http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kohler
This is the writer of the article that everybody is bitching about. Apparently he is one of the most respected people in videogame journalism, and as been doing it for like 15 years. I was nearly :shock:ed into oblivion by a couple other industry guys last week when I admitted to not knowing who he was and that I got into an online argument with him over something I felt he said was stupid 2 years ago.
There is a reason he's Wired's game guy. I don't necessarily agree with him, but he's been at it a long time and he's more even-keeled than most.
Except for the times that he goes off the deep end and refuses to listen to anybodies side but his own. I know that first hand. Though this guy is supposedly the Ebert of games, but remember even Ebert can open his mouth and say some pretty dumbshit things from time to time.
I dunno. You may have personal experience with him, but in all my years I've been reading him this is really the first time he's said something nutty.
I talked to one of his own co-workers last week who told me that at times his bosses tell him to stop posting on the comments sections of his own articles because he'll get into an argument with someone and go into downright troll territory. He's still human, do you want me to link the article we got into an argument over?
Sure, why not?
I'm interested too. I like Kohler, but this article kinda screams "look at me!".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kohler
This is the writer of the article that everybody is bitching about. Apparently he is one of the most respected people in videogame journalism, and as been doing it for like 15 years. I was nearly :shock:ed into oblivion by a couple other industry guys last week when I admitted to not knowing who he was and that I got into an online argument with him over something I felt he said was stupid 2 years ago.
There is a reason he's Wired's game guy. I don't necessarily agree with him, but he's been at it a long time and he's more even-keeled than most.
Except for the times that he goes off the deep end and refuses to listen to anybodies side but his own. I know that first hand. Though this guy is supposedly the Ebert of games, but remember even Ebert can open his mouth and say some pretty dumbshit things from time to time.
I dunno. You may have personal experience with him, but in all my years I've been reading him this is really the first time he's said something nutty.
I talked to one of his own co-workers last week who told me that at times his bosses tell him to stop posting on the comments sections of his own articles because he'll get into an argument with someone and go into downright troll territory. He's still human, do you want me to link the article we got into an argument over?
Sure, why not?
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2008/02/god-of-war-psp/ Read the Article and all the comments, you should be able to figure out which comments are mine, and his comments are highlighted blue, though look at all the other reader comments.
Now remember, I had no idea who this guy was when I posted my comment because I'd been directed there by Joystiq or Kotaku, because the story had been re-hosted a few places. I made my comment just outlining the "possibility" that it was a hitgrab article, because the save did not list "clear time" like so many PSP games do when you beat them and are asked to save your completion time. Also the fact that every single review out at the time was listing the play time at 6-8 hours and he was the only one saying it was under 5. It got really baffling when he was saying that the game takes as long as it does and there is no way that it would take any longer to play, regardless of difficulty played or if you are a completionist trying to get all the items and upgrades. He was flat out saying it's impossible for the game to take longer to play than it took him because it's linear with no side-quests and laughed at people indicating that it could. I'm sorry but seriously, shut the fuck up.
You have to remember that one of the most annoying comments people can get on anything they've thought about for some time and done a bit of research and put all this effort into is some accusations of doin' it for the hitgrabs.
Jintor on
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The_SpaniardIt's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered Userregular
You have to remember that one of the most annoying comments people can get on anything they've thought about for some time and done a bit of research and put all this effort into is some accusations of doin' it for the hitgrabs.
Heson GAF right now defending his 3DS comment?
Yes, but you have to understand that the moment that websites big and small stop actually writing hitgrab articles, will be the day that when one writes a really suspect or contrarian article people won't wonder or question if it is one.
Edit: Also I know full well what it's like, I remember one of the most inflammatory, but true, articles I ever wrote got dozens of pages of comments and I had to defend myself through a good portion of them. Not to mention over 300 sites linked and re-hosted the article, and I vainly attempted to comment on a handful of their comments sections knocking the more outrageous accusations and insults aside.
At least here in the U.S., 360 trade-in values are way lower than PS3s at GameStop. They had a giant glut of old 360s clogging up the tubes when the Slims came out; trading in an old 360 with wireless controller will net you a cool $40 or $50 nowadays (they process the hard drives separately).
I've actually got a 360 Slim with a 250 GB HD that I got for free from Telus when I signed up for two years of internet service.
I can count on one hand the amount of times I've played it since Christmas. The PS3 and computer get a lot more attention.
I've changed my tactic though, and am asking a buddy of mine if he wants to buy the works for $200 to be paid in $50 increments between now and the 3DS' launch. I'll find out tonight if he's interested.
Descendant X on
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
While listening to 8-4 Play discuss the 3DS, one comment they made proved rather discouraging for me: currently, Nintendo has made it a policy that 3D in games MUST be optional, and not central to playing the game. Obviously, this was done to cover their backsides due to the whole health issue debates.
But doesn't this essentially mean that developers are just making slightly beefier DS games? Let's say someone were to never, ever use the 3D: what's the big hook that has them drop a DS for a 3DS?
Forgive me for the ominous thinking, but this kind of falls under PSP logic. It also doesn't help that one person I've talked to who has personally spent more time on the 3DS than most of us ever will prior to launch has expressed that his interest is beginning to wane on the handheld, once the gee-whiz 3D effect dies down.
Of course, I added the defense that this is all based on the current, first generation titles; there is no doubt at all that the 3DS will sell by the boat-loads, Nintendo's brand is strong enough at this point. So developers will continue improving with the games no matter what.
But if ever there was a moment for Sony to step in and show off their PSP2, assuming its a really, really strong first look, it would be now as the seeds of doubt begin to root in people's minds.
PSP2 would really really really need some brilliant games and some real kick to their newness to take the wind out of the 3DS's sales (pun intended). I know there's no real news on it yet but if it follows Sony's traditional model of "Powerful as fuck" and their existing game library of "Eh" then it's not going to touch the 3DS.
I don't understand what the PSP can add that would be super awesome powerful enough to dent the 3DS, but then I've never had a PSP and don't really like them, either.
Edit: Also I know full well what it's like, I remember one of the most inflammatory, but true, articles I ever wrote got dozens of pages of comments and I had to defend myself through a good portion of them. Not to mention over 300 sites linked and re-hosted the article, and I vainly attempted to comment on a handful of their comments sections knocking the more outrageous accusations and insults aside.
There's never any fucking point. Sometimes I really hate the interwebs.
If we're being honest, drastic improvements to thier online setup isn't that hard to accomplish.
That said, one unified friend code across all games is what everyone was clamoring for (aside from their complete removal) and that it actually happened is pretty significant. I'm more interested in Street Pass and how it gets used in games myself, but I can see myself using online a lot more this time around. Especially if we can see a game like Super Street Fighter being pulled off well with little to no lag.
