NINTENDO 3DS

sent you a message via webmail, let me know if you got it!

Got it, thanks!

Didn't know so many designs had come out. The system's only two years old!
http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/44317/3ds-colours-and-special-editions/

Tempted to get an XL for $150 this weekend.. or the new Zelda and M&L editions at regular price. Is it still a bad idea?

Personally 3DS has been killing it software-wise this year, bought a lot of games and almost all have been brilliant (fuck NSMB2 though). Most of the special editions come with a download code or the game preloaded rather than a physical game, which is a bit of a problem as Nintendo refuse to set up an account system. I'd wait for Black Friday deals on an XL and buy the physical games that you want rather than deal with their crazy digital strategy.

i made the mistake of early adopting and buying a fresh off the line 1st edition and that fucking thing has never felt right in my hands. Way too sharp edges and bad ergonomics; can't hold it for more than twenty minutes. Will getting an xl or 2ds solve this problem?

or maybe i should get a new hobby

XL feels much much better ergonomically, ymmv so try one out in a shop I guess? Haven't tried a 2DS yet.

yeah the display unit in every Target/Best Buy is an XL now so just stand there cuppin' it for a few hours. seriously though I vastly prefer the size and shape of the XL and I'm significantly more comfortable with it and I've heard people mostly say the same; the demo unit should give you a decent idea of where you stand

k thx

Zelda is so snappy.

abcfsk you were right about DKCR, that was some damn fine platforming

want an xl

gimmie one sale pls

thinking of getting a 2nd hand 3DS off amazon, is this a wise purchase right now? mostly into games like prof layton, mario and that henry hatsworth one on the orig DS, does the 3DS have much good new stuff like this? hard to get an unbiased opinion on this, and can't even go to gamespot to check out the best 3ds games because they ruined it :(

3DS has much less software than DS, but the quality is just as good if not better. Most of the shovelware manufacturers have moved over to iOS, but big Japanese publishers (Square, Capcom) are beginning to invest heavily in mobile as well. Well-known brands (Mario, Zelda etc) get physical & digital releases, whereas more niche games (e.g. Phoenix Wright) are starting to get a digital only release in the West. Newer IPs and indie games also get a cheaper digital only release, even Nintendo have wised up to this (e.g. Pushmo/Pullblox, Harmoknight, Dillon). Virtual Console has been pretty lackluster so far, although Sega have been putting out a lot of arcade/genesis ports in the past few weeks including the amazing Galaxy Force II.
lots of deals on 3DS hardware around atm, don't know how much cheaper 2nd hand would be tbh. if you can, try a 3DS and an XL out for ergonomics first, some people like one and hate the other (for me XL is a vast improvement).

i like the sound of 3d, just for the weirdness (imagine it being like those 90s magic eye posters?). had a quick go on my 6 yr old nephews today but only on this crappy teenage mutant ninja turtles game - for some reason he thought i'd rather play that than mario or anything actually good. also didn't get to see 3d capabilities because it needs a pin number to access and he doesn't know it, just "press all the buttons til it works."

what are the standout games for it? paper mario sounds decent. are there any new laytons/hatworthses?

tbh i hardly use the 3D
2 new Laytons out already & the Layton/Phoenix Wright crossover sometime in 2014
Mario 3Dland v good, i thought NSMB2 was boring tho.
new Zelda best one since Wind Waker imo, no tutorials or annoying helper, can explore & tackle dungeons in pretty much any order.
i mainly play RPGs, Atlus games have been excellent & Squares Bravely Default is basically a modern FFV/FFVI so far (about 5 hours in)
Fire Emblem probably my GOTY, great strategy RPG with v funny dialog
Pushmo/Pullblox a really interesting puzzle game by Nintendo
oh and Streetpass games are secret best feature!

ah, so the 3d thing is mostly just a gimmick? sounds so ace though, damnit. will read up on those games you mentioned, thanks man

eh ymmv, i think the 3D is kinda pointless and no game really needs it as such
for me 3DS is an upgraded DS with less overall software, like Vita is a fancy PSP with (a lot) less software

Personally I love the 3d but I know I'm very much in the minority. And I've been a sucker for any artificial 3d ever since my first viewmaster.

ooh jimd saying what i want to hear, what do you reckon are the killer 3d games?

