Nintendo 3DS

[Sno]

Concerning Azure Striker Gunvolt, I like it a lot. It feels most akin to the Zero games, where you're juggling two modes of attack and there's lots of slightly counter-intuitive systems behind the action. It's not as great as i'd hope and wish for it to be, but it's a very solid game and probably something you should play if you have any fondness for the latter-day Megaman platformers. (If you're going to buy the japanese version though, keep in mind that there's a fairly important crafting system in there that will probably end up seeming incomprehensible because of the language barrier.)

The bundled Mighty Gunvolt comes across as kind of a clunky, bad classic Megaman clone to me, but some people insist it's better than Azure Striker. I think those people are crazy, but to each their own.

If either of those sound appealing though, they're both probably worth picking up before that bundle ends.

[Yasawas]

I think I might, thanks, I saved exactly that amount on Pokemon today and that seems like a sign. Also it looks utterly delicious. My Japanese is OK so I'm not too worried about the text as long as it's big enough.

 

I got a very cheap copy of

in the post today. It's a sequel to an old Japan-only DS rhythm game that was pretty big in the import scene I remember, and also spawned a sequel which came out in Europe but not America. The main gimmicks are the user-generated content (tons of it) and that you can play online with up to 10 people with each of you taking one instrument in the song. I will never get to do this but the idea is pretty cool I think. This isn't text-heavy and could be quite the DLC machine, I don't get why Nintendo don't seem to want to localise this even as eShop only or something. Currently browsing the online archive as the in-game browser is not great, so much good stuff. I look forward to embarrassing myself on my commute with super serious faces of intense concentration as I tackle this lot next week.

 

Dragon Roost Island

Big Blue

Professor Layton

ICO theme

oh Japan

[N1njaSquirrel]

Out of interest Yasawas, how good is that site you bought your new 3DS from? I haven't seen it before (my usual haunts are: amiami, yes asia, play asia, j-list and 1999.co.jp) and tbh it looks dodgy as hell. The use of Touhou characters always makes me suspicious, for no real reason. How much was packaging, shipping, import tax, etc? Sorry this is a dull-ass question.

[Yasawas]

Nippon Yasan is probably my favourite import site to be honest, I've used them a few times now. Amiami are great if you can get a preorder in as they rarely restock anything and playasia vary wildly in price from utter bargain to colossal ripoff, they hit a nice middle ground between them.

I paid £137 for a New 3DS with Mario Kart and Inazuma Eleven (console alone costs that on playasia right now), FedEx priority shipping was £18. No customs charge as they marked down without me asking. You can prepay customs if you really want to but I think you're as well going FedEx and taking the chance in most cases. They did take three days from me ordering to them dispatching which is the worst thing I can say about that, aside from that I recommend them highly.

[Sno]

Just recently, i've started getting just tons of streetpasses again.

I'm guessing it's probably Smash 4 reminding people that they still have a 3DS.

[Dewar]

Nothing makes you feel better in Monster Hunter than farming the same stupid (but hard) boss for the 10th time, and finally getting that last bone you need to upgrade your weapon to an overpowered version that does 50% more damage, and then completely rocking the next three boss fights and opening up the next tier of missions.

[N1njaSquirrel]

This is so true. I love animal crossing.

EDIT: I can't remember the darn tags on the mobile version!

[Merus]

It's an ironic name because Canberra the city is really striking and very unpopular

[dartmonkey]

Just a quick heads up - Game Boy Tetris is being removed from 3DS VC at the end of the year, so get downloading if, like me, colour tetronimos are weird and scary to you.

[Griddlelol]

So apparently this could be happening: https://twitter.com/AlanarWindblade/status/540078952396898304'>Rune Factory 4 coming to EU.

 

Pretty cool! I was really excited for this and pissed that I'd never get to play thanks to region locking. 

[Sno]

This has been known for a while, i think i even posted about it in here a while back, but yeah... It's happening very soon now. Glad to see RF4 get that wider release, it's a great game.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Man I'm looking forward to finding out what's so good about Rune Factory.

 

I've been playing my 3DS a lot this week, as I got Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.

 

Despite my earlier worries that it's going to be a crappy spinoff, (like a certain dancing game) it's really not. You start off by selecting whether you want to follow the P4 or P3 crew, and it just gets better from there.

