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25 March 2012
Kid Icarus: Uprising: Why It's NOT BAD!
13 of 14 found this helpful I was skeptical when I saw many average (or bad) reviews of Kid Icarus: Uprising from popular game magazines and websites. Critics complained primarily about the controls. Still, I chose to buy the game hoping I could look past the alleged problems and enjoy a game crafted by the legendary producer of Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- Masahiro Sakurai.
First of all, the gameplay is a blast. Single player consists of rather short levels that are split between air and ground battles. The air battles are ride-the-rails style, while the ground portions allow you to move Pit through the stage and discover treasures and secret rooms that hold different weapons, items, and powers. The exploration elements of the ground stages are linear but welcomed to contrast with the player's lack of control in the air stages. The air stages are fun to play in 3D, though not so much for the ground stages since the player is too focused on moving, turning around, etc. Regardless of whether a player decides to play in 2D or 3D, though, the game looks really beautiful -- especially the backgrounds! Pit and the goddess Palutena converse throughout the levels, which can be annoying at times. However, the humor of the conversations and the character development they provide outweigh the annoying qualities. And if a player disagrees, she can always turn the volume off.
That being said, the volume will likely stay on during the approximately 12-hour campaign since the music is absolutely lovely. The story mode may be on the short side, but there is massive replay value to this game. Weapons that you can collect under much harder difficulties can be used in multiplayer mode, which is just as good as the single player story mode. The weapons can be combined and upgraded, along with Pit's powers, and tested in either a Light vs Dark team battle or a Free For All brawl. Like in Super Smash Bros., the multiplayer maps can get congested and chaotic a lot of the time. That simply adds to the fun of it, though. Just like in single player mode, the multiplayer options allow the player to collect new weapons and items to add to her collection.
All that being said, I need to address the controls, which apparently ruined the game for many game reviewers. In my opinion, the controls are incredible. There is such a variety of control schemes that almost any type of player can find something that suits her. Not only can she adjust the functions of all the 3DS' buttons, but she can also alter the sensitivity of the cursor (which I recommend, since the default settings make it difficult to move the camera under stress). The default settings have Pit's movement controlled by the circle pad, while the cursor is controlled by the stylus. The L-button is used for shooting. I played the game for about 5 hours straight after getting it on the release day without the discomfort in my hand that many reviewers complained of. Even so, if the stylus doesn't suit a player, she can replace it by making the A,B,X,Y buttons control Pit's cursor.
Pros:
- Really FUN gameplay
- Excellent replay value
- Good, albeit chaotic, multiplayer
- Beautiful music
- Good graphics in both 2D and 3D
- Humorous character development
- Variety of control schemes
Cons:
- Pit and Palutena are slightly annoying
- Muliplayer can be confusing on the tiny screen
I highly recommend this game! 5 out of 5!