The fact that you a) get notified when a friend logs on, and b) apparently will be able to see what your friends are playing are both massive, massive upgrades, and together fix a great deal of what I found lacking with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The reason I love how Xbox Live works is because I can be playing a single-player game but still show as visible online, so if a friend of mine wants to play a game or just chat or whatever, he can see I'm online, shoot me a message and off we go. I don't miss out on a multiplayer opportunity because I'm not sitting and idling in the correct menu. So theoretically, anytime I'm playing the 3DS in a Wi-Fi zone, even if it's single-player, I'll be able to see when a friend comes online, and if I want to play something with him or her I can just pull down the menu and send an invite or whatever.
And this is all circular: Since the system is more conducive to playing online easily, I'll be online more—which means my friends will see me more, which means they'll be more apt to play online with me, which means they'll be online more and I will see them more often, etc. It's the sort of ecosystem that pushed me into buying the 360 in the first place, and whenever I hear people talking about how they "don't really need online play" on their Nintendo console of choice, I have to believe that most of that opinion comes from how backwards Nintendo WFC has been up until now.
Of course, as someone else brought up, how stable the online connection is going to be is still an unknown quality—I remember early DS titles being really rocky and laggy at launch but stablizing shortly thereafter—and the whole open nature of how online seems to be structured might lead to a PSN sort of situation where each game has online integrated differently and there's no real standardization of features, but just the sheer fact of having a singular, constant identity across multiple games means I'm far more willing to play games online. Additionally, if the OS and menu are still live when playing DS games on BC, that's another big plus: I can be playing DQVI and then get notice that a friend comes online, so I drop out and invite him to play some SSFIV, etc.
That this thing will instantly be able to let you know when other users are online isn't something that I've really downplayed or disregarded per se (although, admittedly I did almost kind of forget about it amongst all the other information we've received recently until you brought it up here), I just hadn't actually given it that much thought yet in the context of playing a portable device. I realize that anymore I am far outside the norm (especially on here, as a poster on a gaming forum) in my view of online when looking at home consoles, but that is because in this scenario its on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of what I personally care about when sitting down to play a game. Here I simply consider it to be a rather minor bullet/selling point in the grand scheme of things; an afterthought, honestly. I understand the appeal by all means, but if I'm not able to play multiplayer with other people in the same physical space, I rapidly lose interest to the point where I would rather just boot up a single player game and enjoy that instead (and actually enjoy it!).
If a friend were over, left his unmanned 360 turned on, and said that I could play a game online if I wanted to while he was away, I would probably just immediately go back to whatever I was doing. If the same friend were were over with his 360 and wanted to have some other people over to play a game though, then yeah, I'll throw down (unless its Halo related :rotate:). Now its something that is engaging and fun by virtue of being a more arcade-like experience. And depending on the group of friends, usually drinking is involved, so that almost always increases the potential enjoyment factor. Take away the personal element and introduce a headset though and I'm back to saying "fuck it" (well, maybe not "fuck it" specifically) and doing something else. I've tried playing games in this way before and I just do not derive any enjoyment out of it, in much the same way that I'm almost incapable of enjoying an MMO regardless of its inherent quality. When playing an MMO, the moment to moment experience at its most basic level always just feels so devoid of any meaning or relevance to me. Of course it doesn't help that there is almost always a huge disconnect in the immediacy of the input as I would like to see it happen and the lag that is introduced. Then there is yet another issue in that I always find the combat itself incredibly boring, as it usually doesn't have any weight to it. Your press a key to attack and your character responds moments later, with the same stiff animation he always does, maybe not even facing the enemy, and then usually the enemy just kind of shrugs and a number appears overhis head. I guess he took some damage but they do a very poor job of visually displaying this. You kill an enemy in Diablo and immediately there is some kind of cool death animation, and it changes depending on the enemy. Plus there is a gleeful "Aaaarrrrggghhh!" or whatever exclaimed as the deathblow is dealt. Kill an enemy in WoW though and it just sort of falls over moments later in the exact some way that everything else does. Hell, sometimes the combat even plays itself out. You press a key and you'll keep doing the same thing over and over again until you give your character another input. If you left your computer, the other people playing wouldn't even know.
Now obviously the level of immediacy and interaction in an online console multiplayer game is on a much higher level, but it still illicits the same feeling of disconnect and "why bother?" mentality from me nevertheless. And, when a more human element such as voice chat is introduced, I'm usually confronted with someone in this large group that is playing that I wouldn't want to speak to anyway if their shit talking and general lack of maturity is any indication of what they are actually like in-person. If I can just talk to the someone I know and like, or someone on here that I can well assume I would like, then the situation is improved. However, then it reverts back to me just wanting to play with that person (or persons) in the same setting again, interest is lost once again (Something else, the usual online experience still feels lonely to me anyway, especially when there is no communication whatsoever. Then its like you're playing against AI, but its more advanced . . . maybe, and its certainly more likely to exploit certain elements of the game in order to win), and something like Donkey Kong Country Returns is played. Its back to the selfish (or "masturbatory" as Tycho explained how the experience of single player focused gaming sometime feels to him) but more valued "me" time that I have absolutely no qualms with. That doesn't make me anti social in my mind, its simply that again, if I can't play with my friends in the same physical space, then I would rather just play something by myself. When confronted with an experience that isn't playing alone but is more shallow and feels like playing alone, and one that is actually playing alone but has more depth, then I choose the latter.
However moving back to handhelds, the 3DS specifically, and the point that I wanted to make before all that ranting (but that I couldn't effectively make without all that ranting), is that the scenario that you describe in the second paragraph is actually very appealing to me. This almost seems like its in direct contrast to everything I just said (okay, probably, really does!), but in spite of all of the aforementioned reasons that I do no care about console-focused online multiplayer, I think that I'm going to want to give portable online multiplayer another shot. With portable gaming, there is no real "fun times with friends" group or one-on-one feel to the local multiplayer. Being in the same room as someone playing a portable game together, but looking at different screens and doing are own thing anyway, its different. The chance that myself and the friends I know that I would want to play 3DS games with would all actually own 3DS systems (and that we would all have them in the same place, at the same time) is also rather low. For most of my friends, handheld gaming constitutes a significantly small portion of their gaming time and if we were all together hanging out we would undoubtedly want to play a console game anyway.
Back to one of the other good points you made, I haven't given DS online gaming much of a fair shake because it is indeed rather backwards. However, since it seems vastly improved going into the 3DS, I'm willing to try this out again and see if I can't get into it. The barriers that make online gaming with consoles unappealing to me are no longer there. I don't have much of an opinion with portable online multiplayer because its pretty new to me, but it sounds like it actually could be rather fun. Portable gaming isn't a thing where it typically dawns on me that I can play with other people, but if I could do so and have it be fun, then it becomes the bullet/selling point that it isn't for me on consoles. When I talked about "I don't really need online play" up until now I have always meant it, because I don't need it, but now . . . I dunno. This could make me think differently in the context of playing something portable at least, so I'm anxious to see what that experience is like.
