Game releases are a little light, so I thought we could maybe discuss consoles instead. Last week we talked about the PS Vita so this week I thought we have a rabble about the 3DS. Who is using it? How are you using it? Have you already bought one, thinking about buying one?
It’s funny, the 3DS played host to my favourite two games of 2013 — Luigi’s Mansion 2 and A Link Between Worlds — but it feels like 2014 has been a year where the 3DS has fallen by the wayside. Sure, games have been released, and good ones at that — but are any of these games close to the quality the platform displayed in 2013? I’d argue no. Yoshi’s New Island was a disappointment, Mario Golf World Tour… is a golf game.
There have been plenty of niche JRPGs released on the console, but I don’t really have the time to invent 50+ hours into games like that so my 3DS has slowly been gathering dust. Which is so strange considering it was my favourite console just six or seven months ago.
Is this a common thing? Am I going crazy? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments
54 responses to “Community Review: The Nintendo 3DS”
I’m back on the Monster Hunter bandwagon so I’m playing the 3DS on the train every day.
I love my 3DS (original), but I haven’t really used it much of late. Since Zelda and Bravely Default, nothing has piqued my interest.
I’m in the same boat as you Mark. I would pick it up in a heartbeat….if only I had something to play.
It’s pretty ballin, but releases have been sparse recently.
Yeah, but we get NA release privilege.
I feel like two of the games I’ve spent the most time with in my 3DS are Shin Megami Tensei IV and Rune Factory 4. If my system was an Aussie one, that’s a fair chunk of playtime gone.
You know what though, more or less for the past 6 months I’ve been playing my 3DS. Between a mix of the aforementioned 2, Pokemon, Layton 6 and Etrian Odyssey. Played 2 PS3 games, and barely any PC until a few days ago.
So yeah, it’s pretty ballin’.
Haven’t touched mine since I finished Link Between Worlds.
I’m playing my 3DS on the bus every day and I’m catching up on a bunch of the games I’ve missed. Currently playing Bravely Default and I still need to play Luigi’s Mansion 2, Phoenix Wright, etc etc. There’s a lot for me still to do.
I like the 3DS. The only downside is the battery life but other than that, I’m very happy with it.
ace attorney dual destinies is great if you don’t wanna invest your time into jrpg.
I love it, but again after i finished Pokemon X/Y and Zelda ALBW i haven’t done much with it since then.
i need to pick up the Professor Layton games methinks.
grab layton vs ace attorney, it is the best of both worlds. the investigation for cases is done a la layton puzzle solving and navigation while the court cases help break up the long slog that I associate with layton games.
Still making my way through Bravely Default which has been fun and I’m looking forward to Theatrhythm Curtain Call. I enjoy my time with the 3DS in spite of the 3DS hardware/online infrastructure. I wish ninty could get it together but there are fun games so good times.
Been playing theatrhythm curtain call on my brothers imported 3ds, it is some 10 times larger than the original game with shit loads more characters to play as and a track list spanning even mystic quest.
NICE!
I actually picked mine up for the first time in months on Saturday (@saturday?).
Reached chapter 3 in Bravely Default, which… I like the combat, but the characters are starting to grate a bit.
Given that I’m getting less and less time to play at home with increasing work committments, the 3DS is probably my most used and fave form of gaming currently. And I’m pretty happy about it. I get at least 2 hours a day on the train playing games and have put some serious hours into Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing and a heap of others. Better yet, it just has that “Nintendo Feel”. Everything feels quality and games (well at least first and second party titles) just feel right. Loving the 3DS now. It’s really come of age and it looks to have a pretty bright future ahead.
It’s sitting in my bag, I’m burnt out on the 3DS and Bravely default. Thinking I might get Mario Golf world tour as I’ve always enjoyed the series. And the Layton/Phoenix Wright cross over. I need to play that if only because Maya!
I’ve probably played more 3DS this year than I did last year. But that’s because mine was broken for half of last year, so I only just played through Pokemon and Link Between Worlds.
Haven’t bought anything since LBW, so I’m with you there. Feels like things have stalled a bit. Not really compelled to pick up Yoshi, nor Kirby. And as much as I loved Toadstool Tour, I don’t really feel all that interested in Golf either.
I’m using it every day on the way to work, but yeah, I could use something more substantial for it. A Link Between Worlds was the last game that really sucked me in. The biggest draw for me with the DS range was that I’d play it at home when I could be playing ‘real’ consoles and lately it hasn’t been hitting that mark.
