Kirby Mass Attack

I'm currently playing Kirby Mass Attack on my DS, I bought this awhile back, something to help tide me through this barren lack of any new games this year....

Holy CRAP I never thought I'd use the word "brutal" and "Kirby game" in the same sentence. What is developer  HAL Laboratory thinking here? It's *WAY* harder than most other Kirby games before it. I did play Kirby Canvas Curse, which is similar in that it uses all stylus to control Kirby, the control is actually more frustrating in that game... but it's also problematic here at times.

Kirby Mass Attack feels like it wants to be a Mario game in the challenge level. It ramps up the difficulty right away... I'm barely 10% in, and I've lost most of my 10 Kirbys-- which locks me out of being able to enter most of the levels. It even has the same big coins, except there are more per level. These coins are needed to unlock mini-games.

This is a game where you have to be brutally fast-- attack with savagery-- how bizarre is that, in a Kirby game?? But if you hesitate, the enemies will do their attack moves and you'll just get killed.  This is freakin' Kirby, HAL-- Kirby! The games are supposed to skew on the easier side.....

It is nice to have some challenge, but Mario hard is not called for here, nor is it appropriate. Is Kirby for younger gamers, or hardcores who grew up in the SNES generation? I'm not sure if this would be a good game for a young child.

It's not entirely the controls that frustrate, the big problem here is the lack of checkpoints. At least there is no time limit, and not too many regenerating enemies. But when you get the maximum 10 Kirbys, it is really hard to make them fit through areas that they NEED to fit through in order to, um, NOT DIE. I think there is a real lack of polish when it comes to the awkward stylus-only control.

Kirby Mass Attack even penalizes you for going between world levels-- if you do, you lose all your extra Kirbys! What is with the Mario-style punishment here?

Kirby Mass Attack has some really cute presentation & visual style... but the same can be said for the Mario games. It isn't unplayable, but it is annoying at times. I can only imagine the final boss will be stupid hard.

At least it's great to be playing my DS Lite again... when my 3DS needs to be charged-- since its battery dies SO fast-- I can use my DS Lite...


later
don

Club Nintendo coin values changes

Oh man... I just finished registering a bunch of Wii & DS Lite games on Club Nintendo because I read that starting July 1, 2012, most of the coin values for those games are going down. Qualifying (first party) Wii games are worth 50 coins right now, but starting July 1, they seem to drop to between 40/30 & 20 coins! What a rip. And many DS games are dropping from 30 to 20.

But here is the weird part... some first-party games coin values are going UP-- the Pokemon series all seem to be increasing as are the main Mario games-- excluding Super Mario Galaxy (1), the Selects version that is MSRP $19.99 is worth less coins that the original Super Mario Galaxy 1 sold at full price. But don't be fooled, there are far fewer games going up compared to the number going down.

Also incredibly annoying, many of the download games like classic Gameboy titles get cut from 10 coins to 5.

I was squirreling away a bunch of Nintendo game codes from games I'd bought awhile back.... but Nintendo has forced me to register them now if I want the full coin values. I'm now at Platinum status for the second year in a row, but I've almost spent my wad..... I'm holding onto a couple of Mario codes that will inexplicably go UP in coin value after July 1.....

I think it's really douchey of Nintendo to decrease coin values like this. Bad enough they have expiry dates-- some countries have made such practices ILLEGAL as in gift cards, and points slip through the cracks on the technicality that they aren't real money... but still. Expiry dates for gift points is an immoral practice.



later
don

All the Metroid games suck?

I've tried the Metroid franchise time and time again-- and it's overwhelmingly clear that they are simply AWFUL AWFUL games.

I can't believe how many Metroid games I have: Metroid Prime 3 (Wii), Metroid Prime: Hunters (DS), Metroid (Ambassador NES 3DS download), Metroid: Fusion (Ambassador GBA 3DS download) and Metroid: Other M (Wii)

Clearly I really want to like this franchise.... I even drew this pic when I'd just started playing Metroid Prime 3. Sci-fi is one of my favourite subjects, and the games look actiony. I keep thinking that the deadly combination of tedious action bits where it takes forever to kill everything crossed with obtuse backtracking will somehow not be a part of one of the Metroid games... when it's clearly a cornerstone hallmark of the series. Every Metroid game needs these 2 elements otherwise it wouldn't be Metroid, I suppose.

I just started playing Metroid Fusion half an hour ago. It's brutal how clunky this game controls... hell *all* Metroid games control like absolute shit. How is any of this fun?? I get that sometimes a game is "hobbled" in order to add challenge, and in rare cases it actually works well: Steel Diver is a good example of that. But there is still something unsatisfying about Steel Diver, knowing it's intetionally awkward to control... it's just never a good idea to intentionally make terrible/awkward controls for a game.

I haven't tried Metroid: Other M yet. I bought it awhile ago for $9.99, and I'm betting it was a complete waste of $9.99, just as all the Metroid games have been a waste of money for me. If it's like any of the other Metroid games I don't know if I even want to try it.



later
don

Putting the Slide Pad Expansion into context

UPDATE: IGN posted these better pics of the slide pad accessory... it looks better than the original pic, which made the 2nd nub look smaller.






So... Nintendo has tersely confirmed that the Slide Pad Expansion i.e. 2nd analogue nub, is a real accessory coming to the 3DS. From the sounds of it, there is only 1 game scheduled so far that will use it: Monster Hunter 3G.

