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Cubed-Sphere
June 7th, 2011, 3:19 AM
In all honesty, the gaming forum on Rajah doesn't have enough activity to have a separate thread for each of these devices so I figure "Why not throw them all together?"

With the 3DS out, Droid and Apple smartphones becoming respectable gaming machines, and the PSVita now officially announced it seems like a good time to start a catch-all handheld gaming thread.

Probably the key thing to mention here is that tonight, at E3 2011, Sony announced the PSVita at $249 (wi-fi) and $300 (3G) price points and stated that the system will begin worldwide release by the end of 2011; though exact regions and dates have yet to be announced.

Discuss your favorite handheld devices and games right here, my friends.

T.I (uh oh)
June 7th, 2011, 5:12 AM
Something that I totally forgot about that Sony announced today - Playstation certified Android devices. Very clever. I'm wondering if this will apply to existing Android handsets via firmware updates - or whether you will need to buy a new handset - but regardless, pushing Playstation content to non-Playstation hardware is a big move, and can only result in increased brand awareness.

Jez
June 7th, 2011, 5:32 AM
Good idea for a thread Cubed, hopefully this will remain more active that the PSP/DS threads were. The Vita sounds very impressive but I'm almost certain I will never own one. I've got my 3DS and I really can't see myself playing another handheld enough to justify the cost. I do think the Vita may beat the 3DS in the end though after Nintendo's shaky start.

Excel
June 7th, 2011, 5:47 AM
Dont forget Windows Phone 7. The xbox live marketplace for that platform has some pretty impressive games such as PES, Assassins Creed, Need for Speed and This Sims 3. Throw in that you earn achievements on these games that sync to your xbox live account too. I've been impressed thus far.

Cubed-Sphere
June 9th, 2011, 3:36 AM
The 3DS is looking much better after E3. I was starting to regret buying one but then they showed more footage of games we had heard about but rarely seen (Star Fox, RE: Revelations, MGS3D, and Super Mario 3D) and then announced some great-looking new titles like Tekken, Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion 2, and Paper Mario 3D.

I'm also really liking the eShop now that it's up and running. I love watching the trailers for 3DS games in actual 3D so I get a feel for how they'll look. Resident Evil: Revelations is a graphical marvel on this little system in 3D.

The Rick
June 9th, 2011, 12:18 PM
I never feel regret for the purchase of a machine in the first year. I look at it as a video game investment. Now if I don't have about 10 good titles with in the year of my purchase, I am then disappointed.

Olympus
June 9th, 2011, 1:20 PM
The only reason I'd be hesitant to take the plunge with the Vita on day one is that most new hardware has a reputation of being improved within a year or so. Obviously the PSP is a good example of that, going through four iterations, and the major consoles have also evolved.

grimshaw
June 9th, 2011, 1:44 PM
Of course, the PSP is a terrible example of that, as the second iteration came out well over 2 years after the original.

Excel
June 9th, 2011, 4:25 PM
I'm also really liking the eShop now that it's up and running. I love watching the trailers for 3DS games in actual 3D so I get a feel for how they'll look. Resident Evil: Revelations is a graphical marvel on this little system in 3D.

I really want to see that, but it's not on the UK eShop :mad:

Cubed-Sphere
June 10th, 2011, 2:22 AM
I really want to see that, but it's not on the UK eShop :mad:

Shame, it's pretty cool to see.

Here's another, longer trailer from E3, though:
YouTube - ‪Resident Evil Revelations E3 Trailer‬‏

Jez
June 10th, 2011, 4:18 AM
The UK eShop only has 3D trailers for Dead or Alive and Zelda, I would love to see Resident Evil to get a proper grasp of what it'll look like on the 3DS screen. Anyone getting the Mercenaries? I figured I may as well get it so I have something to play after I'm done with Zelda.

Excel
June 10th, 2011, 4:37 AM
Jill doesn't look like Jill

Cubed-Sphere
June 10th, 2011, 8:02 PM
I don't think Jill has a look. I swear they remodel her everytime we see her.

RE1 Jill doesn't look like RE3 Jill, REmake Jill doesn't look like RE5 Jill, and now REvelations Jill looks different yet again.

Give a white chick some dark hair and that's Jill, apparently (except in 5 where she lost all pigment). I've given up looking for consistency in her model.

Maybe she fluctuates in weight too much and switches her make-up often.

The Doc
June 10th, 2011, 8:24 PM
I'll wait for some reviews but I'll probably pic up mercenaries. I loved it on RE4. But I need more than four maps if I'm gonna push out money. I'd like ten, I'm expecting six to eight though. And maybe a few different modes of how you play. Not just high score but survival or maybe fetch quest or protect the cutie. Something else to pass the time.

The Rick
June 11th, 2011, 3:02 AM
The price point of the Vita at 250 is soooo tempting. I really thought that they would start at least a $300 price point or go up. I know that is only 50 dollars difference, but the $250 price tag is right there with the 3DS. One of the big differences in the PSP and the DS was price point. The other big issue was games. The games on display at E3 for the Vita gave me that special gamer tingle down below. Uncharted looked great, and I'm a big fan of the LBP series. Hot Shots always seems to find a way to take away much of my time. One game that is getting my attention is Sound Shapes from Jonathan Mak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvvTTDiHfiU Mak is the one who created Everyday Shooter. His games all have a musical basis underlying in the game play.

Damn expensive year to be a gamer.:cry:

Excel
June 11th, 2011, 4:07 AM
I don't think Jill has a look. I swear they remodel her everytime we see her.

RE1 Jill doesn't look like RE3 Jill, REmake Jill doesn't look like RE5 Jill, and now REvelations Jill looks different yet again.

Give a white chick some dark hair and that's Jill, apparently (except in 5 where she lost all pigment). I've given up looking for consistency in her model.

Maybe she fluctuates in weight too much and switches her make-up often.

Ofcourse RE1 doesnt look the same because that was a real actress and the graphics of the PSX didnt allow for much detail. But REmake and RE5 were pretty consistent.

Cubed-Sphere
June 11th, 2011, 5:49 AM
I know, I was being an ass. Though my point still stands that Capcom has an issue with remodeling their characters. Look at Claire and Chris along with Jill.

I also agree the Vita at the $250 pricepoint is insanely tempting. It's a sleek, sexy, and feature-rich machine for that price.

My 3DS will keep me happy for a good while, but once the Vita hits its first price drop I'll probably hop on it.

The Rick
June 11th, 2011, 11:32 AM
My only gripe with this machine is my original gripe with the PSP. Out of the gate upon release I have to buy a case to put this bitch in. My DS iterations, and now 3DS fold up and fit in my pocket. This guy is just bordering on unportable. Depending on the specs of the Vita, Sony might be able to get some of the WiiU games on their system if the Vita connectivity is done correctly. Hey Sony copied the Wii, but they IMO were too late to the party. Just a thought there.

I thank you Cubie for reminding me to update my 3DS. Now I have trailers, the free 3D Excitebike (that is available in the US), and now I have to go to my local game store to get a Nintendo shop card. There are already some titles in the DS shop that I want to purchase.

Sparky
June 11th, 2011, 3:46 PM
I want a 3DS, but I'm holding out until they make a full-on 3DS Pokemon Game.

Cubed-Sphere
June 12th, 2011, 1:21 AM
My only gripe with this machine is my original gripe with the PSP. Out of the gate upon release I have to buy a case to put this bitch in. My DS iterations, and now 3DS fold up and fit in my pocket. This guy is just bordering on unportable. Depending on the specs of the Vita, Sony might be able to get some of the WiiU games on their system if the Vita connectivity is done correctly. Hey Sony copied the Wii, but they IMO were too late to the party. Just a thought there.

I thank you Cubie for reminding me to update my 3DS. Now I have trailers, the free 3D Excitebike (that is available in the US), and now I have to go to my local game store to get a Nintendo shop card. There are already some titles in the DS shop that I want to purchase.

Yeah, I already want Link's Awakening and Super Mario Land. Hopefully the 3DS eShop keeps content like this coming.

Excel
June 12th, 2011, 5:56 AM
Urgh why would you want to play Super Mario Land again? And Pay for the 'pleasure'?

Simon
June 12th, 2011, 12:02 PM
WTF? Super Mario Land was amazing you wally. And SML2 was probably the best game I'd ever played at the time.

Excel
June 12th, 2011, 12:11 PM
I hated SML. I hated it so much I once headbutt the cartridge

The Rick
June 16th, 2011, 1:29 AM
Nintendo is moving their e-shop update day to Thursdays. link to story (http://www.gametrailers.com/news/all-nintendo-downloads-now/3489)

I hope that Nintendo keeps the offerings for my 3DS coming. Link's Awakening DX is nice, and I have to say that I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of the Excitebike 3D. I will probably end up getting super mario land. It was a really good game, and at the time awesome on gameboy.

I liked the 3D trailers in the store as well. The Metal Gear: Snake Eater 3D and Mario game trailers were so pretty. While I will still pick up Link ( I love this game), after watching the trailer on my 3DS, my anticipation for the game has waned a bit.

Cubed-Sphere
June 16th, 2011, 1:58 AM
Quite a charming commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bINUfbLV_0M

And yes, he really did name his daughter Zelda after the game.

Cubed-Sphere
June 20th, 2011, 10:28 PM
Picked up Ocarina of Time 3D today and put about 40 minutes into it (I just beat Ghoma inside the Deku Tree). It's about as good as you could imagine, just a remake of one of the best games of all time, according to many. I've actually never played OoT passed the one-hour mark so I'm pretty excited to see what all the fuss has been about for 13 years.

grimshaw
June 21st, 2011, 2:42 AM
wahhh it doesnt come out here till the 30th.

Mind you i want to save it for my long haul flight.

Jez
June 21st, 2011, 3:25 AM
I have been playing the hell out of it, think I've sunk about 12 hours or so into it since Friday evening and that's despite the fact the battery keeps dying. The game is just so close to perfection, utter bliss to play through again.

Cubed-Sphere
June 23rd, 2011, 7:50 PM
Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D comes out next week. Yay or nay?

I've been back and forth, but I figured if I can find it for $30 on ebay or used I'll pick it up. I'm mainly looking forward to its co-op capabilities and the Revelations demo that comes with the game.

The_Mike
June 28th, 2011, 12:10 PM
So I hear over on Slashdot that Capcom are planning on releasing a Resident Evil game for the 3DS that has just one save slot, which cannot be reset or wiped. The plan seems to be to discourage buying the game second hand, since you'll be left with all the progress, points, unlocked stuff and dead enemies of the previous player. That'll go down well, right?

The Rick
June 28th, 2011, 12:17 PM
So I hear over on Slashdot that Capcom are planning on releasing a Resident Evil game for the 3DS that has just one save slot, which cannot be reset or wiped. The plan seems to be to discourage buying the game second hand, since you'll be left with all the progress, points, unlocked stuff and dead enemies of the previous player. That'll go down well, right?

Did you hear which game that pertains to? If that is the mercenary game, that is bad. Some gamers might not care to have all of the weapons unlocked in the Mercenaries game. I want to do it all myself, but that is me. If the game in question is the new RE single player game, that is absolutely terrible.

grimshaw
June 28th, 2011, 12:29 PM
It's the mercenaries game.

The Rogerer
June 28th, 2011, 5:00 PM
I just ordered a classic GBA and a couple of games, a clear blue one, not even a SP.

The Doc
June 28th, 2011, 5:47 PM
Dear God why would you do that to your eyes? I remember that POS. I got one day fucking one along with Castlevania Circle of the Moon (I believe was the first one, Dracula had been watching Digimon and thought he was goddamn Malomyotismon at the end.) You had to get that thing at the exactly right angle, it was like trying to get the 3DS to work except it needed outside light and you couldn't just flick a switch so it would work perfectly (if not awesomely).

You are a braver man than I. And I salute you.

They also need to get GB classic's Donkey Kong out yesterday.

Jez
June 29th, 2011, 10:47 AM
Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D comes out next week. Yay or nay?

I've been back and forth, but I figured if I can find it for $30 on ebay or used I'll pick it up. I'm mainly looking forward to its co-op capabilities and the Revelations demo that comes with the game.

The reviews are very disappointing and the saved game nonsense has totally put me off. I had it pre-ordered hoping that it would continue the good streak the 3DS has been on with the new firmware, game announcements and OoT but no such luck. The next big release will be Star Fox as far as I can see, and that's another remake.

RuneEdge
June 29th, 2011, 11:40 AM
Dear God why would you do that to your eyes? I remember that POS. I got one day fucking one along with Castlevania Circle of the Moon (I believe was the first one, Dracula had been watching Digimon and thought he was goddamn Malomyotismon at the end.) You had to get that thing at the exactly right angle, it was like trying to get the 3DS to work except it needed outside light and you couldn't just flick a switch so it would work perfectly (if not awesomely).

You are a braver man than I. And I salute you.
Oh God, tell me about it. It was worse than the original Gameboy which also didnt have a backlight. Cuz atleast with the Gameboy the resolution was a lot lower, meaning the pixels were bigger and easier to make out in bad lighting. But with the GBA it was a right pain in the ass.

grimshaw
June 29th, 2011, 11:54 AM
Ninja 5-0

The Rogerer
July 5th, 2011, 9:17 AM
The original GBA is horrible. Horrible. I played it for a year in 2002-3, I guess ignorance was bliss. I have no idea how I used to play Doom on it, I did spend a lot of time on a train so maybe it was constantly well lit. I got my GBA SP this morning (there was nothing else for it) and have ordered a bunch of games like nobody's business.
http://kaikoshumi.webs.com/gba-sp-nes-classic.jpg
(It's got a chip at the top of the screen, I'll live. The outside is very scratched. Every time I buy a second hand console it seems someone has used it as a chopping board)
I think the GBA was the last time I was really in love with a handheld. I played my DS a lot, but the compact GBA SP is a beautiful thing, and I preferred the Advance Wars to the DS versions. A truly pocket console.

Excel
July 8th, 2011, 10:53 AM
Just got Resident Evil: Mercenaries today. This game is a blast! Exactly the type of game you want for a handheld.

The_Mike
July 8th, 2011, 11:02 AM
The type you can only play once?

Excel
July 8th, 2011, 11:18 AM
They still asked me to trade it back in when I was done with it, so I couldnt really care less about that save thing

Jez
July 8th, 2011, 11:21 AM
For those in the UK who noticed that the E3 videos on the e-shop hadn't made their way to our store check again. I downloaded them all on Tuesday night. I'm most impressed With RE: Revelations, Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario. They pretty much all look great though.

It did highlight that the e-shop is a horrible mess of an online store though. No background downloading, irritating animations while you wait, having to go back to the main menu after every download and a very odd approach to organisation - I thought Nintendo was improving their online experience?

RuneEdge
July 8th, 2011, 11:44 AM
Ninja 5-0

That was awesome.

Excel
July 8th, 2011, 11:52 AM
The the shop is a mess like.

grimshaw
July 8th, 2011, 3:58 PM
That was awesome.

Still is mate.

Ninja 5-0.

Jez
July 27th, 2011, 5:05 AM
Just read that Snake Eater 3DS has been delayed into 2012 - I'm not surprised to be honest since there have been so many delays and cancellations for the system lately. Very disappointing to see third parties shying away from it when they promised so much support at E3 2010.

Cubed-Sphere
July 27th, 2011, 7:25 AM
Yeah, my system is starting to collect dust. It only has one great game out at this point (OoT, of course) and all the other major releases are three months away at least (most are coming out sometime in 2012).

I think I may sell my 3DS. Haven't officially decided yet, but I'm leaning toward it.

I do love that Netflix is finally up and running on it now, though.

Jez
July 27th, 2011, 7:43 AM
I'm holding on to mine because if nothing else Nintendo have announced a lot of potentially great games. I don't hold high hopes for their online services improving much but if Luigi's Mansion 2, Mario Kart, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, Super Smash Bros and Super Mario 3DS live up to their potential then I'm more than satisfied. Then add RE: Revelations and a few more third party games like the new Layton and I have more than I can even handle anyway.

Cubed-Sphere
July 27th, 2011, 10:14 AM
If I sell it it's more of a statement of my lack of interest in handhelds than the 3DS' software. I can honestly say that I don't care about anything coming out for it outside of RE: Revelations. That doesn't mean I don't think Luigi's Mansion 2, SM3D, Star Fox, MGS3D, and others don't look good, it just means I won't care enough to spend $40 on them and play them.

I just never find the time or money to utilize a handheld... I'm much more of a console guy. Heck, I never even play the free games I have on my compact little iPhone, so I definitely never see myself spending $30-40 on a 3DS game and then lugging the chunky bastard around with me.

I guess I've just finally realized that handhelds aren't for me. Outside of sitting in my bed and playing them for about an hour a week they are completely useless to me.

The Doc
July 27th, 2011, 12:32 PM
Resident Evil Mercenaries is quality. What's more is that the single save mode doesn't actually hurt much of anything for MOST gamers. Sure there are some whiny bitches who'll complain they have the ability to jump in WAY over their heads but somehow I can't cry for them.

Excel
July 27th, 2011, 1:12 PM
Very upset about Snake Eater.

it's why I bought the damn thing!

I'll have to make do with the HD Collection on 360 until then I guess.

Unless that has somehow been delayed too

Jez
July 28th, 2011, 5:10 AM
Some big news on the 3DS front...


Nintendo Announces Huge 3DS Price Cut
To "create momentum".

Nintendo has announced a huge 3DS price-cut in for Japan.

From 11th August the handheld will be sold for 15,000 yen (£118) in Japan, down from its current 25,000 yen (£196) price tag.

Nintendo will price-cut the 3DS in overseas markets, including Europe, by September, "although the ranges and the markdown will be different from that of Japan".


EU 3DS price cut "around a third"
20 free games offered to early adopters.

The price of the 3DS will be cut by "around a third" in Europe, Nintendo has told Eurogamer.

This will be done from 12th August.

"Nintendo of Europe will be reducing the European trade price of Nintendo 3DS to retailers by around a third from 12th August 2011, as part of a global trade price reduction initiative," Nintendo told Eurogamer.

