Grazza

£124.99? That's unbelievable!

Don't worry about it, dazzybee (and Blade). I think you're doing the right thing by not trying to do a perfect playthrough first time. Otherwise you'd just be doing things over and over again (maybe that is Fire Emblem though ). Honestly, I felt so overwhelmed when I first played Sacred Stones (the GBA game given away in the Ambassador scheme). I'm used to RPGs, but this was far more complicated. The gameplay is so good though (in my opinion), you can't help but keep going back. Quite frankly, I have yet to complete a Fire Emblem game, so hopefully Awakening will change that!

Darn, that is amazing. It might even be the best spritework I've ever seen, up there with Sega's System 32 (which I mentioned in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3D Claasics thread). I mean, the sprites themselves are great, but the animation and (in particular) ther scaling are just incredible. If Nintendo wants a benchmark for how good 2D Zelda and Metroid could be, they should look to this game.

A little bit off-topic, perhaps, but it's interesting that everything Sega has brought to 3D Classics so far has been from a different arcade board/console. My favourite Sega arcade board (and the one I'd most like to see on 3DS) is System 32. This site sums it up: http://segaretro.org/Sega_System_32 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sega_arcade_games The resolution was 320x224, so absolutely perfect for the 800x240 3DS. It was basically Sega's best and last 2D system, before they moved to polygons. I always wanted the games on my Saturn, but it didn't happen. So yeah, sorry if this was off-topic, but I definitely think there's an "ideal range" of hardware/boards for Sega 3D Classics, and a huge amount of potential.

Oh well, let's just hope people don't still like EA games.

Oh yes! Seriously one of the best platformers ever. I honestly think I would buy any Sega 3D Classics, as long as they are 16-bit or coin-ops.

I think my favourites are: 1. Mega Drive 2. Game Boy Micro 3. GameCube The GB Micro was just amazing. I kept mine just to play the two Metroids.

Oh yeah, I did forget about Shovel Knight. Are there a lot of "big" GB/GBC games to release? (I genuinely don't know.) I'm hoping they get them all out and then give us the GBA.

What is everyone most looking forward to on the eShop? I've got at least five must-haves incoming: 1. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse 2. Oracle of Ages 3. Oracle of Seasons 4. Mighty Switch Force 2 5. Shantae (original) Those are all Day 1 for me.

Just to elaborate on a few things... I haven't forged anything yet, mainly because weapons break and I don't want to waste the forging on them. I might when I get an A- or S-rank weapon though. If it helps, Pairing up replaces "Rescue" from previous games, which you'd typically do if someone's HP dropped lower than you expected (actually, "Pair Up" = "Be Rescued"). The character who is being carried/protected is totally invincible whilst the other character is standing. Another reason is that you can have a character with a long-range attack (eg. mage or archer) ride on the back of a character with only a short-range attack. This way, if someone attacks you from a distance, you do still have some chance of fighting back, especially if they have a good rapport. A third reason, as -Dem0- says, is to level-up weak characters. Let's say you have a Lvl 1 character being protected by a Lvl 10 character. You can let enemies attack you until they have only a few HP left. When you think the coast is clear, you can select "Switch" and let the weak character defeat them and get most of the EXP. Another complication this adds that wasn't in previous games is being demoted to a completely different rank. In the GBA games, for instance, you might have a spear-user who can uses axes and swords as well once they get promoted to an advanced rank (eg. Knight to General). This image from one of the GBA games might help explain how it works, only in the 3DS title you can actually change/go back to the lower ranks: http://www.gamefaqs.com/gba/921183-fire-emblem-the-sacred-stones/faqs/33030 It is very in-depth, but thankfully accessible too.

I'm optimistic about the PS4 and Xbox 3 in that I think they'll sell. At least one of them will be successful, probably both. Whether we like it or not, we have to acknowledge what the market is now. People still want the latest Call of Duty, and they'll buy whatever console it's on. When Activision move it on a generation, consumers will follow, same with other publishers and their franchises. I like to think I'm more of a realist than a pessimist about Nintendo. Either way, I don't see them making excellent hardware again until there's room in the market for them (ie. either Sony or Microsoft drops out), at which point I'd like to see them match their rival like they did with SNES, N64 and GameCube. Until then, it will be OK but nothing spectacular. Regarding software, I'm optimistic that Nintendo can still make good games (and therefore make any of their machines worth owning), but I'm not sure if they can still make games as good as Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker.

I probably shouldn't have mentioned 3D Land, as I don't think it felt rushed, personally. All I meant was that I agree with @Ronnie in that 4 months from reveal to release would seem quick. Personally, I don't think there's ever been a bad Mario game (not the "proper" ones), so I have no worries about this one whatsoever.

Yeah, keep to the topic, @Magnus. Argue your points like Captain Falcon, don't get personal.

Don't buy the DLC then. Just because you don't find this an appropriate spin-off for Fire Emblem doesn't actually mean there's a good reason to censor it (or not do it in the first place).

Way out of order. Why can't they just give it the correct rating (which it does have - 12+ is fine for a bikini) and put "Suggestive Themes" on it? They are actually censoring proper art here.

I suppose it's just that (assuming this is shown in June, as planned, then released in October), that wouldn't be in line with how Nintendo normally does things - although it does remind me of Super Mario 3D Land. Only 4 months from reveal to retail is a bit strange, considering Pikmin 3 will be 13+ months - not that I'm complaining.

