Nintendo 3DS

My relationship with Nintendo’s handhelds has always been a rocky one for me. From broken parts to greedy hands I have had three Nintendo handhelds (Gameboy, Gameboy advance, and a DS) break beyond functioning properly and had two Nintendo DS stolen from me. Now, I find myself yet again with a portable Nintendo product and can’t help but wonder what fun times and heartbreaks await my new Nintendo 3DS future. My experience so far has been a pleasant one so I decided to give a little write up on some of the good and bad that Nintendo’s latest addition to the handheld world holds. Following the jump will be an analyze of the 3DS itself as well as four games that I recommend for those looking to expand thier 3DS library. 

The Nintendo 3DS is actually an impressive little piece of hardware. I won't sit here and try to pretend to be a tech nerd and break down every little competent for you but I will do my best to give a generality of how the 3DS handles.  I'm sure the first question on most everyones' mind is how good is the 3d aspect. Well that is a tricky question since it really depends on what game your playing and how well the game  incorporates the 3d aspect. Long answer short, there is potential for some very impressive 3d capabilities and the games listed below all capture a good representation of what to expect. The 3DS also can handle some impressive looking graphics because comparatively I have played games that beat out xbox and playstation 2 graphics which isn't bad for a portable gaming console. Other then that you have your typical Nintendo DS setup which at first I faulted nintendo for not adding a second analog stick but for the most part the games released up to this point have handled very well using a combo of touch screen actions and the single analog stick. There is a Circle Pad Pro out that can be used with the game Metal Gear Solid but since my friend picked up the HD xbox collection of the Metal Gear series (highly recommended) I passed on this game and find no real reason for me to pick up this accessory. On a side note, my brother has played Metal Gear 3DS and said he played it just fine without the Circle Pad Pro. I do like the new software Nintendo uses for the 3DS which allows for an online friend system allowing you to play online with other players and a new system known as Spotpass and Streetpass. These both use the 3DS's WiFi capabilities to send signals to another 3DS or designated building swapping created Miis, maps, and other game information such as care packages to support your fight against the undead in Resident Evil but more on that later. The streetpass/spotpass is a nice new addition and adds a sense of community to the 3DS handheld owners as games like "Find Mii" has collected Miis portrayed as heroes which fight monsters to free your enslaved Mii.    

Screen shot of the "Find Mii 2" map

Two Miis trading puzzle pieces on thier pilgrimage 

The second photo shows a puzzle piece trading system in which Miis exchanged collect pieces on what seems like an endless pilgrimage through the season. One down side to the puzzle trading system is I was hoping that completed puzzle would unlock mini-games based on the theme of the puzzle completed but all you get is a 3d representation of the 2d puzzle.The 3d display is cool but for the difficulty that it takes to complete these puzzle it seems like a cheap reward system so I'm sure most have brushed this feature to the side and focused on some of the more rewarding aspects the 3DS has to offer. One more thing before I move onto the games, Nintendo has yet again another version of the online store known simply as the eShop.

I do like this idea of downloading some classic nintendo games to the 3DS but I can't speak positively of the eShop at this time. Like most poor gamers I laughed when the Nintendo 3DS launched for $249 and the launch titles consisted of Nintendogs and Pilot Wings. No Mario! No Zelda! No Metroid! just the same old crap nintendo tries to pull as it aims for the causal gamers leaving the hardcore gamers and fanboys yet again standing outside in the rain, shaking our heads at a franchise that seems like it is purposely trying to shoot itself in the foot. Finally Nintendo realized the error of thier way and the Nintendo 3DS underwent a huge price break which now makes the handheld seem more like reasonable investment but wait... Nintendo will punish all who were not foolish enough to buy the 3DS at the original sticker price. How you might ask, how about Nintendo sets up a program known as the "Ambassador Program"which includes awesome titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Super Mario Advance 3, and Metriod Fusion just to list a few and throws everyone else ummm I don't know a 3d version of excite bikes...... Oh thanks so much nintendo this totally makes up for excluding us. Those not fortunate enough to be in the Ambassador Program are left to dig through the endless sea of games trying to find a hidden gem amongst the useless eShop material. It is like I'm eating at a fancy restaurant and everyone gets steak and lobster while I'm stuck with the chicken strips off the kids menu which are cold. It looks like my relationship with Nintendo handheld is going to follow the typical fractured relationship  where it would be a beautifully fun time if we could just find some god forsaken way to get on the same page. One side note is the eShop does have some hidden gems such as Pushmo and Zelda: Link's Awaken but I hope for a day that the Ambassador program material is available for everyone.

Well lets lighten the mood a little and talk about the silver lining in Nintendo 3DS game catalog. I'm not going to lie, it is still slim pickings out there since it seems Nintendo has forgotten the promise it made to cater more towards the hardcore gamers and mostly makes pointless games like Funky Barn 3d or Nicktoons MLB 3d. However, there does seem to be hope in the near future with some pretty cool tittles (Paper Mario 3d) but for now I will list my favorite four games available now. 

Games:

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

The Legend of Zelda is one of my all time favorite game series and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 is actually on the top of my favorite games I have played through out my gaming career. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time makes a seamless transition to the 3DS and i highly recommend this game for any of the fans of the original. Some of the improvements include cleaner graphics, a very nice usage of the 3d aspect, and an added bonus that once you beat the game you unlock, the once Japanese exclusive, Master Quest. It is like a trip down memory lane which will have you stoping and looking over the freshly redone scenery noting on how that looks a lot better then it did before. One thing I really liked about this game is the little details they added to shops and villages such as paintings of Gorons on the cave walls or artistic paintings hung up in a shop. It is these little additions to the game that had me giggling with excitement as I obtained the master sword for probably my tenth time. I think the next photo will do a better job of explaining how well the graphics were improved from the original. 

