ReallyIsaac

It would seem that everything in visual media is coming out in 3D, these days. I know there are a few people #NotOkay with this trend, myself included, but that doesn’t seem to stop Hollywood from making movies in 3D. Even movies that weren’t even shot in 3D are converted over. Big failures to this process were Clash of the Titans, The Green Hornet and, in my opinion, Tron: Legacy. Granted, there were SOME parts in Tron: Legacy that were actually shot in 3D, but most of them weren’t even that great. 

But that’s not what this post is about! Sorry. But because 3D is taking over our theaters, it’s seems to be moving over to the gaming world too. I know that the PS3 had a firmware updated that now you were able to play 3D movies on your console, provided you had a 3D HDTV to go along with it. Now Nintendo has joined the game. But their push is: 3D without glasses. So Nintendo brings us the Nintendo 3DS!

When I first heard about the 3DS, I really didn’t care one way or another about it. I had the DSi-XL and was very happy with it. I had no intention of upgrading at that time. But when Gamestop was having the DS trade-in promotion I had to urge to trade mine in and get the 3DS. Of course when buying a system like that, you have to buy a game with it. Let me just say: horrible first release games.

They did have Street Fighter II in 3D, but I suck a fighting games. So I went with another button masher: LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3D. I’ll tell you this: I don’t hate it. I love the fact that you don’t need glasses and that you can adjust the intensity of 3D with the 3D slider. It’s a smaller screen than DSi-XL, so I’m sad about that, but if you’re used to the DSi or DS Lite it’s not that big of a difference. I do find it funny that they have a full menu icon about health concerns that may come up. Also: They warn that you don’t play the 3DS for more than six hours. 

The batter life isn’t that great when playing in full 3D mode. You might get a little over two hours of actual game play and about six hours in 2D mode. It is backwards compatible with most DS games. I’m just glad Pokemon Black is one of them. You will get some pixilation when playing DS games. Also, because the top screen in widescreen format, you’ll get full screen black bars on the side when playing. They have a full list of DS games that you can play on the 3DS at the Nintendo 3DS website.

They have other in system features that make interacting with other 3DS users pretty easy. If you’re familiar with Nintendo, you can create a Mii profile and avatar. With the Street Pass feature, you can exchange your Mii information with other 3DS without having to actually do anything. You can have you 3DS in your bag and when you’re passing by another user it will automatically send your profile info to them and their’s to you. Of course, you can put how much information you would like to share. With that, you’ll be able to see what they are playing and communicate with them. 

I’ve also seen the list of 3D games coming out within the year and off the top of my head, here are some of the title I’m looking forward to playing: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Starfox 64, Super Mario 3D & Mario Kart 3D. Sure these games aren’t “new” titles, but still. I would love to play Ocarina of Time and Starfox 64 in 3D!

Overall it’s a pretty cool devise. Things to look forward to are, soon you will be able to watch Netflix on your 3DS and exclusive downloadable 3D games. Again, you can visit the 3DS website to take a tour of the system and other games.