Official Nintendo 3DS Thread

[zenith16]

I'm sure they will be a list for the 3d's and what's coming to it. I'll put it up in what ever for they put that list in.

 

[Duke]

So, I went to a Wal-Mart this past Sunday & they already had the 3DS XL Zelda edition on sale in the display. I was veeeeeeeeeery tempted to snag it, but I'm saving my cash for the Xbox One this Friday.

 

[zenith16]

Nintendo declares National StreetPass Weekend on Dec. 14-15

(4 hours ago)



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Make sure your Nintendo 3DS is charged up and ready for some passive data-sharing action this Friday and Saturday, as Nintendo has declared December 14 and 15 to be the first-ever National StreetPass Weekend in North America.

Over the weekend, Nintendo will shuffle around relayed StreetPasses at Nintendo Zone locations nationwide, allowing players to meet with faraway StreetPassers from all 50 states. Nintendo previously hosted a National StreetPass Day in the UK, though the North American holiday simply asks 3DS owners to travel to the nearest Starbucks or Best Buy to participate, instead of a centralized meet-up location.

Nintendo added further incentive to try out its StreetPass service with a collection of four StreetPass games released earlier this year, rewarding players with Mii hats and other bonuses for meeting up with fellow 3DS owners in public.


and

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  Nintendo’s Eshop Experiencing Problems Following Miiverse Update
  
  News
  on Dec 10, 2013 at 02:20 PM
  2,217 Views
  
  
  
  
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  Miiverse might be on 3DS right now, but the eShop seems to be suffering some problems.
  ... More
  

Source:Nintendo World Report& GI

 

[zenith16]

3D Shinobi III And 3D Streets of Rage Out Today On Nintendo eShop. December 19, 2013 . 10:00am

3D Shinobi III and 3D Streets of Rage are available on the Nintendo eShop for 3DS in North America and Europe today.

3D Shinobi III and 3D Streets of Rage are available on the Nintendo eShop for 3DS in North America and Europe today. Both games cost $5.99/€4.99/£4.49 each.

You can read an informative interview on the development of 3D Shinobi III at this link, and you can look forward to a Streets of Rageinterview tomorrow.

Also available today is a demo for Nano Assault Neo on Wii U for both North America and Europe, while North America also getsCastlevania on Wii U Virtual Console.​

source:Siliconera

​

 

[Benstamania]

My mom & dad got my son a 2DS for Christmas.. Holy crap this thing may be the most comfortable thing I ever held. If I wouldn't look so goofy with it I'd grab one.

 

[zenith16]

Nintendo Now Forfeits a Percentage of 3DS Sales Due to Lawsuit

1 hour 29 minutes ago - A December ruling orders Nintendo to sacrifice a portion of the wholesale price of every 3DS. Read More »



source:IGN

 

[Tron Bonne]

1.8% isn't much, but that still seems like crap to me. They already had to pay $15 million, shouldn't that be the end of it? Copyright stuff seems like such a nightmare sometimes.

 

[zenith16]

And this the reason valve made the controller the way they did some times you really have to go your own way other wise some one will try and milk you on some similar feature you have if you make yours have something too similar to something previously made to yours. they'll make sure your in a night mare for it or have you written of for it.

 

[zenith16]

Archaic firmware allows hackers to crack 3DS region lock

(1 hour ago)
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A new trick allows 3DS owners to negate the region lock Nintendo has installed in the handheld - assuming they haven't updated their 3DS' system software in months.

The crux of this hack relies on old 3DS firmware, specifically firmware revisions 4.1 to 4.5. Those firmware numbers are at least nine months out of date, but if your 3DS does have the older software, breaking its region lock is as simple as installing a special, patched launcher on a flash cartridge compatible with your 3DS' firmware revision. Once you open the launcher, the 3DS will be modified to accept games from other regions, though as Tiny Cartridge notes, there are issues when attempting to play certain games online due to their reliance on "game patches from region-specific eShops."

Keep in mind, this hack will not allow a user to play pirated games on his or her 3DS. Altering the firmware in this way only removes the handheld's region lock. You'll still need to import a legitimate 3DS cartridge from another territory to enjoy the system. Further, if you install this exploit, then attempt to update your 3DS using the standard firmware update method, the exploit will be deleted. There is a workaround offered for this issue in the hack's instructions, though it's slightly more complex than installing the hack by itself. If you opt to break your 3DS' region lock, we recommend paying very careful attention to the procedures outlined on the GBATemp forums.

