Kid Icarus
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Top 5: Infections
After visiting friends and relatives this Thanksgiving, I was left with something special inside. Was it fond memories? Was it a deeper connection with those who I love? Was it several containers of leftovers? Sure, I received a fair share of those, but the most significant thing I received this Thanksgiving was the flu. I should have known. At least five different folks I saw over the course of the day claimed to be recovering from some form of the dreaded virus. Sure enough, by Friday evening I was sweating and freezing at once, aching all over, and debating on which end to point at the toilet (too much?). Whenever I get sick, I tend to feel very isolated. While everyone else was out enjoying their four-day weekend, I was tethered to the bed. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I'm certainly not alone. Everyone gets sick sooner or later, and no one is truly immune. In fact, even our video game counterparts have their fair share of sicknesses that affect their goals. And thankfully, just like said counterparts, the infections are usually brief. Here's our Top 5 sicknesses to avoid. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Virtually Overlooked: Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
IGN's Matt Casamassina couldn't stop hinting at a new Kid Icarus game before this year's E3. Even after Nintendo's presentation came and went, Kid Icarus-free, the rumors and Casamassina's insistence had us convinced that Nintendo was just going to spring it on us at any moment; an announcement would come over the loudspeaker on the show floor or something. In the absence of a new Wii Kid Icarus sequel, I'd be happy to play the other Kid Icarus sequel, Of Myths and Monsters, released on the Game Boy in 1991. As a bonus, it's guaranteed not to be a terrible 3D reimagining.
E308: Kid Icarus flies away from the show
After confirming Kid Icarus for the Wii, Matt Cassassminasiissanisina from IGN has made a wee comment that's sure to disappoint gamers around the globe: "Uh-oh. Looks like we're going to have to wait a little longer than E3 to see the kid fly again. Not too long, though, hopefully." Well, at least we won't waste our time during the Nintendo press conference hoping and praying for a Kid Icarus showing. Instead, we can focus on filling up the remaining spaces on our lovely E3 Bingo cards.
Nintendo E3 2008 press conference: Let's play bingo
#bingochart { border: 2px solid #111; border-collapse: collapse; } #bingochart td { padding: 1px 0px 1px 0px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-size: 80%; line-height: 90%; } #bingochart th { padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; margin: 0; } #bingochart a{ filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(opacity=100); -moz-opacity: 1;} #bingochart a:hover { filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(opacity=80); -moz-opacity: 0.80;} DS Lite redesign Mega Man 9 That pesky storage problem More Mario sports DLC A new Wii peripheral Link returns Even more Fit What comes after FFIV? Pikmin, baby, yeah! Dragon Quest IX Layton sequels Fanboys love Reggie New Wii colors Balance Board games Guitar Hero for everyone More language trainers Chrono Trigger Pokémon Platinum DS Novel to US Wii Music Captain Rainbow Spore Creatures Animal Crossing Wii Kid Icarus var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_E3_2008_press_conference_bingo'; In anticipation of next week's E3 Media and Business Summit, we've prepared bingo cards for each of the big press conferences, filled with some likely (and some not-so-likely) predictions for what each of the big three console makers intends to announce at arguably the biggest trade shows of the year.Today's card is for Nintendo (special thanks to Wii and DS Fanboy). Our fingers are crossed twice over (trust us, it's painful) for the no-brainer Pikmin sequel. Click on each of the slides above for more information about our predictions. The folks at NWF and DSF got a little carried away, so check out their full predictions (Wii, DS).Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference begins Tuesday, July 15, at 9:00am PT (that's 12:00 pm Joystiq Time / ET). As always, we'll be liveblogging the event, so you can play along in real-time with us. (Also: check out all our press conference bingo cards, including some for Microsoft and Sony!)Download a copy (PNG file) and play along!
