Grazza

Ideally, I would like to go back to the days when a 3D Mario was ready at launch, but I accept that may not be feasible with today's development times. One thing I'm over the moon about is that Skyward Sword hasn't been delayed to be a Wii U launch game, for many different reasons - one of them is that I think Zelda should arrive a year or two after Mario and build upon what's been done with that engine. Not that I'd complain if one was ready for launch. My interpretation of the criticism of the 3DS, that it needed a "Mario" game, was that it needed a Mario-as-mascot game, in the way people complain there are too many "Mario" games when they mean things like Mario Tennis. After all, there were none for 3DS (and still aren't), which doesn't bother me personally, but it's a strange thought. With this in mind, I think it would be very sensible to have the two biggest "bridge" titles starring Mario ready at launch, namely New Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart.

Well, that wasn't bad. I only watch it now for a bit of a laugh, and it delivered. I loved the bits with the severed head, especially the comments about using Wi-Fi and complaining that the Doctor didn't have it in the Tardis!

It's not cel-shaded, is it? It's colourful, but not cel-shaded. I'm pretty sure Wind Waker is the only Zelda that uses that technique. Incidentally, the opening to Mario Sunshine is cel-shaded!

Totally agree with you, @Fused King. That's not to say I'm not looking forward to it, because I am. I'm psyched that I'll finally be able to play the next Zelda in six weeks. In fact, it's hard to believe! However, I'm just expecting a "Majora's Mask" more than anything else (awesome game in its own right, but not quite the same as getting OOT or WW for the first time). There are so many reasons I'm not expecting too much from this - the visuals, the controls - even the game structure sounds too experimental and disjointed to really make the perfect Zelda. But that's not to say I'm feeling negative about it - not at all. I have an feeling of zen and relaxation that all this stuff is being experimented with now, where it can either be proven the way forward or not (it really doesn't matter which). Then, we can finally have an end to the GameCube/Wii Zelda era, which has lasted the best part of a decade on very similar technology. However good Skyward Sword is (and I expect it'll be good), I look forward to the day when Nintendo can start on the Wii U with a clean slate, and we really see the heights the Zelda series can reach!

Reading this thread is really making me want the first wave of proper 3DS Download Software to start. I know it is - with Hiki Osu - but I can't wait for the platformers. Hopefully we'll get some more stuff like Metroid/Shantae.

Shantae, Shantae, Shantae! The only other thing I downloaded (with the spare 800 points) was Zenonia, which I thought was awful.

I'm sure people are getting more Puritanical these days. It's just a bloomin' pop star in a bikini!

Hmm, I really liked both of them. First, that they were manning space stations in certain star systems - I thought that added depth to them. Second, that a stranded group of them were trying to build themselves up once more - again, it gave insight into what they do when they've faced a setback. But each to his own.

Cybermen are brilliant, with their deep, electronic voices, but I don't think I've seen them put to better use than when they fought the Daleks in Season Two. They're at their best when they can stomp around in armies and have large battles. I'd like to see them fight the Judoon or Sontarans.

Fun new trailer: Still not really sure how it plays, but it looks pretty cool.

I think they just reported a strange thing they saw, in the same way people report things like UFOs. After all, they would have seen the Tardis disappear. Anyway, great episode! Gareth Roberts is my favourite Doctor Who writer, and the rapport between the Doctor and Craig was just lovely, as usual. Matt Smith is one of the better actors who has played the Doctor, as I sympathise with him more than some of the others. I found it very affecting, the way he's facing his end. Actually quite similar to last series, when he thought he was going to be "erased".

Quote of the month. This is actually what I was trying to say (albeit badly), not pick a fight. If I'm honest I don't think the Wii or DS were very good hardware, so any defence of them quite rightly rested on their software line-up. With the 3DS, though, I get the feeling people are enjoying it more, not being defensive of it for the sake of it, hence the term "Nintendrones" being far less applicable this time around. Anyway, I don't even know why I'm typing this. I certainly don't want to get into an argument, and if you think about it, arguing about whether certain terms and insults are fair or not is incredibly sad. I'm sure we've all got better things to do. Peace.

You're really overreacting. For one thing, I wasn't accusing anyone on here of being biased, I was just talking about the general backlash that built up against the 3DS the worse it did. It had nothing to do with whether it was a good product or had good games. People were just picking on it the weaker it seemed to become. Like I say, sharks smelling blood. Secondly, to say there's a "witch hunt" against those with negative opinions is just ridiculous.