Still, like I say with my Wii U, I’m past the point where I need to justify the investment. I could not buy a single new 3DS game for the rest of the handhelds life and still be satisfied with the purchase. If there’s absolutely nothing new until the Pokemon remakes that’d be a shame I’m still coming out on top.
Fan of the DS but don’t really like the 3DS. The biggest killer for me is the region locking. Games like Shin Megami Tensei IV came out last year and I really doubt I’m gonna see it come this way.
I’m not sure what to play on my 3DS as well. Last game I played was Pokemon Y, Bravely Default and Attack of the Friday Monster. I’m actually looking forward to play Fire Emblem but the price is stopping me. Fire Emblem need a good sale
Just picked up Mario Golf, Professor Layton/Phoenix Wright crossover (yay Maya) and Legend of Zelda: ALBW as part of the 20% off deal at JB Hi-Fi. It’s definitely renewed my interest in the handheld. When I’m not playing, I like to go for walks with it when on my lunch break, and streetpass with people. I’m going to the USA for about 6 weeks on vacation; I’m hoping to get some serious time in with the 3DS, and hoping to get a lot of streetpass hits.
Edit: What I don’t like about it are as follows: Region locking and digital ecosystem.
Region locking in this day and age is frustrating. I’m a fan of quite a few Japanese franchises that may never see the light of day over here unless the stars align and someone decides to localise them. I lost count of how many virgins I had to sacrifice to get the Professor Layton/Phoenix Wright crossover to be localised. I’m DEFINITELY NOT going to spend a couple hundred bucks just to get a Japanese 3DS to play them either. Ninty, you either make it easier for me to enjoy your content, or I’ll take my money elsewhere.
On the subject of that, who the hell doesn’t allow you to re-download titles anymore? I don’t buy full digital copies of retail games from the eShop because they’re hilariously overpriced – I mean I can get a cartridge for $48 at a shop, but the eShop would want $70 for the same content with more restriction? Hell no- but this business of not allowing people to re-download titles if they lose their 3DS or other adverse event were to take place is backward and old fashioned. The Virtual Console titles are a little too expensive for my liking too. Sometimes, looking through that eShop gives me the impression that Nintendo doesn’t actually want my money.
That saddens me greatly.
There’s such a backlog of awesome to get through that I’m still using mine. Recently finished Chrono Trigger, Ace Attorney 1-5 + Miles Edgeworth, and Link Between Worlds. Still have a range of handheld Mario and Zelda titles to fight my way through before I even think about buying any more.
I’m not always on my 3DS, but it’d be rare for a month to go by when I don’t complete at least one game on it.
The new Kirby has brought me back to the party. Holy crap that game is good, at least better than the reviews I’ve seen.
When I owned it, I was using it on the train anytime I went into the city. On long trips it was a great thing to have. The games library is second to none with a great selection of games available to suit all types of players. The network slowly evolved into something halfway decent and Street Pass is the most awesome feature for games to have.
However I do have some issues with it too.
– Prices for games is far too high. Paying $60 for a game is ok at launch, but a year later you would expect the price to drop a bit. You still find launch games on store shelves for $60, and the console is how old again?
– The virtual console is lacking and the prices suck. Paying $6.50 for Super Mario Land is a bit too much, a $3 price for all GameBoy/GameBoy Colour games sounds much better.
– The console needs to be tighter. Meaning the casing needs to be tighter connected. I lost the console because a can of Pepsi exploded when I dropped by backpack. The soft drink got in because the back casing on the unit was extremely loose and thus it easily covered the motherboard and fried the circuits.
– Nintendo REALLY missed a major market by not using the console as a 3D movie player. Tekken took advantage of this by adding their CG movie on the cart and it was amazing to watch it in 3D without needing special glasses or a 3DTV.
Couldn’t agree more about the pricing.
I always miss out on a lot of games on Nintendo handhelds (actually Nintendo games generally) because they never lower the prices.
I’ve been planning on picking up one of the Pokemon games since they launched but I’m yet to see one for under $50 anywhere well over a year later.
The bullshit thing is that the games are so expensive from the 3DS store. It’s bad enough when they’re the same price as a physical copy which has to shipped and sold – but for cartridge based games it’s worse than ever. The argument from Nintendo has always been that cartridges cost more to produce so there is a higher base cost (hence the prices staying high after long periods), downloading games from the 3DS store should be MUCH cheaper than buying a physical copy.
Instead it’s the norm for games to be more expensive on the 3DS store than they are at retail. It’s ridiculous.
