The 3DS is making it hard to not be embarrassed with my choice of gaming handhelds.
I purchased a 3DS on launch day from Amazon.com and with it got Rayman 3D. Before launch day I had some hands-on time with the 3DS and each of the launch titles and Rayman 3D was the only thing that even remotely interested me. It would be very easy for me to explain why I did not enjoy the other launch titles, but that would distract from the point of this post (which isn't about the launch titles).
So far I have enjoyed about 5 hours of fun with the 3DS, the rest of the time I have enjoyed storing it in a drawer. I was entertained by Face Raiders for a few hours, entertained by the augmented reality cards for less than a few hours, and entertained by Rayman 3D for a while longer. After that there hasn’t been anything here to hold my attention.
So far we have “retro†game remakes, in 3D no less, without any gaming improvements. Once again I am being asked to purchase a virtual copy of a game I already own the cart for (in most cases, see you have to understand that I didn’t pirate games until the PSX and stopped soon after all the PSX pirating made me play my PSX less and less). I am finding it very difficult to justify spending money, in this economy, on titles I have already won numerous times.
Zelda: OoT was a fun game on the n64 (regardless of one of the worst controller designs in recent gaming history), and it was even fun again on the GameCube (regardless of yet another bad controller design that caused physical pain to my wrists). It would make sense that the game would continue to be fun, but what justifies a 39.99 price? Well it’s in 3D and the visual have been updated for a “next-gen†handheld. So – what else? Nothing! Nothing to entice me to spend money on the game for a 3rd time. No new levels, weapons, etc. Its the same game with a Boss Rush mode.
I guess replaying the exact same game in 3D sounds fun, in theory, but in actuality the 3D effect of the 3DS isn’t very good! I’m forced to hold the 3DS about 14 inches from my face and to hold it out directly in front of my eyes. If I try to set it down towards my lap the 3D effect is lost, if I move it slightly to one side the 3D effect is lost, etc, etc, etc. My arms get tired after about 20 minutes of gaming. I think part of the issue is my aging eyes and the other half of it is that the technology is cool but not really cool enough for mainstream gaming as an integral part of a handheld’s hardware design.
While I am on the subject of the 3DS’ design, what is up with the menu system? The menu is very slow and I find not always as responsive as I would want. Why is Nintendo still using the block system for their storage capacity? I never really understood the block concept. I’m an adult, give it to me in bytes, I can handle it! What is up with that damn 3DS splash screen? Does it really have to play before I launch everything? Do I really need to see it all the fucking time? By now I think I know the device in my hand is a 3DS and I’m 99% sure those around me also know it’s a 3DS because it looks only about 10% the same as the DS Lite/DSi. The rest that don’t know it’s a 3DS will probably not be looking over my shoulder at the exact moment that stupid splash screen plays anyways. So how about an option to turn off the splash screen, is tha tsking to much? The 3D indicator LED, it’s such a nice green color, but why in the hell does it always have to be on? It can become a bit distracting when playing in low light situations, after while you can’t stop noticing it. As I’ve slowly progressed back into design elements, what is up with the screen wobble? What, during months of testing not one single person noticed this? Why does the bottom screen leave marks on the top screen? I love having to keep the screen protector that shipped with the 3DS between my two screens. I have to ask again, no one fucking noticed this while testing? Why in the hell does the unit never power up after it has been off for a long time (weeks – because why play something that lacks fun software). Holding the power button does nothing, but then after holding it for like 20 seconds I can tap it for less than a second and it will boot up the 3DS. Shouldn’t the thing boot up the first time I press the button and every time I press the button?
What really pushed me over the edge today was that I updated my system memory and logged into the eShop. I grabbed the Nintendo Video application, mostly so I was sure that my ID was registered for the 20 free software titles but also because I was curious. 10 minutes later I was hitting up Google for answers on how to delete the vids, why I can’t choose what vids to grab, why all the vids are aimed at 8-14yr olds, why all the vids download (replacing each other when space is full) and not stream, and finally how to delete the application. Long story short (to late) the Nintendo Video application is 3D advertisement that adults will be much to informed to waste their time on. It’s a good thing Nintendo is targeting children not yet informed enough to make their own decisions, now they can pester Mum and Dad to pay for things they see via the Nintendo Video advertisement application.
