Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

I bought Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon a couple weeks ago when it was on sale at Future Shop for $29.99.

It's a slow-paced puzzle adventure with incredibly poor, clunky controls. But the graphics and production values are fairly good.

What kills this game is when you need to suck up the ghosts, the controls are not good, but the worst is that when you activate the vacuum or flashlight, you can only point it in one direction. If you want to move your beam you need to turn it off and change the way you're facing and turn it on again... It's not very responsive because Luigi is way more sluggish than the ghosts he has to defeat. So it makes combat a real chore... in fact the controls are quite awful and wreck what could have been a better game.

The pacing is slow, because it's like a point and click... only you don't have a mouse control so you have to walk up to everything and suck/shine your blacklight on it, or press X. It makes for some pretty tedious gameplay when it should be fun.

Originally this game was going to be called Luigi's Mansion 2, and it references the first Gamecube game quite a bit. As soon as you're dropped into the story it expects you've played the Gamecube game... WTF?? That might have been ok if they made the GC game available on Wii/Wii U as a download, but most people can't find it or if they only have a Wii U or Wii Mini, can't even play Gamecube games.

Unfortunately like the Mario games, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon looks good, but I don't know if it is actually much fun to play.

The sluggish controls ruin this game. Nintendo and developer Next Level Games, you should be ashamed for putting out such a sub-standard product.


Later
Don

Downloaded Resident Evil:The Mercenaries 3D

 

   

I broke down and downloaded this game from the 3DS eShop.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D eShop download is 4714 blocks.  Hehe, there is nowhere that seems to state that plainly and so obviously, any search for that info should direct here  ^_^

There's no demo for Resident Evil: Revelations as there was on the original cartridge, but it's available as a free download from the Nintendo eShop anyway. The options are New Game or Continue, so there appears to be only one save file, and it also appears to be deletable! Good news there.


later
don

Resident Evil Revelations

I've been trying to play through Resident Evil: Revelations again... I bought the game awhile ago and finished the campaign once. This game is truly heartbreaking in how souless it is.

I have to say, on my first playthrough, Resident Evil: Revelations was... ok. It started off really good for about the first half of the campaign, but not much action. Unfortunately, when it does get to the action in the latter half, the game just falls apart. The water levels where you're either wading through or swimming are just TEDIOUS and terrible, despite the actual swimming mechanic being based on the Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow PSP game... which works well for the most part. It's the aggravating little-girl-sounding dolphin monsters that break the gameplay during this section-- which goes on way longer than anyone would ever want it to. I had a wretched time slogging through this crap.

Then they throw in a timer section that is nigh-impossible to do without running out of time on the first run, and turret missions, and Resident Evil: Revelations just runs out of any real sense of fun that it was building to in the first half.

What pisses me off is that they are porting it to the consoles, and all the crap gaming sites are acting like it will be the second coming or something; they are pounding out article after article about Resident Evil: Revelations, as if it is a really good game. Yes, Resident Evil: Revelations does look and sound very good. But compared to Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Resident Evil: Revelations unfortunately doesn't hold a candle to it,  because of the stale pacing of the gameplay and the broken campaign, there is even LESS replay value than there is in the notoriously-light-on-content Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. That's just sad.

I hope people who haven't played the 3DS version of Resident Evil: Revelations aren't fooled into thinking that it's a really good game, based on all the inexplicably good press the console port is getting-- that, by the way, as of this writing hasn't even come out yet.

I'm currently playing Resident Evil 6 on PS3, and it is a better game than Revelations. Unfortunately, RE6 has a unnecessarily convoluted control scheme that damages the gameplay considerably.



later
don

Super Mario just plain sucks

I'm sorry, but the Super Mario franchise just plain sucks. I actually *AM* sorry that it does, because there is so much that's appealing about it... it is truly heart-breaking for the gameplay to be so bloody awful.

It's on the even of the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2.... a game that I WOULD NOT OWN if Nintendo PAID ME to own it. Let's put it this way--  I'd rather stomp on the cartridge, smash it to pieces with a hammer and set it on fire than try to finish it. I'm sure that smashing MYSELF with a hammer would be more fun than playing it.

I already know it's complete garbage, because every other Super Mario game blows. The basic construction and gameplay design of them is deeply flawed.

