User Reviews

Kid Icarus: Flying High With Success

Tim Gruver — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:14:00 GMT

Nearly four years after his triumphant return to gaming in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Kid Icarus soars his way onto the Nintendo 3DS to deliver another fun-filled adventure for another generation of handhelds. With Nintendo’s Project Sora at the helm, Kid Icarus: Uprising delivers a fun and engaging 3D experience that fully realizes the 3DS’s potential and displays the best sense of visuals, action, and fan-service that the series has to offer. Not only does Kid Icarus’s re-imagining take the series to new heights, but proves to be one of the strongest 3DS titles of 2012.

Premise:

Once again in the service of the goddess Lady Palutena, the angel Pitt returns to battle the schemes of a reemergent Medusa to save the heavens. Over the course of 25 chapters, Pitt flies and sprints across dozens of far-flung worlds to take on a Medusa’s variety of underworld minions and restore the balance of light among the gods’ divine realms along with more than a few new faces. Pitt soon finds himself in a plot of twists and turns, however, as he begins to slowly uncover the true mastermind behind Medusa’s sudden invasion.

Presentation:

Upon its very first level, players will immediately notice Uprising’s share of stunning visuals. Thanks in no small part to its impressive use of the 3DS’s three-dimensional display, the characters, enemies, and scenery provide a beautiful backdrop for the game’s beautiful flight scenes across Kid Icarus’s mythological universe. Though not able to be shown here, the size and scope of levels are given an admirable amount of detail and the in-game bosses seem to leap out from the screen. In addition, the graphics themselves are not bad either, being at least a cut above any Wii game and only adding to the enjoyment of flights over land, sea, or space.

Another worthy note is Kid Icarus’s exceptional music and voice talent. Legendary Tales series and Star Ocean composer Satoi Sakuraba adds to the game’s top quality soundtrack, lending a classic touch of drama and energy to bosses battles and cutscenes with its great orchestral sound. In addition, actor Antony Del Rio (Metal Gear Solid, God of War) and actress Ali Hillis provide excellent voice work with their performances of Pitt and Palutena, respectively, blending an appreciated amount of charm to the game’s cast of characters. Players may also note the clever amount of Nintendo series references throughout the game (i.e. Metroid) as well as some comical breaking of the 4th wall, both making for an amusing and charming twist to character dialogues and the final quick time event.

Gameplay:

More complicated to review than its graphical presentation is the mixed bag of Kid Icarus’s gameplay. The battles, divided between Star Fox rail-shooting and land-bound melee combat, are fast-paced and exciting and enables a fair use of the 3DS stylus. Stylus controls are used for everything from Pitt’s targeting aim to camera controls and feel fine when they work. The flight missions, due to the cheap excuse of Pitt’s meager angelic abilities, are painfully short and mostly seem to end before they begin, unfairly squashing what could be the game’s best segments. More often than not are Pitt’s ground missions. Equipped with a mean number of heavenly swords, guns, bows, and angel brass knuckles, Pitt fearlessly pounds to dust every one of Medusa’s hench-monsters like a cute God of War and, like its game of comparison, faces bosses just as massive and intimidating to boot. Pitt’s moves here are alright a majority of the time, but his occasionally poor ability to properly face directions can be irritable. There are nine difficulty levels in all and even veteran players wanting a hard-core experience will no doubt be challenged by the intensely hard 6-9 ranges.

The game also boasts a fair amount of weapon customization, with Pitt being able to fuse any of the weapons he can buy in the game’s hub or locates in the field. Its sticky camera is unfortunately noticeable in intenser ground battles, specifically on higher difficulty levels, and remains a persistent thorn in the side of an otherwise good battle system. Many times dragging the camera across the screen with the stylus was terribly annoying and made bosses in particular somewhat frustrating.

Multi-player

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Kid Icarus is its introduction of multi-player into the series. Through the 3DS’s wireless Internet connection, players can compete either with local 3DS users or worldwide audiences in combat arena style levels in either winner-take-all or team death-match rounds. These segments offer some benefits to their rules, allowing competitors to use any of the weapons collected in-game and upgrade themselves in battle as well, becoming angels after death for a time. Even if not as thrilling as the main-story, the multi-player felt fluid and engaging with its action-packed ground battles, albeit without any flying segments. Generally, it provided enough interesting competition to make me want to come back for more.

Final Call:

Joining its peers of Mario, Zelda, and Starfox, Kid Icarus helps to kick off the 3DS’s early life with a bang. While not without its issues of faulty camera control, Pitt’s latest adventure offers a substantial contribution to classic rail-shooting and the 3DS’s impressive 3D potential. It’s certainly Pitt’s guarantee for anther Smash Bros. appearance and one of my favorite handheld entries of 2012. Kid Icarus: Uprising gives me great hope for the franchise’s future and it's another Nintendo hit that shouldn’t be overlooked if you need to add another edition to your handheld collection.

Pit Soars Again

E-Dudnetnin — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:55:00 GMT

Kid Icarus: Uprising has been a hit game ever since it was released this past spring. Headed up by Masahiro Sakurai and his team from Sora Ltd., the people behind the latest smash game Super Smash Bros. Brawl,Kid Icarus Uprising has had many high hopes from fans all over. Announced around the time the 3DS was first announced , many have been waiting in anticipation for the game, and many of those people have been psyched to see Pit make a return after so many years. Kid Icarus: Uprising actually takes the fact that there hasn't been a Kid Icarus game in quite some time, and uses the twenty-five year gap (yes, there was a Kid Icarus game for Game Boy, but let's ignore that fact for now) to its advantage, as the storyline takes place twenty-five years after the original Kid Icarus for NES.

Now, I'm not going to go through the whole story with you, because it is very rich and full of good stuff, twists, turns, and all of that. Basically, Medusa, the queen of the underworld and major antagonist from the NES Kid Icarus, has returned once again to try to take over the overworld and cause destruction to all mankind. It's up to Palutena, goddess of light, and her strongest warrior, Pit, to put a stop to Medusa's evil ways. It's not a walk in the park though, as the underworld army is fierce, ferocious, and strong in number. Luckily, Pit is pretty talented, and can use a bunch of different weapons and powers to help get the job done. More about those later, let's talk about the actual gameplay.

Each level in Kid Icarus: Uprising consists of two parts: a flying portion and a ground portion. The flying portion of each level, which is my favorite part, can be compared to an on rails shooter, sort of like Star Fox. You can move Pit around the screen with the circle pad, aim your reticle with the stylus, and shoot with the 'L' button. If you're left-handed, then I suggest getting the circle pad pro. If not, you'll have to use the 'A', 'B', 'X', 'Y' buttons to move and use the 'R' button to shoot. The control scheme is pretty wonky, but once you get used to it, it feels pretty natural. It did hurt to hold the 3DS like that for the first few days of playing the game, and luckily the game comes with a stand that you can set your 3DS on if you don't feel like holding it, which I must say works pretty well. Anyways, the flying part of the game is limited though, because Pit's power of flight, granted by Palutena, only lasts for five minutes. It stinks that Pit is an angel that can't even fly on his own!

After you complete the flying portion of the stage, you are then put onto the ground. The controls for the ground battles are pretty much the same, only you get to traverse the world at your own pace. The ground portion of the level also allows you to use your powers that you've got on hand. Powers basically grant Pit different abilities for a short period of time when activated. Some of my favorites are tirelessness, health recovery, crisis recovery, and super armor. Use your powers wisely though, because you do have a limited amount, and to choose which powers to take into battle, you must fit them toegether in a tetris like puzzle, so use your head! Back to the ground stages, after traversing through most of the level, fighting baddies, collecting treasures, and exploring, you'll come to the boss of the level. Each level has its own various boss, and I must say, the boss fights are pretty intense and fun.

