Star Allies is eventually a phenomenal game. 100% completion will show you some of the greatest challenges and sequences the Kirby series has to offer, particularly in the Ultimate Choice. The movesets are some of the most varied and complex (Bandee probably being my runaway favorite for the series), and re-integrating the Super Star partners and the Squeak Squad elements adds a ton of technical complexity to the experience. There are so many characters here making their long-overdue comebacks, and not just the Dream Friends (though, Adeleine and Ribbon's return is nothing short of wonderful). If you're already sold on Kirby, this is one of the greatest games you could play.

So much of the game's merit depends on getting there. If you're only playing casually, an extremely casual, disposable entry is all you'll get. Modern Kirby as a rule gets better the more time you sink into it, but nowhere is this more obvious than in this game. To someone who doesn't "know" what to expect from Modern Kirby (as I didn't on my first run when the game first released), it's a fine enough playthrough, but nothing to write home about beyond that weirdly horrifying final boss.

I could very easily understand an argument for just about any score on this game. My own rating reflects a mix of where I'm at with the game, as someone who ran through almost every Kirby title. Some of my absolute favorite moments in the series come from those post-game challenges, so I value the game pretty highly, but it's hurt knowing that the core gameplay loop on a casual run does very little to warrant the devotion required to get there.

Only played the core game, so this review reflects that.

There are strong systems in place here, but I feel like they're in competition with one another. The core is a lot of the same goodness from L4D2, but we've now moved away from the pure arcade-y approach with the deck-builder system. I think you could build a strong multiplayer FPS on that basis; I'm not sure L4D2 makes for the correct template for that approach. For my more casually-minded Sunday night group, this was definitely not what they were looking for.

But it's not bad. Giving the characters unique abilities is a fun addition that adds much to the experience on its own. There are some great set pieces - "Bar Room Blitz" finally tops the Midnight Riders concert from L4D2 as my favorite finale, and I love how all of the "Remnants" campaign is paced. I like a lot of the functions of the Ridden, gross and unrelenting as they are on even the easiest difficulty. There's a lot of good parts here, even if they don't fully gel together.

There's an argument to be had that Left 4 Dead is still worth playing, even though it's basically been recreated in its entirety in Left 4 Dead 2. L4D1 is much stronger as a tonal piece - no melee weapons means you have little in the way of comfortable fallback options, and you have to be conscious of every bullet. When you run into a Witch, you're making a much harder decision about how to handle her here. Less variation in gameplay modes means you're simply running for longer stretches of time from set piece to set piece, which adds that tasteful wearying sort of experience you want out of a straight horror game. These are all subtle differences, and chances are good that you'd like both games if you like one. Personally, I find all the maps I've played across both titles much stronger in their L4D2 incarnations, but I can respect someone who holds the opposite opinion.