What's really bad is that the look of the game is so nice and cheerful. It fools a lot of people into thinking these are accessible games for children, when in reality they are so hard most children can barely complete 10% of the game. This franchise is largely responsible for driving the casual game market. People try out a Mario game, find out it's way way harder than it looks, give up on games, and come back as an adult when they find a few casual games on their iPhone. Nintendo's insistence on creating the same stingy-hard, with unchanging basic gameplay philosophy is what is killing Nintendo and slowly driving people away-- these games are less inviting, more elitist "hardcore gamer pwns" bullshit.

A game shouldn't require a walkthrough just to finish it. And power-ups-- how stupid is it to give only 2 slots for them? So basically if you don't ever die, you can use them... otherwise the game may as well not have power-ups at all because you die and they're gone just like that... making them almost useless. The Mario games are only good at giving players what they need only when they don't need it-- like being able to save at any time in New Super Mario Bros. *ONLY* after you've finished the game... when it almost doesn't even matter.

Then there's the damn LAG in the game controls... 1-2 seconds of lag before Mario reacts to any command-- jump, run whatever. Plus using the same buttons to do different things... moronic game design 101. Mario can do "special" jumps using the trigger button, but the game misinterprets the commands all the time since they use the same buttons, like trying to pull off a long jump or roll. Why is control lag railed against any time a game suffers from it--except the Mario games get a total free pass? Super Mario 3D Land is so laggy it's almost unplayable.


Just die already, Mario franchise.


All that said... there are times that, while I don't necessarily LOVE the Super Mario games, I do like them. They are fun-- at times. But so frustrating MOST of the time.


later
don

Pathetic 3DS games list for 2012

I am so angry, I want to smash something. The list of upcoming 3DS games is simply awful.

So much of this crap is shovelware that is based on crappy licensed properties like toys or movies. Being based on a toy or movie doesn't AUTOMATICALLY make a game crap. But you can tell that most of these are going to be half-hearted efforts where whoever is making them doesn't give a shit about making an actual good game.

There looks to be a few RPG titles there maybe, but I am not an RPG fan.

Why is Capcom nowhere to be found on the list? The only game I'm sort of interested in is the upcoming Castlevania game, and it's not even announced a release date yet?



Activision Publishing, Inc. - Angry Birds Trilogy - October
Activision Publishing, Inc. - Bratz: Fashion Boutique - October
Activision Publishing, Inc. - Lalaloopsy: Carnival of Friends - October
Activision Publishing, Inc. - Moshi Monsters Moshlings Theme Park - October
Activision Publishing, Inc. - Skylanders Giants - Oct. 21
Activision Publishing, Inc. - TRANSFORMERS PRIME - Oct. 30
Activision Publishing, Inc. - The Trash Pack - October
Activision Publishing, Inc. - Wipeout 3 - October
Activision Publishing, Inc. - Wreck It Ralph - October



Aksys Games Localization, Inc. - Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward - Oct. 23
ATLUS (Index Digital Media, Inc.) - Code of Princess - Oct. 9
D3Publisher - Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game - Nov. 20
D3Publisher - Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! - Fall
D3Publisher - Ben 10: Omniverse - Fall
Disney Interactive - Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion - Nov. 18
Disney Interactive - Disney·Pixar Finding Nemo - September
Disney Interactive - Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure - September
Electronic Arts - FIFA 13 - September
GameMill Entertainment - Hotel Transylvania - Sept. 18
Majesco Entertainment - Hello Kitty Picnic - October
Maximum Games - 50 Classic Games - October
Maximum Games - American Mensa Academy - October
Maximum Games - Junior Classic Games - October
Maximum Games - Jett Tailfin - November
Natsume Inc. - Harvest Moon: A New Beginning - Q4
Nintendo - New Super Mario Bros. 2 - Aug. 19
Nintendo - Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! - Oct. 1
Nintendo - Crosswords Plus - Oct. 1
Nintendo - Style Savvy: Trendsetters - Oct. 22
Nintendo - Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - Oct. 28
Nintendo - Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! - Nov. 5
Nintendo - Paper Mario: Sticker Star - Nov. 11
SEGA - Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - Nov. 20
Storm City Entertainment - Chevrolet Camaro Wild Ride - August
Storm City Entertainment - Old Skool Classics - September
Storm City Entertainment - Word Wizard 3D - September
Telegames, Inc. - Classic Games Overload: Card and Puzzle Edition - November
Ubisoft - Rayman Origins - Q3 (probably meant to be Rayman Legends, not Origins... got this list from NintendoLife)
Ubisoft - Imagine Babyz - Oct. 23
Ubisoft - Imagine Fashion Life - Oct. 23
Ubisoft - Petz Countryside - Nov. 6
Ubisoft - Rabbids Rumble - Holiday
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment - LEGO The Lord of the Rings - Fall
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment - Spy Hunter - Fall
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment - Scribblenauts Unlimited - Holiday
XSEED Games - Unchained Blades - Summer