If all of that seems foreign and strange to you, well, it probably should! I realize that I am kind of weird in this way and that all of this is one of those entirely circumstantial "your mileage may vary" type of ordeals.
Fair warning, behind that spoiler is an incredibly long conversation that you may or may not care about but that I wanted to elaborate on for those who do. It involves online gaming and my general take on it.
Additionally, if the OS and menu are still live when playing DS games on BC, that's another big plus: I can be playing DQVI and then get notice that a friend comes online, so I drop out and invite him to play some SSFIV, etc.
I have a feeling that your game won't be interrupted with an onscreen popup or sound, though. The light will turn orange and you'll have to tab out to check your friend list, see that it's only Rehab and not that Sporky guy that you wanted to play with, and sigh and go back to your game.
Just conjecture.
If that scenario actually played itself out in a couple months that would actually be great, because that would mean that I got a 3DS at launch. Which would be awesome!
Also, my Wii Mii is kind of a dick. I don't know how he would act if I transferred him over.
While listening to 8-4 Play discuss the 3DS, one comment they made proved rather discouraging for me: currently, Nintendo has made it a policy that 3D in games MUST be optional, and not central to playing the game. Obviously, this was done to cover their backsides due to the whole health issue debates.
But doesn't this essentially mean that developers are just making slightly beefier DS games? Let's say someone were to never, ever use the 3D: what's the big hook that has them drop a DS for a 3DS?
Forgive me for the ominous thinking, but this kind of falls under PSP logic. It also doesn't help that one person I've talked to who has personally spent more time on the 3DS than most of us ever will prior to launch has expressed that his interest is beginning to wane on the handheld, once the gee-whiz 3D effect dies down.
Of course, I added the defense that this is all based on the current, first generation titles; there is no doubt at all that the 3DS will sell by the boat-loads, Nintendo's brand is strong enough at this point. So developers will continue improving with the games no matter what.
But if ever there was a moment for Sony to step in and show off their PSP2, assuming its a really, really strong first look, it would be now as the seeds of doubt begin to root in people's minds.
3D will for the most part add very little to the gameplay itself. As someone who's not a big fan of 3D in the movies, I was mind blown by it and saw how it can enhance the experience even if doesn't do anything with the gameplay directly, but I still think that it can be viewed as kind of an extra.
The system doesn't live and die by it. Yes, it's the main obvious pull, but that alone can't be enough just like "normal" graphic quality can't (or shouldn't) suffice. I always expected the DS successor to be a more powerful DS with gyros, on top of that I got 3D, sounds good to me! As long as the software is good, the rest is moot.
Don't get me wrong, I want to see devs come up with great ideas to make 3D even more relevant, but even if they don't, it's the successor to a great console (probably my favourite ever), with more power that allows devs to do more stuff, a better online system, gyros, an analogue stick, 3 cameras, 2 screens, a touch screen and a mic. 3D not being mandatory should not get in the way of a great software lineup and personally I think it will only help.
Think about it, because of 3D the touch screen can't be used as most games used before on the DS, it has to be used mainly as a track pad or something for the menus, so the push to use 3D will mean we'll see less of the touch screen as a more direct input (I trust I'm making myself clear). I think that for quite a while, no dev will pass on the 3D and we'll see many shitty games (nothing unusual), but with time, devs can be selective about what they do and use 3D only when a game has something to gain from it instead of ignoring everything else just so the graphics can pop out. Honestly I was very happy when I read that 3D isn't mandatory.
Times like these are always ripe with doubt, hyperbole, exaggeration, etc, etc it's nothing new to the gaming community, especially on the Internet and those who work closer to things are more susceptible to this. After the ridiculously high hype 3DS went to after E3 it was hard not to see it coming that on release and shortly after that, the opposite would occur. People have knee-jerk reactions, they overreact, they get disappointed and so on. When it actually releases, we'll see a sea of crap until devs actually start to use 3DS' potential, just like it happened with the DS and eventually things will stabilize.
Unless Sony fucks up monumentally or does something outrageous (likely), its first reactions will kill the 3DS buzz, people will jump ship, doom and gloom will be all over the internet, yadda yadda.
I've learned not to worry about it, no one can tell how great or terrible the 3DS and PSP2 are going to be and all this overreacting on the Internet is completely pointless, most of these first reactions and angry forumites will have zero impact not only on the actual consumer reaction, but also on the quality of the console itself in the long run, so you know, just go with the flow.
Think about it, because of 3D the touch screen can't be used as most games used before on the DS, it has to be used mainly as a track pad or something for the menus, so the push to use 3D will mean we'll see less of the touch screen as a more direct input (I trust I'm making myself clear).
How many DS games use the touch screen exclusively to navigate and view the action though? Zelda? Thank God for that then.
Pretty much this. It wasn't that many years ago where we laughed the fuck out of the 360 when it got announced on MTV (to be fair, that probably was the worst unveiling of a console ever), and everyone was convinced the PS3 would destroy the competition in under a year while giving us cyber-massages (happy ending included as DLC).
So who knows: 3DS could tank, PSP2 could come out on top. It sounds retarded, and I certainly feel retarded saying it, but damn if this industry isn't unpredictable.
Edit: Also I know full well what it's like, I remember one of the most inflammatory, but true, articles I ever wrote got dozens of pages of comments and I had to defend myself through a good portion of them. Not to mention over 300 sites linked and re-hosted the article, and I vainly attempted to comment on a handful of their comments sections knocking the more outrageous accusations and insults aside.
There's never any fucking point. Sometimes I really hate the interwebs.
Damn people, respondin' to what you say.
I hate it when people don't read articles and bash you on nothing more than the title, when just reading the article would have answered what they are screaming at me about.
Like when the article specifically states, "This article has been fact checked by Valve insiders for accuracy."
Which is followed by, "You haven't even played Half-Life 2, it isn't even out yet you stupid idiot! What makes you think you can just make up a bunch of shit and pass it off as facts you moron?!" Just with worse grammar, spelling and a lot more swearing.
Think about it, because of 3D the touch screen can't be used as most games used before on the DS, it has to be used mainly as a track pad or something for the menus, so the push to use 3D will mean we'll see less of the touch screen as a more direct input (I trust I'm making myself clear).
How many DS games use the touch screen exclusively to navigate and view the action though? Zelda? Thank God for that then.
There are tons of games like this and even if not exclusively, using the touch screen is an integral part of a big chunk of DS games, if you had to put the image on the top screen, they would lose a lot.
Also, I love the DS Zelda controls.
So who knows: 3DS could tank, PSP2 could come out on top. It sounds retarded, and I certainly feel retarded saying it, but damn if this industry isn't unpredictable.
Not retarded at all.