 

I really like how you don't play as 'original the character', but instead as one of the lead protagonists of P3/4. I chose P4 as I'm more knowledgeable of the P4 game. I think this is a really good decision, as there is no alienating barrier between the cast you love so much and the player. It really does feel like your back with old friends that you haven't seen in ages, going on a madcap adventure, which is a real testament to the writing and translation of the game. Also that the characters in the Persona games are just so fucking good. The whole concept of persona is great for this, the way you're exposed to their weaknesses and overcoming them in P4 meant that they really felt like real characters, and that you really care for them. There's also a lot of dialogue in this game that keeps me smiling throughout, which is kinda unexpected given the Etrian Odyssey gameplay.

 

The original character that the game revolves around are also really well crafted, feeling like naturally they fit in the world of the persona games, and they are also charming. I look forward to seeing their story progression. I can't say much about them because I have only just completed the first labyrinth.

 

The gameplay revolves around Etrian Odyssey, with a grid-based maze that you have to draw out and explore, with secrets galore and the horrifying and scary FOE's wandering about. It does feel like a simpler EO game in comparison to 4, but still has the satisfying hard as nails battles that gets you really thinking about your next move. The combat is great, combining elements of both Persona and EO. There is also a new (I think) mechanic in the fights, whereby if you perform a critical hit or exploit their weakness, your character becomes 'pumped', and provided they don't get hit by the end of the turn, their next move is free, requiring no SP/HP cost. This really adds a tactical element to the game, especially when resources are scarce. Should I cast Bufu on one character to get his weakness, and then cast Mubufu for free the next turn, hitting all the enemies in one go? Should I use heal on one of my front line party members who are low on health, or will my Agi attack kill the enemy (and not disrupt the 'pumped' chain). Agh! There's no right choice, as they're all good, but it does make me think about what I'm going to do in the future.

 

Ugh this game is so deep, and really satisfying, and really great. I think I'm going to be playing this for a long while yet. My only gripes is that it looks like there's only going to be 4 Labyrinths, and with no over-world map, could lead to a short game (not that I'm really complaining, because it's taken me days to get to the boss of the 1st labyrinth, and it's clearly made with the intention that you complete it twice for both characters). Also you are given conversation choices which don't feel like they affect anything, meaning I just choose the dickish ones for laughs. Finally it really feels like this game was designed with persona players in mind, the game assumes that you have already played the two previous persona games, as there is next to no character introductions, and it's steeped with references. I don't think there'll be much for EO fans to enjoy out of this game, as the EO part feels simpler than what was in EO4.

 

Also is it just me, but I'm still quite annoyed with Persona 4's translation, as

they didn't make Kanji come out as gay, instead heavily suggesting it and just saying 'oh I looooove knitting, what's wrong with that?'. from what I read, in the Japanese version, he came out and everyone was cool with it and he could accept himself. If this is true, that's a huge difference in Kanji's character from the engilsh translation. And then for the translators to make the conscious decision not to make him gay is just a really shitty thing to do, for so many reasons. But then again I could also be completely wrong about this!

 

edit: after writing this I did some googleing it turns out that the original translation was also ambiguous. This article explains it well.

 

Edit: Whoops! I forgot that all important ]! Sorry if I ruined anything!

[Sno]

Man I'm looking forward to finding out what's so good about Rune Factory.

 

It just has so, so many layered systems with fun and surprising interactions, RF4 is a great sandbox RPG. (A general consideration to have is that NPC's in that game are not just the signposts you would expect out of a JRPG.)

[Moosferatu]

Xeodrifter is out now.  I've only played a little bit, but so for so good.  I wish Nintendo would make a new 2d Metroid for the 3ds.

[Sno]

Xeodrifter is out now.  I've only played a little bit, but so for so good.  I wish Nintendo would make a new 2d Metroid for the 3ds.

Can you say anything else about it? I'm definitely interested, Mutant Mudds was a surprisingly great little game that, for me, kind of ended up evoking old DOS platformers.

 

Anyways, i've been playing Steel Empires on the 3DS.

It's a 3DS eShop exclusive remake of an older Genesis shoot em` up i can't say i had ever heard of, but good things have been said about this remake, aside from it being a fairly spartan package and one of the most expensive download-only games on the 3DS eShop.

