Grazza

True, but specifically in terms of controls, I think the touch screen-based gameplay was merely a good solution for the DS not having an analogue stick. Now we have the 3DS with the Slide Pad, I would very much like to see controls as good as, say, Ocarina of Time. They can still distinguish themselves from the console series by being side stories, having different main villains and being set on strange islands etc. To answer darksnowman's other question, my "go to" franchises are Zelda and Dragon Quest. Some are better than others (you have to go back almost a decade for the best ones), but they are the two main reasons I still love gaming.

Just to clarify, they enter the Mii Plaza, not the Mii Maker (although from what Ashley said I'm sure the system just needs to be on). When you get one, you see a green light on the exterior of the 3DS, and a green dot on the Mii Plaza icon. Oh, you have to actually activate StreetPass the first time too. Here's a tip: it's important that when you do enter your Mii Plaza (you can leave it until you get home, in case you get more than one), you have to use them in StreetPass Quest and Puzzle Quest straight away (or at least before you exit the Plaza). Otherwise, you won't be able to use them in those games.

Personally, I'd like them to take the tone and graphics engine of Dragon Quest VIII. Yuji Horii has recently admitted they've been toning them down for foreign markets, which I don't think is desirable. Puff-Puff please! I'd also like the characters to remain more separate, ie. different weapons, but easier to max them all out than VIII, and no need to all use the same weapon. Dragon Quest IX did make a lot of improvements though. I would like the instant Alchemy from that, but without the farmable items like "Royal Soil", which made it feel a bit like an MMO. I'm undecided about random battles. The system in IX turned walking round the overworld into a series of "ping!" (enemy runs off) or "ping!" (enemy runs at you). This system is essential if we're going to be hunting Metal Slimes or want to steal something from a particular monster, but... is that really necessary? I certainly don't want to revocate if I get to level 99, or even change vocation really. Please lets have the great characters back, like Yangus & co. Finally, I would not like to be sitting at the Wii for as long as I've sat with my DSi XL. A length similar to VIII would be ideal. Please, no 2% drops or 1% chances of getting something. Or at least let us swap items with fellow gamers. Can't wait! EDIT - Oh, how could I forget? We've got to have visible armour, like in DQIX! I'd love to see some of my favourite armour rendered on the Wii.

I love StreetPass, it's so blinkin' brilliant! I go out every day just to do it, or at least earn 10 coins for the jigsaws. Got two more today, although I still haven't got past the 3rd room in StreetPass Quest:

I believe I've added everyone in this thread, so please PM me if you've added my code and it hasn't worked. Thanks.

No, not at all. The 3DS is definitely capable of "pop-out". In Pilotwings, you can unlock Dioramas of the aircraft - I unlocked the seaplane Diorama last night and rotated it, and the tail fin and wings really pop out of the screen. That said, most of the game isn't like that, but I like it how it is. I'm gutted for Hero of Time having to get rid of his. As much as I like the 3D effect, the jury is definitely still out of it. I have to question the wisdom of a feature you have to take a break from every 30 minutes. What I'm saying to everyone about the 3DS, is that it's brilliant, but you should assume you're not going to use the 3D. That way, if you like it, it's just a bonus. I find it works very well, but I'm still unsure how much I'm going to use it. Take away the 3D, and it's still a brilliant machine. It's almost a portable GameCube. The graphics and resolution are much better than the DS, there's no question in my mind that this is a full generation on from it. The controls are great, so is the general connectivity, both online and locally. It's quite a new thrill to carry it about with you and swap Miis via StreePass. Think of it as the DS 2, and consider how much you like the games, price and tech spec. Personally, I like the machine, and that makes me like the games more.

Well, Rank 10 items are what you get from Legacy Bosses and Rank 10 chests. Rank 9 items are all from Rank 9 chests. Rank 8 from Rank 8, etc... I'm probably not explaining it well, but trust me, the best items are also very rare. Yep. PS - I was too busy being cheeky to darksnowman about the Thief's Theory, when I should have tried to be helpful instead. There are a few ways to help your thievery: 1) Have the Thief's Theory in your main character's bag. Using Gloves and Accessories that boost Deftness may help with Thief's Theory. I certainly equip all my Deftness-boosting gear in those circumstances, just in case. 2) Using Half-Inch (and not worrying about Thief's Theory), it is probably better to use the Deftest Gloves you have, but Honour Amongst Thieves instead of a Deftness-boosting Accessory. However, if you're all stealing, I would give Honour Amongst Thieves to someone else instead, keeping my main character as Deft as possible. 3) Use the Thief's Coup de Grace (which guarantees a drop) or his Co-op de Grace (which guarantees the rare drop if you land on the right portion). You can repeat this until you do.

Sorry they aren't better items this week, dr4khon. The rarest is the Bright Staff, which doesn't become available until very late in the game, and when you do find a Rank 10 chest (which is the only place you can get them), you only have a 1% chance of getting it. The downside to buying it is that you may not like using wands. The Spring Breeze Hat is good for your healer. It's also Rank 10, but is a Grotto Boss drop, rather than a chest item. You have a 2% of getting it. Some of the other stuff is good, but not particularly rare.