The other big complaint is the Virtual Console. There’s barely anything on there and the games are offensively overpriced.
I wanted to get Sonic 1 on the 3DS, it’s the kind of game that I love and want on a handheld. Do they have the Megadrive version on there? The Master System version? Hell no! You can get the Game Gear version for $6 or something like that. The Game Gear version that runs at a damn near unplayable framerate and is glitchy as hell.
I can get Sonic 4 on my Samsung for cheaper than I can get the broken Game Gear version of Sonic 1 on my 3DS. That says everything that needs to be said.
It’s a textbook example of the complete lack of care Nintendo has for its systems (and customers) outside of a handful of core-franchises. They’ll release supremely polished 1st party titles and hope that carries the system while all the other elements (operating system, online accounts, back catalogue) are just haphazardly thrown together so they can say they exist.
I’m loving my Zelda themed golden bundle of joy.
My main gripe is that the digital downloads don’t tell you how many block/space you need.
yes it does but you have to go to the final payment screen before u can see it – so to do this u need to have the correct funds in your wallet first. It’s no less stupid and certainly gripe-worthy though.
Handhelds tend to be an offpeak thing for me (eg. Moments when I’m waiting, or bored and don’t want to start the consoles up, or on a bus, etc) so while I generally have a game on the go at any point in time, they’re usually the longer play games and the pick up/put down nature of the 3DS suits this perfectly. I haven’t picked up that many games for the 3DS though, and have actually been playing a lot of DS games recently. I don’t know if that’s just a lack of games that appeal to me, or whether the 3DS library itself isn’t that great in general.
I miss the ability to task swap like on the Vita, especially when I want to check the store each week which requires me to find a save point and shut down the game I’m playing, and the store isn’t as nice as PSN to use. The advantage it does have (and correct me if I’m wrong) is your credit card number is on the device itself so it’s less likely to be hacked.
Been on and off playing Senran Kagura.
But the presence of region locking is whats really killing this handheld for me. I’ve got a fair few games that either got DL only or never released in au that i’ve been wanting to grab (i’m looking at you Rune Factory 4) but I can’t because of said region lock.
On the other hand my Vita which is a mere 3-4 months old has a backlog that has ballooned this past month or so because of all the great stuff coming out overseas =/
I forgot about the region locking thing! I’ve been spoiled by Sony and their region free gaming policy.
I’m a Cardfight Vanguard player, they release a game for the 3DS… In Japan. Will the company release an English version? Nope! So I’d have to get a Japanese 3DS for 1 game… Not gonna happen.
It’s the only console I’ve touched for a few months now. It’s still going strong for me, and the library’s getting pretty damn good.
while I haven’t touched my DS in a few weeks I’m still playing bravely default, Fire emblem, Harvest moon, I just keep getting distracted with my PC and games I have on there.
I haven’t touched either of mine (I own a US and an AU one because Nintendo are dicks about regioning) since the crushing disappointment that was Bravely Default last year.
As a piece of hardware, I really don’t like the 3DS. It doesn’t fit comfortably in the hands, feels very primitive and clunky. Many compromises in the way its actually built. The bottom of my AU XL is very flimsy and often feels like the back plastic is going to crack or fall off. Additionally Nintendo’s willful attempts to pretend that the internet doesn’t exist and to exist in a vacuum where you don’t need to build proper infrastructure really puts me off. Simple things like not tying your games to the hardware – they’re not problems that no one else has encountered. I don’t understand how they could be so incredibly backward in this area still, when it takes all of five minutes to look at Sony, Microsoft, Google, Apple or a bunch of other companies to see how digital app distribution should look.
My brother has an imported Japanese 3DS and I found out 3 days ago that the JP e-store has the first 3 ace attorney games in a bundle with both japanese “and” english text options so I finally found a way to get my bro to play through the series. This also begs the question, how hard would it be for ninty to release it in the west when the english translation already exists in a 3pack. Apparently the only change is that whats-his-face doesn’t talk in leetspeek in the case at the studio.
I got a 2DS and liked it, so much so it lead to my brother getting the XL, which blew the 2DS out of the water so hard it made me turn to selling the 2DS for an XL and I ended up grabbing a WiiU to sit next to my PS4 (I used to only really play PS and PC but now Nintendo is right in there as well and I have a massive back catalogue like OOT and Windwaker HD!!). I love it just as much as my Vita.
