This week we've been celebrating the one-year anniversary of 3DS, a landmark that finds the handheld in relatively good health. It's been a dramatic, at times traumatic beginning for the console, so some of the Nintendo Life team got together to talk about their experiences and opinions of the system's first year.
Joining features editor Thomas Whitehead are editor James Newton, assistant editor Mike Mason, downloads editor Corbie Dillard, community administrator and chat room overlord Desiree Turner, and contributors Dave Frear and Mark Reece. We discuss the system's launch, early problems, the infamous price drop and its current day status, without necessarily agreeing all of the time. We hope you'll find a comfortable seat and join us.
Thomas Whitehead: First things first, please introduce yourselves to our lovely readers.
James Newton: Hello everybody! My name is James Newton and I'm the editor of Nintendo Life. I like fine wine, fine food and games with talking animals.
Corbie Dillard: I'm Corbie Dillard, Downloads Editor for Nintendo Life and lover of all things Vita, err I mean Nintendo.
Dave Frear: I'm Dave Frear, aka that guy who reviewed the Virtual Boy games.
Mark Reece: I'm Mark Reece. I’ve written some features and reviews for Nintendo Life, both of which have been repeatedly described as "contentious".
Mike Mason: I'm Mike Mason, assistant editor of Nintendo Life, proud reviewer of such classics as 101-in-1 Explosive Megamix.
Desiree Turner: I'm Des, but most of you probably know me already as theblackdragon. I like rainbows, long walks on the beach, and enforcing our Community Rules with an iron fist.
Thomas Whitehead: And I'm Thomas, reviewer of more than 10 Successfully Learning DSiWare games. First question, when you first got hold of a 3DS, what grabbed your attention?
Mike Mason: Its 3D! To be completely unoriginal, the screen.
James Newton: Are we talking about when we first bought or when we first played one? Remember I touched one months before you guys.
Thomas Whitehead: First time is fine James, you show off.
Dave Frear: Yeah it was the 3D. I had been curious to see what the effect was like and spent quite a bit of time just looking at the games rather than playing them. I liked snapping away with the 3D camera too.
James Newton: I remember seeing the Resident Evil demo in 3D and knowing I was in the presence of the future. Seeing proper depth in Pilotwings Resort was just amazing.
Corbie Dillard: Well as some of you may remember, I was one of the first people on the planet outside of Nintendo to play the 3DS at E3, and I thought it was incredible, absolutely…well you get the idea.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the sheer depth of the display. I had built up a picture in my mind about how it might be, but it just blew me away at just how much depth there truly was. And seeing Ocarina of Time that night at the Developer's Roundtable was jaw dropping. Seeing a game I'd enjoyed for years, now with that incredible depth, made me so excited for what it could offer as far as a portable gaming experience.
Mark Reece: For me, aside from the 3D, it was the wealth of built-in software. I spent ages fiddling around with all the bits and pieces on there. Oh, and the Circle Pad, too: no more repeatedly and tentatively poking at a d-pad to negotiate a narrow ledge in Rayman!
Dave Frear: I thought Pilotwings was a good one for showing off the system to newcomers.
Mike Mason: Yeah, Pilotwings was one of the first things I played pre-release, too. It totally sold me on the system.
Thomas Whitehead: I went to a public preview event in Glasgow, and the demo I got to first was Ridge Racer. The 3D was so extraordinary I just drove into a wall.
Desiree Turner: I'm with Mark — to be honest, the home menu was what impressed me most at first! So many options, so many different things to mess around with. The DSi home menu is kind of bare-bones in comparison to all the things that were there when I first turned on my 3DS. I'm probably one of the few people who didn't buy it for the 3D!
James Newton: It’s interesting that nobody talks about Pilotwings now. At the time though it was really impressive, wasn't it? A game with a proper horizon and everything.
Mike Mason: It's still great, it's just that it only lasted about two hours...
Mark Reece: Am I the only person who found Pilotwings — 3D aside — underwhelming?
Desiree Turner: Pilotwings is kind of like the AR games — we messed around with them, and now we're on to other things.
Thomas Whitehead: Pilotwings would have been a good eShop launch title, to be perfectly honest, but was certainly eye-popping. When I had my own 3DS, I was also quite pleased with the operating system. It felt surprisingly modern, initially, by Nintendo standards.
Dave Frear: I skipped the DSi so I guess I was ready for more than just 3D in my upgraded handheld, but it was very impressive.
James Newton: Oh, and the AR games were amazing.
Dave Frear: They were but I don't think I've played them since the first day.
Mike Mason: Ha, I remember showing people the AR games and everybody gasped at their tables caving in.
Mark Reece: My brother loves putting lava on his kitchen worktops. Or something. To be honest, the AR games are the one thing on 3DS I've not really bothered with.
Thomas Whitehead: I often played AR games in 2D because of all the moving around. Anyone else do that?
Desiree Turner: I did, because the 3D hurts my eyes. I've turned on the 3D maybe a handful of times since I bought mine.
Dave Frear: The 3D in general is a pain if you lean ever so slightly out of the sweet spot.
Mark Reece: Same here, Des. Mostly because I'm partially sighted, and can't hold the 3DS that far away from me for too long. So I can play in 2D and see what I'm doing, or be impressed by 3D and drive into a wall, Tom-style.
Desiree Turner: Tom isn't that bad at MK7, I've raced him a few times!
Dave Frear: I crank the 3D up to full. I'm hardcore! Or something...
Thomas Whitehead: Our head-to-head is heavily in your favour, Des! So, a bit of variation in early experiences, overall. When the console launched and had issues with a lacking software library, low sales etc, how did you think it would turn out for Nintendo at the time?
Corbie Dillard: I knew it would only be a matter of time before it took off. It's pretty clear that Nintendo rushed the 3DS out the door, so the lack of games after launch was no real shock to me. And once the inevitable price drop came, along with the top tier first-party titles we knew were coming during the holiday season, it was smooth sailing from there on out.
I thought then that a price drop was a possibility, but I didn't expect it so soon. I thought it would be closer to the Vita launch.
Desiree Turner: I figured it'd be the same as it was for the DSi — a long wait, though the 3DS was guaranteed a nice full library eventually.
James Newton: I remember getting my 3DS at launch and thinking "this is great!" and putting it aside for about three months... I love it to bits now, but at the time I thought it would struggle. It's certainly turned around!
Dave Frear: To begin with I didn't worry. The lack of eShop was annoying but I knew it was on the way, same with big name games. After a while though I did think 'I thought it would be doing better than this'. I thought then then a price drop was a possibility, but I didn't expect it so soon. I thought it would be closer to the Vita launch.
Desiree Turner: The DS had quite a few good games out at the time, though, so I was able to finish up Okamiden (yay circle pad!), Radiant Historia and others in the meantime.
Mike Mason: I was pretty optimistic about it. I knew Nintendo would turn it around, you don't let a few setbacks take you down after you've ran a market for two decades. There were a few jitters, but on the whole I figured Nintendo would sort it out.
Dave Frear: I think some people saw the good regular DS games, not much on the 3DS and decided the upgrade wasn't worth the expense.
Thomas Whitehead: I was concerned that the problems would lose Iwata his job. A strange priority I know, but I admire his vision and conviction, and wanted him to stay at the helm.
Mike Mason: Ah yes, I felt the same way, Tom. I didn't want to see Iwata go!
James Newton: I should imagine Iwata had some very tense conversations over the summer of 2011...
Desiree Turner: Something as amazing and innovative as the 3DS, though, I don't see Nintendo allowing Iwata to take the company down like that. They already had the new-handheld blunder with the Virtual Boy (it was technically a portable...), they wouldn't allow it to happen again!
Mark Reece: I bought my 3DS with Pilotwings and Rayman, neither of which blew me away. I then didn't buy anything until Ocarina of Time 3D... then Star Fox 64 3D... then Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Couple that with the late arrival of the eShop, and from March until November, I was thinking, "Nintendo might actually mess this up".
Obviously now, things are running a lot smoother. But there was a time when I was genuinely worried that I'd spent £200 on something that would be obsolete in a year.
Mike Mason: Despite my optimism, I have to say I didn't really play the thing for a few months after launch.
Thomas Whitehead: You made a good point earlier about the brand and the sense of ‘upgrading’, Dave. Do you guys think sticking a ‘3’ in the name confused people in the early days, particularly with the slow start in software?
Mike Mason: The name remains a mistake. It sounds good, but it's confusing. I think Nintendo liked its word play a little too much and couldn't let it go.
Mark Reece: The "3" was no doubt confusing. Peoples' attention would naturally be drawn to the "DS", as opposed to the "3D". I imagine many people wondered why they should bother with it.
Dave Frear: I do think some people thought it was just a DS but with a 3D effect applied, and that maybe 3DS games would still work on their existing system, albeit in 2D.
A lot of people also didn't seem to care about the 3D. At one point the adverts started to mention it less and I think Nintendo wished it had been called the DS3 instead.
Corbie Dillard: I think anytime you put the name of the previous game system in the new title, you're leaving yourself open to the possibility of consumers automatically assuming it's just a minor upgrade. But by the same token, I know once people got a chance to see the system and what it could do in person, the assumption of it being just a small step up from the DS would quickly dissipate.
I think anytime you put the name of the previous game system in the new title, you're leaving yourself open to the possibility of consumers automatically assuming it's just a minor upgrade.
Desiree Turner: To be absolutely honest, what else would they have called it?
James Newton: NINTENDO OMNIBOX.
Desiree Turner: I'm having a hard time coming up with something that doesn't sound like what James just said!
Mike Mason: 3Dii?
Mark Reece: DS3D?
Thomas Whitehead: Mark mentioned a concern about a £200 handheld failing and becoming obsolete. How much did the price drop and big game releases turn it around later in the year? Or to put it another way, would the device have enjoyed a turnaround with the big games and its original price?
James Newton: I think Mario Kart and Super Mario 3D Land would have sold a £200 3DS no problem. People love those games.
Mark Reece: Personally, if Nintendo delivers the goods, then I'll buy the games. More Mario, Zelda, etc was why I bought the 3DS, and why many consumers would have splashed the cash. I'm not sure if even some of the big-hitters would have enjoyed nearly as much success had the 3DS not had its price slashed though. Weren't software and hardware sales pretty dismal up until that point?
Mike Mason: Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land were critical going into that holiday period, but I think the system could have used them far closer to launch and they would have done just fine. The slowing down post-launch might not have happened if they'd come a little sooner.
James Newton: It's telling that Zelda is yet to top 1m sales in the US but SM3DL and MK7 are both well past that point. I imagine the price has something to do with that...
Thomas Whitehead: Good point that, so both were perhaps needed, price drop AND games.
Mark Reece: I agree with Mike. A quick barrage of Zelda, Star Fox, Mario 3D, MK7 in the summer drought period would have been a great help in the 3DS' early struggle for sales.
Dave Frear: I think the big games would have still sold well but the price drop enticed a bunch of people who would have waited a few years before maybe picking a 3DS up.
Corbie Dillard: I think the price drop, in conjunction with the big name Nintendo titles, were a great combination. While I have no doubt Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 would have boosted sales of the system quite a bit, I don't think it would have exploded quite the way it did without the rather radical price drop.
Let's face it, dropping the price of the 3DS less than 6 months after its launch, not to mention by one third, was a mammoth drop and a far cry from the way Nintendo normally carries out pricing on its hardware. But I think Nintendo knew it needed to do something to kick start the system's sales, and it worked like a charm.
Desiree Turner: Nintendo also had bigger fish to fry at that time — with Vita around the corner, they were looking to get that install base up. Those games (and others afterward, and still to come yet) would've sold a full-price 3DS easy, but with the price drop too, I'd imagine they sold much more that way than they would've without the drop.
Mike Mason: I don't think the price was even the biggest problem. Sure, dropping the price helped to turn the fortunes around, but the biggest issue was really the lack of big, system selling titles. The system sold well at its initial price point, people just stopped buying because the games didn't keep coming in the first few months.
Thomas Whitehead: I don't recall huge sales after the initial drop, just an increase. It was really the two Mario titles that truly set it off. I don't think the drop had a huge instant impact, but statistics may prove me wrong.
