Wednesday Special: Kid Kirby

"Wednesday Special" is a post scheduled for the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month.  It is always something sort, possibly sweet, and usually accompanied by images or videos.

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If it weren't for the hair, I totally wouldn't have been able to tell that Kirby is a baby.

The film industry seems to love the idea of prequels when they run out of ideas for movie sequels.  The video game industry seems to love this idea as well, but one series that I would have never imagined to get the prequel treatment would be Kirby.  Apparently, back in 1995 Nintendo thought a Kirby game featuring a "young" Kirby would be a good way to showcase the SNES mouse.  Alas, Kid Kirby never saw the light of day.  You can read the little information that exists for this game and see a few screenshots over on Unseen 64.

A Snot-Nosed Pig Makes Me Happy

Click this adorable picture for a mucus-filled game trailer.

While I didn't receive copies of Kirby Mass Attack or the Uncharted Dual Pack for my birthday this past weekend, I did receive something that came as a complete surprise: an iPad!  Sure, I downloaded some apps where I convinced myself that they would be useful, such as the painting app "Inspire Pro."  But of course, therein lies a weakness for my wallet: 99 cent games.

The person who gifted me the iPad gave me a set of instructions of what I must download, one of which was the under-a-buck gem Gesundheit! The game has a quirky charm and features a little green pig with chronic allergies as its hero.  He must use his snotty nose to lure monsters into traps (as they like to eat snot, apparently) while avoiding getting himself eaten.  While the touch screen controls can get a little bit finicky when you're near the edge of the screen, this logic/stealth game is entirely enjoyable and packs a lot of game into a very small admission price.   

Gesundheit! serves as a perfect example of why Nintendo should be worried regarding their digital downloads.  While Nintendo finds it perfectly fine to charge at least $3 for 20 year-old, black and white Game Boy games, outside of the Marios and Zeldas, the price isn't worth it when you can find newly developed games for iOS and Android devices for cheaper.  With its touch-based controls and 40 levels, Gesundheit! could have very easily been a release for the Nintendo DS systems as either a downloadable title or even a retail release.  However, with the decision to release it as a 99 cent game for iOS devices, Konami seemingly expanded the audience for the game.  It could have been an ignored Nintendo eShop release or destined for the clearance bin.  But the person who recommended the game to me was not a gamer, but an average person who was looking for a diversion and gave a game with a quirky title and concept a chance solely because of its cheap price point. This game definitely benefited from the "Hey, it's only 99 cents, so why not?" mentality, while it would not have been able to on a Nintendo system.

So what's your opinion on all of these 99 cent iOS/Android games?  Have any recommendations?  How about Nintendo's pricing structure on its downloads?