Since the good old days of the Gameboy Advance and well into the Nintendo DS era, Shin’en have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack as a shining example of what a developer can accomplish beyond what most of us thought was even possible on such limited hardware. From Iridion all the way up the line to the more recent Nanostray 2, Shin’en has continued to stand on their own by way of offering thrilling arcade-like experiences with an emphasis on high quality presentation. With that in mind, I venture into their latest offering on the 3DS, Nano Assault EX, to see if that tradition continues today…

What I like…

 Right from the beginning and in classic Shin’en style, I’m greeted with a stellar looking opening screen title and menu reminiscent of, among all things, Metroid Prime. Which is totally awesome, btw. The music sets an appropriately atmospheric and ominous tone, getting me rather pumped for what I’m about to experience.

 There are 4 game modes on offer, all of which unlock as you complete them in order, starting with Story Mode. You travel to various worlds or “clusters”  if you will, each with a varying amount of levels or “cells” contained within each cluster for a total of 32 stages. The nice thing about the way they’re set up is that each cell offers different types of game play.

The most unique and interesting cells are ones shaped like little planetoids, which look something like the smaller planets in Super Mario Galaxy, allowing you to traverse the entire surface area on all sides while shooting at mysterious alien viruses.

Variety is the spice of life, with other cells offering up boss fights, flight simulation and other little surprises to keep things fresh as you progress through the story. You never feel like you’re playing the same levels or even the same game over and over again. It’s a rather refreshing experience, especially for anyone who might have already easily grown weary of the classic SHMUP formula of side-scrolling that Shin’en is known for. It also helps that each time a new style of game play is introduced, it never feels like filler, but more as a necessary means of travelling through the cellular environments in order to get you from one place to the next.

 The other 3 game modes include Boss Rush – a quick little diversion where you simply fight a series of bosses, Arcade mode – which has you aiming for the highest score possible and Survival mode – my favorite of the three as it offered up the unique challenge of having just a single life, while traversing through and endless onslaught of random levels in order to get the highest score possible. The replay value these modes offer is definitely appreciated.

It’s like that Innerspace movie, minus the Rod Stewart soundtrack.

 This is easily, without a doubt, the most visually impressive title on the 3DS to date. The lighting, ambience, coloring, artistry, design, effects and incredibly detailed texturing is a sight to behold. This sort of dedication to aesthetics is what Shin’en is known for providing, generation after generation and so it’s no surprise that they excel once again in this regard. Indeed, this game sets the bar for all future 3DS titles to come, but which few may achieve. If only more developers were this beholden to the system to offer up such visual treats more often.

 The 3D effect is put to great use in this game, with alien-like tendrils whipping out of the screen and bullets flying out at you from afar, giving you a real sense of being right there in the action.

An orgasmic explosion of psychedelic colors awaits.

What I don’t like…

 It would have been nice to be able to adjust the sensitivity of the aiming reticule during the flight missions. The speed at which it moves feels a bit sluggish for my tastes, making it somewhat difficult at times to keep up with the movement of the enemies, especially during the most frantic moments. I have to wonder if perhaps having the option to use the touch screen (like in Kid Icarus: Uprising) would have been helpful for more precise aiming.

 Levels tend to feel really short in the time it takes to complete them, oftentimes leaving me wanting more than what I got out of them. Albeit, they are single clusters and there’s only so much surface area to cover, but it would have been nice if the levels had been extended with maybe more enemies, objectives and other scenarios to keep me playing on each cell for much longer. I mean, after all, I absolutely love flying around on those things, so why not make it so I have a reason to hang out on them a little longer before moving on to the next level?

 In one particular boss battle (cell 4 of cluster 4, I’m looking at you), the 3D effect was actually in reverse the entire time and boy oh boy does it ever mess with my eyes! Thankfully, I was lucky to be able to defeat the boss before losing my lunch. Hopefully this nasty glitch is something they can patch up in the near future.

 The planetoid-type levels, while pretty to look at and full of a variety of enemies, don’t provide as much challenge as I’d like and mostly lean a bit towards the casual side of gaming. Swarms are rare and if an enemy or two were to chase me down, there were always plenty of avenues available all around me to escape with ease. With plenty of lives at my disposal and a 2nd more powerful weapon to boot, I guess I never really feel threatened enough to worry if I’m going to beat a level or not. Although I could understand if the first cluster or so started out easy, the difficulty never really picks up as the game progresses, leaving me thinking that a difficulty option would have been nice to have for those of us with more experience and greater skill.

See you next level, folks!