(Image: Fristle)
Source:Tiny CartridgeGBATemp

 

[Soapy]

Thank ****. Those awesome 3DS game cases are finally back in stock on Club Nintendo and I nabbed one. If you have 400 coins, get 'em while they're hot.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Ah, I'm short a few coins. I have some share codes I could use, though, not sure if it'll be enough.

 

[Benstamania]

I have 380 coins.. Damnit.

 

[zenith16]

here's what's coming

Nintendo Is Localizing Etrian Odyssey Untold: Millennium Girl Into Korean. January 19, 2014 . 3:30pm

Nintendo is helping Index publish Etrian Odyssey Untold: Millennium Girl in Korea. This version will be localized in Korean (surprisingly, not all Korean region games are localized) and is slated for release on February 27.

Nintendo is helping Index publish Etrian Odyssey Untold: Millennium Girl in Korea. This version will be localized in Korean (surprisingly, not all Korean region games are localized) and is slated for release on February 27. Nintendo of Korea also handled publishing duties for Shin Megami Tensei IV.

Nintendo of Korea picked up Lego: Legends of Chima too for Nintendo 3DS and will release the game on January 23. Interestingly, Nintendo of Korea did not pick up Bravely Default. The 3DS RPG will be released as an eShop download, but it’s the English version. While this has multiple languages, Korean is not one of them.​

source:Siliconera​

 

[zenith16]

Why We Will Always Need Shin Megami Tensei. January 18, 2014 . 9:30am

Last weekend, I finally saw Shin Megami Tensei IV through to the end.

Last weekend, I finally saw Shin Megami Tensei IV through to the end. I’d been making my way through the game for months, a little at a time, and upon completing it, I excitedly took to GTalk, to rave to one of my friends about how incredible the whole experience had been, and how he needed to finish it. He, like me, had bought his own copy at launch, but whereas I’d continued to whittle away at the game over the course of half a year, he’d stopped soon after reaching Tokyo.

That is to say, he’d stopped right as the game had begun to get interesting. I was aware of this, naturally, and would badger him on occasion to return to it, but well… Rune Factory 4 had seduced him away by then, and was not to be denied. The timing couldn’t have been any worse either—it was right after a point when Shin Megami Tensei IV demanded just a little more patience from the player before it truly opened up.

It then occurred to me that I actually knew quite a lot of people that hadn’t completed Shin Megami Tensei IV, despite having owned the game since its release in July.

One of them is among the most patient, tolerant gamers I’ve ever known, having sat through not one, not two, but three dungeon crawlers in the same year, in addition to a Pokémon-themed roguelike-lite. She, too, had sung praises of Shin Megami Tensei IV earlier in 2013, and clearly didn’t dislike the game. Why, then, hadn’t she completed it? This was someone that regularly ate games for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and would routinely voice her distaste for how little patience I had for “slow” games. And now, she had given up on one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. Why was that?


As it turns out, quite a few people I’ve spoken to about Shin Megami Tensei IV have the same complaints about the game, which they say prevent them from seeing it through to the end. They say it’s a gorgeous game with an interesting setting, but that the characters feel flat, and that that it feels like there’s very little story progression. They also complain that the overworld is confusing to navigate and often requires the use of a FAQ.

Fair enough. That point about the overworld is entirely valid. The Tokyo overworld map can be rather cumbersome to make your way around, especially in between major story segments, when you’re required to travel between various districts, rendezvous with different NPCs, and figure out just what you’re supposed to do next. There were several occasions on which I had to consult a FAQ myself, particularly towards the end of the game.

That having been said, the idea that Shin Megami Tensei IV is lacking in the story department is one I simply don’t agree with—and I feel I’m in a reasonably good position to make that judgment, having spent over sixty hours with the game.

I can certainly see why people might have issues with the way Shin Megami Tensei IV tells its story, though, and I think that’s more a result of us growing accustomed to the way most Japanese videogames tell us stories—by clubbing us over the head with them, often with no restraint or subtlety. You go on a quest, you complete your goal, you watch a lengthy cutscene. Characters tend to fall neatly into predictable archetypes, protagonist motivations are usually clearly broadcast, and of course, there’s that annoying obsession Japanese developers have with teen romance, despite almost never doing a good job of effectively conveying a realistic relationship. This is what passes for a narrative in most JRPGs, and we take it, because—God help us—that’s what we’re used to.

