Kolzig

Nintendo 3DS

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So i was going to go ahead and transfer my DSi-Ware buys over to my 3DS, but apparently i have 800 points on my DSi.

I feel like i should spend that non-refundable monopoly money before i put this thing to bed.

Somebody suggest things to me, good things.

Edit: I got Mighty Milky Way, and now i have Pikmin transferring my purchases to my 3DS. This Pikmin thing is a really incredibly elaborate set of animations for such a tangential process. Oh Nintendo.

Edited by Sno

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I actually busted out my DSi again for Kirby Mass Attack (fucking awesome, by the way) while still going through Star Fox over and over on my 3DS. It's been a pretty good combo for the past week or so.

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Have we talked about 3DS games here at all for the last few pages? It seems we're only using it for playing Virtual Console Game Boy games and DS games! :mock:

I'm wondering what does each country have in it's 3D video section? I think the magic trick is for Europe only maybe Oscar's Oasis is Europe only too? It was enjoyable the first few episodes, but it's so formulaic I don't even bother watching the shows anymore...

What does America and other areas get?:erm:

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Have we talked about 3DS games here at all for the last few pages?

Are there 3DS games worth talking about?

I'm actually still really excited about Kid Icarus Uprising. I have no real interest in that that property, i just think the game actually looks potentially awesome.

I'm wondering what does each country have in it's 3D video section? I think the magic trick is for Europe only maybe Oscar's Oasis is Europe only too? It was enjoyable the first few episodes, but it's so formulaic I don't even bother watching the shows anymore...

What does America and other areas get?:erm:

I just see a lot of Red Bull-sponsored sports videos, awful College Humor-produced comedy shorts, and then a bunch of Blue Man Group videos on that thing.

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AGkYxVNuXtU



This apparently comes out in November.

Shin`en's shooters on the Nintendo handhelds have always been pretty entertaining.

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Anyone see the upcoming Level 5 game, Guild01?

ZykVVoM_YYE

It's 4 games into 1, with one of them being made by my favorite game designer Suda51. Hope it gets localized! Though I won't be buying a 3DS until the inevitable revision with 2nd circle pad.

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So I tried a 3DS for the first time yesterday and it turns out the 3D just doesn't work for me and my weak left eye. Stupid product! :spiraldy:

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It varies a lot for me. If i'm tired, i just get a headache and see a double image.

When it works, though, i think it's probably the nicest 3D-effect i've seen.

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So all those free GBA games are coming this Friday. Like, two days from now. And they revealed the full list of them too. The ten games are:

Previously known

Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island

Mario Kart Super Circuit

Metroid Fusion

WarioWare Inc Mega Microgames

Mario vs Donkey Kong

AND

Newly announced

Wario Land 4

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity

So... holy shit. There is only one game in that list (that I've played, which means everything except F-Zero and Mario vs Donkey Kong) that wouldn't be on my list of absolutely essential GBA games. That game would be Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, which is still actually really good but not an essential GBA title. There are a few others, of course, like Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, that would have been great, but I'm incredibly happy with what Nintendo has put on offer here. I have always felt like missing out on F-Zero was one of the holes in my Nintendo fanboy history. I've made up for that a bit with the SNES and N64 games on the Wii's VC, and now I get to play a GBA one as well. Mario vs Donkey Kong is a series that I have loved in its DS incarnations but have never played the original GBA version of, so that's one I'm excited for too. Basically, the two games on this list that I haven't played are ones that I really want to, and the 8 that I have are ones that I can't wait to play again. Especially Super Circuit and Fire Emblem, two of the best GBA experiences you can have. Seriously, if you have never played a Fire Emblem game, you NEED to spend time with that one. It's a freaking incredible series, and Sacred Stones may be the best one.