"The ultimate price to consumers is, of course, determined by retailers, however we look forward to consumers benefiting from much lower prices very soon."

Additionally, Nintendo Europe plans to offer an exclusive Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Programme to consumers who have purchased the Nintendo 3DS at the original launch price.

The programme will enable these Nintendo 3DS owners to download ten NES games and ten Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games for free.

To register for this programme, Nintendo 3DS owners need to connect to the Nintendo eShop before the 12th of August.

The free software will then be made available at a later stage.

More details on the programme will be announced on the Nintendo of Europe website shortly.

in North America, Nintendo has already firmed up details of the ambassador programme. US Ambassadors get their ten NES Virtual Console games starting from 1st September, before they're made available for the general public to buy.

The NES list includes Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda. It's the first we've heard of several of these becoming available.

Nintendo will dole out the 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games by the end of the year. The GBA games will be true exclusives - Nintendo "currently has no plans" to make the games available to the general public in the future.

Some of the GBA's finest are included: Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, Warioware inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

EDIT: Just as a final bit of news Super Mario 3DS is now named Super Mario 3D Land and will be out in November, Mario Kart 7 (really?!) will be out in November and Kid Icarus: Uprising will be out in November in the US (still listed as 2012 in Europe.) The new US price for the 3DS is reportedly $169.99 RRP.

Olympus
July 28th, 2011, 12:47 PM
That's a really significant price drop just only a few months after release. I somewhat expected it to be down to $199.99 by Christmas time to get a head start on the $249 PS Vita, but $169 in the next few weeks is pretty shocking. I still don't think it wil make me buy one, however.

The_Mike
July 28th, 2011, 2:02 PM
For $170, I might be interested if there's a couple of really good games. That's a pretty sudden drop. Does anyone know how sales are going?

Olympus
July 28th, 2011, 6:49 PM
I think they are below expectations.

The Doc
July 28th, 2011, 7:17 PM
Without looking it up I'm quite certain the sales are abysmal for them to have dropped it THAT low that fast. They can't be THAT worried about the PSP.

Vice
July 28th, 2011, 7:45 PM
As if things couldn't get any worse for Nintendo and the 3DS. The company's latest handheld hasn't found the sales traction needed to beat even Sony's six-year old PSP.

For the quarter, the Nintendo 3DS sold 710,000 units worldwide compared to Sony's PSP which sold 1.8 million units. For software, Sony moved 6.6 million PSP games compared to 4.5 million for 3DS.

In total, the 3DS has sold 4.3 million units since it launched in Japan this past February. Nintendo is reportedly taking a loss on each 3DS sold after it introduces the massive price cut early next month.

The price drop for the 3DS begins first in Japan on August 11 followed by North America, Japan, and Europe on August 12.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/118/1184785p1.html

The Doc
July 28th, 2011, 8:30 PM
That sucks. It really is amazing, I think part of the problem is you really can't advertize what it does they would have been worlds better off if instead of shipping it when they if they'd both waited until there were games for the system and also spent the year going to events and letting the public as a whole see the thing. Everybody that I've turned the system on and handed it to them has simply dropped their jaw. But the comercials just show me Zelda. It's not the same.

Jez
July 29th, 2011, 6:45 AM
It really is a sign of desperation and unless things change dramatically the PS Vita will outperform the 3DS with ease. I think in a lot of ways the current generation (Wii/3DS) has made Nintendo a bit cocky, thinking that hype alone can sell systems. The sales have proved that unless a system has games that people want then hype will only carry you so far.

I've read a lot about how analysts reckon the 3DS has sold poorly due to smartphones but that doesn't explain how the DS and PSP have outsold it since its release. Portable handheld consoles can still sell if they're done right and Nintendo, through its lack of games and poor online services, have done it all wrong so far.

The Doc
July 29th, 2011, 2:02 PM
The DS and PSP (well I haven't priced a PSP) are less than half the cost of the 3DS at this point that's a pretty good reason for why it's out peformed it. The PS2 kicked the shit out of the PS3 for months bu still. While lack of games is surely crippling I think the biggest problem(s) are the economy as a whole (release during a recession? LOLZ) and that you simply can't communicate how awesome your product is through commericials.

Cubed-Sphere
July 29th, 2011, 5:18 PM
Holy friggin' crap on the stick!

http://wii.ign.com/articles/118/1184948p1.html

Iwata is taking a 50% pay-cut. Man, Nintendo is something else. Between this, the 3DS getting a massive price-cut, and current 3DS owners getting over $100 worth of Virtual Console games they are a beacon of hope in this world of greedy corporate and government jackasses.

I could never imagine taking a 50% pay-cut, and then others in the company are taking pay-cuts, too.

The Rick
July 29th, 2011, 6:56 PM
http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1184813p1.html?RSSid=1184813

more on the $100 in free stuff for current owners of the 3ds.

So Cubie you gonna at least keep you system for the free shit?

The Doc
July 29th, 2011, 7:52 PM
Anyword on how those ten games are going to work out? Like do we pick from everything, do we pick from a tiny list like the Playstation people got, anything?

The_Mike
July 29th, 2011, 7:54 PM
What's with Nintendo and all this being generous stuff? Did they hack someone's phone?

Cubed-Sphere
July 29th, 2011, 8:10 PM
http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1184813p1.html?RSSid=1184813

more on the $100 in free stuff for current owners of the 3ds.

So Cubie you gonna at least keep you system for the free shit?

I'm 50/50. I have the system for sale on craigslist and continue to ask people if they want to buy it from me, but if they don't it's no biggie.

I really could care less if I keep it or not. I need the money more than the system, but if I get stuck with the system I'll just make the best of it and play it when I can.

The Rick
August 4th, 2011, 9:48 PM
This is on the news page of the Nintendo 3DS store.

Starting Sept. 1, Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES Virtual Console games at no charge and before they are available to the public. These games, including Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, and The Legend of Zelda, are slated to become paid downloadable games. but Ambassadors get them early for free. Later in the year, once the paid versions of the games are available in the Nintendo eShop, Ambassadors can download any of the remaining games or any of the updated versions at no cost.

By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games like Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.



I would be extra happy if Balloon Fight had some mulit-player. :fingersx: I know, I got high hopes.

Jez
August 5th, 2011, 4:27 AM
Well there's a good chance of it as Nintendo have confirmed that some of the NES games will receive a free update to patch in things like multiplayer. Two more of the GB Advance games have been announced as well - Super Mario Advance 4 (Super Mario Bros. 3) and Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.

Tugboat
August 5th, 2011, 5:37 AM
Ol' PS Vita's release date likely to be announced at TGS, apparently. Looking forward to seeing more about it.

Excel
August 5th, 2011, 5:39 AM
What are Ambassadors?

Excel
August 5th, 2011, 5:43 AM
Nevermind, just checked on their site. It is nice to see a company repaying their most dedicated customers like this

Olympus
August 5th, 2011, 8:43 AM
It sounds like the Vita's release date will be delayed until 2012, at least in the US and Europe. Japan is still set for 2011.

I guess they're just rolling it out in one market so if there are any problems, they'd have a chance to address them before they launch world wide.

Jez
August 23rd, 2011, 6:44 AM
Some truly bizarre rumours floating about today that Nintendo is preparing to unveil a revised 3DS with two analog nubs and a reduced focus on 3D, with a complete rebrand. This will supposedly be revealed before next month's Tokyo Game Show.

Giving us 20 free games to make up for us paying full price before a massive price drop seems fair but I don't think there's anything that would make me feel better about my handheld being redundant after less than a year on the market. This is what makes me think the rumours are lies but stranger things have happened.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/316513/twin-stick-3ds-with-reduced-3d-focus-on-the-way-report/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-23-nintendo-preps-huge-3ds-overhaul-report

Tugboat
August 23rd, 2011, 6:56 AM
I imagine the secondary 'analog nub' rumour just involves a clip-on that covers the existing face buttons for use in FPS titles etc. Especially with rumours of it being in the $10 range. I doubt it'll be a new redesigned 3DS with an extra built-in stick.

Just means I'll be waiting for their announcement before making any hasty decisions on buying a 3DS as is.

The Rick
September 1st, 2011, 8:57 PM
Don't forget about the Ambassador program that started today.

Super Mario Bros, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Wrecking Crew, Nes Open Tournament Golf, Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, Zelda II, and Yoshi. All free.

On a different note for the 3DS. I watched the Jason Derulo "it girl" 3D video. There are some great scenes that show off the 3D technology. One in particular shows Derulo sitting on a classic corvette with an older mansion in the background. The video itself is cut in a way that is too quick. Images fly by, and scenes change at a pace that approaches nausea. Maybe I was the only one with that problem with that video though.

Excel
September 3rd, 2011, 3:03 PM
Damnit I forgot how hard the original Super Mario Bros was. Stuck on World 7, and I've had Game Over like 8 times.

The Rogerer
September 12th, 2011, 12:32 PM
http://modojo.com/media/features/655/circle.jpg
State of that.

Alf
September 12th, 2011, 4:37 PM
Anyone played worms for Android? I used to bloody love worms.

The Rick
September 18th, 2011, 9:13 PM
link (http://www.gamingbus.com/2011/09/16/full-vita-specs-peripherals-and-launch-titles-detailed/) to Sony Vita specs.
Recently at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show, Sony unveiled full product specifications and peripheral lists for the PS Vita. In comparison to the previously existing specification lists, this one is much more in-depth.
Platform name PlayStation®Vita
Model number PCH-1000 series
CPU ARM® Cortex™-A9 core (4 core)
GPU SGX543MP4+
Main memory 512MB
VRAM 128MB
External Dimensions Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest
projection)
Weight Approx 279g (3G/Wi-Fi model)Approx 260g (Wi-Fi model)
Screen(Touch screen) 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLEDMulti touch screen (capacitive type)
Rear touch pad Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras Front camera, Rear cameraFrame rate : 120fps@320×240(QVGA), 60fps@640×480(VGA)Resolution : Up to 640×480(VGA)
Sound Built-in stereo speakersBuilt-in microphone
Sensors Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Threeaxis electronic compass
Location Built-in GPS (3G/Wi-Fi model only)Wi-Fi location service support
Keys / Switches PS buttonPower buttonDirectional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)

Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)

Right stick, Left stick

START button, SELECT button

Volume buttons (+/-)
Wirelesscommunications Mobile network connectivity (3G/Wi-Fi model only)3G modem (data communication): HSDPA/HSUPA *specification for Japanese regionIEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
Slots/Ports PlayStation®Vita card slotMemory card slotSIM card slot (3G/Wi-Fi model only)Multi-use port (for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio [Stereo Out / Mono In], Serial data communication),

Headset jack (Stereo mini jack) (for Audio [Stereo Out / Mono In])

Accessory port
Power Built-In Lithium-ion Battery: DC3.7V 2200mAAC adaptor: DC 5V
Operating environmenttemperature 5℃~35℃
SupportedAV contentformat Music-MP3 MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3, MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC), WAVE (Linear PCM)Videos-MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC)

Photos

-JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG


Additionally, it was announced that the release of the hardware will be in three tiers: the initial limited-edition run, which consists of the first 500,000 units and includes a 100-hour prepaid 3G data plan; a second limited-edition run, which will be in production for an unspecified timeframe after the initial limited-edition run and will include a 20-hour prepaid 3G data plan; and finally the standard model, which includes no free prepaid time at all. The US release will be handled by AT&T, but it is unclear whether or not this same promotion will reach the US.

Sony also unveiled a lineup of peripherals for the Vita, including memory cards for the system which may or may not be required for a game, and none are included with the purchase of a Vita. The press release noted the following:

Some PS Vita software titles may require the use of separately sold memory card for saving game’s saved data while some software titles are capable of saving it on to the PS Vita card itself. Please refer to the PS Vita game packages or game manuals for further details.

As impressive as most of those specs are, the last paragraph is one HUGE glaring issue. The Vita reportedly uses a new storage medium. All of your memory sticks (Pro duo) are worth less. You will need to purchase new medium for saves. Here is the reported release date prices for the storage medium(and other peripherals) from the same article.
Product name Release date RRP
(including tax)
Memory card 4GB December 17, 2011 ¥2,200 (USD$28.66)
Memory card 8GB December 17, 2011 ¥3,200 (USD$41.69)
Memory card 16GB December 17, 2011 ¥5,500 (USD$71.65)
Memory card 32GB December 17, 2011 ¥9,500 (USD$123.76)
AC adaptor December 17, 2011 ¥1,800 (USD$23.45)
USB cable December 17, 2011 ¥1,300 (USD$16.94)
Cradle December 17, 2011 ¥2,800 (USD$36.48)
In-ear headset December 17, 2011 ¥2,800 (USD$36.48)
Protective film December 17, 2011 ¥800 (USD$10.42)
Card case December 17, 2011 ¥600 (USD$7.82)
Case December 17, 2011 ¥1,800 (USD$23.45)
Pouch December 17, 2011 ¥1,500 (USD$19.54)
Travel pouch with cleaning cloth and wrist strap December 17, 2011 ¥2,300 (USD$29.96)
Carrying pouch (black) December 17, 2011 ¥1,800 (USD$23.45)

Cubed-Sphere
September 18th, 2011, 10:07 PM
The Vita is an amazing piece of hardware, but yes, the battery life and memory cards basically kill the value of the system. $250 for the wifi model and $300 for the 3G model are nice price-points, but knowing I'll need to spend about an extra $100 just to extend the battery life past 5 hours and save game data turns me off completely.

I'll be waiting for the inevitable secone iteration of the PSV. One that comes with increased battery life and is bundled with a game and memory stick (we know that's how it'll play out).

On the handheld topic: I did eventually sell my 3DS. The library is lacking, the massive price drop pissed me off after paying full price 2 months before during the launch window, and now the 2nd analog stick add-on (which requires AAA batteries and basically doubles the size of the system) was the last straw. Nintendo has absolutely NO IDEA what they're doing with the 3DS. Everything they've done with it has ripped me off and made the handheld worthless and retarded-looking. If someone finds games they like and enjoy the system, cool; but for me, I need more than ports of 14 year old games (Ocarina and Star Fox) and the same old Nintendo franchises. I'm tired of Marios and the like. I guess I really have just outgrown those kinds of games and I simply have NO interest in Nintendo's products anymore. Even the third party games aren't shit to me. Resident Evil: Revelations is looking worse and worse every time it's shown (check the Rachel character to see what I mean) and MGS3D is worthless when I can get the HD remake version on the MGS Collection coming to PS3.

I don't think I've ever been so pissed at myself and let down by a system as I have been with the 3DS. Complete waste of time and money, and until Sony find a way to package in memory and extend the battery life of the Vita, it'll be a waste too.

Olympus
September 18th, 2011, 10:14 PM
As impressive as most of those specs are, the last paragraph is one HUGE glaring issue. The Vita reportedly uses a new storage medium. All of your memory sticks (Pro duo) are worth less. You will need to purchase new medium for saves. Here is the reported release date prices for the storage medium(and other peripherals) from the same article.


FUCK. Does this mean I won't be able to transfer all of my old PSP games/save files to the Vita? I have so many PSP games/PS1 classics with save files on my PSP Go right now.

The Rick
September 18th, 2011, 10:29 PM
FUCK. Does this mean I won't be able to transfer all of my old PSP games/save files to the Vita? I have so many PSP games/PS1 classics with save files on my PSP Go right now.

No not necessarily. I think you will be able to transfer data, but you can't use any existing memory cards on the market (reportedly). You have to buy all new memory cards.

To: Cubie
I completely understand. I am quite miffed about the new analog as well. The lack of a library is bullshit. Just about every decent title is a re-release of a previous title. They could have at the very least padded the Virtual Console with some titles, but they haven't even done that. We have to wait till the Christmas season for better titles. I have kept mine, but I am very disappointed with Nintendo.

Jez
September 19th, 2011, 5:01 AM
I did eventually sell my 3DS. The library is lacking, the massive price drop pissed me off after paying full price 2 months before during the launch window, and now the 2nd analog stick add-on (which requires AAA batteries and basically doubles the size of the system) was the last straw. Nintendo has absolutely NO IDEA what they're doing with the 3DS. Everything they've done with it has ripped me off and made the handheld worthless and retarded-looking. If someone finds games they like and enjoy the system, cool; but for me, I need more than ports of 14 year old games (Ocarina and Star Fox) and the same old Nintendo franchises. I'm tired of Marios and the like. I guess I really have just outgrown those kinds of games and I simply have NO interest in Nintendo's products anymore. Even the third party games aren't shit to me. Resident Evil: Revelations is looking worse and worse every time it's shown (check the Rachel character to see what I mean) and MGS3D is worthless when I can get the HD remake version on the MGS Collection coming to PS3.

So true - I have no intention of selling mine but I am similarly disappointed in the lack of direction Nintendo has taken. The only games I'm interested in are first party games such as Mario Kart and SM3DL as I am also getting the HD collection of MGS and I cannot imagine buying that atrocious second analog to play RE easier to play. I hope Nintendo sort it all out eventually but I'm not holding my breath.

The Rick
November 29th, 2011, 11:54 PM
*1up BUMP*

Nintendo is finally putting out some original titles that are on a must own status.
Super Mario 3D Land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5NK384amwQ

and Mario Kart 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16D9OXFzRJc

They were among the suggestions given to family as gift ideas. So I will be waiting until Christmas. Damn the waiting. Damn Damn Damn

Cubed-Sphere
December 1st, 2011, 12:55 AM
They've both been getting amazing reviews... though I don't own a 3DS anymore, i'm glad Nintendo are setting things right.

I just can't, for the life of me, care about Nintendo products anymore... software or hardware.

In other news, I am keeping my allegiance to Sony gaming systems and eyeing the Vita now that it's closing in. Likely still won't buy it new on day one, but as soon as that sucka drops $30-50 on ebay or something I'm snapping one up. Lovely little device... except for those excessively priced memory cards. Again, I can find those cheaper, too.

Jez
December 1st, 2011, 6:13 AM
Super Mario 3D Land is possibly the best portable game I've ever played. I'm absolutely loving playing through it and it has a surprisingly high amount of content considering its a platformer. I'm getting Mario Kart 7 for Christmas which I expect I will enjoy but I'm a bit apprehensive as a lot of the reviews say how little has changed. Will be good for a while at least I expect.

