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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Heading to Best Buy? Connect your Nintendo 3DS to Nintendo Zone and use your system as a coupon to get 50% off select Nintendo 3DS titles! To learn more, visit www.nintendo.com/3ds/hotspots. Like this post if you’re ready for savings! US only.

Nintendo hasn’t stated specifically what games would be on sale, so I guess you have to head on over to your local Best Buy to find out.

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