Nintendo has stumbled into the same controversy that dogged Sony's PSP for the life of that handheld. Will making a 2nd analogue nub split the console userbase between those who have it & those who don't? That's the reason Sony always gave to not put a 2nd nub on the PSP, they didn't want some games to only be playable with a 2nd nub making them unplayable to those who have older PSPs. By making the 3DS one an add-on, it's possible for all generations of 3DS's to play games that may require it. I suspect that Nintendo will revise the 3DS to incorporate the 2nd nub. Maybe that $80.00 price drop is starting to make more sense now, hey?

But... one of the main questions has to be, how many games are actually going to use this 2nd nub? I've already talked about the many add-on peripherals for the Wii. I own the Balance Board, Wii Motion Plus dongle (x2), Wii Zapper, Wii Wheel, & the Classic Controller (a third party one anyway)

And most if not all of them only have a few games that support them.

Closer to home, look at the peripherals released for the DS:

The most famous one might be the Guitar Hero button controller. But as far as I know, only the game it came packed with supports it.



It did have the unfortunate luck of coming out just as Nintendo released the DSi which eliminated the GBA slot it needs to plug in to. Activision must've been pissed about that.


Here's one I was sorta interested in, the paddle controller. It seems like it would be really cool to play Space Invaders Extreme with it.... but again, as far as I know, only 2 games support it (Arkanoid being the other)



Here's one that I actually own! This was such an oddball peripheral, when I saw it + the game on sale at Play-Asia a while ago, I bought it for a cheap price. It lets you slide the DS across a flat surface like a mouse to interact with the game. I actually haven't tried it yet.... it's all in Japanese, but when I have time....







So again, with all these peripherals for Nintendo consoles, all of them have one common factor: very few games support them. Perhaps the widest accepted one is Motion Plus which is now incorporated into all Wii remotes. But personally, I only have like maybe 2 games that need it.

Judging by this history, how will this "Slide Pad Expansion" be any different? Obviously, Monster Hunter 3G will support for sure. Right now it isn't even confirmed that game is coming to North America (I hope it does) but what else? If any third party developer wants to support the 2nd nub add-on, they'll also have to provide alternate controls for those 3DS owners who don't have/don't want/can't get the 2nd nub add-on. I bet even Monster Hunter 3G will have alternate controls to allow this.

Although this is the one peripheral I might say I want-- or feel that we as gamers have a need for-- the most, the track record for peripheral support isn't very good. It will be interesting to see if this one has more success than all the past ones.



later
don

Shaw digital TV network upgrade

I'm pretty depressed today.

Got this letter in the mail with big bold letters saying YOUR CABLE SERVICE IS CHANGING TO DIGITAL TV

And it goes on to say how my cable provider, Shaw, is basically taking away my analog TV service. I have no choice but to switch to digital unless I only want "basic cable".

Basically, "DIGITAL TV" is a digital box that Shaw forces people to use. This box plugs the "analog hole", making it impossible to tape TV shows with a VCR..... or in my case, my Neuros Recorder II+.

I love my Neuros Recorder II+ ever since I got it in Nov. 2007. It records in .MP4 simple profile format which is compatible with my PSP, giving it a lot of functionality for me. Not only do the files play on PSP, but also my Play-Yan Micro (Game Boy Micro, DS Lite) and my current fave handheld, my HTC Legend phone. I tape TV shows all the time for watching on my handhelds when I'm away & bored.

And it looks like that's coming to an end. Shaw sucks. I'm really pissed off about this because there's NO reason for them to remove features from "cable" TV. The truth is that the cable signal I'm getting, the channels are ALREADY broadcasting those in digital. They're just using the mandated switch from analog to digital as a cover to force people into the plans Shaw wants them to have.

Looks like I need to learn up on torrents or something.



later
don

Tetris Party Live

I was going back & forth over which version of Tetris Party to buy for my 3DS:

Tetris Party Deluxe, which is a cartridge that has more game modes, can be playable on my 3DS *or* my DS Lite... but costs $24.99(!) at Best Buy...

Tetris Party Live, which only has the basic Tetris game mode and online multiplayer (which I will probably never use), is downloadable & only playable on my 3DS... but costs $4.99.



Kinda easy to decide when you put it that way.


I figured if I somehow made a horrible mistake and wanted the version other than the one I first bought, I'd be out a bit over $5 bucks, but if I'd bought the cartridge first & realized I only wanted the basic game... that's $28 bucks (with tax) I'd have wasted.

So I've been playing Tetris Party Live for the last couple days. There are actually 2 modes in the basic single player: endless, and "clear 150 lines".

The problem is that I seem to TOTALLY SUCK at Tetris. I've been trying the 150 lines, but by the time I get to 70-80 lines, it simply gets too hard for me to get past. So every game I play ends around the 10 minute mark.

Compare that to Lumines/Lumines II, and while they get very difficult, the difficulty ebbs & flows, so there's a bit of a respite to the relentlessness of the pacing. And I can usually play a 30 minute session of Lumines. But Tetris Party Live, it just speeds up & up until you die (which in my case is very quick)

It's very annoying. Maybe I'll get better, but it just seems a bit, I dunno, harsh with the difficulty ramping up. I don't seem to make any improvement no matter how many games I play. They *ALL* end in about 10 minutes.

And the game generally is very plain. There is a little bit of customization with background & music, but overall it's not a great looking game. Plus, why does it not make use of both screens to play? The top screen is totally wasted, and you can't even choose to display the gameplay on the top rather than on the bottom. The top screen displays the computer when you're playing against it, but it would've been nice if it could've been used better for single player.