About the only games that show any hint of being good are:

Spy Hunter
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Rayman Legends

And of those 3, only Spy Hunter sounds vaguely like something I really want to play. I've played Super Scribblenauts (DS) and Rayman Origins (Wii) and both were... meh.

So out of this entire crappy list... ONE game that MIGHT show promise. It could just as easily turn out to be another Driver Renegade 3DS disaster. At this point, who knows?

"Awesome"... from right now, August, to December 2012-- I have about ONE game to look forward to... if only they announced that EX troopers game for North America, at least that would give me some hope.

How can the 3DS not be in trouble with a shitty game list like this?



later
don

What's missing from all the 3DS XL reviews

Some points that keep getting overlooked from all the 3DS XL reviews out there:

-What does the inside panel feel like? It looks matte?

-They say the corners are more rounded so they don't jam into your palms the way the 3DS does (I find it very painful myself) but what about those holes for the lanyard strap? Since they are on the corners, will they push into our hands during marathon gaming sessions?

-Does the circle pad feel too high up on the body?

-A big one: What about the screen scratch issue? This has NEVER been addressed, even though it's a major problem almost as bad as the notorious dead pixel issue that plagued the first generation PSP. A site called ONM even has a noticeably scratched 3DS in its review video (skip to 1:15 to see it) yet they fail to acknowledge it. I took some screenshots:











The 3DS XL has 2 round pads above the top screen, what looks good is that they seem to line up so they lay against the raised part of the bottom screen-- on paper, that should mean that it's impossible for that raised part to mark the top screen like it does on the 3DS-- in theory, anyway....

-How much space does the new battery take up? Any reviewers thought of taking a screw driver to the back? Have any reviews even MENTIONED if the battery is user replaceable?

At least Engadget posted a size comparison to the Vita (finally...)




It's not that big when you see it in scale with the PS Vita. The Vita doesn't feel too large (at least not after me using it almost daily) and I think that tablets have accustomed us to the larger form factor-- compared to a 10" tablet, the Vita & I imagine the 3DS XL wouldn't feel that big.

-How does DS  & older software look on it? How do touchscreen based games play on it? I'm really curious about Steel Diver, one of my favourite 3DS games-- I think it may be more difficult to play on a larger screen because the controls are farther apart, and Kirby Mass Attack which may be easier to play because there's more space to control the Kirbys.


Some points that have been forgotten or ignored by tech reviewers so far. If and when I get a 3DS XL, I will try to cover some of them.



later
don

Summer of Handheld Gaming Discontent

Wow. No doubt about it now-- we are in the handheld gaming dark ages.

I ranted about a handheld gaming drought of early 2012 back in April... better revise that to drought of mid 2012 now.

The 3DS has been out for a year and a half now, and even though I have a bunch of games, I only play ONE  game on it regularly, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries.

The Playstation Vita has only been out since February, and I have a few games for it, only ONE of which I play on it regularly, Unit 13.

One game for each system is not enough, as much as I played the hell out of them, they are starting to wear out their welcome.

What's worse, there's practically nothing coming for these systems in the future. I haven't heard about ANY upcoming titles for PS Vita, and 3DS only has a VERY FEW games of note. The most anticipated title, hell I think it may be my most anticipated title of this year, Heroes of Ruin will finally drop in North America in mid-July. Other than that there's Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and maybe the Castlevania game. That's all I see on the horizon at this point. Don't get me started on New Super Mario Bro 2. At this point, I've given up on Mario. I'm done with that franchise.

The PS Vita looks completely abandoned. Did Sony or anybody announce *ANY* new Vita games at E3 2012?

