I haven't had as much time as I'd like to play the wonderful 3D remake of one of the best Zelda games ever, but I figured I'd do a quick post on it for those that still haven't bought a 3DS and wondering if it's really worth the money. There's so much negative press surrounding the 3DS right now, and although most of it is warranted, very few ever mention that the 3DS is actually a very neat piece of hardware. I feel bad for those that aren't able to handle the 3D functionality of the system, as the depth and effect it gives off in games really gives an experience that no other system can offer. I don't care if you're wearing funky glasses while trying to play your Playstation 3 in 3D. Sliding the 3D slider to 2D and back up to full 3D in Ocarina of Time leaves me staring in complete awe, and that says a lot.
Not much keeps my interest these days but I really have to admit that Ocarina of Time on the 3DS is an awfully beautiful game to just look at. The little effects of Navi flying by, or the feathers flying off a cuckoo is pretty impressive. Fortunately I'm one of the apparently rare few that can play the 3DS on full 3D without any adverse effects so I'm able to take advantage of what the system is all about. I can definitely see the plight of those that can't enjoy the 3D, which really leaves the 3DS being a beefed up DS with a remake of an old game being it's only real title.
Look, if you have any doubts of getting the 3DS, go check it out at your local video game retailer. See if you can live with the 3D effect. I really think the complaints are completely blown out of proportion. I can easily sit there for an hour or two straight of playing a game and never do I get annoyed or irked that the 3D is out of focus. Maybe I have magical eyes that focus quickly compared to the rest of the editorial world out there, but I really think there's way more people that can enjoy the 3D than those that can't. Sure the 3DS had some really weak launch titles, but there's some bright ones on the horizon. And if you're really thinking that the eShop or internet browser was a selling point to the 3DS, well then you're just silly. I will admit that my 3DS sat around gathering dust shortly after the initial release of the hardware. Street Fighter IV and Ghost Recon got my attention every now and then, but mostly when I was lying in bed and looking for something to do before I fell asleep. But I will say that if Ocarina of Time's remake is any sign of what's to come then the 3DS will be a very good purchase for me.
And seriously, was the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3's launch titles really that great? Hell, the Playstation 3 barely gets any good titles now. Stop hating on the 3DS, it's a solid system that offers something no other gaming platform does. Sure some may think it's gimmicky, but gaming is all about adding onto the experience. To me, the addition of 3D and the way it's done in Ocarina of Time makes the game exponentially better to enjoy. Instead of being annoyed having to catch cuckoos and throw them into a pen (who the hell believed that was "gameplay" when they came up with it?) I don't mind running around and figuring it out because it's just so neat to look at.
I'm completely anti-3D if it involves glasses. I only watched Avatar to see what the hype was all about... but I can't imagine having to game in the comforts of my own home, staring at my television, while wearing silly little glasses. And truth be told, the 3D effect coming out of those expensive Sony televisions isn't even close to the solid realism that the 3DS has to offer. If you're able to witness the full effect of the 3DS' 3D, it's very natural. It's not your Captain EO's "I want to reach my hands out and grab that furry creature" type of 3D - it's depth that brings things to life. When staring at a laptop, computer monitor, television and phone screen all day that isn't in 3D, then turning on the 3DS, it's very refreshing to see a new perspective on how things can be done.
In anticipation to tomorrow's release of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS, I've been reading up a lot of reviews and came across a cool article on
GamesRadar comparing the 3DS' visuals with the N64's original release. Considering how long ago the game originally came out, it's a given that there would be vast improvements, but seeing just how greatly improved the visuals and environments are on the 3DS, I really can't wait to get my hands on the game tomorrow. It's about time the 3DS came out with a real game and hopefully it'll hold me over until Starfox comes out.
So I was one of those people that went nerd crazy when Nintendo announced its 3DS. Obviously I'm a big geek when it comes to anything and everything technology related, and the idea of a glasses-free 3D display intrigued me. I kept up with the news and pre-ordered one with Best Buy as soon as I was able to. Like everyone else that was interested in the 3DS, I read each and every article that was released once the unit got into people's hands. But one thing I refused to do was spoil the system itself by playing a demo unit somewhere. I avoided that at all costs until I was able to pick mine up, which was this morning. I charged the sucker up and picked up two games, Super Street Fighter IV and Ghost Recon Shadow Wars. Yes the launch titles are pretty weak, especially for a Nintendo product, so I went with what the majority of the websites out there recommended were worth the money.
Read my first day impressions after the break.
The Nintendo 3DS is well, simply put, pretty awesome.
March will be an exciting month for me. Not only will it be my birthday, but there's a nice collection of releases that I hope to get my hands on, so expect March to be a starting month for me to start writing some real reviews on all sorts of goodies.
I'll be kicking off the month on March 1st by getting Rift, taking a break from World of Warcraft. For those that haven't read or seen much on Rift, I'll be posting up a Beta impressions shortly as I try to sneak some more time in to play some more. After having played so many MMORPGs in my life, Rift is sort of refreshing, taking the best elements from various MMORPGs and combining it into one. It's definitely not groundbreaking or revolutionary, but the way they handle character classes makes it a sure buy to at least explore for a few months.
Even though I didn't play a ton of Dragon Age, I'll probably be picking up Dragon Age 2 to check out during Rift downtime.
I'll be extra excited for March 22nd, when Dissidia Duodecim comes out, the sequel to Dissidia, Square Enix's treat to Final Fantasy players. I'm a huge Final Fantasy junkie, so I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time unlocking everything - just like I did for the original Dissidia. Expect some lengthy posts on that one I'm sure.
On the 27th I'll get my hands on Nintendo's 3DS, which has been intrigued me since the day it was announced. I'm all about new technology and glasses-free 3D on a portable gaming system is most certainly new technology that I can be interested in. So be ready for a huge write up on my 3DS impressions including videos and photos on launch day.
Then to close on the month on the 29th I'll be picking up The 3rd Birthday for PSP. For those unaware of what The 3rd Birthday is all about, it's the third installment in the Parasite Eve series. The first two were released for Playstation and were an interesting survival horror type third-person shooter game. It's been well over a decade since I've visited the world of Parasite Eve, so it'll be interesting to see how Square Enix has evolved the series and whether or not any actual effort was put into the development of the game. I'll be pretty disappointed if it's just a mediocre product simply cashing out on whatever they can on the series.
Until then, I'll be updating throughout the week catching up on my World of Warcraft adventures over the last few months and Rift Beta impressions.