in Dream Land 3 having their own ladies, be it a girlfriend, wife, or mother, but none of these ever extend to Kirby.

But, nah, getting all dazed and hearts-around-the-head when kissed isn't love. Ribbon was merely delivering a gesture of gratitude for having her star saved, and Kirby just, um... really appreciated it. But, no, that's not love. That's more likened to a brief moment of overwhelming infatuation since I can honestly not think of more suitable words to describe it. This was more like, "Tee hee, the pretty girl kissed me," where you have to pronounce it "kiss-ed" and with a Southern drawl in order to get the desired, dumbfounded affect. True love would be more like... well, how am I suppose to describe that? There would be a lot deeper of stuff going on than kiss, wee! Deep rooted emotional ties and what not would be bountiful, stuff that would delve too far for the simplistic nature of the series.

This question has a follow up in Session #20.

Sonic 06 is better than a game made ten years prior? Dude, there's two whole video gaming generations passed in between those two titles described. I would hope that Sonic would be able to hold a candle to something with that much time under its belt. That's at least eight times the bits, who knows how much more processing power, and a whole decade more of video game production knowledge. Why don't you just compare Pac-Man to Sonic & Knuckles?

Regardless, wasn't Air Ride in development long before Sonic Riders? It was suppose to come out on the N64 but got delayed until the Game Cube, so despite a release in 2003, it had been in development for considerably longer. Riders, on the other hand, came out in 2006. So, basically, you're saying that Kirby ripped off Sonic three years earlier and then some. There was probably almost a decade between when Air Ride was first announced Sonic got his flying vehicle game out. I don't even know how you came close to assuming Kirby ripped off anything. Seriously, those are release dates. That's the easy info to find. I'd suggest checking your facts before being made a fool in public.

And, let's not forget about having a subpar animé. Yeah, sure Sonic had two animated series* before, but those were just crummy American productions. Sonic X came out '03 while Fumu and Bumu were killing Kirby's show back in '01. Also, what wave of loser trendiness is Kirby riding? The round, cute thing wave? No such thing. Anthros and furries, on the other hand, have their own conventions, and I shutter to even acknowledge those things. That's the hedgehogs biggest push, in my opinion. Yeah, not fact, opinion. That's just what I feel is getting him over 'cuz I know he isn't winning folks over with his titles anymore. Zing!

Also, what about Sonic Spinball? I know that it and Pinball Land came out at exactly the same time (November 1993, for those wondering), but, boy, was Spinball awful! Yeah, I played that one. The thing I remember most is paddling around in a metal barrel. They had better pinball elements and levels in the regular Sonic games.

Regardless, I don't know where you get the nerve to even suggest that Kirby was a knock off. His franchise either beat or parred Sonic in every case, which is more impressive since the round one is a full year younger. He got around a lot faster than the 'hog, and he's not even blazing fast. Way to live up to your name, Sonic.

This answer is commented upon in Session #22.

* This answer is corrected in Session #24.

Squeaky Bogg, or "Squeaker", which I can no longer call him due to the Squeakers in Squeak Squad, was designed to be fully integrated with the Kirby series in all aspects: appearance and behavior. Being an old school fan, the fundamental molds and game play mechanics that drove Kirby were all applied to engineering him. Low color palette, simplistic form without a lot of accessories or details, and no hair or hats that generally seem to accompany fan characters. I even used Bogg as a test model in a fan game I was working on, Dream Land Dash, since I already had graphics of him running laying around and since his movement mechanics were more restrained and involved than what could be consider the norm (inflating to drift without the ability to ascend, jumping off walls, and springing off the ground when falling from great heights were just some of the ones I put in). However, I couldn't get an actual Kirby graphic to look right, since the graphics were hand drawn instead of ripped from the games, and drive on the work kinda fizzled out. I have wanted to use him in some sort of fan game endeavor, but I can't seem to just do it.

As far as story goes, I don't think he would fit with full-on canon flows. Normally, he comes across as a bit diabolical and malicious, as was the side shown of him in the forum flop, Siege on Rainbow Resort and the correspondingly titled group picture that inspired the stunt. I like Squeaky Bogg and everything and designed most every aspect of him so that he could blend in with the regular, true series, but I would never say that he should actually be involved with it. I would rather see characters like Marx or even Waddle Doo get pushes. Hey, Waddle Dee got some lime light in The Crystal Shards, so where's the cyclops' turn? *

* This answer is corrected in Session #24.