‘Kirby’s Dream Buffet’ looks like a mash-up of ‘Fall Guys’ and ‘Mario Party’

Even though there’s already been one major Kirby game this year, Nintendo’s lovable pink puffball is making a second appearance sometime later this summer in Kirby’s Dream Buffet. 

While Nintendo’s official description is a bit sparse, Kirby’s next adventure is billed as a four-player party game that will see gamers “roll through a smorgasbord of food-themed stages” while bulking up on strawberries. At the end of four rounds, players will battle it out in a “fruity fight atop a floating platform” to determine which Kirby reigns supreme. 

Based on footage from Nintendo’s trailer, Kirby’s Dream Buffet features obstacle courses reminiscent of Fall Guys, but without the massive 60-player lobbies you get in Mediatonic’s popular battle royale-style platformer. In addition to four human players, it appears you’ll also have to compete against NPCs in the form of computer-controlled Waddle Dees. You can gain advantages by using various power-ups like speed boosts or Kirby’s signature copying ability, while some glimpses of the final round look like an evolved version of Mario Party’s classic Bumper Balls mini-game. 

So far, Nintendo has yet to provide an official release date for Kirby’s Dream Buffet, only specifying that the game will be released sometime this summer on the Nintendo eShop. Pricing is also still to be determined, though based on the scope and nature of the game, I’m not expecting it to feature a full $60 price tag like you usually get with big tentpole Nintendo titles. 

Amazon makes ‘Mass Effect Legendary Edition’ and over 30 other games free for Prime Day

Amazon’s free Prime Gaming downloads for Prime Day this year include some pretty well-known titles, though this round’s heavy hitter is BioWare’s Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The compilation bundles all the single-player base games of the original Mass Effect trilogy, remastered with improved graphics optimized for 4K Ultra HD and with adjusted gameplay. It also comes with over 40 items of downloadable content, such as promo weapons and armor. 

Free Amazon Prime Gaming titles for Prime Day 2022

BioWare tweaked the elements that made us not want to replay the original games, including their clunky gunplay and the Mako all-terrain vehicle that’s hard to navigate in certain terrains. As we noted in our review, the remastered games feature refined handling and aiming, as well as a less erratic cover mechanic. Levels and across-the-galaxy jumps also load more quickly than in the original games. 

In addition to Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the 30-plus free titles for Prime Day also include Grid Legends, the Grid franchise entry released in 2021. The racing game will give you access to more than 100 vehicles from the start and has over 250 events you can participate in. If you’re a racing game fan, you can also get Need for Speed Heat, which was released in 2019 and was the first EA title to offer cross-play between gaming systems. Finally, if you’re a shooting game fan, take note that the list also includes three Star Wars games, namely Jedi Knight — Jedi Academy,Jedi Knight II — Jedi Outcast and Republic Commando. You can download all the aforementioned games for free if you’re a Prime subscriber.

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