Rumor: UGO-owned E3.net lists Kid Icarus, Alan Wake, HL2: Episode 3
Did you hear Alan Wake was confirmed to be shown at E3? How about Kid Icarus Wii? Half-Life 2 Episode 3? Doom 4? All these games have been listed on E3.net under the E3 Games tab. There's just one problem ... E3.net isn't the official E3 page. (If you're curious, here's the official site.) Take note of the top banner, the bottom collection of links and all the latest news posts: yep, it's an UGO site. We've put in a call to their PR to see if there's any affiliation with the media summit, but that said, we doubt Microsoft, Nintendo, Valve or id Software would ever let these high-profile games be revealed so unceremoniously. Chalk this up as wishful thinking in the meantime.
Pit is back, in plush form
Judging by her gallery, DeviantARTist VioletLunchell seems to specialize in these chibi-style plushes, and her latest piece of work, this Pit plushie, will resonate with anyone who found themselves turned off by the recent batch of alleged concept art for the alleged Wii game. The artist herself confesses to "[not knowing] anything about video games," but she's done a fairly awesome job here -- this blogger would love one of these to place next to his numerous Pikmin plushes, but sadly this was a one-off commission piece. Probably a good thing, really. There comes a time when a man of 28 really has enough plushes.[Thanks, YaYaLuvsCupcakes!] Being the soft, sensitive types that we are, we love our plushes here at Wii Fanboy. Nothing is exempt from our plushie love -- and that includes Metroids, Chocobos, Rabbids, and the Wii itself. We even adore the ugly and gruesome ones.
Rumor: Kid Icarus Wii details, concept art revealed
For a game that hasn't even been formally announced, there sure seems to be a lot of information circulating about the Wiicreation of the celestial NES action-platformer, Kid Icarus. For instance, Kombo.com (not to be confused with Zombo.com) recently posted a veritable cornucopia of concept art for the rumored title, as well as some heretofore unannounced deets. Apparently, Pit has been "cursed for thousands of years for a crime" and has become a fallen angel -- those mature themes seem to resonate through the conceptual drawings, available on Kombo's site.We're not sure if this new media is legit, but Kombo did break the rumor that Factor 5 was working on an Icarus title in late January. Perhaps they do indeed have an inside source -- though it's just as likely that their early plot details could have rolled off their own forked tongues. Check out the images, and judge for yourself.
Kid Icarus to smolder with generic rage?
Kombo has posted a gallery of what they say is early concept art for Factor 5's Kid Icarus game. The styles vary from fantasy cover art to Bruce Timm-style minimalism, but they all have one thing in common: Pit is a troubled young man. This fits with the proposed game pitch, in which Pit is "cursed for thousands of years and becomes a fallen angel." He bears a tattoo on his arm that details his crime. Awesome. We hope this is fake, or not what Factor 5 (or whoever the real developer is) goes with. It's not even a matter of nostalgia: we need more weird flying platformers about eggplant wizards and fewer games about brooding antiheroes. We don't need Man Icarus. [Via NeoGAF]
IGN pretty much confirms Kid Icarus
There's a big game coming for the Wii this holiday -- we know this because Reggie said so -- and IGN's Matt Cassa Casamasi C. has virtually confirmed what most had anticipated: it's Kid Icarus. Speaking on IGN's most recent Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Casamassina blurted: "Of course [Nintendo is] going to have some E3 surprises. You know, Kid Icarus, for crying out loud, how many times do we have to say Kid Icarus? Kid Icarus is coming for crying out loud."So there you go -- can't say we're hugely surprised to hear of Pit's return, but that doesn't mean we're looking forward to it any less. Casamassina refused to reveal who was behind it, but we hear the folks at Retro are currently kicking back and taking a break from the Metroid universe ... ** Wanton speculation.[Via Joystiq]
Kid Icarus on Wii indirectly revealed by IGN
When fans debate which of their plentiful wells Nintendo will be returning to for their next big title, Kid Icarus is always a popular suspicion. Now, IGN's Matt Casamassina has basically confirmed that it's on the way to Wii. On episode 7 of the IGN Nintendo Voice Chat podcast Casamassina says, "Of course [Nintendo is] going to have some E3 surprises. You know, Kid Icarus, for crying out loud, how many times do we have to say Kid Icarus? Kid Icarus is coming for crying out loud." When a co-host asks if he wants to reveal the developer he responds "I think we've confirmed it a billion times but no, I'm not going to say it officially."Adding more fuel to the fire on this week's show Casamassina said "Kid Icarus, that's another one that I'm really anticipating just because I love the franchise and I'm sure that the developer will make a really pretty game." It looks like we'll have to wait for July to hear anything official from Nintendo but, if Casamassina is to be believed (we've asked him for further clarification), a Wii version of Kid Icarus seems to be all but a done deal.[Thanks to Jeff for the heads up.]