There is also something called the Fiend's Cauldron, which allows you to adjust the intensity of the levels, before playing them. You have to bet hearts (money) to raise or lower the intensity from the default level 2.0. The intensity can go from 0.1 to 9.0. Only the best and the bravest will be able to take on the most challenging difficulties, but the reward is often worth it. Not only do you get more hearts in return, but the treasures you find are also better. There are also something called intensity gates that can be found throughout the ground portion of levels. These gates only allow access if you are playing on the marked intensity or higher, and there are often some nice goodies inside those as well. If you die during a level, your intensity will automatically be lowered for you and the Fiend's Cauldron will tip over and you'll lose some of those hearts that you put in, so bet wisely.

When you're not out on the battle field, saving the world, you can rest up in what I like to call the home base. Here you can go through your weapons and powers, buy new weapons, fuse weapons, and other little extras that I could go on and on about. Since I've mentioned weapons so much now, I suppose I should fill you in on those as well. Pit can use a wide variety of weapons, and there are a ton in this game. There are nine different types of weapons for you to use, each having their own advantages and disadvantages: blades, bows, arms, claws, cannons, orbitars, clubs, palms, and staves. Within each category of weapons is even more variety of unique weapons, so everyone will have some sort of weapon(s) that they like to use. Weapons can also be fused to make greater (or sometimes weaker) weapons. The best way to go is to just experiment with weapons until you find what's right for you.

Aside from the single player gameplay and all of those extras, which you'll find a lot of similarity to the Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there are also ways in which you can interact with other players. The Together mode, or simply the multiplayer mode, allows you to duke it out with your friends wirelessly or over the Nintendo Network. You can also face random opponents online as well. There are two styles of multiplayer, Light vs. Dark, which is similar to a team style battle, and then Free For All, which is just an every man for himself type of battle. Even in Together mode, you can win weapons and powers that you can put to your disposal. Aside from Together mode, there is also StreetPass functionality. With StreetPass, you can exchange what are called Weapon Gems with other players. Weapon gems can be converted into weapons or fused with other weapon gems to make new weapons. With SpotPass, you can also download new weapon gems from Nintendo!

With so much content jam-packed into this game, I could go on forever about every little aspect, but I'll leave some things for you to explore yourself. Before wrapping this up, I would like to say that the soundtrack to the game is absolutely magnificent! I also love the voice-acting. (Yes! A Nintendo game with voice-acting!) There are often many humorous exchanges between the characters while you're playing and they even sometimes reference the original Kid Icarus or even other video games! The graphics are also beautiful. Kid Icarus: Uprising uses the 3DS to its full capacity, and you won't want to turn the 3D off on this one! It's simply great! Kid Icarus: Uprising has it in the bag for all players. Great single player? Check. Fun multiplayer? Check. Tons of content? Check and double check!

Kid Icarus: Uprising review: The return of Pit is a great one

The Monster Hunter — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:17:00 GMT

When Kid Icarus was first shown off for the 3DS in 2010, It showed me one of the great new games coming to the handheld. Finally after many years the Kid Icarus franchise was getting another sequel. Now fast forward to 2012 and Kid Icarus: Uprising is finally released. After playing the game for over 50 hours, I'm happy to say that Project Sora has crafted an amazing game.

The story begins with Pit and Palutena fighting against the underworld army to stop Medusa who is raging war and destroying cities on Earth. Along the way Pit meets new Gods, people, enemies and more. Combine this with a bunch of plot twists and character changes and you have your self a compelling story.

The story is told between 25 chapters which some can take from up to 20+ minutes. The adventure can be completed somewhat fast, but is extended by the Fiend's Cauldron, Multiplayer, and much more (more on this stuff later). In each chapter you have air battle, land battle and then the boss fight. Usually it goes in this order but some chapters mix it up. In air battles Palutena guides Pit to his destination (since the Power of Flight only last 5 minutes). These sections can be comparable to Sin & Punishment or Star Fox as you need to dodge and shoot while the level auto scrolls.

In Land Battles, Pit needs to head to the boss fight while defeating enemies that get in his way. These sections is usually the longest part of the chapter and contain some light platforming and maybe a vehicle. Land battles are less linear than air battles and boss fights. There's many secrets to find and many alternate paths that you can take. In Boss battles Pit faces of against the boss. Each of them is different than the last and has weak points and strategies that you can use against them.

The controls are very simple to understand, but can be difficult to adjust to at first. You control Pit with the Circle Pad, aim with the touch screen, and shoot with L button. Of course there is more advanced moves like melee attacks and charged shots, but the basics only consist of three buttons. The controls work very well with air battles as Palutena guides Pit towards the objective, but becomes more complicated on land battles as Pit has to guide himself. On land the controls remain the same, but to move the camera you have to flick the touch screen with the stylus. As Pit says "It's like spinning a globe" On land you have more options to take out your foes. Like in air battles you have charged shots, but these can be changed depending on how you're moving. A forward dash charge attack is usually more powerful than a standing charge shot. You also have multiple ways to get around enemies and powers, which is equippable on the solo menu that you can use on land.

The problems isn't the control scheme, which works very well with Uprising, but it's the learning curve that comes with it. Although it's simple to learn, mastering the controls will take time. You won't be able to jump into multiplayer or harder difficulty levels until you master dodging and dash arounds. At least the controls is customizable, meaning you change the controls as you see fit.

Now back onto the topic of gameplay, Kid Icarus has various ways to switch up how you play. One of the main things that determines how you play is weapons. Weapons decide rate of fire, the strength of melee attacks, the range of your shots, the speed at which you move, and much, much more. There's nine different types of weapons and each weapon category has different weapons in that type. In addition, each weapon can be different from each weapon, meaning no two weapons will be alike. Weapons will have stats boast like overall defense boast, status effects like poison, and other boasts. You can get weapons everywhere in the game. You can get them by finding them in solo mode, completing chapters, participating in together mode(multiplayer) and even in street and spotpass.

Other things that add onto the gameplay is the Fiend's Cauldron in solo mode, which allows you to adjust the difficulty in the chapters you play. It's more of a betting system on which you put your skills to the test to earn stronger weapons, hearts(game's currency), powers, idols(Trophy like system similar to Smash Bros. series), and more. If the game was too easy on the intensity 3.0 then try 4.0 or 5.0. The game goes up to 9.0(the highest intensity) to 0.0.(the lowest) so there's room to experiment on which intensity is best for you and your skill level. The treasure hunt is another aspect in solo mode which is more of like a set of challenges or achievements. Here you can earn new weapons, stages, hearts, idols, music and more. Many of the challenges is related to solo mode like completing chapter 1 in under 5 minutes or defeating a boss with certain weapon. And there's challenges for together mode, and other modes. You'll slowly earn feathers which allows you to unlock any challenge you haven't yet. The other modes of Kid Icarus include the Vault which you can view your idols, listen to music, make offerings to gods, view your records and more. Finally there's the options menu for adjusting the game, Together mode for multiplayer, and Streetpass menu, for veiwing weapon gems you sent or received via stretpass or spotpass.