Consider yourself lucky, you Lumines PSP players who may've eyed Tetris with envy.... (though Tetris is available on the PS Store so if you were actually envious, you could just buy & download that...) even though Lumines could be considered a "Tetris rip-off", it's still has fairly well-balanced gameplay & great production values to give good gaming sessions, rather than the unrelenting chews-you-up+spits-you-out difficulty of Tetris Party Live.




later
don

Lusting for Tetris

Even though I'm playing the hell out of Steel Diver, I can barely contain my desire for Tetris Party Deluxe (DS).... I've been thinking about getting that game for awhile, and recently for some reason, I'm *really* wanting it. I know my local Best Buy has some copies for $24.99, which I believe is about $5.00 below the original MSRP. Not much of a price drop, I know, but it's Tetris, so I guess it doesn't really drop in price. I was reading about it online, apparently the original Tetris DS cartridge goes for high prices because it had a low print run.


Like I said, I really want Tetris Party Deluxe DS..... but I'm holding out for Canada Day, because Future Shop/Best Buy usually have sales on stat holidays where they'll have games for 10% off. Though lately, they've been pretty chinzy about it; offering just a select type of games for sale & all that. At the time of this writing, Canada Day is about 1 week away.... but man, I could really use some Tetris Party Deluxe DS right now, know what I'm sayin'.... I'm trying to appease my Tetris hunger with a GBA Tetris Worlds rom on my HTC Legend phone, but with the touchscreen D-pad, it just does not suffice.

And I know that a 3DS Tetris is on the way, maybe by late 2011... it's stupid for me to buy a DS version when there will be a 3D version coming. But I *really want* to play some proper Tetris right now.... can't explain it, just need it.


later
don

3DS stylus not good?

This is a bit of a weird complaint, but... is it just me or is the new stylus for the Nintendo 3DS not as good as the ones for the Nintendo DS Lite?

I was a bit hesitant about the new 3DS stylus from what I'd read/seen of it. It's telescoping & I wondered if it would feel solid enough. I'm happy to report that even though it does telescope out, it doesn't feel hollow or particularly weak-- it actually feels pretty good to hold.

Of course the most obvious problem is the placement of the stylus holder in the 3DS body. It's so awkward... I can't tell you how many times I either reached for it or tried to return the stylus to a non-existent holder hole on the right side of the console. Normally I don't even think about it... until now.

But here's an even bigger problem I've noticed.... it feels like the new stylus isn't as responsive or accurate as the older stylus. I'm not sure why-- whether it's the touchscreen itself or the shape of the tip:



It seems that the tip of the 3DS stylus is wider, rather than a small more rounded tip on the DS Lite stylus. With crappy resistive touchscreens like the DS ones, it probably makes a difference.

I was playing Brain Age 2, and you need to do a lot of number writing... right away I noticed with the 3DS stylus the numbers I was writing weren't registering properly. And for Brain Age 2, I write big-- I try to make each number at least 1.5 inches tall. Dragging the 3DS stylus across the screen felt... ugh. Felt bad. Not sure if it's because it's new or if the screen is new or what. But I switched back to the DS Lite stylus and that feels better.

But just playing touchscreen dominating games in general on the 3DS, the touchscreen doesn't feel quite as precise. I've been playing Plants vs. Zombies which is all touchscreen and have a bit of inaccuracy on that game as well.

All the 3DS reviews never really spend much time with the stylus, and don't mentionhow it feels using it on the screen a lot. With simple pokes at a button or whatever type of stylus action-- it's fine. But if you need to write/draw or drag stuff around the screen with it, jeez.... I dunno.


Is it just me experiencing this?



later
don

comparing 3DS & DS Lite playing the same game

Thought I'd do a direct comparison between the 3DS & DS Lite playing the same game..... amazing that no online news site actually did this.... way to not do your jobs Joystiq, Engadget, IGN, Gamespot, etc....

I wanted to test out game sharing, or DS Download Play as Nintendo calls it. Can a DS Lite do local multi-player with a 3DS? The answer is Yes! Here is Mario Kart DS loaded on both systems with one one cartridge, in the DS Lite (hosting).


I took 2 side-by-side pictures switching the positions of the consoles each time, because as can be seen, the external light & whatever other factors affected the device on the left side.





But in both pics you can see that the colour on the 3DS screens is more faded, and colours are different in some places.

The DS Lite:




The 3DS:




The colours & look of the DS games aren't as vibrant on a 3DS, but I wouldn't really notice unless I was looking side-by-side like this. It may bug some people, personally if I had to sell/get rid of my DS Lite & only had a 3DS to play my DS games, I'd be ok with it. Though I still want to keep my DS Lite....

Another point to note is that I did a visual comparison of the screen sizes between the 2 handhelds & to me, it looks like the screen sizes on the 3DS is slightly smaller when playing DS games.

Finally, there is also the point of WRONG INFO being posted by major gaming "news" sites. Joystiq, IGN, maybe others keep saying that to display DS content at its actual resolution on a 3DS (where the image is displayed about 3/4 the size of the screen) you need to press both SELECT & START while tapping on the DS game icon. NO. You hold down *either* SELECT *or* START, not both. It's in the friggin' manual!

Here's a hilariously erroneous video by IGN where Audrey gets just about everything wrong. Aside from the button thing, she mentions that it'll make the cartridge [icon] spin-- again, WRONG. The cartridge icon spins because her thumb brushed against the 3DS microphone. Blowing on it gives the same effect. And for strike three, for some reason they edited the footage to not actually show the correct resolution they're talking about, they cut back to the same stretched footage they showed earlier. It's just a mess of a "tutorial":

More IGN Videos

The smaller, correct resolution makes everything look a bit sharper & more vibrant, which is why I think people are grousing about the upscaling after seeing the actual resolution playback. But the same image shown smaller almost always makes it look more vibrant, right? Trust me, it is not worth playing with the screens this size.



later
don

from 2007: my DS Lite

In anticipation of the 3DS coming out this Sunday, I thought I'd repost some entries from my other blog....