Shin Megami Tensei IV does none of these things.


When people say Shin Megami Tensei IV’s characters are “flat,” they’re usually talking about your party, which consists of the main protagonist (whatever you choose to call him), Isabaeu, Jonathan and Walter. While your three companions are given a certain degree of characterization—Walter and Jonathan, especially, who represent the ideals of Chaos and Law—it’s true that Shin Megami Tensei IV doesn’t go out of its way to give you the inside story on your team of four. The game isn’t interested in making you feel like the centre of the universe. Instead, Shin Megami Tensei IV’s narrative is centred around another character entirely—the city of Tokyo.

Shin Megami Tensei IV is not a story about you and how cool you are. It doesn’t care if your favourite food is ramen, or about that one tomboy you liked in school, who is now all grown up and gorgeous. It’s the story of Tokyo and her people. Your goal, throughout the entirety of the game, is to get to know the city, inside and out, as you make key decisions in shaping its future, and understand along the way the kind of man you are.

Not only is the story different, it’s also littered with clever little references to modern society’s habits. For instance, the fact that virtually everyone has smartphones and uses them to summon demons, either for noble or nefarious purposes. That was a nice nod to Twitter, in my opinion, and the way it allows one to leave their mark with minimal effort. In days past, making yourself heard required effort. Dedication. Now, all it requires is a tweet. Some use Twitter to be productive, while others use it as an outlet to misbehave, much in the way that the people of Tokyo utilize demons.


Then there’s the societal hierarchy in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, which is a stunningly accurate depiction of the way society is structured in developing countries like India. You might find society in Mikado to be absurd and backward, but the way the lower class citizenry constantly find themselves in the servitude of the middle and upper classes—often left with no choice but to put their heads down and accept their designated role in society—is quite real.

The main difference, however, is that Shin Megami Tensei IV’s story isn’t fed to you—you have to go looking for it, often during various quests that you undertake for the Hunter’s Association, who have made it their job to protect Tokyo. And the depth in which the game explores Tokyo and its citizenry is often amazing. Did you ever meet the old lady in Shinjuku that used to run a bar and was now waiting for death to claim her? Or the goddess attempting to resurrect her deceased husband? Did you ever find the the lowest underground chamber of the Counter-Demon Force’s base in Kasumigaseki? Or the demon whose son had been kidnapped by a group of hunters?

Did you ever go back to revisit these people or places after completing various quests to see if they had anything new to say or how they’d changed over the course of the game? If you didn’t, you missed out—and that’s the difference. Shin Megami Tensei IV doesn’t tell its story through dialogue, it tells it through exploration. It’s a very “gameplay-focused” RPG, often encouraging one to take pleasure in the simple act of running around and exploring their surroundings. Why else is so much of the story dependent on discovering different parts of Tokyo? Why else does the game have the best environment design of any Atlus RPG to date? Why else is the music for different places in Tokyo so catchy and identifiable?

And these aren’t your regular RPG dungeons that you run through once, in order to find and defeat the bosses. They’re “locales,” and you’ll return to them time and again, getting to know them a little better each time. Tokyo is your playground, and it often feels like a real place. (Well, it is, but, you know&#8230 The point at which I realized this was when I caught myself navigating the confusing underground passageways of Shibuya without having to consult the map. I’d gotten the lay of the land over the course of numerous repeat visits, and my brain was treating it as though I’d been there in real life. Very few games have ever made me feel like that, but Shin Megami Tensei IV’s locales just tend to have that effect on you.

Chances are, you’ll even make one of them your “home” when you aren’t on a mission. Mine was Shinjuku. Whenever I wasn’t busy with the game’s main story, I would go back to Shinjuku. Sometimes it was to take on jobs for the local branch of the Hunter’s Association, and sometimes it was just because I wanted to save my game while I was “at home”. Ueno had that gorgeous park with the lotus pond in the middle. Ginza had that awesome shopping district with the expensive Samurai gear. But Shinjuku, for some reason, just made me feel more “at home” each time I visited it, so I just chose to spend a lot of my time there. At first, it was Mikado… but as the game progressed further and further, I stopped going back to my character’s actual home and grew fond of Shinjuku instead. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you why.


