The 3DS Isn't Going Anywhere Anytime Soon

The Nintendo Switch, which released on March 3rd worldwide this year has been killing it. Nearly 3 million units have already been sold since launch day. So yeah, the Switch is indeed the new Nintendo hotness. And yet with it selling like crazy, we've got some gamers that are wondering why Nintendo still continues to support the 3DS.

For Nintendo to drop the 3DS like a brick just because the Switch has been highly successful would be foolhardy. Yes, the company has made a  plethora of dumb decisions in their many years in the game industry but kicking the 3DS to the curb would be almost as face palming as partnering with Philips to bring us those horrid CDi Zelda games that Nintendo does not even acknowledge as part of the series. The reason the 3DS isn't going the way of the Dodo bird is simple: it still prints money.

The install base of the Switch at nearly 3 million is highly impressive, especially this early in the system's life. With the portable functionality of the Switch, I guess you could see why some would think there's no reason to keep the 3DS around, but here's the thing: there are far, far more 3DS units in the wind than there are Switch consoles. We're talking near 3 million versus over 66 million. And Nintendo should just forget about the 3DS because the Switch is a home and portable system even though the 3DS is at 66 million plus? Get outta here with that noise.

One system Nintendo did drop like a hot plate was the Wii U. The last first party release for the system was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nobody really has to question why the Wii U was so quickly disposed of. The thing barely reached over 13 million over the span of four years. Meanwhile, it is already looking like the Switch is going to outsell the Wii U by miles. The 3DS, which launched more than a year ahead of the Wii U absolutely destroyed it.

The Switch is still a hard console to find.

Despite the old hardware, the 3DS is still a viable system so it continues to get support from Nintendo, third parties and indie developers through physical and digital releases. The Switch is a system that is much harder to get your hands on, where as 3DS systems are plentiful. Nintendo said availability of the Switch wouldn't be like the NES Classic Edition but the console/handheld hybrid continues to be elusive. Doesn't make much sense to please one portion of your audience while neglecting the other just because shinny, new tech is the bees knee, especially when that old tech still gets you the money.

Samus Aran is coming to the 3DS in September in
Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of the GB
Metroid II: Return of Samus.

Nintendo has games planned throughout this year and 2018 for the 3DS. Will the handheld be phased out? Oh yeah, of course it will. Eventually. However, anyone thinking that the 3DS is going to ride off in the sunset just because the Switch is also a handheld isn't seeing the bigger picture. The 3DS may not be anywhere near as powerful as the Switch but it still makes mad money and for that reason, it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Latest Purchases #78

Ah, 3-in-1 Dragon Ball manga an easy, affordable way to check out the series. I personally think 3-in-1 that collects DB vol. 16-18 should have had Radtiz on the cover to better signify the shift to the Z portion of the series, but Goku vs. Piccolo does take up more page count than the Raditz fight. At least we've got Vegeta on 3-in-1 that collects vols. 19-21. The fight between Goku and Vegeta began at the end of volume 19 and spanned all of volume 20.

I've grown very accustomed to playing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on the GamePad but the possiblities that I may have enough people on hand to play 8 Player Smash is just too good to ignore. I'm well aware that many prefer to Smash on the GameCube controller. It was my controller of choice when I played Brawl. After doing a bit of research, I decided to go with the Hori brand GameCube controller, which feels great. I had forgotten what it feels like to play Smash with a GameCube controller and after spening ample time with this baby, I know I'll be picking up three more. I also saw the Amazon had some Nintendo brand GameCube controllers in stock and at reasonable prices. To my surprise, I got a Japanese version, which I don't think will differ much from the American version. I suppose I could bust out the GameCube and see if it works since you can use Nintendo brand GameCube controllers on the GNC, as well as the Wii, which saves me the trouble of ever needing to bother with tracking down more GNC made pads.

The last physical copy of a game I picked up was Smash on the Wii U.Ultimate NES Remix is one of those 3DS games that costs $30 so that made picking it up a little easier. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call apparently has not been doing so hot in terms of sales, which could be the reason why I saw it in Target for $30. I adored the original Theatrhythm and I understand this one brings a whole lot more to the table. While I'm a bit bummed to hear it isn't performing well at retail, I'm always happy to snag a game on the cheap.

Thoughts on the New 3DS Models

Do people still express much in the way of emotion when Nintendo announces an upgrade to their handhelds? I mean, this isn't anything new. They've been doing it since the Game Boy days. When news reached me that Nintendo had announced the New Nintendo 3DS, they only thing I could do was laugh. I was not the least bit surprised by this reveal, even though I was considering buying a 3DS XL, which I may still end up doing somewhere down the road. It may sound rude, but some of my laughter was directed towards those that had picked up the 3DS XL, thinking they had the best version of the 3DS. I can imagine the rage some of these owners were feeling. Nintendo had already stated that they wanted to forgo multiple releases of the 3DS as they did with the original Nintendo DS. But as we can already see with the 3DS XL and 2DS, they aren't exactly doing a bang up job. When I did some more reading on these New 3DS models, I found that there wasn't a whole lot to laugh about.

Cosmetically speaking, I think the design of these New 3DS Models is quite rad. The A, B, X and Y buttons are each mapped to distinct colors, which is obviously a homage to the Japanese SNES counterpart, the Super Famicom controller. Anything that gives a shout out to my favorite video game console of all-time is aces in my book. On the right side of the touch screen is a second analog stick of sorts, something Nintendo was criticized heavily for not including on the original 3DS and 3DS XL models. Nintendo tried to address this with the Circle Pad Pro add on, but most people didn't wish to physically add more to the system, myself included.

Another visual reminder of the SNES? Yes, please!

But a second circle pad and flashy face buttons aren't the only things these new kids are packing. The CPUs on these babies are more powerful than any of the current models, superior 3D viewing angels, additional shoulder buttons similar to those on Nintendo's first Wii Classic Controller, built in Amiibo scanners for your Amiibo figures (because you KNOW you're buying those things), Micro SDs instead of SDs, the best battery life yet, lasting up to seven hours and even a  replaceable battery. This sounds like much more than a mere upgrade, almost a whole new handheld. All of a sudden that 3DS XL ain't sounding too hot.