The Rick
December 14th, 2011, 1:49 PM
3DS Ambassador rumor
Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5867929/the-full-game-boy-advance-ambassador-list-for-the-3ds)


The Full Game Boy Advance Ambassador List for the 3DS

Nintendo's Amabassador Program is its way of rewarding Nintendo 3DS owners who purchased the device before its pricecut. There have already been a whole host of Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) games released free of charge. Up next, Game Boy Advance games. But which ones?

According to these photos, the following games will available for download on Dec. 16:

F-Zero Maximum Velocity
Super Mario Advance 3
The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
Mario Kart Advance
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Fusion
Wario Land 4
Wario Ware, Inc. Mega Microgame$

The photos look legit. However, I put a rumor tag on this, because Nintendo is apparently sending this list out to 3DS owners in Japan via 3DS. Apparently, because I have not yet received the message. Moreover, at the time of posting, Nintendo hasn't updated its Ambassador site.

Though, launching this the day before the Vita goes on sale, Dec. 17, shows Nintendo is playing for keeps in the handheld war.

I am actually a bit excited for a few of these titles. I never picked up Metroid Fusion, and have never tried any of the Fire Emblem series. I wasted so much time on Warrio Ware, but then lost the cart. I had all games unlocked damn it.

Jez
December 15th, 2011, 5:43 AM
Well that's better! This list looks a hell of a lot better than the NES games we got in September which were awful for the most part. I have only played F-Zero and Mario Kart out of that list (which I'm not too bothered about playing since I'm getting 7 for Christmas) so there's plenty of new experiences in there for me. Can't wait in particular to give Zelda, Yoshi's Island and Metroid a blast.

The Rick
December 15th, 2011, 1:55 PM
To be honest I thought that one of the Advanced Wars games would be on that list. Those games are such a time sink, and a blast while doing so. One of the golden Sun games would have been great too. Then they could put up the second one on the store, and people would almost have to buy it.

I hope they follow up with this, and release more GBA games for purchase. There are quite a few titles I wouldn't mind revisiting, and some titles I didn't get a chance to catch. The Castlevania games were top notch, and I put a lot of time into the Fire Pro Wrestling games. With Nintendo, though, it seems that wishes like these are foolhardy. Here's hoping anyway.

Cubed-Sphere
December 16th, 2011, 2:00 PM
Here's how the Vita game cases compare to other game cases, for those wondering.

http://geekrevolt.com/2011/12/16/heres-how-ps-vita-game-cases-stack-up-against-ps3-xbox-360-ds-and-psp-ones/

I agree with the author, I always thought the PSP cases were too thin and too tall, the DS cases too square, and I'm a fan of the blue... the Vita games will look nice next to my blu-rays on my display shelf.

Whenever I decide to actually buy one.

The Rick
December 20th, 2011, 10:04 PM
Ign shows off their new Vita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7zNzmwosCE
Looks so nice, and responsive. The store is already up for their customers. :squint: Nintendo

Looks sexy as hell, but I won't have the money. Come tax time this bitch is mine. :D

Cubed-Sphere
December 21st, 2011, 1:07 AM
I've been watching a lot of videos of Vita unboxings and the like. I'm such a nerd for new shiny things. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out from getting this little guy. The plan is to wait and save $50 or so by getting it used from ebay within a month of its release (which will inevitably happen), but it'll be hard to resist it when I see it on the shelf at a Gamestop, Best Buy, or Walmart.

EDIT: Oh God! Just after typing that I found a unit on Ebay from one of my trusted import sellers for the wifi unit, new and sealed... only $150 more than what I'd be paying in store to buy a new one in two months (that includes the tax i'd pay in-store). Free shipping, too. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Cubed-Sphere
December 23rd, 2011, 3:20 PM
Looks like Sony lowered the prices of their Vita memory cards in response to the backlash. Not much of a decrease, but it's better than nothing, capping them off at $100 for the 32GB now. The full rundown is here:

http://vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215455p1.html

Olympus
December 24th, 2011, 12:04 AM
I don't think it's worth importing it. I considered it, but people have been saying they're having problems connecting, etc...

Cubed-Sphere
December 24th, 2011, 4:26 AM
I wouldn't really import it. If I could get everything (system, a game, and a memory card) for $150 more and get it in early January in the mail, I probably would; but between the mark-ups online for the memory cards and games I'd end up spending much more than just $150 more... so it's not worth it.

I'm glad they lowered the prices on the memory cards a bit, but I'm still pissed about the lack of built-in memory. Buying larger capacity memory cards to expand what your system can do is a gaming industry standard (hell, it's flat-out a portable industry standard), but FORCING us to buy one in order to just play games on a freaking GAMING DEVICE is bullshit. How easy would it have been to just include 4GB of flash memory on the device and avoid much of the negative press this issue has brought? At least with that little bit of memory we could play, save, and download a few games before being forced to decide what expansion memory card we want.

The Rick
December 30th, 2011, 1:53 PM
I just played this on a friend's 3DS. Needless to say, I will be picking it up myself from the e-Shop soon.
VVVVVV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIhh3aA_klY


So much addictive platforming to love here.

Excel
January 19th, 2012, 4:54 PM
For the record, I fucking hate Mario Kart 7. On 150cc Special cup, which is pretty fucking hard. First course I destroy it, finally, coming first. Second course I was 1st most of the race then at the last second, Redshell! BAM!, Then Donkey Kong knocks into me as I'm recovering and knocks me off the cliff. 7th Place! What a cunt!

Cubed-Sphere
February 8th, 2012, 1:54 AM
Anybody jamming on some RE: Revelations? I watched a playthrough on Youtube and while it looks pretty good it's not going to make me run out and rebuy a 3DS.

Looks like a solid entry in the series' canon.

Also, we're two weeks away from the Vita hitting the US market. Sony claims they're including a 4GB memory card and a voucher for a PSN game with the 3G model on launch day. Not a bad deal for $300, but they haven't said which game the voucher is for.

grimshaw
February 8th, 2012, 2:07 AM
I played a little bit of the demo (I am really pleased to see a demo).

It was fun enough, but it's not something I am keen to play on a portable system.

Olympus
February 8th, 2012, 8:41 AM
Ugh... as much as it pains me to, I have to pass on the Vita right away. It was supposed to be my birthday present from my wife, but a lot of expenses came up lately, so we can't afford it anymore.

Oh well, maybe the price will drop massively like the 3DS.

Jez
February 8th, 2012, 9:40 AM
I have played about an hour of Revelations and am enjoying it quite a lot so far. I can't give an overly thorough analysis of it since I have only really started but the graphics are the best I've seen on the 3DS and the story is decent. Not worth buying a 3DS for but definitely a solid entry in its library.

Excel
February 8th, 2012, 9:59 AM
I hate what Resident Evil has become

Cubed-Sphere
February 9th, 2012, 12:01 AM
You mean scary again? Revelations is more like the old ones than 4 and 5 (in atmosphere, not gameplay, of course). If you survived, and enjoyed, RE5 then I don't know what you wouldn't like about Revelations and the direction RE6 looks to be headed.

I think 4 and 5 were as diverted from the original formula as Capcom could get and it looks like they're veering back on track with Revelations and 6.

Cubed-Sphere
February 26th, 2012, 4:23 AM
Picked up a Vita on Friday, along with an 8GB memory card and Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Loving the system, it's as sleek and sexy as we all expected. It was an impulse buy, one that I knew I'd probably make at launch week, but man I don't regret it at all.

Uncharted is great and has one of the better stories in the series, but I hate the forced use of the touch screen. Even when you disable all the touch motions you can the game still makes you use them for a lot of things. They work just fine, but throw off the flow of gameplay. They should be able to be completely disabled.

Olympus
February 26th, 2012, 7:35 AM
My wife got me a Vita with Uncharted, FIFA, and UMvC3 for my birthday yesterday. Liking it a lot so far. My one problem with touch screen controls so far is in FIFA, where I find myself activating the rear touch pad inadvertently too often, causing errant/unintended shots.

Haven't tried Uncharted yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Lightstrom
February 27th, 2012, 7:54 AM
But I got hardly any problem with the fifa...

Jez
February 27th, 2012, 8:31 AM
Spam bots are getting smarter, this one posted semi relevant posts for a month before dropping that link.

SparkMark1
February 28th, 2012, 12:49 AM
Im on the fence about the Vita. Rather, I know I will get one eventually. Just isn't much that interests me as far as games go right now. Perhaps when MLB game comes out next month.

Cubed-Sphere
February 28th, 2012, 4:58 PM
Completed Uncharted yesterday. I thought it was a great launch title, and i'm looking forward to going through again to find all the treasures and mysteries, but I still think the required touchscreen portions were unnecessary.

That said, it's a much different Uncharted than the PS3 games. It's much more about exploring, treasure-hunting, and puzzle-solving. In fact, I'd say fighting/shooting only made up 20% of the entire game. Pretty nice variation in regards to puzzles and mystery solving, as well (outside of the 50 charcoal rubbings you have to do).

Jez
April 20th, 2012, 12:23 PM
For those that have played both - should I buy God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta or both? They've both been discounted to 7 quid on PSN and I want something to play on my Vita.

Bert
April 20th, 2012, 1:25 PM
They're both great but Ghost of Sparta is better. I really would just get both.

Olympus
April 20th, 2012, 5:23 PM
I preferred Chains of Olympus actually. But both are very good.

Alf
May 8th, 2012, 3:25 PM
Hunters 2 on ipad. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Bert
June 22nd, 2012, 4:50 AM
Hmm, after the announcement of 3DS XL now I'm considering if I want that or vita. I'm still leaning towards vita because there's more games that interest me at the moment. In the future for 3DS though Paper Mario, Kingdom Hearts, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Mario Tennis, and possibly Animal Crossing do interest me though. :chin:

The Rick
June 22nd, 2012, 12:24 PM
Super Mario 3D Land is absolutely a must play. Even if you have to go to a store that is demoing it. Besides that there isn't much. Pushmo and VVVVV are the only titles from the shop that are near the realm of must play. And VVVVV can be acquired much cheaper else where.

Despite having one of the best launch line ups for any system, I still have but waning interest in the Vita. I don't know what they could show that would get me to throw my money down. The system has some good games, but not one that just absolutely grabs me.

The Rick
June 30th, 2012, 12:37 PM
On the US Nintendo e-Shop VVVVV is discounted to 4.99. It is a really fun, but challenging game. Nintendo has announced that they will be discounting different games each weekend(Fri-Sun).

Zen studios released Marvel Pinball on the 3DS as well. I like the pinball games, but I don't play them for long. The handheld is a perfect place for them. I can get a quick play-through of a table in, and go on to my next task in the day. I think the game lends itself quite well to the 3D on the 3DS as well.

****************************

Despite my comments in the News and Notes section, I am looking forward to the 3DS XL. I like my 3DS but I don't think it is the most comfortable thing to hold. My left hand just seems to be in a perfectly wrong place for either the star-pad or the thumb-circle. I'm hoping that the XL solves this. Here are some details form reports on various sites, the screen is about 90% bigger, the battery life is improved, original DS games look better, and the 3D visuals are a bit better. With the original 3DS a mild shiver can take you out of the "optimal 3D viewing angle". With the XL it sounds like the viewing angle is easier to achieve.

http://bzzz.3dsbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/3ds-xl-vs-3ds.jpg



It releases in the US August 19th along side New Super Mario Bros. 2.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SaRxYlL9dM

The Rogerer
July 6th, 2012, 8:07 AM
I'm on the 3DS train now. Woo woo. Most of the game I've been eyeing are actually DS ones, I sold my DS 4 years ago towards a 360. I got Super Mario 3D Land with it, which I'm told will be good. I was a little cold on Galaxy, and really didn't care for NSMB DS.

The Rick
July 8th, 2012, 11:53 PM
I'm on the 3DS train now. Woo woo. Most of the game I've been eyeing are actually DS ones, I sold my DS 4 years ago towards a 360. I got Super Mario 3D Land with it, which I'm told will be good. I was a little cold on Galaxy, and really didn't care for NSMB DS.

3D Land plays quite like Mario 64 in control style. the levels are linear like NSMB though. Super Mario 3D Land is almost enough to own the system. NSMB 2 looks really cool, but I'm more stoked for Paper Mario to be honest.

I am getting more excited for the 3DS XL each day. I have a friend that wants the mine. So he has offered to buy it off of me once I transfer all of my data for $90. Way better than what I can get for trade in, and better than he can do used.

The Rick
July 13th, 2012, 8:29 PM
Hands-on with the Nintendo 3DS XL
joystiq link (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/13/hands-on-with-the-nintendo-3ds-xl/)
by Mike Schramm Jul 13th 2012 7:25PM



If initial impressions are any indication at all, those who held out for a bigger version of Nintendo's 3DS will find the wait worth it. We just got to play with the Nintendo 3DS XL here at Comic-Con in San Diego, and its big screen really impressed us. The picture is clearer and brighter than the current 3DS (at least in the dark ballroom where we played Super Mario 3D Land), and the 3D is much better. There is still a sweet spot to get your eyes in, but once you're there, the much larger screen makes it easier to focus in, and the 3D just seems more effective as a result.

There aren't any significant differences to the rest of the device. The control stick, buttons, and other controls all feel like the 3DS. The larger unit might be a little unwieldy for small hands, but the stick and buttons are close enough to the edges that pushing them around shouldn't be an issue. On the whole, the device is more rounded off than the previous system. From the top, while closed, it looks more like a clamshell than a rectangle.

The larger size makes it a very sturdy device indeed. Sitting on the table in front of you, it's almost like a small laptop. The Start, Select, Home, and Power buttons have all lost their white touches, so that top screen just dominates the device. Nintendo's making a serious statement here, and it's that bigger should be better.

We're hesitant to get too hyperbolic about the 3DS XL until we're able to really run it through its paces, but yes, on first touch, it's gorgeous. This is not a device designed to fit in your pocket, though it certainly seems like the best way to play Nintendo's growing 3DS library. Below, you can see a gallery of hands-on pictures (including a PSP comparison -- that's the only device we had in the bag at the time).

The 3DS XL arrives on August 19, so if you were planning to buy a 3DS you might want to wait until then.

The Rogerer
July 14th, 2012, 7:41 AM
You're not wrong about Super Mario 3D Land. It is guilty of perhaps being too easy to start with, but the level design is great, up to me reaching World 5 now where it becomes even better. It's the perfect mix of the 2D linearity of levels and the 3D freedom of movement. Also it just lets you get on with it, I didn't like all the padding in Galaxy.

The Rick
July 14th, 2012, 10:18 AM
You're not wrong about Super Mario 3D Land. It is guilty of perhaps being too easy to start with, but the level design is great, up to me reaching World 5 now where it becomes even better. It's the perfect mix of the 2D linearity of levels and the 3D freedom of movement. Also it just lets you get on with it, I didn't like all the padding in Galaxy.

The level design is just Mario excellence. There is the level in World 4 where Piranha Plants spit ink at your screen, and the 3D effect makes it look pretty cool. I do wish there was a little more to collect though. I will go through a second play-through. That is, for me, the best way to test a Mario game. Many Mario games get even better on the second go through.

Final Fantasy.....Which One? (http://forums.rajah.com/showthread.php?141821-Final-Fantasy-Which-One)
Do you have a source for the claim about the DS playing better? Since the screens in the 3DS and the XL are exact same resolution, they will have to be scaled to fill the screen. The impression I got was that if you're playing them native resolution, the larger screens will result in a more acceptable image. I've just tested the native mode on my 3DS and can see how it would be annoying as it's quite a considerable shrink.

I heard it on the ign podcasts after the Nintendo Direct press conferences. So I don't have hard evidence.

It is just the opinion of the one journalist that got hands on time with it. It is the same with them saying that the Start/Select/Home buttons along with the D-pad are much improved. You're just over a week away from this bad boy. You get a shot at the 3DS XL on the 28th, and I would love for you to give your impressions of the machine. North America won't get it until the 19th.

The Rick
July 20th, 2012, 8:03 PM
The Making of Nintendo's 3DS XL
ign link (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/20/the-making-of-nintendos-3ds-xl)
by Audrey Drake July 20, 2012



The Making of Nintendo's 3DS XL
According to the development team, there's more to the XL than just bigger screens.

During a recent Iwata Asks, company president Satoru Iwata sat down with the team responsible for the recently-announced 3DS XL - to discuss how the system came to be. Development on the new model started last year with a question within the Nintendo offices - could the company, which had launched the 3DS in March of 2011, bring out the 3DS XL in 2012? Considering the DS Lite came out a year and three months after the original “DS Fat,” it was certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Of course, even if the timing is right, upgrading to 90 percent larger screens is no small task. Cost, for one, is certainly a hurdle, as ‘larger’ usually means ‘more expensive.’ “The biggest factor regarding the LCD was that we were able to count on lowering the cost due to mass production," said Takashi Murakami, who oversaw the system’s LCD elements. “A cooperating manufacturer let us use their special factory facilities for large-screen liquid-crystal televisions.”

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/07/Nintendo-3DS-XL-2-610x484.jpg

But what about the problem of increased power consumption (in other words, shorter battery life) thanks to having a larger screen that needs to be backlit? “We checked out various methods and technologies and found a new, as-yet-unestablished, technology for decreasing power consumption,” Murakami said. “It's a technology for holding down power consumption that, compared to the Nintendo 3DS, improves the use efficiency of light from the backlight.”

Another question curious 3DS owners looking to upgrade have been wondering is if pixels will be more apparent on such a large screen. But if you’ve played a DSi XL, you needn’t worry. To put it very plainly, “The dots are indeed smaller than on the Nintendo DSi XL system,” Iwata said.

Miyatake also noted that keeping the thickness of the larger system in check was a major concern - and the design team was pleased that they were able to get it incredibly close to the original 3DS. “The website says it's 22 millimeters thick, but that number includes the feet-like projections. Without it the thinnest part is 21.3 millimeters, only 0.1 millimeters more than the Nintendo 3DS,” he said. “It's larger, while being practically as thin – it feels more compact when you actually see it.”

