3DS Preview Event

Ever since Nintendo’s E3 conference last year where they revealed the 3DS, I’ve had a lot of questions about it and so, in true journalistic style, I will lay out a series of hypotheticals followed by one that I can answer but don’t, instead urging you to read on to find out for yourself. Would the 3D make the gaming experiences better? Would gyroscopes and all the other extras provide anything meaningful or just be a useless gimmick? Were there any games that made it a must-own experience? In other words, was my previous championing of the console as a force to be reckoned with just or a waste of time? Well, you’d better read on and find out! See, I told you I’d do that.

Following my misadventures in London getting hilariously lost trying to find the place (or at least I thought I was when I found sheep. Like, actual sheep), I eventually found and made my way to where Nintendo were holding an event to showcase the 3DS. After their conference in January announcing the launch date and coyly not revealing the price (one of the things they explicitly held the conference for), the sterile and embarrassing presentation actually made me think twice about the console, so I was hoping this event would get me excited again, ready to sell my precious organs to fund my purchase. In the area where we had to congregate were reminders of the previous Nintendo handhelds as well as a video of developers talking about their enthusiasm for the 3DS along with a holographic display that almost made me wish R2D2 was there to see it so he could see how it’s done. I say almost, because he’d bring along C-3PO and I didn’t have a blunt instrument to smack him with. Oddly enough though, the developer videos and the holographic display didn’t conjure up as much enthusiasm as I had from seeing a Game And Watch for the first time in my life or reliving nostalgic memories of 1996 and being a five-year-old upon seeing the brick-sized original Game Boy. I just made a lot of people feel very old with that sentence, and I’m not even the least bit guilty about it.

Ball: The first ever Game & Watch, released on April 28, 1980 and conceived by Gunpei Yokoi

We were then gathered up like the aforementioned sheep and taken on a short guide of sorts, starting with an odd and slightly tenuous link to the StreetPass feature of the 3DS. You see, if you have your 3DS on standby and you walk past someone else who also has their 3DS on standby, the consoles will exchange information and this’ll affect certain games. This was oddly explained with a floor that lit up with blue and red squares around peoples’ feet and connected with lines showing how they would link using Street Pass. Yeah, I didn’t quite get it either. An example they gave was using this functionality was where a 3DS with stored Street Fighter 4 3D data would allow you to have battles with others and gain experience without either of you knowing until you resume playing. This functionality will arise in games like Nintendogs+Cats as well, except instead of furry mayhem being unleashed you may just meet other animals or at least get gifts you can use to spoil your virtual pets, much like the original version used to do. While it looks like a few titles will support it early on release it’s going to be one of those “time will tell” deals as to whether Street Pass is going to be a success or be mostly ignored like the DS’ similar functionality which you’ve most likely forgotten about, as so few games used it.

Click to watch dodgy video of blond hair dye casualty fighting token oriental guy

Speaking of Street Fighter, we were then ushered into the next room where Ryu was sitting, deep in thought. Well, he was until Ken came in and they started having an impromptu fight for some reason! Maybe Ryu stole his woman? Maybe Ken was suffering from ‘roid rage? Or maybe Ken caught Ryu drinking milk from the carton again… In any case, the two fought it out in trademark Street Fighter style until a time out was called just before they Hadouken’d each other into oblivion. Though at least the two fist-bumped each other afterwards to let each other know that though they were planning on beating the other into a pulp and knocking them out in a way that physics would look the other way for, they were still bros.

Street Fighter and StreetPass weren’t the only things weirdly linked to the proceedings, as we were then thrown into a room and told to hold onto the person in front of us as we made our way through a Zombie infestation with some Resident Evil heroes and a fight with the chainsaw guy from Resident Evil 4 in a pitch black room in a weird attempt to advertise Resident Evil: Mercenaries. Someone hilariously asked if we could just get Ryu and Ken to come and beat up the zombies to help us, which is probably why I didn’t take the whole thing as seriously as I should have and loved it for the cheesy quality Resident Evil used to be remembered for; I was too busy thinking about a Street Fighter/Resident Evil crossover with Ryu and Ken decapitating zombies with Hadoukens.