So yeah, this thing is miles ahead of any 3DS unit available and the increased power has brought some gamers fears to life. Xenoblade Chronicles will only be playable on these New 3DS systems and you can bet that won't be the only 3DS game that gets hit with that treatment. That's enough to have anyone seething.

It reminds one of the N64 days. Remember the expansion pak? The thing added more RAM to the N64's memory to enable games like Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong 64 and the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to be playable on the system. Whereas the expansion pak was an add on and not quite as costly as a game, these New 3DS's are no such thing. These are full blown systems and gamers should not have to cough up an absurd amount of cash just to play some 3DS games that should have been playable on hardware they already owned.

I think the most gamers seeing red are those that were trying to be smart and wait for the ultimate 3DS to come along. No doubt there are those that picked up a 3DS XL not too long ago and then read this news. Its like being kicked in the face with a pair of cleats. That stings bad enough but what this New 3Ds means is that unless you own it, you are essentially locked out of the entire 3DS library. As I said, I highly doubt Xenoblade Chronicles will be the only 3DS game to be made exclusively for the New 3DS. More games will follow and if you want to play them, the system upgrade won't be optional this time.

Wanna play Xenoblade Chronicles on the go?
Better be prepared to fork over some serious cash.

Still, it isn't all dark and cloudy. When you take a good look at it, the New 3DS units are exactly what gamers have wanted from Nintendo: more powerful hardware. But this thing is still a double edged sword for The Big N. While the hardcore gamer has their ducks in a row and is knowledgeable on the differences between the Wii the Wii U and different 3DS models out there, little Billy's mom isn't so savvy. Nintendo can plaster "Only Playable on New 3DS" on those boxes all they want. Such words will be lost on the casual consumer and will no doubt cause endless confusion, the very type Nintendo expressed desire to avoid by not releasing a plethora of 3DS models. And yet, here we are.

As much as fans adore Nintendo, they still catch a ton of heat from former fans that feel they've abandoned them and those that hate them for petty reasons. Nintendo just gave these gamers more ammo for their saw-doff shotguns. Things are certainly gonna be interesting to say the least.

3DS Review: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Back in 2002, Nintendo unleashed a new IP upon gamers that was unlike anything else it had previously released. There were no space pirates to fight, no princesses to be rescued and no lord of all evil that needed to be sealed away. Instead, there was simply life to live. Animal Crossing on the GCN somehow made the most mundane acts of every day life boundlessly fun and enjoyable. Life was what you choose to make of it. The third game in the series, Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii brought with it very minimal updates compared to it's predecessor, Animal Crossing: Wild World, which was the series' first portable outing. City Folk was still an entertaining game but compared to Wild Wild, it was merely a decent update and it left many feeling cold with it's slim new features. Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the second game in the series to be released on a handheld and while a lot of things are still the same, a plethora of things have also changed and as just about any 3DS owner will tell you, the changes made in this game are most definitely for the better.

The biggest new addition to New Leaf is that you can assume the role of mayor, provided you're the first player to start up a game file. Through a case of mistaken identity, you'll be taking over the mayoral duties of Tortimer, who has retired. Being mayor may sound like quite the daunting task, but this is Animal Crossing we're talking about here. Your approval rating will start out low, but soon enough it will rise to where all the townsfolk adore you and you'll be able to enact town ordinances and public works projects (more on those two things in a bit.) Your secretary Isabelle is there to assist you every step of the way and you don't even have to dress the part. You can walk in to the office with a bunny costume on still get respect. Heck, you can go days, weeks without doing a single mayoral activity and no one will question your work ethics. Real life mayors wish their job could be this easy.

Townsfolk will always let you know when
they want a new public works project.

A fountain and a water pump are just two
of the numerous public works projects
you can build in your town.

As mayor you have quite a bit of muscle that can be flexed. Public works projects can be set in motion to be displayed around town. These can range from more small scale things like a blue bench, a yield sign or something more grand like a pyramid or chair sculpture. Some villagers will even approach you and make suggestions on projects that they'd like see come to fruition. However, these projects don't pay themselves. Each public works project costs a set amount of bells to build and they won't become a reality until the funds are paid up. Your villagers and other players can donate bells to help reach project goals, but the villagers usually offer pocket change, so more often than not, you'll be the one footing the bill. The bulk of these public works projects don't change the overall nature of your town, but it is nonetheless, a very welcome new addition. You haven't lived in Animal Crossing until you have a log bench to sit on while sipping Brewster's coffee.

You can greatly change how your town runs as mayor by enacting town ordinances. There are only four of them, but each one has a significant affect on how your town will operate. The early bird ordinance has shops closing early, but opening early as well. This is great if you happen to be a morning person. The villagers will also go to bed earlier as a result. On the opposite end is the night owl ordinance. Using the night owl ordinance makes shops open a bit later but they also stay open later. Townsfolk also go to sleep later so you'll have plenty of critters to go and visit if you're playing long into the night. The bell boom ordinance makes everything cost 20% more than the usual price but on the plus side, you get 20% more on items you sell, which is great if you're looking to get rich a bit quicker. Finally, the lovely town will keep your town free of weeds, less trash will be found while fishing and the you'll have far less flowers dying on you and way more flowers around your town thanks to everyone's inner gardener coming to life.  

You can sell furniture you aren't using at
Re-Tail and set your own price.

Buy enough fortune cookies to fill your
home with Nintendo themed furniture.

Like previous games, you can always chat it up with your neighbors. They'll frequently ask you to fetch fruit for them, deliver packages to other neighbors, they'll send you mail and in turn you can send them letters and gifts. You can also drop in on them when they happen to be at home and sometimes they'll ask if they can go to your place to hang out. On occasion, they'll just drop by your place out of the blue. As fun as it is to converse with the townsfolk, you'll often find yourself reading the same conversations over and over. But even so, you're still bound to have more than a few townsfolk you like over others and end up going out of your way to talk to them. If one of your neighbors talks about moving away, you can stop them, but if you figure it's time for them to see the world, you can always let them go.