This does feel like the dying days of dedicated handheld gaming consoles. If I was being optimistic, I might equate the dedicated handheld gaming market to the blockbuster movie: big established studios pour a lot of $$$ and resources into making a few big-budget event movies, while smaller independent studios use little money & resources to put out much smaller movies. It's not a great analogy, but it's about as close a comparison as I can get to Sony & Nintendo handheld games that cost $40.00+, compared to a slew of iOS & Android games that cost 1/10th that price.

Before the iPhone, handheld gamers could only expect maybe 6-12 big game titles a year. Even though the vast majority of iOS games are derivative rip-offs of not only bigger console games but mostly each other(!), most handheld gaming is done on smart phones. So are we seeing the death of even the 6-12 blockbuster titles per year? I am really pissed about this. It feels like third-party studios and even Sony itself has abandoned the PS Vita, not even 6 months after its release! Why did Sony even release the Vita? It feels like they don't care much about handheld gaming other than to say, "hey, we do it". Like it looks good on their resume or something.

As nice as a larger 3D screen would be with the 3DS XL, why buy one if there are no games to play on it? What would be the point?

Maybe I'm expecting too much, handheld games should only come out once every few months? But it has been 6 months since I bought any newly released games, and there isn't much left in the 3DS & Vita back catalogue to pick up.



later
don

Driver Renegade sucks

Ohh man... I knew I would wring the fun out of Driver Renegade sooner rather than later, and like whatever car I use in the game, I've basically slammed into a brick wall of frustration.

I just can't get over how badly the cars handle and the game plays. I am SO ANGRY at the developers, I personally want to go up to whoever programmed this game and KICK THEM IN THE NUTS. It's *that bad*.

Everyone involved in the gameplay of this title should NEVER be allowed to work in the video game industry ever again. This was made from pure apathy and cutting corners. It's a complete travesty & an embarrassment.

There is no sense of speed. You have this turbo boost-- apparently it is a Rage Meter-- that's supposed to give you a nitro-like burst of speed. It does NOTHING. I've literally been neck & neck with the last place AI car and holding down the nitro doesn't vault me forward one bit. It makes no difference.

If you clip something, you WILL spin out. There's no way not to, no matter what you do. Because players LOVE having NO CONTROL over their gameplay. That alone should have had everyone involved with this game fired and their work scrapped well before it hit the shelf.


I remember when I finished Driver '76, I wanted to thank the developers for the game. It was published by Ubisoft but developed by Sumo Digital. Sure it was a blatant rip-off of Grand Theft Auto, but it was still fun despite its' flaws. But the developers of Driver Renegade should be fired, and whatever ins-house studio disbanded. As far as I can tell Driver Renegade was developed in-house by Ubisoft. Does Ubisoft have NO pride, they just skate by on the bare minimum when they develop games themselves? They've published some awesome handheld games, Lumines for PSP being a notable example. But I think that most, if not all,  of the best ones were developed by outside companies.


I hate you whoever programmed Driver Renegade, put together this shit game. I hate myself for buying it and supporting this kind of shovelware.




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

Driver Renegade 3DS

I was waiting for Driver Renegade to hit my price-point sweet spot of $10.00, and I picked it up yesterday from Futureshop for $9.99.

I was pleasantly surprised by Driver '76 on PSP, and I've been anxiously awaiting a Driver game since the 3DS was launched. But when the game finally launched and the reviews trickled in... they were pretty bad. Driver games haven't really gotten great reviews except the latest console one, and like I said, I found  Driver '76 to be better than the reviews give it credit for-- it's not a great game but it is fun. So I tended to take the reviews with a grain of salt. But the reviews for Driver Renegade are *really* bad. And they are not wrong.

At first I was very disappointed playing this game... I'm actually kind of angry. It feels completely obligatory; an afterthought tacked on to the multi-console release of Driver: San Francisco. I haven't played that game but from what I gather, Driver Renegade is not a port, it's a handheld game unto its own. But it feels like such a phoned-in effort went into making it. The cars look terrible, the sound is very lame and repetitive. The graphics are so basic they look like off-the-shelf models... and the cars handle like crap.

