Grazza

Well, I've had this since Friday, but have only had time to play it here and there. The first thing I wanted to do was find out how good DS games are on it, to see if it can replace my DSi XL. As such, I inserted Dragon Quest IX. Apart from some double-imaging on the text, I didn't think it looked bad at all - in fact, I actually like the way it smoothens the graphics. I know many will strongly disagree, but I think playing it fullscreen is far better than using 1:1 mode (which is surprisingly small). The next thing I wanted to try out was how good 3DS games are on the XL. I tried Ocarina of Time and was perfectly happy with it. So far so good - this was looking like a machine that could replace both my DSi XL and 3DS. But there are two massive disappointments: As others have said, the screens are "warmer", with a yellow tinge. This annoys me. No one asked for yellow-tinged screens. Whatever problem Nintendo thinks they're solving by doing this, it's not worth it. The colours are simply nowhere near as good as the original 3DS. The second problem is the sound. Let me make this clear, I was fully aware the 3DS XL had slightly inferior speakers, but this didn't bother me as I always use headphones. The sound chip would still be the same, and thus the sound would still be as good through headphones, right? Well no, it seems not. I spent ages comparing the sound last night and am utterly convinced the 3DS XL is inferior, even through headphones. Even so, I wondered if I was imagining it, but now I see @Guy has confirmed it to be the case. I had my 3DS and 3DS XL next to each other, with both handhelds on full volume, the same headphones and using Pilotwings Resort as the game. The intro music has far more impact and subtlety on the original 3DS. Louder and more detailed. This is a massive disappointment to me as music is a huge part of games. I want to hear them at their best. So now I've got this situation where I've got three Nintendo handhelds and don't know which one/s to keep. I know maybe that seems a bit "spoilt" but it's frustrating. Another thing that's sad is that, as usual, the reviewers have missed these flaws and the consumers have been left to find them out. No one could begrudge Nintendo for wanting to be profitable, but I feel a very different company made the original 3DS than the one who make the 3DS XL. The former was designed to be expensive and, more than anything, good. Who is to "blame" for it not selling is debatable, but I think the end result is that Nintendo has become a cheaper company. It doesn't bode well for the Wii U. The 3DS XL still delivers on what I bought it for (the big screen), but I'm now left wanting a new handheld, with a higher-res screen, a build quality at least as good as the original 3DS and better sound too, which is not ideal for something I bought two days ago.

Good stuff, @\-Dem0\-! The Grottoes and post-game content in general are legendary. It was epic enough doing it on my own, but (and I say this as a sceptic of online multiplayer) doing some of that with you chaps would have been astounding. Best formula for Dragon Quest, in my opinion: Main story - offline Post-game content - offline or online But you should definitely be able to do 100% of it offline, or DQIX wouldn't have been the same experience.

I saw a 3DS XL today in GAME. The screen is huge! It really looks like the best handheld Nintendo has ever made. I could never quite say that about the original 3DS, as the DSi XL always had something over it (ie. the size), but the 3DS XL is the best of both worlds.

All the latest happenings suggest resources are Nintendo's problem, not lack of intellectual properties. If they're struggling to put out Metroid, Zelda and F-Zero, I can't see them wanting an extra property to devote resources to.

Now that looks like Dragon Quest. I'm interested! To be honest, I hadn't paid much attention to this, but it really stood out in the recent showreel of 3DS games and I am now quite keen to play it. Does anyone know why there are swords and shields in it?

The 3DS certainly has very good graphics; arguably the "effects" it can do are much more impressive than the raw processing power, making it very similar to the SNES and GameCube. I think that's its defining feature, actually, much more so than the 3D.

Agreed. Personally, I thought the eShop started brilliantly, absolutely full of promise. Last year I took my 3DS on holiday and loved having all the digital content (I associate digital titles with travelling, as they all stay on your 3DS, whereas there's only one cartridge slot). This year, I still took it on holiday, but only played the game I'd left in the cartridge slot. Here's what I think would pick it up again: 3D Classics - Personally, I think these are done really well by Arika, but the choice of titles could be more appealing. I understand the idea was to choose games that would benefit from the depth effect, but it's hard to deny a lot of them are obscure. One I enjoyed the most was Kid Icarus, which really didn't need the 3D, but was very welcome because it offered a more up-to-date and welcoming way to play what was (at times) a very difficult game. In this regard, might other NES titles like Metroid and Zelda be more popular candidates for the "3D Classics" treatment? Or how about SNES games like Super Mario World, Link to the Past or Super Metroid? As I say, it's not the 3D that's important; it's more the appeal of playing a spruced-up game. Virtual Console - If there's one thing the handheld Virtual Console should excel at, it's playing handheld games. Nintendo have done quite well with the Game Boy games they are in full control of, but I am rather surprised the NES has been put on the Virtual Console before the Game Boy Advance. Just from the Ambassador games, we know the 3DS can easily handle the GBA. Metroid: Zero Mission alone would be pretty exciting, and the 3DS XL may well be the best way to play GBA games. On top of that, we've got the NES, so how about the SNES? If those games I mentioned aren't going to be turned into 3D Classics, they'd still be welcome in their "pure" form. And on top of that, there are still Game Boy games people want (does Nintendo have full control of Oracle of Ages/Seasons?) eShop - By this I mean games that have been made exclusively for the eShop (or a small number of modern digital platforms). You can't expect a Mighty Switch Force every day, but I'm hoping for another one or two games from WayForward. Also, Nintendo's own output has been pretty original, but I think something Zelda- or Metroid-based would excite the audience who is not so keen on puzzles. ...Anyway, there are my thoughts on it. It's not meant to be a moan, just some suggestions about things I think would put some excitement back in the eShop.

