August 23rd 2025.
It's no secret that not all games are created equal. And after reading some negative previews of Kirby Air Riders at Gamescom, one reader is concerned that Nintendo's lower budget Switch 2 games are turning out to be a disappointment.
At first, I was hoping that the less-than-glowing preview from GC was just a fluke or that the reviewers simply didn't click with the game. But after reading other previews, it seems like the consensus is clear: Kirby Air Riders is a dud.
What's even more surprising is that this shouldn't come as a shock, as the GameCube version of the game wasn't well-received either. It seems like there have been a series of questionable decisions made, with a sequel to a game that wasn't well-liked or successful, and no real improvements or additions to the gameplay.
And let's not forget the comparisons to Mario Kart World and the fact that one of the main selling points of the original game was its simple one-button control scheme. But now, that's no longer the case, and it's unclear why the developers decided to change it.
While I can't personally speak on the quality of Kirby Air Riders as I haven't played it, the problem for Nintendo, and possibly other gamers like myself, is that I have no intention of playing it either. And what's even more concerning is that this seems to be a recurring issue, especially with the next game they're promoting: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment.
I did play the previous game and it was underwhelming, to say the least. I knew going in that it wouldn't be a masterpiece, but being based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, I wanted to give it a chance. However, I won't be making that mistake again, and I can't help but wonder if this is a problem for Nintendo. Am I the only one with this opinion, or do I have weird taste in games that no one else shares?
It's worth noting that two other recent releases from Nintendo, Welcome Tour and Drag x Drive, have also received negative reviews on Metacritic. This leads me to believe that there are now two tiers of games at Nintendo: the big-budget, well-known franchises that are consistently great, such as Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and hopefully, Metroid Prime 4.
Then, there's the B-tier, which used to have some redeeming features, like being experimental or unique. However, for the Switch 2, this tier seems to have fallen short, with games that were bad from the start and turned out to be exactly what was expected.
For me, the most baffling part is how these games even made it past the initial meeting. Why were Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors, and the unremarkable Welcome Tour chosen to be released in the first six months of the new console's launch? While Zelda is a well-known franchise, I can understand why they would want to release Hyrule Warriors to fill a gap in their lineup. But the others? No one was asking for these games, and they haven't done any favors for Nintendo's reputation.
I also worry about the games that fall in the middle, such as Fire Emblem. These are low-budget games that are part of well-known franchises that people enjoy. But I fear that, in Nintendo's eyes, they will handle these games similarly to Kirby Air Riders, and I don't want to see another game receive a score of less than 50 on Metacritic.
All of this is concerning because Nintendo is tarnishing its reputation in a unique way. While their big-budget games are still top-notch, their smaller ones have been underwhelming. And no, that's not a jab at Kirby. It's just the truth.
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