Grazza

Well, yoyo, I hope you're right about upscaling 3DS games. I do disagree with one point though: I suspect this is not greatly related to the size, it's just the nature of stereoscopic 3D. The problem is that one part of the eye focuses on the depth it thinks it's seeing, whilst another focuses on the point you're actually viewing. In real life this is the same point. Big or small, glasses or glasses-free, this will always be a problem with stereoscopy, and probably be fixed when holograms are feasible. I'd agree the sweet spot is terrible though, and small screens/resolutions in general are eye-straining (the DS Lite was just awful). One reason 3D probably does work better on a bigger screen is because its main gimmick is to show an object with various layers of depth behind it. Personally, I find this almost pointless, especially on a small screen, and I'd sure as heck swap my 3DS's parallax barrier for a bigger, higher-res 2D screen. If I can thank you for one thing though, it's posting the hi-res image of Pilotwings, because it just proves how important a high resolution is.

Yeah, but I just know it'll be transformed when I get the Gauntlets.

That's what I thought. I was laughing until I read that bit. It's not a sin, but it's very sad how people have been manipulated into doing this.

This part at least is easy to answer. There is a perfect biological age, ie. peak adulthood, which is around 20. We are designed to mature to adulthood, but no more than that. Sorry to be depressing, but once you get older than your 20s, you're not actually getting biologically older, it's cellular deterioration. The ideal would be to keep refreshing our cells, which would keep us in that "peak adulthood" zone of 20 or so.

I've waited 10 months for this. I've prepared meticulously: found a high-ranking ice Grotto, found a Blight Knight, made sure I had all the ingredients ready, and... [spoiler=] ...it doesn't look as good as I thought it would.

I had a dream last night that I was in town and there was some sort of theatre event on, where you could watch things in different theatres. I was in one watching some sort of comedy in which the lead actor was talking to the audience in the same way as Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii. Anyway, I chuckled a few times, but then it suddenly ended. I asked the staff if they were going to show the rest of the film (oh yes, it was a film... in a theatre), but they insisted they'd played the whole thing, which they clearly hadn't. So, I left the theatre and wandered round the high street. A thunderstorm began and I took shelter in front of a large, dark, gothic church. Then I realised it was later than I intended to stay out and I was stuck in town, in a thunderstorm, in the dark.

Part of the appeal of dreams is not just the fantasy elements, such as flying, but more the way they let your brain be the way it wants to be. When I wake up from a really good dream, I always think "That's the way my brain's meant to be", but then reality beckons and I fall back into the daily drudgery of repression, obsession and procrastination.

I'd be in favour of it. Sorry to be grim, but it reminds me of an episode of BBC4's "It's Only a Theory". They asked the audience "Who'd like to live forever?" (show of hands, not unanimous). Then they said "Who wants to die?" (obviously no one). I sometimes wonder if those who reject the idea of immortality are just trying to be noble (no offence intended), because when you look at the alternative, living forever is still the better option. How I'd love to see all the technology that man may eventually create - perfect health, flawless virtual reality, mental bliss... the possibilities are endless. And not to worry anyone, but the Sun will supernova in millions/billions of years time, so even if you get bored, I don't believe immortality lets you survive a supernova. Even if it did, you'd still need a planet to stand on, and you couldn't use the Earth. This is not even taking space travel into account, which you could use to keep yourself entertained.

I'd love to own a boat and explore sunny environments. Just every day, finding islands, walking along beaches, meeting beautiful women. I'd be tanned, muscular and in peak fitness. No worries, no financial needs. That's my "realistic" vision. The other one requires advances in technology: Firstly, I'd like to be bio-enhanced, so that I could run, jump and punch like the Hulk. Secondly, and I'm sorry to lower the tone here, but there'd have to be a perfect Virtual Reality system where I could live out any sexual fantasy, have sex with any woman I wanted. You could specify "blonde", "brunette", exact measurements etc.

I switch on the TV, but it's stuck on an all-day showing of Katie & Peter: the Next Chapter. Trying to cheer myself up, I go to the fridge with the intention of pouring myself a Coke. Oh no, it's Rola Cola! Agreed. I've never understood what people are getting at when they say immortality would be bad. Are you chaps worrying about being the last human left on Earth? Like Goafer says, you could explore other planets, sow your oats! Maybe there will eventually be Virtual Reality or other technology that can make life an absolute bliss.

Despite once considering myself a Dragon Quest fanatic, even I'm surprised that I don't have this on pre-order. It's come at a pretty inconvenient time for me. I'm trying to cut down on games, especially addictive ones that keep me up late at night. Then I'm fighting Orgodemir in DQIX, and I'm even more interested in the downloadable Quest on Friday than I am DQVI. Then again, I clicked that ShopTo link, and it's got a little video. Hard to resist...