:::NOTE: originally posted in my other blog 8-18-2007 & 8-21-2007:::

DS lite

Ok I'll finally say it.



I'm getting one.


Oh come on... did you really NOT see this coming? Like seriously?


And the DS stands for Dark Side... hehe, just kidding.


There wasn't exactly one killer app per se, but a package deal:



Red & black. That looks NICE.



Damn that colour scheme is sexy. That really does look sweet.



*MmHmmm*.... fold it open honey, show me what you got..... Oh YEAH baby, you KNOW that's what I WANT.... come on sweetcheeks... I want to see that RED interi--



--WHAT DA FUG?! IT'S ONLY ALL BLACK INSIDE?!?

That is seriously disappointing. Not that the black (or is that "Onyx") looks terrible, but for the last month+ I've only had that pic of the DS lite closed to go by & I assumed that the red half was ALL red, you know what I mean?

It just seems like if they made the top half all red, it would look so stylish even when it's open. I am bummed. But I'm still going to buy it if I can get one.



And then there's the case:




It looked not bad.... until.....




It opens up to reveal that there are NO SIDES to it?!? Errr.... WHAT????? As far as cases go, that seems rather useless. I kinda like the slots for the DS games tho. But still, I would put a DS lite in my pocket vertically, so a case with sides is pretty important to me.

Sigh.

That package isn't the only reason I'm getting it. I do want Brain Age 2; my brain is definately turning to mush. I've been playing a lot of Carol Vorderman's Sudoku lately (What was that? No, me neither, but it's Sudoku) on my PSP, I'd been looking for a good Sudoku game on PSP, it suffices. But yeah, I need some games that don't turn my mind to porridge, hopefully BA2 will slow the decay.

So that package, and BA2 are not the only reasons. I've already bought 2 DS games. Yes, I've devolved to the point where I'm now buying games for systems I don't even own yet. I also have a GameCube game (Rogue Squadron II)... not only do I *not* own a Wii to play it on, I don't have the needed GameCube controller + GC memory card to plug into the Wii (which I don't have) to play the game.

I did buy Justice League: The Flash before I had my Game Boy Micro, but I had already ordered the GBM, I just didn't know when I was getting it exactly. These systems I haven't even got on order. Just some vague hope that I will get them. Someday.


Sad.


DS lite

So I bought that DS Brain Age 2 bundle I was talking about. Popped into Future Shop this morning, there was one really fat large guy in front of me buying it... they had a display stand set up but hadn't yet stocked it. The DS's were still in the shipping box.



Man... the actual DS package box was a total nightmare though! Of all the things i'm worried about with the DS; dead pixels, hinge cracks, the LAST thing I'd ever have expected was that the BOX would be a COMPLETE sonnuva-bitch to deal with.


It looks great in the pictures:





From those pictures, it looks like it'd be easy enough to open. Not so. Every flap was glued, and not the hard glue that you give a bit of a tug & it cracks, this was wet glue that was SUPER sticky.... not just in dabs, but COMPLETELY coated on the flaps. I used a butter knife to try to pry one of the flaps up--- *THEN* I used a hair dryer to try to soften the glue.... even after ALL THAT, I realized that I was not going to get more than 1 flap open that way. So I pulled another flap as far from the box as possible, & took an X-Acto knife to it.... trying very hard not to nick the delicate contents inside. I nicked the inside flap, which came really close to the box with the DS in it. Why did Nintendo have to make such a retarded packaging? Especially considering how comparitively easy the DS box & the Game Boy Micro box are to open than this monster.

Once that was over with, I charged it up & have had some on/off time with it... I gotta say, the DS is a pretty neat system. I was surprised that the body has a matte finish that feels rough in texture. And the system feels more toy-like than the PSP, yet it's still elegant. It's so light; I almost couldn't believe how much lighter it feels than the PSP. I'm still getting used to the stylus, I don't want to press hard on the screen. Not sure if I'm going to get some screen protectors, like Invisible Shield or Bestskinsever.

I am very nervous about the hinge crack issue... I've heard that black DS's don't suffer as many cracked hinges as white ones... but this is anecdotal testimony from gamers, so I don't expect much intelligent analysis has been done. It's like if anyone ever tells you that PSPs don't have many cases of dead pixels any more, they're an idiot.

And I'm concerned about dead pixels on the DS. My screens look great so far. We'll have to see in a week, hopefully it'll continue. My Game Boy Micros don't have any dead pixels at all.

When I open my DS up, it makes a loud snap when it's opened right up. That kind of scares me. I hope that's natural, maybe to lock it into position or something?

One of the games I bought before I got the DS is Star Trek: Tactical Assault. I know, back when I got it for PSP I ragged on it pretty hard, but one of my main complaints was that even though the game is exclusive to BOTH the PSP & DS, they obviously favoured the DS version for some inane reason. So I figured the DS one would be fun, especially since they have the touchscreen to add controls. It is interesting to compare the same game on both handhelds, the DS one definately takes a hit in graphics & presentation. Graphics aren't everything in gaming, but still, man. The DS screen is nice & bright, it still looks great in situations where the PSP would be completely washed out, like in daylight.... but PSP graphics are definately a step up in quality.

