This thread will be the place to go if you want to recommend a game, or if you want to check other people's opinion on a particular game, should work for both Retail and eShop titles.

The new catch is:

Nirolak said:

-3DS Game User Reviews (These have to actually be somewhat lengthy and high quality and not just be a megathread chatroom under the guise of a review thread. If you recommend a game here, you should have at least a few paragraphs about why you like it and think others should buy it. This will be moderated.)

Click to expand...

UPDATE:
I will be posting game titles info, screenshots and opinions for every game mentioned in this thread, the games need to have an user review to be considered in this Post, if you want a game to be here, you'll need to post a review/opinion of it.

For the game reviews/opinions I'll use a +/- rating system to summarize every opinion, it would be really helpful if you guys started to include that in your posts too.

Gafsensus Rating System:
+ Positive
- Negative
+- Undecided/Neutral


Click the game title to be re-directed to that particular game's OT.
Click the +/- rating to be re-directed to a particular user review.


3DS GAME RECOMMENDATIONS/CONDEMNATIONS

eShop-Only Titles



Colors 3D
Publisher: Collecting Smiles
Dev: Collecting Smiles
Out Now
Price: $6.99/€6.00/£5.40
Gafsensus: radioheadrule83(+)




Liberation Maiden
Publisher: Level-5
Dev: Goichi Suda
Release date: Out Now(EU) October 25th(NA)
Price: €7,99/£7.19/$12(AUS)/TBA(NA)
Gafsensus: Santiako(-) Atmej(+-)




Mighty Switch Force
Publisher: WayForward Technologies
Dev: WayForward Technologies
Out Now
Price: $5.99/€6.00/£5.40
Gafsensus: GWX(+) Zeer0id(+) radioheadrule83(+)




Pushmo(NA)/Pullblox(EU)
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Intelligent Systems
Out Now
Price: $6.99/€6.00/£5.40/$9.00(AU)
Gafsensus: Zeer0id(+) Zeeman(+) radioheadrule83(+)




Sakura Samurai(NA)/Hana Samurai(EU)
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Grounding Inc.
Out Now
Price: $6.99/€6.99s/£6.29
Gafsensus: Sushigod7(+)




VVVVVV
Publisher: Nicalis
Dev: Terry Cavanagh
Out Now
Price: $7.99/€8.00/£7.20
Gafsensus: radioheadrule83(+)





________________________________________________________________________





Virtual Console


Castlevania: The Adventure
Publisher: Konami
Dev: Konami
Out Now
Price: $2.99/£2.70/€3.00
Gafsensus: Atmej(-)





________________________________________________________________________





Retail Titles


Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
Publisher: Namco Bananas
Dev: Project Aces
Out Now
Gafsensus: PKrockin(+) Sadist(+-)




Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Headstrong Games
Out Now (Also available digitally on the 3DS eShop)
Gafsensus: Kazerei(+-) radioheadrule83(+)




Bit.Trip Saga
Publisher: Aksys Games(NA) Rising Star Games(EU)
Dev: Gaijin Games
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(-)



Crosswords Plus
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: NST
Out Now (Also Available digitally on the 3DS eShop)
Gafsensus: Baconsammy(-)




Cave Story 3D
Publisher: Nis America
Dev: Nicalis
Out Now
Gafsensus: Conrad Link(+)




Dead or Alive Dimensions
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Dev: Team Ninja
Out Now
Gafsensus: Sadist(+) DR2K(+)




Driver Renegade 3D
Publisher: Ubisoft
Dev: Nobody knows, it's a secret.
Out Now
Gafsensus: nikatapi(-)



Frogger 3D
Publisher: Konami
Dev: Alpha Unit
Out Now
Gafsensus: Rm88~(+)




Kid Icarus: Uprising
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Project Sora
Out Now
Gafsensus: NubInaTub(+) Sadist(+) Kazerei(+) braves01(+-) nikatapi(+)




Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
Publisher: Square Enix
Dev: Square Enix 1st Production Department
Out Now
Gafsensus: Mr. Robot (+-)




The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Grezzo Co.
Out Now (Also available digitally on the 3DS eShop)
Gafsensus: Sadist(+) Dark Schala(+) Kazerei(+) braves01(+) nikatapi(+)




Mario Kart 7
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Nintendo EAD, Retro Studios
Out Now (Also available digitally on the 3DS eShop)
Gafsensus: Zeer0id(+-) Rm88~(+) Sadist(+) Kazerei(+) braves01(+) Mr. Robot(+) nikatapi(+) radioheadrule83(+)




Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
Publisher: Konami
Dev: Kojima Productions
Out Now
Gafsensus: Sadist(+-)




New Super Mario Bros. 2
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Nintendo EAD (Software Development Group No. 4)
Out Now (Also available digitally on the 3DS eShop)
Gafsensus: Sadist(+) Kazerei(+) braves01(+) Mr. Robot(+)




Nintendogs + Cats
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Nintendo EAD
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(-)




Pilotwings Resort
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Monster Games
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(+-)




Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
Publisher: Konami
Dev: Konami
Out Now
Gafsensus: Sadist(-)




Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D
Publisher: Capcpom
Dev: Capcpom, Tose
Out Now
Gafsensus: Ken(+) Sadist(+-)




Resident Evil: Revelaitons
Publisher: Capcpom
Dev: Capcpom
Out Now
Gafsensus: eighty(one)(+) Relaxed Muscle(+) Sadist(+) Kazerei(+-) braves01(+-) nikatapi(+) radioheadrule83(+)




Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure
Publisher: Sega
Dev: Sega, Xeen
Out Now
Gafsensus: Pikma(+) Nocturnowl(o) Dark Schala(+)




Samurai Warriors Chronicles
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Dev: Omega Force
Out Now
Gafsensus: Zornica(+)




Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
Publisher: Atlus
Dev: Atlus
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(+)




Shinobi
Publisher: Sega
Dev: Griptonite
Out Now
Gafsensus: jufonuk(+) pa22word(+) @MUWANdo(-) Nocturnowl(+-)




Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Tecmo Koei
Out Now
Gafsensus: axisofweevils(-)




Star Fox 64 3D
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Q-Games
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(+)




Steel Diver
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Vitei
Out Now
Gafsensus: Yuterald(+)




Super Mario 3D Land
Publisher: Nintendo
Dev: Nintendo EAD Tokio, Brownie Brown
Out Now (Also available digitally on the 3DS eShop)
Gafsensus: chickdigger802(+) Sadist(+) Kazerei(+) Currygan(+) braves01(+) Mr. Robot(+) Aiko Heiwa(+) nikatapi(+) radioheadrule83(+)




Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
Publisher: Capcpom, Nintendo Australia
Dev: Capcpom, Dimps
Out Now
Gafsensus: Sadist(+) Kazerei(+) nikatapi(+)




Tales of the Abyss
Publisher: Namco Bananas
Dev: Namco Tales Studio
Out Now
Gafsensus: Sadist(+) Kazerei(+) vareon(+) chickdigger802(+)




Tetris Axis
Publisher: Nintendo(NA) Namco Bananas(JP) Tetris Online Inc.(EU)
Dev: Hudson Soft (R.I.P.)
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(-)




Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Publisher: Square Enix
Dev: indieszero
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(+) Sadist(+) Mr. Robot(+) Nocturnowl(+)




Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Publisher: Ubisoft
Dev: Ubisoft Sofia
Out Now
Gafsensus: Kazerei(-) manueldelalas(+)









_______________________________________________________________________

To kick things off...

Pushmo

It is, in my humble opinion, the best 3DS game of 2011, and a masterstroke in unique puzzle game design. Pushmo exudes charm, has a vast array of built-in content (with huge potential for easy-to-make and easy-to-get UGC), and has an amazing difficulty ramp-up that will leave you in agony by the end.

You are doing something wrong if you don't own this $6.99 eShop gem.

There is also a sequel being released about 1 month from now entitled "Crashmo", with some impressive new mechanics that will likely be (literally) gamechangers.

I thought this Nirolak said it was to be a Game User Review thread which implies negative user feedback too.

I'm not recommending a game I didn't like!

dallow_bg said:

I thought this Nirolak said it was to be a Game User Review thread which implies negative user feedback too.

I'm not recommending a game I didn't like!

Click to expand...

Ah, but you can recommend that somebody doesn't buy a game, no?

dallow_bg said:

I thought this Nirolak said it was to be a Game User Review thread which implies negative user feedback too.

I'm not recommending a game I didn't like!

Click to expand...

3DS Game Complaints |OT|

:lol

Now, seriously, if the thread title is actually too specific we can always ask for a title change.

Bumhead said:

Ah, but you can recommend that somebody doesn't buy a game, no?

Click to expand...

Right, just give more effort than "This game sucks!!!" and actually explain why you think it's bad and people should avoid it.

As someone who plans to pick up a 3DS XL sometime next month, I suspect this thread is going to come in very handy.

Now that you're all here, let me talk you about a game called Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure...

It's the best fucking 3DS game, EVER!
If you liked/enjoyed Theathrhythm, or you just like good rhythm games, you really need to pick this little gem, it's a game with surprisingly high production values, the soundtrack, which is very important for a rhythm game, is marvellous, catchy, outstanding and even beautiful. The characters are incredibly charming, interesting and lovely. 2 chapters in and you'll be attached to them, I guarantee you that, and all of them are used to create a fun plot that it's like it was taken from a 1999 game plot, but in a good way, no visceral/ground-breaking pretending shit.

And that's it. What? Do you wanna know about the gameplay? There are many rhythm games included in this one, but we should not focus solely on quantity, let's focus on quality, My god, this game is really something else, it has something that I've found on very few games, the last one that made me feel like this was Zack & Wiki, the games are really really the most refreshing little games I've found in a long time, with some small puzzles being thrown at you every now and then.

