3LL's 3DS Odyssey: Part 1

Hello, dear reader. It's been a week since I've made a new blog post, and coincidentally, it's been a week since the 3DS was launched in North America. And what a week it was. A week of seeing, a week of believing. A week of StreetPassing, a week of SpotPassing. A week of reality augmenting, a week of face raiding. A week of... umm, sorry about that. Didn't mean to go all Charles Dickens on you. Apologies.

I decided back then to forgo rushing some quick impressions up on the site and instead wait a week, get a good feel for the device, learn its ins and outs, and then write about my impressions, thoughts, criticisms, and what have you. I'm going to break this up into parts, since I'm sure no one wants to read giant, rambling walls of text. This first part, appropriately titled "Part 1", will be about my launch day experience, which I'm sure a lot of you will find boring, but just think of it as a necessary introduction into more interesting things to come later, okay? Alright, here we go.

Before I could set my eyes upon the 3D screen for the first time and start playing, I had to, you know, buy one. All signs leading up to the launch suggested incredible scarcity, so naturally I didn't do a pre-order, because I'm just that cool. Instead, I phoned up a bunch of local retailers to see if they were going to have any. First GameStop, no luck. Second GameStop, the same. Third GameStop, they said they'd probably have a few. Cool. I decided to also try the local Target, and the helpful man on the phone said that they were going to have a bunch available. Right on! I always knew not being prudent and refusing to get a pre-order would pay off in the end.

Early morning, Sunday March 27th, and it's time to head out and pick up my 3DS. I got there a little bit before the store opened, just in case there was going to be a bunch of people lining up. There weren't. Oh well. I got in and, at last, purchased my Aqua Blue 3DS. The person working there said they had 24 3DSes, which surprised me a little that they had so many available, but as I'd learn later, it seems like supply shortages turned out to not be much of an issue at all. A lot has been made about whether this means the 3DS is selling poorly or whether it just means that Nintendo manufactured an adequate supply of units this time as opposed to the Wii launch, where there was nary a Wii to be found anywhere (except on eBay for a ridiculously gouged price). I'm inclined to believe the latter.

And so, triumphant, with 3DS in hand, I returned home. Then, all of a sudden, without warning, THE MOST INCREDI*... nah, I think I'll stop here for now. Tune in next time to hear about my initial impressions! Same bat-time, same bat-channel.

* nothing exciting or unexpected actually happens, I'm just trying to drum up suspense for the next part of this feature.

3LL on 3DS: Let's Be Friends!

Hello there! As you may have heard, the 3DS was just released in North America. Hopefully you’ve been able to pick up yours, as I have mine (unless you never cared about the 3DS in the first place, to which I question why you are reading this in the first place).

I decided to do a quick little post just in case any of you 3DS owners out there wanted to share Friend Codes. Mine is (if you haven’t seen the image on the right side of the site) 4468-0967-9973. If you want to be friends, add my code to your 3DS and then post your code in the comments section below (or email me, or tweet me).

Let’s become 3DS super best pals! I almost promise you won’t regret it. Almost…

3D-Day Imminent

It was a little over a year ago today that Nintendo dropped the bob-omb on the unsuspecting gaming public by announcing something called the 3DS. This successor to the money-printing DS could supposedly create stereoscopic 3D without the need for glasses (probably through the use of some manner of dark sorcery, but we couldn't know for sure since we didn't really know anything about it at that point).Then at E3 a couple of months later, everything was revealed and it completely stole the show. Fast forward to now, the eve of the 3DS' North American launch, and we're all ready to fix our eyes upon the magical screen.

I didn't pre-order a 3DS (because I like to live on the edge of danger), but I'll be out there nice 'n early to snag mine (hopefully [maybe]). If you're doing a launch event, line, or what have you, then I hope you have a lot of fun. If you've pre-ordered one, then congrats on being prudent and smarter than me. If you could care less about the 3DS, then keep on... doing whatever it was you were doing before.

And so, the launch day is finally at hand. Game system launches always kind of have a certain magical feel to them, kind of like a holiday just for us gamers. Good luck getting yours and have fun!

Is Super Street Fighter IV the 3DS' Best Launch Game?

Video Games | Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition | GDC 11: Full Experience Interview

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Above, I've embedded a new interview that GameTrailers did with a man from Capcom about the upcoming 3DS iteration of Super Street Fighter IV. While the interview itself is pretty good (albeit lacking in any info we didn't already know), I thought I'd use it as more of a launching point to discuss SSF4 and the rest of the 3DS launch lineup.