For awesome NES mods, just add legends
Thanks to its largely flat surface, the NES doubles up as an ideal canvas for those wishing to spruce up their consoles with a custom paint job. Of course, you also need artistic ability, which is where we fail hideously, and eBay user hellokitty11111111111 (yes) excels.Well, "excels" most of the time, anyway. The quality of these mods does vary a little -- we're not big fans of the Kid Icarus design -- but we do absolutely love the Earthbound, Super Mario Bros. 3, and (highly topical) River City Ransom examples. Are they worth (up to) $149.99, though? At a stretch, we'd be tempted. There's more past the break, complete with auction links.
Wii Warm Up: Comeback Kid
Pit has been a big hit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and rumors of a new Kid Icarus game on Wii have been bountiful (mostly due to one enthusiastic rumormonger at IGN) and met with glee. We have to wonder: since Nintendo no longer puts much interest in it, what is it that draws you guys to the idea of a sequel to Metroid's awkward cousin? Do you want some kind of modern 3D game set in a "serious" (like Pit's current appearance) Kid Icarus universe, or do you want the vertical scrolling, eggplant-dodging, hammer-collecting NES game back with new graphics, enemies, and levels? Is it the setting or the gameplay? Or is it just that it's a Nintendo franchise? We'd at least like to hear the music in another game.
Rumor: Kid Icarus making a comeback
Pit's feature role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl could be a precursor to the Kid Icarus franchise's triumphant resurrection, or at least IGN seems to think so. On their latest Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Matt Casamassina and the gang discuss Reggie's recent comments about a holiday blockbuster to be announced at E3, and speculate that it could be the new Kid Icarus that they "know" is in the works.Now, how Casassamassassassina and crew can be so absolutely sure that Kid Icarus is Wii-bound is beyond us. We'll personally apply a liberal amount of skeptical sauce to this story, although it's also worth mentioning that the IGN team actually hopes Nintendo's E3 reveal isn't the Kid Icarus game they magically already know about. We'll be content either way, thanks.[Via Wii Fanboy]
IGN teases Kid Icarus
In their latest podcast, called "Nintendo Voice Chat," the IGN crew hinted pretty strongly at a Wii Kid Icarus game. At about the 12:30 mark in the March 18th show, the group turns to Reggie's mysterious E3 surprise. "Could be Kid Icarus," Matt Casamassina said, "We've already chatted about that -- don't know if it's going to be that. We do know that that game exists."Here, Matt seems to be referring to the previous week's Wii-k in Review (ugh), in which he said that Kid Icarus would "absolutely" be on the Wii in 2008. Any sources? Of course not! "The rumors are out there," he said. Is he using his own rumor from a previous week as confirmation? We wouldn't be surprised about a Kid Icarus game at this point, if only because people are so crazy about the rumor now. But we'll just say that Nintendo does not care about the franchise, or there would have been a third game by now. That means that they would undoubtedly be outsourcing it -- to Factor 5 or someone else.
