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Nintendo 3DS Japanese Launch Thread

N

Neiteio

Member
Amir0x said:
It was the first thing that made me think 'wow this first person Metroid thing might just work'
Click to expand...
I remember simply leaping around the small cliffs in the first landing site on Tallon IV. Jumping in Metroid Prime was not only functional, it was straight-up fun. Really, some added speed would've been about the only spice they could've added to the movement -- and who knows, maybe that wouldn't have gelled well with the game the way they designed it. It's pretty damn perfect the way it is.
 
N

Naked Snake

Member
I wish people are creating threads (or updating an OP) with newly published reviews/previews. I can't keep up with the pace of this thread and I'm missing a lot of new impressions.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
Boney said:
Fucking Pilotwings has a Squirrel Suit! OMFG!
Click to expand...
air-suit.jpg


Eurogamer said:
Squirrel suits: definitely not what I thought they were.

I was picturing a kind of handicraft football mascot set-up: poster paint, feathered material, felt ears – squirrels have ears, right? And feathers? – with a clump of old dusters for a tail. Not so: it seems that a squirrel suit is actually a piece of sky-diving equipment. It's an extreme-sports onesie with flaps under the arms and legs to slow your descent as you plummet from the clouds. Good to know. That could have been really embarrassing.

The moment you get to play with the squirrel suit in Pilotwings Resort is magical. For a handful of early challenges, Nintendo's latest will have lulled you with pleasant, untaxing familiarity. The skies are blue, Wuhu Island is a pallet of neatly-mown greens and rugged browns, and all the 3DS' inaugural star seems to really want you to do is practise landing, thread yourself unhurriedly into spinning hoops, and mess around with lazy, lofting thermals. The usual stuff.

Then the suit comes out, and suddenly you're diving straight towards the centre of Wuhu's volcano while the game snaps into keen focus around you. The scenery suddenly seems sharper, the playfully-used 3D is transformed into the perfect tool for judging your descent, and the rings no longer represent a gentle muddle of objectives, but rather a micro-surgically precise arrangement of targets for you to lance through. Within seconds, the series' dreamy disposition blows away as bizarre techno fizzes up over the soundtrack and – what's this? – a racing line seems to emerge.

Pilotwings has the room to be both a pretty knockabout timewaster for a lazy Sunday afternoon and a surprisingly demanding arcade game: a launch title built from simple pieces that plays out in dozens of satisfying little moments. And guess what? Even when the squirrel suit is gone and you're back to the standard aircraft, that invisible racing line remains.
Click to expand...
<3 <3 <3
 
N

Naked Snake

Member
Where can I read about Pilotwings? Why aren't there new threads for this shit?! Some people check in here once a day and can't trace back a dozen pages or so every time :(
 
D

Donnie

Member
Stephen Colbert said:
As for battery concerns. The current ds uses a tiny 1300 mAh battery that takes up less than a 10th of the systems size. Many smartphone use much bigger batteries. There's no reason a revised 3ds can't as well. It might not even be needed since revisions accompany switching to smaller nm processes. The 3ds at 32nm would use far less power and would have far less space devoted to it's processors and gpu freeing up plenty of room.
Click to expand...

Really not sure about less then a 10th, however remember that about 40% of the 3DS system is the top lid, which obviously can't be used to hold the battery.

Look at any of the 3DS teardowns, I don't see where they can get a significantly bigger battery in there. You can't really compare it to a smartphone, as while they might have decent CPUs/RAM/GPUs ect (which all take up very small amounts of space), they're all quite simple in design due to the interface. They don't use cart slots, analog sticks, face buttons, shoulder buttons ect, all of this stuff takes up a lot of space.

The 3DS CPU and GPU already take up a reasonably small amount of space, they're both in a single chip. I'd also bet they also take up only a small fraction of the systems battery power. The system can run for over 7 hours with 3D off. When 3D is turned on that's halved due to the brightness of the top screen needing to be doubled, that top screen has to take up the majority of the systems juice. Moving a already small and power efficient SOC to a smaller process isn't going to make up for making that power sapping top screen even bigger.

