K is for Kirby

Developer: HAL Laboratory
Notable Releases: Kirby's Adventure, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shard, Kirby's Epic Yarn

Yep. Kirby. And why not. After all, he is one of my favorite video game characters. This probably has something to do with the fact that he looks all cute and cuddly, until he swallows you whole and spits out your bones. Or, you know, a glowing, star-shaped approximation of your bones.

Kirby made his debut on the Game Boy in Kirby's Dream Land, a side-scrolling platform game which was released in 1992. But his most recognizable iteration didn't come until 1993's Kirby's Adventure. It was here that he gained his trademark copy abilities. It was one of the last games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and as such, was praised for squeezing every last bit of graphical power out of it.

Since then, Kirby, like most successful Nintendo mascots, has received a number of follow-up titles and spinoffs. He has also been featured as a playable character in every game in the Super Smash Bros. series, where he kicks butt with the best of them. The first game in his franchise to make use of 3D graphics was Kirby 64: The Crystal Shard, which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000.

One of the most visually-stunning titles in the series, Kirby's Epic Yarn, was released on the Nintendo Wii in 2010. It was met with critical acclaim, even though it was later revealed that the game was modified from another game called Fluff of Yarn, which, as it turned out, had nothing to do with Kirby.