Together mode is another one of the great things of Kid Icarus: Uprising. Here you can face off against your friends or strangers via online or local. There's two game modes Light v.s. Dark and Free-for all. In Light v.s. Dark you split up into two teams of three and battle each other. When you die some of the team's life bar is depleted and when it's depleted the team's angel appears. Once the team's angel is defeated the battle is over. The spin on this is that the stronger the weapon you're using, the more of the teams life bar is depleted. If your not really good yet, then you shouldn't use really strong weapons so you can preserve the team's life bar. In Free-for -all, it's a deathmatch between six people where you have to kill as many people as you can without dying to gain points. When it's time up, the scores is tallied and the top three is presented. In both of the game modes, you can earn, weapons, idols, and powers, along with a mystery bonus which is usually a very valuable weapon or power.

In the sound department, you'll find your self enjoying what you hear. The music in Kid Icarus is excellent, remixing of old Kid Icarus themes,and adding new themes. The voice acting in solo mode is also done well. The characters often crack jokes, and break the 4th wall going to things about video games. Everyone is personified well by their voice actor and it's all done very well. Among Nintendo's best in voice acting.

In the graphics department, you'll also find you won't be disappointed. The environments is beautiful, especially in air battles, and the character models is done well. The game might not look the best in screenshots or trailers, but it looks great on the 3DS screens. The artwork of characters while their talking is a nice bonus and always a pleasure to look at. Finally there's the 3D effect, which Kid Icarus does very well. Air battles shows off the 3D feature amazingly well. It's one of the best uses of 3D on the 3DS.

Conclusion: Kid Icarus: Uprising is an amazing game that does well in multiple areas. You'll find a very enjoyable story, amusing characters, great gameplay, and a lot of stuff to do. Sure the game may have controls that take a long time getting used to, but once you get the hang of them you'll have a hard time putting the game down. Uprising may not be an new IP, but it sure does seem like it. It's amazing new game that every 3DS owner needs to experience.

Pros & Cons list

Pros

+1 An enjoyable story, with great characters
+1 Great gameplay,
+1.5 A huge amount of content
+ 0.5 Great music
+1 Great use of the 3D effect, good graphics

Cons

-0.5 A steep learning curve with the controls

9.5/10

Join The Uprising Against The Underworld Today

Apricot — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:38:00 GMT

Do you like action-adventure games? Have you ever played and enjoyed a game in the Kid Icarus series? Do you want a very fun game on your Nintendo 3DS? Well, if you answered yes to at least one of these questions, Kid Icarus: Uprising might be the game for you. With tons of weapons, different ways to play, and difficult challenges, this is a game you probably will enjoy. Read my review on Kid Icarus: Uprising to find out if this game comes out victorious against the Underworld or burns just like Pit's wings after 5 minutes of flight.

Gameplay: Kid Icarus: Uprising takes the Kid Icarus series to new heights. Before we cut the cake, let's make sure it was the correct one. Kid Icarus: Uprising features two game modes and 7 modes altogether. These two game modes are solo and together mode while there is also a streetpass, vault, options, AR card battle, and how to play section. Read the following in the gameplay section to learn more about these modes/sections.

Solo mode, as you probably already know, is where you get to play the main adventure. This adventure is a 25-chapter-long adventure where you must save the world from the vile wrath of Medusa and her ressurrector, Hades. This adventure isn't very long (it took me 3 days to complete it), but it is very fun to play over and over again. There are two styles of battle for you to play in: air battle and land battle. It usually starts with air battle then land battle, but, sometimes, it switches to land battle then air battle. The enemies are very nicely placed and are fun to fight. Sure, there are some chapters that I don't like playing at (like chapter 17), but the adventure is very fun to play and includes a ton of action. It even includes a "heartbreaking" moment in it. To make things more challenging, Project Sora has included a little something called Fiend's Cauldron. You can use the Fiend's Cauldron to bet hearts, also known as intensity. The higher the intensity, the harder the chapter and the more loot (hearts, weapons, and powers) you accumulate. If you lose, the Fiend's Cauldron will dump some hearts, which lowers the intensity by 1.0, and it'll give you the option of continuing. If you continue, you will also lose points that you have earned. The Fiend's Cauldron actually gives you a boost to want to play the story some more because you can try more challenging intensities. The story presented in Kid Icarus: Uprising is a very immerse and rich story. It might not seem like it, but, if you listen to what the characters say, you will slowly be digging up more and more information. If you want a fun adventure, you should look here.

Along with the ability to play the adventure, you also have a few other options. These options are to go to the practice range, idol toss, arms altair, treasure hunt, or gear menu. In the practice range, you can practice fighting in the air or on land with both fighting styles being very different. You can also use the practice range to unlock a few achievements in the treasure hunt. The treasure hunt is where you will find 3 panels: Palutena's Treasure Hunt, Viridi's Treasure Hunt, and Hades's Treasure Hunt. Each treasure hunt is harder than the last with Palutena's Treasure Hunt being the easiest and Hades's Treasure Hunt to be the hardest. The arms altair has four subsections inside of it: Redeem Hearts, Fuse Weapons, Convert to Hearts, and the Gear menu. You redeem hearts for weapons in Redeem Hearts while you convert weapons for hearts in Convert to Hearts. You can also fuse some of your weapons together in Fuse Weapons. The Gear menu is where you get to see all of your weapons and pick a weapon to use. You may also see the weapon's stats. Finally, Idol Toss is where you take eggs that you have earned in either solo or together mode and toss them using a launcher to earn idols. To make the odds higher, you are allowed to put more than one egg on the launcher.

Do you want to play with your friends or against some random people from somewhere in the world? Well, if you do, you're in luck because Together Mode offers just that. There are two subsections inside of Together Mode: Nearby and Far Away. In nearby, obviously, you get to connect with your friends that have a 3DS and Kid Icarus: Uprising. You connect with friends near you. For example, my best friend could be right next to me and we would use nearby to verse each other. The other major part of Together Mode is far away, and that is where you can connect to the internet and be able to do two things: play against friends via Wi-Fi or play against random people from all around the world.

As you should know, in together mode, you can do light vs. dark or free-for-all. In light vs. dark, you are thrown in a team of 3, including yourself. You will either be on the light or dark team. What you will do is fight the opposing team to make their life bar run out. The last person that dies and causes the life bar to run out will end up being either Pit or Dark Pit, depending on what team they are on. If your team's angel gets defeated, your team loses and the opposing team wins. If the other team's angel gets defeated, your team wins and the other team loses. To assist you in your mission to destroy the others, you can use powers to destroy other(s) [players]. In addition, you will also be able to win hearts, weapons, and powers to use.

On the other hand, free-for-all is where you are thrown into battle and must survive against the rest. As the name implies, you are all by yourself and you must defeat the other players. The more you kill, the more points you get, and the more points you get, the higher chance you have of winning. Also, if you get defeated, you will lose points, lowering your chance to win. Just like light vs. dark, you also have the ability to use powers and win hearts, weapons, and powers. Another aspect of together mode is the daybreak. If you collect all the parts of the daybreak, you will be able to use the vehicle the parts create to use a super charged shot that will destroy your enemies. The daybreak is available for use in both light vs. dark and free-for-all. You can think of it like the dragon parts from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. A less talked about part of together mode is the play fields. There are a variety of superb playfields that each has their own advantages and disadvantages. All of these play fields offer something different and fun, making the game better.