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/07/110.jpg

Other small changes potential XL owners should appreciate include the redesigned buttons. “The A, B, X and Y Buttons, as well as the +Control Pad are bigger and thicker, making them easier to use in play,” Miyatake said. “In particular, we increased the thickness of the key tops height-wise for the L and R Buttons, so they're easier to use too.”

The new system will also suffer from significantly less glare. “On a LCD screen there are basically three reflective layers, which all of them reflects and cause glare,” Murakami said. “So this time, we specially treated all the layers. Reflectivity on the Nintendo 3DS was about 12 percent, but we decreased that to about 3 percent.”

In fact, Murakami asserts that when it comes to anti-reflection, “this device beats all previous Nintendo game systems.” How was this achieved? “Simply put, the progress of technology,” he said.

The Rick
July 30th, 2012, 7:37 PM
Hey The Rogerer(or any of you across the pond), have you gotten hands on time with the 3DS XL? Is it improved in your opinion? I'm 21 days away from getting it. I would like to read your impressions.

The Rick
August 5th, 2012, 9:04 PM
Nintendo 3DS XL review
techradar link (http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/gaming/handheld-consoles/nintendo-3ds-xl-1089176/review)
By Andy Robinson July 28th

pt1

The Nintendo 3DS XL is now on sale in Europe and boy does Nintendo need it to sell well.

The UK release of the original Nintendo 3DS last March didn't go as smoothly as the house of Mario might've hoped, see. A high £230 price point and a general lack of games post-release meant that many handheld gamers simply couldn't see a reason to upgrade from their existing DS systems.

Now, a year on, and the 3DS is finally delivering on its promise of succeeding on the original Nintendo DS's high-profile legacy.

Massive franchises such as Mario 3D Land, Resident Evil Revelations and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D have prop up a roster of solid core games, while a price reduction and rich digital offering further tempt the masses into stumping up for an upgrade.

You can probably see then why - in the eyes of Nintendo at least - now's as good a time as any to release the first 3DS revision, the Nintendo 3DS XL.

If you're in Europe, the 3DS XL is on sale already. US and Japanese customers will have to wait a little bit longer: their launch date is the 19th of August.

The 3DS XL price is under £200 in the UK and is available in silver, blue and red variations.

As expected the specifications are largely the same - except the device itself is larger. The main selling points of the 3DS XL are its 90 per cent larger screens, the top of which has been increased from 3.58 inches to 4.88 inches, making it the biggest Nintendo's ever included on a handheld.

The lower touch screen meanwhile has been increased from 3.02 inches to 4.18 inches. As you'd expect the increased screen size and added bulk means the new handheld is a bit heavier, up from 235g to 336g compared to the original 3DS, with overall dimensions of 134 x 74 x 21mm.

Aesthetically, the 3DS XL's ditched the glossy finish of the regular model and adopted a matte plastic material which, if you ask us, it doesn't look quite as good as its smaller cousin - however the new plastic is a lot more smudge resistant.

The positions of a few buttons and inputs have changed; the headphone port has been usefully moved from the bottom center of the portable over to the left hand side, and the wireless communication LED has been dragged off the side of the unit so that you can see it from above - another convenient change.

Meanwhile the Select, Home, and Start are now physical buttons and the much-criticised positioning of the stylus on regular 3DS model has been moved to the right side of the portable where it's far, far easier to reach.

As with the original 3DS, the XL only includes a single analogue control stick, so if you want to fully experience 3D action titles like Monster Hunter and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, you'll need to purchase a modified version of the Circle Pad Pro accessory, which is promised for future release (existing Circle Pad Pro accessories are not compatible with the 3DS XL).

One welcome addition out of the box is boosted memory; where the original 3DS came with a 2GB SD card, the 3DS XL gets a 4GB one to store all your Nintendo eShop downloads .

The compromise is unless you live in North America you won't get a charger; European and Japanese customers will need to buy their chargers separately, although if you already have a 3DS, DSi or DSi XL you can use their chargers with your new 3DS XL.

The move is clearly to cut costs, as Nintendo reckons that the majority of 3DS XL buyers will already own a Nintendo handheld and, to be honest, you probably do. If not don't worry too much - a new charger will cost around a fiver from all good outlets.
Features

In terms of size the 3DS XL, when closed at least, is comparable to a PS Vita or the original Nintendo DSi XL.

Despite being larger than last year's 3DS though, the XL actually feels skinnier and far more comfortable than its predecessor. We found that the vanilla 3DS could cause our hands to ache after extended play, but thankfully this is far less of a problem with the XL model thanks to its more rounded edges.

The matte plastic finish means finger prints on the inside of the device are far less of a problem, although we don't think the XL looks any way near as good as the original 3DS when closed. The metallic paint on the upside of the device simply isn't as sleek as last year's pint-sized portable, and if anything the XL looks a bit cheap in the comparison.

The 3DS XL again features dual 0.3 megapixel cameras (the front-sided of which can take 3D snaps) and the glasses-free 3D effect on the top screen is controlled by a 3D slider, which this time around is slightly larger and requires a final 'click' to activate or turn off the effect, which is a nice addition.

Meanwhile the stylus is now more akin to that of the original DS and its own super-size revision, the DSi XL. You can no longer 'slide' the pointer to half - or double - its size, but as mentioned on the previous page it's now far, far more conveniently place on the XL unity - meaning you don't have to stop gameplay and flip the whole unit around the get your hands on it.

One of the best changes Nintendo's made to the outside of the XL, though, is to its hinge. The original 3DS, when opened, was a bit loose and could only be 'locked' at one single point - fully opened. The XL now features two 'lock points' which means users can now set their screen at fully open or half way - perfect for placing the device on a desk and using the stylus for touch gameplay.

As mentioned on the previous page the increased battery life is another big attraction of the revision - so those big screens won't mean big battery disappointments. Nintendo says your portable will now last between three and six-and-a-half hours when playing 3DS games, and between five and eight if you're playing original DS games. In sleep mode the battery life is even more impressive, keeping its charge for days at a time.

Of course the absence everyone's talking about is the lack of a second Circle Pad analogue nub, which Nintendo added to the original 3DS via the bulky Circle Pad Pro peripheral. We have to admit this is a little bit disappointing, as games such as Resident Evil: Revelations and Kid Icarus: Uprising benefit hugely from the added control, but Nintendo claims its presence simply would've made the device even larger. Our cynical side suspects it will turn up in a future 3DS model.

pt2

Although the 3DS XL screens are bigger, the pixel density hasn't increased: the top screen appears to be 800 x 240 (400 x 240 per eye) - the same resolution as the 90 per cent smaller original 3DS.

Other than the lack of dual Circle Pads, that's our biggest problem with the 3DS XL; just like the larger DSi XL imperfections such as low resolution textures and polygon 'jaggies' are far more apparent on the larger XL screens.

Just like the DSi XL you can occasionally make out the individual pixels on the 3DS XL's top screen, which means that smaller 3D objects can look a little less detailed. The lower, 4.18 screen features the same imperfections as the top, although due to most games utilising it for 2D menus it doesn't suffer anywhere near as much as its higher brother.

A welcome, slightly redeeming side effect of the stretched screens is a noticeably improved effect from the glasses-free 3D display.

Although 3D has become far less of a selling point for Nintendo (the company admits the "3D boom" is very much on the wan compared to last year) it's difficult to deny its increased effectiveness here; the 'sweet spot' in which you have to angle the is much easier to find on the XL, and games like Kid Icarus Uprising and Super Mario 3D Land look great.

The intensity of the 3D effect - which is again more 'window' 3D than 'pop out' 3D - is more forgiving than on the smaller model and at its lowest setting it's so subtle there's almost no reason for turning it off.

comparison with card

http://cdn1.mos.techradar.com//art/games_consoles/Nintendo%203DS%20XL/P7111610-580-90.JPG

It's not quite forgiving enough to prevent bumpy train rides from distorting the illusion however, and those who had a problem with it on previous models won't likely find it magically fixed on the new one, but it's a marked improvement none-the-less.

The battery life we found to last around five hours when playing 3DS games at maximum brightness, which is a worthy upgrade on the original. But whereas the improved power consumption's mainly been brought in to power those bigger screens, it really shines for us when the portable's in its closed Street Pass mode.

When asleep the 3DS XL seems to hold its charge forever, and you'll nearly always open it up a day later to find new Mii visitors and network messages on your handheld, rather than a disappointing dead screen.

Elsewhere playing original DS games on the 3DS XL is a more pleasant experience thanks to the new 1:1 pixel mode, activated by holding the Start or Select buttons as you boot up the game. In this mode older DS titles look razor sharp rather than stretched to suit the 3DS's 16:9 screen, perfect for those looking forward to the upcoming Pokémon Black & White sequels which will only release on the original DS later this year.

pt3

While the stretched screens on the Nintendo 3DS XL can in fact look less detailed than the original's, improved comfort and battery life mean these imperfections wouldn't put us off choosing the 3DS XL model over the last.
We liked

The larger screens mean finding the 3D 'sweet spot' is a far more forgiving experience, and the effect seems improved overall for most users. The stylus has been sensibly moved to a place we can actually reach, the portable's matte finish means fingerprints are no longer a problem.

3DS XL's rounded edges and larger frame mean it's more comfortable to hold over extended periods, and the battery life is significantly improved so mammoth game sessions on the train are no longer a risky bet.

This also means the 3DS XL holds its charge for days at a time when asleep - a welcome improvement for Street Pass stalwarts like us - and thanks to the welcome addition of a 1:1 pixel mode older DS games run much better on the newer model.
We disliked

The fact that identical resolution to the 90% smaller original means 3D games sometimes look full of imperfections on the XL's larger screens - and you can even make out individual pixels.

The lack of a second Circle Pad is also a bit disappointing, as titles like Kid Icarus Uprising and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D benefit greatly from the added control. A new version of the Circle Pad Pro is promised for the XL, though we shudder to imagine how bulky this will make the already large model. The 3DS XL is also, in our opinion, cheaper looking than the original 3DS.
Verdict

If you spend most of your day staring at the new iPad's gorgeous Retina Display - or even the rival PS Vita's glorious OLED screen - the 3DS XL's often stretched-looking screens may put you off a purchase.

For existing 3DS owners looking for an upgrade there are plenty of reasons to trade in for the XL; it's more comfortable over long periods and increased battery life means it lasts for hours or even days in Street Pass sleep mode. Couple in a stylus you can actually reach and there are plenty of reasons - screens aside - to call the XL the definitive 3DS model.

The Rick
August 14th, 2012, 6:59 PM
Penelope Cruz does it with her sister.

on a 3ds xl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy9grMCvwrY

Jez
August 15th, 2012, 9:49 AM
The Vita games shown off a Gamescom certainly make me feel better as an early adopter... Tearaway, Killzone: Mercenary and LittleBigPlanet all look great and I'm optimistic that Assassin's Creed III: Liberation will turn out well as well. PS+ coming to Vita is a good sign and while I don't imagine I'll ever use it PS1 game support is a key feature.

I've preordered the new Prof. Layton game and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (which has been delayed until 2013) for my 3DS. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is in the post :)

The Rick
August 15th, 2012, 7:13 PM
Dressing Up Like A Slave (Or A Posh Lady) And Whipping Your Enemies In Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation
kotaku link (http://kotaku.com/5935013/dressing-up-like-a-slave-or-a-posh-lady-and-whipping-your-enemies-in-assassins-creed-iii-liberation)
by Kirk Hamilton Aug 15, 2012

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17w243zv9ij2tjpg/xlarge.jpg

lengthy article.

Last week at Ubisoft, in addition to playing through a big honking naval battle in the full console version of Assassin's Creed III, I also had a chance to get my hands on its portable Vita counterpart, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation.

In the portable game, players take on the role of Aveline de Grandpré, a female assassin in 1700's New Orleans, and the first female protagonist of an Assassin's Creed game. I played the game for the first time, during which time I navigated a bayou and killed some dudes, and I also watched a hands-off (no touching!) portion in which Aveline donned a number of costumes and infiltrated a Spanish base.

This one had enough going on that it'll probably be easiest to just bullet-point it. So, let's start with the hands-off infiltration section.

No Touching! Hands Off!

Aveline has access to a number of dressing rooms scattered about the city—in them, she can change between costumes that hinder her abilities but make it easier for her to blend in.
The outfits I saw were the "Lady" outfit and the "Slave" outfit, which my demonstrator referred to as the "Servant" outfit, but which the game called "Slave." Not a huge deal, but I'm still getting a sense of how direct the game will be with the realities of slavery in the south.
The third outfit I saw was Aveline's regular assassin's garb—whens he's wearing that, she's somewhat suspicious-looking by default, and templars will be alerted to her if she acts too conspicuously.
First, my demonstrator donned the "Lady" outfit, a posh green getup that has Aveline looking like a proper southern lady, complete with bustle and parasol.
When dressed as a lady, Aveline arouses much less suspicion, but she she should be spotted in a restricted area, she's in trouble—it's very difficult to fight and impossible to climb walls while wearing the restrictive dress, and her health is far lower than when she's in her tough regular gear.
Aveline does arouse some other things—she's able to charm single enemies and have them follow her around, granting access to restricted areas. In order to break into the fort we were tasked with infiltrating, my demonstrator did just this, getting a lovestruck guard to help Aveline make her way inside (before knocking him out cold.)



Aveline won't be defenseless when she's dressed as a lady—she'll still have her trusty hidden blade, and her parasol is, awesomely, a blowgun that shoots darts with a variety of deadly and non-deadly poison.
While infiltrating the fort, she used one of those darts to make an enemy go berserk and attack the guy next to him, buying herself time to enter the fort. It's much the same as the poison darts from the past couple Creed games, but still fun to see in action.
A quick stab and a looting later, and Aveline had secured whatever macguffin it was we were supposed to be getting. My demonstrator was sure to point out that dressed as a lady, exfiltrations are much more difficult, as Aveline can't just climb a wall and leap to safety.
One cool thing I saw during the infiltration was that Aveline has the ability to intelligently lean into the wall and peek around corners—it's not exactly a cover mechanic, but it's something I've missed in past Creed games and it made it much easier to play the game like a true old-school stealth game.
After being spotted, Lady Aveline escaped her attackers in the easiest way possible—she dropped a smoke bomb and bailed.
Our time was running out, so it was time to try out the slave/servent garb. This dress is much looser and more casual than the lady outfit, and so Aveline can climb and is able to use her bullwhip, but her health is still lower than when she's in her normal garb, and so combat is best avoided.
This time, Aveline infiltrated the fort by picking up a delivery and pretending to work there—it was a different route, but just as effective as charming the guard and heading in.
Had he wanted to, my demonstrator could have incited a riot with the other servants, using that as a distraction to make an entrance.
In general, I got the sense that the outfits will add a lot of variety to the gameplay in Liberation, but that they'll only be necessary for a few specific story quests, sort of like the lute-player outfit in Assassin's Creed: Revelations.


Hands-On Segment

After the hands-off demonstration, I had a chance to try actually playing the game for the first time.
Aveline was meeting a contact in the bayou, which will be one of the three main areas in the game—the other two are New Orleans and Mexico. The areas won't be seamlessly connected—players will spend time in one, the other, or the other.
The very first thing I got to do in Assassin's Creed on the Vita was… row a canoe. Okay! Not that exciting, but I'll take it I guess?
I rowed the canoe using the rear-touch pad on the vita. It, like many rear-touch things, was uncomfortable.
(Go ahead. Make your jokes. Have your laughs.)
After piloting my canoe through a bit of the bayou, I met up with a contact who, I was informed, doesn't much care for Aveline. I couldn't hear everything that was being said, as there were a lot of blabbing games journalists in the background.
After disembarking, Aveline was attacked by an alligator; clearly there will be wildlife to contend with in Liberation just like there will be in ACIII proper.
With a quick quicktime-event, I hopped onto the gator's head and broke his neck. Woah, go ahead Aveline.
After that, my contact set me after a Spanish Templar encampment nearby.
Once on foot, I got a sense of how Liberation controls. It feels good, more or less like a regular Assassin's Creed game—I wasn't quite used to the single shoulder-button method of control, but I adjusted quickly.
Making my way into the enemy encampment, I quickly back-stabbed one guard and was set upon by all the others.



Combat in Liberation is quite different than combat in previous Creed games, most crucially in that you can't just hold down "block" and block all incoming attacks. You'd be surprised at how much more difficult that makes things—a big improvement for a series that, as I've mentioned before, could do with a difficulty increase.
On the flip side of the new difficulty is the quicktime event instakills—if you have a certain amount of energy stored up (I think that's how it works, anyway), you can trigger a slow-mo sequence where you tap the numbers over enemies' heads and kill them instantly. It's not something you can spam all the time (I don't think), but it's useful and makes the game easier for those who want that. It is, of course, optional.
After clearing out the guards (by the skin of my teeth, it must be said), I was left with one more enemy perched high atop a lookout post. I climbed up the mast of a ship that had been grounded in the camp, leapt from branch to branch and up to his lookout post, where I chopped him in the back of the knees with my sword before… woah, before ramming my sword into the back of his skull. Yow. And so ended the hands-on section, not with a bang, but with a skull-sword.

The best thing I can say about Liberation is that it really does feel like Assassin's Creed on a mobile gaming device. (That may sound like faint praise, but it's not—given how disappointing the first footage of Call of Duty on Vita was, it's mighty impressive that Ubisoft's Vita foray is as good-looking as it is.) Liberation is very much its own game, and one with a few tricks up its sleeve to differentiate it from its console big brother.

And hey, not many games let you dress up as a high-class lady and wipe dudes out with a weaponized parasol.

Jez
August 16th, 2012, 6:54 AM
I found this Edge article on Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified very interesting - it certainly doesn't seem to suggest the game will be anything like a true Call of Duty experience. In fact all the impressions I have read so far have been very negative.