Could they possibly tweak the system with a smaller chip process and slightly bigger battery that might allow for a slightly bigger screen?, maybe, but its definitely not a forgone conclusion IMO. Unless they want battery life to be worse then 3DS currently.
 
G

Glix

Member
Neiteio said:
air-suit.jpg



<3 <3 <3
Click to expand...

That Eurogamer quote is fucking CRAZY. I fully paid off this game earlier today... I might have to try and do a 4 week media blackout.

MvC3, Pokemon White, and the Knicks ONLY for a month. I don't know if I can handle that!
 
C

Conrad Link

Member
donkey show said:
They took it out from all versions of Super Street Fighter 4.

No indestructible in 3D for you. :p
Click to expand...

Yeah thats what I mean, why did they take it out in general? ;(

I remember booting up 360 Super and being disappointed. Game just isn't the same without it.

Is the instrumental version not even in it anywhere?
 
D

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
TylDurden is a joke character, don't feed the idiots.
Pikmins' powered N64 capable of Kid Icarus 3DS.
Bullshots of the best looking rpg-ish game made at the end of a platform's lifecycle VS blown up direct feed shot of unfinished crazy action game with every kind of shit going on.

And well, Amirox, is painfully clear you've never played a racer in cockpit view and in 3D have you?
I'm not talking 3DS, I'm talking 3D gaming in general.
I call bullshit on your "facts"; FACT is that certain genres are going to benefit gameplay wise from 3D.
It'll also look pretty cool in some cases, but that is secondary and subjective.
Aming with the wiimote was better, FACT, some people argued that they prefer it to analogue also because it is more immersive and fun for them, which is secondary and subjective.
 
The Hermit

The Hermit

Member
Neiteio said:
air-suit.jpg



<3 <3 <3
Click to expand...

Before that quote I was just considering Pilotwings, since I wasn't sure if it was like the last version. Being in Wuhu Island and filled with Miis I was worried it would be more like Wii Sports 2...

Now that preview sounds totally like PW! :D

Fake edit: That's a review?! I want to sleep for a month straight and wake up when its finally here...
 
N

Neiteio

Member
It's pretty crazy to have MvC3 sitting in my PS3, a new DKC barely touched in my Wii, the fifth generation of Pokemon arriving in a week and then a brand new Pilotwings AND brand new IP from EAD (Steel Diver) arriving at the end of the month (even a Nintendogs sequel for people into that sort of thing). Then some time thereafter L.A. Noire hits for the next great dose of RDR-like gaming/storytelling. And Catherine's confirmed on its way to the U.S. And tomorrow we'll likely get a new trailer for Skyward Sword.

Got DAMN.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
CoolS said:
can people post more interesting bits of that Eurogamer review for Pilotwings? It's blocked here at work :(
Click to expand...
Here's the whole thing:

Eurogamer review of Pilotwings Resort said:
PAGE ONE:

Squirrel suits: definitely not what I thought they were.

I was picturing a kind of handicraft football mascot set-up: poster paint, feathered material, felt ears – squirrels have ears, right? And feathers? – with a clump of old dusters for a tail. Not so: it seems that a squirrel suit is actually a piece of sky-diving equipment. It's an extreme-sports onesie with flaps under the arms and legs to slow your descent as you plummet from the clouds. Good to know. That could have been really embarrassing.

The moment you get to play with the squirrel suit in Pilotwings Resort is magical. For a handful of early challenges, Nintendo's latest will have lulled you with pleasant, untaxing familiarity. The skies are blue, Wuhu Island is a pallet of neatly-mown greens and rugged browns, and all the 3DS' inaugural star seems to really want you to do is practise landing, thread yourself unhurriedly into spinning hoops, and mess around with lazy, lofting thermals. The usual stuff.