Sadly, you aren't able to play together mode by yourself, but it is fine. I was surprised when I found that because, when I first started, I didn't want to go against people who know how to play good while I don't, but it is called together mode so it wouldn't make sense if you could. Anyways, together mode is an excellent part of Kid Icarus: Uprising. It is very fun to play, especially against your friends. If you have Wi-Fi access, I highly recommend you try it out because this is an extremely fun mode that you will enjoy.

The Vault is a "stolen" feature from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and it fits perfectly in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Yet again, more subsections appear with the Vault including the subsections idols, music gallery, power portrait, offering, idol toss, records, and AR card battles. In idols, you can browse at all of the idols you have collected via the idol toss or AR cards. This feature is similar to what the Super Smash Bros. series offers. You can take a look at all of your idols and learn more information on the character that idol is. For example, if you have an idol for the enemy "Mik," you can learn more information about Mik. You are also able to see which idols you got via AR cards. Another feature inside the Vault is the music gallery. This is where you can listen to all of the music you have collected throughout the game. This music comes directly from the pipeline called Treasure Hunt. If you unlock an achievement in Treasure Hunt with the prize being a song, that song goes directly to the music gallery. The next feature found in the Vault is the power portrait. The power portrait is basically a puzzle. Whenever you get a new power, you get a new piece. This means that, if you have one meteor shower power and you get another meteor shower power, you won't earn a new piece because you already have that power. Yet another feature in the Vault is the offering feature. This is where you can donate hearts to either Palutena or Viridi (it depends on what background you have [learn more in the next paragraph]). This doesn't unlock you anything, but it makes you get "closer to the gods" and it makes you get closer to completing the game 100%. Finally, the last feature I am going to talk about in the Vault is the records. In the records, it is a compiled list of records of a variety of things, ranging from game time to soufflees killed to super attacks used. This is an impressive list of records, but, while it is impressive, some of the records can seem inaccurate. For example, the game tells me that I have played for about 116 hours, but I have only played solo mode for 6o hours while together mode is about 25 hours. Although this could be true, I really don't think that I spent 31 hours doing other things.

You can take a wrench and try to fix Kid Icarus: Uprising to your liking, or, more preferably, just visit the options section if you want to fix it. Goodbye, wrench. It looks like it got replaced because options mode offers quite a bit. In options mode, you can adjust the controls to your liking (more info is in the controls section) and adjust the volume to your liking too. In controls, you can change the control figuration, reticle/camera, guide arrows, shot homing, aim assist, and autofire. In volume, you can change how loud the music, sound effects (SFX), and voice is. In addition to controls and volume, you are also able to edit your profile, pick where your subtitles will be, choose if spotpass was on or off, choose whether the dialogue is on or off, or choose your goddess. In profile, you are able to choose your username, birthday, and mii while, in subtitles, you get to pick if the subtitles are on the top or bottom screen. You can also choose if you want them to be off altogether. Next, you can pick if you want spotpass (see the spotpass section for more info) to be on or off. These two options are only available after you beat solo mode at least once. These options are dialogue and menu/goddess. In dialogue, you get to choose if you want dialogue in the story while you can choose if you want your menu's goddess to be Palutena or Viridi.

Do you know how to play? Well, hopefully you do, but, if you don't know how to play, then why don't you head on down to the how to play movies. In the how to play movies, you are able to watch 12 movies demonstrating how to play in solo and together mode. In addition, you can watch all 12 movies side-by-side by clicking the play all button on the top of the screen. You can watch as Pit and Palutena themselves tell you how to play, and it works effectively. Each video explains how to play in a very nice manner that makes it very easy to understand how to play. If you need help on how to play, this is your one-stop destination.

If you want to know more about streetpass mode, then check out both the streetpass and the spotpass sections. Also, if you want to know more about Kid Icarus: Uprising AR Card Battles, go to the Kid Icarus: Uprising AR Cards section.

Graphics: As expected by a Nintendo 3DS game, Kid Icarus: Uprising has some marvelous, three-dimensional graphics that look stunning. The characters look well-crafted while the 3D of the 3DS is balanced between how much depth there is with how much each character pops-out of the screen. The 3D ultimately ties everything together to look brilliant. Even In 2D it looks crisp and beautiful. While everything looks pleasant, the layering of each of the levels, in addition of the 3D, makes the chapters look extraordinary. You shouldn't be expecting the graphics looking bad because these graphics are, as I said, marvelous. You will love how this game looks.

Sound/Music: If you have ever played the original Kid Icarus (or even just the 3D remake on the 3DS), you will recognize some familiar soundtracks. Those(,) [soundtracks,] along with some brand-new melodies, impose beautiful music positioned in the perfect situations. If you have ever played the original Kid Icarus, you will, most likely, love hearing old music return while enjoying the groovy new tunes presented only in Uprising. The music and the sounds fit the moods perfectly and change accordingly to the situation while also sounding great too. If you want to hear some nice tunes, then check out Kid Icarus: Uprising because this game has some excellent video game music.

Voice Acting: Unlike most video games made by Nintendo, Kid Icarus: Uprising contains voice acting throughout the whole adventure. The voice acting makes the game more immerse and enjoyable or unenjoyable, depending on if you like the voice acting. It adds more depth, information, and realism to the gameplay while it is enjoyable to hear. It could be unenjoyable to hear when considering the fact that somebody almost always talks, but, if you don't like the voice acting, you can easily turn it off in the options after you beat the adventure once. In addition to the characters talking, there are subtitles that you can read. As expected, you can read them rather than having to listen to the characters speak. You have the choice of either putting the subtitles on the top screen or bottom screen. You can also just turn them off altogether. Although it is nice to have subtitles, they can be annoying. If you move your stylus up to high on the screen, you can push the subtitles to the top of the screen by accident. You can put them back at the bottom by sliding down on a small triangle on the top left part of the screen or you can pause the game and fix it. It is very annoying to have them keep sliding to the top. Anyways, the voice acting is lovely in this game and the subtitles are good but a bit annoying. I enjoy hearing the characters's voices as I conquer each stage.

Controls: Kid Icarus: Uprising's controls consists of three main items. These are the following: circle pad, stylus with touch screen, and the L button. The circle pad allows you to move your character while the L button allows you to shoot or attack your enemies. The stylus and the touch screen, on the other hand, allows you to aim your reticle at enemies and change the camera angle. While some people complain about the controls, I don't see how they are bad. Many people, mainly reviewers, have complained about the controls and said that they aren't good, but I don't see how. The controls are very fine and work precisely. It takes a bit of time to get used to them in the beginning, but, after a little while, you will be a pro at using the controls. Also, if you find the controls not to your liking, you can just easily go to the options and switch the controls (Ex. Using the A,B,X,Y Buttons). Plus, if you're left-handed, Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kid Icarus: Uprising, has prepared another way for you to control the game, and that is by buying the circle pad pro. In addition, you can use the d-pad to fire a charged shot (you must be in air battle) or select a power in together mode. Packaged with the game (if you buy the bundle) comes a Nintendo 3DS stand (see below for more details) and that can hold up the 3DS while playing, so, if you are having trouble playing because of the controls, this can help you. In all, Kid Icarus: Uprising has solid controls that work precisely and do what you want. It takes a bit of time getting used to them in the beginning, but, as I said, it gets easier after a while. If you are one of those people that listened to the reviewers about controls, then don't listen to them; Kid Icarus: Uprising has solid controls.