Once you leave the housing area of your town, you may notice the shopping district, main street is, well, barren. The more you shop on main street, the more the shopping center will boom. Spend enough bells at Timmy and Tommy's Nookling Junction and they'll upgrade their store to a super market. Throw some more bells around and you'll get a shoe shop and a hair salon. Pass four of Gracie's fashion checks and she'll set up shop in your town, offering her wild (and expensive) clothing and furniture. It's very satisfying to see your town blossom.

Working part time at Brewsters is more
rewarding and more fun than slaving for
Tom Nook ever was.

From 8PM to 12AM on Saturdays, KK Slider
performs just like the good old days.

For all the changes made to New Leaf, one thing is the same as always and that is your housing situation. When you first arrive in town, you have no place to live. Someone's got to help you get going and if you've played any of the previous Animal Crossing games, I'm pretty sure you know where this is going. He may not work in retail business anymore but Tom Nook still helps you with your housing needs for the sole purpose of throwing you in debt to him. While it is nice that for the first time ever, you don't have to upgrade your home after paying off the initial loan, but what's the point of living in a closet when your home can be bigger than ever before? Six rooms total and even the outside can be customized. The outside customization are by far the cheapest but upgrading your home to the max amount of space on the inside is going to cost you and by cost you, I mean over 7 million bells. Thankfully, there are far better ways to make a lot of bells in New Leaf than in previous Animal Crossing games, but that won't stop you from heavily sighing when Nook gives you the ever increasing cost of those home upgrades. Just try not too spend too much time farming for bells as it kinda sucks the fun outta the game.

Much as you may loathe Nook (if you don't, you'll learn to), paying off your home in full is well worth the trouble because there is a plethora of goods to furnish your pad with. Many items from the previous games return like the classic furniture series but there's also new furniture sets like the modern wood set, the astro set and the sleek set. There are plenty of new Nintendo items to obtain but you'll have to use play coins to get them. Inside Timmy and Tommy's shop are fortune cookies, each with a lucky ticket that can be traded in for a Nintendo item. You may get a Triforce, a Blue Falcon, Majora's Mask, or the SS Dolphin. There are over 40 Nintendo items for Nintendo aficionados to collect and if you're anything like me, you may have one room in your home set aside solely to display all your Nintendo swag.

You can give your neighbors nice little
greetings and catch phrases like this
lovely gem.

Just like real life, sometimes your friends
will drop in on you without saying a word
in advance.

With there being so much more items to add to your catalog in New Leaf, the thought of trying to nab them all might overwhelm you. After all, what was once some of the more common items in previous games are now rare and cannot be purchased in your town and it can be more than a little annoying waiting for some of the more common furniture to be sold in your stores. By visiting the Happy Home Showcase you can visit the  homes of other New Leaf players that you may have crossed paths with through Street or Spot Pass. You can look through these homes and purchase any items that catch your fancy so long as they aren't rare or custom designed. These items cost a bit more, but visiting the HH Showcase is a great way to build up your catalog faster without having to actually visit a friend's town, although that is still doable.

Your animal pals have birthdays just as you
do and you can celebrate with them.

The neighbors usually have some pretty
interesting things to say.

The clunky interface from the last three Animal Crossing titles has sadly not been retired. You can stock up to nine pieces of fruit in one pile, but your tools, which you'll more than likely have on you at all times eat up six slots of pocket space and you can only carry fifteen things in your pockets at a time. That may seem like a lot, but between finding fossils, fishing and shopping, you'll find that your pockets can be filled up rather quickly.

The visual style is more or less than same from City Folk although it looks a touch smoother. New Leaf certainly isn't going to impress any graphics whores but the game would lose a great deal of it's charm if the graphics took on a realistic appearance. The quirky sounds seldom disappoint. Whether it's the near unintelligible gibberish of your villagers or Kapp'n serenading you with his songs on the trips back and forth to the Tropical Island, the audio in New Leaf is just as good as it's predecessors. KK Slider's songs are easier to gain access to since they are sold in Timmy and Tommy's shop, but you'll still want to catch him on Saturday nights at Club LOL for those songs that can't be bought.

It may be on a portable system, but Animal Crossing: New Leaf truly is the biggest game in the series offering more to do than all the other games that came before it. Being the mayor allows you to influence your town to a degree and the customization options are all but limitless. This is one of those rare games that you can turn on for a few minutes or a few hours and get some enjoyment out of. With the game functioning in real time, there's always something to see and do. There's a whole new life waiting for you in New Leaf if you're willing to live it and from this reviewer's experiences, it really is a life worth living.

SCORE: 9.0

My, How You've Grown, 3DS

Ah, the Nintendo 3DS, successor to the original Nintendo DS. It really has come a long way in over two year's time. The 3DS and DS are different yet, similar in many ways. The overall design is the 3DS is the same as the 3DS (not counting the soon to be released 2DS) but the 3DS is vastly more powerful than the 3DS. But the most intriguing aspect of how similar the 3DS and DS are to each other is how both handhelds started out.

The original DS was Nintendo's first foray into 3D handheld gaming. But where as the PlayStation Portable was like a portable version of the PlayStation 2, the DS lacked the graphical punch of the GameCube. In fact many DS games that used polygons look like Nintendo 64 games. Sony's portable was clearly the more powerful of the two. For a while, everyone was championing the PSP as the new handheld hotness even before it released. Sony worked wonders with the first two PlayStations so they'd surely be able to repeat that same success in the handheld market. That's what we all thought, anyway. The DS  launched a few months ahead of the PSP, but it wasn't really a launch to write home about. Sure, an enhanced port of Super Mario 64 was great but after dropping $150 for the DS, gamers were hungry for a little more than just that. Then something amazing happened. Games, fresh, good games started coming out by the dozens. The robust library of DS titles, innovative touch screen along with it's low price point (the PSP was a staggering $250 in comparison) made it Nintendo's most profitable handheld gaming device.

The launch of the 3DS was strikingly similar to the original DS with one major difference. An abysmal launch game line up certainly didn't help but the killing blow was that $250 price tag. Nintendo's hardware has always been affordable but they were asking far too much for the 3DS. Perhaps the overwhelming success of the DS made them arrogant to the point that they thought they could price the 3DS so high. Not even a year after launch, the 3DS saw a $70 price cut, which greatly helped improve sales but it was also around this time that the 3DS starting getting a slew of great games. Much to my surprise, both Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 released on the dates that Nintendo scheduled them and the 3DS has been rocking hard ever since.