I'll add some negative things though: There are many games that once they get difficult, turn into a "beat it if you're lucky" thing, also the way the game ranks your performance is completely broken, you can do porrly, very very bad at the beginning, horrible, but if you step up your game near the end, it's very easy to end up with an A, but if it's the opposite and you go for a perfect, nailed everything until the last few notes,and you end the game missing the last 2 notes, you're screwed, you'll get a C, guaranteed. It's like the game doesn't care about your overall performance, to score decently you need to have a good streak at the very end.

Take all of that and add it to a game presentation that puts MGS3D and many more 3DS games on shame, the 3D cutscenes are beautiful and enjoyable, the Paris city map used to move from one location to another one is really well integrated and it really gives you a sense of being part of it, even if the locations are all separated.
To sum it all, this SEGA game is the most SEGA game released since the Dreamcast died, a very fun and charming game.

I will get Rhythm Thief... eventually :|

Zeer0id said:

I will get Rhythm Thief... eventually :|

Click to expand...

Now, do it now.

Get Mario 3D land

Made by the galaxy team, plays great, has bite size levels for portable play, probably the only game for the platform in which 3D greatly enhances the experience.

If you own a 3ds, enjoy mario, pick this up.

I'll give the first condemnation: Liberation Maiden

Don't buy this game. The premise of the game is fantastic, a hot high school girl is the president of Japan, so obviously she has to put on a skin-thight suit and hop on a mech to fight some aliens that are invading, all a 3D shmup-like game, what can go wrong? Everything. It controls poorly, it's very very short (about an hour, an hour and a half), very repetitive, it's expensive (8&#8364, you can't skip dialogue, making replaying tedious, and there aren't even leaderboards, making the focus of the game (scores) moot.
The only good things about the game are that it looks nice enough and there is an animated intro that is pretty.

Santiako said:

I'll give the first condemnation: Liberation Maiden

Don't buy this game. The premise of the game is fantastic, a hot high school girl is the president of Japan, so obviously she has to put on a skin-thight suit and hop on a mech to fight some aliens that are invading, all a 3D shmup-like game, what can go wrong? Everything. It controls poorly, it's very very short (about an hour, an hour and a half), very repetitive, it's expensive (8€), you can't skip dialogue, making replaying tedious, and there aren't even leaderboards, making the focus of the game (scores) moot.
The only good things about the game are that it looks nice enough and there is an animated intro that is pretty.

Click to expand...

You sold me on it. :lol

I will miss the OP of threads like 'Why the DS rocks' and 'GBA Software thread', because screen shots were a large part of it. I just enjoyed being able to go through the list and look at them. I'm hoping there is a 'best of' created in the OP featuring a review of a game and including screens from said game. A little presentation is always nice.

I really like the idea of this thread, i'll chime in more a bit later, unfortunately for Pikma I may be starting with reasons why perhaps one should be more wary of Rhythm Thief.

No amount of condemnation will make me avoid Liberation Maiden when it comes out. Screw you all! ,_,

Does the "What does this thing has" thread still exists? I liked that one better.

KillerTravis said:

Does the "What does this thing has" thread still exists? I liked that one better.

Click to expand...

No, new policy.

Still picking up Liberation Maiden when it comes to NA.

Dat ass; what more can I ask for?

I wrote up some impressions in the old thread. Might as well update and post them here.

Pilotwings Resort (+-) : This game is still one of the best demonstrations of 3D in my opinion. The entire game is set on Wuhu Island, a nice large environment with lots of interesting features. The controls are tight, the missions are well designed, and it's a lot of fun. The missions have a good variety, and the later ones provide a decent challenge. Unfortunately it is kind of short. It'll only take 10-15 hours to get everything in the game, and even getting perfect scores on every mission should only take 20-25 hours. My other complaint is that "free flight" mode has a time limit. If you can find it for <$20, definitely pick it up.

Nintendogs + cats (-) : One of those games you could play daily forever and ever ... or just forget about quickly. Personally, after I beat the top tier of the competitions, I stopped playing. There's just not much to do, so I wasn't motivated enough to keep playing to collect all the items and stuff. There is a ton of stuff though, to be fair. It's okay for what it is. I wish Nintendo was more ambitious with this game. There's three types of competitions (disc, lure, obedience), you can take your dogs for a walk, and you can play with your dogs and cats. That's about it.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D (+) : A good game for quick play sessions. The circle pad feels surprisingly nice to me. I usually played with 3D off, for the higher frame rate. If you're looking for a 3DS fighting game, you can't go wrong here. It's a great port of the console game.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (-) : A modern military styled SRPG? It's a very neat idea, but unfortunately wasn't well executed. Tactically, it's pretty shallow. The units are unbalanced. The level design is straightforward. The AI is pretty basic. There's just not much strategy required. The RPG elements are weak too; basically you just pick which unit to level up first. The story is nearly nonexistant. The campaigns missions are incredibly boring, although the side missions are actually more interesting, since they are specifically crafted scenarios. I wouldn't recommend this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (+) : Sooooo good. Everything about this game is very polished. The controls are solid, dungeons and bosses are well designed, pacing is smooth, the graphics are great, the camera seems improved, there's a good amount of content, and the Master Quest offers a nice challenge. Plus a bunch of fun glitches to mess around with! The original game was so well-designed, it holds up perfectly fine over time, and the 3DS version only offers improvements. Highly recommended.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (+) : Now this is a great SRPG. The gameplay system consists of many typical RPG elements, but is quite deep. You'll definitely need to think strategically for this game; it's quite challenging. Overclocked introduces a number of improvements over the original: full voice acting, improved graphics and smoothed font, plenty of new content, three save slots, easy mode, new/tweaked demons/skills for better balance, and most importantly, the Demon Compendium feature which makes party building so much nicer. However, the pacing is a bit whack, and the story/characters get a bit tiring. Overall a great game.