Replayability: Just like the original Kid Icarus, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a highly replayable game that you will enjoy playing over and over [again]. Unlike most adventure games, the fun doesn't stop right after you beat the story mode. You still can unlock all the trophies, unlock all of the accomplishments in the treasure hunts, play online in together mode, replay all of the chapters at a higher intensity, and much more. Even when you beat the game 100%, you'll still want to play more because of streetpass, spotpass, and together mode. If you want a game that you can keep playing over and over again without getting bored, this is it.

Replayability: Very High

Streetpass: Rather than being the receiver of weapon gems in spotpass, you're going to be the deliverer of weapon gems in streetpass because you are going to be able to create weapon gems and deliver them. You will take one of your weapons, good or bad, and create a gem of it. This will be your set gem for delivery via streetpass. This means that, whenever you do streetpass with somebody that has streetpass activated for Kid Icarus: Uprising, you will give them the weapon gem you prepared and set for streetpass while they give you their weapon gem that they prepared and set for streetpass. When you give somebody a weapon gem, be aware that it is only a copy of the weapon, meaning you will not be giving away the weapon you chose for good. As you probably already suspected, when you do streetpass, you will also receive the weapon gem that that person you tagged gave you. You can do three things with this weapon gem. You can convert it into the weapon that the gem contains, convert the weapon gem into hearts, or fuse two weapon gems you have. Please see the spotpass section for more details. As suspected by a work of art made by Masahiro Sakurai, streetpass is very nicely implemented and works effectively in the game. I enjoy trading gems with other fellow Kid Icarus: Uprising owners and you probably will too.

Spotpass: Just like Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus: Uprising supports spotpass and performs it just as well as Mario Kart 7. Rather than racing ghosts, you get gems, but these aren't any ordinary gems. These are weapon gems. As I said in the streetpass section, you can do three things with each gem you get: convert it into the weapon that the gem contains, convert the weapon gem into hearts, or fuse two weapon gems you have. Before you make up your decision, you can check the weapon's value and pros. If you convert it into the weapon that the gem contains, you will have to pay hearts for it, but you will be able to use that weapon in solo mode and together mode, just like with all of your other weapons. If you convert it into hearts, you will get a certain amount of hearts depending on how high the value is and how many pros it has. If you fuse two weapon gems, you can create a better weapon. Also, these weapon gems you get can help you accomplish some of the accomplishments in the treasure hunts (Ex. Fusing 30 weapon gems). The spotpass feature is yet another feature that Kid Icarus: Uprising implements well. You will, most likely, enjoy using the spotpass feature and receiving its finest weapons so you can beat your best friends at a game of Kid Icarus: Uprising. (I mean, who doesn't want to beat their best friend in a game of Kid Icarus: Uprising?).

Kid Icarus: Uprising AR Cards: Along with Kid Icarus: Uprising comes 6 random, specially designed AR cards that are compatible with Kid Icarus: Uprising. As opposed to the 6 AR cards that came with the Nintendo 3DS system itself, these AR cards are only used in Kid Icarus: Uprising and serve a different purpose. Their purpose is to allow you to enjoy two characters from the game to fight each other when the two AR cards are facing each other. You can get more AR cards via special promotions (Ex. A previous Club Nintendo offer), certain retailers (EX. Best Buy), expos (Ex. E3), and even off websites where you can sell and buy products (EX. E-bay). This is an excellent addition to an already excellent game, and it resurrects the "catch-'em-all" craving that Pokémon presented years ago. Anyways, the use of specially-made Kid Icarus: Uprising AR cards is a great addition to Kid Icarus: Uprising and is also very fun to use, especially when you make a "tournament" with your cards. These are some cards that you will want to "catch-'em-all."

Nintendo 3DS Stand: A nice addition to this already excellent game is the Nintendo 3DS stand that comes packaged with the game if you buy the bundle. This stand is used to help make playing the game easier if you are having trouble with the controls. Personally, I don't find myself needing to use it and neither do my friends, but this is a helpful addition to anybody needing assistance in holding up the 3DS. It is a pain lugging it around with you if you are playing Kid Icarus: Uprising on the go (especially in the car or at a store), but, if you use it, it can be very helpful. Even if you don't use it, you could always keep it as a collectible. Anyways, the Nintendo 3DS stand is a nice addition to the supposedly "bad controls of Kid Icarus: Uprising" and is a nice collector's item.

The Conclusion: Pick up a copy of Kid Icarus: Uprising today and join the uprising. With an abundance of high-quality content and even the use of specially made AR cards that are compatible with the game, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a must-have 3DS title that you do not want to miss. I highly recommend that you purchase the game.

Kid Icarus: Uprising Official Website

Pits back!

tester300 — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:53:00 GMT

KID ICARUS IS AWESOME FROM GAME GUIDE

Pit Soars into a Long Awaited Return

The Invertroid — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:27:00 GMT

When Kid Icarus's angelic boy wonder Pit returned to relevancy in Super Smash Bros Brawl, a new entry in the Nintendo cult classic series was widely predicted. Now that long anticipated sequel has finally arrived on the Nintendo 3DS and proves that long waits, even one two decades long, are well worth it. Though its roots lie in a NES era sidescroller, Kid Icarus Uprising offers a fresh Nintendo experience that stands on its own while still dishing out healthy doses of nostalgia to fans of the original.

Kid Icarus Uprising's greatest strength is its creative presentation. It easily rivals Resident Evil: Revelations as the best looking game on the 3DS, offering colorful flamboyant visuals. Its energetic art style is matched by an outlandish narrative. Dialogue and voice acting are both deliciously corny and the bulk of the game's story is told through clever humor and colorful personalities. Of these, Pit rightfully stands out due to his goofy optimism and lovable idealism. Frequent breaks of the fourth-wall and recurring call backs to the game's 8-bit origins round out the amusing storytelling. In an age where games are taking themselves more and more seriously, it's refreshing to see one take an opposite approach.

Uprising's gameplay comes in two different flavors. Each level in the game begins with Pit flying through the sky, blasting away at a shooting gallery of incoming enemies. Movement through the levels is automatic, allowing the player to focus solely on dodging and aiming. Following these concise thrilling flight sections, the fight is continued on foot. Using the default control scheme, Pit is moved with the circle pad, while aiming his weapon is handled with the touchpad. Pressing the L button handles both melee and ranged attacks, with the latter offering both rapid fire and charged shot options. Dodge attacks further diversify attack options and come in forwards, backwards, and sideways varieties. Camera control is handled by quickly sliding the stylus on the touchpad. Overall, the controls take some getting used to and can lead to hand cramps during long terms of play. While discomfort is a definite issue, it only slightly distracts from the game's more impressive qualities.

Coming from the developers of Smash Bros, the amount of collectables in Uprising is predictably extensive. Not only does it possess figurines akin to the titular fighting game series but also a plethora of unlockable powers and weapons. Ranging from swords to staffs, the 9 different weapon categories offer a diverse range of options to dispatch baddies. Different weapons can be obtained from treasure chests scattered across the game's levels or by buying them from an in-game store. There is also a system in which weapons can be fused together to form stronger ones. Players can further enlarge their arsenal by playing the game's action-intense multiplayer. Multiplayer offers both a standard all for one deathmatch and the "Light vs. Dark" mode which tasks two teams with taking down the opposing side's angel. Overall multiplayer is a fun and frantic experience dominated by items which turn matches into a smorgasbord of explosions.

