Topic: Episode 282: Better Late Than Never

[Yoshidious]

Join the RFN crew (plus a special guest) to celebrate the 3DS' first birthday!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/29442

200 episodes on from their first appearance together, the RFN crew begins this week's show without their beloved host/loquacious tyrant Dr. Jonathan Metts. Thus, Greg leads the New Business segment with the help of special guest and fellow podcast editor Guillaume Veillette of NegativeWorld.org, who kicks off the show at 88mph with impressions of Telltale's Back to the Future: The Game, before claiming that Kirby's Return to Dream Land is one of the most challenging platformers he's played since Ninja Gaiden!

It's Jon's turn to blow our minds next as he reveals that he's finally succumbed to the siren song of Nintendo's stereoscopic stunner, paving the way for 3DS games such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 to sit atop his infamously huge backlog. Then, James shares exciting news of The Last Story's arrival from Europe as well as a report on Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions (plus the baffling 3D movie included with it), before Greg wraps up the segment with Europe's impossibly large VC line-up for March and impressions of Nintendo's much-maligned 3DS launch window title, Steel Diver.

After the break, Dr. Metts returns just in time to blow out the candle on the Nintendo 3DS birthday cake as we use the recent occasion of the first anniversary of its Japan launch as an excuse to take stock and reflect on our time as 3DS owners thus far. We document our software collections (retail & digital), pick out our best and worst experiences with the system, offer some hopes for the future, and ponder a highly disturbing question: did Jon call it right where the rest of us got it wrong? Tune in to find out!

We politely remind you that RFN's third annual live panel event shall take place at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East in Boston, April 7 at 11:30am Eastern. Join us!

[Shaymin]

Having played hard mode in original Dream Land and True Arena in Superstar Ultra, I can tell you that Kirby games being dirt easy is complete bollocks. Epic Yarn is the exception that proves the rule.

[Pandareus]

Amen!

I perhaps exaggerated a bit with the Ninja Gaiden comparison, but barely.

[scrawnton]

Great episode! I am glad my fellow NegativeWorlder Gui was on this episode! Ive posted on that site for over two years and its my main forum now. It was nice to see my community and my favorite podcast collide into a good listening experience!
 
Looking forward to future episodes, still! We are still a couple months away, but I always look forward to your E3 predictions episode!

[KDR_11k]

I'd call him William since Guillaume is the weirdass French spelling of that name.

That podcast title sounded like John finally finished Oblivion. Now THAT would be a milestone event.

Probably the best way to measure a system's launch lineup is by the games it made you buy in desperation. As long as Pac Pix is on my shelf I will not forget the early days of the DS. On the 3DS the only desperation purchases I made were Samurai Warriors, Ghost Recon and OOT. They're not bad games but they're not the kinds of games I'm usually interested in (which resulted in Ghost Recon landing on the shelf fairly quickly).

My currently most played games are:
Tales of the Abyss at 23.5 hours
SW: Chronicles at 19h
Ocarina of Time 13h
FF The 4 Heroes of Light (DS) 12h
Resident Evil 8h
Super Mario 3D Land 7h

Rune Factory 2 is listed as 2 minutes but I know for a fact that that's inaccurate, back then the 3DS was unable to track DS software properly.

[Chocobo_Rider]

Quick hits:

-Glad Lindy has a 3DS! Welcome!
-Love the DSi XL.  It alone makes me keep playing/wanting to play games on a DS system as opposed to just using my 3DS.
-Glad to hear my boy Guillome on the podcast!

... more to come later .... probably...

[roykoopa64]

Did James say Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions lacks online? Actually, each one of the six games has an online leaderboard. You can also view friends' scores only, which is nice.

Anyway, great discussion looking at the 3DS 1-year anniversary. I've had mine since launch (I picked up SSF IV at launch) and I've had a wonderful time ever since. I love the 3D effect, it's really nice and makes the visuals all the more impressive. I carry my 3DS with me just about everywhere I go and am not afraid to whip it out in public.

