Grazza

Well, this is a strange feeling. I certainly gave a cheer when I first saw it - a new 2D Zelda! It's just that it doesn't look quite how I imagined one would look. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a combination of rendered 2D (for the characters) and polygons (for the environments), isn't it? It looks OK, but when you see what people like WayForward are doing with pixel art, I just think it could be a bit better. I find the new "paper" mechanic too surreal to be believable, but that's just me. Still, a new 2D Zelda is great news. The 2D ones do provide a different feel, like how the overworld and dungeons are built, lots more destroyable walls etc, so as long as this plays more like Link to the Past/Link's Awakening/Minish Cap than Phantom Hourglass, it should be fantastic.

It's because they are using 2D graphics to render 3D-looking objects. Using 2D to simulate 3D, as such, like Super Mario RPG. This seems to be Nintendo's new way of doing 2D, because Mario and Luigi: Dream Team and the new Yoshi's Island (as you say) also feature this style. To me, the beauty of traditional sprites/pixel art is that they are flat, so they can be more expressive. Still, I quite like it, but to me this precise method (rendered 2D) isn't a lot better than using polygons.

Well, it's good so far if you like Mario, Luigi, Mario with Luigi, Mario with Donkey Kong, Luigi on his own, Yoshi with Mario or Mario with all his friends.

Can't argue with that! I knew it was the flaw in my argument as I was typing it, but I couldn't be bothered to find out the development times (in my defence, I'm not sure it's possible to do accurately).

Finally finished this. The 5th Mansion's boss was much better than the "middle" few bosses, and generally it was an exciting end to the game. Overall, I thought it was an experience of two halves. The presentation was pure Nintendo magic - the dialogue was hilarious at times and the story was utterly charming. It was immersive, atmospheric and, as people have said, it has brilliant animation. Unfortunately, I didn't find the gameplay side of things as satisfying. I just never quite understood what the gameplay "hook" was meant to be. You have a variety of tools (Poltergust, Torch, Dark-Light) and for most of the game you are just trying them out in different rooms. Sometimes this is logical, such as when you have to blow a window closed to stop the draught, but more often than not you just have to press every button in every area. This applies most of all to the Dark-Light (but also to the sucking action of the Poltergust). Although some invisible objects are logical (in that something should be there), it is also true that anything could be anywhere, and as such you pretty much have to flash the Dark-Light in every space you see! The mission structure is another negative point. Whereas Metroid uses save points and in most Zeldas you can save at any time, at least both series let you save your progress in one way or another. In Luigi's Mansion 2 you could have spent ages on a mission, inadvertently finding loads of Gems, and yet if you can't work out how to finish the task (some of them can be baffling), you'll have wasted your time. Arguably, it would have been better if you could just explore each Mansion at your leisure, completing more and more of it until you've unlocked the boss. There are also a few difficulty spikes, such as Mission E-5. This could be very frustrating if you make a mistake, which isn't hard, as it's very difficult to avoid attacks when you're busy capturing a ghost. So, not a terrible game, but not a brilliant one either, in my opinion. It's exciting on occasion, but never addictive, and arguably lacking fun gameplay hooks. A nice game in many ways, but definitely not in my 3DS Top 5.

I've thought for ages that Nintendo's biggest problem is resources. The question is: why is this the case? Do they not have enough staff? It's a popular adage that games cost more to make and take longer to make now, but compare Luigi's Mansion to Luigi's Mansion 2. It could be argued the first game has more detailed graphics and, assuming both run at max resolution, the GC title would be 640x576 (more likely 640x480), whereas the 3DS sequel would be 800x240 (400x240), and yet the 1st one arrived at the GameCube launch in 2001 and the sequel finally arrived in 2013, a couple of years after the 3DS launch. OK, the 2nd one is longer, but my point is that games are taking longer to make even when there aren't any obvious reasons (like HD). I know a lot of people would have liked Nintendo to support the Wii for longer, but where would they have got the resources from? It would have made the situation worse, in my opinion. As it is, it's hard to understand how they weren't more prepared for the Wii U. And this is my main feeling - if three years or so aren't enough to get their Wii U games ready, isn't something wrong?

Also, it now seems to be about showing near-finished products to shareholders/the media. For example, I can't imagine, at E3, Iwata saying "Now over to Eiji Aonuma for his musings on the next Zelda", but that's basically what happened in the January Nintendo Direct, and it was all the better for it.

I do remember, yes! Was that the trailer with the impressive-looking CGI? I don't think there was any gameplay footage, was there? Would certainly be interesting to see if they developed it though.

I'm looking forward to it, but I watch them on Fridays.