Project Café F-Zero and WaveRace as launch games Dragon Quest X New Zelda (not Skyward Sword) well on its way "Super Virtual Console" - every game will not be the same as the original PAL release, but instead run in 1080p at 60fps and be as good as the non-official emulators. 3DS F-Zero 2D Metroid Toon Link Zelda Shantae pts 2 & 3 on 3DS Ware "Dragon Quest Portable 2" (sequel to IX) A 2D-only, enhanced-performance option in every game

I'd say they're the antithesis of that, which is why they amuse us so much. X-Factor 2009... every week Louis Walsh wheeled out his double act, John & Edward. Simon Cowell groaned, but it was very entertaining for a lot of viewers. And I find it pretty encouraging that the UK got 100 points this year. That means Europe hates us slightly less than they used to. You never know, if we ever enter a good song + good singer, we might even win!

All they need for that is for developers to know everyone has got both types of controller. Well, I say that. One thing's for sure: traditional games need traditional controllers. I think the more "casual" games can be done on those too (I loved 4-player Mario Party on the GameCube), but I accept some people like motion control. If this sounds negative, it's not meant to be. I don't believe Nintendo has a serious problem with not being able to make "core" or AAA games any more; it's just that I genuinely believe Nintendo's development teams were hindered by the Wii's hardware and controller, and only those two things. It's not a positive analysis of the Wii, but it is good reason to be hopeful for the future.

Not for those, but they'll be a nice bonus. I want it for the Nintendo games, and I assume there'll be a novelty too. Unfortunately, the public doesn't seem that excited about the stereoscopic feature of the 3DS (an interesting topic in its own right), so hopefully they'll like this more. Funny you should ask that, I was thinking about it the other day. I would guess a lot of people here are familiar with Moore's Law? My crude understanding of it is that processing power becomes possible with smaller chips on a regular timescale. Well, apparently that is due to come to a halt with current technology circa 2020. So, when Intel and co have finally made the smallest chips they can, a mobile phone would be of a certain power, and you'd literally need something double the size for double the power, triple for triple etc. If Sony are to release a PS4 in 2014 (just using them because their consoles are numbered simply), I would expect the PlayStation 5 and its contemporaries to be the last ones for a long time. Until someone invents a new technique, that is...

Cor, those Spanish women were sexy! Ireland and Moldova both gave me a huge chuckle, but I think I must have funny ears, as I thought Serbia had the best song. Oh well.

Yesterday I bumped into one of my two regular StreetPass pals and had the option of starting a new jigsaw or finishing Pikmin. I chose the latter, but I'd like to know which picture the other one was!

Well, for one thing, improved graphics are reason enough to justify a new console. If everything can run at 1080p and 60fps with more polygons, that will be a massive improvement. The thing I want most though is better overworlds in Zelda. I think Twilight Princess is the first Zelda I've seen that was ambitious beyond the power of the console. Take the link between Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain. When at the bottom, you could summon a winged creature to take you to the top. When at the top, you hired a kayak to get to the bottom. But it was all an illusion, that's the problem. The perfect version would have been an entirely accessible underground waterway, that you could walk up or down at your leisure. Maybe you could use boats to get down it, but the important distinction is that you wouldn't have to activate "modes." So, that is what I'd like: totally freeform and "built" overworlds, where the computer never forgets one bit's relationship with another. If you're in a mansion and you get knocked out of a window, you land outside, with no loading times. If you're in a house and you go onto the balcony, you could jump off into the square outside (again, with no loading times). If you're at the top of a mountain, you could use something like the Deku Leaf to float down anywhere, and you'd land in the correct place. That's what I'd love.

Enjoyable (and agreeable) article here about how Ocarina 3D remains very true to the original, but makes many improvements: http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/116/1168387p1.html I'm so impressed with the extra visual clues in the Water Temple, for example. It's a brilliant, yet subtle, way to make it better.

Well, I've watched both semi-finals and my favourites this year are Serbia and Ireland. Let's see how they do! (MCJ - I'll have a think and answer your question in a few days.)

They really should have gone with the hotpants.

Interesting points. If this remake is done well without any major issues, it should deserve a 9/10 on account of being a great game design. Anything less wouldn't recognise it as the top class handheld game it'll probably be. 10/10 would be too high, because the whole game system and overworld aren't really impressive enough compared to newer games, even if it had perfect graphics and sound. If there is no option of an improved soundtrack, that is definitely a massive flaw, but I think 8/10 would be too low, as that score suits something that is very good, but fundamentally messy and flawed, like Twilight Princess. And I'm sure it'll be worth £30 (after all, if you don't believe your new Zelda's worth that, what's the point?), it's just that some retailers are trying to get £40, which is too much.

If GAME and GameStation have lowered their prices, they haven't changed the labels yet (which is quite possibly the case). The only sort of deal I saw in town today was at HMV - £180 with a game. Anyway, Nintendo have really mucked this up - holding back 1st-party software to let 3rd-parties shine, not setting a sensible RRP... I'm happy with the price I paid for mine, I just don't want the machine to flop.

Yeah, apparently there's been a betting surge on it. Personally, I still haven't heard it (going to watch the repeat tonight). Hope it's good. Yeah, it is a shame you're not in it, but chin up. "Fairytale" was great and I'm still singing it to this day.