However, after a brief video from Jonathan Ross, we were finally able to get our hands on the 3DS and given a few minutes in this room to check out a variety of titles. The first available game I could get my hands on was Street Fighter 4 3D and, as my first 3DS experience, it helped sell me the console almost immediately. Granted, I’m a terrible Street Fighter, in videogames and in real life, but it managed to help ease me in to the process fairly painlessly. It’s when I realised Nintendo’s slogan with the 3DS, “Seeing is Believing” isn’t just one of those crappy gimmicky tag-lines they threw in; in many ways it’s completely true. From the videos you see online you don’t get an impression of how beautiful the game looks in motion, and I actually found that the graphical style suited the 3DS more than it did on consoles; I found it very slightly jaw-dropping and the game in motion was just beautiful. The videos don’t do it justice, no, and while Street Fighter 4 3D isn’t really improved in any way gameplay-wise for having the 3D-effect, it certainly took me by surprise and came across as a brilliant way to showcase the power of the 3DS. In many ways, it was an almost perfect introduction.

It was at this point, however, I found out that for some reason I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the 3DS’ screens. Allowed to take a picture of the thing closed, or of the side, just not the screens. It’s a shame, but then doing so wouldn’t really convey what you were dealing with anyway. However, moving on after my resounding victory in Street Fighter, I switched quickly to Pro Evolution Soccer. I know, I feel dirty too. Now, I’m not a big football fan at all and the only football game I can play is Mario Strikers: Charged Football which, as I’ve discussed before, makes me want to hurt things in frustration. So, did Pro Evolution Soccer 3D do anything for me? Not even in the slightest. It plays well and the camera angles used really help boost the hand-held experience by letting you see more and have more control, and the 3D exists, but just doesn’t do a single thing to change the gameplay other than look pretty. I tried to get a grip with that odd submarine game Nintendo are releasing at launch called Steel Diver as well, but I realised long after I stopped playing it that the reason I couldn’t get anything to work was that I didn’t try using the gyroscopes. Whoops.

This leads me onto my next point and another concern with the 3DS. If you’re using the gyroscopes, turn off the 3D using the slider. The reason for this is that the way the 3D works is that unless your head and eyes are facing the centre of the screen, the 3D doesn’t really work as well and viewing it from certain angles distorts the 3D image… angles that are essentially unavoidable when tilting and moving the console around. The gyroscopes work very well, and games look prettier in 3D, but don’t expect to be able to use both. During my time with the various games, if I wanted to use one I had to make do without the other. You could, of course, try and use both but you’d probably need a lot of physical space and the ability to move around a lot more, which would just be a bit awkward. Though, that may just be me.

This has been a LONG time coming!

I also managed to get some time with the first game shown off for the 3DS at E3 last year – Kid Icarus: Uprising. It may have been the first game revealed for the console but, most importantly, it’s also one of the games that takes the most advantage of the capabilities of the 3DS as well. There may be some slightly hammy dialogue that also makes reference to his long departure from the gaming scene (His first line of dialogue is “Sorry to keep you waiting!” and comments that it’s been 24 years since he was last active against the foe of the game), but the game manages to combine on rails shooting and combat with slight insanity and a gorgeous look that hooked me in pretty quickly.

Think along the lines of the recent Sin and Punishment sequel for the Wii but with Kid Icarus, and you’re part of the way there in terms of what I played. Except Sin and Punishment (to my knowledge at least) didn’t have you fighting a flaming hell-beast with two heads within five minutes of turning the game on. The on-rails shooting is something that’s massively improved by the 3D, allowing you to aim more effectively as you’re able to see the line of fire and where it’ll end up, meaning more precision, which is something that is majorly needed in a game like this when you’re attempting to go for the bigger scores.

