Nintendo 3DS

[toblix]

WHY are people having all these questions about 999, a game that they should just put in any of their Nintendo-made handhelds of literally the last eight years, no matter where they bought them, and play it without any problems whatsoever?

My guess would be that they didn't know that (or were unsure whether) they could just put it in any of their Nintento-made handhelds of literally the last eight years, no matter where they bought them, and play it without any problems whatsoever. It's a common form of communication.

 

edit: This message wasn't intended to be that snarky. I'm not sure I understood your comment though.

[Lu]

So yea, I bought a 3DS XL. One thing that was of great disappointment was that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which I bought with the thing, doesn't go online, which is kind of what I bought it for, but I suppose that's my own fault for not reading the 3DS reviews. On the plus side, I got Luigi's Mansion and that game is charming as hell.

[toblix]

Since I can only ever play one game at a time on a console, I'm currently playing VLR on my 3DS. I'm really looking forward to Luigi's Mansion – from the little I've seen it has an attention to detail that's literally outtta control.

[Sno]

So yea, I bought a 3DS XL. One thing that was of great disappointment was that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which I bought with the thing, doesn't go online, which is kind of what I bought it for, but I suppose that's my own fault for not reading the 3DS reviews. On the plus side, I got Luigi's Mansion and that game is charming as hell.

That's Capcom's continuing self-sabotage of that series in the west, they just don't understand how important online play is outside of Japan. They're stuck on this idea that to justify the home versions, the portable ones can't have online play. You have every right to be pissed off about it.

MH4 will finally, finally put an end to that ridiculousness, it's promised to have online play. (Though there will only be one version of it, it's planned as a 3DS exclusive.)

[Roderick]

Toblix; no snark was intended from my side either, and none was picked up from you, sir.

[toblix]

SNARKOCALYPSE AVERTED

[Twig]

I "beat" Star Fox 64 3D. In quotes, I guess, because I didn't make the optimal path. I failed some missions. I will not be trying again.

 

I don't like that game.

 

I replaced its cartridge with Rhythm Heaven for DS. I'm not sure I like it as much as the original on GBA (which I imported), but it's still great. Mmm-mmmmm.

 

 

 

MH4 will finally, finally put an end to that ridiculousness, it's promised to have online play. (Though there will only be one version of it, it's planned as a 3DS exclusive.)

Oh! I guess it's a good thing I didn't have the space for MH3 on my SD card, then! I will wait for MH4 as my first Monster Hunter experience, and buy something else in the meantime, since there's more than enough to choose from that I haven't even touched. U:

 

Also New Super Mario Bros. 2 is kind of lame. I'm so bored playing it. Which is weird, 'cause I totally enjoyed the first one despite everyone else hating it.

[tegan]

I skipped NSMB2 and NSMBU after finding NSMB okay enough but being really disappointed with NSMBW. I guess those games just aren't my thing. I almost made the mistake of skipping Super Mario 3D Land after disliking super Mario Galaxy 2, though. I'm glad I eventually caved and bought it, because it's probably my favourite 3DS game, and rivals Super Mario 64 as my favourite major Mario game.

[Sno]

Oh! I guess it's a good thing I didn't have the space for MH3 on my SD card, then! I will wait for MH4 as my first Monster Hunter experience, and buy something else in the meantime, since there's more than enough to choose from that I haven't even touched. U:

MH4 is quite a ways off, at least a year and probably more. Still, you should not play the 3DS version of MH3U. Multiplayer is so integral to the Monster Hunter experience that unless you are in the incredibly rare situation of personally knowing a bunch of people who both have 3DS's and are excited about Monster Hunter, you should not play the 3DS version.

You know, Capcom even actually released a weird tunneling app to take the 3DS version online... Except you run the app on a Wii U, and if you have a Wii U, you're probably already playing online with MH3U's Wii U version.

Just all so bizarre, such a mess. Monster Hunter is gradually finding an audience in the west in spite of every effort Capcom has made to ensure that it will not.

