Nintendo 3DS Review

The Nintendo 3DS is Nintendo's first step into the next generation of hand-held gaming. The Nintendo 3DS is basically a regular DS with an upgraded OS, better graphics, and 3D auto-stereoscopic effects. This means the 3DS games are played in 3D. The system was released in the U.S. on March 27, 2011. The system costs 250$ and comes in 2 colors, Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black. The system is backwards compatible with original DS games and most DSi Ware. The console itself is 5.3 inches wide, 2.9 inches deep, and .83 inches high. It weighs 8.1 ounces. The Nintendo 3DS is NOT compatible with Nintendo Gameboy Advance games. Now that I have gone over the statistics of the 3DS, I will go over my personal Pro's and Con's.

Pros

• Really Impressive Graphics (High PS2 Quality, in my opinion)
• Nice OS (I believe the Home Menu is MUCH easier to navigate than the DSi Menu. You can adjust the size of your icons and brightness all from the Home Menu)
• Cameras (Although they are a .3 MP Camera, the 3D Camera is really impressive once you are able to judge good 3D opportunities)
• E-Shop (Through a recent update, you were able to download the new E-Shop. It is much more organized than the Nintendo DSi Shop)
• Stylus (The stylus is a telescoping stylus, which you can adjust to a comfortable length)
• The Circle Pad (The circle pad is the next best thing to an analog stick. It works well and it moves smoothly)

Cons

• Price (The system costs 250$! That is a lot for a handheld video game. 175$-200$ would be a more fair price to convince current DSi/DS lite owners to buy a whole new DS)
• Launch Titles (If you were like me and bought your 3DS before June 19th. You realize that the launch line-up was pretty poor on Nintendo's part. The only 1st party titles released where Nintendogs+Cats, Pilotwings: Resort, and Steel Diver. I would have loved to have seen a big 1st Party game to have launched with it like Kid Icurus: Uprising)
• Size (Although this is only a minor complaint, I think the 3DS is on the bulky side. I want to bring my 3DS around with me to count my steps taken and communicate with others via Street Pass. But when wearing jeans, the 3DS can be seen in your pocket very clearly due to it's size)
• Stylus Placement (Another minor complaint, but unlike the DSi and DS lite, the 3DS puts the stylus right next to the cartridge slot (just like the original DS). This can make it a bit awkward to get your stylus out than normal. It takes some getting used to)
• The Bottom Screen (I have no problem with the touch screen being smaller, but because it is raise from the system, it causes marks on the top screen. I recommend buying screen protectors to prevent permanent damage to your upper screen. Another problem I noticed was the circle pad leaves a mark on the upper area of the 3DS)

My overall rating on the 3DS would be 3.5 Stars of 5. The system had great potential, but sadly not that many good games are on the market currently. I definitely think that once the system gets better games (like Ocarina of Time 3D) I will up my rating to 4.5 Stars of 5.


Play On!
-Colton (CF96)

Super Smash Bros. (N64) Review

Super Smash Bros. was released on the Nintendo 64 on April 26, 1999. It is a fighting game with Nintendo characters from franchises including: Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, and StarFox.   It was intended to be a Japan release only but because sales were so good, it was released world-wide. This was the first video game I ever played. It is today my favorite N64 game. Although much better ones have been released this is a really great game. It has 12 characters in all but you have to unlock four of them. The eight you start out with are: Mario, Link, Kirby, Samus, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, and Fox McCloud. The four you unlock are: Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon, Ness, and Luigi. Although that was not many choices Link is still my favorite to play with today. The game had a total of 9 stages, one being unlock-able, to beat up your friends in 4-player fun. The game had a Single Player mode, a Multi-Player mode, and a Challenge Mode. In single player, you had to defeat all of the characters and do a few mini-games like: Break the Targets, Board the Platforms, and Race to the Finish. These mini-games are available in the challenge mode. Once you defeat the characters, you must face Master Hand, the final boss. It is a very short story. The main part of the game is the 4-Player free for all. I have spent hours upon hours playing multi-player with friends and family. It is the strength of the series. A few complaints, however. The game's graphics haven't aged well and do not hold up to the newer installments. I think you would be better off getting the game on virtual console rather than buying the actual game. But if you want better graphics and more choices for stages and characters I'd go with Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wi-Fi multi-player.


Play On!
-Colton (CF96)

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Version (GBA) Review

Being my first Pokémon game I ever owned, this game holds really high nostalgia value, but I will try to keep emotions out of this. Pokémon  Ruby and Sapphire where the first two games to make it on to the Game Boy Advance platform to show off the systems capabilities and trust me, this game is gorgeous. The graphics are a huge improvement from the Original Game Boy 8-bit graphics, showing off 32-bit beauty. The story of the game is that you are a kid that has moved to the Hoen region with your mom to be with your dad, the Petalburg City gym leader. You receive your first Pokémon and are sent off on your journey. You encounter the two evil organizations, Team Aqua and Team Magma. These two teams are competing against each other to capture the two legendary Pokémon, Kyogre and Groudon. It is your job as a 10 year-old Pokémon Trainer to stop them. You will encounter a new world full of 134 new Pokémon. This game offered a great challenge and hours of fun game play. I recommend this to anyone that has any slight exposure to the Pokémon franchise.
Play On!
-Colton (CF96)