The game is broken up into 2 sections, the Story Mode which is a very short campaign (can probably be beaten in one sitting) and a Career Mode that has most of the game challenges. There are 7 modes, each with 12 levels. But some of the modes repeat themselves, like "Rampage" and "Afterburner" are pretty much the exact same game play: destroy the other cars. But I have to say, this is the most fun game mode, and once I started playing this I felt less jypped of my 10 bones + HST. There is a shunting action in the game using the shoulder buttons you can slam into other cars, it's pretty cool. I really like just blowing up the enemies, the best part of the game by far.

To try and sell Driver Renegade for full price has to be close to committing fraud, seriously. It feels like the developers did the least possible effort to make it functional and shipped it. One of the few exceptions is the artwork, the story is told through still comic book style drawings which look really good. They remind me a lot of the cut scenes from Twisted Metal: Head On (PSP).

Unlike Driver '76, instead of having a free-roaming map, Driver Renegade is very linear, it's mostly just  race or "destroy" events. You can't wander around. You can't get out of the car. I was disappointed that the gameplay seems so different from that title. But at least I have Driver '76 on my PS Vita.

Maybe I bought Driver Renegade so you don't have to. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the franchise, this game is probably not worth your $$$. I admit there are some fun moments, sometimes fun can be had within the brokenness of the game. But I wonder how long the fun will ultimately last... not long I reckon.


later
don

Unit 13 & Resident Evil: The Mercenaries

During this wicked handheld gaming drought, Unit 13 & Resident Evil: The Mercenaries are the games I'm playing the most-- by far. I've been playing both of them every day for the last several weeks.

 Resident Evil: Mercenaries online co-op play-- while limited-- is still incredibly fun. I wish it was more robust, and that players could say more than the pre-programmed "Wait!", "Come on", "Thanks" & taunt. It's scary how many hours I've put into this game, by far my favourite for the 3DS thus far.

 Unit 13 is flawed, there are a lot of broken elements to the gameplay... but I must admit I find myself diving back into it on a daily basis. It's frustrating at times; I can chain together a series of perfect stealth kills or whatever only to die and have to start it all over again. Kinda like a house of cards, one slip-up, and... But it's really pretty looking, and so far in the PS Vita's short lifespan, the only half-decent shooter on the handheld.

One thing that's funny is the collision detection, sometimes enemy guns get thrown into walls and boxes, it's hilarious...

Both of these games are probably considered commercial failures, so maybe my tastes don't represent what is considered hot in gaming... but these are simply my most-played games on each system.

There are some gameplay balance issues in both games, and I'd love to see sequels for both of them. I think of the two, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries might have a better chance of seeing a sequel but considering the un-erasable game save uproar and the overall tepid reviews, it seems like a slim chance that they will make another one for the 3DS. Man, what a shame. I'd LOVE to have more maps & a few more characters....


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

handheld games drought of early 2012

So right now from where I'm sitting,the next 3DS game release that I'm interested in is Heroes of Ruin that has been pushed back to a release date of June 29. A full 3 months from now.

As far as I know, the next big PS Vita game I'm somewhat interested in is Resistance: Burning Skies which is scheduled for May 29. 2 months from now.

Almost this time last year, May 2011, I was complaining about a bunch of canceled 3DS games that I was interested in. De Blob 2, BloodRayne, Saints Row the Third... The 3DS had just come out barely 2 months before and already titles for it were being canceled.

Now, the PS Vita came out in Canada in Feb 2012, it's April 2012 and BigBig Studios, the makers of Vita launch game Little Deviants, and Zipper Interactive, the makers of Unit 13 have both been shut down.

As much as I'm anticipating Heroes of Ruin on 3DS, I'm also looking forward to Warrior's Lair for Vita... which got a recent shout-out by Sony saying "it's not canceled".... the way they said it it sounds like it *is* canceled, but if it's still on, it doesn't feel like it's coming anytime soon.

The next 3 months or so look dry dry dry for Vita/3DS handheld games.

I suppose this is the way it has always been in the past. But in the past the only handheld gaming system was the Gameboy, and more recently, the DS & PSP. So there was less choice and we were used to it being that way. Plus if a developer wanted to release a handheld game, it had to go on that system since there were few others. Now with iOS development, not only are we seeing more games coming out for that system but it makes the wait between games for "dedicated gaming handhelds" more obvious and painful because devs are choosing not to even create for 3DS/Vita.

