Nintendo 3DS

[Spigot]

And I'm looking at the Level 5 games. Sure, I'll get Pilotwings, but that's it aside from some rentals for the near future. But it'll sure be nice to have the system when the good games roll out.

[Mike Kelehan]

Just played Pilotwings at Best Buy. Here are a few quick impressions:

First, if you see a 3DS demo unit at Best Buy, take the system out of its cradle. It's held on by a magnet, and has a long tether attached to it, so you can hold it at your normal DS playing angle. This makes it much more comfortable, and much easier to see the 3D.

The 3D itself was impressive. Having the slider all the way up is WAY too much, but halfway was great, and Pilotwings is a great game to try with it, because 3D provides real gameplay advantages. It's incredibly easy to judge the distance between you and your target, removing all of the camera switching and guesswork involved in 3D gaming on 2D displays. However, there was a "Magic Eye" element to it, where you need to look through the display a bit, so moving back and forth between the top screen and the touch screen required a bit of ocular refocusing. For a game like Pilotwings, or a platformer like the new Mario, seeing it in 3D will be great, and more than just a gimmick. For Devil Survivor, Bust-a-Move, or Layton, I'll be turning it off.

[Bone]

Am I wrong when I recall the 3D slider being intended less as a "3d effect" slider and more about the distance between eyes? It would seem to me the only way to cater to all sizes of heads. So maximizing the slider would basically assume the largest distance between eyes? I'll have to find out in a few days

[JayVe]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelehan

The 3D itself was impressive. Having the slider all the way up is WAY too much, but halfway was great, and Pilotwings is a great game to try with it, because 3D provides real gameplay advantages. It's incredibly easy to judge the distance between you and your target, removing all of the camera switching and guesswork involved in 3D gaming on 2D displays.

This brings some things I've always had minor trouble with in games, judging depth. In platformers, you often use your character's shadow as a 'target' for where you will land. In 3D, you will be able to tell where things are in 'space' like you mentioned about Pilotwings.

I think back to games like Space Harrier or StarFox where it is almost impossible to judge actual depth.

Hell, even Zaxxon would be improved on the 3DS.

[KamaItachi]

Originally Posted by Tayaya

I hear ya, Blue. I'm kinda feeling the same way. I think it's the lackluster launch lineup plus the smallness of the graphical leap from DS to 3DS. It's certainly better looking and more powerful, but the jump isn't like going from PSP to NGP or N64 to Gamecube. I guess you could say it's like Gamecube to Wii... it's better, but only just.

I don't think you'll see the quality on all titles, but I think there's probably more potential than most are giving it credit for. Capcom are doing some wonderful things with MT Framework, and the RE and Streetfighter games look nothing less than stunning for a machine which seems to be only a small hop over the original DS.

[Evil Avnovice]

Details on the upcoming Best Buy launch event going down at NYC this Saturday. (Nintendo of America)

Just 4 more days left.

[Widgetcraft]

Originally Posted by Spigot

And I'm looking at the Level 5 games. Sure, I'll get Pilotwings, but that's it aside from some rentals for the near future. But it'll sure be nice to have the system when the good games roll out.

My thing is that the good games start rolling out pretty much immediately. There are two games coming out next month that I'll be buying, there is at least one game the month after, and the month after that is going to be big (I'm pretty sure we get Resident Evil and Ocarina of Time in June). It just keeps going and going. The launch may suck, due to the lack of a killer-app, but the launch window is pretty awesome.

[Spigot]

I've been so interested in the hardware that I have barely kept my eyes open for the actual schedule of releases... plus things keep getting pushed back. I think that once the novelty of the system wears off in a week or so, I'll start to sit back and take a long look at exactly what is coming out when, so I can cry about how much having an extra system will cost me

[Blue]

I've decided to hold off for the time being. Only a couple of things really tickling my fancy and that just isn't near enough for me to justify dropping $250 right now. I think I'll just wait a year until we have more titles out and I have a better feel for what folks will be doing with it in general. I'm often an early adopter and it usually bites me in the butt so I think this round I'll hold off until the inevitable 3DS Lite hits.

[Widgetcraft]

For those of you who want to show off the 3DS AR games to friends, but don't want to carry around the cards: Use your Android phone to display AR cards.

[Mike Kelehan]

Originally Posted by KamaItachi

I don't think you'll see the quality on all titles, but I think there's probably more potential than most are giving it credit for. Capcom are doing some wonderful things with MT Framework, and the RE and Streetfighter games look nothing less than stunning for a machine which seems to be only a small hop over the original DS.

Is it a small hop, though? Look at those Capcom games, and then look at any polygonal 3D DS game. Any one. The DS is N64 level, and 3DS games look Gamecube level, just without much of a resolution bump.

Originally Posted by Heretic Machine

My thing is that the good games start rolling out pretty much immediately. There are two games coming out next month that I'll be buying, there is at least one game the month after, and the month after that is going to be big (I'm pretty sure we get Resident Evil and Ocarina of Time in June). It just keeps going and going. The launch may suck, due to the lack of a killer-app, but the launch window is pretty awesome.

What games? I'm not seeing anything in the hopper for April, and the games that will make me buy the system are RE Revelations, Mario Kart, and Paper Mario, none of which have even release windows. Ocarina and Mercenaries look like good budget purchases, since I've already got them on other systems, but if I'm going to drop $250 on a system, I need something I don't already have. As it is now, I've got such a big DS backlog, I can comfortably wait until E3.

The hardware looks and feels great, but as I looked at Gamestop's release list, I noticed that there's NO software that I need any time soon.