Star Fox 64 3D (+) : This game is a classic. It's still one of the best rail shooters ever, and the 3DS version is a great remake. I don't really know what to say about it. Not much content, but huge replay value as you aim for higher scores. You'll get out of it exactly what you expect. But no online lol.

Super Mario 3D Land (+) : Another very polished and well-designed game from Nintendo. Graphics are solid, controls are solid, level design is solid. The game is of course in 3D, but designed with a fixed camera perspective in mind, so it's more newb-friendly than completely 3D games. The 3D effect is pretty useful in judging distance. However the variety is a bit lacking, and the challenge level is low for the first half of the game. The second half is better tuned to Mario veterans. You can't go wrong with this game, although it didn't really "wow" me. Compared to the other mainline Mario games, I'd put SM3DL somewhere in the middle. Of course all Mario games have been pretty awesome though, so if you want Mario, get it!

Mario Kart 7 (+) : This is the best Mario Kart and the best 3DS game so far. For two reasons: the gameplay mechanics (drifting, tricking, gliding, coins, kart customization) are naturally improved over past games, and the online system is amazing (surprising for Nintendo!). Definitely feels like they put more thought into each mechanic, to provide a balanced and well-rounded experience. Content-wise, it's pretty much the same as other MK games, although sadly missing single-player missions from MKDS. Also, the track design is kind of weak, but acceptable. Overall, I would definitely recommend this game to anyone and everyone.

Tetris Axis (-) : It's good, not great. The core gameplay is fine, there's lots of content, and online multiplayer. But the music, the new modes, the features, the 3D, are all pretty unremarkable. And my biggest complaint is that the controls aren't customizable. I just wasn't having much fun with this version of Tetris over previous versions. I wouldn't particularly recommend this unless you really want to play Tetris.

Bit.Trip Saga (-) : I had never played a Bit.Trip game before, so I was pretty excited that this collection came out. It's basically six retro-style arcade games with funky rhythmic music. Like any retro arcade game, it's high-score driven and quite challenging, demanding practice and persistence. Unfortunately there are occasional framerate hiccups, particularly in Runner and Fate, and Saga (3DS) doesn't have the additional content that Complete (Wii) does. Bit.Trip is a great fit for a handheld, but I'd recommend Bit.Trip Complete (Wii) instead.

Tales of the Abyss (+) : One of the finest action JRPGs ever. It's pretty much a straight port of the PS2 game, and it plays well on 3DS. The main changes are the load times have been hugely reduced, while the graphics seem downgraded a little. Fair trade-off, IMO. The battle system is fun, the story is engrossing, and the game is a good 40-50 hours long. There are a ton of missables, but there's also new game plus if you're a completionist. If you're looking for a JRPG and you've never played Tales of the Abyss, get it; the 3DS version is a solid choice.

Kid Icarus Uprising (+) : Okay, the controls. I would've liked having the option of dual analog, but the stylus works fine-ish. Once you get over it, this game is deep, fun, and enjoyable. Design-wise, the levels have cool secrets, the puzzles are interesting, and the bosses are very cool. The difficulty slider makes it accessible enough for newbs, and challenging enough for pros. There's also a ton of replay value in setting high scores and unlocking everything. If you're looking for a good "core" gaming experience, then I would recommend Kid Icarus. It's awesome. You'll get used to the controls.

Resident Evil: Revelations (+-) : I played this with circle pad pro, so the controls were fine for me. Graphics are amazing. The atmosphere, narrow corridors, and tight amount of ammo were spot on. Campaign mode kind of got boring after awhile, probably because of lack of enemies and forgettable story. The campaign is also kind of short. Raid mode is where it's at, if you have someone to play with. I wouldn't particularly recommend Revelaitons as a single player game, but it's totally worth it for Raid mode.

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (+) : One of the best rhythm games ever, especially if you're a FF fan. The gameplay consists of taps, holds, and swipes. There's a lot of content, plus DLC. There's also some RPG elements to encourage you to keep playing, or "grind", basically. Characters level up and learn new abilities, and accumulating rhythmia (points) unlocks new stuff at set intervals. My main complaint is how the track design will switch from one instrument to another, which you just have to get used to. Also, I find that hold->swipe occasionally doesn't register properly, but maybe it's just me. Still, it's one of my favorite 3DS games and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a rhythm game.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (+) : Another very polished and well-designed game from Nintendo. NSMB2 incorporates various mechanics from previous games, and adds a heavier emphasis on coin collecting, for no real reason. Coins are everywhere, but it has little effect, really. Gameplay, controls, level design, all spot-on as usual. Main disappointments were the mini-bosses, final boss, and game length. Overall, I'd say it's better than NSMB, but worse than NSMBWii. You really can't go wrong with this game though, it's straightforward and fun. Just nothing too surprising.