It was awesome to hear Guillaume on this episode and getting our Negative World community mentioned on one of the best Nintendo podcasts out there. I've probably been listening to RFN for a year and a half, it's always been very insightful to me as a gamer.

[Pandareus]

I just want to say just how great it was to record with the RFN guys: they're just as friendly and funny as you'd expect.

The skype call was an interesting experience: it was a little bit more laggy and janky than I expected. As a result, (and due to nervousness), I didn't always answer the questions Greg asked me, haha. I DO regret picking up as many launch games as I did, even if I didn't regret the 3DS purchase.

Sorry for the NW invasion in the comments, haha. It's not a concerted effort to siphon off NWR's readership, we just really, really like RFN over there (and for good reason).

[NWR_Neal]

What Roy Koopa said. Pac-Man/Galaga is really only good because of the high scores. Andy and I went back and forth when it first came out.

And I also resent Pac-Man not being worthwhile to play. I probably played more old-school Pac-Man on that game than I ever did before. Though this is the kind of game I wish could just be downloaded. I'd love to have a good version of Pac-Man to go to (Pac-Man GB is awful).

[KisakiProject]

I kinda liked Greg's more clinical show structure.

In terms of 3DS I was there day 1.

I got
Bust-A-Move Universe
Steel Diver
Pilot Wings

Later Got
BlazBlue CS 2
OofT3D
Starfox 64 3D

Holiday
Super Mario 3D Land
MarioKart 7

I can safely say I wished I had waited until the holidays and just got OofT, SM3DL & MK7.

[Zacko]

Great show as always, boys.
I picked up the 3DS a week or two after E3, and picked up Ocarina of Time 3D and Pilotwings. Since then, I've only bought Mario Kart 7 at retail, although I have my preorder for Kid Icarus in.
 
As for downloadables, its all Virtual Console for me:
Super Mario Land 1 & 2
Qix (LOVED this game back in the day)
Legend of Zelda Links Awakening DX
 
Of course, the plethora of free Ambassador games has entertained me to no end as well.

[ejamer]

Fun to hear 1-year retrospectives for 3DS, even though it hasn't actually been available for a full year here.


My experience with the system has been mostly positive.  I didn't buy at launch because there just weren't games that appealed to me... but when Nintendo announced a price drop and the Ambassador program it was too tempting and I jumped in to get the best of both worlds.


There was some uncertainty early on as a potential redesign became a hot rumor, sales were still lagging, and I had to send my system in for repair... but things changed quickly as the eShop content started rolling. Since then the arrival of GBA ambassador games and the first real system-seller for me - an original Resident Evil title - have fully validated my purchase. It's an amazing feeling to know that things will only continue to improve!


My total 3DS library is limited to RE:Revelations and Steel Diver (hey, for $10 it's a nice diversion!) but that will expand with time.  The backwards compatibility has also been a key feature for me, and if you count the 21 original DS games that I've found on the cheap then there are months of great portable gaming still ahead for me.

[leahsdad]

I'm glad to hear that Greg has played and kind of liked Steel Diver.  A lot of what he said about the game I completely agree with--  though I feel this may be because my tastes in games closely mirrors his.

I still tell people that they should try it, especially with an open mind.  It's honestly one of the most unique games I've played in a while, and I think if Nintendo ever made a Steel Diver 2 (and really pulled out all the stops) it would be an amazing game.   It really doesn't hit its stride until the very last level, but once you get there it really shows a great backbone of a game, a foundation that an incredible sequel can be built on.

A lot of people complain about the controls, but I think they're literally "pitch-perfect."  And when you master the controls, 2 things happen:  1.  You actually feel like you're maneuvering a submarine 2.  You are an unstoppable oceanic killing machine.   

[Pixelated Pixies]

I'm actually quite similar to Dr Metts in that I've had high standards when it has come to purchasing retail 3DS games. I picked up Street Fighter at launch and then did not purchase another 3DS game until Super Mario 3D Land. True, I did pick up quite a few DS games and some Virtual Console releases, but for me during this early period the 3DS games simply weren't there.

