My 3DS Late Adoption

So, ever since i joined BSP there’s been this annoying bloke, who we won’t name, but will give him the moniker of Mr Q. Ever since day one he’s been harping on about the the 3DS. It picked up lately when i let slip i was considering buying one and it became none stop. So in the end i got one, but i wasn’t going to get a simple normal 3DS; that would be boring!!

I went off and bought myself a Limited Edition Curry Version!! Take that Mr Q!! Well, no it wasn’t a curry edition but it was a rather snazzy black and gold Zelda Limited Edition version. Which at the time of buying was £10 more expensive than a simple black & blue one, of course the cosmic universe loves to laugh at me and the day after i bought it the price of the standard console dropped to £60 cheaper than the Zelda version. So yeah i was a bit pissed over that.

I also bought a power adapter (damn glad of that), Monster Hunter 3, Bravely Default, Fire Emblem, and Pokémon Y (cause it was £2 cheaper than X). For registering the console and Bravely Default i was also given a free game from Nintendo, Super Mario 3D Land; and of course mustn’t forget Zelda which came with the console. So I’ve a good chunk of games to keep me occupied, covering a few varied genres and would be a good starting point for my foray into the realm of 3DS.

So why haven’t i bought one of these before? Several reasons really, the first of which is probably why a lot of people don’t buy them. I always considered it to be a kids and mom & pop bit of hardware.

When you think Nintendo these days you think the Wii, and the Wii was a success because of it’s mom & pop and family play. Which isn’t a bad thing (proven by how well the Wii sold). But for me. there were never enough games to justify the costs involved.

Also a lot of the games, especially on the handheld consoles, were childish looking. Heavily chibified, bright and happy titles like I love my Pets and stuff. So i never really gave the games that were interesting to me (mainly the j-rpg’s) a chance.

The second reason is easy, i just didn’t like the look of the consoles. the 3DS and 3DS XL look like a 80’s handheld, bulky, uncomfortable to use, and just plain old dull. Not as slick and smooth as say the Vita.

The problem for me here is the Nintendo have (seemingly) gone the whole hog on promoting their machines as family consoles. Which while certainly having effect on younger kids, it’s driven away the older, more hardcore (never really liked that term here) gamers such as myself. I like my games to be full on dark and gritty, fun, exciting, and a little naughty!!! (Here’s looking at you Valhalla Knights 3); the very sort of games that Nintendo have little interest in getting on their systems (seemingly).

What they really need to do is find a way of marketing the consoles to both the families and the single guys.

But Lets get back to my device. as i said i bought a Zelda Deluxe Edition:

Which i have to admit does look bloody awesome!! I love the black and gold colouring and the triangle designs, though i do wish the black colouring was on the front and the back as well, but it’s just gold on the front panel.

The box contents however pissed me off big time. Firstly Nintendo in all their wisdom decide not to include an AC Adapter, stating that people would have a cable from their previous consoles. Yet what about people who don’t have a previous console? We’re left high and dry and told to buy a separate adapter. I’d have been okay with it if they’d included a PC cable for charging, those are stupidly cheap. But no, they decided to screw us over, and then add insult to it by over charging. The same console is available in the US and Canada, including the charger for a good chunk less than what i paid. Yes the US has to add tax depending on state your in, but even in the highest tax zone it still works out cheaper. With the international shipping (expedited) it works out around £15 cheaper. So yeah, thanks Nintendo, your EU fans are really feeling the love!!

Then we have Zelda, generally when you buy a console bundle you get the games on disk or cartridge, with a few exceptions. However here all we’re given is a download code, which is garbage. Given the size of the cartridges it would be easy to include it the box without it taking up to much space. So yeah I’m not exactly a happy customer. To be fair though, that was in the description that it was a download code and missing the AC adapter, but i really wish Nintendo would think of their customers a bit more!!

So what are my thoughts on the console? It’s AWESOME!!

In some ways it’s better than the Vita, i love the split screen side of things, especially when it comes to openings of games. Watching a creditless opening, in 3D on the big screen while the credits are on the lower screen is amazing. The opening for Bravely Default and Fire Emblem just blew my mind. The way the games work, splitting the main game and the other stuff, such as map, inventory, and others to the bottom screen is a master stroke on Nintendo’s part. Have to give them credit for that!!

Another thing to give them credit for is the streamlining of the games. Most of the games i have run between 400mb-900mb and still manage to look pretty damn good, though not as good as on the Vita. However the 3D aspect more than makes up for it, when it’s used properly.

Mii is interesting, along with StreetPass, but the way it’s implemented into the games leaves a lot to be desired at times. Yet it is a novel way of doing things, and prompts me to take my 3DS out with me rather than leaving it at home. The other aspect i really like is the Mii Universe, game forums designed and built to be read ON your 3DS. Now that’s something Sony should learn about. I love the 3DS UI as well, it’s nice and simple and easy to use. Moving things around is a lot easier with the stylus is a lot easier than fingers on the Vita’s touch screen. I also love the clam shell design, though i have to admit i didn’t like it initially. It offers protection to the screens that would be lacking otherwise, and is definitely lacking from the Vita.

One thing i hate however is the single thumb pad, these days twin pads are pretty much mandatory. Monster Hunter 3 proves that point, the game is damn near impossible to play without the Circle PRO Pad, which you have to buy separate for a whopping £20. It feels like Nintendo realised they screwed up the design and forgot the 2nd pad. so they made the Circle PRO to fix it. I don’t like that fact i keep having to buy accessories just to play games.

In the end though, i do like my 3DS XL, and while i do feel a bit ripped off by Nintendo over the price, i think it’ll keep me entertained for many hours. Hopefully more so than my Vita which has sat on my desk untouched for near a month now. I’ll post later on about my initial thoughts on the games, if i can ever put Bravely Default down!!

You can add me on Mii using my Nintendo Friend Code: 3797-7381-7321