Final thoughts…

While the story mode is short (I finished it in a mere 3 hours) and the overall challenge is somewhat lacking for my tastes, the various game play modes and the abundant variety of bosses and level designs available keep you coming back for more and more in order to reach the highest scores on the online leader boards.

The game is also a showcase for what the Nintendo 3DS is capable of, which is something you want to share with your friends who have yet to see what the best looking game is on the system. All that being said, it’s a fun game and worthy purchase for those looking for extra replay value.

Nano Assault EX is available now in the Nintendo 3DS eShop for $14.99.

That does it for my impressions at the moment, but if I come up with anything else worth mentioning, I’ll update this post.

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What’s this? A new game review?? Yes, I’m back. Sorta. Well, more like pulled out of a long, long slumber. You see, it’s been a very long time since my favorite ATV racer ever, a game called Pure, was released on Xbox 360. Since then, I had dreamed of the day that we’d get a sequel to satiate my continued thirst for off-road tricking, racing, rocking and rolling, ATV style. That never happened, but then along comes Renegade Kid (bless their hearts) with the announcement of ATV Wild Ride 3D, the apparent successor to their DS version of the same name (minus the 3D). I am utterly tickled by the idea of a portable 3D spiritual successor to Pure (clearly, this is what they’re aiming for) so off I go in the great muddy ‘n dirty unknown! Let’s take a look at my impressions of this new portable racer…

What I like…

 From the get go, this game rocks your face off with original rock music provided by Swift Justice and The Hired Goons. Who’s that you say? I dunno who they are either, but they rock! More importantly, they fit the vibe, getting you revved up and ready to get right into the action on every course. The quality of the sound is made even more impressive when you consider that the entire game takes up a mere 421 blocks. Seriously. There’s gotta be some kinda wizardry going on there, because I don’t know how they fit everything into such a small package and believe me, this game doesn’t feel that small at all, as it’s packed with content. Speaking of which…

 There are game modes and goodies galore! You might think that a racing game priced at a paltry $7.99+tax would mean little content and little do, but hold up there naysayer, this is far from true. Single player alone will keep you busy for some time, as it offers not only an extensive World Tour with plenty of unlockable goodies and tracks (both in reverse and short or extended track play), but there’s a Quick Race mode, Freestyle mode and Time Trials with leaderboards for everything as well. When you’re not playing alone, there’s online play with anyone or just friends. And yes, online rankings are there. This is a game that gives.

 I love me some options. Again, for a game that delivers more than it asks, it’s nice that there are options for all the finnicky racers out there who want to switch certain things on and off or change the overall control scheme. I chose to turn the trick cam off for instance. I found it a bit of a distraction, but it’s nice to know that I have that kind of control over the game, rather than having things I don’t like forced on me. Perhaps it might have been nice to be able to map the buttons as you wish, but I find that the default control scheme suits me perfectly.

 The 3D effect is pretty sweet! One thing you’ll appreciate immediately when you start a race is where the camera is set. You have enough breathing room to see everything in front of you, while getting a nice close up look at your racing avatar as he/she soars through each course. There’s no ghosting present anywhere that I could see and the vibrant colors are easy on the eyes while helping to separate the track from the surroundings in a subtle, but functional and respectable manner. It’s even fun to catch myself wincing and flinching a bit when I occasionally veer off course into a giant boulder or any other hazards that may come my way.

 One of the things that made a game like Pure so special was the sort of tactile feel of pre-loading before a jump and sliding forward for massive air and insane trickery. I’m grateful that I could immediately take to doing so in this game just as I had in my previous ATV favorite. It’s all there. You can trick  quickly or pull off longer tricks all while pressing the d-pad or circle pad in any direction to earn style, nitro boost and points, all of which aren’t just for show, but can mean the absolute difference between first and last place, whether playing alone or online. This is something that was already proven to satisfy in Pure and so I credit Renegade Kid for fully recognizing that and implementing the formula as is. It works and more importantly, it’s fun!

Oooooooh baby, oh baby, oh!

 The controls feel just right. I don’t expect to stick to the track when I’m playing off-road, so the game has the sort of feel you’d expect from sliding around in the dirt, but without losing yourself all over the place. Drifting, tricking and boosting all simply work as they should.

 The framerate is a rock solid and consistent 45-60 FPS. Renegade Kid deserves praise for making sure the game plays as smoothly as you’d hope and expect a racing game to play, which means not only decent controls and a balanced environment, but a framerate that doesn’t sink or stutter, whether online or off. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 Now you might be wondering about the most appealing aspect of this game. Just how smooth is the online racing experience? In a word: perfect. Connecting with others is a snap and races happen as fast as you can set them up and get playing. It’s that easy. Having had ample time to play online with a few others (including Jools – the game’s director), every race ran as smooth online as it would offline, maintaining roughly 45-60 FPS at all times with no drop-outs.