Relaxed Muscle said:

No, new policy.

Click to expand...

But... all the nice screenshots T_T

I recently purchased a 3DS after a long hiatus away from gaming. My biggest recommendation is for Super Mario Land 3D, which really recaptured the kind of fun I had when Mario 64 first released and really surprised me. I haven't enjoyed the Galaxy games, so if recent Mario 3D titles weren't for you, still give this one a shot.

I also love OoT of course, and Pilotwings is fun if you can find it on the cheap.

Hoping to have a 3DS by the year's end(but not sure if I'll be able to afford it), but I wanted to pop in and say that I love the subtitle! Definitely hyped to try out Revelations, Theatrhythm, and Kid Icarus.

EvilMario said:

I will miss the OP of threads like 'Why the DS rocks' and 'GBA Software thread', because screen shots were a large part of it. I just enjoyed being able to go through the list and look at them. I'm hoping there is a 'best of' created in the OP featuring a review of a game and including screens from said game. A little presentation is always nice.

Click to expand...

Yes, as I said, I'll update the OP, I'll try to do something like the "What does this thing have" thread, screenshots included, but with links to people's reviews/recommendations too. I have a problem, though, I can't do recommendations for every game that's why I need your help, GAF.

KillerTravis said:

But... all the nice screenshots T_T

Click to expand...

I think this OP will get fleshed out more when Pikma has time. We needed somewhere to post! xD

KillerTravis said:

But... all the nice screenshots T_T

Click to expand...

Maybe make a 3DS screenshot thread in community or something?

Nocturnowl said:

I really like the idea of this thread, i'll chime in more a bit later, unfortunately for Pikma I may be starting with reasons why perhaps one should be more wary of Rhythm Thief.

Click to expand...

Gives me an idea. I don't know who could or would be willing to do this, but it might be a good idea to assemble links to various reviews, grouped by game. Doesn't have to be in the OP; it could be every so often like Jucksalbe's been handling the FF 25th Anniversary thread.

This way there could be a Rhythm Thief heading, and curious readers could peruse both Pikma's insanely enthusiastic review and your slightly more tempered take.

Resident Evil Revelations

Surprising that Resident Evil would return to fine form in 2012, the kicker here, is it happens to take place on Nintendo's 3DS system. The game stars both notable characters Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, though this is really Jill's game. The setting takes place on an eerie, abandoned cruise liner. You'll also travel to snowy mountain regions and see more of the BSAA/FBC, at large.

The gameplay models itself after Resident Evil 4 and 5, while adding a dodge mechanic and incorporates the quick turn. There are also swimming mechanics akin to RE6.

The main premise of the game, without giving things away, involves an organization named Veltro. The plot contains plenty of intrigue and twists and turns, all while keeping an episodic TV series like narrative. The game is phenomenal on all counts and strives to attain the feel of the older entries, while combining the modern mechanics of the new entries. As a long time fan, I enjoyed this game more than 6,4,5,0,3 and CV. It remains my 2nd favorite, tied alongside RE 2 (but behind RE1/Remake.)....

Give it a shot. Is by far one of the better 3DS games available and if you're in a Halloween mood, you'll find the best RE game of the year (and a series highlight), on 3DS.


Note: there is also a fully fleshed out online CO-OP mode called Raid, incorporated into the game.

Condemnation:

Do NOT buy Crosswords Plus. Horrible price. Horrible selection of the most boring crossword puzzles you'll ever find outside of a childs My-First-Crosswords book. Terrible letter recognition only makes it more frustrating than it is boring to play. Nintendo should be ashamed of putting this turd out at this price.

Baconsammy said:

Condemnation:

Do NOT buy Crosswords Plus. Horrible price. Horrible selection of the most boring crossword puzzles you'll ever find outside of a childs My-First-Crosswords book. Terrible letter recognition only makes it more frustrating than it is boring to play. Nintendo should be ashamed of putting this turd out at this price.

Click to expand...

After all that complaining, you finally decided to pony up the bucks to get the game?

honorless said:

Gives me an idea. I don't know who could or would be willing to do this, but it might be a good idea to assemble links to various reviews, grouped by game. Doesn't have to be in the OP; it could be every so often like Jucksalbe's been handling the FF 25th Anniversary thread.

This way there could be a Rhythm Thief heading, and curious readers could peruse both Pikma's insanely enthusiastic review and your slightly more tempered take.

Click to expand...