Mario 3D Land, Zelda OoT, Pilotwings, Luigi's mansion. And the built in video player which auto-downloads a new 3d video clip every few days is often great too, though the fact you can't choose to permanently keep any of them is frustrating sometimes.

Oh and Mariokart.

Bravely Default is sooooo good, every part of it is so well thought out e.g. tapping on the right of dpad during a battle speeds it up, tap again it goes even faster with a >> sign like you are fastforwarding through a video. tap left to slow down or pause ||. little conveniences like this really add to the experience.
one of those Directs in 30 mins btw, hoping for an EU SMT4 date to be finally announced :/

I caved. I return to the DS fold.

Question: so should I go out and get a 32GB SDHC card right now? I think my system comes with M&L pre-installed, but I don't know if it's on the system memory or the included card yet. Am I going to have to go through any weird transfer hassles?

if you intend to buy full games digitally then yes buy a 32GB card. transferring from one SD card to the other on the same machine is just copy & paste via yr PC. make sure you create a NNID & link to Club Nintendo before buying any games though.

thanks, will do. i was afraid that would be some kind of DRM-restriction in transferring stuff to a new card, assuming I pick one up in a few weeks. I'll definitely be picking up some of the DSiWare and download-exclusive stuff like Phoenix Wright

the only restriction is the NNID being tied to the hardware, so you can't sign in on someone else's 3DS. you can transfer the lot between machines, but if your 3DS gets lost/stolen you have to call them up to unbind your NNID so you can bind it to a new machine & get your digital games back - at least that's the theory, hope i never have to find out :/

so i can't transfer the games between 3DS systems, but I can backup my card and just recopy the files over as long as I dont lose my original system?

you can transfer everything in one lot to another system, which wipes the original system.
but yes keep a backup of your cards contents on your PC, also best to take a note of the 3DS serial number!

ohhhhh weird. thanks dude!

dammit face hunters thing, i am not an infant!

Know it's mostly me, but Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate in the west early 2015 - seems to only be on 3DS and not WiiU this time. Full online of course.

yeh its a long wait but i'm just glad they announced it, put 150+ hours into MH3U so will be looking forward to MH4U immensely
just finished Bravely Default, much better than any recent Final Fantasy but without going into spoilers i have some serious reservations how they handled the second half of the game. still, a lot of positives (battle & job systems, all the customization while still keeping a sense of balance, a real sense of challenge!), hopefully they structure the next game a bit better.

very tempted. really should play that demo before it comes out here in a week.

all the Level 5 Guild games are currently on sale for $2.99/£2.69/€2.99
would recommend Attack Of The Friday Monsters, its a short (2-3 hrs) game set in a small 70s Japanese town where you run around talking to people and occasionally playing a card game, sort of like a visual novel but with more agency. its super charming and atmospheric, makes you nostalgic for a childhood you never even had (unless you are Japanese and grew up in the 70s i guess!)

gonna grab that + Liberation Maiden, maybe some more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wm8-DsVqHE

Steamworld Dig is 50% off on the eShop - will probably grab it, heard good things

It's ok, didn't really grab me at first but once you start unlocking useful equipment it gets enjoyable.
Reminded me a little bit of obscure UK PC game Repton, which I'm surprised to discover was originally developed by a 15 year old! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repton_(video_game)

obscure?!

never heard of it

The amount of time I spent dicking around with the Repton 3 level editor probably, well it probably doesn't rival the amount of time I've spent dicking around on ILX, but you get the idea. I have a clear memory of 14 year old snoball sitting indoors on a sunny summer's day, making Repton 3 levels with custom sprites etc. instead of going outside and hanging with my friends. Because I had no friends. But that's beside the point.

There's a Repton Road not far from here, was very excited when I found it. There were no big round boulders for me to push along it though, sadly.

Quick yay or nay req:
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Mario Kart 7
Super Mario 3D Land

Mario Kart 7 is the only one of those I've played but it is a yay.

3D land also a definite yay. AC was my goty last year but it's hard to recommend without qualifications. Have you played and liked an AC before?

got obsessed with the original AC way back on GameCube, haven't played any of them since then.
i will probably get one or more of these in the next week; New Leaf and MK7 are on sale at BB, all three are eligible in for the free Pokemon X/Y promo
thx for your input guys

Yeah if you're into the basic idea then New Leaf is a great version of it.

Are y'all ready for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcmx4kC0tiU