If you have 100 iOS games come out for every single 3DS/Vita game, even if 97 of those iOS games are cheap knock-offs or crap, that's still 3 good games for every 1 "dedicated handheld" game. And I think that 97/3 is a pretty skewed ratio, there are probably a larger percentage of good iOS game releases than that.


I bought a bunch of 3DS games during the Xmas Toys 'R Us sale specifically to tide me over the lean months of the first quarter of 2012. But if Heroes or Ruin is the next game I get, it'll be 6 months since I last got a 3DS game.

And since it hasn't been out as long, the PS Vita library is far less developed than the 3DS. I have no idea what's coming out for it in the rest of 2012.

It's a very tough time to be a 3DS/Vita owner.



later
don

Kid Icarus Club Nintendo AR Cards

Last week or so I went to their site, signed up for them and I just got the cards from Nintendo this morning!

Came from Nintendo of America which kinda surprised me I thought they would have come from Nintendo Canada. But NoA is still located relatively close to me so it didn't take long. Don't know why the envelope is so dirty, it looks like it's been stepped on-- a lot-- but the cards themselves seem in good shape.






I think these fall into the category of kinda useless junk that will get dumped into a drawer somewhere... but it was free!

I'm on the fence about Kid Icarus: Uprising. Shooter games are right up my alley but the stylus aiming controls really make me wary. I did not enjoy the controls on the DS game Metroid Prime Hunters. I know that Kid Icarus: Uprising allows use of the face buttons for aiming but people are saying it isn't precise enough, probably because it isn't tuned for that kind of control (same problem with Metroid Prime Hunters actually)... I just wish more shooter/action games were coming out for 3DS.



later
don

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

I bought Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Xmas 2011 during a 3DS game buying spree, hoping it would help tide me over during the brutal 3-4 month 3DS game drought that is January-April 2012. What is it about the first 4 months of the year, where practically no games come out? I can't even think of any notable 3DS games that came out the last month or so, maybe Crush 3D? Is that even out right now?


Anyway, I just opened up Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and popped it into my 3DS. I'm not big on fighting games, but my first impression is that fighting games like this are ABSOLUTELY NOT suited for playing on the 3DS. Seems like a lot of button-mashing is needed and with the limited viewing angle of the 3DS--which basically requires it to be held *completely still*-- it makes the 3D image nearly impossible to see properly because of the micro-tremors a person's hands make. A great idea on paper that fails because of the real-life limitations of the tech.

Like I said, I'm not a big fighting genre gamer. Safe to say I'm pretty terrible at them. My strategy playing fighting games and this one in particular, is to slam on all the buttons in as many various combinations as I can hoping I'm actually pulling off some actual combo movies along the way. A SSF veteran would probably be able to execute commands much more smoothly and maybe would have little trouble playing Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition on the 3DS with 3D enabled, as I believe most 3DS games should be meant to be played. It doesn't help that the user manual is HELLA thick. I gave it a cursory reading--ok maybe only I skimmed it so far-- but man, I am not into games that require a textbook worth of control commands to be able to play them. Maybe once I get all the controls down pat, I'll be able to play this thing properly and keep the 3DS perfectly, stock still.

That's a lot to ask for.

The graphics look great, but the "story mode" cutscenes aren't in 3D, nor is the intro movie. There's a lot of this game that isn't in 3D, maybe these scenes are from the console versions of the game.

I'm a bit worried about how roughly this game makes me treat the controls. I hope I don't wreck my analogue nub.


Another thing I've noticed about the 3DS launch games is that they didn't fully understand the 3D limitations of the 3DS. When I first got my 3DS, I had a really hard time with the 3D in Pilot Wings Resort. After not playing it for a long time, and playing tons of my fave 3DS game, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D which I always play in 3D... I decided to go back to Pilot Wings Resort to see if, "Was it really that hard to play in 3D, or was it just me not used to the 3DS screen?" and I have to say, the 3D is just as awkward feeling as it was when I first played it a year ago. So it's the way the 3D is in the game rather than a matter of me getting used to the 3D screen. I'm wondering if all the launch games have this kind of rough edge to them, I'm afraid Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition may not have fully understood how to tweak the 3D to make it playable under real-world conditions where, you know, a handheld MOVES slightly when a human being holds one.



later
don

Super Mario 3D Land

Bought Super Mario 3D Land early December, and while I played it a lot the first 2 weeks or so it's kinda gotten buried under the onslaught of 3DS games this month.

