Got mine the other day with Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, and Pushmo.
The 3DS itself
I don't like the 3D affect, it doesn't really hurt my eyes, but it's much more comfortable and clear with it off. With it off, I don't feel like I'm missing much, and I get to save battery, turning the battery life into a non-issue. The 3DS itself is quite a step forward in hardware from my previous handheld, an original DS. The screens are both nice, the console itself looks cool, and the circle pad works well. Initially I was worried about the circle pad's durability but I got over that pretty quickly.
Super Mario 3D Land
This is really good! I like how the coins aren't super obvious, and often take a second run through of the level to find. The level design is cool, however I don't like how some bonus areas (When you jump off the rainbow music block) require 3D to navigate easily. The game itself is pretty early, about 60 lives by the end of world 4. However I know of the post game difficulty ramp, and look forward to it. Another minor gripe is that lining up jumps can be tricky and this game would be difficult without a tanooki suit.
Mario Kart 7
Not owning Mario Kart Wii, this was my first Mario Kart since DS. Because of that, it was more like 19-20 new tracks instead of 16, woo! All the new tracks are great, as are the additions to the old tracks. I like how coins are back, and snaking is less broken. I know the game originally had a small development team before Retro came in, but with that said it seems like a couple of corners were cut. I miss being able to see my time while racing, along with some Mario Kart DS characters (Including my favorites, Dry Bones, and ROB). Missions were fun and would've been nice to see, and I enjoyed being able to have straight up races on any track with other CPUs. Perhaps this is possible though, I haven't checked the local multiplayer tab yet, so I'm not sure. However it can easily be argued that these are all just extras compared to the main gameplay, the racing, and the great track design. These two categories are better than ever.
Pushmo
Pushmo is excellent. Addictive gameplay, with tonsss of puzzles, cute graphics, and super catchy music. Only minor complaint was the story elements in the early levels, I just wanted to get to the puzzles. This is a must have from the eshop.
Have you played any DS games on it? I was strongly considering trading in my XL to get a 3DS when gamestop had a deal going but decided not to mostly because I heard DS games look horrible on it.
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Starcraft is my life, so without it I wouldn't exist. - Artosis Congratulations to SuperNiceDog for winning the 2011 Guru contest.
From: JJH777 | Posted: 2/24/2012 3:40:00 PM | #004 Have you played any DS games on it? I was strongly considering trading in my XL to get a 3DS when gamestop had a deal going but decided not to mostly because I heard DS games look horrible on it.
Yeah, I don't care much for 3D. It doesn't add much to the experience, and you have to hold the 3DS at a precise angle and distance or you lose the effect. Just better to play in 2D -- also saves what little battery the thing has!
-- "When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."
From: JJH777 | #004 Have you played any DS games on it? I was strongly considering trading in my XL to get a 3DS when gamestop had a deal going but decided not to mostly because I heard DS games look horrible on it.
Just put in Apollo Justice (Which has crisp, clear sprites and text on DS).
Immediately noticed the mudiness. Apparently the 3DS loads DS games slower too. Keep your XL if you want to play DS games.
ZFS posted... Yeah, I don't care much for 3D. It doesn't add much to the experience, and you have to hold the 3DS at a precise angle and distance or you lose the effect. Just better to play in 2D -- also saves what little battery the thing has! The 3D doesn't really drain the battery as much as wifi/brightness do. There are a handful of games that look great in 3D, too - Super Mario 3D Land, Pushmo, Mutant Mudds, Sakura Samurai, Nano Assault all stand out. When done well, the 3D is very fluid. I'd say that adds to the experience. Then again, there are games like Overclocked and Shadow Wars in which it doesn't matter, so it's pretty situational!
overclocked barely has any 3d so yeah it doesn't matter on that. mario, ace combat, and cave story though? definitely gotta have it on. really adds to them.
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