In a video recently uploaded to Sakurai’s own YouTube channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, while speaking about the 3DS shooter, the developer said, “It sure would be nice to play Kid Icarus: Uprising on a home console. I wonder if someone out there will ever port it?” and proceeded to add a sly smile at the end.

Back in 2018, Sakurai said that a modern port of Kid Icarus: Uprising wouldn’t be possible, owing to the game’s 3DS-specific design and gameplay. However, recent reports have claimed that a remaster is indeed in development, with Bandai Namco allegedly working on the project. Job listings have also revealed that Bandai Namco is indeed working on an unannounced remaster of a Nintendo title.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE MINISH CAP

The Minish Cap is easily among the most criminally underrated Zelda games of all time. Owing to the fact that it’s a handheld title and that it was developed by Capcom, not Nintendo, it’s been viewed as something of a sidequel by many, though as those who’ve played it will tell you, that’s an unfair assertion, because this is an incredible game. A remake that brings the game back to the forefront for modern audiences would surely prove that.

The insider recently claimed in a blog post that a remaster of Kid Icarus: Uprising is in development for the Nintendo Switch. Apparently, Bandai Namco is in charge of the remaster, and will update the game with a “much more accessible” control scheme and improved visuals. The online multiplayer component of the game will also allegedly return, though as per the leaker, it’ll use Bandai Namco’s own netcode (which is known to be shaky more often than not).

Of course, as is the case with any rumour like this one, it’s best to take this with a grain of salt, especially given how notoriously secretive and unpredictable Nintendo is as a company. According to Zippo, the Kid Icarus: Uprising remaster is due out sometime next year, so there’s a chance that we end up hearing about it sooner than later, if it is indeed real.

Interestingly, back in 2018, Kid Icarus: Uprising director Masahiro Sakurai said that the chances of a modern port of the game weren’t very good. Read more on that through here.

CRONOS (GOD OF WAR 3)

The bigger they are, the harder they fall- this is something that’s doubly true for anyone squaring off against Kratos. Cronos is by far the biggest monstrosity Kratos has ever come up against, but he wrecked the Titan like it was nothing. As Cronos swallowed Kratos, he told him that it was going to be more unpleasant for him than for Kratos- little did he know just how right he was.

One of the earliest smash hits that the Nintendo 3DS received was Kid Icarus: Uprising, an excellent third person shooter/action-adventure hybrid that is rightly considered by many to be one of the best games to have been made for the handheld. While it’s certainly a game that has issues, most prevalent of those being its cramped controls, Uprising still has a special place in the hearts of many 3DS owners. So much so, that many people have been hoping for a Switch port of the game as well- it’s certainly a salivating prospect.

Don’t hold your breath though. Recently, while speaking in the January 2019 issue of Edge magazine (Issue 327), Kid Icarus: Uprising director Masahiro Sakurai, also known for being the creator and series director of Super Smash Bros., said that a modern port of the 3DS title isn’t something that would be possible.

When asked about Kid Icarus: Uprising, Sakurai spoke of the challenges he and his team faced during its development, calling it one of the most difficult projects he’s ever worked on, thanks both to his team and the hardware of the 3DS. Eventually, he got around to mention the demand for a port, before dashing all our hopes and saying in no unclear terms that he doesn’t think something like that would be possible.

“I could say that this was close to becoming the most difficult project in my entire career, both in terms of the team and the hardware,” Sakurai said. “The team I had gathered differed greatly in culture and ways of thinking, so there was always confrontation. In addition, back when we were developing the game, we still couldn’t make full use of the power of Nintendo 3DS. Some improvements in aspects such as the middleware were made later on, but since the game was being made in the initial stages of Nintendo 3DS development, we had a really hard time doing what we wanted to.”

“For example, I only found out that the Circle Pad Pro was going to be coming out when it was announced to the public by Nintendo,” he continued. “I wanted to make the game support this properly if I could, but this was impossible due to performance-related reasons. As a game in general, it’s rich in content and enjoyable, and people have even asked for a modern port. However, I don’t think this will be possible.”

So there- don’t expect to see Kid Icarus: Uprising on the Switch anytime soon, if ever. That said, there’s always hope for a sequel, right?

Sakurai has been busy with other projects, though. His latest, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched just a few days ago, and has been smashing many sales records of the series.

Masahiro Sakurai is a veritable genius- the man has worked on some of the most unique games of all time, and with Nintendo, he is a formidable force- he is behind some of Nintendo’s most recognizable and successful properties, including Kirby, Kid Icarus, and of course, Super Smash Bros.

It is also known that he is an exacting perfectionist- so much so that he literally decides to go through every single aspect of his games’ development for himself, because of how much control and perfectionism he demands. He does the job of an entire development team all by himself, and sometimes works nearly eighty hours in a week when he is working on a game (particularly Smash Bros.)