Then the suit comes out, and suddenly you're diving straight towards the centre of Wuhu's volcano while the game snaps into keen focus around you. The scenery suddenly seems sharper, the playfully-used 3D is transformed into the perfect tool for judging your descent, and the rings no longer represent a gentle muddle of objectives, but rather a micro-surgically precise arrangement of targets for you to lance through. Within seconds, the series' dreamy disposition blows away as bizarre techno fizzes up over the soundtrack and – what's this? – a racing line seems to emerge.

Pilotwings has the room to be both a pretty knockabout timewaster for a lazy Sunday afternoon and a surprisingly demanding arcade game: a launch title built from simple pieces that plays out in dozens of satisfying little moments. And guess what? Even when the squirrel suit is gone and you're back to the standard aircraft, that invisible racing line remains.

SCREENSHOT
CAPTION: You can store any in-game photos you take on an SD card – and they're in 3D.

So Pilotwings Resort is a comfortable mix of old and new. You've got the same kind of challenges featured in the Super Nintendo and N64 games as you work your way through Nintendo's Sky Club, but this time they're set against an island backdrop more recently seen playing host to Wii Fit and Wii Sports. Even this is familiar territory, of course, but it feels more like a warm home-coming than a nifty spot of recycling. (Ask Greenpeace – Nintendo doesn't like recycling.) And now it's all in 3D too. It looks wonderful.

In fact, the 3D effect is really excellent. Your head-up display stands out from the screen, the mountains disappear towards the horizon, and your craft feels like a little die-cast toy suspended in the foreground. The illusion of depth is surprisingly useful when it comes to judging distance in some of the more precise challenges, and sitting down with the console held steadily in front of you, the image doesn't separate very often either.

I tend to be happiest with the 3D slider set around the halfway mark, although I suspect it's different for everyone, and the game remains entirely playable – and bright and attractive – if you view it in standard 2D. In case you're worried about your own eyes, it's worth noting that I have trouble with 3D stuff at the cinema (often because it's in crap like Avatar LOL) and I could see Pilotwings' tricks and tweaks perfectly.

The circle pad is great too, offering a lovely resistance under your thumb that makes it ideal for either smooth sweeps across the sky or smaller positioning shunts. Pilotwings' hangar is fairly snug – there are just three main aircraft used for most of the game – but everything you fly is built around the controller very carefully, and each offering emerges with a distinct sense of weight and character.

PAGE TWO:

The plane is the easiest to get to grips with. With the shoulder buttons allowing you to pull off simple stunts, and a responsive handling model that still conveys a pleasant sense of speeding heft, flying Nintendo's jaunty Cessna-alike is mainly a process of boosting and braking.

Next comes the rocket belt, and it's as tricky to master as it's always been. Equipped with both a strong and weak thrust and an option to hover (the wiggling engine animation that accompanies this is completely endearing), the belt's best for short hops, and the ability to position the camera directly overhead is invaluable for judging descents.

Finally, the hang glider is a gentle drifter compared to the other two, great for lazy turns and catching thermals when you want to go higher. Occasionally, as with the squirrel suit, Nintendo will throw a special craft your way – a pedal-glider with a speed cool-down or a dangerously zippy jet-plane, perhaps – but the central trio remain enticing enough on their own, each of them shifting the nature of the game somewhat.

The rocket belt is all about precision and fuel conservation, planes are about managing boosts on the straights as you race between objectives, and the hang-gliders have you balancing the desire to stay aloft against the need to slow down for the inevitable landing target. It's great risk-reward design, even before you take into account Pilotwings' challenges themselves.

And these, similarly, juggle a handful of variables in a smart manner. With the main campaign once again organising your missions into vehicle types and then splitting them across a range of skill tiers, basic elements like shooting at stuff, landing on platforms and moving through hoops are constantly being reconfigured to create new scenarios.

TRAILER:
CAPTION: Good news, old people: the Pilotwings title still spins lazily towards you at the start.

Early offerings might task you with simply snapping a few photos, or popping balloons that trail from a moving car. But later events see you escorting UFOs, putting out fires and nudging airborne crates back and forth. After the novice round, you'll be penalised for every bump and crash – just like in the real air corps! – and, while it's generally pretty easy to achieve each objective, three-starring everything will require real attention and timing as you swoop through bonuses, break down special gates that require you to hit them while travelling at a specific speed, and pull off perfect stunts.