On top of all this the game incorporates other little features capable on the 3DS, such as aiming your bow using the gyroscope which allows for more precise aiming and last minute adjustment. Touch screen inventory sorting makes looking through your items a breeze and allows the player to organize thier gear any way they see fit. So all in all I might be a little bias due to my love for the original but anyone who has a 3DS and hasn't played this yet I highly recommend strapping on those leather boots one last time and ride Epona into another sunset with Navi annoyingly yelling out you to Listen. Ride on Link, ride on.

Super Mario 3D Land

Super Mario 3d Land is the blending of many classic Mario titles into a condensed 3d version that will offer up hours of fun. The 3d is some of the best I have seen on the 3DS and the Mario team designed each level with unique 3d experiences. These unique 3d experiences range from 3d photo messages, action sequences where the level will switch views to offer a more 3d scale of things, or manipulate 3d illusion boxes which are like mini 3d puzzles. The levels might be short and at first glance I thought I could blow trough the entire game in a few hours. However, I was surprised with the twist after you beat the game which stacks on a few more hours of game play. My favorite part of this game is all the packed in content and the new suits Mario can obtain.

This game is focused on the Tanooki suit which is one of my favorite suits since Super Mario 3. There is a hand full of other suits such as the blue turtle shell suit which allows Mario to throw a boomerang or a propeller box that gives Mario the ability to jump very high and slowly glide around in the air. Each suit has it's advantages and some of the illusive star coins can only be obtained by having the right suit in the right part of the level. The game is a fun pick up and I'm excited to see what future games like  Paper Mario for the 3DS holds but for now Super Mario 3D Land scratches the itch for a quality Mario game that is laced with a sense of nostalgia. 

One last thing, it seems old PETA is bent out of shape and this time Mario is to blame. Apparently the Tanooki suit doesn't come from a magical leaf but is actually the skin of a raccoon dog from Japan and Mario wearing this suit promotes the chances of people wearing fur. I found this rather funny but I can't say anything on the matter because my favorite way to play Super Mario 3D Land is in a full chinchilla fur coat by a fire drinking a nice merlot. 

Resident Evil Revelations

I was lucky enough to get the game case that has the title printed on the side as "Resident Evil Revelaitons." A misspelling of the game title could seem like a bad omen but this is probably one of the few things Capcom made a mistake on when making this game. This Resident Evil title takes place between Resident evil 4 and 5 focusing on Jill Valentine with her new partner Parker. There is a biological terrorist group that seem bent on destroying the word for power. The story is about 10-12 hour long and felt like a full fledge Resident evil game instead of a watered down portable title. One new thing I really liked is the previous chapter summaries that keeps you on track with the story no matter how long you set the game down for. This also helps keep in line the multiple sub stories going on through out the game as you learn different perspective of the plot by playing as multiple characters such as Chris to learn about the terrorist organization. You also play as Keith who helps hack a computer in a crashed airplane in the mountains and even memories of Parkers past are playable given each character in the story a little more depth. The game mostly takes part on a ship lost at sea with Jill and her partner trapped on the ship with a new type of T-virus called the t-abyss virus that can transform living organisms in water into monsters. This gives the monsters (zombies) in this game a more blobish look then your typical undead but the monster variety makes up for the bland look. If you haven't caught on to the theme yet water has a major competent in this game. There is underwater levels where you find yourself swimming out of a flooded lab or wading through monster invested waist high water in the engine room. The underwater swimming handled very smoothly and the last chapter actually shocked me on how much underwater elements there truly were in the game. Also there is a monster that always scared me when playing but I do have to mention that deep underwater stuff is kinda of like my Kryptonite. 

The game's graphics are beautiful and is one of the best looking games I have seen on the 3DS. Many have faulted Capcom for lagging parts of the game such as opening a door with a spinning device or an elevator scene which is trying to mask the game loading the next area. I found these parts as mere inconvenience and most times didn't mind to wait because I see it as a fair price for how good the games graphics truly look. Resident Evil also has an online aspect called Raid mode. Raid mode is levels sliced out of the story which allows you and a friend (actual friend or random online match) to run through these levels to find the objective at the end and blast every zombie you see along the way. There is a leveling up system and an enormous amount of material to unlock with achievements masked as missions or just from killing so many zombies. Me and my brother have played through most of Raid mode and had a really good time. It is a little more action orientated then campaign mode and I have  seen the online handle up to six enemies on screen with two players and no real notice of a lag. We did get kicked off a few times for bad connections but for the most part the online mode is just as fun and worth the time as the campaign mode. 

Pushmo

Finally the last game i recommend to check out is the eShop game called Pushmo. This is a simple puzzle game that plays with 3d as the little red protagonist pictured above manipulates puzzles in Pushmo park. The concept is there are bricks that can be pushed in and pulled out allowing the player to create a path to the top of the Pushmo. Each Pushmo has different little challenges but for the most part you will have a hand full of blocks that you have to strategical move on a plane of three layers to reach the top. This game is simple and fun, making this game great to have on your 3DS home screen because it is really easy to pick up and play a couple puzzles. This game also has a cool feature where you can design your own Pushmo puzzles and use online QR codes to scan and play other created Pushmo puzzles. The graphics are like a saturday morning cartoon paired with a soundtrack of serene melodies giving the game a very zen like feel.  Here are some example of some Pushmo puzzles.

Well this blog is already long enough so I will just briefly mention that Mario and Resident Evil both have spot pass uses which download challenge maps or ammo care packages. Well I hope this blog help inform you on any questions or concerns you had about the 3DS and pointed you towards some games worth checking out. I did leave a lot of material out for length sake but if you have any question or want to know a little more about a game I have mention just write a comment on the blog. 

Chris