Nintendo has dropped the price of the 3DS by $80, and everyone who got suckered into hardware with no worthy software support (yet!) gets 20 free “retro†titles as an apology! That’s just great! How about my 80 bucks back? I could pick up a few PS3 greatest hits with that money. What do I want with 20 free titles I already own, have already beaten, and do not care to play again? I’m sorry but I’m continually feeling ripped off by this system.
The 3DS does some really cool things and it does them pretty well with room for improvement. The hardware specs have some real potential. I don’t know if I can wait for the software to catch up. I should have known better by the crappy launch line-up. What are we waiting for at this point? Nintendo 1st party software? Please say it ain’t so, I am so sick of Nintendo “franchisesâ€. I’ve had my fill. Nintendo should stop beating a dead horse and grow the fuck up already. Its great that they want to continually market towards children and grown-ups who thought games were for kids (um -- casual gamers?). I just wish they would give more than a tiny percentage to gamers who grew up on Nintendo and who sadly have their best memories with the NES and SNES.
Flash Kits and great DS Homebrew have made me a bit jaded. I didn’t stop to see the DS gaming community for what it was until the end of the cycle. I picked up the 3DS while influenced by the great memories Homebrew has brought me. I should have focused on the last few years of game releases and then took a long hard look at the 3DS. Because, at this point, I’m starting to consider listing my 3DS on eBay.
Now, about this post… I felt like ranting. I wrote this to get something off my chest, its large enough as it is. I didn’t write this to defend my view from your opinion and as a result I will not read responses. But have at it, go attack each other and call out the faults of my post. Maybe a few years from now I’ll dig this up and pretend to care.
I’m off to grab my DSi XL and play some great Homebrew, emulation, GBA, and maybe even watch a DPG of Dr. Who Season 6.
-Another World
I purchased a 3DS on launch day from Amazon.com and with it got Rayman 3D. Before launch day I had some hands-on time with the 3DS and each of the launch titles and Rayman 3D was the only thing that even remotely interested me. It would be very easy for me to explain why I did not enjoy the other launch titles, but that would distract from the point of this post (which isn't about the launch titles).
So far I have enjoyed about 5 hours of fun with the 3DS, the rest of the time I have enjoyed storing it in a drawer. I was entertained by Face Raiders for a few hours, entertained by the augmented reality cards for less than a few hours, and entertained by Rayman 3D for a while longer. After that there hasn’t been anything here to hold my attention.
So far we have “retro†game remakes, in 3D no less, without any gaming improvements. Once again I am being asked to purchase a virtual copy of a game I already own the cart for (in most cases, see you have to understand that I didn’t pirate games until the PSX and stopped soon after all the PSX pirating made me play my PSX less and less). I am finding it very difficult to justify spending money, in this economy, on titles I have already won numerous times.
Zelda: OoT was a fun game on the n64 (regardless of one of the worst controller designs in recent gaming history), and it was even fun again on the GameCube (regardless of yet another bad controller design that caused physical pain to my wrists). It would make sense that the game would continue to be fun, but what justifies a 39.99 price? Well it’s in 3D and the visual have been updated for a “next-gen†handheld. So – what else? Nothing! Nothing to entice me to spend money on the game for a 3rd time. No new levels, weapons, etc. Its the same game with a Boss Rush mode.
I guess replaying the exact same game in 3D sounds fun, in theory, but in actuality the 3D effect of the 3DS isn’t very good! I’m forced to hold the 3DS about 14 inches from my face and to hold it out directly in front of my eyes. If I try to set it down towards my lap the 3D effect is lost, if I move it slightly to one side the 3D effect is lost, etc, etc, etc. My arms get tired after about 20 minutes of gaming. I think part of the issue is my aging eyes and the other half of it is that the technology is cool but not really cool enough for mainstream gaming as an integral part of a handheld’s hardware design.