The analogue stick is also a much needed addition in Kid Icarus as well as many of the other games I played and, while I’ve heard comments that the console also needs another analogue, I think it feels fine as it is. It controls well with good precision and makes the games much easier to control than with the D-Pad, though it may be slightly unfriendly to those who are left handed or a bit of a cluster when you have to use the analogue and the touch screen and the buttons in tandem. A game which is also well aided by the use of 3D is Pilotwings Resort; another long-awaited return of a Nintendo franchise that allows you to fly around and explore the island featured in Wii Sports Resort. Pilotwings in 3D, as with Kid Icarus, allows you to be able to get a much better sense of depth to what you’re doing and allows you to have more precise controls and a slightly better gameplay experience. Of course, having the 3D off doesn’t matter much as the games still look amazing, though when messing with the slider that controls the effect, remember to give your eyes a second or two to adjust. I didn’t get to spend much time on Pilotwings, admittedly, but I may have cackled with laughter slightly too loudly when in the last ten seconds I crashed the plane into the lighthouse. Of course, in true Nintendo family friendly fashion, nothing really happened, ruining my plans to destroy the island’s shipping trade by destroying the lighthouse. Clearly, Nintendo aren’t catering to the evil genius/terrorist crowd with this game.

Then I found the love of my life. I ran over as soon as I could and enveloped it in my arms. It had been so long since last we met and all the memories came flooding back, and in many ways it felt like we’d never been apart. Of course, my love had changed somewhat, being that they were now stored on a small flash card rather than a large cartridge, and that’s where the emotional effect I was going for falls down a little. Ocarina of Time and I were reunited again in the form of the 3DS remake, and there were almost tears. Though that may have been me dying inside a little when the assistant thought Link was Zelda. Now, I could simply just use this opportunity to go on about what is essentially my favourite game of all time, but we’d be here forever. The game itself, however, looks fantastic in motion; it upgrades the look and makes everything appear almost eye-poppingly beautiful. It controls fantastically and the menu system and HUD has had an overhaul to allow you to trawl through the menus more easily, which could effectively eliminate the frequent trips to the menu that plagued the Water Temple. While I’ll be picking this up as soon as it’s released with any luck, if they threw in the Master Quest too, then The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS could be one of the most complete experiences in my life, and I’d never need another game. This is, of course, coming from an obsessive Nintendo/Zelda fanboy, so take this with a truckload of salt.

After the assistants had to warn me they would physically remove me from the game if I didn’t leave peacefully, I left Ocarina of Time and went into the next room, where I got to check out a bunch of other 3DS games and features in more detail. First up I tried Super Monkey Ball 3DS; a return of those monkeys in balls, who are apparently super. Controls were dealt with either through using the analogue stick or the gyroscopes, and here the warning to go with either 3D or gyroscopes applied again; the amount of tilting and moving about you have to do to control the monkeys accurately means that you’re not going to be able to see the screen that effectively anyway, let alone without the distortion from seeing the 3D at the wrong angle. It’s unfortunate, because it came across feeling slightly like a tech demo more than something that could have been truly amazing. Sadly, the presence of the 3DS versions of Snake Eater, Mario Kart and Animal Crossing were only in the form of the videos we’ve seen of them all already and so, unfortunately, I can’t really impart anything new on those. Nor can I with the Sky 3D broadcasting that’ll be a feature of the 3DS come release, but I have to admit I’m very slightly underwhelmed if only because I don’t really care for Football, or Rugby, or a lot of sports, and so seeing them in another dimension doesn’t make me dance as ludicrously as their goal celebrations. For some though, the ability to see highlights of matches on the go will be a godsend, and for us non-sporty types, we’ll get Shawn the Sheep to make up for it. Sounds like a fair trade, right?

Another addition that may appeal to some more than others is the return of Nintendogs with the added twist that there will also be cats. The demo I tried featured a Siberian Husky, bringing back memories of my old husky Link, to whom I had grown dearly attached until a year after owning him when I reluctantly had to take him out back Old Yeller style and erase him. To those who haven’t played Nintendogs, Nintendogs+Cats will be a fun simulation that allows you to keep pets in your pockets without the RSPCA getting involved. To those who have played the original on the DS, I can tell you from the time I had on the demo that there is a massive, shocking addition to the gameplay in that you can also raise cats. Sadly, I couldn’t make them fight each other, so Nintendo are once again missing out on the, sorely misrepresented, animal-fight-loving demographic with their family friendliness but, unless you desperately wanted to raise virtual cats as a reaction to being single and lonely, you may be fine with the original.

