Kid Icarus: Uprising 3DS
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release Date: Mar 23, 2012
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 266 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 236 out of 266
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 266
  3. Negative: 21 out of 266

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  1. solidandrew
    Mar 24, 2012
    4
    Okay boys, here's the real lowdown on Kid Icarus: it sucks!

    The controls are atrocious, the dialog is corny, the 3d is impressive but graphics look like dated PS2 (nowhere close to as impressive as Resident Evil: Revelations, or even Ocarina of Time), and the game is just plain shallow in terms of gameplay.

    Now considering I don't want to write a full review that maybe only a handful of     people will read, but I do very much enjoy sharing my opinion, I'll just tell you why the gameplay department is lacking severely:
    Firstly, stages are very linear and consist of really stupid looking enemies that all basically require you to do the same thing: dodge and fire at the weak spot; which wouldn't be such a bad thing if the controls weren't so awkward to use.
    Secondly, animations look cheap and stages are not very interactive at all.
    And lastly, now this on is just a mater of opinion, the game just feels like one of those cheap beat'em ups that you'd randomly decide to pick up for $4.99 on the used games shelf that provides no real sense of interaction or quality; just with a lot of content.

    Sure, everyone will argue that "There's so much content",
    "There's a bunch of different weapons",
    "The air combat is too fast for circle pad pro use",
    "The controls only take getting used too."
    Well you can put all the content in the world into a game if you want to, but if you can't experience all that content in an enjoyable way that doesn't basically force you to use a stupid stand to play it comfortably, then there's not really any point for all that content, is there?
    Also, if the air portions are too fast for circle pad use, then make the air portions stylus controlled, and the land based ones with the circle pad. and give us the option of being able to use either one. This would also make the game seem much more challenging and in-depth, and really provide an overall deeper experience. I also doubt people would complain about discomfort if they only needed to use the stylus for the air portions, and didn't have any need of the stand.
    And since when is it acceptable, especially in the year 2012, for controls to take getting used to? Sure, Resident Evil may take getting used to if someone hadn't played it before, but they are easy to learn, manageable, and always on point, regardless of what area you're at in the game; and they don't force you to use two separate peripherals, either - although it does give you the option of using one that vastly improves on already good controls. Also, I must mention that for anyone reading this review wondering why this game is getting a lot of positive feedback elsewhere, the answer is: advertising.
    People have already got it in their heads that this would be a good game, and they refuse to believe otherwise, even going as far as to sluff off difficult controls and not-so-impressive visuals as an afterthought. There's a reason that so much money goes into advertising, and it's not just exposure.

    Kid Icarus is a truly terrible game. Not-so-impressive visuals, corny gameplay, terrible control choices and the inclusion of a stand instead of circle pad pro support make this a embarrassment to Sakurai's name, and leave me worrying about the next smash brothers and Nintendo as a gaming company, for letting this game be published in their name.    … Expand
  2. Gameplayer03
    Mar 24, 2012
    2
    I've been a Nintendo fan for a long time and I love my 3ds. I've been eagerly awaiting Uprising since it was first revealed. I became skeptical of the game when reading early build previews for it, all of them complained about the controls. I thought that it was simply a case of critics whining over nothing and hating on Nintendo. After buying this game however, I found out that they are correct. The controls practically ruin this game. Which is a real shame, because it is an absolutely fantastic game. You can go read other reviews to find out about the awesome content in this game, which there is an abundance, what I'm hear to talk about is something that reviewers have been acknowledging but haven't talked about in depth: the controls. Simply put, its damn near impossible to get Pit to do what you want him to do (especially on the ground). I've been told that their is a learning curve, but I'm on chapter 9 and have put in several hours online and the controls still aren't passable for me. The two biggest problems are dashing and controlling the reticule/camera. Dashing is a hit and miss, and you have to smash the circle pad extremely hard. Expect to wear down your circle pad if you play this game, it will most likely destroy the analog input over time. I will say that you will get better at the controls over time, but the problem lies within the controls themselves rather than the adapting period. Even if you can adapt to the controls, they're still wonky at best. Now, I used to own a DS LIte and played the hell out of Metroid Prime Hunters, I assumed that this would be similar. Unfortunately, that isn't so for three reasons: third person viewing, analog input (dashing especially, the whole game hinges on being able to dash), and how the camera is moved. THIS IS NOT LIKE MPH, if it was it would have been manageble. I think the third person view is what really screws it. Instead of moving just your reticule to both aim and move the camera like in MPH, you have to use two separate types of motion in uprising. Fast slashes to move the camera and slow drags to move the reticule. You can rarely even move the camera while in the reticule moving mode, it just stays within that window. I have no idea why they made it this way, but I'm guessing its because the aiming reticule would have been too sensitive for this type of shooter if they had done it like MPH. So in short, basically avoid this game. I that that's a very dissapointing thing to hear, believe me I'm dissapointed too. But this game's controls are so aweful that it is truly hard to get any enjoyment out of it, especially on the ground portions (which is the majority of the game). Nintendo really needs to re-design the 3ds with dual analog sticks, the touch screen works best for inventory like gameplay. Not trying to use a tiny stylus on a to aim a tiny reticule on a tiny ass bottom screen. It just simply doesn't work well. This game will unfortunately flop. Hopefully Nintendo gets the message, we love new/revised franchises but only use "innovative" control schemes that work (i.e. Skyward Sword). With so many other great titles on 3ds, you'd be better off to save your money for games like Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 3d land, Mario Kart 7, Resident Evil Revelations, Mutant Mudds, Pushmo, and even Snake Eater 3d. Just don't rush into the Uprising purchase like I did. If you're seriously considering buying it, at least play it first so you know what it will be like. Because it's not like MPH and it's nothing like a proper dual analog input game. This just proves how important controls are. A fantastic game with fantastic content, game structure, graphics, sound, depth..... as a matter of fact EVERYTHING is damn near fantastic, except the controls. What an absolute waste, a great game that you can't play because IT IS BROKEN.… Expand
  3. jj350
    Mar 24, 2012
    0
    A complete and utter disappointment. The game was very overhyped and it failed to deliver. The control scheme is broken, which is a shame consider how the actual game is quite good. Considering how game breaking the controls are, I have to rate this one low, especially considering the expectations.
  4. YHWH
    Jul 7, 2012
    0
    This game is terrible, and goes against my religious believes.At first I thought this would be a game about being an Archangel and fighting Satan's evil minion and purify the earth for god, what I got was an angel kid named Pit that serves a fake goddess. Anyone that respects our Lord and his son Jesus should stay away from this game.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 75
  3. Negative: 1 out of 75
  1. Armchair Empire
    Jun 27, 2012
    90
    No doubt in my mind, 3DS owners should have Kid Icarus: Uprising in their library of games, especially if action games are a favorite.
    Read full review
  2. Hyper Magazine
    May 14, 2012
    90
    Nintendo magic strikes again, if you can adapt to the controls. [June 2012, p.68]
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2012
    83
    Kid Icarus: Uprising is an underdog tale: how an action game can be thoroughly enjoyable even when it suffers from some severe control problems. [May 2012]
See all critic reviews »