3DS owners looking for challenging gameplay will be pleased with what Uprising offers. Difficulty is set before each single player mission, with higher difficulties accessed by betting more of the game's Heart currency. Additional Hearts and superior weapons can be reaped on higher difficulty levels, though the risk of losing the waged Hearts balances out these potential rewards. Levels require intense concentration and reflexes on the higher settings, which makes even the first initial levels punishing ordeals. These challenges are completely optional however, and the game is expertly balanced to be open to both casual players and gaming masochists.

Kid Icarus Uprising is a clever and unique addition to the Nintendo 3DS library. While many will likely have gripes about the occasional discomfort caused by Uprising's control layout, those who can look past the occasional sore fingers will enjoy abundant entertainment with this title. Few handheld games can claim to have so much content packed into them and fewer still are as charming as Kid Icarus Uprising.

Originally Posted at my Blog:

http://cartoonsdashgaming.blogspot.com/

Best 3DS game so far

Sleepy Tomato — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:01:00 GMT

With strong titles like Super Mario 3D Land, and the re-release of the classic Ocarina of Time, Nintendo's 3DS has been struggling to really bring a "fresh" title to the handheld. So why not revive a hibernating title like Kid Icarus?

The original Kid Icarus was a challenging title on the NES, but it still retained a strong appeal despite it's steep skill climb. It was hard to hate Kid Icarus, and it only made it harder to see Pit disappear for so long. He made a brief appearance in Brawl, but fans still craved more. Thus, Kid Icarus: Uprising was created and released for the 3DS. The wait, was well worth it.

The title consists of land and flying portions, flying being the stronger of the two, but land had it's moments. Overall the excitement maintains throughout Uprising, whether that be single or multiplayer. The Light vs. Dark battles are filled with chaos, but the real fun is in Free-for-All. Expect to be playing more than one match during play sessions, as the games remain short, but leave you addicted and wanting more.

The control scheme is a difficult obstacle to overcome, but your hand should overcome it, and be well versed with the controls after a few short hours. The voice acting is top notch, and the childish antics and jokes had me chuckling several times.

Kid Icarus: Uprising has so many ways to play, thanks to the combining of weapons at any point in the game. The weapons and powers you earn can even be used in multiplayer as well. The difficulty of the game can be raised, but there's more risk to lose, so the replay value is the highest of any 3DS game to date. This game came out a month ago, and I'm still overwhelmed (but happy), with the awesome glory of Kid Icarus: Uprising. Pick it up. You won't regret it.

Uprising Review

Frank Masi — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:47:00 GMT

I disagree with the controls "problem" from the review. It does hurt to hold the system with your non-dominant hand, but after a few hours of gameplay I found that it was much easier to hold the system and that the control scheme used makes more sense than any normal control scheme. Land battles would be much harder if you used the Circle Pad to change view and movement. Also, it would be much more painful for you and the system to be repeatedly pressing one of the ABXY buttons to shoot for hours at a time. After the first 9 chapters the story has some major plot twists that make the game surprising until the end of the last chapter.

Kid Icarus Invincible

jasondubrule — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:42:00 GMT

Of course I expected no less from GI a poor review based on an excellent game, by a guy who cant get into the information age despite working at its core. Nintendo has always innovated new ways to game, and have been successful 95% of the time. If i could get my discount at Gamestop any other way, believe me, i would never even read this craptastrophe of a magazine, who are too poor to even send me a paper copy to read in the bathroom anymore. (not to mention something to use when i run out of TP) Well the reason why nintendo didnt give it a perfect score is because they docked half a point for its control scheme that takes a little getting used to. the stand makes it extremely comfortable, and my carpal tunnel splint made me not even notice it was uncomfortable until i tried to play it without my splint. perhaps the guys at GI just have weak wrists, or weak everything, cuz they seem weak at everything they do except for FPS reviews they seem oh so biassed towards in every issue. If it wasnt slander, i would accuse them outright of being on microsofts payroll they way they hype up everything to do with xbox and PC games. they are so hard on nintendo and even when they give them a high score, the whole article is an anger inducing trashing of the game. they seem ok with most PS3 titles, most notably the ones that port onto xbox though.

So for my review, I would like to say that this is by far the BEST original title that 3DS has put out so far, and totally wortth the wait. The story is fun, the chapters split into 2 parts are awesome, the controls once you get used to them are very precise and strategic, INCLUDING the melee, which is not button mashing at all, in fact, quite the opposite. button mashing gets you killed pretty quickly, where as precise timing, dashing and countering give you total upperhand. I personally will join a dark vs light or free for all game, and teach all 5 other players the power of the weapon i am using and making them all change their style to try and keep up with me. Any flaws found in this game are easily made up for in many other ways, and are probably not flaws if you just give in and accept the games new approach. Having an open mind will help you out with this in the same way that it helped you find the Wii to be such an awesome system. (haha remember when GI told everyone motion controls would fade, and the 3DS would fail? This is by far the #1 reason why i still bother reading some of your crappy magazine, to watch you all eat your words. Like when Move and Kinect finally realized how bad GI failed at their prediction)

So in conclusion, and most people agree, Kid Icarus Uprising is far better than a 7 especially compared to other games that GI gave much better scores but crappier reviews to. We completely agree with NP score of 9.5 so I too will be giving it the same.

JordanTheGamer Generation 2.0 Reviews: Kid Icarus: Uprising.

JordanTheGamer — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:18:00 GMT

Kid Icarus: Uprising. The name of this game that nearly got me killed in my early days as a blogger here as Game Informer. Since I'm going to update all my previous reviews, I've decided to re-work and update this review. When Kid Icarus: Uprising, was released some time back earlier this year, it received massive hype as it was the first in the Kid Icarus in over 20 years. So does this game live up to the hype? Or is it going to need some help from the Power Of Flight? Well, this is why there is a review here, so I guess we'll have to find out and see how it does!

The graphics are detailed and offer a true vision of what the Nintendo 3DS has to offer. The models of the cast are quite detailed, though can get a little fuzzy, though keep in mind this is a handheld, not something like the Wii U or even the Wii. But for a portable entertainment device, it's fantastic.

The voice acting is top notch, and the voices fit the cast well. For example, Pit is the boy you would most likely choke with a frog, but you still love him anyway. Hades is my favorite, as he sounds like a bad guy but is more sarcastic and funny. The only voice that was a screech to the headphones was the voice of the guards, but thankfully there only seen for one chapter, so that's a relief at best.

Now comes the most important part of the game: controls and terms of play. Despite critics saying the controls are horrendous, the controls worked just fine for me. There could have been a better control scheme, but if it get's so bad, just switch to the add-on circle pad. Kid Icarus was one of the first games to support this add-on, and if you don't like the control options in the game, get the add-on. But otherwise, the controls workout alright.

The plot is actually quite more complex and more detailed then the simple plot the trailers show. I won't spoil anything, Hades, Lord Of The Underworld, is involved in someway, but I can't go beyond that for those of you who haven't played the game. But there is more than meets the eye in terms of the plot.

Replay value is very high. You'll be collecting weapon gems, giving you weapons via Streetpass and Spotpass. Then you have puzzle pieces to collect by doing certain tasks, such as killing a certain amount of baddies, or doing something weird or special. It offers hours, if not months on end, of entertainment.

So, in conclusion, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a great game. With very few problems holding the game back, we finally got the game we've wanted all those years. It's a shame that game won't be having a sequel, but with all our luck, it might come out sooner than we think.

JTG.