Yesterday I was in Wal-Mart still looking for a Wii... and some tall guy with his mom comes in, he gets her to ask about the Brain Age 2 DS... the guy working the electronics doesn't normally work that section regularly (he tells them that) and he knows NOTHING about electronics. They don't have them in, and he says they sold out. So the guy buys an Onyx DS.... I *could've* told him that Future Shop was getting them in the next day... but after all this Wii craziness crap, I'm just not going to give anyone a leg up-- over me. I hope that karma doesn't come back to bite me... I feel a bit sorry for the sucker buying a regular DS the day before the one he wants went on sale, but hey, it's not like I told him to buy a DS right then & there. He could've waited & done some research if he wanted the BA2 DS that bad.

Now to go seek some more approval from a disembodied, floating nerd head.





later
don

3DS pre-order madness

So I am completely nuts, right? I think I established that when I bought 4 freakin' PSPs (recap: 1 PSP-1001, 2 SW white PSP-2001s, 1 PSPgo)

Not crazy enough? How about 2 Game Boy Micros-- 1 with a black faceplate, 1 with a gray faceplate. And YES, I *know* that the GBA Micro faceplates are replaceable..... I dunno. Just crazy, I am.

So in late January 2011, I get all whipped up into a frenzy for the 3DS. I preorder the Cosmo Black one online from Future Shop.

But then... I really wanted the Aqua Blue one. So I preorder that one from Best Buy's website. I wait a couple weeks before deciding that I really want the blue, so I cancel the black preorder from Future Shop's website.

But then... Future Shop offers a free case & extra styluses (stylii?) with preorder. Best Buy gives me nuthin' extra with my preorder. Hmmm.


So today... I went into Future Shop & checked to see if they had an in-store preorder. Turns out they do; you buy a little cardboard 3DS voucher thing that looks just like a PSN card or game card, and put down either a $25.00 minimum deposit or all the way up to full purchase price. I only put down the $25.00, because I want to be sure I get a receipt dated the release day for warranty purposes. I asked the guy about the free case & stuff, and he assured me that they'd include it, and I made sure that if I pre-ordered a 3DS in the store, that I would get it.... he said I would, that one would be set aside for me until I picked it up.

Buying it in-store seems better because then I'll get it the first day (it comes out on a Sunday, March 27,2011) I'm betting that online orders are shipped March 28.... meaning it could be a week before I'd get it in the mail.....


So yeah-- I pre-ordered from Futureshop.ca, pre-ordered from Bestbuy.ca, cancelled my pre-order from Futureshop.ca, cancelled my pre-order from Bestbuy.ca, and pre-ordered in store at my local Future Shop. Got all that?

At least I'm only buying one......

... but I'm *still* really liking the black one too.....

... like I said, crazy.


Oh yeah-- and I bought Plants vs. Zombies DS (cartridge format).


later
don

3DS & DS Lite size

As with every console be it handheld or home console, there's always tons of MISinformation floating around about it before it's released. It's laughable all the misinformation & wrong facts that can be found about the PSP back in 2005. Even sites like IGN proliferated wrong info... these sites should know better.

So one of the wrong "facts" about the 3DS people are assuming is that because the screens have higher resolution than the previous DS iterations, that the 3DS screens are actually physically larger than them also (aside from the DSiXL series of course)

But a Wikipedia check of the stats points out:

screen size:

3DS - (top screen) - 3.53 in (90 mm) effectively 400 × 240
(bottom screen) - 3.02 in (77 mm), 320 × 240


DS Lite - 3.0 in (76 mm), 256 × 192 px


I bold the pertinent point-- the bottom 3DS screen is only 1mm larger than the DS Lite screens. Yes, the top screen is wider obviously, but it doesn't look taller, it may in fact be smaller from top to bottom because of the 16 x 9 proportion... which this side-by-side pic I found bears out:



So the 3DS will offer a fuzzier image of DS games on its screens.. but the actual screen image will be the same size. A lot of people seem to be ok with fuzzy images because they think they're getting a bigger screen out of the deal when they aren't. It's like accepting that a standard-def image shown on a big screen TV will be fuzzier. Except what if you're getting a SAME size screen TV that shows a fuzzier image than one you're used to seeing?



At this point I have no idea how DS games look on the 3DS, but I'm preparing myself to accept they may not look as good as on my DS lite. But it's not like my DS Lite immediately stops working the minute I bring a 3DS home-- it better not-- 'cause I *love* my DS Lite......

I'm starting to think that even though the 3DS looks like a DS with more added into it..... it's NOT a DS. It's a DS EMULATOR when it's playing DS games. If you keep that in mind, it may keep expectations in check.

The misinformation about the 3DS size has been an advantage for me in one way though: I've been seeing a few DS Lite cases for dirt cheap... cases that will probably fit the 3DS just fine. I bought this (very faux) leather slip case for $0.96.... good thing people don't know any better otherwise they might get the same idea as me....



later
don

Club Nintendo pouch arrrived

Yeaahhh.... ordered on Monday, shows up on Thursday! I love how fast Nintendo Canada sends me stuff!

True to Nintendo form, it came in a very basic package-- just the pouch in a clear plastic bag, but with one addition: a little thank-you note from Club Nintendo:

It says, "THANK YOU for your feedback! We hope you enjoy your Club Nintendo reward. Your valuable input helps us create new opportunities to bring smiles to our fans."




The pouch is a bit big compared to my DS Lite, but it's not freakishly so.




This is what it looks like with my DS Lite inside:





The pouch is reversible. As can be seen in the pics, the red side has a little 8-bit Mario and the word "Nintendo" on a patch that is stitched onto the pouch. The inside is a beige-ish colour that has the "Club Nintendo" logo printed on the corner. I think the Club Nintendo logo actually looks a bit better than the Mario one...




Both sides feel very velvety & soft. It's simple but this is what a gadget pouch should feel like. I can't wait to put my 3DS in this thing.

