MrWezzle

Yeah, I'm Platinum but honestly have no use for those things. I'd much rather download something, but can't justify those either. Deep down, I think I was hoping for some new title that Gold and Platinum kids could download before anyone else. It's the part of me that has always wished he was an ambassador.

@crazyj2312 Yeah, his drunk review is one of the best. But that's not saying much; all of his videos are incredible.

@Tsuchinoko Yes.

Sweet mother of Miyamoto, there's a TON of content this week. As I'm not an ambassador, I'm grabbing me some portable Zelda. Always awesome to see more NES games released on the 3DS VC. Might take advantage of that weekend sale, too. Nice start to the Summer of 8 Bits, Nintendo!

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this "change of direction" meant aiming for a more competitive Smash Bros. game. Fighting games have seen a huge increase in popularity, and they're still very much on the rise. Smash Bros.' viability as a fighter has always been questioned, and that's why it's never shown up at big tourneys. I think Nintendo would do well to at least include mechanics that allow for high-level, versatile play, while still making the game very much accessible to anyone who just wants to sit and duke it out with their friends.

For years now we've heard the clamor that Melee was superior to Brawl in every way. I personally prefer Brawl very much over Melee, but I do see the reasoning behind those complaints. For Smash to take itself more seriously couldn't be a bad thing. I don't think we have to worry about radical changes, it's still going to feel like a Smash Bros. game. But it's time for Sakurai and friends to show just what a polished, technically brilliant Smash Bros. game can be. It's time for Smash to get dat RESPECT.

@BulbasaurusRex Yeah, that's what's kind of intriguing. They must have something planned for mid-month. With it being "8-bit Summer" as of yesterday, I can't help but be a little excited about what that weird mid-month expiration date might mean.

Trying to get three stars on the few remaining Mario Kart 7 tracks, so I can go online and continue to troll with my CaptFalcon mii racing in the Blue 7. Nothing quite like it.

@videojill Are all of those tables going to make it to 3DS for sure? Because right now, it looks like we've just got Iron Man, Blade, Captain America, and Fantastic Four tables.

Weird, why wouldn't they advertise price drops like this during the Direct last week? Seems like that would have been a nice little addition. Or is the price of VVVVVV even up to them? Either way, a great end of June for the 3DS. Now here comes July 2012, the greatest month the NA eShop has ever seen. Huzzah!

Man, as this news piles up, I keep getting a better perspective of just how awesome of a month July is gonna be for the eShop. NES Zelda and Heroes of Ruin demo in the same week seems like a dream come true, but then there's so many other things to follow...

It'd be one thing if they were releasing a new product altogether, but now that the 3DS has been out in the market for a year and a half, a move to expand the user-base like this seems right on time. It's sounding like the larger screens are just as pleasing (if not more so) than the original screens, so I think I'm sold.

@Millenia I'm really glad they're keeping the inside black. Don't know exactly why, but something about that 3D screen against white seems like it would take away some of the contrast of depth. I have to wonder if that's why they haven't offered any other alternative interiors. Same reason the top inside on the 3DS was black in the first place, I imagine.

See, I kind of think NES games will look awesome on this.

Perhaps I haven't done my research, but where are people getting the info that the XL won't leave the lines on the top screen like the current gen does? That's great news if true, I just don't get that impression from what I've seen so far.

I need to meet one of these in person before I call it either ugly or unwieldy.

It is nice to see them emphasize speed-running. The collection thing has been a franchise staple, but that speed element has never been emphasized much. And it's been around since the first game. Those NES speedruns are a thrill to watch. So it's cool to see them making a Mario game that complements and embraces that. Say what you want about the "recycled" visuals, but these distinctions are starting to make this look like a game that will easily stand on its own feet.

I love how everyone thinks a second circle pad is necessary for success. N64 did fine without two. Gamecube did fine without two. No, the c-stick doesn't count as a true control stick, shame on you for thinking so. Wii did fine without two. Why would Nintendo suddenly need something it hasn't ever needed to rely on? While competitors would never be able to revert from dual sticks, the big N finds other and often more successful ways. This is how they roll. Stop acting surprised.