Kid Icarus: Uprising, Reviving a Fallen Hero

JiroGamer SGS — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:57:00 GMT

Despite how much I would love to start this review with the phrase "When I was your age," I... can't. Though I was alive during the 80's, I actually never owned an NES, and never heard of the game Kid Icarus until Smash Brothers Brawl was announced several years ago. Upon hearing about this long lost hero, I quickly found myself downloading the original via Virtual Console, and actually found Pit (the hero of the game) to be one of my favorite fighters in SSBB. So as you can imagine, I was quite excited to find out when a new Kid Icarus game was finally announced. Did this revitalized game live up to the standards being created by some of the high-end titles finally being released for the 3DS? Absolutely.

First and foremost, let me say one thing: the original setting for the controls is quite challenging, if not annoying. When I first picked up the game, I was immediately hit with the same burden that the Game Informer review mentions. Some may find it acceptable or even preferable, but I found myself beating my head against the table in the first land battle. I decided to play the game using a different control scheme, however, using the face buttons as a secondary "circle pad" rather than using the stylus to aim. I would have preferred to use the Circle Pad Pro for this option, but at the very least this proved to be much more playable for me once I got a feel for it. Anyone who picks up the game should experiment with both for at least a level or two (or within the practice area) before getting started. Though the game does support the system attachment, it treats the newly added circle pad the same as the one already built in, and cannot be distinguished as a different input.

Now for the good stuff, the game itself is actually quite solidly built, using graphics that are at times quite stunning for the small device, some dialogue that is quite enjoyable, and fights/battles that actually rarely slowed the pace for me. Created/produced by Masahiro Sakurai and his team (developers behind the Kirby series as well as the Smash Brothers franchise), the menus and many of the functions/mechanics of the game closely resemble Smash Brothers Brawl. The game acts mostly as a rail-shooter, but also ties in some more action/adventure based game play as well during land battles. This was a unique combination that almost reminded me of a mix between Sin & Punishment (originally a Japan-only release title for the N64, later ported to Wii virtual console), Mega Man Legends, and 3D Zelda games. Most levels are composed of both styles, each in different environments that range from the beautiful to the bizarre. Boss battles are also plentiful, and the enemies range in abilities and strengths, including classics as well as many new additions.

Gamers will actually find the game has a very unique atmosphere, and is often self-aware of itself as a game, its previous installment, and other Nintendo franchises. This often leads to some humorous conversations between the protagonist, Pit, and other characters, as well as makes the game a bit more laid back adventure in a world where many games prove to be very dark and serious. This doesn't mean that the game's story does not come without it's own twists and turns, which overall is very interesting, although it does tend to lose the player at points, often jumping far ahead of itself then back-tracking later. Finally, multiplayer is also quite enjoyable, allowing players to use the weapons and many of the powers they get through the main story to battle online in either a free for all or 3 vs 3 mode known as "Light vs Dark." Game play is the same as in a land battle, and proves to be quite challenging, at least for me. What's interesting is that the stronger a weapon you bring to the fight, the more your death is worth to the opposing team, meaning a strong weapon doesn't exactly mean a victory. The connection is usually pretty solid, the game can lag at points but rarely to the point of unplayability, and fights are often quick and fun.

If you are looking for a new Nintendo franchise to give a shot, a chance to get your 3DS out, or just looking for something interesting to occupy your time, Uprising is definitely worth your time. The game is of very good length and has a lot of replay value in order to unlock more weapons, complete more of the many challenges, gain all trophies (similar to SSB trophies), and more. Until next time, please make sure that your weapon is in the outright and unlocked position before flying, and keep playing!

Kid Icarus: Uprunning around dodging stuff but not really rising that much

Sean C. — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:20:00 GMT

My first review on GI! I just got the game, and saw the review, and was somewhat disappointed with the GI reviewers intense focus on the controls, which aren't even a new idea.

Concept: Shoot the bad guys, while not getting shot yourself. Simple enough.

Graphics: Phenomenal for a handheld, LOOKS better than most Wii games.

Sound: Fully voice acted, with a great musical score to boot.

Playability: This is the part where there's lots of contention and room for debate. The standard control scheme for the game has the circle pad for movement, the left shoulder for shooting, and the touch screen for aiming, this has been done many times before with games on the DS (Metroid Prime: Hunters and Starfox: Command are the ones that immediately come to my mind) because quite frankly, its the only way to accurately control a target reticle without an analog stick of some kind, and really, an analog stick wouldn't even give you the level of precision necessary for much of this game, which requires LOTS of dodging, which means lots of minute adjustments to your aim while mashing the circle pad one way or another, while also having to deal with attacks from behind, which require you to be able to turn pretty quickly. That being said, there are more uncomfortable ways to play this game than comfortable ones, but I did find I could play it for extended periods of time with no more strain than I feel while writing, without using the stand, as long as I adequately supported the system and didn't lean on my stylus hand.

Entertainment: I personally found the writing very humorous. The characters frequently break the 4th wall, and demonstrate an awareness of other games, sometimes bringing them up by name. For example, during the very first boss fight against Twinbellows, a two headed hellhound, if you fight long enough, Pit will goad the boss by saying, "Hey Twinbellows, let's play! I bet I'll get a ton of Nintendogs trainer points for this!". The story was also longer than I expected (although I was expecting it to be short, it was a decent length), and reached a relatively satisfying conclusion. The time it takes to finish the main story will vary drastically depending on how difficult you set the game (of which you have 90 different options, and you can choose your difficulty before every level, the harder you make the game, the more and better loot you'll get in the level).

The online play is also very fast, 5 minutes or less per game, and frantic, with 6 players, and rewards the player with just about anything they could get from playing the single player game (currency, weapons, and collectibles). Offline multiplayer allows you to pick the rules (time limit, stage, item spawn frequency, and for the team mode, the team life gauge), and you can play with 5 friends, with AIs filling in any empty spots in your line up in case you don't have 5 buddies with this game. The AI's skill can also be adjusted, with the golden standard from SSB, 9 different AI skill levels (at level 5, they're about as good as most people you'll face in online play, probably better, although this will likely change as time goes on and people get better).

The weapons in this game are really where the meat of the fun in this title comes from. There are nine different classes of weapons, each with their own general strengths and weaknesses, and in each weapon class, there are somewhere around 10-15 weapons per class, each with their own specific strengths and weaknesses. For example: the claw class generally has high melee attack damage, allow extremely fast movement, yet have much shorter attack ranges with charge shots and rapid fire, however, the artillery claws (they're claws where the blades are actually bullets) have one of the weakest melee attacks in the game, but have excellent mid-range attacks. This means to be effective, you gotta play to the strengths of your weapon of choice.

You can also fuse two weapons together to get a new weapon with some combined bonus attributes from the two parent weapons. The one irritation I had was the fact that not all weapons can be made through fusion immediately. A certain degree of story progression or completing certain achievements (of which there are MANY) is required to make the weapons marked as "???" in the fusion menu available.

Replay Value: Very High. Designed by the team behind Super Smash Bros. games, there are a plethora of achievements, which unlock new content or simply reward you with more of the in game currency, and there are also collectible "Idols" in game, which function like the trophies from SSB, representing every character, weapon, enemy, level, and item in the game, as well as daily SpotPass downloads of Weapon Gems, which are also used in StreetPass, so even if you don't run into anyone with the game, you can still participate in the StreetPass functionality enough to unlock the achievements (and thusly the rewards) associated with it.