And that’s just it. Shin Megami Tensei IV simply likes to do things differently. The story takes a good seven or eight hours to pick up, cutscenes are few and far in between, and unless you take the time to really run around and explore every nook and cranny of Tokyo, chances are you won’t see the best the game has to offer. Oh, and you’ll need to do it on the Neutral alignment route, because it’s the one with the most content. It isn’t a game that cares for the habits of your character. You’re a cog in the machine—a rather large and important cog, yes, but a cog nonetheless—and as such, the conflicts and decisions you’re faced with are much more about how you’ll influence the world around you. What do you do when you’re in possession of power and influence? That is the question Shin Megami Tensei IV asks you about yourself.

The game also leaves a lot up to your imagination, just like a lot of older games did, before the days of CG cutscenes and Skits and Social Links. This, too, is a deliberate decision on its part. In an age where stories are more than happy to really try and drill a point home, Shin Megami Tensei IV is content with dropping hints and letting you join the dots yourself. In fact, some of the best voice-acted dialogue in the game arises out of situations like these.

To cite one example of this method of storytelling, you may not even learn the truth about your own character if you miss a certain optional conversation that is available in the game.

Director Kazuyuki Yamai once said, “Twenty years ago, fantasy-style RPGs were the standard of the genre. Shin Megami Tensei on the Super Famicom was something of an antithesis when you compared it.” He wasn’t kidding. And it is his love for what Yamai calls a “punk-minded approach” to the genre that makes Shin Megami Tensei IV so special. After spending over 60 hours with the game, I find that its subtlety and gameplay-first approach is its greatest strength and its greatest contribution to narrative in videogames. It’s a game that’s confident enough to be itself, without compromise, and if you’re interested in discovering what it’s like on the inside, you’ll need to spend time with it.

Do so, and you’ll be rewarded with an experience that addresses just about every complaint that the gaming community has ever levelled against JRPGs and their unwillingness to grow up, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay. And this is why I believe we will always need Shin Megami Tensei—to remind JRPG developers that there are ways to be different and still succeed.

Food for thought:

1. The above is a scene from a certain point in the game. Jonathan’s “…Eh?” is one of the best-timed, best-delivered pieces of videogame dialogue I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Saying why would be a spoiler, but if you’ve played Shin Megami Tensei IV, you’ll probably remember it. It’s at the end of the desert segment.

2. Director Yamai’s love for the older Shin Megami Tensei games is apparent in a number of Shin Megami Tensei IV’s characteristics, the most prominent of these being the use of the familiar Law theme from the very first game in the series.

3. At one point in the game, I was faced with a decision that I genuinely needed a couple of minutes to think over, because it really made made me question what I would do, were I ever in that same position in real life. I was playing in bed, and I put my 3DS down in my lap, staring at a wall in deep thought. About half a minute later, I hear, “Master? Is everything all right? You’re spacing out.”

4. The amount of content in this game is absurd. Even after defeating the final boss, there’s a lot more you can do, and you could easily miss it if you don’t check around.

5. I am the most impatient, unforgiving kind of gamer. I notice the slightest dips in framerate, complain endlessly about pacing in games, care greatly for details such as my character’s running animation and how his/her feet feel against the ground… and Shin Megami Tensei IV was easily my favourite game in 2013.

6. Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem has a lot to live up to.​

​

source:Siliconera

 

[Benstamania]

Smash Bros. 3DS screenshot. Apparently the store mode.

 

[zenith16]

Nintendo To Continue Bringing Third-Party Nintendo 3DS Titles To The West. February 3, 2014 . 10:02am

Additionally, Nintendo intend to deliver a number of “key Nintendo 3DS titles” this year, says Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

While sales of the Wii U leave much to be desired, Nintendo’s Nintendo 3DS has sold over 40 million units worldwide. The 3DS is in a far better position than Wii U from both a hardware and sales perspective, and Nintendo say it will be their primary means of earning profits in their next fiscal year, which begins on April 1st, 2014.

Speaking with investors and analysts at a Q&A, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata shared that Nintendo intend to deliver a number of key Nintendo 3DS titles this year.

