Nintendo 3DS

[DaMummy]

Okami-San?

 

[Jumpman]

@vcoleiro


I personally find the 3DS to be very nice. The 3D is just an extra coat of paint, the same way HD is for current TV's. You can go without HD, but is just makes playing current gen games that much better. Could I live without 3D? SURE! It is not required, and some games make good use of it, and others, not so much.


It is really just a personal opinion. I bought mine first day, and don't regret the cost, but I do agree that the current game prices are very high. The games are really just slightly better than standard DS games. Most games drop in price fairly quickly, and you can get really good deals if you search them out.


If your in the market for a new DS, the 3DS is the way to go, but I can't recommend anyone to get rid of their DS lites, DSi, or XL for the 3DS. I still use my XL DS for standard games, and my 3DS for 3D games only. I could run the old games on my 3DS, but I like the bigger picture.


I would say to check out a friends unit, or go to the local game shop and check one out. It s very cool, but it is a gimmick, and for some it grows old very quickly.


Chris

 

[Prometheus]

Two bits of news;


1: US 3DS sales set to outdo those of the DS at the same point in its lifetime. Anyone who remembers how the 3DS' first five months also outdid the DS probably saw this coming.


2: Reviews for Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure are coming in, and they're all very good indeed. It's also started selling out around here, and some acquaintances state that it's the only thing that their kids are asking for for Christmas. I'm rather glad I've already got my copy wrapped up. :lol:

 

[WizardStan]

Since when have facts ever gotten in the way of good journalism? Expect "3DS a dying system" to continue for a few more months at least.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I wonder if Nintendos own current Ds market was actually hampering sales of the 3ds. I mean they only released a new ds model shortly before the 3ds.In essence this was saying to the consumer that there was plenty of life left in the DS. Also alot of people who bought the new model of DS might not have considered it worth the extra investment to buy a 3ds instead.I suppose the DS market is still very profitable but i think maybe nintendo shot themselves in the foot by wanting the best of both worlds.

 

[Prometheus]

It's actually good business to continue maintaining it, since it's now "lower-end" than the main offering. If they don't keep those customers, they may go elsewhere, which isn't good business.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

It's actually good business to continue maintaining it, since it's now "lower-end" than the main offering. If they don't keep those customers, they may go elsewhere, which isn't good business.

true enough i suppose. The 3ds will find its legs in the long run. The people who will buy a vita probably arent that interested in a 3ds anyways and vice versa.Different markets and such

 

[Prometheus]

Exactly.


Incidentally, it's really hard to get consistent service on the eShop today. Super Mario 3D Land has launched in North America, and it seems as though a great many 3DSes have been sold today - times like Christmas or other occasions when lots of hardware gets sold is when this sort of congestion usually occurs, and this is exactly that.


Speaking of the eShop, I was there to nab a couple of games. I must very highly recommend Catrap (Game Boy) from the 3DS Virtual Console selection, and 10 Second Run (DSiWare). Adventure Island (GB) is good too, and you all know my thoughts on Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge.

 

[DaMummy]

Super Mario 3D Land looks very good so far. im getting the feeling that it will be kind of short. i'm already on world 4, and i haven't been playing much. Looks like so far, there's only five levels per world. the game is all around great though, and really does use the 3D well. in some places, you would really have to guess which platform to jump on when you're in 2D mode, while in 3D, its real easy to figure out which to go for next. The preorder keychain gamestop was giving out isn't a 3D plastic model, but just a piece of golden colored metal with mario "vinyl'd" onto it. good quality, but not what i was hoping for.


something i forgot to mention, and i haven't seen any review sites really mention it. you can choose between pop-out and windowed-in 3D, depending on which you like with up/down on the dpad.


also, im at 88 lives in world 4.....so don't expect some donkey kong country returns type of difficulty here

 

[Jumpman]

SM 3D Land is Fucking AWESOME!


I was not expecting much from this game originally, but it is very good. You can really see this is the kinda of game Nintendo really wants people to play, as it is so much better than anything they have released so far.


Just when I think I'm about done with Nintendo, they pull a rabbit out of their hats, and I'm right back into fanboy mode . I just got Skyward Sword a few days ago, and I can already tell I'll probably be giving more time to this game. Zelda does seem like it will be great over the long haul, but it is starting off very, very slow.