Right now and for the next few weeks, however, it's around 50% off. (Which ended up being around 15 dollars for me.)

 

Mechanically, it's a simple game. There's a progressive, persistant leveling system for your main weapon as you collect power-ups. You can also shoot either left or right, it's the sort of shoot em` up that likes to use the full screen and then scroll around in a variety of directions. It's also pretty light on challenge and offers a very generous health bar, which could either be a negative or a positive depending on a person's point of view. The stages and boss fights are diverse and elaborate, and the sprite work in the game is tremendously attractive and detailed, there's a good steampunk vibe. This 3DS version also sports some nice stereoscopic parallaxing that inadvertantly actually kind of helps the bullets stand out against the detailed backdrops, there's also some other nice little touches like debris from explosions flying into different depths of the image. (The game also checkpoint saves between levels, as a portable shoot em` up should.)

 

Also, one of the playable ships is an armored zepplin.

 

For the current sale price, if anybody's into shmups, it's worth checking out. Seriously great little game.

[BusbyBerkeley]

Apparently original gameboy Tetris is being pulled from the eShop tomorrow night? I just snagged it with some of the five Nintendo bux I had on my account still. It's good!

[Moosferatu]

Can you say anything else about it? I'm definitely interested, Mutant Mudds was a surprisingly great little game that, for me, kind of ended up evoking old DOS platformers.

 

Yeah, I've all but finished it now (haven't spent the time to fight the final boss).  It plays well, looks good, and has fun mechanics.  That said, it never seems to use what it has going to its full potential.  Some of the abilities you get are barely used more than a couple of times.  The game is really short, but doesn't take advantage of this by having concentrated, varied content.  There's a fair bit of repetition, and you fight the exact same boss over and over again, but with slightly different moves.  All in all, it could have been great, but was only mediocre.  Makes me want a good new Metroid even more.

[juv3nal]

I logged into animal crossing on a whim for the first time in over a year and apparently I'm like Santa Claus or something because multiple of my villagers told me they were doubting that I even existed.

That's pretty weird.

[Merus]

I logged into animal crossing on a whim for the first time in over a year and apparently I'm like Santa Claus or something because multiple of my villagers told me they were doubting that I even existed.

That's pretty weird.

Apparently in the 3DS Animal Crossing your character basically stays indoors unless you're playing, so all of the villagers believe you are a hermit.

[Vorlonesque]

Apparently original gameboy Tetris is being pulled from the eShop tomorrow night? I just snagged it with some of the five Nintendo bux I had on my account still. It's good!

Damn, I wish I'd noticed this.  I wouldn't mind to have a slightly handier version of GB Tetris around.  At least the original still works!

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/NTTZB6a.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kNIdWo7.jpg

 

I still don't understand why they removed it from the eShop...was it a licensing thing or something?

[Glotal]

Word on the cyber-streets is ubisoft didn't want the original to compete with the new tetris game they just published.

[Sno]

I'd believe that, because Tetris Axis was apparently pulled from the eShop on the same day that the VC version of the GB Tetris went away. Nudge the Tetris Company to let a few licenses lapse and suddenly Ubi's new Tetris is the only game in 3DS town. (Particularly unfortunate, considering that Ubi's new take on the puzzler is allegedly pretty terrible.)

[Vorlonesque]

I'd believe that, because Tetris Axis was apparently pulled from the eShop on the same day that the VC version of the GB Tetris went away. Nudge the Tetris Company to let a few licenses lapse and suddenly Ubi's new Tetris is the only game in 3DS town. (Particularly unfortunate, considering that Ubi's new take on the puzzler is allegedly pretty terrible.)

I think I still have the Tetris Axis game card around here somewhere for 3DS...got if off Amazon last year for cheap if I remember correctly.

 

I just checked and I do:

 

 

I like taking really stupid pictures (if you haven't noticed)!  I went and checked to see if I had the cart with my portable consoles (I have them (a 3DS, a DS Lite, a graphite Gameboy Advance SP, and a PS Vita) in a camera case) and then I took a picture!

 

Edit: I would add that I still think of the original Gameboy's Tetris as THE Tetris game along with the old PC release (with the crazy Russian themed backgrounds).  I've never seen the original ascii art version that was programmed on an old Russian PC, but I've heard they have that in a museum exhibit so that version would be cool as well.