Ok, ok, I'll add one negative thing:

There are many games that once they get difficult, turn into a "beat it if you're lucky" thing, also the way the game ranks your performance is completely broken, you can do porrly, very very bad at the beginning, horrible, but if you step up your game near the end, it's very easy to end up with an A, but if it's the opposite and you go for a perfect, nailed everything until the last few notes,and you end the game missing the last 2 notes, you're screwed, you'll get a C, guaranteed. It's like the game doesn't care about your overall performance, to score decently you need to have a good streak at the very end.

even though I only started playing it, I would like to suggest you pick up: Shinobi.

it's a really well designed game for anyone looking for an on school style game, some crazy enviromental hazards as well. forget about thecomplaints about graphics, the game looks great in motion.
(the only downside for me he is the parry system, guess it takes some getting used to I would rather have a block button instead) add in fast franctic gameplay and a score attack systems, unlockables etc, it's worth getting for any retro gamers with a 3DS

Oh wait, I forgot one.

Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone (+-) : A surprising amount of content here. 9 introductory lessons (plus 7 minilessons), and 8 advanced lessons (plus 8 minilessons). It'll teach you how to use pencils, paints, and pastels, as well as some art history along the way. There's also Free Paint mode, where you can go nuts. If you're interested in learning, you'll get out of it what you put into it. You can sloppily blitz through the lessons, or you can take your time and actually try to improve your skills. Overall a neat experience; not sure it's for everyone, but go for it if you're genuinely interested.

Everyone should also be aware of the awesome one-two combo that is Art Academy for learning art skills and then applying them with flair in Colors! 3D.

EvilMario said:

I will miss the OP of threads like 'Why the DS rocks' and 'GBA Software thread', because screen shots were a large part of it. I just enjoyed being able to go through the list and look at them. I'm hoping there is a 'best of' created in the OP featuring a review of a game and including screens from said game. A little presentation is always nice.

Click to expand...

I really liked the "Why you're Wii doesn't have to be dusty" thread, that thread really helped me find some games I otherwise might've over looked. I'll also miss the "3DS what games does this thing have?" thread too.


I especially liked how the first post in those type of threads had the top games sorted by genres and had screenshots posted too. Hopefully a first post similar to that will still be allowed under the new rules.

Pikma said:

Ok, ok, I'll add one negative thing:

There are many games that once they get difficult, turn into a "beat it if you're lucky" thing, also the way the game ranks your performance is completely broken, you can do porrly, very very bad at the beginning, horrible, but if you step up your game near the end, it's very easy to end up with an A, but if it's the opposite and you go for a perfect, nailed everything until the last few notes,and you end the game missing the last 2 notes, you're screwed, you'll get a C, guaranteed. It's like the game doesn't care about your overall performance, to score decently you need to have a good streak at the very end.

Click to expand...

I think you should edit this into your original post for completeness's sake.

Resident Evil: Revelations

A very competent Resident Evil game, but also very flawed. Is kinda refreshing that the development team went back to some of the roots of the saga, sadly, this only went halfway.

There are two very distinctive parts in the game: One that happens on the ship and the other one that shows a good variety of enviroments.

Ship parts are the shinning part of the game. There's some reminiscent of the old RE style, with some exploration and puzzles. The ambientation is quite good and at least it adds some tension, but still the game is very off to just scratch the horror REmake managed to give to the player.

But as I said, the ship parts only goes halfway to bring back the old RE that fans love it. Exploration is rather superficial and the puzzles are still very simple, instead of giving you a big area to explore freely and little by little discover its secrets, each chapter just give you a rather small area which just a few off the path rooms to explore.

Way worse are the sections that dosn't happen on the ship, these feature linear levels with very poorly designed combat rooms. It dosn't help that the combat from RE4/5 was basically dumbed down with the only addition of being able to move while aiming, something that is extremely wonky on the normal 3DS without the pad attachment.

Although I can say that bosses are some of the best of the series, really fun to fight and some of them features very interesting attack patterns. Raid mode is the other great surprise of the game. A fun mode that is greatly improved by going co-op.

Graphically speaking is a very pleasant game, with very well done models and lightning and some very detailed enviroments. Also music is quite good.

In short, RE:R is a good game, but definetly very flawed too. I hope Capcom gives us another protable entry beacuse RE:R was a good step in the right direction.

Anyway, I think a release calendar would be suited for this OP.

I'll flesh out that list I posted in the megathread with dates and such and re-post it here in a bit.

Yo dawgs, I'm going to kick it old school and recommend Steel Diver as my first contribution to this thread. To this day, it's still my favorite and most memorable 3DS game (...and yes, I've played and finished Kid Icarus, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, etc.). I believe this game deserves a second/third/fourth chance. The majority of gamers/critics who played this game panned it for its lack of content/value. Well, fuck that shit, did anyone even TRY to play this game for more than an hour? This game took me 53 hours to fully complete.