 It’s a miniature, bite-sized, portable and digital download version of Pure! I mean, c’mon, that’s really cool! This alone makes me giddy with delight.

What I don’t like…

 The visuals could do well with some better 3D modeling and textures, but then this is an up-port of the DS version and priced to fit, so I find it hard to complain and honestly, I think it looks pretty good all things considered and it is of course much improved over its DS counterpart.

 While the track designs are nice and varied, I do wish there was more opportunity than not to just let loose and lay into the accelerator full speed so that I can trick high into the sky over large jumps without fear of hitting a wall or some obstacle on the other side when I come back down. It’s something that could have easily been alleviated in most cases by just extending the length of the track after a jump before being presented with a hard turn. The Canada track in particular is very unforgiving if you’re not really careful with the accelerator, navigating its onslaught of tight corners and slim corridors. Not to mention that the slightest wall bump will often cause your rider to reset in the middle of the track, breaking the flow of the race.

Not every track feels overly congested in nature, mind you. The USA, England and Mexico extended tracks in particular offer plenty of room for going full throttle, but it feels like those moments of big air glory don’t happen often enough, at least for my own personal tastes. It’s not a deal breaker by any means, I just wish more tracks offered this kind of playing and breathing room more often than not. Super extended DLC tracks, please?

 Online racing is a lot of fun, but I do wish there were online trick events as well, just to mix things up a bit.

Final thoughts…

ATV Wild Ride 3D is a fairly generous package for the price. Being able to take the game online at 45-60 FPS is worth the cost of entry alone. There’s a tad bit of a learning curve, especially if you’re just coming off of playing Mario Kart 7 day and night like I have, but once you get the hang of it, it’s all good.

Renegade Kid has quickly gained a reputation for offering extensive content on the 3DS at an extremely reasonable price and that same spirit continues with this game. You’ll find it hard to ask for more with all that’s offered here, leaving you feeling as though you really get your money’s worth and then some. Now that’s the kind of support that deserves our own support in return.

ATV Wild Ride 3D is available tomorrow in the Nintendo 3DS eShop for $7.99.

That does it for my impressions at the moment, but if I come up with anything else worth mentioning, I’ll update this post.

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Colors! 3D, released today on the Nintendo eShop in the U.S., is the official successor to the original Nintendo DS homebrew application which delighted gamers, artists and dabblers alike. This time around however, users are given the ability to paint in three dimensional layers, as well being able to paint with friends among other things. Having put some time into creating my own painting or two,  I’m here now to give a rundown of my impressions with the new app thus far…

What I like…

Painting in 3D layers is really cool! It’s also highly intuitive. Switching between layers is as simple as moving the circle pad left or right and continuing your work on whatever layer you choose. Copying layers and moving them around is equally painless, quick and really quite smooth. In fact, the whole interface works great. After spending ample time with it, it becomes second nature to switch between tools, menus and painting on the fly.

 The original Colors! allowed for brush sensitivity. This was because the original Nintendo DS system included a touch sensitive screen. Since the 3DS doesn’t have that, the application makes up for it by including the ability to change the sensitivity digitally, using the d-pad to switch between soft and hard presses. While not as ideal, it’s nice that they included this for those who would have missed it otherwise.

 There’s an extensive tutorial section that covers everything the app has to offer. Very much appreciated, especially for those might be overwhelmed at first by the number of features on hand.

 The price is right. At $6.99 (+ tax), you’re getting a rock solid application that works as advertised. It also barely takes up any space (228 blocks) and will always be with you wherever you go, so long as you take your 3DS with you.

 Speaking of features, you can paint with friends (locally only, no online), color pages like a coloring book in one gallery and view 2D & 3D sample paintings in another, among other things. They’re not necessarily meaty features by any means, but nice additions nonetheless.

 Connecting to the online gallery and uploading your paintings is a snap. It’s very quick, easy and intuitive to use. Once your painting is ready, you’ll be sharing it with the world in no time at all. You can even comment on other people’s paintings and “like” them right on your 3DS, then download and save their work to your gallery to take with you wherever you go. Since the paintings are essentially copied to your system, they’re now yours to play around with as you please. It’s especially neat to view the 3D layers individually in order to see how other artists created their work.

 Paintings can be shared simply by either uploading them to the gallery or saving them to the SD card, which of course can then be sent using Swapnote or by uploading elsewhere on the web. Paintings can even be exported as large as 1600×960 resolution!