Anybody who’s watched the evening news has seen the spectacle of a defendant getting ushered out of a courthouse by their lawyer and climbing into a getaway car of sorts. The pair usually have to carve a path through a glut of reporters and popping flashbulbs. If they stop for even a moment, it’s to say 'no comment'. They never answer questions from the assembled press. The point is clear: somebody wants to get the hell out of Dodge.

‘Dodge’ is an appropriate word for what went down at yesterday’s Call Of Duty Black Ops: Declassified presentation at Gamescom in Cologne. You might consider Activision’s product managers the lawyers, and much-anticipated Vita shooter Declassified the mostly obscured defendant being shepherded past the press and into a waiting automobile.

The first Activision rep to greet the crowd of assembled press begins by establishing some ground rules. First off, don’t record the whole presentation. Then a preemptive heads-up that there won’t be a whole lot of time for Q&A so, if we have any questions afterward, we should find our Activision or Sony rep. Also there’s “plenty of information in the press kit”. There probably aren't too many members of the press who travelled all the way to Cologne in hopes of being referred to a digital press kit that lives on the Internet.

Next we’re shown the trailer from Sony’s Gamescom press conference a second time. Maybe this trailer will be the HD remake of the previous night's trailer. Nope, it looks just as uninspired as we remembered: a knife stealth kill followed by a parade of quick-cut headshots against mostly brown, formulaic backgrounds. Cue the warehouse, the airfield, the suburban neighbourhood. Volleys of gunshots blast a sharp staccato in time to the electronic soundtrack. The trailer ends, leaving the room in stony silence - the sound of professionalism, perhaps - or abject boredom.

Then Ryan Scott, associate product manager on the Call Of Duty franchise, takes the stage to tout Declassified as delivering "the authentic Call Of Duty experience on a handheld". He blows through a handful of PowerPoint slides that outline the various features of the game. For one thing, by dragging your finger across the Vita’s touch screen, you’ll now be able to "directionalise" your grenades.

Then we watch a live game of 2v2 multiplayer taking place behind a bank of monitors. Scott offers running commentary. He points out a few of the guns, a spy plane kill streak, and attempts some banter about the trailing squad needing to catch up. At one point he takes a moment to praise the job Nihilistic has done on the environments (“something we’re really proud of”) – ambient light, dust and ash floating through the air, wind whipping blankets, a bombed-out car.

The only problem is that the environments are quite evidently not impressive. In fact, they’re downright embarrassing, hardly approaching the lushness and fidelity of any recent Call Of Duty game on the current generation of consoles. Just because you read off a mental teleprompter that something’s great doesn’t make it so.

The match ends. Scott wades into the ensuing silence, reminding us how excited Activision is about the game, and that it comes out in November. “I know you guys have a ton of questions,” he adds, “but we’re all really short on time, as I’m sure you are.” Despite the presentation occupying a 30-minute time slot, things conclude in roughly 13 minutes. We’re thanked for coming. The end. A smattering of half-hearted claps. Just as egotists love talking about themselves, product managers who are truly proud of a game relish the chance to field questions. Yet Activision can’t use even one minute of the scheduled remaining 17 to answer questions from press. Hmm.

The lawyer helps the defendant into the car, never stopping to answer questions from the press, and the car speeds away from the courthouse. This familiar pantomime of the accused never inspires trust. The defendant is almost invariably a few months of due process away from being exposed and convicted. Stay tuned: Declassified’s verdict will be handed down in November.

http://media.edge-online.com/files/imagecache/article/articles/opinion/BLOPS_declassified.jpg

Olympus
August 16th, 2012, 9:53 AM
Never mind. Didn't even realize it was the Vita version.

The Rick
August 18th, 2012, 5:55 PM
I think I'm going to wait a week to get my 3DS XL. All of the sales are either for trade in bonuses, or they are giving carrying cases. The friend that is buying my original 3DS is out of town for a week, so keeping a hold of it isn't that big of a deal.

There is a demo unit at the local Gamestop, and it feels good. It is hard to really get a good feel for a portable system when it is mounted to a damn bracket though. The Start/Select/Home buttons have good feedback. I don't know about the circle and directional pad spacing though, and that is my biggest gripe with the original system.

I'm hoping that the Sunday ads surprise me, but supposedly, Gamestop (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=326791) is offering $100 trade in on the original 3ds towards the purchase of the 3DS xl. Best Buy (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=326840) is offering a hard case. Toys'R'Us (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=326893)is actually offering a chat headset, and looks to be the best deal in the states.

The Rick
August 19th, 2012, 8:08 PM
http://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/0/0e/NSMB2boxcover.jpg/250px-NSMB2boxcover.jpg

I picked up New Super Mario Bros. 2 at midnight last night. I'm enjoying it so much. The emphasis is on coins as was reported. The levels are pretty cool by themselves, but when you take into account how the coin collecting you look at the levels a bit differently. You have a total coin counter on the world screen. This keeps total of all the coins you gain from each level.

A few new powers have been added. One of wich is the Golden Block. When you hit a multi-coin block 10+ times, the block turns gold and pops on your head. The block continues to give you coins. The faster you run the more coins you gain. In new levels this becomes quite the challenge. Trying to speed through a level as fast as possible to maximize the Golden Block, could me missing out on other collectables. There are a few other new power ups, but I will leave them to be discovered by you.

Just like New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 3D Land, each level has three giant coins to collect. Those coins are spent unlocking Red Green and Golden mushroom houses. Red houses give you power ups, green yield lives, and golden houses... I'll leave that for you to find out.

One more option is added to the main menu once you get passed the first world; Coin Rush Mode. In this mode you are given a short amount of time to run through 3 levels and get as many coins as possible. You can find stop watches to add time as well as hit the midway points and the end flag pole. Once obtain your total you save it and it is your spot pass total. Your total is compared to those you pass by. I can't speak to what the result is yet, but will update when it happens.

The only downside to the game is that the 3D effect isn't very impressive. Much like Kirby's Adventure 3D from the e-shop the platforms pop out a bit. There doesn't seem to be a reason to keep the 3D effect on. I don't notice much of a difference with it on versus off. Being a 2D Mario game I don't see this a that big of a detraction.

I have read reviews where people are disappointed with this title. I just don't see it. I'm enjoying this title as much as most of the best Mario games. If you have a 3DS pick this game up.


My Current Coin total - 20,107

The Rick
September 2nd, 2012, 12:11 PM
Just wondering. Who all in here has a PS Vita? What games are in your collection. I currently have Madden, Mortal Kombat, Hot Shots Golf, and Sound Shapes.


Even though the install base is low, the "Near" feature is helping me find people to play with. The "Near" feature uses your internet connection in conjunction with Google tools to locate your system in the world. It also finds people with Vitas in close proximity to you. It shows what applications you and they are using. It will also show how many people are playing a game, or have played a game. you have control over what titles you show, and if you wish you can take yourself off of Near all together.

Jez
September 4th, 2012, 7:40 AM
I have one - my game collection is fairly small I have Rayman: Origins, Uncharted: Golden Abyss (pretty much untouched), Mutant Blobs Attack and Sound Shapes which I won from the PS Blog.

I love it as a device but so far the games I've played haven't been anything special except Rayman but that's just a console port. I do love Sound Shapes but it can be a little repetitive and Mutant Blobs is fun but short. I plan to pick up Gravity Rush sometime soon and the new Assassin's Creed game could be good as well.

I tried Near last night and discovered that literally no-one in my area has a Vita. The large majority of the pre-installed apps on my Vita have been relegated to a separate screen since I never use them and don't intend to. I wish gadget manufacturers would allow us to uninstall all the stuff we don't need (like why do I have to have a stocks app on my phone?)

Kyle_242
September 4th, 2012, 10:28 AM
I got a Vita a few weeks ago. And I pretty much feel the same way...I love the device to death, but there's not much for me to play on it. Played Wipeout for a couple weeks, and Sound Shapes recently, some demos here and there but that's about it.

Will probably move into more PS1 territory very soon. Would love to be able to hack it and fill it up with emulators, though, it's just begging for it.

The Rick
September 4th, 2012, 12:06 PM
The system has only been out for about six months, and I feel that the line up is better the the 3DS. There is just not a killer app for the system though. The 3DS has Mario Land and New Super Mario 2. You would think that Uncharted would have been it, but it really wasn't. The cross play is cool, and will probably help the system as cross play is further developed. They still need that game that is going to capture the gaming minds. Sony not getting the next version of Monster Hunter was a big blow to their Asian market. While the PSP wasn't a big seller in the states, it sold like hot cakes in the Asian market largely due to monster hunter.

What would that game be for you? What game do you see "selling" the system?

Kyle_242
September 7th, 2012, 10:02 PM
To me, it's maybe surprising that Uncharted isn't it. I'm not sure what the Sony killer app is. Honestly, I'm sort of hoping it turns into another PSP in that it's sort of a secret JRPG/Strategy mecca. Only with higher res. Would be nice if they brought that Suikoden over, for starters.

But as for the system seller, I have no idea. I'm not even sure the PSP ever had one in North America.

Metal Gear is the closest thing I can think of.

Olympus
September 8th, 2012, 12:23 AM
I dread saying this, but maybe it will be Black Ops: Declassified. There's enough COD psychos out there that they'll buy anything as long as it has those three letters on there. I used to be one of them...

Assassin's Creed might also be a system seller. They already have a bundle announced. Possibly the FFX remake? And if they can pull off a Madden that can cross play in a similar fashion that MLB The Show does, that could do it as well.

BTW, I have Uncharted, UMvC, MGS HD (awesome!), Mortal Kombat, Hot Shots (also awesome), FIFA, MLB The Show, and a few downloadable games. I love the little thing and use it all the time.

Vice
September 8th, 2012, 1:06 AM
Vita has a lot of stuff with potential either currently on it or coming out in the future, but not a goddamn thing I would ever want to play on a handheld device. It sucks, because the system could be so great. Though I suppose this is all a plus, because it's saving me hundreds of dollars.

"Final Fantasy VII HD remake...... exclusively on Vita" is probably what it would take to get me to buy one.

Kyle_242
September 8th, 2012, 1:08 AM
Actually, forget everything I said. The killer app is clearly Parappa.

The Rick
September 8th, 2012, 11:48 AM
"Final Fantasy VII HD remake...... exclusively on Vita" is probably what it would take to get me to buy one.

There doesn't even have to be a remake. If they just put trophies on one of FF VII, VIII, or IX I think fans would pick it up. Especially with the promise that the other titles would be released down the line also with trophy support.

I prefer the Hot Shots series on handheld systems now. I feel that Sound Shapes plays better on the Vita as well. If you are a fan of the Metal Gear series, Peace Walker is a great entry in the system. It is on PSP, but is playable on the Vita.

Vice
September 8th, 2012, 12:10 PM
Just adding trophies to VII wouldn't do it for me, as I don't care much for them. And I've got a PSP for VII. :yes:

The Rick
September 8th, 2012, 3:19 PM
For those that have a Vita. Zen Pinball 2 and the original tables(two download files) are absolutely free. You get V12, Tesla, Eldorado, and Shaman are all free for Vita owners. You can then decide if you want to get more tables.

The Rick
September 11th, 2012, 9:03 PM
Borderlands 2 Could Still Come to Vita
ign link (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/12/borderlands-2-could-still-come-to-vita)
by Mitch Dyer September 11, 2012



Borderlands 2 Could Still Come to Vita
...but Gearbox can't do it.

Borderlands 2 on Vita isn't out of the question, according to Gearbox President Randy Pitchford. Here's the catch: "We can't do it ourselves," Pitchford told IGN.

During his recent visit to Up at Noon, Pitchford detailed the conditions that could enable a portable port of Borderlands 2. "If some other studio was capable and could be trusted by us, and by a publishing partner, and by Sony, and someone wanted to invest in making that happen? I think Sony should step up and make that happen."

Pitchford also fantasized about cloud saving between PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of Borderlands 2, and says he'll be meeting with Sony again soon.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOBTAxbOT7U

The Rick
September 20th, 2012, 10:02 PM
Placing this it both the news thread and in here. I think that it warrants it.


PS Vita gets PlayStation Plus in November
gamespot link (http://www.gamespot.com/events/tgs-2012/story.html?sid=6396750)
By Eddie Makuch September 19, 2012



PS Vita gets PlayStation Plus in November
Sony bringing premium service to new portable later this fall at $50 per year; current PS3 subscribers won't pay extra.

Sony's premium PlayStation Plus subscription service is coming to the PlayStation Vita in November, the company announced during its pre-Tokyo Game Show briefing. Subscribers will have access to game and content discounts, 1GB of cloud storage, automatic updates, and unlimited access to a range of full titles, provided their subscription remains active.

PlayStation Plus subscriptions will be available in North America and Europe in 90-day plans for $17.99 and €14.99 respectively, as well as yearly at $49.99 and €49.99 for each region. Those who hold an existing PlayStation Plus subscription will not need to pay extra.

PlayStation Plus launched in June 2010 for the PlayStation 3 with a $50 annual fee. The regular PlayStation Network service, which includes online multiplayer, has been free since the PS3 launched and there are no announced plans to change that.

The Rick
October 4th, 2012, 10:19 PM
Nintendo’s 3DS eShop Line-Up For The Rest of 2012 Is Spectacular
kotaku link (http://kotaku.com/5949045/nintendos-3ds-eshop-line+up-for-the-rest-of-2012-is-spectacular)
by Stephen Totilo Oct 4, 2012



Nintendo’s 3DS eShop Line-Up For The Rest of 2012 Is Spectacular

Nintendo just dumped a list of games coming to the 3DS' eShop through the rest of the year and slightly beyond.

Some of these games were expected but there are a lot of surprises. The surprises include a sequel to the well-regarded 2011 eShop game Pushmo and three of four games made by Japanese all-star developers (Suda 51 (No More Heroes, Killer 7), Yoot Saito (Sim Tower, Seaman), and Yasumi Matsuno did Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story)) for hit Japanese studio Level 5.

All that and Zelda II, too.




ORIGINAL GAMES

NightSky launches Oct. 25. NightSky is an action-puzzle game that offers an ambient game-play experience with cerebral challenges that fill uniquely designed, picturesque worlds. Each of these worlds is broken into different areas in which the player must maneuver a sphere by using realistic physics to advance.

Crashmo launches Nov. 22. Players can embrace the laws of gravity and challenge themselves with a whole new kind of action-puzzle play in this exciting sequel to the critically acclaimed Pushmo. New gravity mechanics and gadgets like floating blocks, doors and move switches await, testing players' skills as they push, pull and slide each puzzle's colorful blocks in order to climb to the top. Just be careful where those blocks are moved-unsupported blocks will come crashing down. Crashmo contains lots of puzzles to test your brains, and enhanced puzzle-creation and -sharing features mean that even when all the puzzles are cleared, the fun never has to stop.

Fluidity: Spin Cycle arrives on Dec. 27, letting players tilt, turn and even rotate their Nintendo 3DS system 360 degrees to maneuver a puddle of water named Eddy through a maze-like, magical world. Change from liquid to a block of ice or a steam cloud to solve fun, gravity-defying puzzles and defeat Goop monsters. Fluidity: Spin Cycle features a new storybook setting to explore that spans the ages, from a lost world full of dinosaurs to the modern world and beyond.

Three original games from LEVEL-5 and several well-known Japanese collaborators will launch in the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS before this holiday season. The first of these games, SUDA 51's LIBERATION MAIDEN, is set 100 years in the future, when the president of Japan boards her Liberator, Kamui, and fights to free her country one region at a time. AERO PORTER by Yoot Saito and Yasumi Matsuno's CRIMSON SHROUD are also slated for release by the end of the year.

Get ready to unleash pedestrian-tossing pandemonium with Grace and Savannah in Tokyo Crash Mobs, a fast-paced action-puzzle game coming to the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS in early 2013. Players will need lightning-fast reflexes and an eye for strategy to survive the three chaotic weeks that lie ahead for our heroines, as they take on anyone and anything that gets in their way.

RECENT NINTENDO 3DS HITS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D and Mario Kart 7 will become available for purchase from the Nintendo eShop on Oct. 18 at a price of $39.99 each. Additional Nintendo 3DS software currently only available at retail stores will become available in the Nintendo eShop in the future.

VIRTUAL CONSOLE

Mario Golf (Game Boy Color version; launches Oct. 11)
Castlevania: The Adventure (launches Oct. 25)
Ninja Gaiden (launches Nov. 8)
Zelda II – The Adventure of Link (launches Nov. 22)
Wario Land II (launches Dec. 20)
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (launches Dec. 27)

GAME DEMOS

Two demo versions of Style Savvy: Trendsetters will be available for download from the Nintendo eShop. The first demo is available today and lets players participate in a fashion contest, create an outfit based on the contest theme, style their model's hair and makeup and send her down the runway. The second demo will be available on Nov. 1, and lets players style their clothes and makeup, and then connect to the Internet via Nintendo Network to visit the online Fashion Plaza where they can check out ensembles that actual Style Savvy: Trendsetters players have created. Any items purchased using in-game currency in this demo version can be transferred to the full game. Style Savvy: Trendsetters will launch in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Oct. 22.

Additional game demos coming soon include:
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!! from D3Publisher
Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion from Disney Interactive
LEGO The Lord of the Rings from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park from Activision
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed from SEGA

There are some very good old ones and some promising new ones. Looks like Nintendo's downloadable gaming strategy is getting ever stronger.

It should be noted that America does still seem to be a cycle behind on eShop releases. While Crashmo and the new Fluidity haven't been released yet, Level 5's games have in Japan. New Japanese releases for the eShop include the likes of Pokemon studio Game Freak's HarmoKnight, which have not been announced for an American release.

The Rick
October 6th, 2012, 12:25 AM
Masses of New Animal Crossing 3DS Details
ign link (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/05/masses-of-new-animal-crossing-3ds-details)
by Luke Karmali October 5, 2012



Masses of New Animal Crossing 3DS Details
Discover what features, old and new, have made it into the game.

In a Japanese Nintendo Direct broadcast today, the team working on Animal Crossing on 3DS presented loads of new features that we can expect to see in the game, including new shops, items and features (as well as some familiar ones).