I don’t think I can ever buy one. I feel like I’ll get a headache from the poor-quality graphics.
if you are judging the graphics based on trailers, know that there are some horrible rez scaling issues on the footage and games like mario golf and luigis mansion 2 etc look glorious and play smoothly. If you have actually played one and still have that opinion, then disregard this post.
I’ve played one for maybe 15-20 minutes, Star Fox 3D. I dunno, it was okay, but it was starting to annoy me and I feel it may start to hurt after a while. 🙁
aye, one of the earlier releases they were admittedly a bit err…ugly? quality has improved greatly since then.
It may not be as graphically advanced as the Vita but in general most games (Especially exclusives) look ok. The DPI is low, even when you aren’t on the XL, but TBH you kinda get used to it.
The games might be lower resolution than the Vita, but having both I have to say:
A) I have seen more native resolution games on the 3DS than the Vita.
B) Games in general look sharper in the DS (Probably because of point A and their generally more bright and colourful clean cut art styles I admit)
C) The games in general are better ports/ run better. Especially the exclusives, unlike Assassins Creed, Spider-man etc on Vita (Which don’t get me wrong also has games that run well, but FAR more trash too).
So yeah, IMO it might be jaggy but at least its not blurry and I get a headache from playing blurry games (Even BF4’s 900p hurt my eyes some times when I played it on PS4 so I traded it in) more than pixelated games. That said, when I’m tired the 3D does give me a headache, other than that I think it’s fine.
In all though I would buy any game available on 3DS and Vita on Vita because the OLED screen is nicer BUT the exclusives on the DS are really great most of the time and look quite good too. Different types of games are on each platform too IMO and in general I don’t feel that ‘worse’ graphics lowers my enjoyment of Nintendo games.
I only got my 3DS last October when Pokemon came out, and I’m still playing that to this day. Last weekend I competed in the May online competition, though I decided against playing in the VGC. Being interested in the competitive side of things adds a lot of gameplay hours, so basically Pokemon is my staple food for my 3DS.
I’ve only bought one other game for it; Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies (I’ve also sunk (hehehe) a few hours into Steel Diver Sub Wars, which is great for a free game). My next game will probably be Smash Bros. Besides that, I’ve borrowed a copy of Kid Icarus from my friend. I plan to eventually get other games like Fire Emblem, Bravely Default, Mario 3D Land and Link Between Worlds, but I want to save money to go to America and Pokemon is still keeping me interested, so I haven’t had a reason to buy anything else so far.
I play my 3DS on the way back home after work. It’s good for short breaks where I just want to pick up a gaming device, play it for a half an hour to an hour and then drop it again.
I agree that prices are a bit on the ugly side (I’m sure many of us took advantage of the 20% off discount at JB last week). This year seems slow with games too. Looking forward to Pokemon and Monster Hunter 4, which come out late this year and next year respectively.
I go for months at a time without playing mine, I have up on bravely default and picked up professor Layton vs ace Attourney, beat that then never picked up my 3ds again until this weekend to play Kirby Triple Deluxe and once I beat that it won’t get turned on for another few months. That being said I do the same with my vita, I played it and beat hotline Miami and then turned it off and haven’t played anything on it since, I still have 2 games on there still in wrapping that I just can’t will myself into playing yet.
It has some great games, and I have a backlog of 5 or so I need to work through, (Pokemon X/Y, SMTIV, Soul Hackers, Devil Survivor OC, Etrian Odyssey, etc) but I go through phases with it. I’ll play it a lot for a few weeks or a month, then not touch it for 3-6 months. My Vita’s usage is far more consistent. I do love my 3DS, as it fills a completely different need in my life to the Vita – they compliment each other. For me, anyway.
My main issues with the 3DS are as follows:
-For the umpteenth time, get a proper, unified account system. For the love of (insert chosen deity name here) just do it. I don’t believe Nintendo can’t, they just won’t, which is utterly mind boggling in itself. MS/Sony have had an ever evolving, functional system for what – 10 years? How do you expect people to have faith in purchasing digital titles, when they’re tied to the console? I’ve heard purchases can be salvaged in some scenarios, but the serial number of the purchasing console is required. What happens if it gets stolen with $500 worth of digital titles purchased and installed?
-Region locking. In this day and age, for fug’s sake, why? Why?
-Battery life is not disappointing, but it’s not great either. I don’t use 3D at all, which improves things, and I also tend to disable WiFi, lower brightness, etc unless I’m out and about – for StreetPasses, etc.