The 3DS makes a massive leap forward for Nintendo Hand-held consoles with the fact that there are also built-in games and applications to enjoy the thing without necessarily having a game in the unit. One such example is the Mii-Maker, a device that lets you create your own Miis for the Nintendo Wii (and I’m presuming some 3DS games) by setting up the head shape and the hair style and then using a photo of yourself or your friends to fill in the rest of the details. This turned out to be… interesting for me, seeing as it somehow decided to squash my large face into a tiny section of the Mii’s face, though it does let you change anything you’re not satisfied with which I thought kind of defeated the point. I would show you what happened, but remember that pesky “No pictures” thing? A rather cool feature of the Mii Maker, however, is the ability to send your Mii to other 3DS consoles through a QR code that can easily be read by another 3DS’ camera and produces your Mii almost instantly, allowing for easy sharing without many loopholes to go through. Mentioning the 3DS camera also brings up the fact that it can take 3D images with the cameras on the outer shell, though they may not be fantastic quality due to the low mega-pixel rating of the cameras, it’s still pretty cool being able to take and see pictures in 3D. It was also possible to apply different effects and filters to the images you take, with an ability to merge the faces together of two different people. I couldn’t quite get that to work properly because of the low levels of lighting, meaning that due to the lack of a flash, images taken in low lighting didn’t come out very well, so this came off as a bit gimmicky rather than the necessary addition it was being offered as.

Not London. Just so we're clear!

Despite this, the 3DS’ cameras managed to save themselves for me with Face Raiders and a little something called Augmented Reality. Face Raiders is a quirky little mini-game that starts with you taking a picture of someone’s face; that face then becomes a series of multiple targets you need to shoot in order to score as many points as possible. You aim by looking around with the gyroscopes as the targets appear around what the 3D cameras pick up, and over the course of play I somehow managed to destroy some of the reality I was seeing with random bits of the real world being destroyed before my eyes as I tried to shoot myself in the face as quickly and as often as I could. Having written that now, I realise how completely mental that sounds, but it’s another one of those things that makes Nintendo’s “Seeing is believing” tagline all the more appropriate. Adding to that was another Augmented Reality game activated by an AR Card, in this case one with a Question-Mark block on it. Moving a short distance away from the card allowed it to be read by the 3D cameras and activated the magic power of the card, which suddenly made the table look as if it was bulging and produced some targets which, as in Face Raiders, I had to move around and shoot. This, however, was a game where moving the 3DS around and keeping the 3D on actually worked as you were moving around a stationary point which meant you had to keep your eyes on the screen in order to shoot the targets, rather than having to tilt it excessively. While it was over in a matter of minutes, it was full of ballistic, silly and score-attacking fun just like Face Raiders although when the dragon started appearing out of the card, I did have to look over the console to make sure it wasn’t really happening. Not out of any sense of realism, but I just had no idea how they managed to make a shootable dragon, or any of what I witnessed, come out of a card with a Question-Mark block on it.

It may look very different from initial speculation, but the 3DS is now a reality.

While that was everything I managed to witness, I will admit that I did manage to persuade some of the assistants to let me sneak back into the area where Ocarina of Time was. Not out of a duty to cover it more effectively and be able to talk about it here, though. I just really, really love that game. So we don’t end on that note, I will admit to all of those reading that I may have tried to steal a 3DS to take home with me. I even bought my DS-Lite along to pull a good old switcheroo so they wouldn’t notice until I had already made off with it. However, I didn’t really take into account the fact that they would be really securely fastened to the stands and so trying to nab one meant it would have looked too obvious. When I got looks from the assistants I had to lie and pretend I was just comparing the size of my DS-Lite to the 3DS. I think they bought it.

After my heist hilariously failed, I reluctantly left the event, remembering to take my own DS with me. So what did I think about the 3DS? Had this event changed my mind about it? Well, I can tell you that the event certainly made me excited about it again after Nintendo’s dreary announcement conference in January, and seeing the games in motion was actually unlike anything I ever imagined it would be. The games looked fantastic; a lot of them use the new features of the console effectively, and it looks like it’s going to be a strong launch period for Nintendo’s console. However, while the event officially sold me on a 3DS, I have to admit that I’m going to pass up the chance to get one on launch day. This isn’t a slight against the system at all, but simply because the games I most want for it aren’t out at launch and come out in the months after, meaning I can wait until several months after release for it. Or at least until Ocarina of Time releases. The 3DS is out at the end of March world-wide, and it will more than likely help to cement Nintendo’s dominance in gaming yet again. It looks like a force to be reckoned with and, after seeing… I believe.