Mario drops you right into the action from screen one. Some how this game is able to bring me back to the fun and excitement that I had from the first Super Maio Bros. game, and I have not had those feelings in many years. The 3D is just amazing, and really makes the game shine. It is still a cool game without 3D, but is just crazy fun with it on.


I have to agree with DaMummy though. The game does appear to be rather short, but I have heard there are special levels after you complete the game. So I guess I'll have to wait and see.


Ocarina of time and starfox 64 where great games, but they where both remakes, and no matter how good they are, you just can't get away from the fact that you have done it all before. This game has new and exciting written all over it.


I will say this is the first reason I have seen to actually buy a 3DS. Just a very magical game, and it reminds you why Nintendo is the very best at what they do. A+(so far) I really hope a 3DS Zelda game will be this cool when built from scratch.


Chris

 

[Prometheus]

You guys are lucky. It's not out here 'til the 18th, and I can't have my copy until Christmas. :lol: Really glad to hear it's turned out well - I'm looking forward to it muchly.


At least I'll be getting Mario Kart 7 at launch, but then, I've had a pre-order for that since January.

I really hope a 3DS Zelda game will be this cool when built from scratch.

Apparently the next 3DS Zelda will be just that, although unfortunately they also keep talking about remakes of Majora's Mask and A Link to the Past... :rolleyes:


I'll be interested if the 3DS Zelda goes a bit more in the direction of the first two games - the whole dropping you right into the action thing, and all that. Otherwise, I'll give it a miss - I don't have time for forced tutorials of one to two hours in length. I could play a whole game right through in that amount of time!

 

[Jumpman]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind a Majora's Mask remake, as I never finished the original(The only Zelda I didn't complete I believe), but I will pass on a Link to the past remake. I have played that one to many times to care.


I'm looking forward to Mario Kart 7, but I doubt I'll like that one as much as Mario Land 3D. Mario Kart always makes a few new tweeks and improvements, but is always the same racing experiance. I always have fun, and enjoy racing online though. Once it is released, we will have to try and put together some forum ONLY races, that would be cool. Hopefully the chat feature will be in place by then.


Chris

 

[WizardStan]

Unless it is actually a full re-imagining of LttP. That'd be kind of interesting, I think.

 

[Jumpman]

Unless it is actually a full re-imagining of LttP. That'd be kind of interesting, I think.

Now that might be cool!


Chris

 

[Prometheus]

I'm looking forward to Mario Kart 7, but I doubt I'll like that one as much as Mario Land 3D. Mario Kart always makes a few new tweeks and improvements, but is always the same racing experiance. I always have fun, and enjoy racing online though.

I'm liking how, at long, long, last, the Mario Kart series is catching up with something that was done in Mega Man Battle & Chase back in 1997 (Japan)/1998 (PAL regions), with regard to being able to obtain parts and put together a custom vehicle. I just hope that Mario Kart 7 handles it even half as well as Battle & Chase did, as that game allowed me to make a car that suited the particular way I play.


With Diddy Kong apparently absent ( ), I'm now left with deciding who I should be using as my main character, too...


Also, unrelatedly, my copy of Cave Story 3D arrived with me today! I'd like to share some quick thoughts, while I'm here.


It plays like it should. It handles like it should. It's very, very nicely polished.


The polygonal visuals are a lot like Klonoa - Door To Phantomile on the PSX, even down to the way the camera behaves and moves, and that's brilliant. As for the 3D effect, yes, it is entirely a visual effect for this game, but it is a nice one. It also features some minor usage of "out of the screen" effects when you're at ground-level, which is something that you don't see so often on the 3DS (usually it's like looking into a box, and whilst that's so with Cave Story 3D, too, at ground-level the ground/floor/water/etc. appears to be flowing out towards you).


There's always something to see, too, and it makes it feel like you're watching some real events unfold from a distance, as well as taking part in them by playing, which is pretty neat. It really has this feeling of being a part of a real adventure (as well as looking in on it), somehow, as a result of this.


The world seems very alive, though it seems this way in a different fashion to the original release (and the WiiWare and DSiWare ones). If you see the original Cave Story as aiming at older gamers who grew up with a certain style of games, in its visuals, then I'd say that Cave Story 3D is aiming its visuals at the generation after ours, who grew up with the likes of Klonoa - Door To Phantomile. It fits equally well, and if you like both styles, you'll definitely love this.