Even now, I'm having difficulty finding original 3DS games which I'm interested in. I don't enjoy the Resident Evil series so that's out, I've never liked Kojima's games and Metal Gear itsn't exactly the sort of game I want to play on a handheld, and to be perfectly honest Kid Icarus is becoming less appealing by the day.

I am, however, looking forward to Paper Mario and Fire Emblem.

[Fatty The Hutt]

Excellent podcast, as usual. Looking forward to subscibing to the Negative World podcast now.
 
Lindy - 3DS FRIEND CODE, PLEEZ!!!
 
Got my 3DS at launch with Pilotwings and Street Fighter. Love them both still. The online in Street Fighter never disappoints. Such a rich, full package. And I think Pilotwings is an excellent package too. Plenty to do, hard to master.
 
Later, picked up Ocarina of Time 3D. And just before the price drop, two of my kids decided they wanted their own 3DS. So they spent some of their gift and allowance money and bought themselves units and Ridge Racer and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. They seemed to like them. I tried the Lego game and concluded it would be better for me on a console. My daughter finished it though.
 
Street Passing every day with the kids is a blast. Swapnote is great fun too.
 
At Christmastime, Annual Gift Man politely entered our home, removed his shoes and left us Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land. A few weeks ago, I picked up Resident Evil Revelaitons. All of these are very good.
 
On the download, I have:
- All the freebies (Ambassador games, Zelda 4 Swords, Excitebike)
- Pushmo
- Mutant Mudds
- FreakyForms
- Mighty Milky Way
- Puzzle Quest
- Alpha Bounce
- Pictobits
- Dark Void Zero
- Donkey Kong 94
- Link's Awakening DX
- Super Mario Land
- Super Mario Land 2
- Kirby's Dream Land
- Kirby's Adventure (3D Classic)
- Tennis (Game Boy)
- Metroid 2
- Let's Golf 3D
- Tetris (Game Boy)
 
I have completed a few games so far and have gotten very far in about a dozen. The only download I regret is Alpha Bounce. I just don't find it that fun. My current obsession is to continue to advance as far as I can in Mutant Mudds. It is pretty difficult so I don't know if I will be able to finish it but I am having heaps of fun pushing through. My stats say I have completed 12 of the 40 levels. It has taken me 7 hours so far. I promised myself I would not buy any more download games until I finished with Mutant Mudds or Pushmo. Next on the buy list are Sakura Samurai and Dillon's Rolling Western.
 
I think Greg nailed it on the head by saying the 3DS is like a portable gaming jukebox. I carry it everywhere and just flip it open when I have time. I love it. Makes my transit commute a breeze.

[roykoopa64]

I'm glad to hear that Greg has played and kind of liked Steel Diver.  A lot of what he said about the game I completely agree with--  though I feel this may be because my tastes in games closely mirrors his.

I was also glad to hear Greg speak well of Steel Diver, and I agree with your assessment as well, leahsdad. I reviewed the game last year, and yes the controls may seem clunky to an inexperienced player, but the physics feel great considering the vehicles you're controlling. I love the challenge of just learning to navigate skillfully, it's very rewarding.

[leahsdad]

On the download, I have: ......
 

I think Greg nailed it on the head by saying the 3DS is like a portable gaming jukebox. I carry it everywhere and just flip it open when I have time. I love it. Makes my transit commute a breeze.

Oh, you should really mosey on over to the forums, where on multiple occasions there've been these "Who has the most icons on the 3DS home screen" AKA "Who's the biggest nerd" threads.  Okay, I may have started one of them. 

I'm surprised the RFN crew don't have a large number of downloads, but I guess they're pickier.  I, on the other hand, have gone crazy, but I've been loving the crazy.  I'm more on Guillome's "it'd be easier to tell you what I don't have" path of darkness.  And I think Insanolord and UncleBob are already at the end of that path.

[Ceric]

On the download, I have: ......
 

I think Greg nailed it on the head by saying the 3DS is like a portable gaming jukebox. I carry it everywhere and just flip it open when I have time. I love it. Makes my transit commute a breeze.

Oh, you should really mosey on over to the forums, where on multiple occasions there've been these "Who has the most icons on the 3DS home screen" AKA "Who's the biggest nerd" threads.  Okay, I may have started one of them. 

