DSi Ware: Soul of Darkness Review

As a result of only being able to add £10 at a time into the 3DS shop I had some spare money to buy games with. This game caught my eye as I had previously enjoyed Castlevania games which Soul of Darkness is very similar to,  I had also read a review online which was positive.

Firstly, the good points about the game. Whilst it is a copy of the Castlevania style it is at least a good one, with decent gameplay. The graphics are nice with good style but are nothing special. The game also contains an interesting weapon skill system where weapons can be upgraded using collected 'soul shards'.
The reason the 'positives' paragraph is so short is not because of my own laziness, it is unfortunately just a poor game.
There is just no depth to the game. Whilst the weapons system is interesting there are only two weapons in the entire game that can only be upgraded to three levels. There was a great opportunity to give options to the player in regards to the weapons they use, but to offer just two is really lazy. There is also no real difficulty in the game. If you die, you start at the beginning of the section you were at which is not much of a bother given how small the levels are. Hard mode might as well not exist as it is identical to the normal game but with about two extra enemies a level.
To top it all off what is basically a game that a cheap mobile phone could run costs roughly £4, I wish I did not buy it.

Ocarina of Time 3DS + Virtual Console

I bought Ocarina of Time last week and have to say it really is  as good a game as everyone says it is. I never played the original on the N64 so I had to buy this as It's the first 'proper' game I wanted for the 3DS. The game follows the typical Zelda storyline which whilst  is repetitive, I had played Twilight Princess on the Wii which was very similar, does provide a great platform for the great game play to be experienced. The main changes to the 3DS version are the much improved graphics which look great in 3D. As you can see from the video the game looks better, however it looks at its best in full motion compared to photos.

If you haven't played the original then this is absolutely a game worth getting, and is by far the best game available for the 3DS.

Also, just a cool little thing to do with the 3DS virtual console. I downloaded Alleyway just to check this out. Holding start and select then pressing on the Game Boy game you want to play brings up the game in it's original resolution with a cool Game Boy border that works in 3D.

More Nintendogs! (+Cats)

Thought I would introduce my two new pets properly, I decided to get a cat and a chihuahua. I'm not a great fan of cats but they do look so cute in the game, just look at their eyes. I've named the cat Rolo and the chihuahua Peanut.

Cookie won the Nintendogs Cup for disc throwing and got a nice little crown, he seems to like showing it off.

I picked up about 5 of these hats on a walk so Rolo tried them on, pretty classy.

Wii U

Well, I'm impressed. The rumours about the control for Nintendo's next console were true, It has a six and half inch screen in its centre. It allows for some new and interesting methods of control and will enhance games at least in some small ways.

 The videos of games in HD graphics look very impressive and are on par with current HD consoles. It's exciting to see the kind of games that appear on other consoles as well as the classic Nintendo games on one console, HD Zelda looked amazing.

This is only a brief comment after watching the presentation and there is a ton of 3DS stuff I will get through when I've got a bit more time.

3DS System Update

A really nice update from Nintendo today, finally have access to the 3DS shop and more importantly, the internet browser (I'm writing this using said browser). So far the shop is pretty empty with only 3 old Game Boy games on offer, one of them being a tennis game I remember playing years ago. I'm looking forward to seeing games I didn't get a chance to play before appear in the shop.

I'm finding the browser to be useful and since it's faster than the browser on my phone I will probably be using it quite a lot. I can see the browser becoming very useful when I'm stuck in the middle of playing a game and need a guide or need to read a review of a game found in the shop as software can be paused and the browser launched in the meantime.
Also, a couple of presents from Nintendo in the form of a free game, Excitebike, and a 3D Pokedex.

 They are nice although unspectacular, probably something to make up for the two month wait for this update.
The big Nintendo news will be coming later today at E3, I'll be making a post of my initial thoughts on that later.

Nintendogs

Just a little dog update, I decided Cookie needed a hat and he seems to like it.

 He's also been making some more friends, and gets along very well with the cats in the game.

Nintendogs 3DS

I decided to get Nintendogs for the 3DS earlier in the week, I really want to get a dog but unfortunately I'm not able to get one. I'll have to make do with a virtual dog, so I'm introducing you to Cookie (I'm terrible at naming things).

I really like the ability to take photos of the pets whilst playing the game, makes it easy to share the fun. Enjoy!

Dead or Alive Dimensions 3DS

New Dead or Alive 3DS game is out today, I'm thinking of getting it but I'm not entirely sure since I've already got a fighter game. It does look pretty good though, maybe when I get some more spare cash I'll see what it's like. Here's a video in case you were interested.

3DS Review

I have a bit of a thing for all things Nintendo so here's a brief review of mine

My first impressions are that it is a very nice piece of tech, it looks great (I got the blue one) and is very nice to handle (having upgraded from the old silver DS).
The built in games (AR Games, FaceRaiders) are great fun and show off what the system is capable of although they don't have much depth, I have only played them for about an hour each.,Hopefully there is more to come regarding those.
The launch line up isn't particularly exciting and the only game i have purchased so far is Super Street Fighter IV 3DS. I would say I am impressed by the game and in particular the 3D effect which is fantastic. What the game lacks for in a one player mode its makes up for in a very competitive multi player, however the many encounters of 'spammers' does ruin the experience slightly.
I'm happy that I bought the console however it has a lot more to prove if it to live up to its price tag.