The remixed music is (mostly) great, and it sounds suitably "big" to go with the new visuals and their depth. The item-get jingle feels a bit flat and doesn't feel like it has as much impact, unfortunately, and the Game Over tune is difficult to recognise (and thus also doesn't have the same impact as before), but these are my only gripes with it. The sound effects are all good.


It seems a bit less generous with the power-up triangles than before! This was notable for me, because my Polar Star was still on Level 1 by the time I got to the Egg Corridor. I remember it being at at least Level 2 originally, or at least reaching Level 2 very soon into the corridor. I quite like this apparent alteration, as it's making it a bit more challenging, and encouraging greater care in tackling enemies (I found in the original release that I could be more careless with this, because you got so many power-up items that even if you got hit a lot and dropped a power-level, it wasn't a big problem).


So, all in all, it's Cave Story but with a very nice coat of paint, and if you want a physical copy of Cave Story, this is probably a good one to get. The fact that they chose to delay it to ensure its quality really shows - it's all very well-put-together, and thankfully it's nothing like the disaster that the WiiWare release was (after huge delays, the WiiWare version had a number of problems, and had to have updates later to fix them, and even then I'm not entirely sure that they got all of them). Of course, if you've already played any of the other releases to death, you may not find this to be such good value for what's essentially a presentation upgrade.


Also, if you like Mega Man and stuff in that vein, do give this a look - for now, along with the soon-to-be-released Mighty Switch Force, it's one of our best options.

 

[Jumpman]

Nice review P!


I'm really looking forward to getting Cave Story, but I'm waiting for a price drop. I have never finished CS, as everytime I start playing it, a new version is announced. This looks like it will be the best version, plus I can get a physical copy, so it's win/win for me.


Even though I have bought a few versions already, I don't mind supporting good indy projects, but the 40 dollar retail cost here in the states is just to much in my opinion for a free/almost free game. I know the graphics and music have been overhauled, but it still seems way high IMO. Once I can get a copy for 20, I'm there!


Chris

 

[Prometheus]

Even though I have bought a few versions already, I don't mind supporting good indy projects

That's precisely why I bought it. I'm glad I did.

but the 40 dollar retail cost here in the states is just to much in my opinion for a free/almost free game. I know the graphics and music have been overhauled, but it still seems way high IMO. Once I can get a copy for 20, I'm there!

That's definitely a good move, I would say, given the higher starting price. The upgrade certainly isn't worth that high of a price-tag, and if I was over there, I would probably be waiting (or at least deal-hunting) too.


I find the higher price over there to be interesting. Over here, 3DS game prices actually aren't different to DS ones. DS pricing was £25 to £30, 3DS ones seem to all be around £30, except for Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure which is £50 (this is the same as the starter packs for all other platforms, and I suspect the 3DS one may be subsidising the others to a degree, especially the packs for the pricier-to-develop-for systems). Though, that said, our prices always had a mark-up anyway (importing DS games tended to cost from £18 to £25, to give an example, or lower if you waited for price-drops), so perhaps that's making up for what's risen in other regions.


EDIT: Completely unrelatedly: Guys, don't buy Verbatim SD Cards. They don't play nice with either the Pandora or 3DS. I've had both of the ones I had become useless on me within a couple of weeks of each other. Thankfully, neither machine makes it difficult to start using a new card. With the 3DS, as with the Pandora, you just have to copy the contents of the old card over to the new one, and all is well.

 

[DaMummy]

ok well, good news....mario 3D isnt so short after all....thats all im saying

 

[Prometheus]

King of Pirates has been trademarked for a Western release!!


And what's more, the publisher has also filed for trademarks covering toys and merchandise. Whilst this may be just to cover promotional giveaways, apparently they don't usually file for this, so there's a chance of some spin-off memorabilia being released. This is good - I'd love to have a plush of that penguin sitting on my desk. :lol:


EDIT: And the trailer, for those who haven't yet seen it;


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQd1nI33lKg

 

[fusion_power]

Wow, I recently found out that there is something like Cave Story 3D". I've seen some pictures but none of them convinced me, not even a little bit. h34r: Doesn't look anything like Cave Story to me, at least not if you define the Game through its unique 2D Pixel art style like I do.


Prometheus' review here sounds promising, I'm sure it is a nice game. But maybe I'm just to old (school) for the new Cave Story in 3D. Yes, I'm geting old. :unsure: