Topic: What are you playing on 3DS? (2023 Edition)

@Bluesaxo Yeah I'll definitely give it another chance, maybe the game hasn't unveiled all the mechanics yet. Haven't seen the show, but I'll keep an eye on it, once I finish my tv backlog

I intend to (yet probably won't) finish off Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright this year which I briefly started yet never completed despite liking both series as I think a couple of big games came out around that time which distracted me.

I also wouldn't mind replaying Ever Oasis, Codename S.T.E.A.M., Fire Emblem Fates (I'm pretty sure I didn't do one of the routes) and SMT 4 Apocalypse one day too but with my Steam and Switch backlog starting to build up and just looking at the games on my Switch homepage there's 5 games (Fire Emblem Engage, Mario + Rabbids 2, Bayonetta 3, Persona 3, Pokémon Violet) I've barely touched that would normally be day one binges so I may keep putting off my 3DS games.

I'm currently playing the following 3 games:

• Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk
• Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Currently? Fire Emblem: Fates and Advance Wars: Dark Conflict.

@GreenTea I mean, at the end of the day, the alignments only really matter for the ending you're going for, and unless you're going for the True Demon Ending, the only difference is a 5-ish minute sequence at the very end. I just appreciated them putting a little more thought into the ideologies in this entry.

Nocturne is rough compared to IV/IV:A/V, and does sometimes border on being plotless, but it does have this edgy arthouse horror vibe to it that I like. And, of course, it introduced the press-turn combat system to the series, which is the foundation for modern combat in most other modern MegaTen games.

SMT V might be even more plotless than SMT III, to be honest. Or, more appropriately, there's less plot development overall, even though it has the structure of a game that should have a substantive plot. They were going for that Nocturne vibe, but the big difference is that Nocturne's plotlessness works out better because so much of the game is spent slowly piecing together what happened to the world, whereas you know fairly quickly what's happening in SMT V.

It's a shame because, in many respects, it really is a brilliant game. Crucially, it's the first and, thus far, only game they've made that doesn't feel like it's stuck in PS2-era game design. It's a very modern feeling MegaTen in terms of the scope of its environments, its environmental interactivity, and some of the cool setpieces these factors enable. The difficulty is also pretty accessible, and hard mode is a good challenge without feeling cheap. And the music is creepy and brilliant. It also has some of the best side-quests in the series. Actually, a lot of side-quest content feels like it would have main story content in another game, so it's a much more satisfying experience if you do everything and explore thoroughly.

I do think SMT V essentially perfected the moment-to-moment of the gameplay, to such a degree that I just lost countless hours when I was playing it. With a better story, it'd be a good candidate for best entry in the series, or at least second best.

I do wish SMT V had kicked off more than it did. It did end up creeping over a million copies sold, which is nothing compared to any of the modern Persona games. RPGs are so popular on Switch, and Nintendo pushed the game so hard at its events that I'm inclined to say a million copies means it wasn't a failure, and nothing more.

Atlus has gradually made their hardcore series like SMT and Etrian Odyssey more accessible over the years, but the reception for the Soulsborne games show that might have been a mistake. There is definitely a sizeable niche of people who gravitate toward games that market themselves as being hard-as-nails.

With that said, Persona's humor, striking sense of style, and attractive anime people immediately make it more appealing in terms of its potential mass appeal.

I'll stick by my long held position that Etrian Odyssey IV is the single best game to play in the series if you're only gonna experience one of them. It's accessible (but still challenging if you play on a harder difficulty, which I'd recommend), has one of the best OSTs in the series, and evolved the traditional series gameplay with overworld exploration. All of these games are brilliant, but I definitely think it's the best entry point into the series.

Barring that, Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 is good as well, and while the addition of a story mode is anathema to a lot of us classic players, it might be more comfortable to play a version of the game that has pre-designed characters and plot beats. Because traditional Etrian Odyssey games are about as close as you can come to plotless with an RPG. They were designed to evoke memories of classic CRPGs like Wizardry, after all. The focus of the mainline releases was 100% on the awe, terror, and mystery of exploring labyrinths, becoming stronger, and gradually pushing yourself deeper into places humans were never meant to go. The focus on drawing maps added to this, as it was generally on you to find short-cuts, write notes about locations you want to return to, etc. You built your own party of explorers, which meant that there wasn't any inter-party dialogue or character development. Story mode, introduced in the Untold remakes of the first two games, has the traditional gameplay, but gives you a defined party of adventurers, cutscenes, character development, etc. It's not how I enjoy playing the games, but thankfully the Untold games also give you the option of playing them in a more traditional fashion, which I appreciate.

Come to think of it, SMT V's director also directed several of the Etrian Odyssey games. That actually... explains quite a bit about that game's approach to storytelling.

Been playing Kirby: Planet Robobot for the first time, and it's such a fantastic game. Honestly, I think I like it quite a bit more than Return to Dream Land and Triple Deluxe. The mechs that Kirby can pilot are so much fun to use. I'm not done with the game just yet, but I have been getting all the Code Cubes up to the point where I'm at now.