In case you need a little refresher on what games will be available for the 3DS on Day 1, I wrote a piece about it back when the announcement was first made listing which titles would be coming out as well as my thoughts on the selection. While I did concede that there wasn't a blockbuster killer app among the games, I wasn't upset like a lot of people were. I felt like it was a very solid lineup, with a few games that seemed legitimately good and not just launch day cash-in shovelware. As we draw ever closer to the North American launch (one more week!), it's time to now focus on just which game(s) are worthy of a purchase alongside the 3DS itself.

A lot of video game websites out there have received their 3DSes and the first reviews are starting to trickle in. The game I'm paying a particular interest in is Steel Diver. It was always the 3DS launch game that I was drawn to the most (despite cries of "boring!" from the comment section of pretty much every major gaming site on the web). The one thing, the ONE thing that I was always apprehensive of was whether or not it had enough content to justify a $40 dollar price tag. Unfortunately, it seems like Steel Diver comes up short in that respect.

As a poor, nigh destitute person of meager income, I must try and be as wise as I can with my gaming purchases. And so, rebuffed by the realities of Steel Diver's lack of bang-for-the-buck, I began to think of other possibilities for a Day 1 purchase. Pilotwings Resort? Nintendogs + cats? Eh... those aren't really for me. Super Monkey Ball 3D? While I'm a fan of the series, the 3DS version doesn't really have me interested. Madden? Please... EA is so ashamed of this hack-job they didn't even dignify it with a year in the title. There really is only one standout, one game that rises above the rest: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.

GameTrailers named the embedded video above the "Full Experience Interview", and that reflects precisely what SSF4 on 3DS is: a full experience. Not only does it bring nearly every feature over from the console version of the game, but it has numerous added touches that utilize the 3DS' unique functionality. StreetPass, new touchscreen control options, and, of course, 3D visuals.

I'm going to admit, I'm not exactly the most experienced "street fighter". I, like so many others, plunked down my fair share of quarters at the local Street Fighter II arcade cabinet back in the day, and I've also put in a lot of time with Marvel vs Capcom 2 (if you care to consider that a Street Fighter game). I'm not really all that good at either game, but they are certainly a lot of fun. I've never played Street Fighter IV in any form, so playing it on the 3DS will be a completely new experience for me. I know a lot of people are turned off to the 3DS game because they've already played it so much on the XBox 360 or PS3, but obviously that's not going to be a problem for me.

So, to reiterate the question posed in the tile of this blog post: is Super Street Fighter IV the 3DS' best launch game? It seems very possible, if not outright likely. Everyone's certainly going to have their own opinions, but I believe the general consensus will prove SSF4 to be the cream of the launch crop. It's the one game I'm going to try and pick up along with the 3DS on launch day, so I'm hoping my suspicions hold true.

GDC 2011: Nintendo Announces Netflix, New Mario Game for 3DS

image from 3DSFocus.com

Earlier today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata gave a keynote address at GDC, of which the 3DS was a main focal point (glasses-free 3D pun!). A number of cool things were announced for the device, including Netflix functionality, which launches this summer. Also, Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 games will be available for the 3DS Virtual Console, which you'll remember comes along with the eShop update that's scheduled for late May.

The biggest news, though, is that a new Super Mario game is coming to the 3DS! It's being developed by the same team that did the Galaxy games on the Wii, which can only portend amazing things. We'll learn a lot more about this one at E3.

Thanks to GoNintendo for being awesome as always.

Nintendo Announces Launch Day Games for 3DS in America

At long last, Nintendo has revealed which games we'll be able to play on launch day (March 27th, in case you've forgotten) and not just in the "launch window". There are 16 games in all (not including the built-in AR games or separate versions of Nintendogs), 3 of which are from Nintendo themselves. They are:

• Pilotwings Resort
• Steel Diver
• Nintendogs + cats
• Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
• The Sims 3
• Madden NFL Football
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
• LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
• Ridge Racer 3D
• Super Monkey Ball 3D
• Bust-A-Move Universe
• Samurai Warriors: Chronicles
• Asphalt 3D
• Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
• Rayman 3D
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

From what I've seen around the interwebs, a lot of people are unhappy about this lineup. The reason, I'm guessing, is because there isn't that AAA marquee killer-app super-awesome hyperbole title like a Zelda or a Mario. I, on the other hand, am perfectly content with this lineup. Allow me to explain.

Nintendo knows a thing or two about how to print money. They know that with as much hype as there is surrounding the 3DS, they don't need to have a major franchise ready right from the start in order to move units. In fact, it's better that there isn't one big title hogging all of the spotlight. This allows the wealth to be spread around to all of the other launch games, which means higher sales for third parties, which means more interest and investment in the 3DS from third parties (which is one of the main goals Nintendo had for the 3DS to begin with). Never doubt the business savvy of the Big N.