Also, I'm right with you, warioswoods. Game Boy and NES games on this thing are gonna look awesome.

@adamical I dunno, it seems to have had exactly the desired effect, just like everything else about last night's feed.

We get it, Hawk. You're not pleased.

Nothing too fetching for me, but there's no denying that DD2 is a game worth being happy about. No 3DS VC makes me cry a little. Seems that there's more general clamor for that than anything else. Ah well. For those of you that get Double Dragon, say hello to Jimmy and Bimmy for me, wouldja?

It'll be a good game. As much as we'd all like our perfect, handcrafted, personal-pan Mario, this is what we're getting, and we're getting it at launch, and we're getting to play it with all of our friends. I would have committed murder in first grade to be able to play a Mario game simultaneously with a friend, much less four. These games may be a bit on the safe side, but there's no denying we're getting well-crafted, true-to-form quality fun. I don't know how we get to complain about that, when most other fanbases can only hope for quality. We have it as an unspoken guarantee, yet still somehow clamor for more. They'll do more 3D Mario, guys. I promise. And it will be good. Just wait for it. This is made to sell the system, showcase the "network" of players, and make the console sit comfortably in a living room, where multiple family members can play at the same time. Enjoy it for what it is (or maybe even more than that), and look forward to what will follow. Everything's gonna be okay.

Don't forget 3D Land, boys and girls. In this era of a new NSMB game every year or so, 3D Land really gave me quite a bit of hope back. What a gem! It felt like what the old Mario games felt like, or at least as close as I think the franchise has come since World. If they took the ingenuity that made 3D Land great and applied it to their 2D games, I think we'd have something really special on our hands.

Does anyone know if there's been any news of this having online multiplayer, or is it local only?

Yeah, I'm not sure why a tentative release schedule isn't more readily available. It seems like the publicity would do the titles good. As much as I like the pleasant surprises Thursdays have come to give me from time to time, I'd be just as well off looking forward to things already announced.

Some of my very favorite eShop purchases have been third party games. I can see where a third party might be frustrated by a simultaneous hot-shot VC release, but honestly I buy a game if it's good. These are small, downloadable purchases we're talking about, and I don't think the majority of buyers feels limited to "one a week" if enough quality is there to be had. What I'm really disappointed in (and confused by) is why we get things like Donkey Kong Jr. and Radar Mission when both the NES and GB libraries are absolutely bursting with far more quality titles. Literally, Nintendo could easily fill a whole year or two with grade-A titles from those old systems, and that's before considering Game Gear. I have no complaint about eShop releases (the eShop has absolutely flourished in the past several months), but I do wish these VC releases would stop being so seemingly random. I don't want to just anticipate next week's 3DS Virtual Console release. I want to be able to anticipate next week's GOOD 3DS Virtual Console release.

Though yes, X2 is an unquestionable highlight for anyone still buying Wii VC titles. At least now we can be confident that they'll transfer over to Wii U.

I mean it says something that I'm actually considering buying DK Jr., a game that would probably hold my interest for less than an hour. When I realize that the guys giving me DK Jr. could give me Mario Bros. 3 using the same system, it gets me a little bit down. Why release mediocrity when you could release the greats?

I knew something was weird whenever Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters didn't show up on the 3DS VC within the weeks preceding (or following!) Uprising's release. That would have been a brilliant move, considering that the NES Kid Icarus was a top-seller (unless that was due to Amazon pre-orders). KI:OMaM (what an acronym) was a really great game. Significantly better than the original, IMO. But that opportunity wasn't taken advantage of. I say it in EVERY Club Nintendo survey when asked what I think of the eShop and VC service: It's great, but it HAS to be more of a focus. A few standout titles have graced the eShop, but Nintendo could be shoveling this VC stuff out and making a killing. People will pay for this stuff.

Yeah, I'm yearning for some portable NES Zelda, don't care if it's the original or Adventure of Link. Wish there was some way to go back in time and become an ambassador. I thought when they said we'd all "eventually" have the ambassador games that they meant "within the next year" at the very least. That's looking to not be the case. I don't get it. How hard could it be to release these already-exclusively-available games to the general masses?