Steel Diver is all about time trials, cutting corners, learning the stages, applying the right decals, and going for the gold. If you value OLD SCHOOL replay value then you should reconsider your stance on this game. Yeah, you can "finish" this game in a couple hours, but so what? The same thing can be said about Star Fox or ANY OTHER arcade-like experience. This is not a game for those who require instant gratification. You have to earn your rewards in this game by mastering the controls and understanding the mechanics. The best way to describe Steel Diver is that it's a slow paced arcade shoot-em-up, only without the shooting. Earning all of the Developer Medals (Gold) on every stage is quite a challenge. Steel Diver is certainly NOT a shallow experience.

It's a shame not many people saw the value in this title at launch. I think this could have become a wonderful new Nintendo IP. An even more fleshed out sequel could have been amazing, but since soooo many people were quick to dismiss the game we're probably never going to see this game return from the abyss.

temporary review link not-so-megapost

+ is a generally positive review (commendation)
- is a generally negative review (condemnation)
o is neutral/undecided

feel free to indicate where your review will fall before going into detail; you're welcome to correct me if I misread you.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
(+)

Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone
(+)

Crosswords Plus
(-)

Frogger 3D
(+)

Kid Icarus: Uprising
(+)

Liberation Maiden
(-)

Mario Kart 7
(o)(+)

Mighty Switch Force
(+)

Pushmo
(+)(+)

Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D
(+)

Resident Evil: Revelations
(+)(+)

Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure
(+)(o)

Shinobi
(+)

Steel Diver
(+)

Super Mario 3D Land
(+)

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
(+)

===

Additional reading material:

Kazerei's big, detailed impressions post
Sadist's quick reviews post
Baconsammy's twitter-friendly reviews post
braves01's reviews post

===

If you've got a better idea for format or would like to take over the whole compiling thing (assuming OP doesn't) go ahead and take DECISIVE ACTION. Not trying to bogart anything here, just trying to help the ball keep rolling.

Good news, tomorrow is gonna be a free day for me, that OP will definitely be updated starting tonight.

honorless said:

I think you should edit this into your original post for completeness's sake.

Click to expand...

Already did.

I'll probably go back and add more to those impressions. I didn't really say alot about each game :\

Kazerei said:

I'll probably go back and add more to those impressions. I didn't really say alot about each game :\

Click to expand...

I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to break it up into game-specific categories and end up with fifteen different links to the same post, especially since they're pretty short. It's a great post though.

I have to recommend Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars. Not only is the title words per dollar ratio quite high, it's an excellent turn-based squad strategy game. It's deep without becoming cumbersome, and can be played in short spurts. And the 3D really enhances the "game board" feel which underlies these kinds of games (which are in many ways board games on steroids). It was my favorite launch title and is a great portable strategy game to have in your collection. And it's only $13 brand-new now!

I feel bad I didn't get to a second paragraph.

Notable 3DS releases for Q4 2012 (NA):

• Pokémon Dream Radar (eShop... Oct 7th)
• Code of Princess (retail... Oct 9th)
• Skylanders Giants (retail... Oct 21st)
• Style Savvy Trendsetters (retail/eShop... Oct 22nd)
• Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (retail... Oct 23rd)
• NightSky (eShop... Oct 25th)
• Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (retail/eShop... Oct 28th)
• Lego Lord of the Rings (retail... Oct 30th)
• Freakyforms Deluxe (retail/eShop... Nov 5th)
• Harvest Moon: A New Beginning (retail... Nov 6th)
• Pokédex 3D Pro (eShop... Nov 8th)
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star (retail/eShop... Nov 11th)
• Adventure Time: HIKWYSOG (retail... Nov 13th)
• Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (retail/eShop... Nov 18th)
• Scribblenauts Unlimited (retail... Nov 18th)
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (retail... Nov 20th)
• Crashmo (eShop... Nov 22nd)
• Brain Age: Concentration Training (retail/eShop... Dec 3rd)
• Fluidity: Spin Cycle (eShop... Dec 27th)
• Liberation Maiden (eShop... TBD 2012)
• Aeroporter (eShop... TBD 2012)
• Crimson Shroud (eShop... TBD 2012)

Major currently announced 2013 titles include:

• Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
• Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate
• Castlevania: Mirror of Fate
• Fire Emblem: Awakening
• Animal Crossing: Jump Out
• Etrian Odyssey IV

everyone please correct any inaccuracies/omissions!

EvilMario said:

I will miss the OP of threads like 'Why the DS rocks' and 'GBA Software thread', because screen shots were a large part of it. I just enjoyed being able to go through the list and look at them. I'm hoping there is a 'best of' created in the OP featuring a review of a game and including screens from said game. A little presentation is always nice.

Click to expand...

Whoa wait, no screenshots allowed anymore? What?

UncleSporky said:

Whoa wait, no screenshots allowed anymore? What?

Click to expand...

I don't think any of the mods ever said that.

I recommend Mighty Switch Force! a lot.

It's an action/puzzle platformer with a simple premise: rescue five girls per stage using your platforming skills, shooting enemies and pushing blocks in and out of the stages using our switching powers. The level design is very well constructed and varied, with every level having its own personality regarding its pacing and puzzle mechanics.