Super Mario 3D Land addresses some of my major complaints with the recent direction Nintendo has taken with their Mario games: particularly the "Play Guide" where they would give an option for a developer speedrun to completely take over the game if you let them. How can that possibly be fun? You fail a bunch of times and the only alternative to playing it until you pass is to let a programmer from the dev team play it for you. That really frustrated me because it seemed like Nintendo was going to put it in ALL their Mario games. I'm happy to say they tweaked this idea-- in Super Mario 3D Land if you fail a level 6 times they offer the white tanooki suit which gives the player invincibility except from falling off a level. So the player still gets to play the game. That's what they SHOULD have introduced 2 Mario games back.This feels like a direct response to my rants on their survey questionnaires... believe me, I filled out those text boxes pretty well with my thoughts on this subject.....

But Super Mario 3D Land is not a super hard game like previous... it seems easier to me, compared to the last DS game. The first 8 worlds are relatively easy to get through but there's more content than that.... and the challenge level can ramp up in some of them too.

But the game still plays VERY conservatively; not taking risks and minimizing innovative ideas. The levels are very short, again they seem scared to make them too long because they want short burt gameplay because it's a handheld title. I'd rather they just improve the save system rather than shorten the level design.

As nice as Super Mario 3D Land is at times, I think Nintendo should have made it a Super Mario Galaxy game-- it would have had more interesting level design, and imagine walking all the way around planetoids like in the Wii games... only in 3D.... nice....




later
don

StarFox 64 3D

One of the many 3DS games I binged-bought in December.... there are still a few that I haven't even played yet: Street Fighter 3D, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy (I'm so psyched for it that I want to save it for last), and Kirby Mass Attack (DS game, but I will probably rack up most of my playtime on the 3DS)

Anyway.. StarFox 64 3D. Like most of the others (except Ace Combat) I got it with a bit of a discount. In some ways it reminds me a lot of the Ace Combat games. There are a relatively small number of missions, but the gameplay comes from replaying missions to open up different paths. But unlike Ace Combat, StarFox 64 3D is more on-rails. True, Ace Combat games are free roaming but limited to within a "sandbox area" and you are almost on rails in what you need to do within the time limit. StarFox 64 3D is mostly on rails with enemies coming at you or from behind you, then sometimes it opens up to a more free-roaming-within-a-sandbox style.

I was a bit wary of the graphics because even though things have been "remastered" the game designs are still really old. But they do hold up well, and it looks cool. I've never played this particular Star Fox game before, so it was all new to me. Basically the story/settings of the game feel like a generic Star Wars ripoff... but I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. They do it well; I love the little touches like fighting mechs in space... that seems very anime to me.

But the game really requires the player to be spamming the A button like kaa-raaazzy. Man, if any game is going to wear out the A button, it will be this one. It's honestly a bit tiring. Also tiring are some of the boss fights... a few of them go on just way too long.

I like the how the characters are animals... it's weird but at least it isn't a Star Wars ripoff... exactly.... but what is with them shaking their heads up & down really really fast to simulate talking? What is good is that there's full voice acting in the game. Nintendo should do this a lot more in their games.

StarFox 64 3D is a fun on rails space shooter, worth it for a discounted sale price. There's a certain line that is always used--over used-- when talking about this game. So I'll just leave it out. You know what it is anyway.


later
don

10 free GBA titles for 3DS Ambassadors available now

Crazy morning today, not only did I get the Super Mario shoelaces, but the 10 GBA titles became available in North America! They are:

• F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
• Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island
• Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
• Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
• Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• Metroid Fusion
• Wario Land 4
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames

Downloading them is a bit of a non-intuitive process to say the least. I had to remember how I did it with the NES titles. You go into the Nintendo eShop, then to Settings/Other, then Your Downloads. Then scroll down-- what screwed me up was that I had to go to the next page to find the 10 GBA games on my list. Once you find the above titles, tap Redownload, then Download, then it gives you a choice to either Download Now or Download Later. If you pick Download Later, then Continue shopping, you can go through all 10 titles, then close the eShop, close the 3DS (put it into sleep mode) and it will download all the titles while it's closed. if you choose Download Now, you'll have to repeat the process for each game.