I love my 3DS. This isn't just some portable that I game on when I'm not home, although that is a great benefit of handhelds. But really, I spend a lot of time at home with my 3DS up and running. As of this writing, I have 19 games for my 3DS. Animal Crossing: New Leaf gets a lot of play time but before that I was hopeless addicted to Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy. The strength of the 3Ds lies not it in's 3D capabilities, but it's games. There are a wealth of titles to choose from. The aforementioned Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Fire Emblem: Awakening. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. And that's just Nintendo's first party games. Third party support is just as strong on the 3DS as it was the DS. Shinobi, Shin Megami Tensai IV, Code of Princess, Project X Zone, Etrian Odyssey IV, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward and so on. If you can't find anything to play on the 3DS, you're either incredible picky or hate Nintendo.

There's also the eShop, which hosts a variety of NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, 3DS Ware and even digital versions of 3DS games. Some 3DS games can only be obtained digitally, like HarmoKnight and Kokuga. And contrary to popular belief, there are original Game Boy games that are worth the few bucks it takes to download them like Gargoyle's Quest, Wario Land 3, Donkey Kong and Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge. 3DS Ware offers some great titles as well like Pushmo, Crashmo, Mighty Switch Force!, Might Switch Force! 2, and VVVVVV to name a few. The eShop interface certainly isn't perfect. Some titles you have to use the search engine just to find and the navigation leaves a lot to be desired. Still, the eShop is a step up from the Wii's Virtual Console, offering sales on games.

One could get all of their gaming fixes on the 3DS. It's been getting the most love from me out of all of my systems as of late. Weather I'm hunting down titles to download on the eShop, catching ghosts in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, the 3DS does not disappoint. It's come  along way from it's rock start over two years ago, but the way things are going, it's looking like lightning has struck twice for Nintendo.

Latest Purchases #53

Yes, that's Final Fantasy XIII you see in the photo. Stop hating. I've always wanted to check the game out for myself and judge it based off my own personal experiences. Sometimes this practice works out well. Other times it doesn't (Mega Man X6 and X7 spring to mind), but I decided to take the plunge anyway. It was only $15 at Walmart. I can already hear many reading this saying that I still paid too much.

And we have the first 3DS game I've picked up off the shelf since December 2012. With most new 3DS games going for $40, I'm less inclined to frequently pick up titles but for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, well, I was just gonna have to part with that $40. Or so I thought. This is one of those first party games that is selling for $34.99, just like Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. I'm glade Nintendo decided to cut us some slack on some of those prices.

Got myself yet another coin bank. My previous one was a big glass jar with now lid. This one is a plastic jar with a lid that actually counts my coinage. I've had my eye on this thing since December. Family Dollar carries it for over $6. I'd almost forgotten about it until I saw it in Walmart for less than $4. It really does pay to do your shopping elsewhere sometimes.

Downloads #24

Mighty Switch Force! (3DS Ware)

I cannot believe it took me so long to buy this game. I mean, at $5.99, it's one of the cheaper buys on the eShop. And the soundtrack? Back in 2011, I raved about it's brilliance and I've listened to it more times than I can count. So to finally have the game on my 3DS is quite the treat. I'll talk more about it in the next Currently Playing post.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Seasons (GBC)

I was waiting for this and it's sister title, Oracle of Seasons to hit the eShop. When it was finally announced they were headed there, I smiled. Why? Well, for one, gamers can experience or re-experience two of the best Zelda titles to be released that weren't developed by Nintendo. The other reason met that I could leave my physical copies of the games sealed. That's right, I own complete, unopened copies of Ages and Seasons from over 10 years ago. The fact that Nintendo was selling them for $5.99 until June 21st was also reason enough for me to cop this duo.

Downloads #23

At long last, I can pay Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3, two of my all-time favorite NES games anywhere I want! At the park, on a rock, on a dock, anywhere! I'm sure plenty of others have modded their PSPs to play tons of NES, but I've never been one for system modding and I don't yet own a PSP. $10 for two classic Mega Man games that I can easily access on my 3DS is chump change, change I was gladly willing to part with.

Currently Playing #12: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS)

I'm late on the Final Fantasy 25th anniversary celebrations, but Mega Man's 25h anniversary happenings are taking place all throughout 2013, so who says one has to do the celebrating within the exact year? I've been reading Final Fantasy articles (I have some of my own planned for this very blog), listening to my Final Fantasy music playlist which is currently at 197 songs (that will upped significantly in the coming days) and playing the series 25th anniversary game, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

Ask any fan what one of the most memorable aspects about the Final Fantasy series is. Pretty much all of them will agree that the music is a key element that helped make this franchise so great. Whether it's the pressing cords of an intense battle theme or the somber melodies that signify a fallen comrade, the Final Fantasy games are home to some of gaming's greatest pieces of music. After playing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, I'm surprised this concept for a game wasn't materialized so much sooner.  You tap, slide and hold different colored Triggers into Marks using precise timing with the song's rhythm. Red Triggers are tapped, yellow Triggers are slid and green Triggers are held until the last note. This may sound simple but it took me a bit of time to get the hang of as I spent more time than I thought practicing before really getting into Music Play mode.

Right now I'm playing on the Basic difficulty setting and I still need lots of practice. Even on this setting I end up missing a few Marks or end up with a bad rating on some notes and all it takes is a few misses or bad ratings to get you into the C and D ranked territory. So I'm already doing a lot of replays on songs I've already done.

The music selection in Theatrhythm is wonderful. Some 40 songs from Final Fantasy I-XIII are here from the get-go and nearly double that can be unlocked. There is also some DLC at 99 cents a song, so that's some DLC I really can't complain about. Matoya's Cave, In Search of Light and This is the Last Battle is among the DLC so I'll be forking over the bucks for those when I get paid next week among other tracks. I really like how many of these songs are in their original format. When you select to play some songs from the original Final Fantasy, you're getting the original 8-bit chiptune tracks like the classic Battle Scene, Prelude and so on. That may not fit to well with some players, but as a huge fan of Final Fantasy and chiptune music, I find it very nostalgic and welcoming.

