I bet you can feel the quality difference?
On so many levels!
Texture, weight, solidity, correct colour, the better nib made from different plastic, the tolerances of the fit. Etc
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I’m glad I’m not the only person that obsesses over this sort of thing.
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It’s why I didn’t get a 3DS XL even though the screens were better than the original unit. Didn’t want to lose the metal telescoping stylus, and I really liked the anti-fingerprint finish over the inside of the original 3DS.
3DS XL was a downgrade in every way from the build quality of the original. The N3DS and N3DS XL systems are much better but still a small step down from that launch model in terms of aesthetics
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Yup, always seemed like a cost cutting machine, from the removal of the dock and AC Adapter (in Europe and Japan at least), to the cheaper materials in the chassis and buttons, the plastic stylus, and the significantly worse speakers.
Only the screens were higher quality, with better colour reproduction and viewing angles, and a cool anti reflective coating.
The anti-glare on the XL is essential. The original 3DS and the 2DS XL lacking it makes them not usable IMO.
Preferences and all but I hated that telescoping stylus, it’s in a terrible spot and they only did the telescoping to work around the terrible placement, plus extending it is hard with only one hand.
This is very apparent on a darker game like Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon. It’s what got me to upgrade to an XL in the first place.
I used to live in an apartment that would catch the afternoon sun really bad in winter. When I played FE Awakening all I could see was a reflection of my own face.
To my surprise I ended up playing a lot of Paper Mario: Sticker Star today. Picked up the 3DS on a whim and started revisiting some games, it was this game which stuck (haha…) with me.
I only found time to play through world 1 when I got the game last year, did world 2 today. I rather enjoyed it. I know the game gets a lot of flak from people who expected the series to return to its roots, but a lot of the criticisms thrown at Sticker Star’s design tend to be because it’s different, rather than because it’s bad.
At its core this is really just an adventure puzzle game with really well thought out level designs. I can see how it can be obtuse to some players but the game certainly throws enough hints around (so far, at least) such that I haven’t yet needed a guide or anything. While I enjoyed Wii U’s Color Splash more because it added a significant narrative and more exciting themes to its worlds, Sticker Star has clearly been designed around portable play instead and seems appealing enough in its own right.
This recent article analysing the game is mostly spot on: Paper Mario: Sticker Star, The Most Underrated Pop Game of the 2010s | Game Bias
so i’m wanting one of those majora’s mask 3DS XL but naturally seeing em cheaper from japan…there’s no easy way to bypass the hardware region lock, is there?
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New to the forum. I am glad there is a place to talk about the 3DS. I am currently beating all 3ds games I missed (but bought) many years ago. I hope you dont mind if I update the thread with my progress.
Just recently beat a link between worlds after restarting it a few times. I always remember how many people were praising the game and they were right.
I didnt manage to get all items or hearts, so I am still working my way to it. The 3d was good on the game, but tbh I was never a huge fan of the 3d since it would cause me a bit of headaches.
The big revelation at the end was awesome and unexpected (To me at least). I always love games with those twist.
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Welcome! That one’s in my backlog too.
Mr 3DS is mostly a portable Genesis/SNES emulator at the moment. I should pay more native 3DS games.
I played through a Japanese import of the 3DS version of Dai Gyakuten Saiban 1 (Great Ace Attorney) lately, really impressive stuff. The Switch version just doesn’t look as good without the 3D, and there’s a whole case at the end of the game that revolves around using stereoscopes to help solve some clues which relies on going cross-eyed instead on Switch.
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A shame they never bother with the3ds version in the west. I have yet to buy the game on switch since I am a bit busy with other games, but now I am very curious about the 3d on the game.
Yeah, it would have been fantastic to see the 3DS version release as a swansong in the west. In addition to the final case being about stereoscopes, the animations and cinematography throughout the game were designed with stereoscopic 3D in mind, just doesn’t convey the same look in 2D and HD. Also the HD versions are locked at 30fps for some reason, the 3DS version is unlocked though mostly hovers between 30 and 60 depending on the scene displayed.
I’m in the middle of like a dozen games but I’m feeling a pang to play some Dragon Quest, specifically DQ7. I took a long time on DQ8 and remember spending some hours being lost near the endgame. Can anyone who’s ran this marathon chime in on if Dragon Quest 7 worth 100+ hours of precious free time?
It’s not 100 hours. If you’re doing the 3DS one it’s a bit quicker but both that and the PS1 version are closer to 75 hours, which is still a lot.
I really like DQ7, played it many times and it’s probably my favorite game of all time. The game has a really nice loop to it; you go from island to island solving smaller scenarios, and there are a lot of islands, and that’s backed up by really solid RPG mechanics. Obviously I believe the game is worth the time but I would suggest if you aren’t sure just try to play the first few islands and see if it’s something you’re into, you could form an opinion within 5-10 hours and drop it if it’s not something you like.