I had a couple run-ins with Monster Hunter before it finally clicking into place with Tri, and it only finally clicked because Tri was the first game in the series released to the west with the absolutely essential online-play intact. In a series that should never be played without people, it was the first time I actually got to play it with people. I had friends mentor me through the painful first few hours of learning the game, i finally had a clear picture of what the game was about, and it ended up being this totally amazing thing that i'm excited to have more of.

But not MH3U, i don't have a Wii U.

[mikemariano]

I just bought a 3DS XL and Luigi's Mansion.  It's neat!

 

I set up wireless Internet, but I have no idea what my settings are for Streetpass, Mii visibility, etc.

 

Professor E. Gadd has called me up at least once a minute.

[Sno]

I set up wireless Internet, but I have no idea what my settings are for Streetpass, Mii visibility, etc.

Not sure what they are? Or not sure where they are?

[mikemariano]

Not sure what they are? Or not sure where they are?

 

I am not sure what on my 3DS I exposed to the world, mainly!  I guess it's my little Mii dude and his greeting message.  I must have been close enough to someone in Penn Station to get his Mii and info about the last game he played.

 

Now the 3DS is telling me I was "gifted" Nintendo Video and seems to be automatically downloading videos?  This is getting complicated for a device I bought solely for Mario and Luigi.

[Sno]

None of it's particularly complicated or nefarious, but it is definitely all presented in the least accessible fashion possible. (It's really incredible how user unfriendly it all quickly became.)

Starting with the basics, there's two things that happen automatically when your 3DS is on/sleeping with the wireless active.

Streetpass is when it searches for other local 3DS's to talk with and trade information with. Trading Miis in Mii Plaza, for example. (Or perhaps a party of your Fire Emblem: Awakening characters for other people to battle with.)

Spotpass is your 3DS looking for open or authorized wi-fi connections to start pulling down content. Nintendo Video does this as a way to push out its content, but at a system level the 3DS actually also pulls down firmware updates in this fashion. (I don't think you can disable this, and it might be the only case where that is true. So if you're neglecting firmware updates, it will eventually force the issue.)

Individual uses of Streetpass can be disabled from a central location in the system settings if you want to just shut something down, but managing Spotpass instances is made to be a total pain in the ass, you just have to go hunt down the settings in each game/app that uses it.

The things you're talking about with regards to the Mii Plaza are mainly relevant to Streetpass.

Mii Plaza's main purpose is to streetpass your Mii out while you're roaming around with your 3DS sleeping in your pocket, while the Miis you yourself collect can be utilized in a couple of minigames.

In addition to a couple of things in the Mii Maker, most of the Mii Plaza settings are primarily relevant to how your Mii is represented in Street Pass connections, if at all. (While a few other settings relate to trading Miis online while you play certain games over the internet, most notably Mario Kart 7, which can quickly cause your Mii Plaza population to swell. Online-traded Miis can't be used in the mini-games, however.)

If you're worried about privacy, it takes some real intent to trade something you don't want to trade, so don't stick personal information into the text fields and you're good.

I'd also recommend downloading Swapnote, it is free and it is essentially the 3DS's messaging system. It's impractical for a conversation, but it's a quaint and fun approach to the 3DS's initial problem of lacking any means to communicate with individuals on your friends list.

There's a few other free things on the eShop that are worth looking at.

One last little thing: The 3DS is really, really bad about reporting to you if something has an update waiting in eShop.

Theoretically, you're supposed to load up eShop and get a notice that something has been updated, and then you go press a button that lists off all the stuff that's been updated.

It almost never works. (It may actually just be an issue with the ambassador games from the "WE'RE SORRY" promotion, however.)

So you have to go a few layers deeper and find the "Your Downloads" option under settings, and just occasionally check to see if anything has been updated, because it properly identifies updates there.

Mario Kart 7 also has a weird patch that the system treats like DLC, you have to download it separately in the eShop. (To say nothing of actual DLC on the system, which are all only purchasable through in-game stores. In the case of FE:A, the store unlocks as part of the narrative progression. God dammit Nintendo, that shit's weird.)

Also - Check out the demos, there definitely seems to be some pretty aggressive efforts to get a lot of good demos up on the store, EO4 in particular has an enormous demo. (Some of the oldest ones are no longer present in the eShop sub-subsection that lists them off in order of new additions, but i'm fairly certain they're still on the eShop. RE:Revelations is worth checking out.)