Shiny spots on the ground? Sounds like this will have "farmables" like Dragon Quest IX - Royal Soil etc.

I'm not sure... They said they weren't abandoning sprites/pixel art, and I think the hand drawn style may just be because it would be too difficult to recreate the Mighty Switch Force characters in pixels that would have exactly the same proportions, but perfectly suit 1080p. Hand drawn seems a faster way to adapt something that already exists in another form, whereas pixel art may be more feasible with a brand new game in HD. Just my theory. Glad you're enjoying Shantae.

Well done for finishing. Yes, there is post-game content for DQ IV. I must admit, I didn't bother with it, which I regret but am hoping for another remake some day. DQ V and VI do indeed feel a little improved over IV, which is probably the simplest Dragon Quest I have played (although still a nice game). I would go for IX. OK, VI has that old skool charm and arguably has better music and graphics, but IX features all the gameplay improvements that have been added into the series since, such as special moves tied to certain weapons, Alchemy, skill trees and all sorts of other things I've probably forgotten!

Yeah, I don't think there's much point in buying an unofficial one - it is a sophisticated piece of equipment after all - but I used the official one and still got the error (Link running round in circles) many, many times. I did order the proper Wii Remote Plus bundle but it never turned up. Just had to get the game from a supermarket and used the Motion Plus I got with Wii Sports Resort.

III and XII. I would like to play them all though, especially if they made a special Final Fantasy game engine for the 3DS and made I-VI on it.

That is a brilliant showreel - not just "OK", but genuinely brilliant - and yet, like others, I am only confident of the Nintendo 1st-party games being released over here. The games I want most are Etrian Odyssey IV, Unchained Blades and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, but there are too many to list. There are at least 10 I'm interested in. You'd think these days they'd be able to offer download-only versions for the West (if publishing and retail costs are the problem). Region-locking is mean and pointless. I just don't see how anyone benefits from me not being able to play Etrian Odyssey! PS - The first tune sounded familiar. Is it from F-Zero?

Not that I'm criticising Persona, but I agree with the sentiment. For me, simplicity is key. A lot of RPGs stray too far from the basic idea of exploration, combat, weapons, armour, towns, inns etc, which is pretty much all I want.

I tried the demo last night (along with Rhythm Thief, which I was worse at, but it has great cel-shading and is stylistically very cool). Theatrhythm was charming, but I still got the feeling of it not being for me. I got a B rank on the easiest setting for the boss battle and an S rank for the more gentle demo. Overall, I haven't dismissed it completely. More than anything else, it's made me want to play all the Final Fantasy games, as the music is beautiful. EDIT - No, not played Elite Beat Agents.

Hmm, you've piqued my interest, but I'm terrible at rhythm games. Last one I bought was Donkey Konga. When I saw those bongos, I imagined myself as a drumming prodigy. Yes, I was sure I would dazzle everyone with my bongo skills. What happened was I bought it and couldn't keep up with the Legend of Zelda theme. But this does sound interesting, so I'll investigate it.

Hmm, that's interesting.

New preview on Nintendo Life: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/07/first_impressions_wii_u_panorama_view I have to be honest, I hadn't paid much attention to this beforehand, but actually, it interests me more than anything else on the Wii U. There just seems to be so much potential about putting you in a scene. I don't know, I'm getting a good feeling about this one.

This thread is reminding me how all this stuff is missing from the 3DS. I mean, there's literally nothing comparable to a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest at the moment, at least not in Europe, and yet this genre helped define the DS for me.

Ordered the sliver one. I'm normally more of a "blue" person, but I think the silver looked cooler this time (and I'm not a "red" person at all). Looking forward to playing these on it: Paper Mario Luigi's Mansion 2 Animal Crossing Epic Mickey Star Fox 64 (which I've saved) Code of Princess ...And hoping for localisations of Etrian Odyssey IV, Dragon Quest Monsters, Rocket Slime 3 amd Bravely Default. Here's hoping for a great few years of the 3DS, with Zelda, Metroid, Dragon Quest et al. Same here.

Thanks @\-Dem0\-, I'm going to play it on my XL.

Put me in the "3DS has had a fantastic 15 months" camp. I agree there are "tiers" - things like Street Fighter IV and Dead or Alive I probably wouldn't bother with now (they were just welcome at the time) - and not everyone likes remakes (personally I think proper remakes like OOT and Star Fox - which I'm saving for the XL - are brilliant). But that still leaves a plethora of exclusives. I won't list them as we all know what they are. In fact, it's probably easier to say what's missing. I can honestly say the only two unannounced games I still really want (and I'd be disappointed if they didn't appear) are a 2D Metroid and an original Zelda (possibly with a follow-up to each one). Yes, despite what I've said, I don't think there is a single game available for the 3DS as good as Metroid Fusion or Zero Mission. Oh, and some sort of Dragon Quest. This has been a very Dragon Quest-less handheld! Other than that, it's been a great 15 months.

Groan... You're right, it does fit the quote.

Yeah, I always ask for a Shantae! It's arguably WayForward's main property, so (hopefully) they're always working on a new version of some kind. Which format it actually appears on is another matter.