I ADORE the chibi character designs of this game! Terria, Warrior of Light, Cecil, Zidane and the rest of the gang just look so darn cute! And they even say randomly strung together battle cries before each song that never fails to amuse me.

Still Playing: Luigi's Mansion, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

Downloads #21

Tetris (GB)

It seems like most of my downloads these days are coming from being a Club Nintendo member but I'm not complaining. Maybe someday I'll grab some posters but for now, I'm content with digital downloads. Until February 10, Nintendo is offering the Game Boy classic, Tetris to Club Nintendo members for 150 coins. There are tons of different versions of Tetris one can obtain but the 1989 GB Tetris will always hold a special place in my heart. And for the record, B-Type music will always be better than A-Type music.

Downloads #20

Mega Man (NES)

I was so excited when it was announced that Mega Man 1-6 would be coming to the 3DS Virtual Console. Today Mega Man hit the the eShop so I put some funds in just so I could purchase it. I've played through Bomb Man and Guts Man's stages and it seems to be a pretty faithful translation of the NES game. And now I can play it when I'm miles away from home. Sweet!

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (GB)

This one has been on the 3DS Virtual Console for a quite some time now. I wonder what's taking Capcom so long to get the rest of the GB Mega Man games to the eShop. I could always play my physical copies on my Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player, but more players should be given the chance to experiences these games.

Anyhoo, in order to show my support for all things Mega Man, I decided to finally download Dr. Wily's Revenge. It plays a lot like the original NES Mega Man, making it hands down the toughest of the GB Mega Man titles. I've actually never been able to finish this one. I think being able to save will help some but that final Dr. Wily stage is something else.

Latest Purchases #42

My vacation pay came and sadly it wasn't even close to what I thought it would be so I wasn't able to get everything I wanted. I'm bummed about that but in the end, I ended up spending a fair amount of it on my wonderful nieces and nephew for Christmas gifts. What did I get them? You'll find out on December 25. Until then, check out the first batch of things I treated myself to.

You can never have enough blankets to keep you warm and you can never have enough Mario blankets. So here's my second Super Mario Bros. blanket with Mario and Luigi to keep me warm. I picked this up at fye, on sale for less than $11 and with my 10% discount, I paid even less. The original price was $21.99.

The Last Story finally hit American retailers back in July. I'm late picking it up but Best Buy had it for $40. I'm not sure if the price dropped on the game or what but they only had a few copies left so I was gonna make one of them mine. I love the special packaging of this game. A huge thanks to Operation Rainfall for helping to get this game published outside of Japan and thanks to Xseed for taking up the publishing duties.

I love the original Pikmin and I never got around to picking up Pikmin 2 on the GCN. I wouldn't mind having a GCN copy of Pikmin 2 but I'm not gonna go out of my way to hunt one down. Besides, I hear it's one of the more pricey GCN games so I'll stick with the motion controlled version of Pikmin 2 on the Wii. It'll be fun to explore with Olimar and the Pikmin again. And with no time limit!

I picked up The Dark Knight Rises DVD + BluRay + Ultra Violet edition at fye on release day. But when I went into Best Buy they had the whole Dark Knight Trilogy on sale for the same price I paid for the single copy of the Dark Knight Rises. I didn't expect to find the trilogy so cheap, so I picked up the DVD version of it and gave the DVD + BluRay + Ultra Violet version to my dad. He's a hard working gent that doesn't treat himself nearly enough.

And this makes my second time buying Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is one of the Wii's dual layered discs. These kinds of games can have problems after extended use with Brawl being the biggest culprit. I haven't played Brawl in months because of this and I really don't want to have to get another version of the game. I'm hoping gamers don't have similar problems on Wii U games. I really missed playing Brawl so it's great to have a working copy again.

One of the 3DS' most anticipated games and the comeback of a Nintendo star, Kid Icarus: Uprising has finally been added to my collection of 3DS games. I wondered why it came it such a box that was bigger than normal 3DS games. That's because it includes a 3DS stand. I'm guessing this is a game that can be difficult to play when holding the 3DS in your hands. I'm still not fond of paying $40 for 3DS games so I'm glad I got 10% off this baby at fye.

This month marks Final Fantasy's 25th anniversary  I thought I'd celebrate by picking up the 25th anniversary game, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. I've always adored the music from Final Fantasy so a game based solely around the music. I wonder if it gets as frantic as Elite Beat Agents.

With Paper Mario: Sticker Star, I have all the Paper Mario games. Some have complained about the sticker system of the game. Everything depends on stickers so if you run out, you're pretty much screwed. It won't be the first time I've played an RPG with limited battle items. One of my favorite GBA games Riviera: The Promise Land only let you take a very limited amount of items into each battle so you had to really think about what you'd use. Intelligent Systems has always had a special knack for making each Paper Mario entry feel different from one another so I want to see for myself what they've done with Sticker Star.

I already have a nice blue beanie to keep my head warm during the winter but a Goomba Laplander Beanie? No I did not have one of those. Until now. fye only had one of these left and I had to have it. It keeps my head warm and it looks sooooo cool! I mean, the Goomba is a PERFECT design for a beanie! The Goomba may very well be gaming's most easily disposable mook but he makes one heck of a beanie. I love it!

Downloads #16

[GB] Mario's Picross

Went to Club Nintendo's website to see if there was anything of interest for me to do with my coins and low and behold, for just 100 coins, you can get Mario's Picross on the 3DS Virtual Console. At least until Nov. 18th. I picked up this game back in 2002 and became addicted to solving puzzles. The first game in the Picross series, it has over 250 puzzles. That may seem like a staggering amount but when compared to Picross DS or Picross 3D, it isn't nearly as much. Still, this was one of my favorite original Game Boy games and I was pleased to see it get a Virtual Console release. Now if only they'd give us Western gamers Mario's Super Picross on the Wii's Virtual console.

"I'm Not a Gamer" Ad Reaction is Insane

Well everyone is talking about it, so why shouldn't I?