While I am on the subject of the 3DS’ design, what is up with the menu system? The menu is very slow and I find not always as responsive as I would want. Why is Nintendo still using the block system for their storage capacity? I never really understood the block concept. I’m an adult, give it to me in bytes, I can handle it! What is up with that damn 3DS splash screen? Does it really have to play before I launch everything? Do I really need to see it all the fucking time? By now I think I know the device in my hand is a 3DS and I’m 99% sure those around me also know it’s a 3DS because it looks only about 10% the same as the DS Lite/DSi. The rest that don’t know it’s a 3DS will probably not be looking over my shoulder at the exact moment that stupid splash screen plays anyways. So how about an option to turn off the splash screen, is tha tsking to much? The 3D indicator LED, it’s such a nice green color, but why in the hell does it always have to be on? It can become a bit distracting when playing in low light situations, after while you can’t stop noticing it. As I’ve slowly progressed back into design elements, what is up with the screen wobble? What, during months of testing not one single person noticed this? Why does the bottom screen leave marks on the top screen? I love having to keep the screen protector that shipped with the 3DS between my two screens. I have to ask again, no one fucking noticed this while testing? Why in the hell does the unit never power up after it has been off for a long time (weeks – because why play something that lacks fun software). Holding the power button does nothing, but then after holding it for like 20 seconds I can tap it for less than a second and it will boot up the 3DS. Shouldn’t the thing boot up the first time I press the button and every time I press the button?
What really pushed me over the edge today was that I updated my system memory and logged into the eShop. I grabbed the Nintendo Video application, mostly so I was sure that my ID was registered for the 20 free software titles but also because I was curious. 10 minutes later I was hitting up Google for answers on how to delete the vids, why I can’t choose what vids to grab, why all the vids are aimed at 8-14yr olds, why all the vids download (replacing each other when space is full) and not stream, and finally how to delete the application. Long story short (to late) the Nintendo Video application is 3D advertisement that adults will be much to informed to waste their time on. It’s a good thing Nintendo is targeting children not yet informed enough to make their own decisions, now they can pester Mum and Dad to pay for things they see via the Nintendo Video advertisement application.
Nintendo has dropped the price of the 3DS by $80, and everyone who got suckered into hardware with no worthy software support (yet!) gets 20 free “retro†titles as an apology! That’s just great! How about my 80 bucks back? I could pick up a few PS3 greatest hits with that money. What do I want with 20 free titles I already own, have already beaten, and do not care to play again? I’m sorry but I’m continually feeling ripped off by this system.
The 3DS does some really cool things and it does them pretty well with room for improvement. The hardware specs have some real potential. I don’t know if I can wait for the software to catch up. I should have known better by the crappy launch line-up. What are we waiting for at this point? Nintendo 1st party software? Please say it ain’t so, I am so sick of Nintendo “franchisesâ€. I’ve had my fill. Nintendo should stop beating a dead horse and grow the fuck up already. Its great that they want to continually market towards children and grown-ups who thought games were for kids (um -- casual gamers?). I just wish they would give more than a tiny percentage to gamers who grew up on Nintendo and who sadly have their best memories with the NES and SNES.
Flash Kits and great DS Homebrew have made me a bit jaded. I didn’t stop to see the DS gaming community for what it was until the end of the cycle. I picked up the 3DS while influenced by the great memories Homebrew has brought me. I should have focused on the last few years of game releases and then took a long hard look at the 3DS. Because, at this point, I’m starting to consider listing my 3DS on eBay.
Now, about this post… I felt like ranting. I wrote this to get something off my chest, its large enough as it is. I didn’t write this to defend my view from your opinion and as a result I will not read responses. But have at it, go attack each other and call out the faults of my post. Maybe a few years from now I’ll dig this up and pretend to care.
I’m off to grab my DSi XL and play some great Homebrew, emulation, GBA, and maybe even watch a DPG of Dr. Who Season 6.
-Another World
