Nintendo 3DS

[ejamer]

Baby and bathwater.

I've got good and bad news for you. Bad first: Vita has just arrived and made a point of having even more touching than 3DS, so touch controls aren't going anywhere and you'd better get used to them. Now the good: developers will smarten up eventually, and realize that using control schemes as a gimmick isn't something that most people want on a regular basis. Sony will surely update the Vita interface and you'll probably see fewer mixed control schemes (or at least fewer cases where touch is just forced in there as a proof of concept) as the system ages.

[Ivo]

As others have said, it is a design issue not a hardware issue.

Trauma center, Ouendan / Elite Beat Agents and other (IMO great) games are not just better with touch controls, they practically need the touch controls to be good.

Then there are other games like Advance Wars that get greatly improved by touch controls. There are then games that use touch in a minor fashion with either slightly positive or slightly negative results (with the result depending on the player's aptitude and preference for example).

I rate much more highly the existence of the unique games that touch enabled and enables than the minor pollution of other good games with unnecessary stuff.

I particularly dislike the use of the microphone in handheld games, as I think handheld games should keep in mind that the player wants to play them in public. That said, you don't need to shout (blowing typically works better, although you may still think it looks silly).
Conversely, I don't like having rumble on my DS in public, but I love playing Metroid Prime Pinball with rumble. I just play it at home.

Ivo.

[MrPopo]

You do realize the DS came out long before the iPhone, right? iPhone is jumping on the DS bandwagon, not the other way around.

[ZenErik]

Hi folks. Despite my desire to wait for a 3DS revision I might pull the trigger on getting one today. Game recommendations? I'm looking at Tales of the Abyss, Bit.Trip Saga, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Cave Story, Mario Kart 7, and Kid Icarus.

Thoughts? I would likely just buy Bit.Trip Saga and DoA today. Not in the mood to spend $40 per game today, haha. And obviously no one has Tales of in stock. Already rare.

[ejamer]

Hi folks. Despite my desire to wait for a 3DS revision I might pull the trigger on getting one today. Game recommendations? I'm looking at Tales of the Abyss, Bit.Trip Saga, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Cave Story, Mario Kart 7, and Kid Icarus.

Thoughts? I would likely just buy Bit.Trip Saga and DoA today. Not in the mood to spend $40 per game today, haha. And obviously no one has Tales of in stock. Already rare.

Bit.Trip is supposed to be better on the big screen if you have a Wii due to ghosting issues and bonus content... but (obviously) having a handheld version offers some distinct benefits.

From the games you've listed, DoA and Mario Kart would be my picks. Ok: Tales would actually be my top pick despite being a fairly lacklustre port, but you already said you couldn't find a copy. Other games I generally recommend include Resident Evil Revelations and Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Survivor Overclocked.

You should consider saving some money for downloadable titles. Dropping $20 on 3-5 digital games that you can always access on the system is pretty sweet. Zen Pinball, Pushmo, and VVVVVV are all solid options with tremendous replay value - and there are also plenty of good DSiWare (including the 2D version of Cave Story) and Virtual Console options.

[Opa Opa]

Hi folks. Despite my desire to wait for a 3DS revision I might pull the trigger on getting one today. Game recommendations? I'm looking at Tales of the Abyss, Bit.Trip Saga, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Cave Story, Mario Kart 7, and Kid Icarus.

Thoughts? I would likely just buy Bit.Trip Saga and DoA today. Not in the mood to spend $40 per game today, haha. And obviously no one has Tales of in stock. Already rare.

Cave Story - Still free on PC (In case you didn't know/haven't tried it out yet)

Bit.Trip - Buy the collection on Wii... the way the games were meant to be played.

Kid Icarus - It seems a few people here (myself included) are getting Kid Icarus. It looks pretty fun.

Mario Kart 7 - Looks fun. Haven't had a chance to play it yet.

There are demos of MGS 3D and RE Revelations in the eshop in case you want to try those out.

[ZenErik]

Hi folks. Despite my desire to wait for a 3DS revision I might pull the trigger on getting one today. Game recommendations? I'm looking at Tales of the Abyss, Bit.Trip Saga, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Cave Story, Mario Kart 7, and Kid Icarus.

Thoughts? I would likely just buy Bit.Trip Saga and DoA today. Not in the mood to spend $40 per game today, haha. And obviously no one has Tales of in stock. Already rare.

Bit.Trip is supposed to be better on the big screen if you have a Wii due to ghosting issues and bonus content... but (obviously) having a handheld version offers some distinct benefits.

From the games you've listed, DoA and Mario Kart would be my picks. Ok: Tales would actually be my top pick despite being a fairly lacklustre port, but you already said you couldn't find a copy. Other games I generally recommend include Resident Evil Revelations and Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Survivor Overclocked.

You should consider saving some money for downloadable titles. Dropping $20 on 3-5 digital games that you can always access on the system is pretty sweet. Zen Pinball, Pushmo, and VVVVVV are all solid options with tremendous replay value - and there are also plenty of good DSiWare (including the 2D version of Cave Story) and Virtual Console options.

I used to have the DS version of Devil Survivor. Good game, but I don't see myself replaying it.

Few more questions. Just how bad do regular DS games look on the 3DS if scaled to fill the screens? And how bad is this ghosting on Bit.Trip Saga? Thanks!

[ejamer]

...
There are demos of MGS 3D and RE Revelations in the eshop in case you want to try those out.

There also are (or at least, were) demos for Nintendogs + Cats, Crush 3D, and Sonic & Mario at the Olympics.

...
I used to have the DS version of Devil Survivor. Good game, but I don't see myself replaying it.

Few more questions. Just how bad do regular DS games look on the 3DS if scaled to fill the screens? And how bad is this ghosting on Bit.Trip Saga? Thanks!

Fair enough about Devil Survivor - especially since the 3DS "port" is basically a re-release with some extra content. Seems like one of those games that won't be available if you miss it now, so I tend to recommend it any time someone who shows interest in RPGs/SRPGs.

I don't mind playing DS games on the 3DS at all. They are stretched slightly and won't look as good as they do on original DS consoles (although you can play on 3DS using the original resolution if you don't mind a reduced screen size) but it's never been enough to bother me. Frankly, I don't play DS games for the graphics anyway. Some people swear that DS games are absolutely ruined by the distorted display... but some people routinely make a big deal out of nothing.

Finally, I can't comment on specific details about Bit.Trip on 3DS graphics because I'm only passing along what I've heard: that the Wii version is simply a better way to experience the games. I think the ghosting complaints (maybe framerate stutters too for some of the games) only came up when the 3D effect is being used, but can't recall for certain. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[ksloth]

Most DS games i've found look pretty decent on the 3DS. The best way to describe the effect is a slight softening of the images.. you don't get that razor sharp pixel edge like you would if the game was running at its native resolution. Text suffers the worst from this, and looks kinda squishy, but it doesn't detract, imo.

I can't honestly recommend Tales as a full price game. For me, it just doesn't have enough good stuff for full price. It's as straight up a port as you can get, with slightly washed out looking graphics and really bare bones 3D.

I *can* recommend Ghost Recon (great tactical game), Mario, Mario Kart, Resident Evil Revelations.. and set aside a little money for the eShop with Mutant Mudds, Pushmo, and Sakura Samurai. All worth the 5 - 10$ they run ya.

Enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to add all the Racketboy people.. sending swapnotes to each other is good fun.

[alienjesus]

I've found that the bigger problem with playing DS games on 3DS is that the colours seems rather faded. It's reallly evident after using my DSi. It's not unbearable by any means, but given the choice, I'd prefer to play DS games on a DS.