Fantastic! So, thankfully my list of 3DS "wants" is getting smaller all the time. Here's what I'm hoping for/would still like: Release dates for: * Shantae and the Pirate's Curse * Mighty Switch Force 2 * Oracle of Seasons/Ages Localisations for: * Dragon Quest VII * Bravely Default: Flying Fairy * Sega 3D Classics New games: * Zelda * Metroid - I really think the 3DS needs a Metroid, even if it's not 2D. I still think it could easily be one of the best games. Luigi's Mansion 2 is sort of reminding me of Metroid, but the truth is I enjoyed Other M a lot more (than Luigi's Mansion 2). * Dragon Quest XI - Whilst I don't necessarily need this to be on 3DS, another experience like IX would be welcome. ...Oh, and Nintendo Sprite Division (which I've made up) to create new 2D Metroids and Zeldas!

Yes, there are more than four.

Shovel Knight met all its Stretch Goals. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yachtclubgames/shovel-knight?play=1&ref=search So that's a Music Player, New Game + and 3 Playable Boss Knights, amongst others. I'm not certain these are all going to be in the 3DS and Wii U versions (they don't guarantee 4 Player Battle Mode for 3DS), but it's nice to see we're getting the full deal.

I've just watched The Rings of Akhaten and... I thought it was really good! It was well-acted, had a solid sci-fi theme, plot development, good dialogue... The Doctor's speech when he "sacrificed" himself was stirring. I just felt sorry for Neil Cross, as I don't think he deserved the backlash over this.

I honestly thought that was going to have a punchline, like "...but most people will be watching Eastenders."

I've done the 3rd "Mansion" now, which I didn't enjoy much. I didn't like the tone and found it a bit laborious. The 3rd boss felt like they'd tried too hard to fit it to the theme, and not worried whether it was fun in its own right. A case of over-polishing, perhaps? Too long a development time? The 4th Mansion does seem better though. I don't know, this game just seems a bit strange to me. It's wonderfully polished, is full of wit, has fantastic graphics... and yet it just feels like hard work a lot of the time.

Oh cool, I didn't know! ...although I'm behind with my Puzzles as it is!

I will definitely buy this, it's just that I need to play/finish Luigi's Mansion 2 and Etrian Odyssey III. If I enjoy it more than those, I'll feel bad for not buying it earlier.

For one thing, it's not the soldiers who were the problem, it was more the mass slaughter via bombing. Secondly, anyone in the armed forces - whether Army, Navy or RAF - is acting in good faith. They should be able to do their job in the knowledge that their leader has sent them there for a good reason. Public and armed forces alike should always be able to trust a British Prime Minister not to lie about something as important as war.

The sprite work is just lovely. I'm not too keen on strategy RPGs (will still get this though), but I'd love to see some action games/platformers with graphics as good as this, such as a Mega Man game with that Mega Man sprite.

I actually like the idea of a game set in Roman times, especially if it was based on Up Pompeii. You'd play as Lurcio and get caught up in all his tasks.

Hmm, that's odd. I can't really relate that cover to the original game at all (apart from the tree).

The atmosphere in this game is something else. At first I thought the game in general was a bit tedious, as it was simply about approaching every object and either using your Vaccuum Cleaner, shining your Torch, shining your Dark Light or simply pressing X. However, by the time the elemental puzzles were introduced I was really enjoying myself (bring back fire, ice and light into Zelda!) Nor am I that keen on the mission structure. I understand some people think handheld games should be bitesized, but I just think all games should be convenient to play, whether handheld or console. Missions can take a very long time if you're stuck, and considering you can't save your progress until you've completed a mission, I would actually say it's less convenient than the average Zelda or Metroid. But (and this is a big but) it really is a remarkable game. The immersion is unbelievable, the camera angles are just right and the level of detail sets new standard for Nintendo. And the design is amazing! Mansions really feel like mansions. The 2nd Mansion is pretty much my ideal house (not the haunted version!) I love how they've stuck closely to a theme and just made subtle variations for each house. All the little details and physics are just right. All in all, it shows how good Zelda 3DS could be. It's got a lot to live up to!

I honestly think it looks brilliant. Shame it won't get made, because I'd definitely buy it if it turned out as good as it looks now. In particular, I love the demonstration of using the enemies' weapons. Before we scoff, are we confident a Metroid Prime 4 would be as good as this...?

Dragon Quest XI. Ni no Kuni's nice and all, but it's not in the same league as Dragon Quest VIII. I want both the studio and the series to show they can actually hit that standard again.

I've searched this thread and don't think it's been mentioned, but did you know Jenna-Louise Coleman played Princess Melia Antiqua in Xenoblade Chronicles?