The full presentation ran some 47 minutes - you can watch it below. It kicks off with Satoru Iwata's adorable little suited-up Mii wandering around his own village, designing himself a Kirby shirt and chatting to the animals. He then proceeded to show us what features, old and new, have made it into the game.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6n8irww2lo

First up, the new megaphone item allows you to shout at fellow residents using the 3DS microphone when it's equipped, as well as a phone booth where you can take photos of your character to use on your player license in a variety of poses.

In terms of buildings, a range were shown off including Tom Nook's familiar general store, as well as other shops run by his offspring. There's also a new store run by Kicks the skunk specializing in footwear called "Shoe Shank."

The museum is also set to make a welcome return, offering you a safe haven to display your caught fish and bugs, though it's a bit worrying to note that a new sushi bar is operating out of the aquarium. It's probably just a coincidence. We hope.

One of the coolest additions though is the new Club 444, where resident DJ K.K. Slider will put on live gigs. Slider will perform remixed NES tunes for you to get down to here, alongside his acoustic songs of old. There's also a cool light show. It looks awesome.

The game will also introduce a new mini map to try and prevent you getting lost in the midst of the multiple shopping districts, and you can also buy garden furniture to make the outside of your abode just as appealing as the interior. Furthermore, you now have the ability to build and customize your own roads, and you also have more choice when adding rooms to your house.

Other new additions include the ability to watch stand-up comedy shows, where you'll be able to input your reaction to the various jokes. There's also a campsite where you can visit with passing animals. New details about the game's StreetPass mode were also revealed. We already knew that you'll be able to check out your friend's houses via StreetPass, but it looks like you'll also be able to explore their entire town via something called Dream Mode.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU5aQT8S1CI&feature=player_embedded#!

And, as if all that wasn't enough, the new game will also have it's own Tropical Island. Whoa. While not the first island in Animal Crossing history, this one promises to be the most exciting yet. Not too surprisingly, you'll be whisked away to this island paradise by a singing Kapp'n and his motor boat. There you can partake in a series of co-op mini-games with up to four players (the game supports both local and wireless multiplayer). Playing these games will earn you medals, which you can then exchange for goods at the souvenir shop.

Animal Crossing 3DS will release next month in Japan, before heading to Europe and America in the first half of 2013.

T.I (uh oh)
November 1st, 2012, 6:36 PM
I need some help from someone in the US.

I picked up a US 3DS while I was there on vacation. Bought a bunch of games etc, and am happy to import future titles. However, I can't add funds to my eshop account. As my credit card was issued in Australia, and not the USA, it doesn't have a zip code associated with it, so it gets declined. Additionally, prepaid point cards are region locked - and I can't find a retailer who will send them to me. Alas, I have a conundrum.

I'm happy to paypal funds through to anyone who is willing to purchase some prepaid cards, and email me the codes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The Rick
November 6th, 2012, 1:00 AM
my avatar is the box art for Art Academy on the 3DS. It is a fun little art tutorial. I'm not very good at painting, and just serviceable on sketching. The software is fun and intuitive. The first two lessons are on painting. The next two are on sketching. I have already gone out and picked up the sketching pencils that are featured.

Here is the first lesson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoCQKWS9q3k

I'm going to see if I can get my cherry pic off of the 3ds and share later.

The Rick
November 14th, 2012, 12:15 AM
putting this in news & handhelds

PlayStation Plus—and Six Free Games—Come to the Vita Next Week
kotaku link (http://kotaku.com/playstation-plus/)
by Evan Narcisse Nov 13, 2012




PlayStation Plus—and Six Free Games—Come to the Vita Next Week

The best thing about PlayStation Plus is the Instant Games Collection, a feature that offers up free, top-shelf titles to the online service's paying members. PS3 owners have been enjoying those perks for a while and now they're coming to Sony's gaming handheld.

Next week, six free games—including Gravity Rush, Jet Set Radio and Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions—will be coming to the Vita when PlayStation Plus support comes to the handheld. If you're already a PlayStation Plus member via your PS3, there's no additional cost to the $50/year fee to access the service on Vita. PlayStation Plus on Vita goes live next week with the 2.0 system update.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1856vqq4gnuh2jpg/xlarge.jpg

The Rick
November 19th, 2012, 2:56 AM
here is some of my 3DS Art Academy art

Cherry 1st attempt 10-28-12
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w338/rhino836/HNI_0030.jpg

cherry 2nd attempt 11-17-12
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w338/rhino836/HNI_0032.jpg

Tulip 10-29-12
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w338/rhino836/HNI_0031.jpg

Tree sketch 10-30-12
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w338/rhino836/HNI_0034.jpg

mushroom sketch 11-18-12
http://i521.photobucket.com/albums/w338/rhino836/HNI_0033.jpg

they don't look as good blown up to be honest.

Vice
November 19th, 2012, 3:41 AM
Not sure how Art Academy works, but I think those are quite good. :yes:

People call me an artist, so.. hey. Clearly I have some sort of opinion on the matter.

Psycho666Soldier
November 19th, 2012, 1:33 PM
I love the cherry one. Looks very detailed. Good stuff, man. Better than I could ever do.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


For those who are fans of the Ace Attorney/Phoenix Wright Series...


...THERES INFO AND GAMEPLAY ON GYAKUTEN SAIBAN 5 OMG ITS AMAZING IM STOKED CHECK THIS SHIT OUT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWT8KNQr1co&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGRbtpO8-dY

P.S. 4000 posts!

The Rick
November 19th, 2012, 1:45 PM
Not sure how Art Academy works, but I think those are quite good. :yes:

People call me an artist, so.. hey. Clearly I have some sort of opinion on the matter.

Thanks. The first cherry pic, flower, and tree I followed the tutorial step by step. I loaned the game out to a friend who just got a 3DS. When I got it back I tried the cherry again, but with out the tutorial. Just the cherry pic for reference.

On the first three lessons, the software walks you through step by step.
here is the first lesson. The cherry
the pics in these steps are not mine. I found them on google+ (https://plus.google.com/103726097950194848776/posts/TvBy9c4tNXk).
1. out line your cherry shape
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-74vZr7TaZIc/UGo_prHiuvI/AAAAAAAANKs/SF6HbU2jfYc/w78-h78-p/HNI_0065.JPG
2. block in your shadow on the ground
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Fx5LGitbJ2E/UGo_pxozpcI/AAAAAAAANKo/7lg3Egl7FpU/w78-h78-p/HNI_0066.JPG
3. use the "water" feature to give the shadow some gradient
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KlR-oP0Es6c/UGo_pohwOlI/AAAAAAAANKk/vppLMSj8F9U/w78-h78-p/HNI_0067.JPG
4. block in the cherry with a dark red
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IBUsnOKgVrc/UGo_qY4V6gI/AAAAAAAANKw/FzKP7_pOKz8/w78-h78-p/HNI_0068.JPG
5. use lighter red to give accents and depth to the cherry
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9mdyE6irLPs/UGo_qkpQVSI/AAAAAAAANK4/1hzXaT0tywI/w78-h78-p/HNI_0069.JPG
6. use the "water" to blend the dark, and light red together.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HDiO65hEl98/UGo_q9XQ5GI/AAAAAAAANLA/k2R-VnMYaWY/w78-h78-p/HNI_0070.JPG
7. use dark green to paint the stem
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IQoKXZIL334/UGo_q9tZNuI/AAAAAAAANLI/12mHkyXP1kI/w78-h78-p/HNI_0071.JPG
8. use light green to give the stem depth
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Aqc_6v4lx6s/UGo_q1AGMuI/AAAAAAAANLE/QSRdYJFrN68/w78-h78-p/HNI_0072.JPG
9. use a cream color to give the cherry some detail, and highlights.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rg-HBxET4vA/UGo_rVpzTSI/AAAAAAAANLY/1uONd5BbRi8/w78-h78-p/HNI_0073.JPG
10. use white to accent the spots where the light is hitting the cherry.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fbx1sCv83zM/UGo_rnZfBhI/AAAAAAAANLU/48k0Cm3tnIQ/w497-h373/HNI_0074.JPG


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlJTnclrY-g

Bert
November 23rd, 2012, 4:28 PM
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002I0JZOC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

$180

So tempting.

The Rick
December 20th, 2012, 8:02 PM
FYI: Mega Man and Super Mario Bros. Lost Levels have both been put on the N.A. 3DS e-shop.

Bert
December 25th, 2012, 10:05 PM
I got a vita for Christmas. I'm going to buy a 32gb memory card from Walmart tomorrow (as long as they have them) with the giftcards I also got.

I love the screen.

The Rick
December 25th, 2012, 10:15 PM
I got a vita for Christmas. I'm going to buy a 32gb memory card from Walmart tomorrow (as long as they have them) with the giftcards I also got.

I love the screen.

Get PS+ pronto if you haven't already gotten it.

Bert
December 25th, 2012, 10:59 PM
Everyone else told me the same thing so I got a year. Downloading Wipeout 2048 now. Retro City Rampage reminds me of an arcadey Chinatown Wars.

I'm probably going to buy Little Big Planet since that's the whole reason I wanted a vita in the first place.

GeezaTap
December 27th, 2012, 4:58 AM
I also got a Vita for Crimbo with LBP (download code), Fifa 13, Uncharted and Everybody's Golf. I am one very happy camper, although I can see everything else getting ignored in favour of the golf. I could have finished any JRPG with the time I have sunk into the PS3 one.

Only drawbacks is being out the £££ for a bigger memory card, the pouch etc.

The Rick
December 27th, 2012, 5:02 AM
I also got a Vita for Crimbo with LBP (download code), Fifa 13, Uncharted and Everybody's Golf. I am one very happy camper, although I can see everything else getting ignored in favour of the golf. I could have finished any JRPG with the time I have sunk into the PS3 one.

Only drawbacks is being out the £££ for a bigger memory card, the pouch etc.

We might have to get together on a round at the links.

Bert
December 27th, 2012, 5:17 AM
Bought Little Big Planet last night, looks great on the Vita. Also Hot Shots (Everybody's Golf) because it was $8 with plus.

Today I ordered a 32gb memory card from walmart.com, $40 after using $50 worth of gift cards. It will be worth it not to have to lug around cartridges though.

Also I bought Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 used at Gamestop. It's really fun. I love Deadpool.

Very happy with my Vita.

The Rick
January 31st, 2013, 8:48 PM
What's Next for the 3DS eShop
2013 is shaping up to be a great one for fans of downloadable games.
ign link
(http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01/31/whats-next-for-the-3ds-eshop)
by Lucas M. Thomas January 31, 2013



What's Next for the 3DS eShop
2013 is shaping up to be a great one for fans of downloadable games.

It’s a good time to be a download fan. Physical cartridges continue to command the most attention and the biggest releases as we’re moving into another new year, but the lines are being blurred more and more as several titles now cross over to offer both retail and digital buying options. And the 3DS eShop’s exclusive, digital-only content continues to soar – we’re coming off an incredibly strong 2012 for unique portable downloads on Nintendo’s latest handheld, and 2013 is shaping up to be even stronger.

So let’s take a look ahead, shall we? Here are our 10 3DS downloads that should already be on your radar as 2013 really begins to pick up steam.

Rhythm Hunter HarmoKnight

We weren’t entirely sure if this next pick would make it out of Japan after its initial announcement. Rhythm Hunter HarmoKnight seemed like the kind of game that could have missed out on localization and become the latest in a long line of Nintendo-published titles only available in the company’s home country. Luckily, we got our localization confirmation late last year and now we’re simply waiting for Tempo to arrive.

That’s the name of the titular HarmoKnight, a young music-loving warrior who embarks on a rhythmic adventure through a land filled with song. The gameplay asks you to keep the beat as Tempo runs, jumps and wields his music note-shaped club to strike floating note icons in the air, with each successful action adding a little bit more punch to the background music that’s playing along behind it all.

HarmoKnight has been developed by Game Freak, normally known as the creators of the Pokémon franchise – but when they’re allowed to stretch their wings beyond Pikachu’s world, they almost always come away with winning designs. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait too long to see this latest side project show up on our shores.

Mega Man 2-6

Capcom’s promised to deliver all six original NES adventures of the Blue Bomber to the 3DS Virtual Console throughout this year, and the rollout’s already begun – Mega Man 1 is on sale already. 2 will follow soon and 3, 4, 5 and 6 – each one of them an excellent 8-bit action title on its own – will keep on showing up at a rate of once a month or so through the summer.

It’s an exciting development for Mega Man fans, who haven’t had too much to be happy about recently. And if Capcom actually follows through on this promise all the way, it’ll be the first time Mega Man 6 has made it to either Virtual Console – 1 through 5 can be bought on Wii, but 6 never did show up there. Fans of Flame Man, Blizzard Man and Centaur Man are already counting down the days.

Shantae & The Pirate’s Curse

The Shantae series finally scored some well-deserved mainstream exposure when Nintendo Power magazine exclusively revealed this latest sequel with a full cover story for their second-to-last issue two months ago. It was quite a sight to see WayForward’s half-genie hero commanding a magazine cover art position after so many years of surviving as only a cult classic character remembered by the intrepid few who purchased her debut adventure on the Game Boy Color way back in 2002. It was the superb 2010 DSiWare release Shantae: Risky’s Revenge that revived the brand, though, and Pirate’s Curse is now coming to 3DS here in 2013 to continue that game’s story.

And it’s quite a reversal of fortune. After years of battling her arch-nemesis Risky Boots, Shantae now finds herself forced to partner up with the evil pirate – and, even worse, she’s got to rely on the pirates’ equipment now too, since she’s been stripped of her genie powers. That means you’ll be wielding flintlock pistols, throwing bone-hilt daggers and maybe even walking a plank or two instead of tapping into Shantae’s normal magic-based moves. The shift in moveset probably isn’t what Shantae would prefer as a character, but it should shake things up favorably for players. We can’t wait to learn more about this one.

Mutant Mudds 2

Shantae isn’t the only digital-download series stepping up with a new sequel in 2013,as this year will also bring us the next adventure for the Mudd-blasting nerd with a water gun, Maximilian. Max will return in Mutant Mudds 2, a new 2D platformer that’s set to follow up on the success of last year’s original Mutant Mudds – which debuted in the 3DS eShop roughly one year ago.

Developer Renegade Kid has been light on the details so far, so the fact that Mudds 2 exists is just about all we know at this point. We’ll likely get more information after the original Mudds finishes its rotation – Mutant Mudds Deluxe is still on the way for Wii U, after all.

Ikachan

Ikachan hit the 3DS eShop today, and is the latest collaboration between port-crazed publisher Nicalis and Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya (the one-man game-designing powerhouse who’s best known for the superb Cave Story). Nicalis has already worked with Pixel to produce no less than four different editions of Cave Story for Nintendo systems over the past few years, so it seems like they’ve finally decided to give that one game a rest and move on to some of Mr. Amaya’s other work.

But they haven’t moved too far – Ikachan is very similar to Cave Story in many respects, probably because Pixel programmed it while taking a break from Cave Story’s five-year-long development process. Its pixelated retro art style and focus on exploration will be more than familiar to fans of the Story, though Ikachan does set itself apart with its emphasis on underwater action. “Ikachan” actually means “cute squid,” and sure enough it’s a little multi-tentacled mollusk that you’ll be helping to save the day this time around.

Just don’t expect too grand of a journey for little Ika. This game was made as a diversion from making another game, after all, so its overall length is on the short side.

Guxt

If you play all the way through Ikachan and still find yourself wanting more, there’s still another Nicalis and Pixel project on the way to 3DS eShop – Guxt. This is one more personal project from Daisuke Amaya’s back catalog, but it’s not really anything like Cave Story or Ika. It’s a straight-up shoot-‘em-up.

Blazing through the clouds, blasting baddies, collecting power-ups and trying not to get blown out of the sky, Guxt is traditional, vertical-scrolling shmup action at its purest. That taller-than-wide screen orientation isn’t a perfect match for the 3DS’s wider-than-tall display, of course, so Nicalis is including a unique option that will let you tilt your system sideways to rotate the view and fill up all that available screen real estate. No exact release date has been pinned down for this one just yet, but it’s been promised for Q1 – so that means either February or March if all goes well.

Renegade Kid FPS

Another big question mark on Renegade Kid’s 2013 calendar is the studio’s upcoming 3DS eShop first-person shooter. So far all that’s been revealed is the genre and the platform, but we could still venture a couple of guesses as to this game’s content just by looking back at Renegade Kid’s history with first-person shooters on Nintendo portables.

They were the studio’s bread and butter on the original DS, as the horror-focused Dementium: The Ward earned high praise back in 2007 and set the team on the path to deliver two follow-ups later on – 2010’s sequel Dementium II (which boasted perhaps the craziest, freakiest DS boxart ever) and the sci-fi focused, Metroid Prime-esque Moon in 2009. Renegade Kid also began development on Mutant Mudds as a lighthearted, cartoony shooter, but that was a third-person design – so our money’s on something more serious and similar in tone to those DS FPS efforts instead.

The Rick
February 3rd, 2013, 12:48 AM
I picked up Persona 4 Golden today. I haven't played much from the Persona series, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. But after hearing game journalists, fans, and a few friends faun over the title, I had to give it a go. Man am I glad that I did. While Persona might not be a game to buy the Vita for, it could possibly be THE killer game to have on the system currently. It is a fun jrpg that I have been waiting for. The game takes High School drama and fuses it with dungeon crawling.

Something is killing women in the town of Inaba during foggy nights. Your character posses a persona, so he has the ability to investigate. He ends up pulling some of his school mates into his journey as well. You gain personas through social networking between people. You can increase your effectiveness by both reading, and purchasing weapon and armor upgrades at the local shops.

I picked this up at noon, and I've already put 6 hrs into the title. Its that good.

Now this is an updated version of the 2008 game realeased on PS2, but it is sooooo good.

Bert
February 3rd, 2013, 1:58 AM
I fucking love Persona 4 Golden. I didn't even grind and it still took me 50 some hours to beat.

I'm IceySubzero on PSN. Add me.

The Rick
February 3rd, 2013, 9:34 PM
So what sports club did you pick? I went basketball, and havent missed a practice yet. Also I do feel kinda bad about leaving the little girl alone at home when I sneak out.

