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[brandonh83]

It's more of a learning curve. No game quite controlled like it before and probably no game will since. The sky missions are easy enough to get the hang of, but land battles do take some dedication before you feel comfortable. If you give it a shot, don't be surprised if you're a good 1/3 of the way through story mode until it "clicks."

Once you "get it," though, it's a really fun, high quality game with a ton of unlockables and replay value.

Well you're not the only one to say this so I may give it a chance after all, especially if there's a lot of content. I saw some gameplay videos and loved the general vibe to it. Plus... that soundtrack.

Once you are on the ground, you will realize what everyone's been talking about. Circle pad to move, stylus controls aiming, however in order to move your reticule around you will need to use a flicking motion to quickly aim at what you want. At first, the concept is very foreign. But with enough practice and tweaking, you get very used to the control scheme, albeit some hand cramps after a long period of play (at least with the original 3DS).

Sounds like a nightmare but I guess if it was actually a horrible thing people wouldn't be trying to defend it.

 

[Ponn]

Couple questions,

1) No XL cradle in US yet?
2)Is it still Nintendo point cards to purchase off 3DS eshop, dont like using my cc on systems.
3) How awesome does KH look on the XL?

 

[RPGCrazied]

Awesome. I got my hori screen protectors today in the mail, but my 3DS XL won't be here until tomorrow. Glad I got these protectors first!

 

[Anteo]

Well you're not the only one to say this so I may give it a chance after all, especially if there's a lot of content. I saw some gameplay videos and loved the general vibe to it. Plus... that soundtrack.



Sounds like a nightmare but I guess if it was actually a horrible thing people wouldn't be trying to defend it.

I got used to it really fast, and was shocked that so many people complained for a few chapters (a lot of them said they got used to it 5 or 6 chapters later). It is a second nature to me now.

Edit:

Couple questions,

1) No XL cradle in US yet?
2)Is it still Nintendo point cards to purchase off 3DS eshop, dont like using my cc on systems.
3) How awesome does KH look on the XL?

About the cc bit, I think by default, the cc info is not stored (forcing you to enter it again in your next buy). I can't say for sure because I haven't used a CC in the eshop since they blocked foreings CCs

 

[brandonh83]

I got used to it really fast, and was shocked that so many people complained for a few chapters (a lot of them said they got used to it 5 or 6 chapters later). It is a second nature to me now.

Neat. I may go with it. Especially since it comes in a box.

 

[V_Ben]

Umm... how the hell do I find out my friend code. I'd love to post it so other people I know with the system can add me.

Edit: I... I found it. *sighs*

 

[Samyy]

Couple questions,

1) No XL cradle in US yet?
2)Is it still Nintendo point cards to purchase off 3DS eshop, dont like using my cc on systems.
3) How awesome does KH look on the XL?

I found a 3DS card in my 7-11 (Canada) so there should be those if you live in the states/ Canada, not sure about other regions.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Couple questions,

3) How awesome does KH look on the XL?

From a gaffer.

My camera's not all that great, but...




Also, I am really glad I went with blue. Really nice.

 

[Anteo]

Umm... how the hell do I find out my friend code. I'd love to post it so other people I know with the system can add me.

See the little happy face at the top center of the bottom screen? Click on that, you will see your gamecard with your code.

Edit: Slow internet, the image should be up soon.

 

[abasm]

The "problem" with Kid Icarus is that its control scheme is genuinely original. Nobody is used to it, because this is the first time anything like it has existed.

I find that it works remarkably well once you're used to it.

 

[Rodney McKay]

Just tried the 3DS XL demo unit at Best Buy. I love it and want one immediately.

Couldn't get a good feel for the weight since it had a metal clamp attached to it, but the screens are MASSIVE and the d-pad and buttons feel FUCKING FANTASTIC compared to my original 3DS.

I'll probably end up waiting for a while until I get a new job (should be very soon, fingers crossed!) and I think I want to upgrade my PC's graphics card before I get the XL. A black/sliver/white colored one would be great, but at least the blue of the demo unit was very nice looking.

 

[grimshawish]

Been playing it for a while now (also Gamestop fully funded me the £90 on trade in, I'll use them again) its amazing.

Mutant Mudds especially looks great. I used to get a lot of ghosting on some levels, but now its not. No idea why. I think maybe everything its because in the past we were focusing on such a small area? Anyway, it comes alive on the XL. I hope Renegade Kid brings those new levels to the e-shop. Even as DLC (mind you I think Nintendo wants people to pre-announce any and all DLC - not 100% but get that feeling).