This ambassador program seems to be really wanting my 3DS to become the Zelda system. Between OoT3D, Zelda 1 and 2 NES ports, Link's Awakening, that free Four Swords download, and now Minish Cap, I have more Zelda than I know what to do with on this thing. And you know what? That's fine. Bring on the 3D Classics remake of Link to the Past while you're at it, the rumoured 3D remake of Majora's Mask, and VC releases of Oracle of Ages and Seasons. Every 2D Zelda in a thing I can keep in my pocket? Hell yes. I suppose I also have 2 of the possible 4 2D Metroids (NES and GB), but when I look at the games list it isn't quite as overwhelming as seeing all that "ZELDA: The Whatever Whatever" going on.

Man, all 10 of these things coming out on the Friday before my birthday. It's like Nintendo knew and wanted to give me the best of gifts to keep me busy on the plane ride to visit my folks the week after. Anyone else? Thoughts on this stuff?

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The full list is nothing short of amazing. Nintendo isn't skimping on this one. Minish Cap was all I hoped for!

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Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island

- Which one was this a remake of, again?

Mario Kart Super Circuit

- Never played this, i hear it's a great Mario Kart game.

Metroid Fusion

- Normally, I would have said this was my least liked Metroid game, but now i think that goes to Other M.

WarioWare Inc Mega Microgames

- A hilarious and totally charming game, still better than any of the sequels.

Mario vs Donkey Kong

- This one is in the style of Donkey Kong 94, isn't it? I never played this, but it's apparently very good.

Wario Land 4

- Never played this, i know nothing about it.

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

- Isn't this the remake of Kirby's Adventure? (Which is sometimes regarded as Kirby's best game.)

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

- This is a very, very good Fire Emblem game. I played a lot of this one.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

- I do not like Minish Cap.

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity

- This was one of the GBA launch games. It's straight-up SNES-style F-Zero with no modern flourishes, and it's a lot of fun.

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Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island

- Which one was this a remake of, again?

Mario Kart Super Circuit

- Never played this, i hear it's a great Mario Kart game.

Wario Land 4

- Never played this, i know nothing about it.

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

- Isn't this the remake of Kirby's Adventure? (Which is sometimes regarded as Kirby's best game.)

Yoshi's Island is, naturally, a remake of Yoshi's Island. Like, Super Mario World 2, where you are Yoshi with Baby Mario. Probably one of the best Super Nintendo games out there, and a gaping void in the Wii's VC service.

Mario Kart Super Circuit is two things. First, it is a fantastic SNES-ish Mario Kart game with a few of the upgrades from later entries added in. As it is 2D, rather than having a Classics cup or whatever, the bonus tracks you unlock are the ENTIRE original SNES Mario Kart, so you're basically getting that for free as well.

Wario Land 4 is a fantastic continuation of the Wario Land series. Though the best is probably still the original (Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, which then spun off three more sequels without the "SML" bit in front) but they are all actually really good and worth playing. It's a fun, objective based platformer. That is, "find this thing within a level and get to the exit" rather than "run right". Really good, and a great launch-window GBA game.

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is NOT a remake, it is an original game in which Kirby is split into 4 Kirbies and navigates a bunch of traditional Kirby worlds. It's a good Kirby game, but one of the less original/experimental games in the franchise. The 4 Kirbies thing was a way of introducing 4 player co-op, which I'm not sure would work on the GBA, but whatever. I played it single player when it came out, and it's good but not great. If there is one of the list that you can pass on, this is probably it. Especially given how damn good Minish Cap and Metroid Fusion (yeah, I went there) are.

EDIT: Also, Kirby's Adventure already has a 3D Classics remake. I played through it as soon as it came out, and it's a good port with some nice subtle 3D effects added in. If you want to try it, just go for that. It's still a great game.

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I hope this is the "full" Minish Cap, Europe got an early release, but they removed a feature or two if memory serves me well?:erm:

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I have trust in Nintendo that if I may someday get 3DS, that they would start selling these Embassador GBA games and other GBA games for the poor people who didn't buy the console at launch.

I'd be happy to give them money for almost all of those 10 games and quite many other GBA games as well as digital download.

