The game didn't get a player's choice banner and best seller patch for nothing. It's simple, but it works.
There isn't any story, just flat out racing, but Kirby games have never really had much of a story anyways. Why? Because they don't need them. The gameplay has always been strong enough to overlook the fact that there isn't a plot. However, there are battle modes and various gameplay modes, so let's get into those.
The gameplay is very simple: you use the control stick and the A button, that's it! Apparently, gamespot thought that's what killed this game. Not so, because even though there are simple controls, there is lots of fun to be had here. First, you can choose from three game modes. Air ride is normal racing on machines that you choose to race with over 8 different courses. Top ride is a smaller scale, top-down racing game, where you move your machine over a short course to finish the laps first on 8 more courses. City trial is a two-parter. You start in the city, a huge area with lots of places to explore and where random events take place (a UFO appearing over the city or giant meteors crashing into the playing field, to name a few). You collect items to power up your vehicle during the match, such as top speed or extra glide, and battle with the other players too. After the time runs out, a random stage is picked as the final challenge to decide the winner. The stages can be racing, battle, or skill based.
All of the game modes employ kirby's famous copy ability, used during the races and battle modes to give you an edge. You use the A button to suck up an enemy to copy his ability. The abilities last for about 10-15 seconds, then dissapear. You can also use items that can be used to attack, defend, boost, or do other things. Also, the machines you use have different stats. Some can turn better than others, some glide well, some have great boost, etc. It's up to you to choose the one that works best for you. The last thing to note is that for all three game modes, there is a checklist with 120 goals for each mode. When you fulfill a goal, the box is automatically checked. Checking boxes can result in unlocking new machines, new colors for kirby, music, and movies. Completing the checklists are really what keeps the game fun for so long. There are lots of tasks to complete, and a lot of them are quite challenging, and because of those reasons, they make the games a lot more fun.
The environments are well done and the frame rate is very smooth. Graphics are nicely done as well and everything looks great. The music can be catchy at times and the machines all work great. Multiplayer is where players get the most out of the game; playing with others makes it more enjoyable.
Overall, this is a very fun game that is better with other people, but can still be fun by yourself. This game is one of those simple, yet addicting titles. If you can overlook the simple nature of Kirby's gamecube racing experience, then there is something here for you. However, it might be a good idea to borrow it from a friend first if you're not sure what to expect. Enjoy!