Nintendo 3DS + Select Launch Game Reviews
On March 27th 2011, the Nintendo 3DS was released in North America. I happened to purchase one on launch day and finally after a few weeks, here is my review of the Nintendo 3DS and many of its launch games.
The 3DS, currently priced at $250, comes with the handheld console, a charger, and AR cards. Perhaps the best thing about the 3DS is the AR cards (Augmented Reality) in which the Question Mark card you get inside serves as a hub to many different games and applications. The more you play, the more you unlock. There’s an archery game, a pool-type game where you have to hit bombs into certain locations — the AR card is placed on a solid surface and it becomes an interactive reality through your 3DS which needs to be seen to be believed. After some playing, you’ll unlock a shop where you can purchase more applications (with coins in which you unlock through having the 3DS in Sleep Mode).
The 3DS features a Mii Creator, ability to listen to music with an included 2GB SD Card, Face Raiders game (take pictures of people and they turn into faces you can shoot). There’s other features as well but the biggest selling points for me are not available until May: Netflix and the Nintendo Shop, where you can download classic Nintendo games. As of now, the 3DS is not worth a purchase unless there’s a game you really want for it right now and can’t wait.
Well how are the retail games? Here’s the ones I played:
Sony’s New Handheld Revealed!
At the time of this writing, no price or release date has been announced (if it’s more than $300 I’ll be sad!), but so far the handheld system looks to be good!
It will be ditching UMD and using flash-memory cards. All games from the Playstation Store will work on it.
There’s also a GPS in this handheld, called the”NGP” (Next Generation Portable). The PSP has been out since 2005 in North America, so six or so years is perfect to release a new handheld. Definitely going to buy it as long as the price tag does not scare me away! Read more about the NGP here.
Pre-order Nintendo 3DS!
Well the day has finally arrived! Retailing at $250, you can now pre-order a Nintendo 3DS which comes in two available colors.
If you’re pre-ordering at Gamestop, a $50 deposit is required. Highly recommended to pre-order, as I have a feeling if you don’t it will be difficult to get one in the following few weeks (or months).
The 3DS comes out March 27, 2011.
Xbox Marketplace Activision Sale
Until January 17th, the following content published by Activision is on sale for 50% off:
Gamestop: “Two weeks and you’re history”
Beware, it needs an exorcism.
That is the subject in an email I recently received from Gamestop, regarding my PowerUp Pro membership.
Two weeks from now, your GameStop® PowerUp Rewards Pro™ membership will expire and you’ll no longer get all the best bonuses and stuff. Do you really want that to happen? Of course you don’t! Renew now at your nearest participating GameStop.
Don’t be a loser. Let your Pro Membership expire and you’ll lose all this:
Buy 2, get 1 free renewal gift on pre-owned games
250-point renewal bonus
10% point bonus on all purchases
10% off pre-owned games and accesories
10% bonus trade-in credit
2 Epic Reward Giveaway entries with every purchase or trade
And then it says at the bottom:
You are receiving this email because you are a valued member of the GameStop® PowerUp Rewards™ program.
First of all Gamestop, NEVER email anyone with a subject “two weeks and you’re history” – we pay YOU, you don’t pay us. If we are valued members, treat us like royalty.
Second, don’t call us losers. You’ll be the losers sending emails like that, as people will not renew.
Now fix it. Thank you.
Xbox.com Marketplace: Deal of the Week
Recently, the Xbox.com website was upgraded to include Deal of the Week features, which you can access through the Marketplace link and then scrolling down and selecting “Deal of the Week” – this week there’s a few good arcade games at half price:
Bejewled 2, UNO Rush, Zuma, Tetris Splash, and Feeding Frenzy 2 all for only 400 points each. I bought Tetris Splash!
