Kid Icarus: Downfall?

Some of you may recall my hands-on experience with Kid Icarus: Uprising, and the unpleasantness which unfortunately accompanied it.

Since then, I’ve tried to draw some attention to the issue, but to no avail. I contacted Nintendo of Canada, with which I have at least one contact, in the hopes maybe they could pass along the concerns of myself and others who share them. I’m not sure that it will be passed along, though it seems the developers are working in secret and we have not seen everything yet.

All in all, it’s kind of disappointing. I’m not asking for Nintendo to change or remove what is there, but to at least provide some sort of alternative. Let the other form be some sort of “pro” mode or something, but at least let those of us who can’t hold the 3DS that way for very long have a way to play that doesn’t inflict physical pain. No one should have to deal with that to play a game, especially if they’ve been waiting 20 years for it.

Overall, the situation leaves me worried on at least two fronts: one being the possibility that this could affect a significant number of people interested in the game. Odds are, there are largely two groups of people interested in the game: people who remember Pit from the originals and Captain N, who are all probably pushing around 30 now, and those who want to see “a real game with that toga guy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.” And of the former, I wonder how many have developed to a point that this would be a problem.

I would really hate for the game to not meet its true potential for success because a significant number of people interested are unable to play it for very long.

The other thing which concerns me is on the consumer side, namely people who might buy the game, find themselves unable to play it for reasons mentioned above, and then unable to return it due to the rather draconian return policies in place at most retailers.

I understand why the policies are there, don’t get me wrong, but it does little to help a consumer whose purchase has gone astray in such a way. And while Nintendo has become known for some rather stellar consumer service, I wonder how eager they would be to refund anyone’s money due to this.

At one time, Nintendo was very good about implementing multiple control schemes into its games: Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and even Super Mario 64 DS are examples of this. But more recently, they seem to have largely become more narrow-minded with such options, as many have lamented the inability to use the Wii Classic Controllers in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns, a Wii Remote & Nunchuk configuration in Metroid: Other M, and some harboring a distaste for touchscreen-only controls in the DS Zelda titles and Star Fox Command. It is a worrisome trend, one I fear may continue in Kid Icarus: Uprising.

On the other hand, the game is being designed by Masahiro Sakurai, who oversaw the development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which allowed for every type of control scheme available on the Wii at the time to be used, including the GameCube controller. So perhaps there is hope yet.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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