Also, at least in my opinion, there are indeed some good titles available. I'm very excited for Steel Diver, which could be a great sleeper hit. I'm not much of a Nintendogs fan, but I appreciate that it's a quality title as well. And then you've got Super Street Fighter IV, which (at least from what we've seen so far) is a console-quality port which makes use of a lot of the 3DS' new features.

Of course, if you think that the lineup is lacking, then that's fine too. There's no harm in waiting out the launch mayhem and buying a 3DS when some games you like start to roll around. For me, however, I'll be there March 27th with a 3DS in hand and eyes gazing into the aether... if I can get one on launch day. It'll probably be pretty hard, ya-know?

Thanks to GoNintendo for relaying the info.

Awesome GTTV Interview with Reggie Fils-Aime About the 3DS

Video Games | Nintendo 3DS | Reggie Fils-Aime Extended Cut

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Geoff Keighley from GameTrailers recently got together with Nintendo of America Prez Reggie Fils-Aime to talk about the upcoming 3DS game device machine, which you may have heard about. The Regginator is in fine form here, knocking "disposable" iPhone games down a peg and (more or less) saying "haters gonna hate" with regard to people complaining about the 3DS' software lineup. Other topics include digital content, the eShop, AR games, retail game prices, future announcements, and an awesome Bowser backpack.

North American 3DS Launch Date & Price Revealed

At long last, we have the launch info for the 3DS in North America. It'll arrive on March 27 and will retail for 249 US dollars (sorry, couldn't help myself).

We've known for a while that the 3DS would launch sometime in March, but it's nice to finally have a day to mark on our calendars. As for the price, I think most people were expecting a $250 price point, but it's still a little disappointing that it wasn't a bit lower. As for launch titles, all we learned was that there would be 30+ titles ready for the "launch window", which was defined as the time between when the 3DS launches and E3 in June.

Not much other new info was given at Nintendo's New York press event earlier today. We did learn that the dreaded friend code system would rear its ugly head once again, but now there's only one code per 3DS which will work for all games instead of a new code for each game. It still kind of sucks, but at least it's a step in the right direction. Also, titles you downloaded for your DSi will be transferable to the 3DS, so that's nice.

March 27. Prepare yourselves, game enthusiasts.

3D Video Recording a Possibility for 3DS

More 3DS news? Yessir. It is 3LL's most anticipated game (system) of 2011, after all.

In the most recent "Iwata Asks" feature, Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was interested in implementing 3D video recording into the 3DS. Here are the money quotes:

"Miyamoto: But Iwata-san also wants to include 3D video in the future! (laughs)

Iwata: I think it will be fun if we're able to include video recording capabilities with future updates.

Itoi: I have no idea, but when you take 3D photos and videos, is there some kind of capacity limit?

Iwata: An SD card goes in this slot.

Itoi: Oh, an SD card! Like two gigabytes?

Iwata: It comes with a 2-gigabyte card, but you can, for example, use a 32-gigabyte one as well.

Itoi: Oh, okay, I see. So you seriously can take as many as you want.

Iwata: Yes. Long videos, lots of photos, they'll fit."

It isn't clear if the "future update" Iwata mentions is going to be a downloadable  firmware update or a new hardware iteration (a "3DSi", if you will), but it's cool to know that the brain trust at Nintendo are thinking about every possible way they can maximize the enjoyment people get out of the glasses-free 3D device.

New 3DS Details Emerge from Nintendo World

We're drawing ever-closer to the the launch of the 3DS (which, you'll remember, is 3LL's most anticipated game [system] for 2011). A few little bits of info have come out of the Nintendo World event in Japan, the most important of which concern the system's battery life and launch titles.

While playing 3DS games, you'll get 3 to 5 hours of battery life, and 5 to 8 hours if you're playing a regular old DS game. Seems kind of low, huh? Nintendo handhelds are usually renowned for their battery life, but it looks like the demands of advanced tech has finally caught up with them. A little disappointing, but I'll live with it.

As for the games themselves, the 3DS will launch in Japan on Feb 26 with these 8 games: Nintendogs & Cats, Winning Eleven Soccer 3D, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Samurai Warriors: Chronicle, Puzzle Bobble 3D, Ridge Racer 3D, Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, and Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. A pretty decent lineup for day one, I'd say. The US launch lineup is obviously going to be a bit different, so we'll just have to wait and see what us Americans get come March (presumably).

Thanks to Kotaku for relaying the info (here and here).