Thanks Club Nintendo!



later
don

Wii games to get rid of

Man.... I need to free up some space. I've been going through my games stockpile, and there are a bunch I think I simply need to get rid of. Some of them I've played, enjoyed, but I'm pretty sure I won't play again-- like Deadly Creatures-- others I've played, did not like them nearly as much as I thought I would-- like House of the Dead: Overkill-- and others are games that I just couldn't really get into.... I don't think I'm an RPG fan (Jeanne D'Arc) or an RTS fan (Field Commander)

So here's my pile of games to get rid of... there are more PSP games not pictured.



This is just maybe 1/4 of my game collection? I don't know. All I know is I keep my Wii/Xbox games in a cabinet, and this pile are games that can't fit in there. I need to sell off some games before I can buy more....

There are 2 must-buy games on my list for the rest of this year: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) and Ace Combat: Joint Assault (PSP). Hopefully I'll keep my games impulse-buying to a minimum before then....


later
don

E3 2010 big winner - Nintendo 3DS

Pretty much what I expected, the 3DS looks to deliver the goods, and maybe a few surprises... though also a few too many predicted features that don't look like they're happening.

Basically, it is a DS with 3-D capabilities. But the added analogue nub-- I think they call it "slide control"-- as well as the extra-wide top 3-D screen... give it that bit of added cool that I was looking for. Basically, those features make it look like a PSP was mushed into the DS design a bit.

Honestly, the analogue nub was the feature I was most excited about. I actually like having a joystick control for games, and with that on the 3DS, I'm hoping we'll see a lot more "3D" games (not the visual effect 3-D, but you know, the perspective of looking over the character's back or even first person as opposed to top-down view or side-scrolling)

Keeping with that desire for more 3D action games on the DS, I would actually be very cool with the idea of a future Star Wars Battlefront game being on the 3DS, and keeping the traditional 3D perspective unlike the isometric top-down view in the DS version of Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron. Hopefully we'll stop seeing developers "dumb down" games for the DS if the 3DS can pump out PSP-level processing.

One of the 3DS surprises for me was the 2 cameras on the front. So it can take pictures in 3-D, which is kinda cool... I like it more than the regular camera of the DSi because it's now unique.

I'm also getting pretty excited about the 3DS's announced games list:

Activision

* DJ Hero 3D



AQ Interactive

* Cubic ninja


Atlus

* Shin Megami Tensei
* Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
* Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor


Capcom

* Resident Evil Revelations
* Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (name not final)


EA

* EA FIFA Soccer
* Madden NFL
* The Sims 3
*

Gameloft

* Asphalt DS


Harmonix

* Music Game


Hudson Soft

* Bomberman franchise
* Deca Sports franchise
* Kororinpa franchise


Konami

* Baseball franchise
* Contra franchise
* Frogger franchise
* Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D "The Naked Sample"
* Pro Evolution Soccer franchise / Winning Eleven franchise


Level-5

* Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (name not final)

Majesco Entertainment

* BloodRayne: The Shroud
* A Boy and His Blob
* Face Racers: Photo Finish
* Lion's Pride: Adventures on the Serengeti
* Martha Stewart
* WonderWorld Amusement Park


Marvelous

* Bokujyoumonogatari (Harvest Moon) 3D (name not final)


Namco

* Dragon Ball franchise (name not final)
* Gundam franchise (name not final)
* PAC-MANTM & GALAGATM (name not final)
* Ridge Racer (name not final)
* Super Robot franchise (name not final)

Nintendo

* Animal Crossing Kid Icarus: Uprising
* Mario Kart
* nintendogs + cats
* Paper Mario
* PilotWings Resort
* Star Fox 64 3D
* Steel Diver


Rocket

* Crash-City GP
* VS-robo


Sega

* Sonic (name not final)
* Super Monkey Ball (name not final)


Square Enix

* CODENAME: Chocobo Racing
* 3D Dragon Quest franchise
* Final Fantasy franchise
* Kingdom Hearts franchise


Take-Two Interactive

* Carnival Games franchise


Tecmo Koei

* Dead or Alive 3D (name not final)
* Dynasty Warriors (name not final)
* Ninja Gaiden (name not final)
* Samurai Warriors 3D (name not final)


TOMY

* Lovely Lisa 3D
* Naruto Shippuden Action


THQ

* de Blob 2
* Kung Fu Panda
* Kaboom of Doom
* Marvel Super Hero Squad
* Infinity Gauntlet
* The Penguins of Madagascar
* Puss N Boots
* Saints Row: Drive-By


Ubisoft

* Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy
* Battle of Giants: Dinosaur Strike
* Driver Renegade Hollywood 61 (name not final)
* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory


Warner Bros

* Batman franchise
* LEGO franchise


There are quite a few more "hardcore" games on the list, which really surprises me. Right now I'm psyched for a new Ridge Racer, Resident Evil(!), Kororinpa, BloodRayne, Saints Row...

Like I said with the PSP post, with the action titles & long-standing franchises like Metal Gear Solid, it looks like they're going after the remaining PSP-fanbase, saying, "that ship is going down, just come on over to the DS already... we're going to give you some hardcore gaming that the dead PSP won't supply anymore because all the devs have fled it (and come over to us)..." this kind of thinking really surprises me because "hardcore" games haven't done as well as hoped on the DS... people often cite poor sales of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars as a prime example. I hope that third-party devs & Nintendo are going to give it more tries.