-The XL. I have a launch US 3DS and an original JP 3DS, and as units, they’re great. Hinges can be a bit finnicky – but on the whole, they’re tightly assembled, nicely painted (those lovely bright colors with metal flecks) and just nice to hold. I bought an AU XL, and after two weeks, I sold it. We get the worst colors ever – the black base/frame with matte, boring colors on the lid. (Blue and Red?) US and JP gets some nice colors, and CE versions (I know we got some too, but can only think of Yoshi and Zelda XL?) but the base AU ones are just ugly. The units themselves are pretty much held together by plastic clips, and they feel cheap and flimsy in the hand. Rounded edges, loose and rattly. Interestingly, I don’t think I’ve found one person that agrees with me, so I think I’m the odd one out here. The screen on the XL is great though – it’s just the unit that houses it that grates on me.
Considering one of the main quibbles with the 3DS was pricing (which incidentally I didn’t have a problem with) – the XL needed to include a bigger screen, and come out cheaper than the 3DS, so corners being cut is a given, but I felt like it was just too cheap.
-Game pricing is inconsistent, both physically and digitally.
But back to positives – it’s Nintendo through and through, and has a unique library, on a unique system. It’s a joy for the most part, just Nintendo being that strange family member we leave to their own devices make for some facepalm design/business choices.
I have the Golden Zelda one…
And yes it’s sweet!
I had an original 3DS (aqua blue), and was a little disappointed with the colour. After seeing the Pokemon limited edition 3DS XL released, I actually ended up buying one, as the blue on that console was more in line of what I wanted in the first place. I’ll admit, it feels a little cheap from time to time, but the screen and battery life more than make up for it. Not to mention the larger size feels much more comfortable in my hands.
My wife and I bought red 3DSXL so she could play Mario Kart and I played Animal Crossing New Leaf obsessively for about 5 weeks then gave it back to my wife who didn’t touch it because she felt like it wasn’t really hers anymore. Finally got her to start using it again with Luigi’s Mansion. It’s a nice toy but doesn’t really scratch my gaming itch. Once I got fed up with trying to make money in ACNL to endlessly expand my house, I was happy to go back to reading stuff on my phone or the occasional game of Bejewelled.
ACNL : The second full time job you never wanted.
I love my 3DS but I have mostly bequeathed it to my wife until I find something that I want to play. Still ticked off I can’t play Rune Factory 4. She is playing Prof Layton at the moment. If anyone can tell me one of those niche JRPG games that’s available in Australia I’d be happy to take your advice?I’ve already played through Bravely Default and Fire Emblem.
The 3DS is great, but I find the library lacking for me personally. The lack of racing games is a crime. The GB, GB Advance and the DS had a great assortment, but on the 3DS, there’s pretty much only Mario Kart 7 (which by all accounts will be redundant come MK8) and Ridge Racer 3D worth bothering with. The other dozen or so are a mix of shovelware and shoddy console ports.
I love the SRPG’s on the system, and it’s got a host of great platformers; and of course Pokemon. But diverse the 3DS library isn’t. Still love it to pieces though 🙂
3DSXL is the best console I’ve owned since Dreamcast. The battery life doesn’t bother me because I just charge it like i would a phone. Streetpass is amazing, the catalogue is brilliant, the online store is surprisingly good… Amazing.
I get just as much enjoyment out of my Nintendo 64 as I do out of a WiiU and 3DS.
My local video shop closed down and so they had a sale on everything, picked up some sport games I wanted to play.
And when I say sports, I mean mario golf and mario tennis. I actually really love the relaxed playing of golf. Haveing a spare minute to do a few holes.
Also can’t wait for smash bros. 3ds and wii u.
Bought a 2nd-hand one of eBay for $100 a few weeks ago, love it. Only have Starfox, Zelda (Ocarina of Time) and Pokemon Y at the moment, but all of them made it worth buying; it’s a great little console.
Did I get this right? “Plenty of games to play, but I don’t want to play them, therefore I’ll write a review saying that my system is gathering dust”.
I haven’t turned on my XBox360 in about 4 years. Maybe I should’ve writen a review about how there was nothing to play?
I got a 3DS at launch. the only faulty nintendo product I’ve ever bought. it kept randomly turning itself off. took it back and they swapped for a brand new one and I’ve never looked back. I love it. I later got a silver XL for the battery and screen and then splurged on the gold Zelda-themed one. Just last week I sent my brother the silver XL because he wants to get into it too. Its a great portable and whilst I sometimes go a few weeks without playing I often then spend the next month solid on a game. Anyway I couldn’t recommend it more.