[kaputt]

Man I'm looking forward to finding out what's so good about Rune Factory.

 

I've been playing my 3DS a lot this week, as I got Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.

 

Despite my earlier worries that it's going to be a crappy spinoff, (like a certain dancing game) it's really not. You start off by selecting whether you want to follow the P4 or P3 crew, and it just gets better from there.

 

I really like how you don't play as 'original the character', but instead as one of the lead protagonists of P3/4. I chose P4 as I'm more knowledgeable of the P4 game. I think this is a really good decision, as there is no alienating barrier between the cast you love so much and the player. It really does feel like your back with old friends that you haven't seen in ages, going on a madcap adventure, which is a real testament to the writing and translation of the game. Also that the characters in the Persona games are just so fucking good. The whole concept of persona is great for this, the way you're exposed to their weaknesses and overcoming them in P4 meant that they really felt like real characters, and that you really care for them. There's also a lot of dialogue in this game that keeps me smiling throughout, which is kinda unexpected given the Etrian Odyssey gameplay.

 

The original character that the game revolves around are also really well crafted, feeling like naturally they fit in the world of the persona games, and they are also charming. I look forward to seeing their story progression. I can't say much about them because I have only just completed the first labyrinth.

 

The gameplay revolves around Etrian Odyssey, with a grid-based maze that you have to draw out and explore, with secrets galore and the horrifying and scary FOE's wandering about. It does feel like a simpler EO game in comparison to 4, but still has the satisfying hard as nails battles that gets you really thinking about your next move. The combat is great, combining elements of both Persona and EO. There is also a new (I think) mechanic in the fights, whereby if you perform a critical hit or exploit their weakness, your character becomes 'pumped', and provided they don't get hit by the end of the turn, their next move is free, requiring no SP/HP cost. This really adds a tactical element to the game, especially when resources are scarce. Should I cast Bufu on one character to get his weakness, and then cast Mubufu for free the next turn, hitting all the enemies in one go? Should I use heal on one of my front line party members who are low on health, or will my Agi attack kill the enemy (and not disrupt the 'pumped' chain). Agh! There's no right choice, as they're all good, but it does make me think about what I'm going to do in the future.

 

Ugh this game is so deep, and really satisfying, and really great. I think I'm going to be playing this for a long while yet. My only gripes is that it looks like there's only going to be 4 Labyrinths, and with no over-world map, could lead to a short game (not that I'm really complaining, because it's taken me days to get to the boss of the 1st labyrinth, and it's clearly made with the intention that you complete it twice for both characters). Also you are given conversation choices which don't feel like they affect anything, meaning I just choose the dickish ones for laughs. Finally it really feels like this game was designed with persona players in mind, the game assumes that you have already played the two previous persona games, as there is next to no character introductions, and it's steeped with references. I don't think there'll be much for EO fans to enjoy out of this game, as the EO part feels simpler than what was in EO4.

 

Also is it just me, but I'm still quite annoyed with Persona 4's translation, as

they didn't make Kanji come out as gay, instead heavily suggesting it and just saying 'oh I looooove knitting, what's wrong with that?'. from what I read, in the Japanese version, he came out and everyone was cool with it and he could accept himself. If this is true, that's a huge difference in Kanji's character from the engilsh translation. And then for the translators to make the conscious decision not to make him gay is just a really shitty thing to do, for so many reasons. But then again I could also be completely wrong about this!

 

edit: after writing this I did some googleing it turns out that the original translation was also ambiguous. This article explains it well.

 

Edit: Whoops! I forgot that all important ]! Sorry if I ruined anything!

Will I enjoy this game if I only played Persona 4?

It's weird that, while Persona 4 is one of my favorite games of all times, I just couldn't get into Persona 3. It felt lacking when compared to Persona 4, I think the character conversations were more shallow, I wasn't really knowing their personalities and stuff.

Anyway, right now I'm playing SMT Devil Survivor Overclocked and it seems like a pretty good game, with interesting characters. I think those kind of Japanese games with teenage characters are really my guilty pleasure, I'm just enjoying it way more than I initially thought.

[JonCole]

It's amazing how shit the Tetris license is in the US/EU. I'd kill for the JP Tetris games like Grand Masters or Puyo Puyo, unfortunately I don't have an Xbox One and the 3DS is region locked so I'm out of luck.