In Summary: Yes, the controls might be uncomfortable, but they're necessary to the gameplay

Kid Icarus: Uprising: Just Shy of Perfection

Applesteak — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:38:00 GMT

When the 3DS was announced, Kid Icarus: Uprising was one of the first games Nintendo showed off on it's new system. The gameplay reminded me of Star Fox 64 and Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (both great Nintendo games), the graphics were above and beyond anything I had seen on a handheld, and it was going to be in 3D! I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, and it was one of the reasons I bought my 3DS. Now that I have had the chance to play it, I can confirm that Kid Icarus has not only met all of my expectations, but soared high above them. It is handheld gaming bliss, and one of the most perfect games I have ever played. Or at least it would be if not for one glaring issue: the controls. Despite this one major hiccup, Uprising is still one of the best games I've played this year, and a must have for all 3DS owners.

Kid Icarus is better than ever

Being the first Kid Icarus game 20 some years, Kid Icarus might as well be an all new franchise, and they took advantage of this when creating the story. At first, it continues the story of the NES original, with Medusa being resurrected, and leading the underworld armies against Skyworld and the Goddess Palutena. They even reference that she has been gone for 25 years (one of the game's MANY fourth wall breaks). Palutena tasks Pit with stopping her, and sends him out on missions to defeat her many generals. However, defeating Medusa is only the beginning, and soon the story will expand into a war between all of the gods, with Pit in the middle. The story is amazing, especially in the post-Medusa missions. Not only is the dialogue funny, but the story will get surprisingly complex and emotional at times. There are even moments where you will question if Pit and Palutena are really the good guys. I wasn't expecting a great story coming into this game, but now I wish there as more of it.

Uprising looks great, and is without a doubt a contender for the best looking 3DS game (it's only competition being Resident Evil: Revelations). Pit looks just as good, if not better than he did in Brawl, and all of the game's huge areas look great and are full of detail. I was constantly impressed by the game's visuals, and even in the most heated battles, I don't remember any slowdown or lag in the animations. The game's sound in also impressive. I'm not much of a music buff, but I enjoyed Uprising's music, which is very reminiscent of the Brawl soundtrack. What is truly impressive is the voice acting. Fans of Bastion's constant narration will find something to love in Uprising. As you play, Pit, Palutena, and the game's many other characters (who are mostly redesigned characters from the NES game) are in constant dialogue. All of the voice acting is wonderfully done, and the dialogue is consistently hilarious (At one point Pit comments on an area being so big that it had to load halfway through, much to the goddess's dismay, and she quickly tells him not to mention it again). If you are like me, you will find yourself returning to old levels just to listen to your favorite conversations again and again.

Dark Pit is just one of the new additions to the series

Gameplay is another one of the game's many strong points, but it also contains its major flaw. Gameplay is split into two sections: a flying, on rails shooter segment that plays much like Sin and Punishment, and an on ground, third person shooter section that plays somewhat like a more complex version of Earth Defense Force. Personally, I couldn't decide which section I liked more, though the on ground segments are much more complex, requiring a lot of dodging and perfect use of your charged shots. Regardless of which is better, both are plagued by the game's not so perfect control scheme. You move Pit with the circle pad, shoot with L, and do all of your aiming and camera control with the touch screen. This means the right side of the system is unsupported during play, making holding the system difficult. Also, having your hand crowded over the circle pad and L button will cause cramps very quickly, as will the constant use of the stylus. Many complained that the game should have Circle Pad Pro support, allowing for twin stick play. The complaint is valid, since the game is already CPP compatible (to help lefties), I'm not sure it would have helped much. The game's creators stated the game would not support CPP because the touch screen was much better for the game's fast paced aiming. From my experience, this is true. I don't think there is an easy fix for the game's control issues, and it suffers because of it. Personally, I got used to the controls after a few long sessions (with the help of the 3DS stand) and was able to play most of the game cramp free. However, I know many gamers were not so fortunate.

The way you play the game will change depending on which of the nine different weapon types you choose. Some focus on ranged attacks, some on melee, but most of them act in similar ways, with variations in firing speed and frequency. Collecting weapons is fun, adding an RPG element to the game. You can also fuse weapons to create better ones, but the system is somewhat flawed because it is never explained, and the results seem random at times. Powers will also have a big effect on your play during the on foot sections. Some add effects like poison to your weapon for a short time, and others might give you a temporary attack or defense buff. Powers must be fitted into a grid in your loadout. The grid is small, and the better powers take up more space.

The difficulty settings are where the game gains most of its replay value. Instead of having setting like easy and hard, before each level you are asked to pick a difficulty between 0 and 9, with decimal places. At 0, Pit is invincible, and you can clear the level with ease, but it will cost you hearts (the game's currency) to do so. At the highest difficulties, the levels will become fiendishly hard, but you will get better rewards for beating them, and a huge heart reward. There are also whole sections of levels that will be closed off if you don't reach them above a certain intensity. If you fail to beat the level on the difficulty you choose, you will lose hearts and automatically be revived, with the difficulty lowered. I found myself struggling to beat the later levels on difficulty 6, so there is definitely plenty to do for the hardcore crowd.

Behold the Fiend's Cauldron!

But that isn't all that will keep you coming back. Just like Super Smash Brothers Brawl, the game has hundreds of trophies (oops I mean idols) and 360 goals to complete (much like the large achievement grid from Brawl). These goals range from "Complete Stage X in XX minutes" to "Beat a stage using a Club". Completing these goals will reward you with a variety of prizes, such as idols, weapons, and powers. If you need even more to do, the game also has online multiplayer. There is a team deathmatch (called Light vs. Dark) as well as a free for all battle. These battles are the same as the on foot sections of the game's main story, and are actually a lot of fun. Finding a game was easy, and I never noticed any lag. You can also gain weapons, powers, and hearts while playing the online, so you are always making progress.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a rare example of a game that just missed perfection. If not for its one major flaw, I would likely be giving it a perfect score. But control complaints aside, Kid Icarus is one of the best games on the 3DS, and a series I don't want to see return to obscurity. If you have a 3DS, you need this game.

Epic

darkplonzo — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:45:00 GMT

I was crazy excited about the game. It was the first game I saw on the 3ds I really wanted. I got it on launch day and popped it into the 3ds. I may agree that the controls aren't regular ,but I only got a small ache from playing hours on end. I love the story. At level ten you will have killed medusa and credits will begin to roll,but before you can get very far a hand reaches into the credits and tears them away revealing the face of the final boss who you will get to face on level 25 the final level. The variety is great in weapons and then you have the treasure hunts which are like the cube grid thing in super smash bros brawl. The voice acting and music are great and I love the characters.

Breathtaking

nintendork — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:52:00 GMT

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a piece of true art. The orchestrated soundtrack is perfectly integrated into the setup of each level, making it a very immersive experience. The voice acting and script are flawless, making the game humorous but (gladly) not based entirely on comedy. In fact, this is a bit strange for Nintendo to include so much voice, but it came out great. The controls are NOT anywhere near as bad as GI's joke review claims. Occasionally it may get a little out of control, but it does not cause "wrist throbbing" and does not detract from the incredible experience that this game is. The action is superb and keeps you craving for more. The online multiplayer is really fun, though it sometimes doesn't work. I'm not sure if it has to do with my connection or the game. One thing is for sure, though, Kid Icarus is a fantastic game that is not to be missed, and the GI author who wrote this review should honestly be demoted for such a clearly biased and twisted lies about this stellar piece of art.