Let's talk about Nintendo's updates, which tied in with game releases and the price drop, in a sense. How important have the new features and apps been to existing and new 3DS owners, in terms of the device's value?
Corbie Dillard: While I should be ashamed of myself, I pay little attention to the system updates and what new features they bring. The updates are pretty much only a means to an end for me as they are typically necessary in order for me to play games on the system, which is about the only thing I do with it. I don't use the apps on it and I seldom even peruse the system menu other than to quickly select the game I want to play or download.
Having said that, just from seeing posts from fellow 3DS users on the internet, it's clear that many consumers do put quite a bit of stock in the apps and updates, so I think it's important for Nintendo to keep adding new twists to the system, especially as they continue to bring in new 3DS owners.
Desiree Turner: They pull us back in for a few days, and then we set the 3DS aside again, still waiting for the games we want (unless there's a game we're currently playing, of course).
Mark Reece: They've certainly added value for money, considering whenever Nintendo releases a new app or feature for 3DS, it invariably comes free of charge. Imagine how impressed you were at how much pre-loaded stuff there was on 3DS at launch: now imagine being a new 3DS owner now and being presented with all this cool free stuff.
Dave Frear: Like Des I don't bother with them much. I've liked some of the shorts on the video channel but I wish they were doing more with it.
James Newton: I like having the icons on my 3DS menu more than I like using them.
Desiree Turner: Ditto!
Mark Reece: I like arranging them into categories. I'm obsessive like that.
Mike Mason: I'm very obsessive with my icons, they're in groups!
Desiree Turner: I put the ones I don't use on the second page, and I rearrange my games according to which ones I'm currently playing.
Dave Frear: I'm always reorganising but for some reason I keep the ones I don't use on the first page.
Mark Reece: I arrange them by DSiWare, 3DSWare, app, etc.
Thomas Whitehead: Let’s not talk too much about the excitement of icon organisation!
Comments 64
good interview
yes this year for the 3ds HAS gone fast
I laughed when they were talking about menu organization, I do that also! Also, I'm really happy with my 3DS, having 29 retail games and a ton of eshop downloads!
This was a pretty awesome article.
BTW, Mark, how did you beat SM3DL without 3D?
Did you just not use the bonus rooms?
@Bobhobob I beat it without 3D. I only used it for the cutscenes because the photo's looked cool with it on.
@Article: I don't think a 3DS revision will be needed, because while it's UGLY it's also adds width to it so you don't get hand cramps as much, and their are options to play the games that use it without it. Nintendo should wait until the 3DS's 3rd B-day before making a 3DS Xl/Lite to make sure that people will buy the device and add as many fixes as possible, as the CPP might not be the only add on for the 3DS.
I'ld say the 3DS' first year is just absolutely amazing so far. I own 5 3DS carts (more on the way, just waiting for ebay lol) and I got 11 3DS eShop downloads. I'ld say Nintendo is on the right track, can't wait for Wii U!
Luigi's Mansion? No excitement for Fire Emblem, huh?
@SkywardLink98 Yes, they should wait to the 3 year anniversary of the 3ds to release a new 3ds, because a lot of people would be pissed if they released it this year, and like you said, it would allow them to add other features. I just hope that these features would be able to attain on the current 3ds through an update (excluding a better screen, unless they could possibly make multiple sweet spots through an update) it also would be nice if nintendo made a new battery to sell, so that you could change it without voiding your warranty.
@Gamesake I'm pretty excited about Fire Emblem, actually, but didn't remember to say so during the Round Table I'm late to the series and I only started thanks to the GBA Ambassador games, but I'll certainly be picking it up this summer.
Its been a decent year so far. The start was terribad,the middle was kind of bad, but the tail end was awesome.
As far as what's next I'm really not sure what to expect. I don't think the E3 preset will have a big focus on 3ds at all.
disappointment is really the only word that comes to mind to describe the 3DS's first year in my experience with it, the only other machine I felt this disappointed by a year on was the original PSP and I eventually sold that the only ever games machine I got rid off, I have high hopes that Paper Mario will go a long way to changing how I feel about the 3DS but so far so meh as far as I'm concerned.
I never thought it was doomed because i know nintendo
fun, interesting interviews.
the only thing that sort of bugs me is the concept that the public is made up of idiots who know nothing about systems. a lot of the parents who are buying systems for their kids today have been gaming themselves for years. i know each generation feels they invented everything from sex to video games, but it is just not true.
i have seen as many adults with 3DSes as kids, tbh. we have played these franchises from the beginning; at least some of us have. please stop with the 'the public is easily confused' type of nonsense. give us some credit for at least a modicum of intelligence and experience.
It is not just the name 3DS that was a mistake but the game boxes look almost identical to the DS ones. You go to Wal-mart and they have the DS and 3DS games all jumbled up so it can be quite confusing even when you know what you are looking for.
This was a nice little feature.
I've been immensely satisfied with the first year of the 3DS, I play it more than any other system. Having said that, I'm also a diehard oldschooler, so the game I've played more than any else in the past two months or so was.... 3D Classics: Xevious. And this coming from someone who never played the original Xevious.
And before that it was Mario Kart: Super Circuit from the Ambassador titles. Sooo,mI also played the heck out of Ocarina of Time 3D, Metroid 2: Return of Samus, Super Mario Land and Super Mario 3D Land. I think Nintendo has done a fine job so far.
@k8sMum I think this is true. It's funny, the other week I didn't bring my netbook to a Bible Study because I was in a rush, but I ALWAYS bring my 3DS with me (because of the pedometer, actually. I love to take a look at it and find out how many steps I've taken) and I ended up using Swapnote for the first time, to take notes! It was funny to see the reactions of the young college-age kids there with me, a few gave me questioning looks lol. But it actually worked quite well. The guy in front of me (we were at Starbucks) had his giant laptop on the table blocking my view, so it was actually nice to have this little system in front of me that can also take notes. I say this as a guy who doesn't own and hasn't owned any Apple products, so no iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad for me. If I had one I may have used that instead.
I think it's great that Nintendo seems to really be pushing Spirit Camera, and with the fact that Resident Evil: Revelations and RE: Mercenaries 3D and Snake Eater 3D just came out, I think it bodes well for the future and for Nintendo getting behind some more Mature titles. Revelations is the game I want the most BY FAR on any system, and I'll likely be buying it after I pick up Xenoblade Chronicles.
As mentioned in this article though, it'll be really interesting and a real test of the 3DS' strength (or lack thereof) once E3 comes around and we learn more about the Wii U and a release date. Will the PS Vita overshadow the 3DS? Will the hype for Wii U hurt the 3DS? I think the 3DS has done quite well with a number of original games, but it also has a TON of ports. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think ports like Devil Survivor OverClocked and Tales of the Abyss are GREAT examples of ports done right. As is Snake Eater. I also am surprised at how many great fighting games the 3DS has: Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Super Street Fighter IV 3D and BlazBlue Continuum Shift II, the 3DS is doing a pretty good job of covering all the bases when you really think about it. And it has enough RPG, Fighting and Survival Horror titles to satisfy those hardcore niche audiences that love those games,
I think that bodes well for the future. Personally I'm most looking forward to Luigi's Mansion 2 (never played the original... yet. Always wanted it), Paper Mario (another series I've never played >_<), Fire Emblem (ditto. Sending a pattern?) and Animal Crossing. Those are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. But I'm really looking forward to what Nintendo has in store at E3. I'm hoping for a new 2D Metroid or a remake/remastering of Super Metroid.... And I'm still holding out hope that Nintendo will bring the whole Mother series or EarthBound to 3DS in reworked/remastered form.....
Btw I was really surprised to hear all this talk of the StreetPass as if it was a feature... I think there's something I don't know about... I've still yet to click on the Mii Plaza so maybe that's what all the talk is about?
The 3DS lauch line up was one of the best I've ever seen. It was the fact that nothing was released after launch which gives it a bad name.
@k8sMum You're making a fair point, though I'd say that the comments from the guys were quite fair, based on the numbers of Wii and DSi consoles connected online. I don't have the sources to hand, but both of those consoles had pretty low connectivity rates in comparison to other consoles. While there are plenty of parents who are up-to-the-minute and connecting Nintendo consoles, there are a number who aren't.
James made a good point about the 3DS being taken online more than Wii, which is perhaps an indication that, in the coming years, that perception of Nintendo owners not knowing about online functionality will start to become a thing of the past.
As for the 'public is easily confused', Corbie raised the point about friends not knowing about the eShop, and I had a stint in retail where I had a lot of people asking me if their DSi would play 3DS games. Again, I think times are changing and, with mainstream media picking up gaming as a topic more and more, it'll be less of an issue in the future.
to many threads about talking about the first year of the 3ds,it had a hard start and then it went silky smooth,now lets talk about the upcoming years shall we
I love my 3ds is a grate console.
@astrotriforce
" I was really surprised to hear all this talk of the StreetPass as if it was a feature... I think there's something I don't know about... I've still yet to click on the Mii Plaza so maybe that's what all the talk is about?"
Umm... Considering that StreetPass IS an important feature...yes, you're missing something. You wouldn't have gotten any Miis if you never opened the Plaza. -_-
I am actually happy with the 3DS. The slow start did not affect me since I had a ton of catching up to do as I never got a DS/DSi, and now there are plenty of great games to choose from both in retail and downloads.
I also love how Club Nintendo is giving away games as rewards now, and the 3DS has benefited a lot from that. Loving Mario Picross. Things like this (and the Ambassador games last year) should entice more people to connect their systems online. Same with the eShop demos.
There are many things I don't take advantage of, like Street pass and Swapnote, but it is nice to have them anyway.
eehm, is it just me or is everyone on the Nintendo Life team aside from James not actually very into Nintendo games? It seems the prefer Sony and Vita more than what they actually write about T.T James seems to always be positive about the 3ds and Nintendo in general though.
@ThomasBW84 actually, thomas, i would put that down to the fact that nintendo has never done the 'net thing well enough for some people to bother with. until they make it so people can easily communicate with others online, they will be sorely lacking in that important element of electronics. i would give up nintendo videos for youtube any day.
And also is that Mark Reece guy a Vita fanboy, he surely sounds quite a bit like it, so may i ask what he's doing on a Nintendo ONLY site? Is it just becomes he got a job and took it, not very reassuring at all T.T
I don't see why liking another product as much or more than nintendo should bar you from reviewing nintendo games, besides surely we all know Sega is superior to all
also its not exactly a job its a voluntary position
@ChosenOne25
it keeps us from having sunshine blown up our skirts all the time re: honest reviews of systems, games etc.
also, some of us have room in our hearts for more than one corportation and their products.
@k8sMum I own both PSP and DS & 3DS so I'm not only loyal to one brand. I play PC as well by the way, but the way that guy describes the 3ds is like he doesn't even like it, so why bother reviewing games or even writing about it. I, on one hand, really love my 3ds and carry it around every day because of coin collections, streetpass, and spotpass. There are so many features to keep you going, but he made it sound like they don't mean anything T.T That's why I'm a little irritated.
@ChosenOne25 fair enough. i really appreciate that there are some reviewers here that are not hardcore ninty fans; i think it does make for a better mix. also, many gamers just want good games and don't really care about streetpass etc. different strokes and all that.
btw: i carry my 3ds most places, also (even tho i don't get many streetpass hits) but for those days i am working at home i sit and just wiggle the unit around by hand til i get my coins.
@ChosenOne25 I'm not a Vita fanboy. I don't even own one; handheld-wise, I just own a 3DS. I was merely pointing out that 3DS devs should stop trying to shoehorn ports onto the system — because the Vita is far better suited to them — and actually do something that makes use of the 3DS' capabilities.
I'm with Mark, I like arranging all my icons on the menu into categories probably more than playing the games themselves. Especially my large ambassador category. I loved the price drop because of those 20 free games. My 3DS has been my "girlfriend" for the past year as my running joke goes. I'm quite satisfied with it so far and look forward to when Fire Emblem comes out. Other things too, but also Fire Emblem.
I honestly think the 3DS vs. Vita thing is overblown. They have very different markets in the end, and much of the respective bases wouldn't cross over.
When Iwata says that Nintendo considers its competition not to be other game consoles but primarily to be other entertainment in general (from YouTube to any other quick distractions), I'd say he's onto something. The 3DS needs to sell consumers on the idea of a fun gadget-toy with some nifty features; it doesn't need to worry about competing for some elusive "gamer" core.
THE 3DS IS... EPIC!
@ChosenOne25: Of all the people to peg as a 'Vita fanboy', Corbie's the one to watch out for. :3
That said, you don't have to be an uber-fan of other products to express disappointment with what you've got. I've been playing Nintendo systems since before I entered kindergarten, and I've got very fond memories of the Christmases we scored our NES, SNESes, Game Boys, the N64, and then as the Wii rolled out my husband and I purchased one, and then our Lites, DSis, and now my 3DS. No offense to you or anyone else, but even as a dyed-in-the-wool Nintendo fan, for me the first year of the 3DS kinda sucked up until this past holiday season. Bring on the new year, y'know? :3
@Sam_Loser2 I love arranging my icons too, I LOl'd when they mentioned that, cos I only just rearrranged mine the other day. I love having Icons more than I like playing the games, which freaks me out because I have ambassador games that i've either yet to play or haven't finished yet.
Anyone have all the Kid Icarus games on their 3DS yet? I have my games arranged by series and it's ridiculous when I know I've got the ENTIRE Kid Icarus Series on my 3DS, yes thats right, 3D Classics Kid Icarus, Of Myths and Monsters and Uprising.
A few things I want to note
Historically
nintendo handheld support has been better than any other system in that respective gen.........talking about third party support and nintendo portables is ridiculous
especually for the 3ds
Layton 5, inazuma 4, rocket slime 3, resident evil, tales of the abyss, and more? in the first year? un heard of
Secondly sales wise no system is doing better than the 3ds is right now, so its full steam ahead
"Mike Mason: I think the line-up is decent now, yeah. I'm not massively fussed about Kid Icarus"
Prepare yourself for pain, Mr. Mason...
Mark Reece: "Apart from games that use 3D to its full potential, I demand a fourth entry in the Mario & Luigi RPG series."
10 points for you.
Not impressed at all with that first year. And having devs trying things for the 3DS that the console cannot really support well is even more frustrating, RE and Metal Gear are good examples of poor controls and/or performances, and this also applies to Nintendo with Kid Ikarus and the most terrible way I've seen to implement camera/sight control, all these only help to make more evident the critical design flaws of the device. On the other hand you also have "modest" games that suite perfectly with what the console is able to do, as for example Mario K 7.
Reggie visited my Mii Plaza.
i disagree with what desiree said about the new pokemon games. It would have taken them far too long to get the Pokemon game out if they had to re-tweak everything into 3D. Plus it's a true sequel to Pokemon Black/White on the DS system so it should be on the DS. Once it's time for the sixth generation, that is when it will be time to put it on the 3DS.
Great discussion. I think it's safe to say the 3DS's first year is one of the most roller coaster years a system has ever had in the first 12 months of launch.
I've loved my 3DS thus far. I'll admit that it had a slow start (as a launch buyer I know how it felt), but for me, the real turnaround came about during the summer. I picked up Dead or Alive Dimensions at the tail end of May (still one of the best games on 3DS, IMO), and Ocarina of Time 3D in June. Those two games (along with a collection of classic GB games) easily kept my attention until the holiday season (and the ambassador games, of course). Also, because I've never played them on their original platforms, none of the ports or remakes have dissapointed me. Everything I've played has been new to me (not counting a few of the NES games, and most of the GBA games), so it's been a fantastic year for me.
@corbie I don't believe your joking...... I've seen you on the playstation site lol
I make no bones about loving my PlayStation Vita system, but if someone made me choose between my Vita and 3DS, the 3DS would win, because nothing beats Nintendo's first-party franchises. Nada!
It's good to see your not a fan boy..... The nintendo vs. Sony wars are rediculous. Each company has something unique that bring different experiences, which is why I try to get products by both of them. I plan on getting a Vita, but it'll have to be next year because nintendo stole my wallet already with the WiiU coming out.
I'm very happy with my 3DS.
I played with it a lot when it launched just because it was my exciting new system.
And sure, it then had a quiet period for quite a long time but it never really bothered me as much as it seemed to have bothered everyone else.
I still managed to play my 3DS quite a bit and took it everywhere with me, and I had plenty of other games to play on other systems as I waited for more to arrive.
Now with some awesome eShop games, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Resident Evil: Revelations, there's always something to play on my 3DS.
And now we have Kid Icarus: Uprising which is the best game on the system yet and I'm pretty sure will join Mario Kart 7 as a 100+ hour game.
@grimbldoo
Wait, you're taking me seriously?
Really?
Are you sure?
Well, that shouldn't have happened.
Then again, KI:U has been described countless times as a 3D SSB. So I can justify my own not-serious attack because anyone who does not find SSB amazing is an awful person.
Opinions are not allowed.
@mumof2kids82: What's the point of continuing on with 5th-gen stuff at all, then? That's kinda my point — why devote time and effort to pushing out a 'true sequel' to B/W when they can be going full-throttle with the 6th generation on 3DS? we had B/W, HG/SS, and the Mystery Dungeon and Ranger games; there's been plenty of Pokemon for the DS, and sequels have never really been warranted before in terms of the main Pokemon series anyway, so that particular decision just confuses me overall. ah well :3
@theblackdragon thank gawd you changed your avatar back to normal!
I don't know who Mike Mason is here, but agree with what he brought up in regards to the eShop. Nintendo should use it to push a bunch of new IPs. Of the ones I've played, Pushmo, Dillon's Rolling Western and Freakyforms, none have been less than great and they all felt fresh compared to the usual titles Nintendo releases. That said, I too want to see established franchises have eShop titles made such as a new Mario and Metroid sprited sidescroller.
but really, what's stopping nintendo from porting super smash brothers brawl, to the 3ds?.. wait... they might announce that news at E3... Xb
I'm in the boat of not ever owning Zelda OoT or Star Fox 64 so those being ports never bothered me, the same can be said for Blazblue,Bit Trip,Street Fighter,and Metal Gear.
Secondly if one lesson can be learned from the launch it's have one of the following at launch
*Mario
*Zelda
*Something new but killer app(Wii Sports).
If there is one thing that will get the 3DS tons of sales, it's putting N64 games on the eShop Virtual Console!
@platinumGamrrX yes!!!
@PlatinumGamerX Hahaha lol
Still playing my DSi. 3DS has nothing on these games.
@Mahe heh, I skipped, getting the dsi. because I heard
about the 3DS, on attack of the show, shortly afterwards
when the DSI, was launched. and I knew the dsi was a under study, of the actual product, the 3DS".
And yes, the 3DS plays all those games. DS/DSi.
@PlatinumGamerX Umm yeah, look at the Wii's VC N64 Library, not much chance of that on the 3DS.
@TysonQ7 #50
Not at all
Surprised there wasn't an article on it, but happy birthday N-Life!
It seems to me that some of the NintendoLife guys participating in this round table are big Nintendo fans, while others are rather casual players.
@Ducutzu It takes all sorts to make the world go around
Hard to believe it's nearly been a year since I've had this thing. Originally I was saving up for one, not too hard to pull off. But, I managed to hit my school's honor society (yeah yeah, I'm a nerd, big whoop), so I received one as a gift from my parents. And boy, what a gift. This let me experience not only new games, but old games I never got (I grew up playing a Game Gear and PC instead of a GameBoy and NES/SNES/Genesis), such as Super Mario Land, Game & Watch Gallery, and Kirby's Adventure. Plus, this gift kept on givin'! I was genuinely surprised (and quite pleased) when I found out I was getting 20 free games. So, to this day, I only have about 6 Game Card games, but have almost 40 downloaded games (less than half that I paid for). For the first time I got to experience NES classics such as Metroid and Kid Icarus, as well as more "modern" titles like WarioWare, Inc. and Metroid Fusion. I didn't even care that I own 5 of the Ambassador titles; they're just great, period. So, I'm currently looking forward to whatever lies next, be it more classic titles or new games entirely. Nintendo, keep up the good work!
@UKD Ur...preaching...to me kid... :c
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