Playstation Move Bundle
I recently won a Playstation Move Bundle from winning a contest, and I tried it out today with mixed results. One game, Kung Fu Rider, was able to detect the Move’s motions better, while another game called Tumble could not calibrate too well. Overall my impressions with it are not too great, it’s very similar to a Wii but it does have potential. Regardless, I still prefer regular controllers, I think that will never change.
The bundle comes with a demo disc, a game (Sports Champions), a Playstation Eye camera, and one Move controller.
If you have Playstation Plus, you can download a free Move game called Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves, (it’s a game based on LittleBigPlanet). I’ll be playing it this week and let you know how it is.
Xbox LIVE Indie Game Preview Video
There’s always a lot of Indie Games available with constant new games coming in. A video was just recently released showcasing some of the better indie games available this winter. Take a look:
Playstation Store Sale
For a limited time, get a discount on the following games:
PlayStation Network Stock Up for Winter Sale
Top Gun – Sale (PS3) (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap – Sale (PS3) (now $3.49, original price $6.99)
Deathspank – Sale (PS3) (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Gundemonium Collection – Sale (PS3) (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Joe Danger – Sale (PS3) (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker – Sale (PSP) (now $19.99, original price $39.99)
Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake – Sale (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
Groovin’ Blocks PSP – Sale (PSP) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Dissidia Final Fantasy – Sale (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
Dante’s Inferno PSP – Sale (PSP) (now $19.99, original price $39.99)
Monopoly – Minis – Sale (PS3/PSP) (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Young Thor – Minis – Sale (PS3/PSP) (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Hero Of Sparta – Minis – Sale (PS3/PSP) (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Alien Zombie Death – Minis – Sale (PS3/PSP) (now $1.99, original price $3.99)
Fieldrunners – Minis – Sale (PS3/PSP) (now $3.49, original price $6.99)
Playstation Store Sale: Atlus Games
Until November 29th, the following games are discounted, get ‘em while you can! Original prices are shown on the right, with the discount on the left.
| Class of Heroes | PSP | $19.99 | $39.99 |
| Crimson Gem Saga | PSP | $14.99 | $29.99 |
| Droplitz | PS3 | $4.99 | $9.99 |
| Hammerin’ Hero | PSP | $9.99 | $19.99 |
| Hexyz Force | PSP | $14.99 | $29.99 |
| Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble | PSP | $19.99 | $39.99 |
| Riviera: The Promised Land | PSP | $7.49 | $14.99 |
| R-Type Command | PSP | $7.49 | $14.99 |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Persona | PSP | $19.99 | $39.99 |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable | PSP | $19.99 | $39.99 |
| Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournamet | PSP | $7.49 | $14.99 |
Becoming Rare – Final Fantasy CD’s
About 10 years ago, two Final Fantasy CD’s were released by Tokyopop. Final Fantasy N Generation, which contains mainly classical music pieces from older Final Fantasy games and Final Fantasy S Generation, a variety of different music pieces from Final Fantasy games mostly from FF VII through FF X.
These CD’s are very hard to come by new, and if you do they are probably expensive. Luckily there’s a few used CD’s available on Amazon.com and ebay, but there’s not many. If you’re a Final Fantasy fan and like collecting stuff, don’t miss out on these great CD’s.
Best Buy Gaming Exclusives
If you’ve got a Best Buy store near you, bookmark this link to see all the unique gaming exclusives that Best Buy offers.
Here you can see downloads and other unique items available only at Best Buy, along with a link to the Reward Zone offers. If you’re not part of Reward Zone, you should join, it’s free!
New: Playstation Rewards!
If you’ve heard of Playstation Plus, a subscription-based service that started in June 2010 which offers great deals on games on the Playstation Store and many free games, than maybe you’ve heard of Playstation Rewards, a new program that rewards you for buying stuff and playing.
Disney Meteos = Mediocre
I was a huge fan of Meteos. So when I heard that a Disney version was coming out, I thought that seemed pretty good. Well I finally played it and it was pretty terrible.