Woo-hoo!!! If this is an April Fool, I'll Thunder Thrust the culprit!

If the 3DS is not selling very well (and I do stress "if"), I put it down to the price. I've no problem with it (it's worth the money), but handhelds are something that parents buy their kids (maybe one for each of their kids). Let's say they want the 3DS + Nintendogs (which doesn't have the same impact this time, for obvious reasons), it's a lot more expensive this time round. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. It'd probably be good to compare it to the original DS, not just the Wii, which I don't remember seeming too successful from Day 1 either.

It's really nice to see someone like yourself take to the game so much. You seem to have "got" it right away.

Ah, well, I forgot the 4th thing - stats! A Warrior has the highest Resilience in the game, so is a great fighter. A Thief has the highest Deftness out of those first six vocations, so is the best (for now) at stealing and Critical Hits. Martial Artist has the highest Agility, so is more likely to act before an enemy. The reason I forgot it is because technically you can get Seeds of... (Whatever) and boost everyone's stats to 999 in everything. However, this would be by far the most tedious thing in the game and is certainly not recommended. And spells, don't underestimate spells. Only the Priest can learn the best healing spells, only the Mage can learn the best fire/ice skills etc. Skills are transferable, but spells are not. They're very important too. Coup/Co-op de Grace is also very important. Again, it's vocation-exclusive. And finally, clothing. Only the magic users can wear the best robes, only the fighters can wear the best armour. These things I've listed never, ever merge. The skills do, but that's good. Don't worry, there's a lot of difference between them.

Yes, absolutely. Not a dumb question at all. Eventually, there are only three things which separate the vocations: 1) Coup de Grace and Co-op de Grace 2) Spells 3) Clothing

I've never played a bad F-Zero, Metroid or main-series Mario. Out of the three, I'd choose F-Zero as the stellar performer. Zelda is still an essential buy, it's just my expectations for it are stratospheric. When I get a new one, I hope it's the best game ever.

Nah, I think that'd be a wild goose chase for you. I'm almost certain if you once more approach the character who gives out the Quest, you will find he now has a white speech bubble rather than a blue one (ie. it's not repeatable). No, that'll be worse, as your highest-level character will get proportionately more EXP. It's best to change everyone to Lv.1 and then level them up together. I'm sure you will be able to complete the game without changing vocations at all. Well done on choosing a Priest with a spear as one of your characters. I'll tell you as much about levelling as you want, but I know you don't want any spoilers. Here's a spoiler-free hint though: grinding to level 38 gets you 102 skill points, grinding to level 45 gets you 126 (then you start to get a lot less). You can save up points instead of spending them, change into a different vocation and spend them in any skill tree you want. For example, let's say you want to max-out a weapon, but don't want to spend time as the vocation that uses that weapon... The good news is you don't have to. Very sensible of you. 40,000 Gold will generally get you some very good armour, if it's available.

I'm happy to, when they produce great machines like this and the GameCube.

How would you get more than one? dr4hkon, keep at it, and don't worry too much about Metal Slimes. Yes, they are rare, but you'll be able to get plenty of EXP anyway. By the way, which character classes are you using and which weapons? I had a little go earlier, fighting the outstanding (literally) Legacy Boss. However, he's so time-consuming I only got him from Lv.41 to 46. Hmm.. maybe when the novelty of the 3DS has worn off. I really want to do it.

It's actually challenging, especially if you go for Perfection on all the missions. Even if you don't, getting 3 stars on each is not easy. 128MB sounds good to me then, and it certainly explains why games are able to run much better (in theory) as soon as you turn the 3D off. Whilst I don't know much about it, I do believe that RAM is one of those things that games can take advantage of without any special programming. It certainly doesn't feel as solid as the DSi XL. Whenever I pick that up, I am reminded of how much better-built it is. Still, onwards and upwards. The other improvements make up for it.

Nice one, Ronnie. Glad you got a 3DS. There's one particular landmark I like in this game:

Here's some advice, dr4hkon. The "Granite" part tells you the difficulty the monsters start at. The "Tunnel" part is the quality of the Grotto (treasure, etc) and often gives you a hint as to what elemental type the Grotto will be. The "Woe" part gives you a clue as to which boss you might find and the "Level" is how deep it is. You can only hold 99 maps, so I recommend making a note of which boss each Grotto has, and keeping the shortest Grotto for each boss.

That what I was thinking. I thought I must be misunderstanding something, because I can't see the moral problem. Besides, if GAME shut down, where would I go to use StreetPass?

Have you played them all to completion? No.

Since I got my 3DS, I can barely pick up Dragon Quest IX... ...Mind you, that's because the DSi XL is so big! Don't worry about that. You don't need to go to Port Llaffan before you've finished the Alltrades quest, but nor does it matter if you do. There are no major bugs or missables in this game, so relax.

Yeah, you've got pretty far already!

This is a very good week not to buy things from the shop, as they're not very good (apart from for completionists). I'm sure we'll point out any really good items you should buy.