Let's sit back and enjoy the ride (and write news articles and get paid for it ammirite)
The 3DS won't tank, the PSP2 won't come out on top unless they announce it with glassesless 3D for $100 with a time portal that released it a year ago. MS managed to gain traction thanks to Sony releasing a near identical product (Blu-ray was in its infancy and facing competition thus wasn't as big of point at the time) at a cost of $200 more a full year later. Even then, globally they're still very close. The PSP2 would have to have an incredibly unique selling point to draw people's attention to it and all the leaks show nothing of the sort.
Everything looks to be a PS1->PS2 N64->GC type generation with respect to handhelds. The PS2 offered nothing new other than graphics. The 3DS offers a lot more than just graphics. (Better online, pseudo-alt-tab functionality, MP3 support, built-in 3D, upgradable firmware, etc.)
Also, I'm not sure why you think 3D being optional has any effect. It's like saying if a developer offers colorblind functionality, they can't take advantage of colors.
Rakai on
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]XBL: Rakayn | PS3: Rakayn | Steam ID
See, I don't want a 3DS for the 3D. I want it for the fact that it is powerful enough to bring games with Console-like depth to the system. My DS hardly gets any play due to the fact that my PS3 has the much deeper experiences on it, and that's generally what I'm drawn to.
So, the fact that the 3DS is beefy enough get us some full, console-level experience is what pushed me to preorder it.
The more games we get akin to MGS and such on it, the happier I'll be.
InkSplat on
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
Think about it, because of 3D the touch screen can't be used as most games used before on the DS, it has to be used mainly as a track pad or something for the menus, so the push to use 3D will mean we'll see less of the touch screen as a more direct input (I trust I'm making myself clear).
How many DS games use the touch screen exclusively to navigate and view the action though? Zelda? Thank God for that then.
There are tons of games like this and even if not exclusively, using the touch screen is an integral part of a big chunk of DS games, if you had to put the image on the top screen, they would lose a lot.
Yes, the touch screen is integral in a lot of games, but what you're saying is the 3D gimmiick will uniformly hamper the use of the touch screen with the exception of menu driven games, which is plain wrong.
Metroid Prime Hunters and Elite Beat Agens could still make full use of the 3D and touch screen without interfering with each other. Professor Layton and Dr. Kawashima won't be affected either. Sure, games such as Yoshi Touch 'n Go and Pac Pix are left out, but hey, you can't have it all. In any case, 3D isn't mandatory.
Think about it, because of 3D the touch screen can't be used as most games used before on the DS, it has to be used mainly as a track pad or something for the menus, so the push to use 3D will mean we'll see less of the touch screen as a more direct input (I trust I'm making myself clear).
How many DS games use the touch screen exclusively to navigate and view the action though? Zelda? Thank God for that then.
There are tons of games like this and even if not exclusively, using the touch screen is an integral part of a big chunk of DS games, if you had to put the image on the top screen, they would lose a lot.
Yes, the touch screen is integral in a lot of games, but what you're saying is the 3D gimmiick will uniformly hamper the use of the touch screen with the exception of menu driven games, which is plain wrong.
Metroid Prime Hunters and Elite Beat Agens could still make full use of the 3D and touch screen without interfering with each other. Professor Layton and Dr. Kawashima won't be affected either. Sure, games such as Yoshi Touch 'n Go and Pac Pix are left out, but hey, you can't have it all. In any case, 3D isn't mandatory.
No, I'm not saying it will uniformly hamper the use of touch screen, that' precisely what I didn't say. I'm saying it will hamper some games like Kirby Canvas Curse, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Zelda, etc. MPH obviously could make full use of the 3D, but EBA as it is? How? Only the storyboards (which you're rarely looking at) would be in 3D, which is cool, but the primary screen is the 3D one. Which again, is cool.
The thing is, where before by default you'd touch the action directly, now it will happen less often, that's a given. See Nintendogs.
Only really fast, precise action games like EBA would be affected strongly.
In Kirby's Canvas Curse, you could control a cursor on the top screen using the stylus and then hold down the R or L button to release ink (basically simulating a click and release). Sure, it's not completely ideal, but it would work. I think it'd still be eminently playable, it'd just take a bit of relearning for those used to the original game.
See, I don't want a 3DS for the 3D. I want it for the fact that it is powerful enough to bring games with Console-like depth to the system. My DS hardly gets any play due to the fact that my PS3 has the much deeper experiences on it, and that's generally what I'm drawn to.
So, the fact that the 3DS is beefy enough get us some full, console-level experience is what pushed me to preorder it.
The more games we get akin to MGS and such on it, the happier I'll be.
Well, there is a difference between games that have "console-like depth" and "console-like production values" on a portable system. There is also that some games can look incredible on the surface and then end up being really shallow. Something like Metal Gear Solid obviously doesn't fit into that category anyway, but you know what I mean. Heavenly Sword and its "throw hat from hat box at nearby gong to proceed" puzzles got a lot of flack for instance. Thats on the PS3, but many claimed that the experience wasn't too deep. And while the DS is certainly not immune to this (hell, there are guaranteed to be more examples given all the games and the percentage of those that are shovelware) games like any of the Advance War or Castlevania titles had a pretty surprising amount of depth with their combat, gameplay, hidden items, and/or overall complexity.
If your DS doesn't get much play because the production values and the resolution just aren't quite there, then that is actually quite understandable. I have seen a lot of people say almost the exact same thing. Especially anyone who is a self admitted graphics whore (meant without the negative connotations). However, there are games on the system like Mario Kart DS that have just as much depth (if not more) content wise then their console counterparts. But yeah, different strokes for different folks, etc.
As for the discussion on certain sites and the comments their articles attract, I'm just going to say that I'm glad that things rarely reach the level of
Let's sit back and enjoy the ride (and write news articles and get paid for it ammirite)
*likes* urrite, buuuuuut Jintor! The intertron is serious bizzness! 8-) So . . . those Dead or Alives babes (OMG!) where do they find the time to learn how to fight after games where they just sunbathe naked and play volleyball topless all day? Do u think they'll be hotter than Metroid if shes in the game? :winky:
And how about that stylus, kind of phallic looking eh? LOL! How awesome are 3D picture of ur dick going to be? So awesome! 8-) BTW, only Phony Gaystation fanboys and M$ bots could h8 the 3DS cuz they suk. How cum you h8 the interwebs Jintor?!? They r so cool!!11!!11
Also, third comment! LOL.
here unless its just fucking around or mocking someone who deserves to be mocked (although there is the occassional "special" case that just "makes post" like that anywhere). And I mean really, really, glad.
I don't really mind if the 3DS is successful, but I hope in the next generation that the games which PSP supported, novel games like Okami Kakushi and the Legend of the Hero games find a place somewhere. Also, stop releasing SRW games with shitty sound quality and no voice acting
See, I don't want a 3DS for the 3D. I want it for the fact that it is powerful enough to bring games with Console-like depth to the system. My DS hardly gets any play due to the fact that my PS3 has the much deeper experiences on it, and that's generally what I'm drawn to.