The basic gameplay of Meteos is here (launching blocks) but the music is really bad, something that should be good for a music puzzler game. Oh well.
OnLive Is Getting Better! Check It Out!
I wrote an article a few months ago about OnLive, a new service that allows you to stream high-quality video games using a laptop that can’t even play video games. The service now has a WiFi beta that allows you to finally access the site wirelessly, which is great news. While the game selection still has much to be desired for, I recommend trying out Trine if you can.
Finally, OnLive has gotten rid of their subscription fees so now it is free to join! So sign up and enjoy. It just costs money to buy the games, but you can play the demos.
Spec Ops: The Line Beta
There’s a new game coming out, and 2K Games wants you to test the game in a beta.
It’s only for Xbox 360, so fill in the details now while you can. Visit the website here.
Happy 15th Birthday, Playstation!
I remember when it first came out! Great memories playing Final Fantasy games… anyways, if you can access the Playstation Store on your PS3 or PSP, there’s some special offers that were released (and more coming on the way) such as Suikoden (a classic Playstation game) which you can download for only $2.99! There’s also some free stuff too.
Can’t believe it’s been 15 years…
Video Games That Interest Me: The Fall Season
It’s too early to tell if I’ll be purchasing these games, but here’s some games that I’ve been interested in about. I’ve ranked them in order of percentage that I’m most likely to buy. What games in the fall interest you? Anything from this list that you might get?
Phantasy Star Portable on the PSP was a pretty good game, but had no online multiplayer. The sequel fixes that with free online multiplayer! With a release date of September 16th, and a price point of $36.99, it’s a very tempting day one purchase.
However, if I have no friends who end up getting the game, it might just be a rental first to see if it’s worth the purchase plunge.
Blockbuster.com Now Has Online Game Rentals!
Blockbuster.com this week has a new online deal that allows people to rent movies and games online on the same account.
For just completely online (and no in-store trades), you can subscribe too:
1 Disc out at a time: $8.99
2 Discs out at a time: $13.99
3 Discs out at a time: $16.99
This plan is much cheaper than Gamefly’s plan:
1 Disc out at a time: $15.95
2 Discs out at a time: $22.95
3 Discs out at a time: $29.95
So far the only reason why Gamefly is better is that they have more unique game titles available. Blockbuster hardly as any Nintendo DS or PSP games available to rent, which is a bummer. However, Gamefly’s shipping and returning is also a little slow, and Blockbuster happens to be a bit faster (by a day or two). I recieved a movie title from Blockbuster one day after I put it on my que, which was amazing.
Create A Villager, Play It In Fable III
For a limited time, you can create a villager online here at Xbox.com and then if you pre-order Fable III you should get a code to unlock the villager in the game.
It’s a really cool idea and the creation process for designing the villager is quite simple. There’s a lot of ugly costumes though! You might be able to see mine from the link posted above.
Video Games Live Symphony Concert!
Video Games Live is an awesome video game music symphony concert. Check your local PBS tv listings to see if it’s going to be airing in your area! The website has some listings here.
Take a look at this year’s trailer:
Medal of Honor Beta
If you’ve got a PS3 or PC, check out this link to get a code for the Medal of Honor beta. Hurry while codes last!
The beta as of this writing contains one multiplayer and one campaign map. I have played it on the PS3 and it’s okay.
OnLive’s Not Fully Online
Have you heard of OnLive? It’s a program you install in which you can instantly stream recent games to play on your PC, and you don’t need a high-performance computer to play the games, which is great. Problem is, OnLive currently only supports wired connections, which is a bit of a hassle for many gamers out there who are enjoying wireless internet access these days.
I recently purchased a wireless router a few months ago and having to connect a wired ethernet cable to a laptop now feels so archaic as you can’t move around as much with it. Meanwhile, OnLive just started up and the selection of games is very small but there’s a lot of room for it to grow.. check it out and add me as a friend on there if you like. Look for Silvercube.
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