Can I still spy on that girl from work who talks to me once a week and I read too much into it? Yep. Can I still talk rubbish with my internet friend from across the globe? Yep. Can I still send my workmates tabloid links of when the "Only Way is Essex" girls are in their bikinis? Yep. Ah, that's alright then.

That's probably not a fair term though, considering how much fun you can have with the 3DS. I'd say it's much more the other way around - the critics are generally the ones being biased in this case. The 3DS is not perfect, but the onslaught of negativity that has built up is totally out of proportion to how good or bad the machine is. It's like sharks smelling blood.

I love the Mediterranean-style town with the blue-roofed buildings - it reminds me somewhat of Baccarat from DQVIII. If there's one thing I'm not keen on, visually, it's how the characters aren't shaded in the same way as the backgrounds. They don't seem to have much subtlety or detail to them.

In hindsight, the 3D was a huge mistake. It must have added a fortune to the production cost, in many different ways: 1) Huge amount of processing power needed to render the image twice. 2) Cost of parallax barrier. 3) Two lenses for the 3D camera. In a game like DOA Dimensions, when you turn the 3D on and see the framerate halve, it's really jarring. So, it's ended up as a 2D machine for me. A good one, but not an exceptional one. When you look at things like the iPad, it's clear how much things have moved on since the original DS was launched. Having two screens, one of them a touchscreen, one of them a 3" widescreen really does seem puny compared to the iPad's 10" touchscreen. Sony has realised the importance of this and at least met it halfway, with a 5" touchscreen. Although I still think the 3DS is an essential buy, for Zelda, Mario etc, there is just no reason to want to play the games on it rather than the Vita. They're Nintendo exclusives, so they will be on the 3DS, but there's nothing better about it than the Vita.

I've never known why people like to take sides with consoles and handhelds. 3DS will have brilliant games. Vita will have brilliant games. Both will be well worth owning.

Even though I hate rip-offs, I see psychics and mediums as more "entertainment". No, I don't find them entertaining, personally, but they are providing a service people want. Perhaps people actually want to be deluded? A lot of them are desperate for relief, usually from grief, and who's to say this doesn't help with that? A con is where you don't get what you pay for, but as long as people who go to see psychics get what they wanted I don't see the problem with it.

I believe it's 20-30m (33-66ft). That's what the instruction manuals say about "wireless communication", and whilst they're probably talking about gaming, 66ft seems quite likely as a maximum for StreetPass. Admittedly, I've had StreetPasses when I was far closer than 33ft. And yes, there is a Kirby puzzle.

I had a mental block on her character's name too. Ah, let's face it, I'm sure we all watch it for Karen, rather than "Amy"!

I thought it was quite good, like all the episodes since it's been back this autumn. I absolutely loved the photos of people with descriptions underneath which said what they were scared of, one of which said "Plymouth". Just lovely humour. David Walliams' character was like Lou from Lou & Andy! Bit of a shame there was no character development with him. He failed to grow and overcome hios limitations, but I suppose that was the point. Some people do, some don't. Doctor Who can be really bleak when you think about it! Completely innocent characters get killed off. Heroes lose, cowards survive. Reminds me of RTD's Titanic episode now I think of it... Hmm! The epilogue felt better-acted than the rest of it. Perhaps filmed much later? I hope to see Karen Gillan again because she's my favourite companion, probably even more so than Rose. Did anyone get a Spider-Man 2 vibe? That is to say, the Doctor severs his relationship with her to save her, but will probably accept she's part of his life now, like it or not (ie. villains kidnap her or something). But yes, I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to next week's because the villains shown are amongst my favourites and I love the relationship between the Doctor and Craig.

Very good news. I just hope it is fully-enhanced for 3DS, with StreetPass, online features etc, but overall, a 3DS Dragon Quest Monsters game was exactly what I wanted. There is a school of thought that suggests VII and VIII may stay on Sony platforms. It's not necessarily what I want (give everyone a chance to play everything, I say), but it sounds feasible: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9087723 Dragon Quest XI on 3DS would be very welcome.

Yeah, I'm another one who likes girls with a similar body shape to mine - ie. tall and slim. It's not just about thinking "girls should be slim" either, there's definitely an aspect of "looking in the mirror" about it. I usually have a much bigger chest than them though!

Nothing personal: 1) It came free with the Wii and I never opened it, and 2) I've still not played a game online. I'm probably not in when all the action goes on anyway.