Also something to note: You can get the original GBA screen resolution using the same method as for DS games-- hold down either the START or SELECT button (you don't need to use both) while loading the game-- make sure to hold down the button until graphics pop up onscreen. Some games just look much better in their native resolution like Yoshi's Island. Though Kirby looks good using the full 3DS screen, I bet GBA games made later in the GBA lifespan look better in general.....


All these free games, man... there's so much to play and so little time....





later
don

Mario Kart 7 - same old shit

Let's face it, Mario Kart 7 is just another minor update of a tired conservative franchise that's too lazy or timid to not only evolve gameplay, but remove significant game-breaking flaws inherent in the past versions.

Sigh.

It may seem trivial at first, but the menu & loading. Geez, what is with how long it takes to load the game?? The white screen stays up way too long. And the menu system itself is the exact same one from the previous Mario Karts, still clunky as hell where it kicks you out to the title page rather than makes it easier to navigate & re-enter races. It becomes a real pain to play this game over & over when the interface is so crap.

And for some unknown reason, it takes at least TWICE as long to actually close the game & exit out to the 3DS menu as it does every other 3DS game. What the hell... it's like this is a shoddy port, even though it's a 3DS exclusive game! How lazy/rushed were the developers that they couldn't make any of this smoother?

The game itself is the exact same format as the Mario Kart DS & Wii: same cups, 32 tracks, etc. Most courses are re-hashed from previous games, with a few new ones. Apparently Retro Studios was called in to create a couple of courses.

Maybe that's what this franchise needs: to be taken away from Nintendo's in-house studio & given to a 2nd or 3rd party to inject some new ideas & more important: improve gameplay. The same old shit still happens: blue shells trump anything, you can do everything humanely possible, stay in first place and still finish in 7th or 8th no matter what you do. This game is the very definition of cheap.

Mario Kart 7 does look really good. There are some interesting additions that on the surface look great but in reality somehow don't affect gameplay at all. You can tweak your kart; changing out wheels, body, etc. but it doesn't make any difference. If anything, the "enhancements" make it harder rather than gives an advantage.

Nintendo is so incredibly timid & afraid to step up their franchises in a major way. Years ago, they created a hit formula with the Mario Kart franchise. At the time it was an attractive blend of multiplayer gameplay mechanics & challenge. But they haven't done anything since to improve or evolve the experience, leaving in all the same bugs that have always been there.

Nintendo should be ashamed.




later
don

Asphalt 3D

While I was in China, a ton of 3DS games came out... I really missed my 3DS a lot. In Hong Kong I saw this guy playing a flame red 3DS on a bus, and I really wanted my 3DS then. But even if the AC adapter was universal (120-240V)-- which, I must re-state that it is NOT-- with the poor 3DS battery life, it just wouldn't be worth it. Plus honestly, I didn't have THAT much time for gaming.













But yeah, I missed my 3DS. So when I got back I bought up a bunch of games for it:

Super Mario 3D Land
Mario Kart 7
Starfox 64 3D
Street Fighter 3D
Kirby Mass Attack (DS)
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy

And now, Asphalt 3D. EB Games is selling it new for $9.99. At that price, I think it's worth it. It's cheesy, clunky but fun. There's this hyperspeed mode where the screen goes all Tron-like... it doesn't look as good as the Youtube videos make it look, but it still is cool. And it throws in a bit of Burnout: Takedown with being able to knock other racers off the road. Of course Asphalt 3D is a very derivative racer that takes from other racing games. And the graphics are not great... especially if you've seen the Asphalt games on iPhone/Android.

Asphalt 3D won't go down in history as one of the best 3DS games to ever come out, but it probably won't be listed as the absolute worst, either. It is fun for what it is. The PSP had a glut of racing games, and maybe the 3DS is heading that way too, especially with Mario Kart 7 out for it. Ridge Racer 3D looks much better than Asphalt 3D, Mario Kart 7 looks better & plays more smoothly, but it is a very different kind of racing game even though both are arcadey.

If you want a fun cheap racer for the 3DS, paying $10.00 for Asphalt 3D isn't too bad a deal. The first 3DS game I know of to drop to that price.



later
don