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13 Comments

  1. FC360 says:

    I loved the AR and Face raiders, ppl were looking at me with odd expressions on their faces thinking what a idiot I was dodging the dragon as it moved in for a kill. I don’t understand why Nintendo did this but you couldn’t play Face Raiders and use the camera’s on the same console you were supposed to move to a different table to try each thing out however I couldn’t be bothered so just took a quick picture with the 3D cameras, sighed and put the thing down. The quality was shockingly bad. The event, I went to Manchester, made me want a 3DS but I know I can’t afford 1 so I’m in no rush to get 1 as some of the games looked absolutely awesome and some looked bloody terrible. I will definitely be buying Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D due to that little zombie infestation they had going. My biggest question is whats going to happen with all the games on the 3DS, will they also be released on DS or will they just stop releasing games on the DS? It will be a big let down if they stop releasing games on the DS and just release them on a 3DS forcing people to buy 1 to play any new games.

  2. Edward Edward says:

    Nintendo will do the same thing they did with the Game boy to colour, to advance, to DS.

    That is: Continue publishing games for about half a year after the new console is released, then slowly phase out support but allow the console to be backwards compatible with the previous one. It’s more or less the same as all companies do between consoles, but it’s silly to think games aren’t going to come out for it anymore. As soon as the new console comes out it’d be ludicrously silly of them to not encourage support for it. The PS2 still had games made for it for a while after the PS3 came out, and seeing as the DS is the most popular console ever ever, games will still come out for it for a while. The 3DS will play DS games, but the DS won’t play 3DS games. It’s the same reason PS2s won’t play PS3 games and Gamecubes can’t play Wii games: Each console is an upgrade from the last and they run in ways the previous one can’t.
    If Nintendo were truly going to leave the DS out to die, they wouldn’t release Pokemon Black and White a couple weeks before the 3DS launches. ;)

  3. Adam Adam says:

    Awesome that you got the opportunity to tinker around with one Ed and put aside all those horrible doubts that Nintendo cast at the Launch announcement show.

    It’s great that getting the physical experience with the machine really does impress. I read a lot about how the 3D isn’t true 3D, how the battery life is too short or criticism levelled towards Nintendo’s failings to produce any games that are exciting for a reason beyond we’ve played it before and we liked it then. That just having the machine in your hands can dismiss those sorts of thoughts away is great.

    The things that most excites me about the 3DS are the possibilities. Nintendo really can slam their way through the market with both the technical power and the features of the console, heres hoping that they actually do.

  4. Mark R MarkuzR says:

    StreetPass. There’s a great idea. I love the thought of you walking down the street minding your own business, with your shiny new 3DS in your pocket in standby mode, when suddenly it springs in to life (unbeknownst to you, presumably) and starts chattering away to a random stranger so that when you next switch it on you have some sort of challenge to take care of. That’s really inspiring and innovative.

    Oh no wait… it’s shit.

    Let’s rewind that and try again.

    StreetPass. There’s a wanky idea. I love the thought of you walking down the street minding your own business, with your shiny new overpriced 3DS in your pocket in standby mode whilst you try and preserve what little battery juice is available to you in the hope that you MAY be able to play an entire level without it blacking out… when suddenly it springs to life (unbeknownst to you, ridiculously) and starts exchanging information with someone that you’d probably stab in the face if they came close to you asking “What you playing?” so that the next time you switch it on, assuming you have enough power left after it’s conversed with every bastard you walk past who also owns one (which, let’s face it… will likely be a ridiculous amount of people, given the previously published DS sales figures) and you’re challenged to do something with someone that you’ll never meet. Ever.

    Try working on the ridiculously low battery life before imposing a resource draining pointless “feature”, Nintendo.

    Also… let’s get into this whole parallax viewing thing. We’re talking lenticular 3D, right?? We’re talking about a technology which, even when it was first unveiled in the mid 1940s, is primitive and only really mildly effective. Sure, it means you can play games in 3D without having to use any sort of polarised lenses or shutter technology BUT you also have to view it at a very specific angle and it’s pretty archaic by today’s standards. I had a pencil case that had this type of 3D imagery on it thirty four years ago when I was in Primary One and it was ropey back then too, just as it’s ropey when you walk up the stairs in HMV and see them trying to sell Spider-Man posters in 3D. They’re CRAP!