I'm surprised the RFN crew don't have a large number of downloads, but I guess they're pickier.  I, on the other hand, have gone crazy, but I've been loving the crazy.  I'm more on Guillome's "it'd be easier to tell you what I don't have" path of darkness.  And I think Insanolord and UncleBob are already at the end of that path.

I thought Insanolord still had them all.  A lot of UncleBob is DSiWare he's accumulated.

[NWR_insanolord]

On the download, I have: ......
 

I think Greg nailed it on the head by saying the 3DS is like a portable gaming jukebox. I carry it everywhere and just flip it open when I have time. I love it. Makes my transit commute a breeze.

Oh, you should really mosey on over to the forums, where on multiple occasions there've been these "Who has the most icons on the 3DS home screen" AKA "Who's the biggest nerd" threads.  Okay, I may have started one of them. 

I'm surprised the RFN crew don't have a large number of downloads, but I guess they're pickier.  I, on the other hand, have gone crazy, but I've been loving the crazy.  I'm more on Guillome's "it'd be easier to tell you what I don't have" path of darkness.  And I think Insanolord and UncleBob are already at the end of that path.

I thought Insanolord still had them all.  A lot of UncleBob is DSiWare he's accumulated.

I do own every 3DS Virtual Console game and every 3DS eShop game, and every 3D Classic besides Urban Champion, which I'm holding out for a Club Nintendo offer for since I'd rather not spend real money on it. I am insane.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

I fall into Jonny's camp of very few retail games and a selection of downloadables. I'm not unhappy with my 3DS purchase, but it largely exists in the background for me. I think I've enjoyed the Game Boy Virtual Console more than anything. I think my lack of 3DS gaming is more a reflection of my limited gaming time / current gaming habits than the platform itself, though.

I do agree with Guillaume that the physical design of the system is sub-par for a Nintendo product...but this is also consistent with its predecessor, Nintendo DS Phat.

....Say, can't Jonny buy games now?

[motang]

Loved your discussion on 3DS, and it got me more into playing mine. I also ordered Crush3D and am looking forward to that one.

Few things that bug me about the 3DS, it feels like it's cheaply made, mine creaks when I open it up or close it for that matter. D-pad isn't that good and Nintendo really makes good D-pads, Vita really well all out with it's D-pad. The buttons and both D-pad and the circle pad are small, it is really uncomfortable.

Also Guillaume was a good special guest, you guys should invite him again. 

[pureval]

I bought my 3DS when Target dropped the price early, so I was able to score the ambassador games as well. My games consist of:
Zelda OoT (bought before I owned the system so I could get the soundtrack)
Steel Diver (Christmas Present, cheap game)
Pilotwings Resort (Ditto)
Super Mario 3D Land (Valentine's Day)
Resident Evil Revilaitons (just bought)


Download games:
Pushmo (I love it)
Mutant Mudds (Ditto)


I tend to bring the 3DS with me everywhere, so I can street pass. I play a game on my lunch and while waiting in check out lines. This is the first portable system I have owned that I actually really take me with anywhere. I  have never really liked Game Boy games so I have not downloaded any virtual console games yet, although Punch-Out is really tempting me right now.

[Shaymin]

I don't know what it is about this episode coming up and me *losing* my system three days later... whatever it is, it's a real b***h.

I only got it for the Ambassador games - I only had the chance to pick up SMT:DSO and Mario Kart (14/2) and some downloads (Picross, DK '94, Mario, Kirby and Zelda DX). I wanted to get Pushmo, MSF, Mutant Mudds et al but fate got in the way before I had a chance to come into money.

I don't regret the purchase though, Swapnote (with BnM's help) alone was enough to warrant the purchase.

[NWR_Lindy]

My favorite thing about 3DS is its smartphone-like "always on" connectivity, especially StreetPass.  It's because of StreetPass that I bring it with me whenever I can (actually the pedometer too).  That's an appeal that I hadn't anticipated.

I'll find the appropriate thread and post my friend code there.