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I've been playing around with these games some. The emulation is very bare, not even a virtual manual in the packages. (I assume the MP features in all of these games are essentially broken. Nintendo having their emulation package trick these into working over wi-fi is probably too much to dream for.)

These are all pretty great games though.

I had forgotten how many GBA games had really awful pre-rendered CG sprites, that stuff doesn't hold up at all. I had also completely forgotten, or maybe just didn't appreciate it as a kid playing it on the SNES, how absolutely incredibly gorgeous Yoshi's Island is.

F-zero is still a thing i find awesome. (Pro-tip, in addition to leaning into turns with the triggers, repeatedly tap the accelerator to maintain your grip. The game doesn't tell you this, but it's very essential.)

Amazing Mirror is a weird goddamned Kirby game, but i think i'm going to stick with it for a bit.

Wario Land 4 is cool. Mario Vs DK is very cool.

I recommend everybody give Sacred Stones a honest chance, that is a fantastic game.

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I forgot to mention my girlfriend bought me a 3DS for my birthday (which was on Thanksgiving), and I've been screwing around with the free stuff since.

I wish there were more people out or that the Streetpass stuff wasn't so ridiculous. Or maybe I could just get more than 10 play coins a day since I always use them up, but ultimately this stuff doesn't matter.

I think it's a really fun system and I like carrying it with me everything. It is so much nicer than my former fat grey DS. Now all I need is a 3DS game to play on this thing. I'm really digging the free Four Swords in the shop currently. I played this years ago on my GBA, but half of the new levels really make this one enjoyable. Only problem is, I don't have any friends to play this with like last time, so the other half of the new levels are just sadistic. I wish they hadn't made them that ridiculous. You can spend upwards of an hour on one and just completely fail. Hour lost. Ugh.

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(I assume the MP features in all of these games are essentially broken. Nintendo having their emulation package trick these into working over wi-fi is probably too much to dream for.)

Unfortunately, this stuff is straight-up impossible because the games were designed for a zero-latency cable connected environment. Wi-fi will *always* have some latency, so your multiplayer games would either be very stuttery, or would unsync/break really quickly.

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Unfortunately, this stuff is straight-up impossible because the games were designed for a zero-latency cable connected environment. Wi-fi will *always* have some latency, so your multiplayer games would either be very stuttery, or would unsync/break really quickly.

Really? I know they did it for old Amiga games with an emulator. Does that change anything?

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Also, in case anybody is curious, the trick for getting DS/DSi games to run in their native resolution on the 3DS also works for these GBA games. (Which appear wretchedly blurry when stretched to the limits of the 3DS screen.)

You just hold Start and Select when starting up the games to do this, but be prepared to do some squinting, the GBA games appear just absolutely tiny when run like this. (It's like playing a GBA Micro!)

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So Nintendo's pictochat-inspired solution for friends list communication is on the eshop today.

It's a free download, so you should all probably get it.

It's a fun little thinger, i've been toying around in this app with some friends for much of the day. Crudely drawn pictures flying back and forth over the internet, only some of which were infantile drawings of penises.

It's basically the wii's messaging system, the one that nobody ever uses, cross-bred with the DS's pictochat.

It's clunky and, relatively speaking, kind of useless. The 3DS needed something like this though, so it'll probably be fine. Also, the way you see the pictochats be sketched in when viewing them upon delivery is super, super charming.

It is remarkably dumb that you have to unlock basic usability features through repeated use of the most basic functions, while some other basic functions have to be unlocked by spending play coins! This is not a game, Nintendo! This is a basic system tool!

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Man, just gotta say after spending some time with it, Pushmo is the SHIT. That game is really good, and everybody should check it out.

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I was gifted a few games for Christmas that neatly fit within the confines of this conversation thread.

1. Super Mario 3D Land is pretty freaking awesome.

You know, but in an alternate universe, a less ambitious and more conventional Super Mario 64 probably looked a lot like this game. Many of the levels follow a left-to-right theme, a camera looking on from the side, playing much like a traditional Mario game, but with the stages having the added depth of a third plane for the gameplay to occur on.

