<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
is	O
a	O
2003	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
starring	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
HAL	O
Laboratory	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
has	O
the	O
players	O
and	O
computer-controlled	O
racers	O
ride	O
on	O
Air	O
Ride	O
Machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
supports	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
GameCube	B-Application
title	O
to	O
support	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
play	O
using	O
broadband	B-Device
adapters	I-Device
and	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
GameCube	B-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
final	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
directed	O
by	O
series	O
creator	O
Masahiro	O
Sakurai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
had	O
a	O
convoluted	O
development	O
cycle	O
,	O
starting	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
wave	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
before	O
undergoing	O
numerous	O
revisions	O
to	O
the	O
basic	O
concept	O
and	O
being	O
cancelled	O
for	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
eventual	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
it	O
saw	O
a	O
mixed	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
criticized	O
its	O
simplicity	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
selling	O
over	O
1.2	O
million	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
is	O
played	O
primarily	O
through	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
vehicle	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
taken	O
from	O
the	O
previous	O
Kirby	B-Application
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Warpstar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
Kirby	B-Application
or	O
any	O
of	O
his	O
multicolored	O
counterparts	O
to	O
compete	O
in	O
races	O
or	O
other	O
minigames	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
simple	O
controls	O
are	O
a	O
defining	O
feature	O
of	O
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
is	O
the	O
only	O
playable	O
character	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
only	O
one	O
who	O
can	O
ride	O
different	O
machines	O
and	O
suck	O
up	O
enemies	O
to	O
copy	O
their	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
players	O
are	O
represented	O
by	O
different	O
colors	O
of	O
Kirby	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meta	O
Knight	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	O
rival	O
,	O
is	O
an	O
unlockable	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
controls	O
like	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
Wing	O
Kirby	B-Application
and	O
Sword	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
as	O
he	O
uses	O
sword	O
attacks	O
automatically	O
when	O
he	O
approaches	O
enemies	O
or	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
chooses	O
a	O
racing	O
machine	O
and	O
races	O
against	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
other	O
human	O
or	O
computer	O
players	O
via	O
split-screen	O
or	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
to	O
get	O
to	O
the	O
finish	O
before	O
anyone	O
else	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Doing	O
so	O
will	O
slow	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	O
enemies	O
down	O
and	O
potentially	O
do	O
damage	O
to	O
them	O
(	O
if	O
the	O
Health	O
Bar	O
is	O
activated	O
for	O
the	O
race	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
was	O
initially	O
known	O
interchangeably	O
as	O
Kirby	B-Application
Bowl	I-Application
64	O
or	O
Kirby	B-Application
Ball	O
64	O
(	O
Kirby	B-Application
Ball	O
is	O
the	O
Japanese	O
name	O
for	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Course	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
as	O
Kirby	B-Device
's	I-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
began	O
development	O
during	O
the	O
early	O
days	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
video	O
game	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
was	O
spearheaded	O
by	O
Masahiro	O
Sakurai	O
,	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
Kirby	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
only	O
two	O
playable	O
demos	O
shown	O
at	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
unveiling	O
at	O
the	O
1995	O
Shoshinkai	O
show	O
(	O
the	O
other	O
being	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
was	O
somewhat	O
similar	O
to	O
Marble	B-Device
Madness	I-Device
,	O
as	O
players	O
would	O
control	O
a	O
ball-shaped	O
Kirby	B-Application
to	O
either	O
race	O
across	O
an	O
obstacle	O
course	O
(	O
in	O
single	O
player	O
)	O
or	O
knock	O
competing	O
players	O
off	O
the	O
playing	O
field	O
(	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
)	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Course	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
more	O
closely	O
resembled	O
the	O
final	O
game	O
:	O
a	O
snowboarding	O
race	O
in	O
which	O
Kirby	B-Application
collects	O
stars	O
for	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Producer	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
said	O
in	O
an	O
early	O
1998	O
interview	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
had	O
been	O
temporarily	O
halted	O
so	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
could	O
focus	O
efforts	O
on	O
finishing	O
1080°	B-Application
Snowboarding	I-Application
and	O
rework	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Device
's	I-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
resurfaced	O
on	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
short	O
video	O
preview	O
in	O
March	O
2003	O
at	O
the	O
annual	O
DICE	O
summit	O
in	O
Las	O
Vegas	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
it	O
received	O
its	O
final	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
preview	O
received	O
a	O
mainly	O
negative	O
reception	O
due	O
to	O
slow	O
speeds	O
and	O
poor	O
graphics	O
,	O
factors	O
which	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
prototype	O
had	O
also	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
was	O
first	O
seen	O
in	O
playable	O
form	O
at	O
E3	O
in	O
May	O
later	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Masahiro	O
Sakurai	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
designer	O
behind	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
resigned	O
from	O
his	O
position	O
at	O
HAL	O
Laboratory	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
citing	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
tiring	O
of	O
the	O
constant	O
pressure	O
from	O
the	O
industry	O
to	O
keep	O
creating	O
sequels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
three	O
of	O
those	O
composers	O
also	O
worked	O
on	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
,	O
while	O
Ishikawa	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
regular	O
composer	O
for	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
series	I-Application
since	O
its	O
debut	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
also	O
features	O
songs	O
from	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
of	O
Kirby	B-Application
:	O
Right	O
Back	O
at	O
Ya	O
!,	O
composed	O
by	O
Akira	O
Miyagawa	O
;	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
advertised	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
some	O
episodes	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
two-part	O
special	O
featuring	O
vehicles	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
aired	O
alongside	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
sold	O
422,311	O
copies	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
750,000	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Device
Air	I-Device
Rides	I-Device
similarity	O
to	O
other	O
titles	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
(	O
most	O
notably	O
F-Zero	B-Application
GX	I-Application
and	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
:	I-Application
Double	I-Application
Dash	I-Application
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
also	O
made	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
)	O
resulted	O
in	O
it	O
being	O
categorized	O
as	O
a	O
rather	O
throwaway	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
