Early last year, we saw some potential concept art for a Wii Kid Icarus update from developer Factor 5. Today, NeoGAFfer Shiggy posted what may be an early character render from "late 2007/early 2008." We've included the original Famicom Disk System version's character art for comparison.

This is about as tenuous a rumor as there could possibly be because: A) We don't know if the Factor 5 Kid Icarus game was ever real. B) We don't know if this image or the previous concept art was actually from that hypothetical game. C) Even if it was real at some point, the game is most certainly dead now, due to the state of Factor 5.

We don't want to cast aspersions on Factor 5. They are responsible for true classics like the Turrican series, as well as recent favorites like the Rogue Squadron games. But we won't lament the early demise of this (probably fake) interpretation of Pit. After all, he's got Solid Snake hair circa-Metal Gear Solid and he's wearing a sort of Ryu Hayabusa ninja outfit. We could only imagine this game's story involving Pit getting infected with a techno-organic super-virus codenamed E.G.G.P.L.A.N.T.

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!]

Sure, this Pit plushie is adorable, but it has Mako eyes, and we're afraid the negative effects Mr. Kid Icarus has had from flying too close to Shinra. (Thanks, YaYaLuvsCupcakes) Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Joystiq FAQ: All about the AMD Game! Program
The Joystiq Free Game Club: Sonny
Joystiq primer: Age of Conan

News
Age of Conan collector's edition is all sold out
Critter Round Up and Star Soldier R hit WiiWare today
EA extends Take-Two purchase offer deadline a third time
New games this week: Wii Fit edition
Tiga: Georgia incentives highlight UK game devs need tax breaks
EA knocks Activision/Vivendi for leaving ESA
Skykid swoops onto Virtual Console
Haze says no to HD, yes to HDD
Metal Gear Solid 4 not the last 'Metal Gear'
Nintendo bans Hitler from Mario Kart Wii
'Virtual Iraq' treats PTSD with modded Full Spectrum Warrior
South Korean president gifted with mother of pearl Xbox 360
Haze dating game video makes us uncomfortable
How to share user generated content in Blast Works

Rumors & Speculation
'Skate' bored? EA teases Skate 2 gameplay twist

Culture & Community
BioShock 'pimp supreme' Ken Levine to keynote PAX 2008
Ninjas keeping Sega employees quiet
You too can buy Drake's gun from Uncharted
Texas Governor Rick Perry keynoting E3
2008 E3 exhibitor list released

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]

We reported last week that Factor 5, developers of the amazing Rogue Squadron series for the Gamecube and the nightmarish Lair for PS3, has rekindled their relationship with Nintendo, and are currently working on an unnamed project exclusively for the company's home console. According to gaming site Kombo (and their anonymous inside source), the project is a brand new Kid Icarus game, designed from the ground up for the Wii. Given F5's renewed partnership with Nintendo, and the Kid Icarus buzz already in the air due to protaganist Pit's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it's a definite possibility. However, until we hear something from the new lovers, this is just hearsay at best.

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]

Today's Dojo update is spoileriffic for those who want to discover every scrap of Adventure Mode for themselves. The official site included a video, which has been a pain to get -- it looks like everyone else in the world has been trying to watch it as well -- so we have a helpful YouTube version after the break for those who don't mind seeing Pit's introduction a little early. Time to stop watching and join the fight, Pit!

Many of the characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl have wings. Most things with wings (aside from, say, penguins, or emus, or certain kinds of fasteners) use their wings to fly. Apparently, someone at Sora figured out what wings do, and that none of the winged characters in Brawl are penguins or emus or wingnuts, and thus we have flight.

The winged characters can glide, pulling up to lift up and down to dive, much like Mario with his cape. No, we don't know if Mario will have his cape in Brawl. We also don't know if any of the characters will be given anti-aircraft missiles to compensate for this new ability in others.

For those not compulsively checking the official Smash Bros. website daily for bare snippets of information, we here at Wii Fanboy have decided to perform the service of coalescing tidbits into tidbigs. Over the past week, a few interesting details have surfaced.

Most of the reveals are item-based: you may now move freely with projectile weapons (finally!), and as detailed earlier here, the new "Gooey Bomb" item was unveiled. The most interesting new item, however, is the Smash Ball, which activates character-specific "Final Smash" attacks. Mario's is entitled the "Mario Finale" attack, which unleashes a spread-fire explosion attack, and we've seen Link's Triforce blade attack in an earlier video. Since most competitive Smash Bros. players contend without the randomizing effect of items, it'll be interesting to see if this affects higher-level gameplay.

Also unveiled are some of Pit's (of Kid Icarus fame) attacks, which include a controllable arrow of light and limited flight capabilities (most likely the Up+B special). Brawl looks like it's coming together nicely ... do you guys agree?

Smash Bros. Dojo, the official Smash Bros. website, has updated the character section. Pit, star of the game Kid Icarus for the NES, and Meta Knight, rival to the gluttonous pink ball that is Kirby, are the first two of the game's characters to receive the star treatment with added screenshots and biographies.

Featuring more farting, fireballs, pink balls, elite soldiers, mythological boys, portly plumbers and space bounty hunters than you can shake a motion-sensing stick at, this video footage of Super Smash Bros. Brawl demands to be watched immediately. It's strange that Nintendo didn't blow the audience away with this during their initial press conference, but trite old sayings tell us that getting it now is much better than not getting it at all. Thank goodness for those.

[Via Nintendo Gal]