A few days ago, Nintendo posted a few 3DS XL ads under what could be classified under the "I'm Not a Gamer" label, since the phrase is spoken verbatim in each ad. One ad features Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas. In this ad she was playing New Super Mario Bros. 2 and she said "My name is Gabrielle Douglas and I'm not a gamer. With my 3DS, I'm a coin collecting champion." Another ad stars Dianna Argon and she plays Art Academy. She says "My name is Dianna Argon and I'm not a gamer. With my 3DS, I'm an artist." What's so bad about that? Really, I honestly can't see why anyone would be in such an uproar, taking offense to those words. But apparently, gamers (not all, but a large number of them) are a hypersensitive bunch that overact to the slightest of things. And by "slightest of things" I mean everything.

So if I'm to understand what's going in the minds of these bat effing loco gamers, I'm going to have to interpret the way they see these ads. To them, these ads are offensive because of the whole "I'm not a gamer" line. They take it as Nintendo distancing themselves from gamers. In their eyes, this ad comes off as dismissing the hardcore gamer and catering to the casual market, which is a whole different editorial all together that I'll avoid for the sake of space.

Gamers that are upset over these ads are completely missing the point. Ms. Douglas and Ms. Argon are merely choosing to classify themselves as something other than gamers. In the case of Ms. Argon, she's an artist. With Ms. Douglas, she's a coin collecting champ. But in the world of gaming, one MUST be labeled as a gamer. Being label as anything else is blasphemous. *End sarcasm mode*

I'm willing to bet gamers have more than one interest besides games. If they chose to label themselves as "Not a gamer. I'm a book lover/toy collector/anime fanatic" would they be a traitor to the hobby? Heck, is there even such a thing thing as a gaming traitor?

I've said on more than one occasion that being associated with gamers can be quite the headache. The internet has given them an infinite amount of space to behave like spoiled brats whenever they don't get what they want or see something they don't like. To be fair, I know that not every gamer acts like this but when the ones that do scream so loud they overshadow the logical thinkers, they make the whole lot of us look like bad apples. I don't find anything bad about these commercials. In fact, I think these are good, smart ads. Prior to seeing Dianna Argon's ad on Art Academy, I didn't even know about the game and I love art. Thanks to that, I now have an art style game to pick up for the 3DS. Thank you, Dianna. Thank you, Nintendo.

Thinking of Getting a 3DS XL

Before the original 3DS was even released, I knew Nintendo would come out with some kind of upgrade. History is our friend. All one has to do is look back at Nintendo's past handheld devices. The Game Boy, the Game Boy Advance, and the original DS. All three of those machines received multiple upgraded models that improved upon the previous unit in some way, shape or form. So when Nintendo announced the 3DS XL rather than get angry or frustrated, all I could utter was a calm, collected "I knew it."

Like every original DS system upgrade, the 3DS XL improves upon  the original 3DS model in a number of areas, the most important one for me being battery life. Battery life on the first 3DS with just 3DS games is  3-5 hours. I spend a lot of time playing my 3DS so I have to reach for the charger quite often. The 3DS XL battery lifespan is nearly 6 and half hours. Yeah, not much of an improvement over the original but that's still an hour more of playtime.

Ironically, one of my main problems with the 3DS XL is it's size. I prefer smaller portable gaming devices. It's one of the reasons I passed on getting a DS XL. The moment I saw the size of that thing, I knew I'd be perfectly happy sticking with my DSi. There's also the price of the 3DSXL, $200. I'm planning on buying a Wii U in a few months and I really don't want to throw that much money down on another version of the 3DS, at least not right now.

The original 3DS isn't perfect. The aforementioned battery life means it wouldn't survive a trip back to my home state of Ohio. Sytlus placement was also quite the boneheaded move. It really should have been on the bottom of the 3DS or the side. But even with these flaws, the first 3DS model is one I'll stick with for a little while longer. Besides, I have to see if Nintendo brings out another 3DS model with even better battery life than the 3DS XL.

Latest Purchases #36

Went into fye and picked up DBZ Season Nine used on the cheap. This is the last of the orange brick box sets and it includes the Fusion and Kid Buu Sagas. The long and convoluted battle against Maijin Buu is wrapped up on this set and is the conclusion to DBZ. It's been years since I've seen these episodes but I remember loving every minute of the Fusion Saga, especially when Vegeta and Goku fused to from Vegito, my favorite fused character. All I need now is season seven and I'll have collected all of DBZ. Next I'll work on getting the rest of DBZ Kai.

It's been some time since I picked up any PS2 games and these were very cheap. I once owned Atari Anthology and loaned it to a friend and he ended up losing it. Needless to say, it's great to have this collection again. Among the 85 games on this disc are Tempest, Missile Command, Super Break Out and Warlords.

I've heard good things about Bully and thought about picking up the Wii's version of Scholarship edition but when I saw the PS2 version for chump change, I figured I'd skip out on the extra content and just go with this one. Not really sure what to expect from the gameplay but whenever I play it, I'll find out.

Devil May Cry 3 was featured in Retro Gamer's Future Classic feature. They talked about the special edition and while I've never really played the Devil May Cry games, I thought I might be able to get into them. I hear this one is really hard.

As I said in my previous post on Latest Purchases, I bought Tiny Toon Adventures Season One, Vol. 1. I started watching it Friday night and I finished with the first disc. I didn't realize how much I missed this wonderful show. The concept of the Tiny Toons being taught by the older Loony Tunes is great and while there may be a lot of topical humor, it still tickles my funny bone. Best of all, I get a lot of the jokes now that I'm an adult. I do hope Warner Bros. eventually releases seasons 2 and 3.

I owned Mario Kart: Super Circuit years ago but it was stolen. For less than $7, I was able to get a used copy off Amazon and it works great. I'm still making my way through Mario Kart 7 so I'll go back to play this in full. Not every cup has been unlocked yet on this copy.

I've always been a huge fan of platformers and Mario so I had to get New Super Mario Bros. 2. At first, I was going to hold off longer with people saying that the game was something of a let down, but I prefer to try things for myself and see. Besides, I was able to get a discount on it at fye.

At first I couldn't find Kirby's Dream Collection in fye so I went to K-Mart. Wasn't there either. I wondered would stores not have the game in until Sept. 17? Going back to fye, I asked a store clerk if they had the game and they had one copy, which they brought out for me to purchase. I also got this on a discount and there's a bit more on this collection than I thought. I'll have a separate post on this later in the day.