Bert
February 4th, 2013, 6:31 AM
I actually didn't join any clubs.

I might when I get around to new game+ but that's probably going to be a while.

I got the idea to put some emulators on my vita because I've never really played a Zelda game and Psycho and Vice recommended A Link To The Past and I thought I'd make full use of the Uno exploit (which is fixed in the latest firmware update) so now I'll probably be playing SNES, GBA, Genesis and NeoGeo games for a while. Now If they could only get PSX emulation with sound.

The Rick
February 12th, 2013, 1:42 AM
DS Homebrewing Still Going Strong with Portal Adaptation
kotaku link (http://kotaku.com/5983489/ds-homebrewing-still-going-strong-with-portal-adaptation)
by Owen Good Feb 11, 2013



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzkcN3um_yg



DS Homebrewing Still Going Strong with Portal Adaptation

The DS still is home to a robust homebrew scene, as we see here in this Portal port that modder Smealum has been working on for about the past six months. "Still nowhere near playable," he writes under the latest video, but it's brought along Portal staples like turrets, cubes, switches and energy balls.

"This is still extremely early footage so please don't be too harsh," smealum writes. "Lots of debug features are present, including the ability to fly, see portals through walls and move cubes from a distance. Also, keep in mind this was shot in an emulator which provides good but still less than perfect rendering. As such, be aware that most (not all, but still) of the graphical glitches you can see in this video don't happen on hardware (mostly the portal transition is a lot nicer on an actual DS)."

Bert
February 12th, 2013, 1:44 AM
That's pretty cool. I played the 2D portal DS homebrew before.

The Rick
February 12th, 2013, 1:46 AM
That's pretty cool. I played the 2D portal DS homebrew before.

And you're just now sharing? :eyebrow:

Bert
February 12th, 2013, 2:02 AM
And you're just now sharing? :eyebrow:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dimhZ1Hw2EU

The Rick
February 20th, 2013, 12:50 AM
So if you own a 3DS you might look into the e-shop. Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct that was mainly directed for the 3DS. Games were announced left and right. Mario Golf(stoked), Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D(there is a downloadable trailer), Mario & Luigi: Dream Team(continues the Superstar tradition), Kersploosh!, Castlevania date and demo, Animal Crossing was dated for June. More in there, but that is specifically what I cared about. The 3DS is turning into a must own system.

The IGN Nintendo voice chat(podcast) discussed the direct conference. The interesting part. Nintendo will be doing another one this week. It will focus more on 3rd party games for the 3DS and WiiU. So as awesome as the announcements have been, it might get much better.

Almost all genres are being represented well on the 3DS. Fire Emblem tore me away from my Perso.a time.on Vita. So worth it. I'm using a bit of my tax return for bigger memory cards for both systems though. Handheld gaming dying my ass

Bert
February 20th, 2013, 1:04 AM
I'll probably get one for the Mario RPG. I was going to wait for Smash Bros but I love the Mario RPG formula.

The Rick
February 21st, 2013, 7:17 PM
Alright I'm posting this Fire Emblem video mainly for DVDA and Marky. But anyone can enjoy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjaiv9oRus

Bert
March 4th, 2013, 4:35 PM
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/03/04/more-ps-vita-anniversary-deals-this-week-including-new-free-games/
No plus needed for these:


Here are the free games we’re giving away for PS Vita:
Wild Arms (PS one Classic)
Patapon (PSP)
Piyotama (PSP)
Patchwork Heroes (PSP)




Here are the PS Vita games that are on sale for a 30% discount. If you’re a PlayStation Plus member, you’ll get 50% off:
Army Corps of Hell
Big Sky: Infinity
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
Dokuro
DYNASTY WARRIORS NEXT
Knytt Underground
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes French
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
LEGO Lord of the Rings
Orgarhythm
Pure Chess
Retro City Rampage
Sine Mora (with Trial)
Spy Hunter
Street Fighter X Tekken
Sumioni: Demon Arts
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3




We also added a few more games to the sale, with the following discounts as noted:
FIFA Soccer 13 (30% off)
Madden NFL 13 (30% off)
Oddworld Strangers Wrath (25% off) (New patch details here (http://www.oddworld.com/2013/02/fixed-update-for-vita-strangers-wrath-out-now/))

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/03/04/playstation-plus-march-update-spec-ops-the-line-free-for-members/



Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention - Free for PS Plus members
Tekken 6 (PSP; Supported on PS Vita) - Free for PS Plus members

The Rick
March 5th, 2013, 12:45 AM
Nintendo is running a special for those that are going to purchase a 3DS XL and either Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon or Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon by April 30th. if you register you system and game with Club Nintendo (http://club2.nintendo.com/3ds-xl-promo/) you will get a download code for one of five games.

-Freaky Forms: Delux
-Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone
-Star Fox 64 3D
-Professor Layton: Miracle Mask
-Super Mario 3D Land


IMO Super Mario 3D Land is one of the best 5 Mario games in the last 10 years.

G-Fresh
March 5th, 2013, 12:48 AM
Alright I'm posting this Fire Emblem video mainly for DVDA and Marky. But anyone can enjoy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUjaiv9oRus

Yeah I'll peep this out some time soon. I got books that I need to be reading right now.

Vice
March 5th, 2013, 3:05 PM
IGN just gave the new 3DS Castlevania a 4.7, and they tend to be nice reviewers. :(

The Rick
March 5th, 2013, 7:41 PM
IGN just gave the new 3DS Castlevania a 4.7, and they tend to be nice reviewers. :(

There is a demo on the 3DS e-shop. There are also demos of Fire Emblem, Adventure Time, Rayman, Lego Batman, and many others. The 3DS getting better by leaps and bounds. Adventure Time taks alot of inspiration from Zelda 2 for the gameplay.

The Rick
March 5th, 2013, 10:28 PM
Looking at Metacritic, the scores for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow are all over the place. Video Gamer has it at 90, and IGN has it at 47. It is wierd to me that IGN had Colin Moriarity review the game. He doesn't review many Nintendo games, but with the lay-offs at IGN the duty landed with him. Metacritic has 19 reviews in, and a current average score of 73.

The Rick
March 6th, 2013, 8:16 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCFqX2x-wBg

The Rick
May 27th, 2013, 12:34 PM
Keep your eyes on the 3DS e-shop this week. The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons will be release on Thursday for North America users. In the US it will have be discounted to 4.99 each. After the week is up, the titles will go up to their intended price. I think it is only a dollar higher. But getting both titles for 10 bucks is nice.


http://zeldawiki.org/images/thumb/4/45/Oracleofages.jpg/260px-Oracleofages.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/The_Legend_of_Zelda_Oracle_of_Seasons_and_Oracle_o f_Ages_Game_Cover.jpg

The Rick
May 28th, 2013, 11:48 PM
For vita owners in the USA that have PS+, BlazBlue:Continuum Shift is free on the store today. Very unrated fighting series.

The Rick
June 1st, 2013, 11:05 PM
ign link (http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/17/3ds-eshop-zelda-sale-and-tons-of-gamegear-games)
by Audrey Drake MAY 17, 2013




3DS eShop: Zelda Sale and Tons of GameGear Games
Check out the latest eShop news from today's Nintendo Direct broadcast.

During today's Nintendo Direct broadcast, the Big N announced that a slue of Game Gear games are headed to the 3DS eShop's Virtual Console service. The list of confirmed games is as follows:

• Columns

• Crystal Warriors

• Defenders of Oasis

• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

• G-LOC: Air Battles

• Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya

• Sonic Blast

• Sonic Drift 2

• Sonic Labyrinth

• Sonic the Hedgehog

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2

• Tails Adventure

• Vampire: Master of Darkness

It was also announced that when classic Game Boy Color games The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons hit the 3DS eShop on May 30, they'll be offered at the discounted price of $4.99 each. This promotion will last for three weeks, at which point they'll go for $5.99 each.

Bert
June 1st, 2013, 11:56 PM
May 17th? We don't pay you for outdated news, Rick.

The Rick
June 2nd, 2013, 12:12 AM
May 17th? We don't pay you for outdated news, Rick.

Pay me? Hell I'm not even getting dental or vision. You want prime effort, you provide prime health care.

Bert
June 3rd, 2013, 7:47 PM
http://i.imgur.com/PPHVELO.jpg

6 more days.

The Rick
June 3rd, 2013, 7:48 PM
http://i.imgur.com/PPHVELO.jpg

6 more days.

I know. I bought and loaded my 3DS e-shop cards. Buying it at midnight. Playing most of the Sunday. Then I get The Last of Us the following Friday.

Sadly that will probably be my games for the summer. :happysad:

Bert
June 4th, 2013, 12:17 AM
http://i.imgur.com/22DId0E.jpg

Bert
June 4th, 2013, 3:53 AM
Joystiq accidentally put their review up before the embargo had been lifted so they took it down.

But it's still on Google Cache. :evilgrin:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.joystiq.com%2F20 13%2F06%2F04%2Fanimal-crossing-new-leaf-review%2F&oq=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.joystiq.com%2F2013%2F0 6%2F04%2Fanimal-crossing-new-leaf-review%2F&aqs=chrome.0.57j58.4451j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Jordo
June 4th, 2013, 4:33 AM
Just bought a vita, really digging it so far, and with my job (drivin/living in a semi) a hand held is pretty awesome. Got hot shots golf, fifa 13 and the uncharted game. Got any other suggestions (bert)?

Bert
June 4th, 2013, 4:36 AM
Just bought a vita, really digging it so far, and with my job (drivin/living in a semi) a hand held is pretty awesome. Got hot shots golf, fifa 13 and the uncharted game. Got any other suggestions (bert)?

You should get plus for a year and get free games every month.

Lumines is a really fun puzzle game. Persona 4 Golden is a great RPG. Little Big Planet is fun too. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Street Fighter x Tekken are both good fighting games.

The Rick
June 4th, 2013, 8:28 AM
Get a big memory card(amazon is having a sale). Super Stardust Delta. Probably my favorite game on the system. Guacamelee is excellent too. And I also recomend ps+. 2-3 games a month. As long as you download them, you get them for as long as you keep your subscription going.

Jez
June 4th, 2013, 9:47 AM
I second both Guacamelee and Stardust, both are excellent. Mutant Blobs Attack and Sounds Shapes are also worthy purchases.

Bert
June 4th, 2013, 2:18 PM
New Leaf got a 9.6 from IGN.

5 more days...

The Rick
June 4th, 2013, 7:53 PM
I know. And I posted my 3DS friend code in the contacts thread. So. :shifty:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GC80YgCckog#!

The Rick
June 4th, 2013, 7:58 PM
New Leaf got a 9.6 from IGN.

5 more days...

8.0 from gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/animal-crossing-new-leaf/reviews/animal-crossing-new-leaf-review-6409125/?tag=Topslot;Slot4)

The Rick
June 4th, 2013, 9:10 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQxbVCt39tQ

Vice
June 4th, 2013, 9:28 PM
I've read/watched a few reviews of Animal Crossing in an attempt to understand it.

I still don't. At all.

Bert
June 5th, 2013, 12:13 AM
Play Wild World on DS.

The Rick
June 5th, 2013, 12:53 AM
Play Wild World on DS.

That's if you can find it used at a decent price. Most of the time I see it for 20-25 used. Cheapassgamer has Kmart with a preorder sale at 29.99. If you were going to give it a try any way, buy the new one. Then add me and Bert, and we'll pull your bushes out. Or some other cheeky shenanigans.

Bert
June 7th, 2013, 2:34 AM
Hey Rick, if I can only buy 1 game with my 3DS XL on Sunday what should it be? It already comes with Animal Crossing. I'm leaning towards Fire Emblem Awakening right now. I've never played a Fire Emblem but it reminds me of Advance Wars and I loved that.

The Rick
June 7th, 2013, 10:59 AM
Hey Rick, if I can only buy 1 game with my 3DS XL on Sunday what should it be? It already comes with Animal Crossing. I'm leaning towards Fire Emblem Awakening right now. I've never played a Fire Emblem but it reminds me of Advance Wars and I loved that.

Perfect pick up there. Watch your sales this sunday. Many stores have been running buy a system and get a game free, or 50 dollar card. The other picks I would suggest are Mario 3D Land, or Mario Kart. All of these games will provide hours of gameplay. If you do find a place with a gift card, you might look to buy an e-shop card. Then you can get your game of choice, and pick up the Zelda Oracle games.

Bert
June 7th, 2013, 8:09 PM
Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to go with. I doubt I can get anything else with my AC XL bundle but I'll look.

I don't really need a gift card, I can just use my debit card to buy games on the eShop. And I have a 32gb sd card I bought yesterday. I'm ready.

Also,I love this comic.

http://www.nerdragecomic.com/strips/2013-06-07.jpg

The Rick
June 7th, 2013, 8:59 PM
You might take a look at the Project X Zone demo in the e-shop when you get your 3DS. Interesting game. Turn based strategy, with pseudo fighting(you enter a button combo to start the move sequence).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vub1CXKszMk

Morrison
June 7th, 2013, 10:29 PM
if you're into puzzle games then professor layton and the miracle mask is fannnnntastic. the adventure time game is a fun little one. my girlfriend is enjoying the hell out of cave story.

Bert
June 8th, 2013, 1:22 AM
You might take a look at the Project X Zone demo in the e-shop when you get your 3DS. Interesting game. Turn based strategy, with pseudo fighting(you enter a button combo to start the move sequence).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vub1CXKszMk

Wow, this looks really interesting.


if you're into puzzle games then professor layton and the miracle mask is fannnnntastic. the adventure time game is a fun little one. my girlfriend is enjoying the hell out of cave story.

I'm going to see if Gamestop has a used copy of the first Professor Layton DS game. I'd like to play through them in order. I heard the adventure time game was fun but I haven't really watched the show. I have cave story+ on PC.

Are you enjoying your Vita, Morrison?

The Rick
June 8th, 2013, 9:13 AM
I'd leave adventure time off of your list for the time being. It is a fun game, but there are better games to play. If you want a turn based strategy on the cheap, then get Tom Clancy's Ghost Warrior 3D. That game might lack for story, but the game is tight and challenging. If you're looking to show off the system's 3D capabilities, get first party titles. Mario 3D Land, Pilot Wings, Luigi's Mansion, or FireEmblem They pop more than others.

Vice
June 8th, 2013, 3:26 PM
I played the Project X Zone demo last night. Didn't really have an idea of what I was doing during the combat aside from mashing buttons, but I had a blast. Fucking people up with Ryu and Ken was so fun, though I didn't feel nearly as attached to the other characters.

Bert
June 8th, 2013, 5:48 PM
http://i.imgur.com/PqXd5Hl.jpg

Morrison
June 8th, 2013, 6:41 PM
Wow, this looks really interesting.



I'm going to see if Gamestop has a used copy of the first Professor Layton DS game. I'd like to play through them in order. I heard the adventure time game was fun but I haven't really watched the show. I have cave story+ on PC.

Are you enjoying your Vita, Morrison?
i'll likely go back and play the older layton games at some point, as well.

i really am digging the vita, though i only really have played guacamelee and FF7. virtue's last reward intrigued me, so i'll probably pick that up once it comes out on plus. then that makes me want to go and play 999 on the ds first...

Bert
June 9th, 2013, 1:03 AM
Morrison, The Rick and whoever else on Rajah has a 3DS post or PM me your friend code and I'll add you tomorrow.

The Rick
June 9th, 2013, 2:58 AM
I started my town, Booville(wanted something mario themed). There isn't much to do right now because all of the shops are closed. Damn town is either fishing, bug catching, or asleep. So I guess I will follow suit. 9 O'clock look out.

Vice
June 9th, 2013, 3:08 AM
If I ever get the game (massively unlikely), I'd have to name my town Viceland.

The Rick
June 9th, 2013, 12:45 PM
If I ever get the game (massively unlikely), I'd have to name my town Viceland.

It will never happen. You're just not mayoral material.

So I have been fishing up a storm in my town. Donating at least one of every species I catch to the local museum, and selling the rest. That's just what a good mayor does. Started at a 14% approval rating, and now I'm up to 40%. In my town today Crawfish are the special item. Going for 400 bells.

Bert
June 9th, 2013, 1:02 PM
Rick, give me your friend code damnit.

The Rick
June 9th, 2013, 1:07 PM
"I caught a Carp! I really sized the Diem" :lol:

The Rick
June 9th, 2013, 9:48 PM
I fished so much today. I have 140,000+ bells. Mostly from fishing. Watch for fins poking out of the water. They are worth much more. I have to wait until tomorrow to get my house.

Speaking of tomorrow. Bert if you're around during RAW tomorrow night, I'll open the gates to my train station so you can visit. The best part of my town thus far is my fish section of the museum. I need to get a bug net so bad. Hoping that there's one in the shops tomorrow.

Bert
June 9th, 2013, 11:30 PM
I fished so much today. I have 140,000+ bells. Mostly from fishing. Watch for fins poking out of the water. They are worth much more. I have to wait until tomorrow to get my house.

Speaking of tomorrow. Bert if you're around during RAW tomorrow night, I'll open the gates to my train station so you can visit. The best part of my town thus far is my fish section of the museum. I need to get a bug net so bad. Hoping that there's one in the shops tomorrow.

So I initially set my system time for 2012 because I was tired this morning, and then played new leaf for like 3 hours before realizing this so I set my system time to 2013 and not much changed except I got my house early and a bunch of flowers died.

I caught a SAW SHARK tonight when I visited my friends town. Giving everything to the museum until I have dupes to sell though.

I'll be home by the time RAW starts, and probably won't even be watching it, so sound good. Bug Isabelle a bunch, like seriously a lot, and she'll give you stuff. She gave me peaches (my town came with pears) and then a fishing rod and net too. I caught loads of bugs today.

The Rick
June 10th, 2013, 12:33 PM
I caught a SAW SHARK tonight when I visited my friends town. Giving everything to the museum until I have dupes to sell though.

He didn't even see you coming did he?

can I sell my stuff in your town? and if so we need some Aussies to play this. That way if I need to sell in a bad way I can(my shops close between 9-11 P.M. depending on the shop.

