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 likely 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?