Latest Purchases #34

I didn't really get into Jack Kirby's art until I read the Essential Incredible Hulk Vol. 1, which reprints the Hulk's earliest comic adventures. Kirby is a comic book legend, having an unfathomable influence on the medium. Kirby: King of Comics is a hardback I've been aware of for quite some time and for $12.95 as opposed to the original price of $45, I was not about to pass it up. Besides, Barns & Nobles only had three copies left and I had to make one of them mine. I've thumbed through this book here and there and Kirby's artwork continues to amaze me. There's stuff in here on The New Gods, The Fantastic Four, Captain America and more. Kirby really did earn his nickname, King.

I wanted to pick up the Mega Man Zero Collection a while ago but it ended up being placed on the back burner. I didn't expect to see it turn up at fye for $22.99. I haven't played the Zero series in years so I think I'm long overdue for a revisit.

Went in Best Buy hoping to pick up Rhythm Heaven Fever for $4.99 but there wasn't a single copy left. What I did find was Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition for $9.99. It doesn't hurt to have some fighting action on the go and I did dig Street Fighter IV even if Capcom did go overboard on the numerous versions.

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edtion wasn't the only game I saw with a bargain price tag. I was just thinking about Planet Puzzle League the other day so imagine my surprise when I stumble upon a used, complete copy for $9.99. Yoink! I've been a big fan of Puzzle League from way back when it was called Tetris Attack. Playing with the stylus adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay. And the music is awesome! I was hoping to hear updated version of the tunes in Tetris Attack, but after hearing a few songs, I don't mind their absence one bit.

New issue of Retro Gamer has a feature on the history of Electronic Arts. Yeah, the company gets a lot of hate these days but it's also responsible for helping bring about some of the gaming industries best titles. Further flipping through this issue reveals that this month's Future Classic is Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, a game I own, but still haven't got around to playing.

Kirby's had quite the extensive library on the original DS. Kirby Canvas Curse was actually his first DS outing and I really, I mean really should have gotten around to picking this one up sooner. I did some searching on Amazon and found a complete used copy and very good condition for less than $22, including shipping. Now all I have to do is pick up Kirby Squeak Squad and I'll have entire Kirby DS collection.

Downloads #13

It really is amazing what $6 can get you on downloadable games. Tuesday night, I went to the eShop and saw Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for $2.99. I'm guessing it was part of the promotion for New Super Mario Bros. 2 where they cut the price on a Mario title each week. I had planned to get the game eventually but that price cut was just the incentive to get it right then and there. Another game I never did finish. I was very close years ago. Only needed to stomp Wario one more time but he got me.

[GB] Game & Watch Gallery.

[GB] Super Mario Land 2.

Years ago I picked up Game & Watch Gallery and was hooked on the modern editions of the classic games. Fire is probably my favorite of the bunch. I already set some high scores in Fire and Manhole. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to pick this one up.

3DS Review: Sonic Generations

System: 3DS
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Dimps/Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
Release: Nov. 22, 2011 USA / Nov. 25, 2011 EUR  / Dec. 1, 2011 JPN
Players: 1
Rated: E for Everyone


Through Sonic's ups and downs on the consoles, he continued to thrive on the portable scene throughout the 2000s (with Sonic Battle being the exception). Dimps' Sonic Advance trilogy on the Game Boy Advance served straight up 2D Sonic action. These games didn't play exactly like the Genesis games of old, but they were fine games and a great source of comfort for those that sought out a fresh Sonic fix. Sonic would find further handheld success on the Nintendo DS with Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, also developed by Dimps. There was a DS version of Sonic Colors but it was no where near as good as it's big brother. SEGA celebrated Sonic's 20th birthday with the release of Sonic Generations, featuring two Sonics with two distinct forms of gameplay. The console version of Sonic Generations was met with much acclaim, catering to fans of 2D and 3D Sonic. Sonic Generations on the 3DS may not have received as much attention as it's HD brethren, but it offers more than enough differences to make it worth a look.

Sonic Gereations tells a tale of a meeting of the past and the present. Its Sonic's birthday (don't ask how old he is because SEGA isn't sure these days) and Tails was throwing him a surprise party but he showed up early. Like, really early. I mean, when Sonic arrives, only Tails is there. Before the rest of the gang can arrive, some creature appears, sucks Tails up and Sonic finds himself in place void of color. Sonic eventually meets up with his Classic self along with Classic Tails. The creature that appeared is the Time Eater and is responsible for sucking the life and color out of all the past locals that Sonic once visited. The two Sonics team up to put an end to the Time Eater's rampage that leads them to an all too familiar face. Story is pretty weak for a 20th anniversary game. Yeah, Sonic Color's yarn was no masterpiece but Generation's defeinitely comes up short. But it does get Modern Sonic to meet Classic Sonic so hurray for that.

Act 1 stages have you playing as
Classic Sonic...

While Act 2 stages place you in control of
Modern Sonic.

There's an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia that comes with Sonic Generations' levels. Each Zone comes from one of Sonic's past adventure, consisting of two acts each. Act 1 has you playing as Classic Sonic who controls a lot like he did in the Genesis games. Classic Sonic has the Spin Dash and no Sonic 4: Episode I physics. While Classic Sonic plays a lot like he did on the Genesis, it doesn't feel 100% like Genesis physics, but he comes so close that nitpicking would just be stupid. Since it's been more than 10 years since gamers played a Sonic game with Classic Sonic, it will no doubt feel like coming home. Act 2 places you in control of Modern Sonic, who controls very similar to the way he did in the Sonic Rush titles, though he has the Homing Attack. Some people have complained about Classic Sonic learning the Homing Attack. About midway through the game, Modern Sonic shows off the move and Classic Sonic picks it up. While Classic Sonic learning a move that Modern Sonic uses may turn off some, these Sonics still feel different enough. In fact, Classic Sonic's Homing Attack doesn't feel as reliable as Modern Sonic's. Maybe its due to Classic Sonic's age but I found I had to be even closer to enemies to get Classic Sonic's Homing Attack to work properly, otherwise, I'd lose my rings. Switching between the two Sonics can also be jarring. You may get so used to using the Spin Dash that when you try to do it as Modern Sonic, all you'll do is slide. Or you may want to Boost through a pack of enemies as Classic Sonic only to get hit because you for got to use the Spin Attack. Classic Sonic gaining one move that Modern Sonic uses doesn't change the fact that the differences between the two is like night and day.