But there are a few disappointments with this initial announcement of the 3DS. Like WHEN and HOW MUCH???? But also, yes it has an analogue nub... but only ONE. *Gulp*... did no one learn anything from the PSP?????? It might be argued that the Wii only has one analogue stick, but given the problems with controlling 3D games on that system, it's not a benefit. Maybe developers will run into the same frustrations that the PSP gave them when trying to create 3D action games.... not having a 2nd analogue nub to control look. though I still contend that using the face buttons for look/camera control is adequate, even if it's not as good as having a 2nd analogue nub. But it's just as adequate for the PSP which a lot of people/devs seem to disagree with...

Also, even though Nintendo hinted at movie playback by saying we can watch 3-D movies on it (another big surprise to me because Nintendo firmly believes in categorizing their systems as "toys" instead of media players like the PSP. Yes, the DSi has a bit of music/picture capabilities, but it's so limited and they really tried to turn those features into "games") so even though there's the promise of video playback on the 3DS, I'm highly doubtful that it will be as good as the PSP, that we'd even be able to load movies onto the 3DS ourselves. I'm betting movie functionality will be limited to downloading purchased vids from the Nintendo network or whatever. That would suck & I wouldn't bother, I'm not interested in DRMed video that I have to pay for.

And... it looks like rumble is not on the system. That was another of the many rumours swirling about, and I knew it was a long shot.

The bottom line is that even though there are a few nice additions, it still seems like a DS, with 3-D added onto it... rather than a fully new system. I'd like to see the top screen a bit bigger too.

Still, Nintendo has hit... not quite a home run yet, but it's sailing long & high right now. I'm excited for the 3DS & I'm pretty sure I've already decided to buy it.


later
don

E3 2010 coming soon

I've been looking forward to the news to come out of this year's E3 for months.... obviously for me, the big bit of news I'm most looking forward to is more info about Nintendo's 3DS.

At this point, nobody knows how it will work, really. But it's scary how LITTLE gaming websites actually know about 3-D in general. Even scarier when tech sites like Engadget also show little/no knowledge of the tech.

I'm certainly no expert, but I have seen the no-glasses-3-D in action, at the Shanghai airport last year. I've also seen the glasses-required-Samsung 3-D-TV on display at Future Shop. People keep comparing all 3-D to the movie Avatar... but if you've actually seen a few sources of 3-D on a smaller scale, you'd realize how idiotic such comparisons are.

Here's how I think the 3-D will look like with the 3DS: imagine the screen being a box, about 1 inch deep. Now imagine the objects in the box-- let's say Mario in a Super Mario Bros. game-- look like paper cutouts, placed at different depths within that 1 inch box. Nothing comes OUT of the screen, just like actors don't leap out of the stage onto your lap while performing a play.

I suspect the 3DS will just make it look like the screen has a bit of depth behind it. It won't be revolutionary, but maybe that will be kind of cool depending on if the developers have enough imagination to make use of it.

I have to admit I can't remember exactly what the images on the "no glasses" 3-D TVs at the Shanghai airport looked like, whether they popped out of the screen or what (I think they did, a bit) but I do distinctly remember that the glasses-required Samsung 3-D TV only had a "inside a box" effect when playing Monsters vs. Aliens.

The other big news *might* be the announcement of PSP2. But it's so iffy that Sony will drop the announcement at E3, it's hard to have my hopes up. I'd like to see it, I think it's PAST time they released a truly next generation version of the PSP, with **TWO ANALOGUE NUBS ALREADY**.....ahem. Sorry, but come on. We all know it should have them. That's the single biggest mistake Sony made with the PSP, and considering all the mistakes they have made, that's saying a lot.

Because of those 2 news items, this E3 is my most anticipated in years. I sure hope they don't disappoint.


later
don

3DS - new DS to be revealed at E3?

Wow-- the inturwebz are totally buzzing about a new DS coming... tentatively called the "3DS".... it's basically supposed to be a DS with 3D technology. And according to the reports, you're not going to need special glasses to view the 3D. Neat!

[Joystiq link]

That's one of the things that really bugged me about CES last January; all the supposedly-cutting-edge 3D TV technology required the viewer to wear glasses to see the 3D images. When I was in China, I was in an airport-- I think it was Shanghai-- and they had 3D TV screens above the Customs check through, that you could see the 3D *without* using special glasses. I couldn't spend much time watching it, so maybe it would hurt your eyes to watch it for too long... but it seems like it can be done.

Though that would be my concern about a "3D DS"-- would it be comfortable to play it for long periods or would it give you headaches? 3D in general seems far too gimmicky to be a viable step forward in technology.


We'll find out more about the 3DS at E3... 3 months away.... hmmm.



later
don

Dementium: The Ward

I'm playing Dementium: The Ward.... first off, the production values for this DS horror game are terrific. This is a really nice looking and sounding game that pushes the system near to its limits the way few other DS games seem to do.... games like this and MechAssault: Phantom War show that even though the DS is not as powerful as the PSP, it's still capable of quite a lot with 3D-graphics gameplay.

Dementium also has smooth controls: the D-pad controls your movement; you can double tap & hold up on the pad to run... and the stylus & bottom screen controls your look/aiming. What's cool is that the bottom screen doesn't require a display or "space" your stylus has to sit on to aim properly, it feels fairly precise & smooth and the bottom screen shows info so as to maximize efficiency of it. My big beef with the controls is that there should have been an option to control look using the DS face buttons. Holding the stylus makes it difficult to support the DS with 2 hands and it gets tiring playing because of it. If I could use the face buttons to look it would be a lot more comfortable to play.

But as great as the production and controls are, the game is nearly *ruined* by the absolute craptastic save system. You can spend 30 minutes to 1+ hours going through a level, die at a boss battle or a tough enemy... and then you have to start the level (called "Chapters") from the beginning-- losing everything you collected or puzzles you've solved.