[boratika]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelehan

Is it a small hop, though? Look at those Capcom games, and then look at any polygonal 3D DS game. Any one. The DS is N64 level, and 3DS games look Gamecube level, just without much of a resolution bump.

The DS and 3DS have basically the same graphical capabilities:





I bet you can't even pick which is which.

[KamaItachi]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelehan

Is it a small hop, though? Look at those Capcom games, and then look at any polygonal 3D DS game. Any one. The DS is N64 level, and 3DS games look Gamecube level, just without much of a resolution bump.

The small bump is stupid speculation on my part since I'm only going off of others complaints that the machine is supposedly only marginally more powerful than its predecessor I should have included that as a qualifier. Personally I dont think every game will show off its capabilities but I can imagine more developers will be putting out work of Capcoms calibre further on.

[Widgetcraft]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelehan

What games? I'm not seeing anything in the hopper for April,

I'll be getting that Rabbids in Time game and Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, personally. Rabbids because I always thought those characters were fucking hilarious and really wanted them to be in a non-shit game (party games... party games everywhere), and the CN game because it's supposed to be an accurate Smash Bros. clone.

and the games that will make me buy the system are RE Revelations, Mario Kart, and Paper Mario, none of which have even release windows. Ocarina and Mercenaries look like good budget purchases, since I've already got them on other systems,

You have RE: Mercenaries on other systems? I was under the impression that this was mostly new content built around the basis of the Mercenaries modes in RE4/RE5. As for Ocarina, I am certainly due for another play-through of that, and the graphics upgrade will make that much more enjoyable. Besides, I buy portable games to play in situations where I don't have access to a console, like when I'm at work on a break or what-have-you.

but if I'm going to drop $250 on a system, I need something I don't already have. As it is now, I've got such a big DS backlog, I can comfortably wait until E3.

Whatever man, just hope you don't get screwed with shortages when there are good games around. I seriously doubt that you're going to see a price drop on this thing in a year (when was the last DS price drop?) I guess you can cross your fingers and hope for some non-suck colors?

[Mike Kelehan]

Originally Posted by Heretic Machine

You have RE: Mercenaries on other systems? I was under the impression that this was mostly new content built around the basis of the Mercenaries modes in RE4/RE5.

And I was under the impression that it's mostly recycled content, with perhaps a few new characters and/or maps.

I'm not worried about shortages, since those games that I mentioned won't come out until at LEAST the fall. There probably won't be a price drop this year, but then, there could be, when the NGP comes out. No matter what, there will at LEAST be some sort of buy the system and get a big giftcard deal.

And the portability factor of Mercenaries and Ocarina really doesn't appeal to me, since I've got such a big DS backlog right now. Easily 50 games. Since the SNES, I've always gotten new Nintendo hardware are launch, but now... there just aren't any games that I want and can't play at home.

[Spigot]

RE: Mercenaries doesn't interest me a whit because of the fact that it is basically a score attack mode being sold as a full game. No sale here. And while I'm sure I'll get Ocarina eventually, it's not something I'm salivating for. I would rather have a portable version of Wind Waker

And Heretic, is Rabbids In Time not a party game? I thought the Wii version was basically a collection of minigames again, which made me sad given how awesome Rabbids Go Home was for being a proper game and not a string of minigames.

I still wish there was a White 3DS. All of my DS systems (aside from my original red Phat) have been white and I was hoping to continue the trend. Black it is, then.

[JayVe]

Originally Posted by KamaItachi

The small bump is stupid speculation on my part since I'm only going off of others complaints that the machine is supposedly only marginally more powerful than its predecessor I should have included that as a qualifier.

Two problems with this approach:

1) Following the specs of a machine hardly ever reveals its true graphical capabilities. If we were to believe specs alone, PS2 should have crushed the GameCube and Xbox. PS3 should be making everyone's face melt off and be an 'order of magnitude' more powerful than the 360.

2) Most people don't know what is what. Lots of people will complain about anything and everything. Check it out for yourself and make your own decisions.

For me, if I'm going to spend $250 on something I need something I don't already have. In the 3DS, I'm getting a 3D system. I don't already have one of those.

[Gorvi]

The game that will make me get a 3DS is the new Mario game from the Galaxy team. Besides that I just haven't seen anything announced for the system that really excites me beyond the potential of the virtual console. I could take or leave the 3D, that's not going to sell me on the system, but when my portable backlog right now is worlds better than anything announced for the 3DS I'll be OK to wait. Especially since the one game that really had me interested, Pilotwings, has been getting really mediocre reviews (3D works great but the game is essentially 40 or so challenges that can be completed in a couple of hours).

[JayVe]

Plus, you are getting a 3D phone soon! And an NGP!

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by JayVe

Plus, you are getting a 3D phone soon!

The funny thing about that is that I don't even really care about the 3D on it. I mean, sure, it's cool and all, but it's it'll be the most powerful phone Sprint has, and I'd really like to stick with Sprint. If it were just another EVO without the power boost and it only added 3D I'd just get the regular EVO now.

Don't get me wrong, I'll own a 3DS when there's games I want out there, I've owned every Nintendo console out there aside from (funny enough) the original NES (we had a Commodore 64) and the Virtual Boy. I'm sure it will be a fantastic system, but looking at the potential lineup right now, at least in the near future, there's nothing that really excites me. When we start getting the Mario Karts, Paper Marios, Super Marios (damn, there might be a trend there ), and other original games, I'll be interested. And of course I'll have to own the remake of MGS3, considering it's one of my favorite games of all time.