We’ve known all this- we’ve also known that most stressful for him is developing Smash Bros. (which he has now sworn off three separate times- after Melee, after Brawl, and now, after the newest installment that just released on 3DS and Wii U), but like Kojima, he keeps coming back. However, this time, things might be more serious.

Writing in his regular Famitsu column, Sakurai recently expressed a desire to quit not just Smash Bros. development, but game development as a whole.

“It was very tough this time around… I doubt I’ll be able to go on making games if it continues like this,” he said. However, probably realizing how grim he sounded, he added, “But, I consider myself lucky that so many people seem to enjoy [Smash Bros.]”

The man needs a break, and at this point, he has earned it- he is behind one of Nintendo’s most consistently successful franchises, so if he wants to just go on vacation and do nothing, or maybe develop a game with less pressure and expectations, like Kid Icarus between Brawl and the new Smash Bros., then he should be allowed to do that. Oh, and he should probably start delegating responsibility instead of doing everything himself, and maybe take on a less involved role, such as that of an overseeing producer, as well.

I just hope he decides he wants to return to game development. He’s too talented for us to lose.

Thanks, Kotaku for the translation.

Some of the other sales figures of note include Super Mario 3D Land selling 8.29 million units, Mario Kart 7 selling 8.08 million units, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D selling 2.95 million units and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon selling 1.22 million units. Overall, not a bad run of sales (but seriously, less than 3 million for Ocarina of Time? Sacrilege!)

Let’s not forget Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which is currently only available in Japan but is on its way to selling 4 (!) million units. The title will be making its way to North America and Europe soon, so we expect larger sales in the coming months.

We will be posting out official Game of the Year awards pretty soon too, so stay tuned.

Tell us which games were your favourites in the comments section below.

Rashid Sayed

Hitman: Absolution (Read our review)

For me, Hitman Absolution is the second next generation game after Battlefield 3. I am sure many of the veteran Hitman followers wouldn’t have appreciated the changes that IO Interactive has made to the formula, but some of the gameplay mechanics just dazzle and stand out. The AI is revolutionary, the visuals are amazing, the story is breathtaking, the characters are interesting, the disguise system is next to perfect and I can probably go on for a day or two and still the list of good things about Hitman Absolution will continue.

Moreover, the game gives you an element of choice. Be the silent killer or just go crazy, all guns blazing. IO Interactive, the developers behind the controversial and critically bashed Kane and Lynch series, are back, and boy, are they back with a bang

Kirk Mckeand

Far Cry 3 (Read our review)

This year was a strange one, because in October I was sure that my GOTY would be Dishonored; nobody could match the quality of Arkane’s masterpiece before the end of the year, could they? And then Far Cry 3 came along. Complaints about ludicrous narrative dissonance aside, the game was an absolute joy to play. The environments sucked you into the experience, the skills were deadly and so was the island. The antagonist, Vaas is one of the most convincing sociopaths we have ever seen in a game, his menacing presence stalking you throughout, always a step ahead. I’ve never played a game that allows me to unleash a stampede of giant-chicken-looking-things (technical term) onto an unsuspecting convoy of militia. Never before have I hunted buffalos with landmines. If we are voting purely on merit as a game, Far Cry 3 leads the way with its emergent gameplay and beautifully crafted everything. Just don’t read too much into the story; Spec Ops it ain’t.

Shubhankar Parijat

Mass Effect 3 (Read our review)

A lot’s been said of Mass Effect 3 and BioWare this year, and plenty of it has been bad- the ending’s bad, the DLC sucks, BioWare and EA are fooling people into paying money, blah blah blah. Well, that doesn’t stop Mass Effect 3 from being the best game to have been released this year and one of my personal favourite games of all time. Mass Effect 3 provides a riveting, exciting and thrilling thirty hour campaign that has everything you’d want in a game- great, tense combat, a great storyline, emotional moments, memorable characters, an epic soundtrack and an overall quality to itself that you’d find in few games these days. I agree that the endgame isn’t exactly the best one out there, but the last 15 minutes didn’t really affect me much, because no matter how bad they are, nothing can ruin the 30 hours of excellence Mass Effect 3 delivers before it reaches its conclusion.

Only three games have managed to impress me this year- Mass Effect 3 (of course), Kid Icarus: Uprising and The Walking Dead. But still, 2012 hasn’t been a bad year in gaming- for me. Because those three games by themselves- and Mass Effect 3 especially- are enough to lift even the crappiest 12 months to an entirely new level of awesomeness.

George Reith

The Walking Dead (Read our impressions)

As always, it is the things we least expect that bring us the most joy. Though Telltale have been hammering out awesome episodic adventure games since their Sam and Max series showed up in 2006, their take on the Walking Dead series seemed to come out with little or no fanfare. Initially confusing it with the upcoming Activision FPS, I missed Telltale’s Walking Dead series for its initial release. After hearing some good things about its writing, I waded in to find the hype was well deserved. With so many games wrongly given the title of “well written,” I expected to be let down by The Walking Dead, but it is a series of deep characters, interesting plot twists and incredible pacing. It’s not likely to change the way you view the world, but it’s certainly the most engaging story to be told in gaming this year, and shows off just how successful episodic game structures can be. In an industry so focused on increasingly polished action games, it’s fantastic to see a developer committing to the more emotional elements of the increasingly overused zombie apocalypse setting.