So, the fact that the 3DS is beefy enough get us some full, console-level experience is what pushed me to preorder it.
The more games we get akin to MGS and such on it, the happier I'll be.
Well, there is a difference between games that have "console-like depth" and "console-like production values" on a portable system. There is also that some games can look incredible on the surface and then end up being really shallow. Something like Metal Gear Solid obviously doesn't fit into that category anyway, but you know what I mean. Heavenly Sword and its "throw hat from hat box at nearby gong to proceed" puzzles got a lot of flack for instance. Thats on the PS3, but many claimed that the experience wasn't too deep. And while the DS is certainly not immune to this (hell, there are guaranteed to be more examples given all the games and the percentage of those that are shovelware) games like any of the Advance War or Castlevania titles had a pretty surprising amount of depth with their combat, gameplay, hidden items, and/or overall complexity.
If your DS doesn't get much play because the production values and the resolution just aren't quite there, then that is actually quite understandable. I have seen a lot of people say almost the exact same thing. Especially anyone who is a self admitted graphics whore (meant without the negative connotations). However, there are games on the system like Mario Kart DS that have just as much depth (if not more) content wise then their console counterparts. But yeah, different strokes for different folks, etc.
As for the discussion on certain sites and the comments their articles attract, I'm just going to say that I'm glad that things rarely reach the level of
Let's sit back and enjoy the ride (and write news articles and get paid for it ammirite)
*likes* urrite, buuuuuut Jintor! The intertron is serious bizzness! 8-) So . . . those Dead or Alives babes (OMG!) where do they find the time to learn how to fight after games where they just sunbathe naked and play volleyball topless all day? Do u think they'll be hotter than Metroid if shes in the game? :winky:
And how about that stylus, kind of phallic looking eh? LOL! How awesome are 3D picture of ur dick going to be? So awesome! 8-) BTW, only Phony Gaystation fanboys and M$ bots could h8 the 3DS cuz they suk. How cum you h8 the interwebs Jintor?!? They r so cool!!11!!11
Also, third comment! LOL.
here unless its just fucking around or mocking someone who deserves to be mocked (although there is the occassional "special" case that just "makes post" like that anywhere). And I mean really, really, glad.
Do I like pretty graphics? Yes. But I'm more interested in story/character development in a non-(traditional)JRPG context.
Castlevania is deep combat wise, but that's usually about it. Advance Wars was fun, but I played it already. :P Mario Kart DS isn't deep at all in any of the ways I'm looking at.
Assassin's Creed 2, Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, Valkyria Chronicles, Resonance of Fate, Dragon Age, Enslaved. Hell, even Deathspank falls into the right place due to it's humor and great characterization. Those are the sorts of titles I'm eager to see show up on the 3DS. Yes, some of those games are great looking, but that is only a plus, not the main draw for me.
Not that the DS doesn't have anything like that, it just doesn't have a ton. I love the Layton Games and some of the older interactive novel titles that I tried. Locke's Quest, for whatever reason, is one of my favorite games on the system. The World Ends With You, obviously.
But really, the norm for a handheld title is for any semblance of story or character development to be more slapped on than anything. And I know consoles aren't immune to this, but it's definitely more noticeable on the DS.
InkSplat on
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
Note the titles they say they will have on launch day.
Is it possible that they know something we don't?
If these are all indeed launch titles, I can see myself saving enough to get MGS3, Professor Layton, and maybe Kid Icarus.
If not Kid Icarus, then probably one or two DS games that I've missed out on by not owning one.
Descendant X on
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
I wonder how long it'll take for the region-locking to be defeated.
Someone on NeoGAF sent an e-mail to Nintendo and got an automated response after days of waiting. I sent it as well and got the same response within a few hours.
What I said:
Hi, I'm a big fan of Nintendo and I'm excited for the Nintendo 3DS. However, it has come to my attention that the 3DS will have a region lock. I'm very disappointed because sometimes Nintendo of America hesitates from releasing some games in the region out of fear that it will not be profitable. That's a valid approach, as investing in the production of cartridges that will potentially not sell well would mean a loss for the company.
But there are some games, like Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosey Rupeeland, that are very enjoyable and I would have liked to purchase here. I had to import the game from Europe in order to experience a title that has the most epic boss battles from a Zelda-related game and a bit of quirky humor. But it was not available in the Americas. I also imported the Tingle's Love Balloon Trip from Japan and found it was an even better game that was not released outside of Japan (I can read some Japanese).
I oppose the idea of region locking because of that. If you're going to lock the region of the system, at the very least release those games here as well. I had to hold off from buying games like Doshin the Giant (for GameCube, it was available only in Japan and Europe) and Disaster: Day of Crisis (for Wii, same deal as with Doshin the Giant), which were games I was looking forward to purchasing. It does make more sense for a console, but for a handheld system it's harder to justify and not being able to play those games is very frustrating.
For parental controls, I'm sure the different ratings are similar enough in each region (I'm aware they are not exactly the same) to trigger the parental lock using an equivalent in the different region, but I'm not going to get into that because I don't have experience with that and I could be wrong.
I hope my opinion is taken into account and that some day, Nintendo decides to remove that dreaded region lock from the Nintendo 3DS.
What they responded:
Thanks for contacting us. I can confirm that we’re tailoring the Nintendo 3DS for use in different regions, which means that devices and games purchased or downloaded in one specific region will only work in that region. For example, a Nintendo 3DS sold in the United States will work with software sold at an authorized retailer anywhere in the Americas (plus the Caribbean and U.S. Territories), but not with software purchased in Europe or Asia. This region locking will remain in place for the life of the system.
By taking this approach, Nintendo is able to include parental controls and ensure compliance with regional standards and rating systems. I know this isn’t what you were hoping for, but I will be sure to document your comments and make them available to other departments here at Nintendo to use as they see fit. Thanks again for sharing them.
This won't be an issue for me until there are more games only available in other regions that I want, but it still fucking sucks. I don't know if Nintendo will give in unless they see too many Europeans importing American 3DSes.
3DS Layton is a big wild card. Will they translate the latest DS one first, the one with the 100 hour RPG included with tons of text to localize? Will they skip it and leave us hanging on part of the story, but give us the 3DS one? Or will we not get any more of them for whatever reason?
I'm guessing that the titles in the Future Shop link are there simply as a result of no one really knowing what the hell is going on yet and a lot of wishful thinking.
According to this which was written on January 7th and is not quite as recent but recent enough, the situation with their predicions* versus Future Shop is:
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle - Launch (So 1 point for Future Shop!)
Kid Icarus Uprising - Summer 2011 (1 of 2 points)
Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D - Vague spring 2011 (we'll give them 0.5 points for that, so 1.5 of 3 points)
Madden - Not even mentioned (1.5 of 4 points)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Summer 2011 (1.5 of 5 points)
Kingdom Hearts 3D - To be determined (1.5 of 6 points)
And I'm too lazy to type out other titles, but the final two also go unmentioned (1.5 of 8 points)
So yeah, I would be highly skeptical of that Future Shop link in that it doesn't really jive with what IGN has at all and some of those games will obviously take a lot of work and/or a lot of time to localize and translate. That they even considered that Metal Gear Solid would be around for launch is the biggest red flag in my own opinion.