Zelda ghosting is still as noticeable, it annoys me this isn't as 'definitive' as it could be, Nintendo obviously worked out how to do the colourings better in later games like Kid Icarus.


I posted a few times on gaf about wanting a 3DS+ before this came out. The main things I wanted: Battery/Speakers. The battery is brilliant, I haven't timed it but it just isn't an issue. Although I might get a cradle as sleep mode is usually an issue. Speakers? Ugh, there not terrible and I find some peoples complaints were present on the original...but I was playing through Resident Evil Revelations again (the Japanese audio is on there - people should check it out) the sound isn't great. I did play that game with head phones before though; as the 3DS speakers are pretty crap too.

So yeah. 1/2 ain't bad and the XL screen is something I never 'called for' but got. Its brilliant, everything feels like it was more or less made for that screen as oppose to the original. So 2/3 in the end, worth the price with a trade in or first time buyer I'd say.

 

[brandonh83]

Anyone played the DS Castlevania games on the XL yet?

 

[Barryman]

From the launch of the 3DS I was holding out until the first revision because I was still peeved that about buying the DS Phat, only to have the DS Lite come out and blow it away a little over a year (?) later.

Anyway I'm blown away by the 3DS. The 3D effect is truly impressive, I don't really know why everyone dumps on it. I played through the "end" of Super Mario 3D Land and am blown away by how good it looks. Sure, there is a lot of ugly aliasing, especially on long, straight columns, but the picture is crisp, detailed and bright. The graphical style is very close to Mario Galaxy which is a phenomenal looking series.

That's to say nothing about the gameplay, which is a neat combination of 3D Mario with the tropes and general layout of 2D Mario. Obviously nothing I'm saying is original, but this is a simply fantastic game on a fantastic platform.

 

[nhlducks35]

The "problem" with Kid Icarus is that its control scheme is genuinely original. Nobody is used to it, because this is the first time anything like it has existed.

I find that it works remarkably well once you're used to it.

 

[eighty(one)]

Are the controls convoluted or something? I mean, what makes it hard?

You just need coordination, once you master the game at a lower intensity, you'll be addicted to its trappings - eventually trying higher intensity - trading risk for reward.

It's probably my game of the year 2012 choice. The game gives you a really lengthy campaign, a robust set of options and so many unlockables, you'd think Nintendo were/are batshit insane in an era of advantageous DLC.

Again, 2012GoTY Followed by Resident Evil Revelations and Dragons Dogma.

 

[Wolfe]

I'm liking it better after a couple of days (at first I was thinking of selling it off and going back to OG). NSMB2 looks beautiful on this screen.

However, a couple of things are still bothering me, though they are slowly being outweighed by the positives:

- It makes UI elements look ridiculous. Every button on the lower screen just looks absurd now, like a web browser with the zoom level artificially bumped into senior citizen range.

- The sweet spot is too close. I said this before and am getting used to it, but I'd still greatly prefer if this thing would allow me to hold it further away and still see the 3D. As it stands, I have to hold it as close as I did the OG, and that feels odd with such a huge screen in my face.

I disagree on both points as you can adjust the bottom screen button size (unless you're referring to in game) and the "sweet spot" is still the same, as someone mentioned though with the screen being larger it can seem as though it is closer.

 

[Barryman]

the "sweet spot" is still the same, as someone mentioned though with the screen being larger it can seem as though it is closer.

Isn't that exactly what he was saying?

- The sweet spot is too close. I said this before and am getting used to it, but I'd still greatly prefer if this thing would allow me to hold it further away and still see the 3D. As it stands, I have to hold it as close as I did the OG, and that feels odd with such a huge screen in my face.

 

[Big Chungus]

the 3d isnt working for me unless its at a certain angle...

 

[Necromanti]

It was back in stock on Newegg today, so I finally pulled the trigger. Saves me 20 dollars on sales tax, and then I can sell my 3DS on Craigslist for more than Gamestop would have given me. Here's hoping I like the blue...

 

[Ken Masters]

I can't speak for the XL, but the Vanilla 3DS has a wifi switch on the side.

