David Wolinsky, Contributing Editor: You played Kid Icarus Uprising in single-player, while I tried multiplayer. What were your expectations going in, and did the game live up to them? What pleasant surprises, if any, did you stumble upon?
Ryan Scott, Executive Editor: This was actually a really weird game, but in a mostly cool way. As strange as it sounds, Kid Icarus Uprising reminds me a hell of a lot of Sin and Punishment: Star Successor. It's a third-person action game (and occasional on-rails shoot-'em-up), and your character movements are independent from your targeting cursor. Not quite what I expected a new Kid Icarus game to be!
David Wolinsky: That's a really great way of summing the game up -- it is an awful lot like Star Successor. My theory for this title has long been that it was originally intended to be another game completely, and then they swapped in Kid Icarus characters after the fact. It wouldn't be the first time Nintendo's done something like that -- Super Mario Bros. 2, anyone? -- but clearly even Nintendo felt it was a challenge in bringing series protagonist Pit into the 21st century. Twenty years is a long-ass time to wait for a sequel, and I wonder how many people eagerly awaiting it are even familiar with the original (and the routinely ignored Game Boy sequel), as opposed to saying "it's that funny-sounding angel from Super Smash Bros. Brawl" Anyway, the multiplayer was just as surprising. Two teams of three angels storm a small-scale battlefield with melee and ranged weapons, and whoever loses a life first gets resurrected as the "light" or "dark" angel. They're more powerful, but if that angel is killed, their team loses. Again, not exactly what comes to mind with Kid Icarus. Do you think it matters this is such a sharp detour for the long-neglected series? Or are the changes cool enough to win over purists?
Ryan Scott: Well, like you said, it's been two decades -- if Nintendo wants to create a new identity for this series, now's not a bad time. I found it pretty jarring, but fun. The single-player mode started off with a five-minute shoot-'em-up segment that could have been ripped straight from the aforementioned Sin and Punishment, complete with charged missile attacks and screen-clearing bombs. It then progressed to a ground segment with similar controls and full navigational freedom. Like you, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we learned that this game began life as something else; I don't think it's going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it seems fun for what is. What did you think of Pit's catty new attitude?
David Wolinsky: As with everything else here, I found it pretty jarring. That doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, just that it's hard to acclimate that Pippi Longstocking-esque voice with the new Pit. I think, ultimately, everyone just needs to forget Kid Icarus' past and accept this game for what it is. Anyway, of the two different level styles you tried, which did you enjoy more? I'm curious to hear more about the ground-based portion.
Ryan Scott: I liked 'em both fine, but I think I did a little better with the aerial combat. The ground game involved a lot of dashing around with the 3DS' left analog stick, moving the targeting cursor with the stylus, and hammering the left shoulder button to fire on enemies. I had a few problems with the camera, and the person walking me through the game said it was tuned to be a little bit difficult for E3. I feel like we've done a lot of "Yeah, it's fun and all, for what it is, you know..." here. I hope we aren't just talking ourselves into thinking it's cool because of the name on the box. I'm really hopeful for it, though.
David Wolinsky: Oh, me too. For what it's worth, I ran into the same issues with the camera in multiplayer. I found it tough to juggle strategic strafing with keeping the camera trained on an enemy. Why doesn't it have a lock-on feature in combat, a la The Legend of Zelda? Seems like a weird oversight, but I kinda enjoyed the feeling of seeing my crosshair way off in the distance, and seeing my arrows sail through the field of vision and hitting their marks. I have a feeling Kid Icarus, at large, will be filled with tiny thrills like these. Maybe the 3DS can't meet greater expectations until after it's been more established -- but at least it's got promise, and reasons for us to stay optimistic.