Pramath Parijat

Kid Icarus: Uprising (Read our review)

Going into Kid Icarus: Uprising’s release, there was no reason to believe it would turn out as well as it did. It had been delayed multiple times (always an ominous sign), the controls were reported to be awful (to the extent that Nintendo was bundling a stand with the game as a concession to the fact), and it seemed to be a nightmarish miss mash of an on-rails shooter and a third person action game.

Happily for everyone, Kid Icarus: Uprising came through, as not only a great game in its own right, but arguably as  the best game of 2012. The stunning visuals, incredible soundtrack, witty and charming dialog that was self aware and genuinely funny, and perhaps most importantly, the gameplay all made Kid Icarus: Uprising a unique game unlike any other. The game’s massive single player campaign, complemented by its fun multiplayer modes, gave it lasting value beyond belief. People like to say that Nintendo does not take risks with its software, that it falls back on the tried and tested formula again and again. Generally speaking, that might be true. With Kid Icarus, it wasn’t, and as a result, we got the best Nintendo game in quite a while, and the best game of 2012.

Kartik Mudgal

Dragon’s Dogma (Read our review)

Many people might disagree with this choice, because Dragon’s Dogma does have its flaws- yes, I know that. It’s got tedious backtracking, some clunky mechanics, bizarre glitches and a few other hiccups along the way, but in the larger scheme of things, those issues ultimately amount to very little. Because the pros of Dragon’s Dogma far outweigh the cons. Not only is Dragon’s Dogma one of the most wonderfully complex and deep RPGs in recent years, it also has an incredible, believable and atmospheric game world and a visceral combat system that pumps adrenaline into you like water running from a tap.

Then there’s the fact that Dragon’s Dogma probably has one of the best decision making systems ever that leads to a truly unforgettable and satisfying conclusion that does perfect justice to the intriguing, riveting storyline. All in all, Dragon’s Dogma may not be the most perfect game of 2012, but it certainly is the best. 

Bojeeva

Syndicate (Read our review)

For me, the best game this year is undoubtedly Syndicate… the long-awaited reboot of the 1993 isometric classic, which finally made it to our screens in February. I must admit I was among those cribbing about its radical overhaul at first but while it looks and feels different from its predecessors – with Starbreeze transforming it into a first person shooter – it still retains the style and substance of the original. The campaign is fantastic fun but brief – and it isn’t until you get a few friends together for some multiplayer co-op action that it becomes a truly exceptional game. An awesome array of weaponry, the new Breach hacking mechanic, the awesomeness of the DART overlay, and the lengthy missions make this a game that shouldn’t be missed. Its lack of sales was a travesty… but on the plus side, you might be able to pick it up at a bargain price!

Cameron Foster

Mass Effect 3 (Read our review)

Finally being able to finish Shepard’s epic galaxy-spanning fight to save the world was the gaming highlight for me this year. Yes, the ending riled a lot of people up and definitely left me wanting more too. But overall, the experience was exhilarating, exciting, tense and downright terrifying at times. I’ve grown attached to these characters over the years and saying goodbye to the ones who survived at the end of their quest- and the ones who sadly didn’t make it- was definitely emotional. Goodbye Shepard.

Ravi Sinha

Far Cry 3 (Read our review)

It’s not so often that a truly open-world, stealth mechanics, involving story-telling, memorable characters, action-packed missions, beautiful visuals and hot-as-fuck voice acting and dialogues come together. It’s even less often that a game carries that “It” factor to tie it all together, and that immersiveness to convince you that you part of this world rather than playing it. Far Cry 3 does all this and so much more, packing so much into such a humble package without forgetting to be fun. It also features a completely separate co-op experience and solid multiplayer. Take note, Capcom: This is how you over-do a game for the better.

Tell us which games were your personal favourites this year in the comments section below!

The trailer shows Hades, the main villain of the game, and some of his exploits, including many of the missions that Pit undertakes to defeat him. Not to mention the awesome scene where Pit and Hades scream each other’s names again and again (not what it sounds like).

Kid Icarus: Uprising released back in March to a lot of acclaim, and has since been quoted by many players as the best 3DS game (not that there’re many 3DS games right now, but it’s something).

In our own quite astounding review, we gave it a 10/10, going as far as calling it probably the best handheld game ever. Read our review here.

The second series cards feature different enemies, weapons, chcaracters and items, all of which appear in Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Players can get their hands on the series 2 cards at a number of public events, starting at the Nintendo World Store in New York on 3rd August, events will be taking place every Friday between 6-8pm.

In addition, Nintendo will be handing out packs of Series 2 AR cards at the forthcoming Penny Arcade Expo and New York Comic-Con conventions.