* (As a disclaimer, yes, that is the Japanese launch and not the American launch lineup. Chance are they end up being pretty similar though. Also, I don't care for IGN in some ways, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in this case)
I'd like to see more consoles announced as coming to its virtual console. Such as:
Game Gear,
GB Advance, or
NeoGeo Pocket Color (oh Lord help me, I'd go insane)
Speaking of the NGPC, I have to say I'm especially happy that there are TWO fighters slated to be released close the launch of the 3DS. And Blazblue is apparently on the way too. Probably my biggest criticism of the DS was the near-total absence of traditional fighters. DOA and SF are the two launch-window titles that are highest on my list.
Fuck me, that's awesome. Even if that shit does get localized, it looks like it'll take a very long time till we ever see that in english.
If NoA/NoE is serious about getting out Layton fast, I'd say they'd be better off translating the new one on the 3DS... providing that it doesn't have a huge RPG like that too.
Posts
Pokémon HGSS: 1205 1613 4041
Now remember, I had no idea who this guy was when I posted my comment because I'd been directed there by Joystiq or Kotaku, because the story had been re-hosted a few places. I made my comment just outlining the "possibility" that it was a hitgrab article, because the save did not list "clear time" like so many PSP games do when you beat them and are asked to save your completion time. Also the fact that every single review out at the time was listing the play time at 6-8 hours and he was the only one saying it was under 5. It got really baffling when he was saying that the game takes as long as it does and there is no way that it would take any longer to play, regardless of difficulty played or if you are a completionist trying to get all the items and upgrades. He was flat out saying it's impossible for the game to take longer to play than it took him because it's linear with no side-quests and laughed at people indicating that it could. I'm sorry but seriously, shut the fuck up.
You have to remember that one of the most annoying comments people can get on anything they've thought about for some time and done a bit of research and put all this effort into is some accusations of doin' it for the hitgrabs.
Heson GAF right now defending his 3DS comment?
Yes, but you have to understand that the moment that websites big and small stop actually writing hitgrab articles, will be the day that when one writes a really suspect or contrarian article people won't wonder or question if it is one.
Edit: Also I know full well what it's like, I remember one of the most inflammatory, but true, articles I ever wrote got dozens of pages of comments and I had to defend myself through a good portion of them. Not to mention over 300 sites linked and re-hosted the article, and I vainly attempted to comment on a handful of their comments sections knocking the more outrageous accusations and insults aside.
I've actually got a 360 Slim with a 250 GB HD that I got for free from Telus when I signed up for two years of internet service.
I can count on one hand the amount of times I've played it since Christmas. The PS3 and computer get a lot more attention.
I've changed my tactic though, and am asking a buddy of mine if he wants to buy the works for $200 to be paid in $50 increments between now and the 3DS' launch. I'll find out tonight if he's interested.
But doesn't this essentially mean that developers are just making slightly beefier DS games? Let's say someone were to never, ever use the 3D: what's the big hook that has them drop a DS for a 3DS?
Forgive me for the ominous thinking, but this kind of falls under PSP logic. It also doesn't help that one person I've talked to who has personally spent more time on the 3DS than most of us ever will prior to launch has expressed that his interest is beginning to wane on the handheld, once the gee-whiz 3D effect dies down.
Of course, I added the defense that this is all based on the current, first generation titles; there is no doubt at all that the 3DS will sell by the boat-loads, Nintendo's brand is strong enough at this point. So developers will continue improving with the games no matter what.
But if ever there was a moment for Sony to step in and show off their PSP2, assuming its a really, really strong first look, it would be now as the seeds of doubt begin to root in people's minds.
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I don't understand what the PSP can add that would be super awesome powerful enough to dent the 3DS, but then I've never had a PSP and don't really like them, either.
There's never any fucking point. Sometimes I really hate the interwebs.
Damn people, respondin' to what you say.
That this thing will instantly be able to let you know when other users are online isn't something that I've really downplayed or disregarded per se (although, admittedly I did almost kind of forget about it amongst all the other information we've received recently until you brought it up here), I just hadn't actually given it that much thought yet in the context of playing a portable device. I realize that anymore I am far outside the norm (especially on here, as a poster on a gaming forum) in my view of online when looking at home consoles, but that is because in this scenario its on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of what I personally care about when sitting down to play a game. Here I simply consider it to be a rather minor bullet/selling point in the grand scheme of things; an afterthought, honestly. I understand the appeal by all means, but if I'm not able to play multiplayer with other people in the same physical space, I rapidly lose interest to the point where I would rather just boot up a single player game and enjoy that instead (and actually enjoy it!).
If a friend were over, left his unmanned 360 turned on, and said that I could play a game online if I wanted to while he was away, I would probably just immediately go back to whatever I was doing. If the same friend were were over with his 360 and wanted to have some other people over to play a game though, then yeah, I'll throw down (unless its Halo related :rotate:). Now its something that is engaging and fun by virtue of being a more arcade-like experience. And depending on the group of friends, usually drinking is involved, so that almost always increases the potential enjoyment factor. Take away the personal element and introduce a headset though and I'm back to saying "fuck it" (well, maybe not "fuck it" specifically) and doing something else. I've tried playing games in this way before and I just do not derive any enjoyment out of it, in much the same way that I'm almost incapable of enjoying an MMO regardless of its inherent quality. When playing an MMO, the moment to moment experience at its most basic level always just feels so devoid of any meaning or relevance to me. Of course it doesn't help that there is almost always a huge disconnect in the immediacy of the input as I would like to see it happen and the lag that is introduced. Then there is yet another issue in that I always find the combat itself incredibly boring, as it usually doesn't have any weight to it. Your press a key to attack and your character responds moments later, with the same stiff animation he always does, maybe not even facing the enemy, and then usually the enemy just kind of shrugs and a number appears overhis head. I guess he took some damage but they do a very poor job of visually displaying this. You kill an enemy in Diablo and immediately there is some kind of cool death animation, and it changes depending on the enemy. Plus there is a gleeful "Aaaarrrrggghhh!" or whatever exclaimed as the deathblow is dealt. Kill an enemy in WoW though and it just sort of falls over moments later in the exact some way that everything else does. Hell, sometimes the combat even plays itself out. You press a key and you'll keep doing the same thing over and over again until you give your character another input. If you left your computer, the other people playing wouldn't even know.
