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A Look At Kid Icarus' 3DS Add-Ons
A few weeks ago I was able to go hands-on with one of the most anticipated Nintendo 3DS games, Kid Icarus: Uprising. You can check out my impressions of the game in my preview, but one thing that struck me in my hour of playtime was how many optional peripherals gamers will have to choose between while playing. I double-checked with Nintendo to make sure I had all of the facts straight. Here’s what I figured out:
The Nintendo 3DS Stand
As previously reported, this plastic stand will actually come packaged with all copies of Kid Icarus: Uprising. It looks a little goofy, but given the one-handed holding that the game’s control scheme requires, the stand actually makes playing quite a bit more comfortable. The Nintendo representatives I talked to suggested that there seemed to be a 50/50 split between those who enjoyed using the stand and those who preferred to play Kid Icarus without it.
The Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro
The Circle Pad Pro is far from required for Kid Icarus: Uprising, but it is an important addition for gamers of a certain group that I belong to: lefties. The regular control scheme for Uprising – one that I had to accustom myself to during my hands-on demo – is using your left thumb to control movement with the regular analog pad while using the stylus to aim and shoot with your right hand. Attaching a Circle Pad Pro allows left-handed gamers to comfortably use the stylus with their left hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to test this myself, and I’m a little concerned about the added weight that the circle pad attachment brings with it. So how about…
Both add-ons together?
According to the Nintendo rep Andrew Kelly, using the stand and the Circle Pad Pro together may "be more challenging" because of the shape of the Circle Pad Pro, but it is possible. With that many add-ons attached at once, I’m starting to get nightmarish visions of the Sega CD and 32X, but it’s possible this will be the best way to play for the subset of gamers that are both left-handed and prefer the 3DS stand.
So which add-ons will you be using when Kid Icarus: Uprising comes out in March?
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