Don’t forget, you can play 3DS games with N3DS power for a better experience. *
* requires CFW N3DS
1 Like
Yes. Ridge Racer on 3DS is superb. It actually suffered from being too 3D on the original units but now on a New 3DS, you get the eye tracking that makes it stable 3D and it really shines.
It may be my favorite Ridge Racer to play even if it’s maybe not the best one in other ways (pure technical looks and music selection).
Think of it like a Ridge Racers 3 but with mechanics and visuals from 6 and 7 thrown in, like slipstreaming and HDR lighting (really noticeable when you exit tunnels).
It ditches 7’s broken upgrades system which is good, but it adopts the grid system of the older games - all racers start far apart from one another.
I think it’s the last Ridge Racer to be developed internally by Namco. The new courses are excellent with plenty of spectacle and some nice drifts and inclines.
As @DaveLong mentions the other games have prettier technical looks. For example, the user interface and HUD are pretty uninspired. Last I checked, the person responsible for the excellent interfaces of the post-PSP Ridge Racer games left Namco to work at Dingo on the PSP Hatsune Miku: Project Diva games.
The intro is on point, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jngjiBkO3Qs
Ridge Racer 3D crashes in grand prix mode if you turn on the overclock option, unfortunately.
1 Like
Ah, good to know.
Picked up the Sega 3D Classics Collection (ver 2) this week and I’ve been blown away by some of the games I hadn’t yet bought individually. Even Maze Walker looks incredible and that would have been very impressive at the time in 3D. And Fantasy Zone’s 3D helps with deciphering bullets in Polaria (ice world).
It’s strange in a way because the two 3DS games I really enjoyed this year - Legend of Legacy and Labyrinth no Kanata - make the platform feel retro in a way that it wouldn’t have just a couple of years ago. Because the mid-tier handheld space died with the 3DS it feels like a lot of the games that were viable on 3DS - at least in the circumstances by which they were developed and released - aren’t viable today on home consoles.
Now that the 3DS is officially out of production, I just have to say one thing:
Love live 240p! End of an era for a specific kind of videogame development.
1 Like
240p lives on… Playdate!
400x240p wide-screen.
3 Likes
I thought I was “done” with the 3DS at the beginning of the year due to the lack of new or recent releases but I just realised I’ve played both my European and Japanese 3DSes a heck of a lot this year, mostly on 3D Classics and Virtual Console Game Gear and Game Boy stuff, but also hidden gems like Triforce Heroes.
I’m also surprised by how the 3D effect continues to impress me with new games I try out. I’ll leave the 3D Classics love in the visual effects thread, instead I just have to share a new contemporary game, Shin Hyu~ Stone:
This game, developed by Poisoft, is Japan-only, but its predecessor, Splash or Crash/Kersploosh was released globally by Nintendo. This new version supports 60fps on New 3DS with the 3D on though.
Basically, you throw a stone down a well, and you control it to avoid obstacles and make it to the bottom. Simple. But pretty fun and extremely exhilarating with the excellent 3D effect at play.
The closest thing to this on the 3DS is probably Speedthru: Ketzal’s Corridors, where you move and rotate 3D Tetris-style pieces through holes in oncoming walls.
Anyone else got any 3D showcases to share which aren’t really celebrated?
I went away for a few nights last weekend and on the drive I gravitated back to my 3DS, finished a few more Pokémon Picross stages and started playing Steam World Heist. I had my Switch there too but there’s something about the 3DS that grabs me.
One day I’ll 100% that version of Picross… probably my most played 3DS game.
-Finally- got round to playing 3D Galaxy Force II.
Wow. Just wow. This feels like a “next gen experience” to me despite the source material being from 1987. The 3D effect, combined with screen rotation in Super DX Cabinet mode, is out of this world. In stage 2 you can actually weave in and out of those flying flame dragons that jump out of the lava.
Also planning on starting 3DS Shinobi, which I have owned for years but haven’t played yet. Is it as underrated as folk say? The level design looks a bit rigid from what I’ve seen.
1 Like
I’m in the market for a New 3DS (not XL/LL) grip. Again.
I bought the one that’s all over eBay but it isn’t very comfortable.
1 Like
I have an issue with my “new” 3DS XL. It randomly powers off. I know its not the battery because it also does it when connected to the wall. Sometimes it will last hours while others it could be just a minute. 
What’s the one you see on ebay?
I got a $5 one years ago and it works well. Never got a grip before but games requiring shoulder buttons on such a thin system, damn.
I nabbed this when it came out. It felt very different to the classic MD Shinobis, and while not a great game that grabbed my attention, it isn’t terrible.
Ever since I hacked my 3ds, I’ve been emulating 8/16 bit on it and its very nice. The size is portable and it’s a great system just to get cranking for a quick blast.
What I find interesting though, is I got an original 3ds when it wasn’t popular and firstt released and for aaaages there wasn’t anything that interested me. Now, through ninty’s virtual console and other factors I play it a fair bit.
2 Likes
I forgot to post back in this thread when I did get Shinobi 3D myself last year!
As you mention it’s not terrible. I don’t mind it playing differently to the 90s games, but my issue with it was how railroaded the game felt to play.
If I’m remembering correctly, there was only one optimum way to tackle every situation in every level, not much room for player expression.
2 Likes
With Soul Hackers 2 being as average as it is I thought I’d play through the original on 3DS again. Never did finish it.
What a great game Soul Hackers is! Its bold prediction of a connected society is still as gripping today as I would imagine it being back in 1997 when computers, let alone the internet, were not in widespread use.
Strong narrative aside, I was also impressed by how terse the game is - 25 hours long! - and how strong and varied the dungeon designs were for a first person DRPG. The three, completely optional and missable sidequests were also interesting side-stories with their own dungeons, a huge contrast from the sequel’s MMO style filler.
Playing through an RPG on 3DS again reminded me what a clamshell device brings to the table as far as convenience goes, it’s always ready to go and you don’t need to worry about a case, or stuffing it in a bag.
1 Like
maaaan…i gotta share some 3DS disappointment
so last year i’d finally found a deal on a new 3DS XL majora’s mask edition, which i was pretty excited for. i’d taken it to work a bit, this last week it was raining out here but i kept it mostly safe. the bag it was in got a bit damp, nothing bad i thought
then the MM top lid…started flaking off
i was certain this must’ve been an elaborate bootleg! but i looked it up and…nope, nintendo literally sold these things with foil covers. apparently a few LE’s in that era got this cheap treatment. you can now see a plain silver case under one part of the top of it.
really broke my dragon quest marathoning, i found a vendor who sells the same design with plastic shell pieces for a decent price but holy hell, i’m still shocked they put this out there as an LE. the regular 3DS i’d first had was also a zelda LE, but painted/etched/whatever on as you’d expect. suuuuucks