Unlocking the later levels requires plenty of stars, but each challenge also comes with a handy post-mortem breakdown showing you the aspects you need to improve on to pass. (I'm great at bumping into things, for example, but you don't want to be there when I try to land.) It all makes the road to mastery a little more alluring.

Elsewhere, the free flight mode gives you something to do after the campaign's finished. Wuhu Island – tweaked from its earlier appearances – is filled with secrets to explore, from the Roman ruins tucked into a quiet canyon to the secluded bay with its own cabana. You can also collect information rings, burst balloons to extend your free flight timer, and suck up the vehicle-specific baubles that allow you to access dioramas.

Everything's delivered with a railway-model prettiness, and from the orange bloom of sunset to the little animated details – like the way the your Miis bob their heads when they're piloting the Rocket Belt – the game's familiar setting manages to provide you with plenty of nice things to look at.

You could wish for more aircraft or a greater range of environments, perhaps, but Pilotwings ultimately hits an enjoyable sweet spot. It's intricate enough to encourage mastery, and roomy enough to tempt you back after the main event, while the skilfully simple presentation makes it perfect for demonstrating your latest gadget's 3D capabilities.

And, for more elderly players, it's nice to see that the spirit of the SNES survives. As an updating of an old favourite, this is a lovely piece of work; as a friendly shoving-off for a strange new handheld, it's wonderfully judged. 8/10
Click to expand...

Link for those who want it: HERE.

Not a single criticism. Just all glowing, glowing praise. Sounds AWESOME. :) :)
 
M

MarkusRJR

Member
do we have any good photos (aka not at a weird angle) of the 3DS running a DS game yet? I'm curious to see how blurry they look.
 
C

CoolS

Member
Neiteio said:
Here's the whole thing:



Link for those who want it: HERE.

Not a single criticism. Just all glowing, glowing praise. Sounds AWESOME. :) :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! Finally decided on a launch game for myself after this. I suck too much at fighters and this sounds amazing, so it is Pilotwings instead of Nintendogs for me :)
 
U

UncleSporky

Member
ashbash159 said:
The Eurogamer review said there is only Wuhu Island for the game.
Click to expand...
If nothing else, Wuhu has been scaled up with more detail added and several new locations, that at least counts for something.
 
B

branny

Member
Cosmo Clock 21 said:
The Claw would fucking suck on the 3DS, since the placement of the directional and slide pads are reversed compared to the PSP.
Click to expand...

Exactly. But it actually might be easier--couldn't you use your middle finger for circle pad and ring/index for d-pad? Or something like an elbow-out sideways formation? I dunno. :(


Speaking of controls, this might be a little OT, but it seems like everyone is planning to pick up SSFIV3D at launch. I really don't understand is all of this obsession over 2D fighting games on portables. Controls were such an issue on the PSP for me! (Key words: "for me," so take this with a grain of salt.)

When I think of SSFIV3D, I think of something more nightmarish than Alpha 3 MAX. The control scheme defaults to a horizontal light and medium arrangement on the face buttons, with hard on L and R. Theoretically, it works fine for throwing (LK+LP) and focus attacks (MP+MK). (This was annoying for me to consistently accomplish on PSP with one finger, but whatever; I learned to slam my thumb down so its curve wouldn't accidentally hit one button slightly before the other.) However, what about EX attacks (motion+PP/KK)?
  • One option is to use the touchscreen... Okay. In Pro mode I'm pretty sure you can map PP, KKK, etc., which is great, but it seems only acceptable for some Ultras (and only if they connect). If you're trying to do something complicated, I don't think it's a very good idea to take your eyes off the top screen and/or one hand off 5 attack buttons just to do something quick like an EX attack, especially when one normally gives you an opportunity to quickly follow up afterward.
  • The alternative is to somehow simultaneously and reliably manage X+Y or B+A with the tip of your thumb (good luck) or use L or R as the second attack button.
L in particular was personally a major annoyance in PSP fighters after inputting certain directional motions due to its close proximity to the d-pad. If anything, the 3DS d-pad is now the opposite, possibly being too far away for people with small hands to manage using L at the same time, period. With this in mind, some characters (like Viper) would automatically become unpleasant to play properly if a player deems L too awkward to consistently use. He or she could remap the buttons and touchscreen, but it'd risk effing something else up. Now the PSP's shoulder buttons had a bit more travel than, say, the DS Lite's shoulder buttons, so that's probably a factor to consider. Urgh, anyway, this is how it all sounds to me. Everyone is so hyped for this game, so I feel like I am seriously missing something. I think I'm worrying too much. =\