My original 3DS definitely had a better screen than the XL, and it also has a higher PPI because of the smaller size/same resolution, or course. I also generally had much more fun carrying the original 3DS around with me. However, I wouldn't go back from the XL. Yes, the screen on mine has a slight yellow tinge (probably not as bad as that picture though), but everything else about it is so much better - the buttons, the screen size. It's a shame it doesn't have quite the same appeal as the smaller 3DS, but I still think it's the best option.

I've started this now and love it - the most enjoyable 3DS retail game I've played since New Super Mario Bros 2, which many of you won't think is a compliment, but I mean it sincerely. Presentation is amazing, with great cutscenes and perhaps the best orchestral score on the system. I wonder when in-game graphics will look as good as the cutscenes? Story is great - you really feel involved - and the map sprites are nice (although they don't have many pixels, of course), but I still prefer the battle sprites from the GBA to the polygon models found here. I'm playing on Normal and Newcomer, which I'm glad of as I'm not finding it too easy, even on that. I'm not sure I'll take advantage of the Newcomer mode (I'm still resetting at the moment), but it's nice to have just in case.

No, I read the article. I really think you're underestimating how much these things affect the game. If Phantom Hourglass had been controlled via the d-pad, for example, the overworld could have been similar to A Link to the Past (or any other 2D Zelda). As it was controlled via the touchscreen, however, overworld navigation became about choosing a destination and letting the game take you to it. Skyward Sword's motion controls meant the game became about sword directions, rather than the distance and timing Zelda combat had always been about previously. That's exactly how Wind Waker was described in the reviews though - Ocarina of Time at sea. A reasonable way of describing a brilliant game. Making a game aesthetically similar to OOT does not mean it's actually like it. Just because Twilight Princess had Epona and Gorons does not mean it actually felt like OOT. TP was really about story sequences linked by gameplay (such as how the wolf sequences are fitted in). OOT and WW have far more in common when it comes to design philosophies. That said, at least TP had some exploration and a good overworld. Skyward Sword is far from a rehash, in my opinion. It has almost nothing in common with older Zeldas, apart from superficial things. It is even more story-led than TP, except with Punch Out-like combat and thin, obstacle course-like paths to follow. No real OOT-style exploration in it at all.

It massively affects them though. The 2D games are tight, the 3D games are loose. If you made OOT 2D you'd have loads of squares that were near enough blank. If you made Minish Cap 3D you'd never get a clear view of anywhere.

Personally, I think they are letting the idea of "innovation" constrain them. Up until (and including) Wind Waker, it was all about how the system could improve Zelda in natural ways: SNES - better all round N64 - 3D N64 + extra RAM - 3-day cycle and NPC routines GameCube - bigger overworld But then you look at the DS and Wii, and the games have been totally constructed around that system's "innovation". I'm not saying Phantom Hourglass is a bad game, but without the DS, would anyone have thought "Zelda needs to be totally touch-controlled"? Without the Wii, would anyone have thought "I want to swing the controller"? There has been so much innovation in Zelda, there is no guarantee a fan of one will like the others. Most of them are vastly different: A Link to the Past - tight and full of secrets Wind Waker - loose and full of secrets Skyward Sword - Punch-Out with a story! As much as I like A Link to the Past, I'm uneasy about this idea that modern Zelda copies Ocarina of Time too much. The reason they should be basing their games on it (although they actually haven't since Wind Waker) is because Zelda should be 3D (at least on consoles), and OOT is Zelda put into 3D perfectly! The 2D Zeldas were tight, and that's great, but 3D gives you a different perspective - that ability to see into the distance. There is a reason everyone remembers Hyrule Field. So yeah, I'm happy they're still making 2D Zeldas, and I'll agree tutorials have taken over the 3D games, but it in no way invalidates Ocarina of Time. One thing I will say about "A Link to the Past 2", is that I still think turning into a painting is the hardest thing to believe yet. Also, it seems to somewhat lessen the focus of a 2D game. The irony is that, as Link turns 2D, the game turns 3D! Overall, I just hope they keep the innovation sensible, rather than forced. And whether any particular Zelda game is 2D or 3D, they need to go back to the core ideas of exploration, secrets, atmosphere and immersion.

Select Multi-Quote ("+ Quote"), then separate each bit you want to quote with [ QUOTE ] and [ / QUOTE ] at each end (without the spaces). I think this might be the best point so far. Everyone has been saying "Nintendo can't have three bad E3 shows in a row", so I wonder if, rather than think "Let's make a good one then", they've thought "Let's not do a show!" (For the record, I enjoyed E3 2011, with Link vs the Spider, but that's not the point.) And they haven't actually said they're doing a lot of Nintendo Directs, have they? I hope they do, and they show a lot of great games, but I'm by no means certain of that.

They really should have kept this in. It's not very European to be prudish/Puritanical about sex. The Japanese meant this as risqué humour (which Fire Emblem is known for), and to remove it takes away a lot of the charm.

Still quite interested in the carnival and the birds ones, especially. Haven't tried the demo yet, but I don't mind paying a bit if it impresses.

I just can't imagine it's true. If it is, I'm getting one ASAP!