Dojo update: Masterpieces
Do not adjust your monitor. This is still the Nintendo Wii Fanboy Dojo update you know and love, even if today's dojo announcement falls squarely in the region of "Dubya. Tee. Eff."Basically, Brawl will be shipping to stores with several "Masterpieces," disc-based trial versions of Virtual Console games. There's nothing too obscure in the selection revealed so far (Super Mario Bros., Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Super Metroid, and Star Fox 64), but Sakurai has promised that more titles are on the way. Obviously, because they're trial versions, you can only play them for a limited time (though that may not deter some people).You can view this feature in two ways, we suppose. Some will see it as a fitting tribute to the greatest videogame company of all time. Others might decipher this as a cynical piece of free advertising for the Virtual Console. As for us, we're just happy that new or younger players will be getting an insight into Nintendo's outstanding body of work. Just don't look at the games Japan is getting. That would make you angry.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Rumor: Factor 5 developing Kid Icarus on the Wii
When Factor 5 announced that they would be making a Wii game, many of us took guesses as to what it would be. According to Kombo, though, a credible source claims that the game will be a new Kid Icarus title. The rumor also states that Factor 5 will not be using their GameCube graphics engine, and instead will be developing the game from the ground up.With Pit being a playable character in Brawl (which is likely to increase hype for the Kid Icarus franchise), we wouldn't be surprised if this rumor turned out to be true. Since it is only a rumor though, be sure to take your daily dose of salt with it, perhaps a grain or two.[Via GoNintendo]
Somebody's top ten NES games
Most "Top Ten NES Games" lists, of which there are two hundred released every second, turn out predictable and entirely skippable, but through the power of creative video editing, ScrewAttack managed to make their tally of favorites something worth the time spent watching it. You don't have to take our word for it! Dun-un, dun!As expected, their list isn't perfect -- if it were, River City Ransom would occupy at least seven of the spots, leaving just enough room for Super Mario Bros. 3, Mega Man 2, and an emergency copy of River City Ransom. But it would be naive to think that any collection of NES games with "Top anything" written in proximity would satisfy everyone, unless, of course, it was a list of Top Gun titles (all two of them). So feel free to comment with your own selection of "Absolutely Best NES Games Ever."
VC Friday: Riots in the streets
Today's news: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time hits the Virtual Console in Europe, and every gamer in Japan and the U.S. shakes their fist and curses Nintendo. What a coup! It seems like things are really hot and cold for Europe when it comes to gaming. Usually, gamers have to pace around, waiting for games and systems that are months delayed, but when you guys get something early, it tends to be pretty awesome. So ... you downloading it today? OoT isn't cheap by VC standards, but is that much to pay for what many consider to be one of the best video games of all time?Today's releases: Kid Icarus -- NES -- 500 Wii points The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time -- N64 -- 1000 Wii points
'Secret passwords' lost in Kid Icarus VC
Forget about the old "ICARUS FIGHTS MEDUSA ANGELS" code. Ain't gonna work with the Virtual Console version of Kid Icarus released Monday. A warning attached to the game download states: "The original Kid Icarus allowed players to use secret passwords; however, Virtual Console does not support these passwords."The omission of these codes is apparently a result of the original cartridge depending on an included module to process the codes; Virtual Console was not designed to emulate this specific component. Similar to Mario Kart ghost data or rumble feedback, Kid Icarus codes are dependent on hardware external to the game file. It simply isn't cost effective for Nintendo to patch VC to support these apparently minor features; unless the service encounters a backlash. You willing to stand up for those cheat codes?
Artistic NES up for sale
The NES, billed as the savior of the video game industry after the 1980s crash, has a special place in the hearts of many long-time gamers. Now, an artist is offering up a piece of that with an NES. Not just any original NES, but one lovingly painted. Depicting The Legend of Zelda, one of the NES's landmark titles, the NES is not only a functioning piece of gaming history, but an incredibly well done piece of art. The NES looks like a screen shot were taped to the top of it and is protected by 3 or 4 layers of acrylic coating. The seller also has other custom painted systems featuring Kid Icarus and Mega Man 2. Worth taking a look at if you're under the mindset that games are art, as these systems are quite artistic.