Another major problem is respawning enemies: you go through a room, kill off some zombies or whatever, then go through a door. If you go back through the door you came in, to the room you just cleared, guess what? Yup, all those enemies are back. That is an antiquated, outdated form of game design that should have died off about 25 years ago. It's inexcusable to have such a crap feature unless it's important to gameplay; some games need to have respawning enemies because you need to get something from them or whatever. In those cases, then it makes sense. But that is NOT the case here.

Developer Renegade Kid needs to read my post about the art of save points... like seriously, what were they thinking with this kind of save design? They clearly worked very hard to craft a really nice game... it's like smearing ketchup over a beautiful painting.... what a waste.

The awful save system & their *stubborn* refusal to allow face button look/aim control... I can tell it's *stubborness* because they could have revised their oversight with their followup game Moon, but they didn't; it controls this exact same way too... with no option for face buttons to control aiming... but it's the moronic save system that really ruins the game; making what would otherwise be a fun creepy experience... instead becomes a repetitive chore with much of the fun sapped out of it.



later
don

Retro Game Challenge

I've really been loving my DS lately. It's just been such a fun little gaming machine (part of that may be due to *cough*)

I just started playing Retro Game Challenge. It's a collection of old pseudo-classic games from the mid-80's. What sets it apart is how they present the collection: you (the player) are "trapped" by some insane gamer guy, who makes you play all these old "retro-style"games. But what's weird is that you are transported to this guy's past, and you're in his living room sitting beside a version of him as a child. He talks to you, and shares his game collection, magazines, etc. But then there are screens with the grown-up version of him where he's like this Matrix-style guy crossed with the professor-head-guy from Brain Age, and he sort of mildly taunts you... it's all very weird, but actually quite a cool way to package this collection.

There are about 8 retro games that are knockoffs of actual '80's videogame genres; like there's a total Galaga clone, an platforming game series, another shmup (space shoot-em-up) like Galaga, a racing game much like Rally-X, there's even an old-style RPG game.... and you'd think these knockoffs would be throwaway versions without much thought to them. But they are actually quite good games in their own right. To progress in the overall game you need to complete challenges in the retro games, like do some obscure action in a game or score a certain number of points. The challenges can be challenging, but they haven't felt cheap so far. That's what makes Retro Game Challenge a step above other compilations-- the games are pretty solid. And there's the overall story arc of being transformed back into a kid playing these games in front of an old TV with a "frienemy" (on the lower screen) who not only talks to you about things like "shovelware", but also shares new issues of a video game magazine you can read in game... and you want to read them because they contain cheat codes and hints about the games you play. Not to mention the funny little digs at '80's gaming. It's terrific stuff.

My complaints are minor ones, the biggest being the lack of variety for this collection.... only 8 games I think, and some are sequels of earlier games in the collection-- so technically there's only 6 or so different games. Doesn't sound like much but at least they're good. And the overall story arc of the 2 kids (one of them being you, the player) talking about video games in the '80's can sometimes be corny and tedious, though it's worth it because it really reminds us of the fun & wonder of the early video game era.

It's clear that the developers of Retro Game Challenge love video games, and their nostalgia of the 8-bit era really shows through in this collection. If you like those old classic compilations, this is one to check out. It's got a lot of primitive charm that keeps me hooked.


later
don

Nintendo Game & Watch series - Donkey Kong II

The other day I had to do some cleaning out of a storage room, and I came across one of my old handheld system from waaaaay back. Presenting from Nintendo's Game & Watch series-- Donkey Kong II! (click on pics to view larger)



I like how on the bottom right corner it says "MULTI SCREEN".... hmm, is that something like.... Dual Screen???

We all know that Sony recycled the basic design of the PSPgo from the Sony Mylo.... but it's clear here that Nintendo is no stranger to recycling designs themselves. When I first saw the DS Lite I was immediately reminded of my old Donkey Kong II game, but I couldn't remember where it was.... so today I decided to compare the two.



The game premise of Donkey Kong II is that Donkey Kong Jr. must rescue his dad, who's chained on the top screen by Mario! I know Donkey Kong kinda deserved it after kidnapping Mario's (then) girlfriend Pauline and throwing all those barrels down on him in the original Donkey Kong game, but who knew Mario was so vindictive??



DK Jr throws a key from the bottom to the top screen, then jumps over snappers, electric sparks and once at the top screen he throws the key again (randomly) to one of the 4 chain's locks. He dodges ravens as he climbs up the vine (can't go from vine to vine, only straight up/down) and unlocks each chain one at a time until all 4 are done. Then Donkey Kong falls off the side of the platform he's on and DK Jr catches him! The cycle repeats.

There are 2 difficulty settings: "Game A" and "Game B". The graphics are LCD cutouts, and there's no backlight, so you need really good lighting to see things properly. And that's about all there is to it. Oh yeah-- when not playing the game, it shows the time, and there's an alarm setting as well. What more do you need from a handheld in the mid-'80's?

My DK II handheld has a broken clasp; it was originally a thin plastic clasp on the top panel that snapped the 2 panels locked. I remember it having a white discoloration from the plastic being stressed. I'm not sure how it broke off completely... must've happened in storage.

It takes 2 LR-44 watch/calculator batteries in it, which I picked up from London Drugs. Since there's not real "graphics" to speak of, I imagine the power consumption requirements are pretty low and it should have a fairly long battery life.

A fun little memory burn and a reminder that I've been a handheld addict for a lot longer than getting my first PSP in 2006.....


UPDATE: there's actually a flash version of the game! That's pretty cool, that's pretty much what it is like, though the colours aren't as vivid.


later
don