Impressions of the 3DS and games

The weekend before last, I had the opportunity to attend Nintendo’s 3DS demo event in Chiba’s Makuhari Messe. My primary motivation for attending was the chance to see Ocarina of Time 3DS in action. Also, check out this video showing a member of Japanese superband Arashi as he reacts to the 3DS. Hilarious.

Before I get into the specifics of the games I played, I’ll remark on the 3DS in general. It’s a good handheld. It’s easy to use, it’s very DS-like. It works as advertised! 3D movies have been frustrating for me in these past few years, as I always have a hard time focusing on movement and individual elements of the movie screen. I feel like I’m in a crowded room of visuals, and my eyes don’t know where to look. Visuals can crowd the field between your seat and the screen with those cheap effects like “Oooh look, that thing jumped at your face.” The nature of the 3D technology of the 3DS moves the field of 3D away from your face and onto the front of the device, so all of the 3D effects happen underneath that screen. This combined with the small size of the screen, allow you to easily focus on individual elements of action. There’s a slider for the 3D effect I had expected to turn off completely, but in fact I has it set to maximum depth the whole time.

The slide pad analog stick felt smooth. It takes a moment to adjust to its low angle, but this did little more than mess up my timing for swinging at Deku Babas. The included stylus is metal and extendable, making its total length about 1.5 times longer than the DS Lite’s. The power button is in a very awkward place, especially for games like Kid Icarus that have you controlling your aim on the touch screen - my hand rested directly on the power button, and I did in fact turn it off accidentally.

Truth be told, although the 3DS appears to be full of potential, there are several design concerns that make me wonder if it can penetrate the mass market as thoroughly as its predecessor. Say what you will about dual joysticks and their utility in modern games, I don’t think they’re necessary for a handheld. However, a game like Kid Icarus requires 3 different points of input, using the slide pad for movement, the touch screen for targeting, and the triggers for shooting/attacking. A left-handed person would have trouble with this, unable to switch hands on the stylus with the slide pad in the way. Then there’s power button, as mentioned before - simply a poor design choice.

The 3D effect is temperamental at best. It requires you to look straight on at the DS from a specific distance at all times. If you should shift the DS at all during play, you’re treated to an eye strain comparable to crossing your eyes.

Lastly, it’s region locked! What a bummer! I guess the issues aren’t all that bad, given the fact the 3D effects are an optional feature, and not all games will make it so difficult for lefties. Still Nintendo is preemptively covering their asses with all sorts of warning that prompt all sorts of concern.

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Backing up for a moment to my experience at the event... I messed up the trains, and ended up missing a stop that set me back about 2 hours. Instead of having a full afternoon to experience all the event had to offer, I had a measly two hours. This was especially distressing as I rushed into the line for OoT, worried I’d not have the opportunity to play once through the line. The sign stated an 80 minute wait, but it did little to assuage my fears until I was finally standing in front of a 3DS, beside myself with excitement.

And thus I played through the Deku Tree in an 8 minute window. I was provided with the slingshot from the start, so that was not a difficult task. The GUI was sharp and clean, well executed. Everything of value was down there, ready to be used, from potions (included in the demo) to saving. Nostalgia/the urge to check my mail struck as I approached the vines on the wall and Navi let out a “Hey!” (my email notification sound is Navi’s “Hey!”). So, HEY, look, listen, it’s the same exact game! I believe the polygons of all models have been unaltered, with only the textures changed, becoming more reminiscent of Smash Bros Melee’s Link(s) and Hyrule. The lighting is different, almost less spooky... which is difficult to judge in the Deku Tree.

Then there was a very awkward moment when the demo’s presenter told me I could move the 3DS itself to aim my slingshot. This did not go well for me. I did as he said, but lost a great deal of accuracy and speed in my shot as the tilt sensor was far too sensitive to hold position on a target. This, compounded with the finicky screen, waiting for that 3D to become distorted by moving the device... not a great feature.

One thing I forgot to notice was the sound - which I suppose could be a good sign? It must have sounded very familiar!

I had a fair amount of time after the OoT demo, so I went for Kid Icarus, noticed the line was closed and long, so I went for MGS3D instead. That entire experience can be summed up in this video. It was that, except 3D with camera control. I left early, having already seen it. I looped back around to see Kid Icarus and noticed the line had thinned and was reopened! Happy day!

20 minutes later I was sitting in a chair, playing. At first, I figured I’d be awesome, so I chose the harder difficulty. It turned out to be too hard as I struggled to stay alive throughout a flying sequence. Luckily, my hand slipped in my struggle and turned off the device! I was allowed to start from the beginning, and this time I went the easy route.

Kid Icarus is a third person shooting/adventure game. The first half of the demo levels is comprised of flying, by Pit’s own propulsion, through a field of aerial enemies. It’s reminiscent of Star Fox, in a way, except more like whack a mole where the moles fire at you. I can’t say this initial part was very fun, dodging lasers, tapping away at enemies, using my charged blast. But, then, I landed, and the game improved. The slide pad, previously relegated to just dodging obstacles, took over control of Pit’s movement through the environment. Double tapping it had him dodge/dash quickly. The shoulder button still the attack button, this time not just shooting, but allowing you to slash at close enemies. This dash/dodge/attack setup was pretty fun. I went through this and ended up facing a boss... and took him down quite easily.

The coolest thing about this Kid Icarus demo was the setup. Pit and his guardian lady narrated an intro video lasting the entire duration of my wait in line, speaking well into the 4th wall. The discussed Pit’s last game, his stint in Brawl, and it was pretty humorous. Pit is apparently bad at his own game. The demo was setup in the same manner, with the two throwing words back and forth. Pit, before he dives into combat yells “Sorry to keep you waiting!” Cool story.

Oh, and hey, I saw Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s president, in person! He is certainly a man of charisma.