    I’m just not sold on this. I’m more behind Kinect and Move than I am this. I’m a lover of all things 3D, am a veteran when it comes to using 3D tech and have always tried as many different options as possible…. but I don’t want to be gaming with lenticular imagery. I haven’t read anywhere that it IS lenticular technology but, based on “parallax” and the fact that you can tilt it to the side and see all the different 3D layers… my guess, my informed opinion rather, is that it’s lenticular. And that’s just not what I want in 2011. Others may, but I don’t.

    Wonder how many different versions they’ll bring out of this particular DS.

  5. FC360 says:

    But you forget pokemon black and white came out last year in Japan so their not releasing it within a few weeks of the 3ds. I’ll probably get the 3ds when they release pokemon 3d. Also look at the previous generation game consoles the xbox 360 is released and they stop developing xbox titles except for those that were alrdy done, the Ba stopped getting games once the DS came out, well it had a couple more games after the DS was released due to them alrdy being almost finished. I just hope they copy the ps2 and ps3 system where takes are still released for a couple of years on ps2 after the ps3 was released.

  6. Michael Moverley says:

    Really enjoyed reading this article, It has imbued excitement within me once again for the release of the console. I love the release of new hardware because as a consumer its the unknown, what is possible graphically and game play wise with this technology, and that is what this article reinstated.
    I have the console on pre-order and therefore will hopefully recieve one on launch day, I’m planning on getting Street Fighter 4 purely because it seems like that best game at launch in, my opinion anyway.

  7. Dom DomPeppiatt says:

    Fantastic article. Clear eyed and fair but with lashings of personality and a representative view that transfers the reaction directly to the audience. I agree with you in everything you’ve said, pretty much. Ocarina of Time looks and sounds beautiful, and not really having been much of a Zelda buff in my time, it’s something I definitely think I’ll be investing in. Not going to lie; I’m a Pokemon man through and through, and until I know there’ll be some sort of Pokemon franchise on the 3DS (which there definitely will be because we’re dealing with Nintendo here), I’ll keep my pre-order in my pocket.

    The StreetPass feature has potential, but I agree with the post above; it does feel a little hammy. Street Fighter fights with randomers? Little bit gimmickey, I think. But it has the potential to be quite good – going back to Pokemon, you could use it to generate odds of different types appearing, use it to gain extra EXP, do stat battles, random encounters, etc. Same with Final Fantasy. It has potential, but I think Nintendo need to think more about hardcore gamers rather than the casual market to realize it.

  8. Lorna Lorna says:

    Fantastic piece of coverage Ed and it honestly made me laugh :D I’ve been off and on the fence about the 3DS for an age, but jumped firmly off after the reveals that the unit (or at least, many of the games) would be region locked – something that I dislike. Your write up has made me a little more hopeful, although I can’t see myself splashing out for one on launch. Like you, there is just nothing that really interests me – Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus, Zelda, and the rest won’t be seeing the shelves for a while, so there isn’t much that really makes me think “Wow, must have it” right now.

    I’m not sold on many of the gimmicky features and know that I’d never use the camera, built in software, SKY bumph, or anything else and I’m not sold on the Street Pass thing either, although the news that they are streamlining the friend code system is something of a relief. I suppose overall, despite me owning most of Ninty’s handhelds with the DS XL and DSi aside, I still am not a believer… 3D does naff all for me, so despite the sexy case, I’m not convinced, but you very nearly had me ;) That may well change in time with more releases though. Awesome write up, very funny, plenty of details… but shame on you that you didn’t think to take bolt cutters or something.

  9. Lorna Lorna says:

    @ FC360 – Ed is right and if you follow Nintendo’s trail you’ll see that the new gen portable has always been at least one generation backwards compatible. They are also good about releasing titles for the older machine for a long while before slowly phasing them out, so there is nothing to wory about here. The fact that Pokemon Black and White have just seen a DS release rather than being held back for the 3DS should tell you something of that. Actual consoles are different and it isn’t in their best interest to keep releasing, say, old Xbox games when the market has jumped en masse to the new generation. Handhelds have always been a little different in that respect and long may it continue.