Now obviously the level of immediacy and interaction in an online console multiplayer game is on a much higher level, but it still illicits the same feeling of disconnect and "why bother?" mentality from me nevertheless. And, when a more human element such as voice chat is introduced, I'm usually confronted with someone in this large group that is playing that I wouldn't want to speak to anyway if their shit talking and general lack of maturity is any indication of what they are actually like in-person. If I can just talk to the someone I know and like, or someone on here that I can well assume I would like, then the situation is improved. However, then it reverts back to me just wanting to play with that person (or persons) in the same setting again, interest is lost once again (Something else, the usual online experience still feels lonely to me anyway, especially when there is no communication whatsoever. Then its like you're playing against AI, but its more advanced . . . maybe, and its certainly more likely to exploit certain elements of the game in order to win), and something like Donkey Kong Country Returns is played. Its back to the selfish (or "masturbatory" as Tycho explained how the experience of single player focused gaming sometime feels to him) but more valued "me" time that I have absolutely no qualms with. That doesn't make me anti social in my mind, its simply that again, if I can't play with my friends in the same physical space, then I would rather just play something by myself. When confronted with an experience that isn't playing alone but is more shallow and feels like playing alone, and one that is actually playing alone but has more depth, then I choose the latter.
However moving back to handhelds, the 3DS specifically, and the point that I wanted to make before all that ranting (but that I couldn't effectively make without all that ranting), is that the scenario that you describe in the second paragraph is actually very appealing to me. This almost seems like its in direct contrast to everything I just said (okay, probably, really does!), but in spite of all of the aforementioned reasons that I do no care about console-focused online multiplayer, I think that I'm going to want to give portable online multiplayer another shot. With portable gaming, there is no real "fun times with friends" group or one-on-one feel to the local multiplayer. Being in the same room as someone playing a portable game together, but looking at different screens and doing are own thing anyway, its different. The chance that myself and the friends I know that I would want to play 3DS games with would all actually own 3DS systems (and that we would all have them in the same place, at the same time) is also rather low. For most of my friends, handheld gaming constitutes a significantly small portion of their gaming time and if we were all together hanging out we would undoubtedly want to play a console game anyway.
Back to one of the other good points you made, I haven't given DS online gaming much of a fair shake because it is indeed rather backwards. However, since it seems vastly improved going into the 3DS, I'm willing to try this out again and see if I can't get into it. The barriers that make online gaming with consoles unappealing to me are no longer there. I don't have much of an opinion with portable online multiplayer because its pretty new to me, but it sounds like it actually could be rather fun. Portable gaming isn't a thing where it typically dawns on me that I can play with other people, but if I could do so and have it be fun, then it becomes the bullet/selling point that it isn't for me on consoles. When I talked about "I don't really need online play" up until now I have always meant it, because I don't need it, but now . . . I dunno. This could make me think differently in the context of playing something portable at least, so I'm anxious to see what that experience is like.
If all of that seems foreign and strange to you, well, it probably should! I realize that I am kind of weird in this way and that all of this is one of those entirely circumstantial "your mileage may vary" type of ordeals.
If that scenario actually played itself out in a couple months that would actually be great, because that would mean that I got a 3DS at launch. Which would be awesome!
Also, my Wii Mii is kind of a dick. I don't know how he would act if I transferred him over.
3D will for the most part add very little to the gameplay itself. As someone who's not a big fan of 3D in the movies, I was mind blown by it and saw how it can enhance the experience even if doesn't do anything with the gameplay directly, but I still think that it can be viewed as kind of an extra.
The system doesn't live and die by it. Yes, it's the main obvious pull, but that alone can't be enough just like "normal" graphic quality can't (or shouldn't) suffice. I always expected the DS successor to be a more powerful DS with gyros, on top of that I got 3D, sounds good to me! As long as the software is good, the rest is moot.
Don't get me wrong, I want to see devs come up with great ideas to make 3D even more relevant, but even if they don't, it's the successor to a great console (probably my favourite ever), with more power that allows devs to do more stuff, a better online system, gyros, an analogue stick, 3 cameras, 2 screens, a touch screen and a mic. 3D not being mandatory should not get in the way of a great software lineup and personally I think it will only help.
Think about it, because of 3D the touch screen can't be used as most games used before on the DS, it has to be used mainly as a track pad or something for the menus, so the push to use 3D will mean we'll see less of the touch screen as a more direct input (I trust I'm making myself clear). I think that for quite a while, no dev will pass on the 3D and we'll see many shitty games (nothing unusual), but with time, devs can be selective about what they do and use 3D only when a game has something to gain from it instead of ignoring everything else just so the graphics can pop out. Honestly I was very happy when I read that 3D isn't mandatory.
Times like these are always ripe with doubt, hyperbole, exaggeration, etc, etc it's nothing new to the gaming community, especially on the Internet and those who work closer to things are more susceptible to this. After the ridiculously high hype 3DS went to after E3 it was hard not to see it coming that on release and shortly after that, the opposite would occur. People have knee-jerk reactions, they overreact, they get disappointed and so on. When it actually releases, we'll see a sea of crap until devs actually start to use 3DS' potential, just like it happened with the DS and eventually things will stabilize.
Unless Sony fucks up monumentally or does something outrageous (likely), its first reactions will kill the 3DS buzz, people will jump ship, doom and gloom will be all over the internet, yadda yadda.
I've learned not to worry about it, no one can tell how great or terrible the 3DS and PSP2 are going to be and all this overreacting on the Internet is completely pointless, most of these first reactions and angry forumites will have zero impact not only on the actual consumer reaction, but also on the quality of the console itself in the long run, so you know, just go with the flow.
(I write a lot when I should be studying)
Pokémon HGSS: 1205 1613 4041
Pretty much this. It wasn't that many years ago where we laughed the fuck out of the 360 when it got announced on MTV (to be fair, that probably was the worst unveiling of a console ever), and everyone was convinced the PS3 would destroy the competition in under a year while giving us cyber-massages (happy ending included as DLC).
So who knows: 3DS could tank, PSP2 could come out on top. It sounds retarded, and I certainly feel retarded saying it, but damn if this industry isn't unpredictable.
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Like when the article specifically states, "This article has been fact checked by Valve insiders for accuracy."
Which is followed by, "You haven't even played Half-Life 2, it isn't even out yet you stupid idiot! What makes you think you can just make up a bunch of shit and pass it off as facts you moron?!" Just with worse grammar, spelling and a lot more swearing.
There are tons of games like this and even if not exclusively, using the touch screen is an integral part of a big chunk of DS games, if you had to put the image on the top screen, they would lose a lot.
Also, I love the DS Zelda controls.
Not retarded at all.
I don't get paid
Pokémon HGSS: 1205 1613 4041
Everything looks to be a PS1->PS2 N64->GC type generation with respect to handhelds. The PS2 offered nothing new other than graphics. The 3DS offers a lot more than just graphics. (Better online, pseudo-alt-tab functionality, MP3 support, built-in 3D, upgradable firmware, etc.)
Also, I'm not sure why you think 3D being optional has any effect. It's like saying if a developer offers colorblind functionality, they can't take advantage of colors.