But, actually, the same could be said for something like BlazBlue CSII. Not even acknowledging how janky the sprites in CT translated to the PSP's smaller resolution, there were some control issues. A few characters like Carl all but require Drive on a shoulder button, leaving X, which is the default D (B on 3DS), free for some other mapping. Bridget in GGAC had this issue with HS, but that's just another example. In any case, you also now have to take into account how you're going to throw (B+C), barrier block (A+B), rapid cancel (A+B+C), and burst (A+B+C+D). It doesn't matter how you map things; the lack of buttons will leave something out and make something else awkward to perform. Having touchscreen customization is not the end-all solution to this, either. For example, given the speed of the game, you cannot rapid cancel with the touchscreen if you expect to realistically utilize it the way you should.

3D fighters (Tekken, DoA, Soul Calibur, maybe VF, whatever) and simpler 2D fighters (someone mentioned Rival Schools/Project Justice a few posts back...I'd love for that to happen) are the only things that I feel work well on a portable because their inputs are not as complicated in comparison. They require the least amount of compromise. It's why I feel DoA is a great fit for 3DS and why I'd like to see more portable Tekken in the future.

So why the fuss over 2D fighting games? Aren't people aware of the control hurdles, or do they just not care? Maybe they haven't played a portable fighter before? Even if you aren't being competitive or playing seriously, I imagine some things would still simply be unnecessarily frustrating. The original DS had some fighters, and earlier portables had their
generally poor
share, too, but those weren't nearly as demanding as the full-size experiences ported over to PSP/3DS. I haven't tried SSFIV3D first-hand, let alone even touch a 3DS in general, but this FUD stems from personal experience with the PSP. I feel like these games should be first on my list to consider as a fighting game fan, but their portability is working against quite a few of them. It can't just be me thinking this, can it?
 
J

- J - D -

Member
branny said:
*truncated long-ass post*

So why the fuss over 2D fighting games? Aren't people aware of the control hurdles, or do they just not care? Maybe they haven't played a portable fighter before? Even if you aren't being competitive or playing seriously, I imagine some things would still simply be unnecessarily frustrating. The original DS had some fighters, and earlier portables had their
generally poor
share, too, but those weren't nearly as demanding as the full-size experiences ported over to PSP/3DS. I haven't tried SSFIV3D first-hand, let alone even touch a 3DS in general, but this FUD stems from personal experience with the PSP. I feel like these games should be first on my list to consider as a fighting game fan, but their portability is working against quite a few of them. It can't just be me thinking this, can it?
Click to expand...

Been used to it since the days of SNES pad. People adapt. It's not like we're all tournament-level players anyway.
 
C

Crazypanda_85

Member
I feel bad that I'm the only one who has no interest in Pilotwings Resort :/ My launch titles are mainly going to be new DS titles I haven't played or coming out in the next few weeks:

Okamiden
Inazuma Eleven

I might even break down and buy SSFIV 3DS but there really are no titles I'm hyped for in the launch window :( I really wanted Miracle Mask but since the system is now region locked and I refuse to pay $450 on a handheld, I'm going to have to wait for them to release Layton 4 and then Layton 5 :( I hope Capcom doesn't let Level 5 drag its behind with localizing the Layton X Phoenix Wright 3DS collaboration.
 
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