It looks fantastic, specially with the 3D slider pushed all the way to the max. The soundtrack is incredible (listen to some samples: Jive Bot, Caught Red Handed, Yummy), too. About the length: it isn't very long, but the main 16 stages and the additional 5 stages which were added via free DLC are very replayable and compelling to go after the par time (the time trials in this game really add to the overall experience: mastering the mechanics and the puzzles is half of the fun!). If you are not into time trials, well, it's only 6 bucks, and you'll certainly get your money worth even if you only play through each stage only once.

Is Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions worth $12? Because that's what Amazon.com via GoHastings is selling it for right now $7.99 + $3.99 shipping.

I'm primarily interested in it for Pac-Man Championship Edition. How much does that sell for on it's own on XBLA and PSN?

How good are the other games on the cartridge?

Classic Pac-Man
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Pac-Man Tilt

Classic Galaga
Galaga Legions
Galaga 3D Impact

Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure

Rhythm Thief is an interesting one that's for sure, a selection of rhythm minigames all connected together through a story that's experienced through some light adventure game style gameplay, it's very much like Professor Layton swapping out puzzles for musical minigames. On paper this sounds like a recipe for success, alas shaky execution of the various parts that make up the whole game leave a rather uneven experience that while solid enough feels like a missed opportunity.

You'll take control of Phantom R, a thief by trade but not a menacing one by any means with reasons behind his devilish deeds, you'll journey through Paris in a rather mad plot which puts you up against a resurrected Napoleon Boneparte who aims to take over Paris with the use of an old artifact known as the Dragon Crown, Phantom R is accompanied by his dog Fondue and also encounters a violinist called Marie and together they'll get to the bottom of a whole bunch of mysteries surrounding these bizarre events. Now I wont mention any more of the story because that veers into spoiler territory but I will warn you that if you're expecting a grand tale you'll be left disappointed, the plot is all over the place with some odd pacing and characters aren't anything to write home about.
Fortunately the plot is at least presented well with plenty of animated cutscenes that make some lovely use of 3D, voice acting fluctuates quite a bit, it could do with some work and what's being said occasionally goes at odds with what the subtitles say.

Moving aside from the plot and onto the central gameplay element that is the rhythm gameplay itself, you'll encounter numerous tasks that require use of the buttons, touch screen and even the gyro. Let me say right now that trying to focus on the precise timing and the screen itself while simultaneously flailing the 3DS around to meet the gyro demands is not a pleasant experience. Touch screen minigames work solidly as do the button based games, I wouldn't say there's many stand outs here but it's all good fun most of the time. Though there's not enough minigame types to truly fill out the entire story and as such you'll be heading back to older minigames again just trickier or with slightly different visuals which is disappointing yet understandable I guess.
The games rating system is rather horrible, the score meter doubles as your health bar and is broken into segments, each indicate a grade, missing your cues will cause the meter to fall, as such you can be going perfect, screw up once or twice towards the end and end up with a worse rating than if you'd failed a lot at first only to recover for the rest of the minigame. Losing rhythm in later mingames is likely to have you reach a swift failure as the bar plummets surprisingly fast, items can be purchased to help you out here in various ways like a revival if your bar empties so it's not all bad.

The other part of the core gameplay is of the adventure/point and click variety as your roam around Paris to progress the plot, find optional minigames and tap all over the screen for hint coins medals, oh yes, the Layton connection is strong here.
But Rhythm thief has another card to play here, you find sound effects from various objects across Paris and these sound effects are needed to solve progression halting dilemmas, a baby is crying, it loves the sound of its rattle but the mother doesn't have it on hand, well it just so happens that one whole screen away there's a rattle to give you the sound effect which you can use to calm the tiny tyrants temper tantrum. But even this idea suffers botched execution, the game will deny you certain sounds until you activate the trigger points necessary to obtain it, the map will outright direct you where to go to find the solution, in fact the map is always telling you where to go with a bold red line indicating the path to follow thus eliminating any need for the player to figure things out by themselves.

The 2D visuals have a nice style, character designs for even the npcs tend to be quirky and pleasing to the eye with some pleasant looking backgrounds as well, music is good both in the minigames and outside them. The 3D visuals used for the map and in mingames are solid though not spectacular, as for the other type of 3D I can't say anything really pops outside of the 3D used in the animated cutscenes.

All of the above come together to create a game with an interesting and unique premise that doesn't reach the heights it could. A ho-hum plot, solid rhythm elements (except the gyro, seriously it really sucks) and a very basic example of adventure gameplay deliver a pretty average game on the whole with some nice production values.
I really wanted to enjoy the game more than I did as i'd been looking forward to it since it was announced, at any rate I would certainly welcome an improved sequel. It's a shame that I feel that I have to go against something that's perhaps more daring and different from the norm in this industry but unfortunately it's just not all there which makes it hard to truly recommend.
If you enjoy rhythm games there's enjoyment to be had here if a bit flawed, if you're looking for a compelling story then you best look elsewhere. On the whole I can only truly recommended it if you have an affinity for rhythm games.

So I don't condemn it, nor do I truly recommend it, guess you can file this one under neutral. If anyone really desires some sort of score here i'd say