  10. Edward Edward says:

    @Adam I’ll have to grant you that concerns on battery life and the remakes weren’t ones that perpetrated my mind at the time, but it says a lot about the system that it got me so totally engrossed, even in the little apps, that all those concerns washed away. The fact some of the games look so beautiful and the features work a lot more than they don’t is something that is really exciting. It’s just a shame their announcement conference was pretty painful. Thanks for reading :D

    @MarkuzR They’re completely fair points you’re bringing up, and I do think it’s slightly ludicrous that both the 3DS and PSP2 are going to have such short battery life and reduce their portability somewhat by forcing out the consoles while they’re still innovative instead of making sure they last long enough to be portable. It’s a shame you’re not that interested in the 3DS or anything, but I respect your opinion on it and the 3D :) Thanks for reading

    @FC360 Yeah, but they still purposely created a Pokemon game for the DS even after announcing the 3DS. Even if it came out in Japan ages ago, it still shows we’re getting the necessary support overseas, which is why I even pointed it out. The rest of what you said I’m pretty sure I already answered clearly.

    @Michael Judging from the launch line up, I’d probably go solely for Street Fighter 4 as well. Of the launch games that was the one that sold me most on the system, but thank you for the kind words and glad to hear it’s helped hype you up again :D

    @DomPeppiatt Thank you very much for the kind words :) There will certainly be a Pokemon 3DS, but we may have to wait a couple of years for a totally new title (they might simply re-release the Ruby-Sapphire games first in 3D). As hyped as I am for it, it’s probably fair to say to wait until the stronger games come out in the later months, too, so that’s a good shout.

    Yeah, I think the worry I have with it is that by the time something like the new pokemon does come out, StreetPass will be less of a prevalent feature – it seems like something they’re going to have to encourage many of the developers to use to keep it in the public consciousness in order to maximise the potential when more first party games come out for the hardcore. So basically, I agree with everything you say, like you agree with most of what I’ve said. Great minds, eh? :P

    @Lorna Thank you for reading it and I’m glad you enjoyed all the little bits of whimsy I left in there for you. I think it’s stupid of Nintendo to get rid of region locking, I agree, because it’s just reducing the amount of games I can eventually play on it. Glad that I’ve made you a little more hopeful, but I can tell you what I saw of the video of Animal Crossing looks like an upgrade and a proper sequel, if that helps get you more excited for it. I can’t play it though, I lost too much of my life to Wild World.

    Thank you all for reading and enjoying it, it means a lot :D
    Also, I really regret not bringing bolt cutters. Don’t put me back in the cage again =[

  11. FC360 says:

    I see I was always into the newer technology so never got any games on the older system once I got a new system so probably just never paid much attention to GBA games once the DS was out hehe. I was browsing the interwebs and was surprised to find some information about Pokemon Black and White, apparently they include 3DS exclusive features to the visuals of the game so they’ve actually kinda created it for the DS with the 3DS in mind, I think I will be picking up a 3DS if I can get together £114.

  12. Lee says:

    I keep going through phases of wanting and not wanting a 3DS. I want the tech but the games don’t grab me except maybe animal crossing but I’d only get pissed off with that loan shark of a raccoon and turn it off never to play it again.

    I’m currently in a “don’t want” phase due to the cost, not of the unit but the games. I don’t wanna pay £40 to play starfox again and I’ve got my iPhone and iPad for mobile gaming. I winced at Dead Space being £8 on the iPad but for £8 it’s actually a bloody good game. Not even Microsoft charge £40 for HD remakes on xbox live so it’s cheeky that Nintendo do.

    You have sold me on the 3D though Ed (and I hate 3D) but I’ll just borrow yours if that’s OK? :D

    Also – you’ve never seen a pocket and watch!!! – way to make a 26 year old feel old :(

  13. Edward Edward says:

    Lee: If I get one, you’re free to mess about on it, as long as you don’t touch my save files :P
    It’s an odd balance with the console that as great as the tech is, the lineup isn’t something you want to jump at the chance to play it and it looks like most of the best games initially are going to be ones that proved themselves years ago.

    And I’m 19, of course I’m going to make you feel old ;)

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