The 3DS version of Sonic Generations isn't just a slimed down version of the console versions. Once you leave Green Hill, you'll be going through stages that are not present in the HD versions. Yeah, this game also has a Casino Night, but instead of merely being a pinball machine, it has two full Acts. As fun as it is to speed through familair Zones as Classic Sonic, his Acts from the Genesis era are carbon copies of the originals. I've ran through the original Green Hill Zone more times than I can count and I thought the 3DS incarnation of Green Hill Act 1 looked familar. Just to be certain, I fired up Sonic the Hedgehog on the Virtual Console and did a side by side comparison and sure enough, Green Hill Act 1 on the 3DS version of Sonic Generations is the Genesis version of Green Hill with a fresh coat of paint. Same deal with Mushroom Hill Act 1. It just screams of taking the easy route with level design. As iconic as those Zones are, it would have been nice to see them get an overhauled design like Modern Sonic's Act 2 stages.

It ain't Stardust Speedway, but at least you can
still race against Metal Sonic.

Just like the Genesis game, the fall setting
of Mushroom Hill Act 2 is presented here.

Even with the rehashed Act 1 levels, the Zones represented here are pretty sweet. There's the aforementioned Green Hill, Casino Night, Mushroom Hill Zones along with Emerald Coast, Radical Highway, Water Palace, and Tropical Resort Zones. Both Acts of each Zone is populated with loop-the-loops but some elements are tailor made to cater to a specific Sonic. In Emerald Coast, Classic Sonic has to jump across the docks to escape the orca. In Green Hill near the end of the stage, if Modern Sonic doesn't Boost for all he's worth, he'll be crushed by a huge falling totem pole. Some of the stages are actually easier depending on which Sonic you're playing as. Racidal Highway is a fairly lengthy stage no matter which Sonic you're playing as, but Modern Sonic definitely has an easier time with the level than Classic Sonic. There are plenty of different paths you can take to reach the goal but a few of Modern Sonic's stages actually have you jumping back and forth into the foreground, which can be a tad confusing at first. You may be inclined to speed through the levels as fast as possible (which is required to get an S rank), but there are still plenty of sections in the levels where both Sonics will have to slow down or they'll fall into a pit. You're alerted to these pitfalls thanks to orange signs, much like that of road signs that show Classic Sonic's death spirte.

Boss battles, like the levels the Sonics visit are also straight out of their past adventures. The Big Arm boss from Sonic 3 returns and he's learned some new tricks. The Biolizard and Egg Emperor bosses work like those in Sonic Rush, meaning you running on a circular field, evading attacks until you have a chance to damage them. A few of the encouters are rival battles, but these function more like races where you have to beat your opponent to the goal. Classic Sonic faces off agaisnt Metal Sonic but this time you can slow his progress by hitting him when he's not emmiting those nasty yellow sparks. Modern Sonic has two rival battles, one against Shadow and one against Silver. Unfortunately cut and past design rears its ugly head once more. Races against Metal Sonic and Silver are regulated to Casino Night and Tropical resort. Seriously, was adding the actual levels these boss encounters took place in too much effort? Ah, well. At least the actual races are fun.

The orca isn't picky about his meals and will try
to devour any Sonic that passes by.

Real life road signs should be like this one.

You can turn up the 3D for some added depth and it looks quite nice in this game, though I actually played with it off. Speaking of 3D, the only real 3D sections of the game are the Special Stages. While it is regrettable that these Special Stages are yet another rendition of the half pipe from Sonic 2, the main objective here is to keep up enough speed to catch the Chaos Emerald before time runs out. As you run you can pick up orbs that are the colors of the Chaos Emeralds to keep Sonic's Boost Meter full. Again, an interesting take on the Special Stages, but can't Sonic Team and Dimps think of something else besides reusing the half-pipe over and over?

With only seven Zones, the game is rather short. You can easily breeze through this one in a day but there's a sizable amount of bonus material to keep the game crammed into your 3DS. There's a collection for all kinds of unlockables like art, models and music. You can add things to your collection by completing various missions in the Mission mode. There are up to 100 different missions to play with differing objectives. You can unlock missions under certain conditions like getting a higher ranking on certain Acts, clearing certain stages, or alternative, you can use Play Coins to buy missions. There are 50 different tracks you can unlock for Sound, but sadly, these are for listening only. The console version of Sonic Generations allows players to listen to the music they've unlocked in any stage. Why wasn't such a great feature available in this version, too? It boggles the mind.

Sonic Generations is a visually stunning game. Even with 2.5D graphics, all of the zones look jaw droppingly beautiful. It obviously isn't as good looking at the HD versions, but the likes of Green Hill and Radical City still look stunning, nonetheless. Being a Sonic game, the music is of exceptional quality. The title, menu and Green Hill these are the same from the console versions but once you pass Green Hill, you're treated to some incredible remixes that you won't hear in the consoles. Classic Sonic's Genesis era music uses a few drum beats and notes from the Genesis but they still sound different enough from the original tunes that they aren't copies. Once Classic Sonic waves bye-bye to the Genesis era, his music starts to sound more like what you'd find in Modern Sonic titles, which certainly isn't a bad thing by any means. Modern Sonic's music is mostly rock based with a few techno inspired tracks. Mushroom Hill Act 2 gets a rocking guitar remix by Jun Senoue and Radical Highway Act 1 is arguably better than the original track. Act 2 of Radical Highway doesn't sound as good as Act 1 but it did grow me. Neither hedgehog got the wrong deal in the audio department.

Sonic Generations on the 3DS may not be as good as its big brother but the different zones over the console version make it worth checking out, and besides that, it's a competent Sonic game. Like its HD brothers it is short, but the extra stuff like missions give it some replay value. This is also one of the 3DS games that isn't priced at $40. I found a copy for $30 at Best Buy and in time, it will probably be priced at $20.