Sony's Feelings Hurt Over Nintendo's 3D Glasses Jabs

It seems like there's a wry bit of happenstance going on in the gaming industry right now as it pertains to 3D gaming. Just as Sony begins its big push forward to promote the PS3 as the ultimate 3D gaming experience (and sell a few Sony 3D TVs along the way), Nintendo subverts them by introducing the 3DS. Unlike nearly all other 3D media (including the PS3), the 3DS doesn't require big, goofy glasses, and Nintendo's letting people know that every chance they get. Well, I guess they could be a little bit nicer about it, because it seems like they're hurting some feelings over at Sony.

A recent IGN article quotes Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's Worldwide Studios, as saying about Nintendo;

"When you listen to what they are saying about the effect of 3D perspective to the games, they are saying the same message we are, but they don't have to bash some small part of what the other company is doing." 

He goes on to give a "can't we all get along" message to Nintendo, saying;

"I think as an industry we should preach this new perspective, from a very large cinema screen to a small portable, because that helps advancing the games and the game industry. We'd like to work together to promote 3D."

But ultimately, he of course champions glasses-3D above all else, saying;

"If you really want a big theater experience, of course you have to wear glasses. With the latest technology, the glasses are light and you kind of forget you're wearing them after awhile."

 So it seems like the dawn of the 3D Age in video games is upon us. Whether the best way to experience this brave new world is to don cumbersome glasses or have limited viewing angles on a glasses-free system is to be determined

No 3DS Until Next Year, Says Reggie

As many other outlets are reporting, last night, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to show off Donkey Kong Country Returns (you can see the whole segment right here). While they were playing, Jimmy casually (albeit in a scripted way) asked Reggie about the 3DS, to which Reggie replied that we can expect it to launch "next year". Then Reggie subsequently pulled out a 3DS and blew Jimmy's mind (judging by his reaction).

I'm not sure we can take this as gospel just yet, but it would makes sense. After getting a lot of feedback from E3, Nintendo can use this extra time to make hardware tweaks. Developers can also use this time to finish preparing their launch titles, since I'm sure most of them haven't been working on their games for more than a few month.

While it sucks that we won't be able to get our hands on the 3DS this year, it's much better to wait for it to come out when it's ready rather than play an incomplete system that was rushed to market.

UPDATE  (6-28): Now people within Nintendo are saying that this was a mistake on Reggie's part, and that the 3DS will actually be released this year. This all gets rather confusing when you try to figure out whether they mean "calendar year" or "fiscal year". I guess the bottom line here is that we don't know anything more about the 3DS launch date than we did at E3. Cool...

3DS Virtual Console: 3D Updates to Classic Games?

After the addition of the DSi Ware shop service on the DSi, it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that Nintendo's true next generation handheld would likewise feature a download service of some sort. Lo and behold, company prez Satoru Iwata says in a recent interview: "I can’t go into detail on what the plans are today, but of course, with a device like Nintendo 3DS, we do intend to offer some type of digital distribution." What kind of digital distribution? Nintendo fans have long clamored for a handheld virtual console that would offer up classic handheld games from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, etc. in a way akin to what the Wii virtual console does with old school console games. Well, there may be a virtual console service for the 3DS, but it may not be what you're expecting.

According to IGN's Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, 18 NES and SNES games were demoed on the 3DS at E3 this past week, including Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man 2. Plus, we know that a pair of N64 classics, Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time, were also shown at the convention. It sure seems like a lot of "old" games were being shown for this brand new system. Why would Nintendo do that? Did they just want to throw together a bunch of quick demos with games people were already familiar with in order to highlight the 3D effect? Or maybe, and rather likely, Nintendo was showing off some of the titles it will be offering in a new, 3D-updated virtual console for the 3DS. While it may seem like it would be a long and arduous process to go back through entire libraries of games and update them to utilize 3D effects, but Iwata said in the same interview that: "From a development perspective, it actually does not make much of a difference in terms of development costs to create the 3D visual effect." So maybe this is actually a great business decision by Nintendo: jazz up the classics with a 3D effect on the cheap and sell it back to us for a tidy sum. Think about it; how many times has Nintendo repackaged the original Super Mario Bros. to consumers, and how many times have you bought that same game?

So in all likelihood, we're going to see a 3D virtual console for 3DS that enhances classic games with new visual magic. Will Game Boy games be included in there somewhere, even if only in 2D? I'm thinking probably not, and definitely not at launch. What about those unlucky few games that were doomed to appear on Nintendo's first major foray into 3D: the Virtual Boy? Maybe. It makes a lot of sense, so that means Nintendo probably won't do it just so they can cackle callously at the suffering masses while they sip virgin blood from a solid gold goblet. So that just leaves us with the console games. Am I excited by the prospect of playing side-scrolling NES games in 3D? Not really. Am I excited by the prospect of playing Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time in 3D? Absolutely. So bring on the 3D virtual console, I say, just try and make sure it gets better support than DSi Ware.