-Rayman 3D (never beat Rayman 2 on other platforms, trying to finish it this time)
-Animal Crossing. New Leaf (Hard to get back into it after New Horizons. Few things were better before, but NH did improve A LOT.)
-Code of Princess (The animation intrigued me).

Tales of the Abyss. Now that is one traditional JRPG - and I’m fine with it. Still very early on, and I’m only chipping away at it, but I like the story and characters, and the voice acting is really decent.

That's oddly brought a flood of non-memories to me. I remember buying Code Of Princess as it had the Atlus name on it plus it was dirt cheap in a sale, waiting for it to download, physically holding my 3DS in my hands as I played it on the morning commute on the tube but I remember literally nothing good or bad about the game itself.

Code of Princess was one of the earliest 3DS games I bought I'm pretty sure.

It's a bizarrely slow beat em up game, and I think was mostly comedic. I couldn't tell you a third thing about it other then I dropped it after not too long.

Yokai Watch 3 Tempura.
After I heard the using of Lie-In or Draggie Soulcery souls (which means I have to sacrifice them into soul orbs) will give you extra EXP points (more leveled up, more EXP bonus points), I tried to hunt either Lie-In or Draggie in Yokai Watch 3.
But the problem was they are pretty hard to get as the chance for them to appear was really small. They are low rank Yokai (Rank E and D) but they have independent supportive ability EXP plus if I bring them in my team.
More of them in my team especially Lie-In which can equip 2 accessories, more EXP points I can get after battle.
Man... It sounds easy to plan but finding them suddenly felt as hard as very rare high rank Yokai.
I need to get at least 5 Lie-In for my team and another 10 Lie-In to be sacrificed into Soulcery souls which I have to upgrade them into level 10.
By bring them of five with 2 Lie-In souls level 10, I could level up my specific Yokai really quick.

So, I was playing the generous demo for the new Theatrhythm game on the Switch. It reminded me how fun the series was.

It also reminded me that I own basically the exact same game on the 3DS, so I've gone back to Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. It's shocking how much of the game I left unplayed, lol.

Only major downside for me is that I'm gonna need to use a headset, because the songs sound very muted when listened to through the 3DS speakers.

Been trying to get back into Monster Hunter 4U. Going from this to Dauntless for a few years then back... Man, these controls seem extra goofy now. >.<

Had already finished the man story, but never did reach G Rank. Right now I've been re-doing lower rank quests just so I can get the feel of things again. That & I could use the zenny.

Rabbids Rumble

Going through all of the Megami Tensei games from the 3DS shop. Might as well get them before it closed.

I somehow found some reasonably priced 3DS games on Amazon, so I should have Majora's Mask 3D, New Super Mario Bros 2, and Kirby Triple Deluxe on my doorstep when I get home. I neglected my 3DS during its heyday, so I feel like I have a lot that I need to pick up/catch up on. Thankfully I hit the big eShop games I really wanted.

Turns out this'll be my main system for awhile thanks to a little game known as Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. I'm quite enjoying my time with it so far despite the slow start. A lot of the game feels like classic Dragon Quest up 'til now, but I know that it'll add a job/vocation system about 25 hours in (currently sitting at around 8 hours). I quite love the 3D effect in this game; while it isn't in my top five 3DS titles that must be played with the effect on, it certainly uses it pretty well IMO.

@Tyranexx I ordered DQ7 myself the other day when a used copy came up for a good price on Amazon (I don't often buy from Amazon but this was one of the 3DS games I most wanted to secure before the prices get too crazy like they have done for some of the DS Dragon Quests, so I jumped on it while I could). Not sure when I get round to playing it; it's pretty intimidating in terms of length, and I haven't even started the copy of DQ8 that I already have. But good to hear that the 3D effect is used well. My main system is a 2DS XL nowadays, but when I do play the game I'll make sure to pop it in my original 3DS at some point to try out the 3D.

I am thinking of starting Metroid Samus Returns because soon I will have both Dread and Prime Remastered, not to mention that I have unfinished Fusion sitting around.

@Dogorilla I don't blame you for jumping on the game now; I can't speak for across the pond, but the prices of many DS and 3DS games on the NA market crept up after the 3DS sunset and only became worse since the pandemic drove up demand. TBH I've had DQ VII backlogged for some time - roughly 3-4 years - since I was putting it off due to length...not to mention it isn't the only long JRPG in my repertoire. It's my fourth mainline Dragon Quest entry. I've previously played and finished the DS versions of IV and V and the 3DS version of VIII. So far V wins for me in terms of plot, but VIII is my favorite in all other departments.

I think some of the contrast for me is more noticeable since VIII doesn't use the 3D effect at all. If I recall, it would've been too much to add that for the little handheld. I'm just happy we can play the game at all!