“Since Nintendo 3DS has an installed base of more than 40 million units globally as I mentioned earlier, we are now getting to the point where it is impossible not to turn a profit with our software business,” Iwata stated. “We have many key titles to be released in this calendar year and we will strive to drive profits from these titles. Seen in this light, I believe the key profit-driver for the next fiscal year will be Nintendo 3DS.”

Three of these “key titles” that Nintendo have already revealed presumably include Kirby Triple Deluxe, Yoshi’s New Island and the new Super Smash Bros. game; but in addition to first-party games, Iwata says Nintendo will continue to publish certain third-party 3DS titles from Japan in the west, both this year and the next.

“We sometimes distribute, or even publish depending on the circumstances, games that were made by Japanese software publishers in the overseas markets, and you can expect to see more examples of this this year and the next,” Iwata said to investors.

(The most recent example of this is Square Enix’s Bravely Default, an RPG for 3DS.)

Finally, Iwata also stated that more third-party publishers in the west are taking note of the fact that Nintendo 3DS sales are over 10 million in both the U.S. and Europe, but since western developers are more focused on delivering high-end games for home consoles, they’re still in the process of figuring out what kind of 3DS games to develop.​

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Nintendo’s Handheld And Home Console Divisions Now Integrated

news
b on Feb 03, 2014 at 12:36 PM
3,200 Views

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Nintendo has reconfigured and integrated its hardware development teams.
... more

source: Siliconera &GI

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[zenith16]

TRAILERS​

RETRO CITY RAMPAGE HITS 3DS TOMORROW

Prepare for some nostalgia! The open world mayhem of Retro City Rampage will be available on the 3DS starting tomorrow, February 6, in North America, with a European release slated for February 20.


and


A Closer Look At The Bravely Default Collector’s Edition. February 5, 2014 . 12:30pm

Nintendo of America have shared an unboxing video for the collector’s edition of Bravely Default.

Nintendo of America have shared an unboxing video for the collector’s edition of ​

Bravely Default

. The collector’s edition includes the game, a soundtrack CD, a set of 34 augmented reality cards, and an artbook. You can view the video below.
​

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Bravely Default will be available on February 7th in North America. You can catch up with our coverage of the game so far below:
​

• Bravely Default Is Your Kind Of JRPG. And Yours. And Yours, Too.
• Bravely Default Proves The Power Of Character
• Bravely Default’s
  Soundtrack Sets It Apart From Its Peers​

source:EPD.TV/ROTR & Siliconera

 

[Primal Slayer]

Finally gave in and got me a 3ds. Better be at least a decade before I have to upgrade agan so I can continue to play Pokemon (which is the main reason I even got a original DS and now 3ds)
This is the one I got:

 

[Tron Bonne]

I don't know when the successor will be out, but it probably won't before a decade. The 3DS has been out since 2011 now. Just for reference, the DS was first out in 2004. So, it will most likely be awhile, but not nearly that long.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I'd say we've got another 4-5 years of 3DS before they do the next gen

 

[Tron Bonne]

I actually meant to say will before a decade there, not won't. The next handheld will definitely be out before a decade's time.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Just as long I don't need to upgrade to play my Pokemon, I will be fine if they bring out a next gen.

 

[Zeus]

Just as long I don't need to upgrade to play my Pokemon, I will be fine if they bring out a next gen.

you and me the same buddy... Pokemon gotta catch em' all...ON ONE DEVICE!

 

[Benstamania]

Soooooooooooooooooooo..... My 3DS crapped the bed and I didn't feel like paying 200+ for another one (more so since I recently got a PS4 and XBox One) and after playing with my son's 2DS.. I decided to get the Pokemon/2DS bundle at Target. It will hold me over until Nintendo's next gen hand held.

Daaaang this thing is ridiculously comfy.

 

[Duke]

Soooooooooooooooooooo..... My 3DS crapped the bed and I didn't feel like paying 200+ for another one (more so since I recently got a PS4 and XBox One) and after playing with my son's 2DS.. I decided to get the Pokemon/2DS bundle at Target. It will hold me over until Nintendo's next gen hand held.

Daaaang this thing is ridiculously comfy.

What did you do to it, because the 3ds are pretty good at taking beatings?