It does as well, I just never new what it was for until now

 

[Rollo Lawson]

Got Dream Drop Distance today...hoping to have my XL by tomorrow lol

 

[CornBurrito]

Holy hell, first my fiance surprises me with a 3DS XL as a gift (on top of her preordering Dark Souls PC for me unexpectedly), and then my little sister bought me New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3D as an early Christmas present since she won't be around for Christmas.

Fucking best week for games in a really long time for me. <3

Divorce her for preordering Dark Souls PC.

 

[donny2112]

Late but lol smh at amazon finally carrying 3DS XL's,

Only Blue/Black and ships in 2-3 weeks. Maybe the problems are finally worked out with Nintendo!

 

[beyond_death]

Any Aussies been able to get one early?

 

[Baconsammy]

Few things I wish Vita would copy, and vice versa:

Vita needs an easy way to toggle wifi on and off. Vita needs better face buttons. Vita needs to let you use the dpad/analog to navigate the UI. XL needs Vita's Dpad. Every controller in the future needs Vita's dpad. Nothing comes close to that thing.

Very happy now with my stuck-pixel-free, equally-yellow-to-and-bottom-screen new XL. I'm glad I didn't just suck it up and keep the defective one. Unfortunately the new one shares the other one's crappy speakers. I have a feeling that's not a defect. That's probably just how they are now.

One other major difference between my first XL and this new one is that on the old one I had to tilt it slightly to the left in order to nail the sweetspot. On the new one, it's straight-on like the old 3DS. I went to another forum and people were commenting that their top screen felt off-kilter as well. It's odd because physically the placement of the top screen seemed fine to me.

the 3d isnt working for me unless its at a certain angle...

I wonder if you're referring to what I mentioned last in my post.

 

[Rukes]

1) No XL cradle in US yet?

You can get them from Nintendo direct in the parts/accessories area of the website:
http://store.nintendo.com/webapp/wc...goryId=68709&ddkey=http:SetCurrencyPreference

Ordered mine yesterday, got shipping confirmation today!

 

[vincent vega]

anyone just waiting for the next revision to upgrade? I thought I would go in day one, but for $100? my 3ds og has been good to me so far

 

[backlot]

It's really not the same as Hunters. You have to move the camera independently of the reticule. It is similar but plays very differently.

 

[Baconsammy]

anyone just waiting for the next revision to upgrade? I thought I would go in day one, but for $100? my 3ds og has been good to me so far

You're in a First Impressions thread. More than likely people are here because they're not waiting.

 

[ghibli99]

Just got mine earlier today!

Screen size difference is staggering. Everything is so much more improved in terms of feel. I was expecting the Select/Home/Start buttons to feel better than they do... these kind of "rock/hinge" instead of being standard buttons. Anything is an improvement over the original 3DS design of these, though. I'm not seeing the yellow tint that some others are, nor is my screen showing any lines. Then again, my original 3DS didn't exhibit the lines on the top screen either.

So far, so good. Really impressive, and the 3D at this size looks even more convincing.

 

[Baconsammy]

Just got mine earlier today!



Screen size difference is staggering. Everything is so much more improved in terms of feel. I was expecting the Select/Home/Start buttons to feel better than they do... these kind of "rock/hinge" instead of being standard buttons. Anything is an improvement over the original 3DS design of these, though. I'm not seeing the yellow tint that some others are, nor is my screen showing any lines. Then again, my original 3DS didn't exhibit the lines on the top screen either.

So far, so good. Really impressive, and the 3D at this size looks even more convincing.

All 3DSes exhibit the lines that were being discussed if you turn the 3D on and then turn the device left and right. I think the issue people were having is that they didnt know they had to push the 3D slider past the hard-stop in order to shut it off completely.

 

[ghibli99]

All 3DSes exhibit the lines that were being discussed if you turn the 3D on and then turn the device left and right. I think the issue people were having is that they didnt know they had to push the 3D slider past the hard-stop in order to shut it off completely.

Sorry, should have clarified that I was talking about the scratches people got on the top screen from the bottom one touching it.

 

[Baconsammy]

Sorry, should have clarified that I was talking about the scratches people got on the top screen from the bottom one touching it.

Ok, my bad.

 

[Ponn]

nice, thanks for answers. cant wait to finally play KH.

 

[Kacho]

Having the XL and playing Mario on is great and all, but I just can't stop thinking about how much of a shame it is that I'm not playing Monster Hunter 3G on this thing.