That probably sounds like a slam against the game, but the context around it is important. With the 3D Mario formula that Nintendo actually went with being itself now well worn, i think that a design like this now serves as an interesting and fresh middle ground between the strictly 2D games and the Super Mario 64 lineage.

There's also lot of small and amusing scenarios peppered throughout the game that all seem to be Nintendo trying to teach and convince people that stereoscopy has practical applications in game design. (And to be fair, they make some strong arguments.)

The control is responsive, the levels are fun, the presentation is impeccable, it is a really damn good Mario game. I don't think i like it as much as i love the Galaxy games, but it's better than the NSMB games, in my estimation. It actually seems like this is the game that is justifying the 3DS for a lot of people. It would probably be easy to be really cynical about that, maybe, but it remains that Nintendo makes really fucking good games. It may be another Mario game, but who's to argue with more of an awesome thing?

2. Aliens Infestation

It locked up 20 minutes in. That always weirds me out, when handheld games do that. It's the only time it's done it though.

I'm not sure what i want to say about it, i feel like it has a lot of small issues that i want to overlook because there's virtually nothing else like this, and the intent behind this design is awesome.

Some of the mechanics feel under-utilized, and the controls are convoluted and messy. Strafing in particular is handled in a really, really shitty way.

I want to finish this one before saying much more about it.

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It's good to see WayForward can still make a good franchise game, I keep telling myself the Bloodrayne flop was because they were hired and it wasn't a labor of love like most of their games.

Speaking of WayForward, I made a post about their new eShop game, Mighty Switch Force! which is pretty awesome! :tup:

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I was under the impression that their Bloodrayne game was pretty fantastic, i played the trial on XBLA and it seemed pretty cool.

As for Aliens: Infestation, i have some thoughts about this game. It's... Ehh... I think i'm souring on it a bit, but it's mostly a situation of seeing what they were going for, and seeing a lot of missed opportunities in that. Real, legitimate failings are not especially numerous.

It starts out really challenging and interesting, but as the very limited progression kicks in, the challenge doesn't really ramp up at all. If the game is effortless, the perma-death mechanics never really kick in. (When you do die and are sometimes given a chance to rescue somebody, you also have only a very brief window to do so. Unfortunately, earlier in the game when this happened to me, my marine was apparently placed into a hive outside of what were the accessible areas at that point int he game. Oops.)

And at some point, the illusion wears thin, the additional marines are just extra lives and nothing more. There is no benefit to tracking down survivors outside of filling an empty slot for an extra life. Individually, they have absolutely no defining characteristics outside of their dialogue and a pallete swap on the character sprite. I mean, somebody obviously went through a lot of trouble to ensure that every character would have dialogue for every scenario, but i don't know, i don't think it ultimately goes far enough with what is a very cool conceit.

The ability to not just open sealed doors with a blowtorch, but then also actually weld them shut again, doesn't seem to ever come into play. That feels like a pretty big missed opportunity, i don't know why it's there if you're never given an reason to use it.

I like the combat though, it's kind of restrictive and clunky, but kind of in a really great way that fits the tone they're going for. (I'm also not certain i've ever seen a cover system in a 2D sidescroller.) There are certain parts of the control scheme that maybe aren't handled in the best way though. (Previously noted, the way they handle strafing kind of sucks.)

The biggest actual problem, though, is that the environments are small and poorly laid out, filled with wasted space and dead ends. It lacks the kinds of shortcuts and connected, circuitous paths that make a good Metroidvania-style game enjoyable through to the end. There's a lot of laborious backtracking in the back half of this game. (Even though the environment is small, you are yourself quite slow.)

You know, but this is a good solid game. I don't mean to sound so negative about it, it is a really impressive game, just maybe not one of the last great DS games as some folks have evangelized it as.

It is also very pretty, Wayforward's sprite art has always shined. That in itself almost makes it worth playing, if you're inclined to appreciate such things. Very smoothly animated game, very detailed backgrounds, very impressive to look at.

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