Not complicated at all!

[mikemariano]

Ha, wow; thanks! This is a big jump from my DSi XL.

[dibs]

I went looking but they are 210 quid:/ I got anno 1404 for a tenner instead and then stayed up till way past bed time rescuing orphans:D

[Ucantalas]

I got a 3DS XL cheaply during a boxing day sale this past holiday season. I love this thing.

Although at the time I was living in a small town, so I found the whole Streetpass thing very... well... useless. But, now that I live in a proper city, it has become... well, not useful, exactly, but just something fun to keep with me if I go out and about in the city.

 

[lobotomy42]

I have to say, I'm actually surprised at how frequently I StreetPass people.  I live in a city and take it with me on my very short walk to work, and I usually pass one or two people a week - which is far more than I would have guessed!

[Sno]

I usually end up with one or two a month, which is just enough to convince me that it's worthwhile continuing to carry the thing around with me.

It's always a pleasant surprise when i actually get a streetpass hit for a game and not just for Mii Plaza.

[Roderick]

I already got tons of Dark Notes for Theathrythm.

I've concluded HarmoKnight and can report that it's a fun little game for 15 euros, and surprisingly challenging here and there. Beyond its amazing art style and animations, the gameplay is rather limited though. There's a real hard stop to how much you can get out of this game, outside of speed runs. But it's sooooooo good to see Gamefreak stretch their legs beyond Pokemon! It's a fun new world with Noizoids (and it reminds more than a little of Sonic's bizarre universe).

[Salacious Snake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Gb4fg2esPvI

 

So, this is similar to the DS-10 (an emulation of Korg's MS-10 analog synthesizer for DS), but it's going to be a downloadable piece of software for the 3DS, and it recreates the M1. It's another historically significant piece of hardware, but in this case more of a ROMpler type of thing. Great if you want to make muzak or old house music. 

 

There was a version of this for the DS, but I think it only came out in Japan.

 

The people making this have a great track record with DS and iOS music software, so it should be nice. 

 

edit: here's a sweet track made with both DS-10 and M01 for DS: 

 

[Sno]

The three localized Guild 01 games are apparently going on sale for a while after April 18th for both North America and Europe.

So that's Liberation Maiden, Crimson Shroud, and Aeroporter.

If you haven't checked out Crimson Shroud yet, you should absolutely take advantage of the sale when it starts.

[lobotomy42]

The three localized Guild 01 games are apparently going on sale for a while after April 18th for both North America and Europe.

So that's Liberation Maiden, Crimson Shroud, and Aeroporter.

If you haven't checked out Crimson Shroud yet, you should absolutely take advantage of the sale when it starts.

 

Seconded!

[Roderick]

Good heads-up!

[tegan]

So there was a Nintendo Direct.

 

If you don't want to sit through it:

 

• new Yoshi's Island game
• more info on a few games we already knew were coming
• Zelda Oracle Games coming to VC soon (old news), sounds like they intend to keep the save-swapping intact (new news)
• new Mario Party
• Animal Crossing 3DS XL coming to NA
• mysterious swapnote stuff
• new Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• Bravely Default coming to NA
• LINK TO THE PAST SEQUEL WHAT

[Sno]

Agh! I was just coming here to post this!

Not quite 3DS news, but exciting nonetheless: In news that is sure to make certain sectors of the internet explode, EARTHBOUND has been confirmed for a worldwide re-release. (On Wii U VC, was it?)

Mostly everything else was 3DS news though.

I'm also fairly happy to see exactly which of the Guild 02 games are being localized. Keiji Inafune's game disappointingly kind of looks like shit, but the other two look super cool to me.

I think the new Yoshi's Island game looks kind of not good.

That AC:NL 3DS XL is ugly.

SMT4 is getting a crazy collector's edition, I'm extremely happy to see Bravely Default being localized, and Mario & Luigi 4 continues to look amazing.

I never played the Oracle games, so 3DS VC releases are maybe an opportunity to rectify that.

LTTP2 looks pretty legitimately rad.