 

[poppedcollar69]

Got my blue 3ds at gamestop with the trade in deal, and I also got pilotwings for free! This is probably the first not-terrible gamestop experience of my life.

And now I'm thinking about getting one of the club Nintendo reversible pouches...

 

[aidan]

Sexy.

 

[CronoShot]

My Hori screen protectors finally came in today, so now I can try out Kid Icarus (I'm paranoid, so I didn't want to use the touch screen a lot without a screen protector on).

And man oh man. Kid Icarus is absolutely STUNNING on this thing.

 

[kitchenmotors]

My Hori screen protectors finally came in today, so now I can try out Kid Icarus (I'm paranoid, so I didn't want to use the touch screen a lot without a screen protector on).

And man oh man. Kid Icarus is absolutely STUNNING on this thing.

I got mine today as well, put them on flawlessly. I have yet to try Kid Icarus on my XL but will do so tonight!

 

[brandonh83]

GOOD GOD you guys weren't kidding, this thing is a fucking behemoth!!

Went with blue. Really like it. Didn't decide on a game yet.

 

[VICI0US]

alright, so, my impressions making the jump from 3DS to 3DS XL

pros:


+far more ergonomic. the rounded edges are a godsend. no more corners digging into your palms during gaming sessions
+matte finish on the buttons, the inside, the shell, etc is great. no more fingerprints, no more slippery buttons, good stuff all around
+stylus relocated and no longer telescopic. very convenient for games that switch back and forth between stylus and traditional controls, no longer have to mess around behind the top screen groping for the stylus and then extending it. now it's readily accessible on the right side of the system
+slightly larger d-pad with much better positioning. great for DS/2D games. your thumb no longer has to awkwardly bend back into itself to use the d-pad
+larger screens = much more enjoyable 1:1 mode with virtual console and DS games
+no more lines and circle pad imprints on the top screen! hallelujah!
+new select/start/home buttons are fantastic

cons:

-the drop in image quality was INSTANTLY noticeable. as to be expected when the resolution is the same but the screen size is nearly doubled. I've seen placesplaces claim it's negligible but if you have any sort of eye for graphical fidelity you will see the difference immediately. text is fuzzier, some of the lower resolution textures in games really show through, and aliasing is more apparent. nothing shockingly bad, but it's definitely there.
-the added "lock" position is awkward, It's at a terrible angle for actually playing games and it just makes the system more annoying to open and close.
-the "sweet spot" for the 3D effect does indeed seem to be slightly smaller
-the screens seem slightly dimmer even at the same brightness settings as my original 3DS

neutral:
=the shoulder buttons are a tad smaller and "mushier" than the regular 3DS shoulder buttons. doesn't bother me but I figured i'd acknowledge it.

overall, I'm happy with my unit. no dead pixels, "crackling sounds", screen yellowing, or any other defects that some people are reporting.

as long as you don't mind the small decrease in graphical fidelity, I'd definitely recommend the XL.

 

[Currygan]

GOOD GOD you guys weren't kidding, this thing is a fucking behemoth!!

Went with blue. Really like it. Didn't decide on a game yet.

pssstSM3DLpsst

 

[Iceblade]

Sorry to post this again, but could anyone with a non-yellow tinted XL post a comparison picture of it next to their regular 3DS? It would be much appreciated.

 

[Boney]

-the added "lock" position is awkward, It's at a terrible angle for actually playing games and it just makes the system more annoying to open and close.

iirc it has 2 (well 3 if you count completely extended) lock positions

 

[brandonh83]

pssstSM3DLpsst

Oh yeah, already beat that one on the original design. Very good.

I'm downloading some demos right now, checking out RE and MGS3 again for sure.

 

[RPGCrazied]

How much charge usually does nintendo handhelds when it comes out of the box? Should I play it until it totally drains, then charge it to full? Or just charge it to full when I first pull it out of the box, does it even matter? lol

 

[Tenbatsu]

Nice image. But this is not how it looks like in real, its way darker.

 

[Currygan]

Oh yeah, already beat that one on the original design. Very good.

I'm downloading some demos right now, checking out RE and MGS3 again for sure.

get Mutant Mudds demo if its still up

those ENORMOUS sprites blew me away

 

[Kacho]

GOOD GOD you guys weren't kidding, this thing is a fucking behemoth!!

Went with blue. Really like it. Didn't decide on a game yet.

Congrats on getting one earlier than expected.

Kid Icarus and Mario 3D Land. Do it.