Bert
June 10th, 2013, 3:01 PM
I think you can. I know you can buy from other shops.

The Rick
June 12th, 2013, 8:20 PM
I'll probably tire of it later, but I love the song as you go to the Island in Animal Crossing.

if you plan to get the game, DON'T spoil it for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOMCgPnmDZ8
ignore the guy in the corner.

The Rick
June 18th, 2013, 9:01 PM
ign previews (http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/19/e3-2013-one-gigantic-playstation-vita-game-roundup) 20 playstation Vita games

-1,001 Spikes
-Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate
-Destiny of Spirits
-Dragon Fantasy: Book II
-Dragon’s Crown
-Fieldrunners 2
-Hotline Miami
-Killzone: Mercenary
-Lone Survivor
-Luftrausers
-OlliOlli
-Ragnarok Odyssey ACE
-Rayman Legends
-Spelunky
-Stealth Inc.
-Tearaway
-The Walking Dead: The Game
-Valhalla Knights 3
-Velocity Ultra
-Ys: Memories of Celceta

Cubed-Sphere
June 20th, 2013, 12:36 AM
Killzone: Mercenary... may be the 2nd Vita game I'll buy. How sad is that? I'm not even sure why I still have the thing. I've jammed on a few free PS+ games in the last year and a half, but there just isn't anything on this system that I want.

I'm only keeping it now because I like the idea of it streaming PS4 titles.

Bert
June 20th, 2013, 1:11 AM
I want for Vita

Muramasa Rebirth
Killzone Mercenary
Dragon's Crown
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
Olli Olli
Spelunky
Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami 2
Lone Survivor
Walking Dead: 400 Hours
Rayman Legends
Stealth Inc
God of War HD Collection
Tearaway


I want for 3DS

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Mario Golf World Tour
Mario Party 3DS
Regular Show (maybe)
Pokemon X & Y
Super Smash Bros
Project X Zone
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

I wish there were more non-mario games.

The Rick
June 20th, 2013, 6:28 PM
I want for 3DS

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Mario Golf World Tour
Mario Party 3DS
Regular Show (maybe)
Pokemon X & Y
Super Smash Bros
Project X Zone
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

I wish there were more non-mario games.


I think they will be coming. Much like the DS I see companies holding back to see sales numbers. The 3DS started painfully slow(much like the WiiU now), and after the first batch of 3rd party titles publishers likely waited until there was enough of an install base. But I am looking towards those mario games. Mario Golf FTW.
________________________


I like having the "Night Owl" ordinance in effect. It pushes the closing time of the shops back to between (11:00PM and 1:00). I have Bert, and that is great. But I want more of you people playing this. My town wants to meet more people, and I'm a damn good mayor at this time. Come visit Booville.

Bert
June 21st, 2013, 2:54 PM
One of my villagers called you a "Freshman Mayor." :lol:

The Rick
June 21st, 2013, 6:22 PM
One of my villagers called you a "Freshman Mayor." :lol:

One of my villagers said "I heard Bert was here from Bellville" Wish I could have met him. You unsocial bastard :squint:

Bert
June 22nd, 2013, 12:38 AM
One of my villagers said "I heard Bert was here from Bellville" Wish I could have met him. You unsocial bastard :squint:

I didn't talk to them because I wasn't trying to steal your villagers when they realized how much cooler I am.

Hotline Miami is out June 25th for Vita and you get an exclusive mask that turns the world black and white.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/06/21/hotline-miami-hits-ps3-and-ps-vita-tuesday-with-ps-exclusive-mask/
http://i.imgur.com/S438HpK.jpg

Russell is hidden early in the game, and when equipped will turn the entire game black and white save the neon text and red blood left behind as you rampage through each floor of every level. It’s a really neat effect, and even changes up the video filter a bit to give the whole game a classic film look.
http://i.imgur.com/OATocrr.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhvIMnBvq_0

And here's previews for Spelunky and 1,001 spikes both of which I'm excited for.
http://www.usgamer.net/articles/playstation-vita-wants-to-kill-me-and-im-ok-with-that
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/07/spelunkyheader.jpg

Great as Spelunky has been in its previous incarnations, it's always begged for a portable rendition. Death comes quickly in Spelunky, a game of instant, permanent failure in unpredictable procedural worlds. A strong run can go south in a matter of seconds, and in my experience a Spelunky session usually lasts about five to 10 minutes. That's exactly the kind of game that portable systems excel at (well... that and, curiously enough, incredibly slow and expansive role-playing games).

Nothing about Spelunky seems to have been toned down or removed for its Vita version. I played for a few minutes, jumping in from someone else's session in progress, just in time for that huge ghost to start chasing me across the screen. I managed to reach the exit before the ghost reached me, but I died a few seconds into the following stage when I got a little cocky and jumped from too great a height to survive the fall. In my next session, I found my hero's health slowly whittled away by spiders, dart traps, and other hazards, ultimately falling to a humble snake, of all things.

In short, it's Spelunky, and it's fantastically evil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmZ8Tk3ZdLE

http://i.imgur.com/P2Y9ORe.jpg

So here's how 1001 Spikes works: You're a little explorer who can run, jump to two different heights, shoot a weak pistol, and push blocks. You apply these skills to a series of platform-based puzzles in which every action (and every inaction) can be absolutely deadly. The greatest hazard comes from the eponymous spikes; some of them sit in the open, plain as day, but for the most part they're hidden in blocks. Some pop up on a regular cycle, while others only spring forward once the hapless protagonist stands in range. Spikes can appear from seemingly anywhere, and what makes them particularly deadly is the way they're placed to surprise you while you're worrying about other dangers. You may pause in a seemingly safe spot in order to wait for a timed spike trap to run through its cycle, only to find -- bam! -- you were outsmarted by the designer, who put a spring spike trap in that block because he knew you'd use it to stage a jump.

There's a sort of cat-and-mouse interplay between the player and designer in 1001 Spikes. It's clearly the work of someone who has spent ample time watching how people approach his puzzles, then taken notes to kill them most efficiently. It's really quite a remarkable piece of work. Most of the time, beta testing smooths over the rough patches, but in the case of 1001 Spikes I feel like testing has been used to more effectively rough up the smooth patches... not to mention the player, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wn2Jm80vns

The Rick
June 30th, 2013, 6:58 PM
If you don't mind waiting on the US Amazon(they are currently out of stock). They have Animal Crossing on sale for 24.15 plus shipping. Link (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0053BCML6/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1372632905&sr=1-1)

GeezaTap
July 2nd, 2013, 12:42 PM
Finished Rayman Origins on the Vita last night thanks to PS+. After having the 3DS Version (traded it in after a while) and the PS3 version (Lovefilm rental, never finished it) I'd probably go as far as to say it's the best version.

I've gone from looking forward to Rayman Legends being on the Wii U to hoping it's a PS3/Vita Cross-Buy title.

Truly lovely stuff.

Jez
July 3rd, 2013, 4:41 AM
I doubt it will be a cross buy, the only retail cross buys have been first party so far unfortunately. I too thought Origins on Vita was amazing and I am definitely getting Legends on Vita when it hits about £20 which shouldn't be too long after release :)

The Rick
July 7th, 2013, 1:28 AM
Had my first encounter with a tarantula in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Couldn't get the net fast enough, and the bastard bit me. Blacked out, and woke up at my house. On the plus side I'm currently sitting with 2.5 mil bells. Hells yeah.

Bert
July 7th, 2013, 1:29 AM
I had that happen last night, with a scorpion.

Bert
July 23rd, 2013, 5:31 PM
So Rick, did you buy SMT IV? I did since I really loved Persona 4 Golden and I got $30 eshop money for already having Fire Emblem.

I'm really enjoying it so far.

I'm still on the training mission (almost done with it though I think) and I save after every battle where I don't lose part of my party and also load my old save when someone dies but talking to demons and trying to get them to join you is very entertaining.

There was one demon who wanted some of my health, some of my magic and a life stone (that's used to heal you) and I selected cheat for every prompt and apparently he was too dumb to realize what I was doing because he joined me anyway.

If you get it I recommend getting a Napea right away, they have healing skills which come in handy in and out of battle so you don't have to just spam healing items all the time.

I can tell it's a hard game though, but if I want to unlock Easy mode all I need to do is die twice. :D

The Rick
July 23rd, 2013, 6:35 PM
I don't know if I'm going to pick it up or not. I still haven't gone back and finished Persona IV on Vita.

Mario Golf has been delayed again, this time to February. There are some interesting things coming to the e-shop, however.

I want something new to play on my Vita. A top-down shooter, or hack-n-slash would be perfect.

Bert
July 23rd, 2013, 8:43 PM
I don't know how you could start playing P4G and not finish it. I played it non-stop unless I was working and then most of my thoughts were about what I was going to do in P4G when I got home.

Stealth Inc (formerly Stealth Bastard) for Vita is out today. Not either genre you were talking about though.

Dragon's Crown is a hack-n-slash and it's out in 2 weeks. I would think you would know about it already though as people went crazy after seeing a certain character design:
http://i.imgur.com/FLtLH3b.jpg

I'll probably use the Elf if the ranged attack works well though:
http://i.imgur.com/JEBy0y4.jpg

DiveKick is out Aug 20th, you should get that. I will dive your face off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYBJs1iIhNE

Rayman Legends is out Sep 3rd. I never finished Origins but man does it look great on the Vita screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hQ3gYoL0dA

Killzone is out Sep 17th for Vita and I've heard nothing but good things about it. Well from the little that people are allowed to say, there's still an NDA on it for now I believe.

I kind of forgot about Mario Golf, I'm focused on Dream Team Aug 11th (same day Breaking Bad comes back) and Pokemon October 12th which is the day before The Walking Dead comes back.

Kyle_242
July 23rd, 2013, 10:07 PM
I CANT FUCKIN WAIT FOR DIVE KICK

The Rick
July 23rd, 2013, 10:41 PM
I don't know how you could start playing P4G and not finish it. I played it non-stop unless I was working and then most of my thoughts were about what I was going to do in P4G when I got home.

I do that a lot with big RPGs. I have probably only finished a dozen big RPGs (FFIV, FFVII, Super Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, Golden Sun, GBA/DS Mario RPGs.) Probably a few that I'm forgetting.



Dragon's Crown is a hack-n-slash and it's out in 2 weeks. I would think you would know about it already though as people went crazy after seeing a certain character design:

I've been salavating for this game since it had a little blurb in my GameInformer magazine 3-4 months back. It is the mature Castle Crashers. Plain and simple.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVmq2dNzOG4

amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUI052vh44w
sorceress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOdLetzcvw0


Rayman Legends is out Sep 3rd. I never finished Origins but man does it look great on the Vita screen.

This is the platformer that Sony fans should gravitate to, but still doesn't seem to get the respect it deserves. Rayman is almost always critically lauded, but ends up falling to a bargain bin title within a month.
Killzone is out Sep 17th for Vita and I've heard nothing but good things about it. Well from the little that people are allowed to say, there's still an NDA on it for now I believe.[/color][/font][/QUOTE]

I cannot wait for this, but I will wait to see if the physical copy plays better than the download. In theory the download should play much smoother, but that isn't the case with the Uncharted game on my system. It doesn't run like shit or anything, but I do notice a bit of screen tearing and little hiccups. I put my friend's physical copy in, and didn't notice one problem in about an hours worth of play. I have re-downloaded, and re-installed it too.


I kind of forgot about Mario Golf, I'm focused on Dream Team Aug 11th (same day Breaking Bad comes back) and Pokemon October 12th which is the day before The Walking Dead comes back.

I will be getting Dream Team, but I haven't found a true Pokemon game that I could enjoy. The Mario RPGs are some of my favorite games period.

Vice
July 23rd, 2013, 10:50 PM
DIIIIIIVEEEEUUUUHHHHHH KIIIICKEEEERUUUUUUU

There is a good possibility I will be having an epic night of Dive Kick with this dude being streamed on Twitch.tv either the day it comes out or shortly after. MON THE VICE.

The Rick
July 23rd, 2013, 11:12 PM
DIIIIIIVEEEEUUUUHHHHHH KIIIICKEEEERUUUUUUU

There is a good possibility I will be having an epic night of Dive Kick with this dude being streamed on Twitch.tv either the day it comes out or shortly after. MON THE VICE.

screw that noise. Get Dragon's crown, and slash away at shit with me and Bert. Unless of course, you're planning on getting both. Then i withdrawal my screwing of noises.

Bert
July 23rd, 2013, 11:20 PM
He's playing it on PC or PS3, he doesn't own a Vita. :(

Bert
July 30th, 2013, 7:55 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L58V_g8KlJ8

:hyper:

Bert
July 30th, 2013, 8:05 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V-x0cs6Lz0

This looks cool, it's out today. I never played the original. Online co-op definitely sways it to the buy (eventually) column.

The Rick
August 3rd, 2013, 1:18 PM
Gotta say Bert I'm kinda torn. I want Dragon's Crown, but Mario and Luigi Dream Team is out on the 11th. 40 bucks on a handheld title is a bit unless you know it's great. What platform are you getting this on ps3 or Vita?

Bert
August 3rd, 2013, 1:26 PM
Well considering I don't own a PS3....

And I've already got $30 Nintendo bucks from smt and fe for dream team.

The Rick
August 7th, 2013, 6:33 PM
ign link (http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/07/new-3ds-virtual-console-games-announced-for-this-fall)
by Jose Otero AUGUST 7, 2013



New 3DS Virtual Console Games Announced
One of Nintendo’s choices for their classic games library will surprise you.

Nintendo announced new releases headed to its 3DS Virtual Console service during this morning’s Nintendo Direct. Summer Carnival ’92 – formerly a Japan-only game for the Famicom – Donkey Kong Original Edition, Tecmo Bowl, Wario Land 3, and Super Mario Bros. 3 will release throughout the autumn.

Check out the list below for the exact release dates in North America.

Summer Carnival ’92: Recca – Soon
Donkey Kong Original -- August 15
Tecmo Bowl -- This Fall
Wario Land 3 -- August 29
Super Mario Bros. 3 -- on Wii U and 3DS later this year


It would be so awesome to see Tecmo Bowl to support online multi-player(like Nintendo said it would update Balloon Fight with), but I won't hold my breath. Summer Carnival '92 Recca is an extremely hard 8 bit shooter, that I had only heard about. I will be picking that up easy.

And this is what I ranted about last year. Nintendo can have more of my money if they really want it. They just need to put out more of their catalog. I get the licensing for 3rd party, but they still have quite a few games up their sleeve on the NES. Couple that with GameBoy and GBA games, and I would have no need to even look at my Vita. I love my Vita. Its a sexy piece of hardware, but Nintendo has the ability to own my wallet if they just put forth the effort. Put out a NES game one week, Game Boy the next, and GBA game on the third week. Leave the 4th week for GameGear games, or what ever. The new digital games can be sprinkled in with those offerings.

Bert
August 7th, 2013, 6:46 PM
SMB 3 :panic:

I wish they would start selling Ambassador games.

I bought Dragon's Crown, it looks great on my Vita.

The Rick
August 7th, 2013, 6:51 PM
SMB 3 :panic:

I wish they would start selling Ambassador games.

I bought Dragon's Crown, it looks great on my Vita.

alright, I'll get a psn card on my jog. Then I get Mario and Luigi Dream Team this Sunday.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VIoXgwU39Q&feature=c4-overview&list=UUKy1dAqELo0zrOtPkf0eTMw

Bert
August 7th, 2013, 8:19 PM
If it's a $50 card buy Rayman Origins if you don't already own it yet.

$7 right now and that's a steal. It never ceases to amaze me how good that game looks on my Vita.

Yeah, I'll buy Dream Team Sunday night when I get off work (unless its on the Store at midnight on Saturday.)

Oh and I heard we have to beat the 10 stages to unlock multiplayer. Someone said you should be around level 17 by then.

I'm already level 3 anyway after playing for 45mins or so yesterday so I don't think it will take long.

The Rick
August 7th, 2013, 11:04 PM
If it's a $50 card buy Rayman Origins if you don't already own it yet.

$7 right now and that's a steal. It never ceases to amaze me how good that game looks on my Vita.

Yeah, I'll buy Dream Team Sunday night when I get off work (unless its on the Store at midnight on Saturday.)

Oh and I heard we have to beat the 10 stages to unlock multiplayer. Someone said you should be around level 17 by then.

I'm already level 3 anyway after playing for 45mins or so yesterday so I don't think it will take long.

It wasn't, it was 2 $20 cards. Kinda not happy about it too. I talk to the guy at the front of the Walmart Neighborhood Market, because the prepaid cards weren't where they've been for the last year. Well they broke up that half aisle, and replaced it with 5 mounds of Top Ramen noodles. He shows me to a little turn style stand, where the cards are now stored. He then tells me that they "clearanced" the $50 cards for $43 dollars last week. Had I jogged to that Walmart at all last week, I would have had one, but alas I paid full price for my two cards.

I will be picking up a physical copy of Mario & Luigi this Sunday. I have two friends that just got their 3DSs, and have few games. They are going to buy games that I don't currently own, and we will swap in a few weeks or so. And I have Dragon's Crown downloading right now. Good things. :yes:

The Rick
August 10th, 2013, 6:06 PM
gamespot link (http://www.gamespot.com/news/all-ps-vitas-199-at-target-august-18-24-report-6412765)
By Eddie Makuch August 9, 2013 10:06AM PDT




All PS Vitas $199 at Target August 18-24 - Report
Leaked advertisement from retailer Target states both versions of Sony's portable getting price cut later this month.

All PlayStation Vita systems will be marked down to $199 at Target beginning August 18 and running through August 24, according to a leaked Target advertisement obtained by Blu-ray Forums.


The ad specifies that "all PS Vita game systems" will be marked down. The handhelds currently retail for $250 for the Wi-Fi version and $300 for the 3G model.

Neither Sony nor Target were immediately available to comment.

The PS Vita received a price cut in Japan in February, but Sony said in February that no such price drop would be extended to North America due to exchange rates and other factors.

Decisions about price drops are made on a region-by-region basis, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said at the time.