What I don’t like…

 Not really a fault of the app itself, but the Nintendo 3DS system, unlike its predecessor, doesn’t include a touch sensitive screen, thereby preventing the developers from being able to include the ability to draw with sensitivity directly on the touch screen itself. While this is somewhat made up for through the use of the d-pad, it’s still missed. Not a deal breaker by any means, however.

 Would have been nice to be able to paint with friends online as well as locally.

 Downloading paintings from the online gallery can take longer than expected, perhaps due to the complexity of some paintings and also the fact that every file stores every brush stroke for playback purposes. Not a big deal though.

You can’t view comments on your paintings in the online gallery on your 3DS unless those comments were originally created by someone on their 3DS. Not sure why that is. Instead, you have to load up the Internet Browser to view those comments, which is a bit tedious and time consuming, not to mention also that the site isn’t formatted for the 3DS screens.

This sample 3D painting, which is included with the application, uses all 5 layers of depth very effectively.

Final thoughts…

Whether you’re a pro painter or simply an enthusiast, you’ll absolutely adore spending time painting in 3D on the go with Colors! 3D. It’s a finely tuned application at a decent price and best of all, it’s always on your 3DS with you wherever you go. No game card or homebrew applications necessary. Pretty nice for when you’re suddenly feeling inspired to paint something.

Colors! 3D is most definitely a worthy addition to the Nintendo 3DS digital download library. Highly recommended.

That does it for my impressions at the moment, but if I come up with anything else worth mentioning, I’ll update this post.

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Well, with 3DS View’s blog section closed down it looks like this incarnation of 2DS View is moving on, riding off into the sunset much like the DS itself. 2DS View will live on after this in a new format on my personal site at espiox.net (or just follow me on Twitter to find out when it goes live) likely with a focus on editorial content rather than news. It’s been fun writing these over the past few months; if anyone’s actually been reading along, thank you! Here’s one more for the road.

NEWS

Pokémon + Dynasty Warriors Was Almost a Thing

Yes, there’s yet more info on bizarre crossover game Pokémon + Nobunaga’s Ambition. According to a Famitsu interview with the developers, the project started life as a crossover betweeen Pokémon and Dynasty Warriors, set in that series’ Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Nintendo felt that that series was too violent for Pokémon, and opted for the more sedate, strategic Nobunaga’s Ambition series and it’s feudal Japanese setting. Other tidbits from the interview reveal that Pokémon won’t carry weapons in this game, and that while both Nintendo and Tecmo Koei are working on the game, the bulk of the work is being done by the latter. In addition, the product code for the game (TSA-TWL-VPYJ-JPN) has revealed that the game will sport DSi-enhancements of some kind, though none have yet been announced. It also means that the game will be region locked on DSi and 3DS systems. There’s more screens on the official website, and pictures from the recent special event are below (more here).

I Remember When We Had to *Catch* Pokémon

In other Pokémon news, players of Pokémon Black & White will be able to get their hands on two very powerful legendary Pokémon next month. For a limited time from Feb 12th, you can connect to Nintendo WiFi Connection to download a Mewtwo that knows an unspecified special move. You can find more details at the official Pokémon website. And don’t forget that from Feb 1st, by popular vote, you can download a Lvl100 Arceus from Global Link with the password “ARCEUSVOTE”.

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from zconnection:

Nintendo have announced a new agreement with Boingo Wireless which will give Nintendo 3DS owners the ability to connect their device to the latter’s extensive network of airport Wi-Fi hotspots for free. Boingo manage Wi-Fi hotspots in airports including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

3DS devices will automatically connect to a Boingo hotspot in the vicinity, allowing for online gaming and the use of the Nintendo 3DS Internet Browser, without having to go through a tedious web login. Incidentally, hotspots which do require a web login are not compatible with Nintendo’s stereoscopic console, nor were they with the DS.

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Spread the word. You can get a bonus download code for 3D Classics: Kid Icarus when you pre-order Kid Icarus: Uprising for Nintendo 3DS at select retailers! Click here for more info: http://kidicarusuprising.nintendo.com/.

UPDATE: It looks like you can get the free code by pre-ordering from either amazon.com, GameStop or Best Buy. link

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Nintendo’s original eShop game, Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword, is coming to the US eShop on February 2nd and with it, comes the release of the official website of the game.

Check it out here: http://sakurasamurai.nintendo.com/

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According to a recent tweet by Nintendo Show 3D host Jessie Cantrell, we can finally expect to see a new episode (of the semi-monthly eShop installment) next week. That’s great news for fans (including myself) of the show!

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link

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