So, the fact that the 3DS is beefy enough get us some full, console-level experience is what pushed me to preorder it.
The more games we get akin to MGS and such on it, the happier I'll be.
Metroid Prime Hunters and Elite Beat Agens could still make full use of the 3D and touch screen without interfering with each other. Professor Layton and Dr. Kawashima won't be affected either. Sure, games such as Yoshi Touch 'n Go and Pac Pix are left out, but hey, you can't have it all. In any case, 3D isn't mandatory.
I hope I can find a PSP2 site that pays me for PSP2 articles.
I'll be like a double agent!
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No, I'm not saying it will uniformly hamper the use of touch screen, that' precisely what I didn't say. I'm saying it will hamper some games like Kirby Canvas Curse, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Zelda, etc. MPH obviously could make full use of the 3D, but EBA as it is? How? Only the storyboards (which you're rarely looking at) would be in 3D, which is cool, but the primary screen is the 3D one. Which again, is cool.
The thing is, where before by default you'd touch the action directly, now it will happen less often, that's a given. See Nintendogs.
Pokémon HGSS: 1205 1613 4041
In Kirby's Canvas Curse, you could control a cursor on the top screen using the stylus and then hold down the R or L button to release ink (basically simulating a click and release). Sure, it's not completely ideal, but it would work. I think it'd still be eminently playable, it'd just take a bit of relearning for those used to the original game.
Well, there is a difference between games that have "console-like depth" and "console-like production values" on a portable system. There is also that some games can look incredible on the surface and then end up being really shallow. Something like Metal Gear Solid obviously doesn't fit into that category anyway, but you know what I mean. Heavenly Sword and its "throw hat from hat box at nearby gong to proceed" puzzles got a lot of flack for instance. Thats on the PS3, but many claimed that the experience wasn't too deep. And while the DS is certainly not immune to this (hell, there are guaranteed to be more examples given all the games and the percentage of those that are shovelware) games like any of the Advance War or Castlevania titles had a pretty surprising amount of depth with their combat, gameplay, hidden items, and/or overall complexity.
If your DS doesn't get much play because the production values and the resolution just aren't quite there, then that is actually quite understandable. I have seen a lot of people say almost the exact same thing. Especially anyone who is a self admitted graphics whore (meant without the negative connotations). However, there are games on the system like Mario Kart DS that have just as much depth (if not more) content wise then their console counterparts. But yeah, different strokes for different folks, etc.
As for the discussion on certain sites and the comments their articles attract, I'm just going to say that I'm glad that things rarely reach the level of
*likes* urrite, buuuuuut Jintor! The intertron is serious bizzness! 8-) So . . . those Dead or Alives babes (OMG!) where do they find the time to learn how to fight after games where they just sunbathe naked and play volleyball topless all day?
And how about that stylus, kind of phallic looking eh? LOL! How awesome are 3D picture of ur dick going to be? So awesome! 8-) BTW, only Phony Gaystation fanboys and M$ bots could h8 the 3DS cuz they suk. How cum you h8 the interwebs Jintor?!? They r so cool!!11!!11
Also, third comment! LOL.
here unless its just fucking around or mocking someone who deserves to be mocked (although there is the occassional "special" case that just "makes post" like that anywhere). And I mean really, really, glad.
The first thing any Red blooded American Male will do with his 3DS is take a picture of his dick.
It's practically a law.
Other wise fairly good example.
Well sure, but I remember when that was brought up before here and it was done in a tasteful manner.
Edit: Heh, poor choice of words!
Do I like pretty graphics? Yes. But I'm more interested in story/character development in a non-(traditional)JRPG context.
Castlevania is deep combat wise, but that's usually about it. Advance Wars was fun, but I played it already. :P Mario Kart DS isn't deep at all in any of the ways I'm looking at.
Assassin's Creed 2, Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, Valkyria Chronicles, Resonance of Fate, Dragon Age, Enslaved. Hell, even Deathspank falls into the right place due to it's humor and great characterization. Those are the sorts of titles I'm eager to see show up on the 3DS. Yes, some of those games are great looking, but that is only a plus, not the main draw for me.
Not that the DS doesn't have anything like that, it just doesn't have a ton. I love the Layton Games and some of the older interactive novel titles that I tried. Locke's Quest, for whatever reason, is one of my favorite games on the system. The World Ends With You, obviously.
But really, the norm for a handheld title is for any semblance of story or character development to be more slapped on than anything. And I know consoles aren't immune to this, but it's definitely more noticeable on the DS.
I'm in it for the "portable wii with more than two fighting games and (potentially) less waggle."
That should be one of their marketing slogans.
Note the titles they say they will have on launch day.
Is it possible that they know something we don't?
If these are all indeed launch titles, I can see myself saving enough to get MGS3, Professor Layton, and maybe Kid Icarus.
If not Kid Icarus, then probably one or two DS games that I've missed out on by not owning one.
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
Someone on NeoGAF sent an e-mail to Nintendo and got an automated response after days of waiting. I sent it as well and got the same response within a few hours.
What I said:
What they responded:
This won't be an issue for me until there are more games only available in other regions that I want, but it still fucking sucks. I don't know if Nintendo will give in unless they see too many Europeans importing American 3DSes.
Holy Shit.
Ghost Recon, Kid Icarus, MGS3, Prof. Layton, Madden, Resident Evil, AND Kingdom Hearts?!
For once, I might actually get everything at the launch of a new system.
Steam
Platinum FC: 2880 3245 5111
wait wat
According to this which was written on January 7th and is not quite as recent but recent enough, the situation with their predicions* versus Future Shop is:
So yeah, I would be highly skeptical of that Future Shop link in that it doesn't really jive with what IGN has at all and some of those games will obviously take a lot of work and/or a lot of time to localize and translate. That they even considered that Metal Gear Solid would be around for launch is the biggest red flag in my own opinion.
* (As a disclaimer, yes, that is the Japanese launch and not the American launch lineup. Chance are they end up being pretty similar though. Also, I don't care for IGN in some ways, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in this case)
http://tinycartridge.com/post/171372701/professor-laytons-london-life-the-100-hour-rpg
I'd like to see more consoles announced as coming to its virtual console. Such as:
Game Gear,
GB Advance, or
NeoGeo Pocket Color (oh Lord help me, I'd go insane)
Speaking of the NGPC, I have to say I'm especially happy that there are TWO fighters slated to be released close the launch of the 3DS. And Blazblue is apparently on the way too. Probably my biggest criticism of the DS was the near-total absence of traditional fighters. DOA and SF are the two launch-window titles that are highest on my list.
Fuck me, that's awesome. Even if that shit does get localized, it looks like it'll take a very long time till we ever see that in english.
If NoA/NoE is serious about getting out Layton fast, I'd say they'd be better off translating the new one on the 3DS... providing that it doesn't have a huge RPG like that too.