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The story
At a Nintendo showcase, a new Kirby title was revealed in the closing “finale” slot — the spot traditionally reserved for the biggest announcement — sparking discussion on 5ch’s hardware/industry (Geha) board. Many users had been expecting a new Mario game, so comments voicing disappointment like “Kirby as the finale is a bit of a letdown…” poured in. Others defended the pick, pointing to the sales of the previous game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land (known in Japan as Discovery), which reportedly moved 1.84 million copies domestically and 7.52 million worldwide, arguing it was “worthy of the finale slot.” The thread also branched into debate over who the announcement was really aimed at — kids and casual players, Kirby’s core audience, or the older generation of longtime fans — as well as comparisons of Kirby’s popularity against Donkey Kong.
What people said
well, so much for Mario lol
no wonder the stock's tanking
Kirby's rough on us Nintendo uncles
>Don't need kiddie games
what's that supposed to mean?
So Geha regulars hate adult-oriented PS games and Western titles, but also hate the kids' games that are Nintendo's core market?
You just want late-night-anime otaku stuff instead?
just give us something like the Deluxe games
overseas showcases would close with something like Blizzard, right?
it's dropping right after the Ocarina of Time hype dies down, perfect timing
my guess is it lands around the same level as Yoshi
so who's actually going to play this?
today's kids will play it
you old-timers can just watch from the sidelines
Forgotten Land was the best-selling one in series history, though?
today's kids, and the old-timers who used to be kids
so I'd say it earned the finale slot
that's a bigger flop than 'Chie Kari'
otaku hate anything mainstream
yet ironically still want the stuff they like to become popular with everyone
basically the late-night anime crowd mentality
old guys who worship Final Fantasy like a religion could never get why Kirby's massively popular with young women
it doesn't sell overseas, so expectations are naturally lower
but Forgotten Land hit 7.5 million, and now it's going open-world-ish, so we'll see how that plays out
this might actually be the action game Monolith Soft's been working on
the map design has way too little taste for that
please don't
that'd be a waste of Monolith Soft's talent
if it were a Xeno-series action game though, I'd want that
Kirby's last game sold 5 million copies, you know
if it were Mario, sure, but Kirby? not really feeling it — doesn't get me hyped
it's not even 5 million — Kirby's last one did 7 million
because it's coming next winter
they'll probably keep popping up steadily
people desperately hunting for thread material the whole time
the 2D team just put out Rin Rin Park
and the 3D team — same Tokyo studio — just released Donkey Kong Bananza, so they can't drop Mario yet
no issues here
that happens pretty much every time, so…
honestly feels like it's been a while since a real big title closed the show
no way
last time was way better
Donkey Kong wins on game quality, but Kirby's got the popularity
overseas it's Donkey Kong
domestically it used to be Donkey Kong too, but now it's Kirby
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
“Tori” (literally “the bird,” used to mean “closer” or “headliner”) is the informal term for the closing, marquee-title slot in Nintendo showcases; as the thread itself notes, that spot has recently gone to the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and a new Fire Emblem title. This time, because many fans were expecting a new Mario game, the Kirby pick drew a noticeably deflated reaction. On the sales figures for the previous game, Forgotten Land (Discovery) — there’s a slight discrepancy between the “1.84 million domestic / 7.52 million worldwide” figures cited early on and the “7 million” figure that came up in a later reply. Both are unofficial numbers based on posters’ memories, not confirmed official data, so they should be read with that caveat. Likewise, the self-deprecating back-and-forth about “Geha regulars hating both kids’ games and otaku content” is an exaggerated in-joke specific to the board, not a genuine reflection of Nintendo’s actual user base. And the popularity comparison with Donkey Kong remains a matter of subjective opinion, split along domestic-versus-overseas lines, rather than anything settled.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Geha]) thread “[Thundering Face-Plant] Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-Kirby??? lmaooooo“.
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