Well, finally got my hands on the 3DS at GDC. But first, a little about GDC...
For gamers, it's not really that interesting. There are a very few things on display, from 3D tech we're going to see in Crysis 2 and PCs running Halo and Fable III, to the full complement on 3DS launch titles, and some Kinect and Move titles (Killzone 3). Fun stuff, just not much of it. That's because GDC is a recruiting event. I'm sure Cheapy, Ship and Wombat know this - so I'd echo Cheapy's statements on the show about GDC, and unless you're interested in actually working on games or using the middleware tech or payment systems surrounding games (in-app purchases, Paypal, etc.), there's very little here.
Now, onto the 3DS. A mixed bag from what I experienced. I only had time to play with two games, Steel Diver and Kid Icarus - and the implementation of 3D in both games couldn't be more different. (Pilotwings, Street Fighter, Zelda and a couple others were there, but I was tight on time.)
In Steel Diver, 3D is a very subtle effect and, because it was the first game I touched, I lost a lot of interest in the 3DS almost immediately (the non-wow factor of the 3D AND the game itself (see below)). Then I had some time to play Kid Icarus, which really implements the 3D well, adding quite a bit of fun to the gameplay and keeping me in pre-order land. So, just because a game has 3D doesn't mean it's done well - just like movies, we have the winners (movies natively shot in 3D) and the stinkers (movies shot in 2D and converted to 3D in post).
Onto gameplay, again, I only had hands on time with these two.
I'd say Steel Diver is a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. It uses the sensors to determine the direction you're looking in the game, you have a 360 view and can look up and down to some degree, all of which is neat, but this ensures you need to constantly be moving and spinning around to find the subs you need to destroy. You cannot play this seated without getting pasted, which means no couch potato, no playing in bed, no playing on a bus or train or airplane, etc. You're controls are limited to using the stylus on the touchscreen for zooming in/out on targets, shooting a left or right torpedo, and using the stylus to plug leaks to your submarine when damaged (which is just like that Plug the Leaks game on Kinect Adventures). And...that's it.
I love the idea of a kick-ass submarine game. I'm sorry to say Steel Diver isn't it.
Kid Icarus, by contrast, was a fun game, great use of 3D, and it controls pretty well, but you're going to experience play-fatigue after a short period of time. Between using the stylus to select targets and move around on the ground (right hand), holding the system (left hand), while using the analog stick to move around during flight and on the ground (left thumb), and the left trigger to shoot (left index finger), you absolutely must stabilize the 3DS on a surface - a table or your leg - because you can't possibly keep holding the system for long periods of time. Five minutes, fine, but after 15 minutes you want to put the system down. Even when you have the system supported, the holding the system/analog/trigger trifecta puts an enormous amount of stress on your left hand. I did enjoy the game, but I'd say long play sessions or playing while standing are out. If you're lefty, I don't know how you could play it at all.
All-in-all, good to have a little hands-on with the system. It's definitely capable of excellent 3D, as Kid Icarus made evident, but we'll see - it could certainly have benefited from a second analog control. Also, because you truly cannot take video of games, hands-on is critical. I look forward to testing out a few more things at PAX East next week. Legend of Zelda should be there, in addition to Pilotwings and all the other titles I missed at GDC. Personally, I hope Shin Megami Tensei will be on display.
For gamers, it's not really that interesting. There are a very few things on display, from 3D tech we're going to see in Crysis 2 and PCs running Halo and Fable III, to the full complement on 3DS launch titles, and some Kinect and Move titles (Killzone 3). Fun stuff, just not much of it. That's because GDC is a recruiting event. I'm sure Cheapy, Ship and Wombat know this - so I'd echo Cheapy's statements on the show about GDC, and unless you're interested in actually working on games or using the middleware tech or payment systems surrounding games (in-app purchases, Paypal, etc.), there's very little here.
Now, onto the 3DS. A mixed bag from what I experienced. I only had time to play with two games, Steel Diver and Kid Icarus - and the implementation of 3D in both games couldn't be more different. (Pilotwings, Street Fighter, Zelda and a couple others were there, but I was tight on time.)
In Steel Diver, 3D is a very subtle effect and, because it was the first game I touched, I lost a lot of interest in the 3DS almost immediately (the non-wow factor of the 3D AND the game itself (see below)). Then I had some time to play Kid Icarus, which really implements the 3D well, adding quite a bit of fun to the gameplay and keeping me in pre-order land. So, just because a game has 3D doesn't mean it's done well - just like movies, we have the winners (movies natively shot in 3D) and the stinkers (movies shot in 2D and converted to 3D in post).
Onto gameplay, again, I only had hands on time with these two.
I'd say Steel Diver is a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. It uses the sensors to determine the direction you're looking in the game, you have a 360 view and can look up and down to some degree, all of which is neat, but this ensures you need to constantly be moving and spinning around to find the subs you need to destroy. You cannot play this seated without getting pasted, which means no couch potato, no playing in bed, no playing on a bus or train or airplane, etc. You're controls are limited to using the stylus on the touchscreen for zooming in/out on targets, shooting a left or right torpedo, and using the stylus to plug leaks to your submarine when damaged (which is just like that Plug the Leaks game on Kinect Adventures). And...that's it.
I love the idea of a kick-ass submarine game. I'm sorry to say Steel Diver isn't it.
Kid Icarus, by contrast, was a fun game, great use of 3D, and it controls pretty well, but you're going to experience play-fatigue after a short period of time. Between using the stylus to select targets and move around on the ground (right hand), holding the system (left hand), while using the analog stick to move around during flight and on the ground (left thumb), and the left trigger to shoot (left index finger), you absolutely must stabilize the 3DS on a surface - a table or your leg - because you can't possibly keep holding the system for long periods of time. Five minutes, fine, but after 15 minutes you want to put the system down. Even when you have the system supported, the holding the system/analog/trigger trifecta puts an enormous amount of stress on your left hand. I did enjoy the game, but I'd say long play sessions or playing while standing are out. If you're lefty, I don't know how you could play it at all.
All-in-all, good to have a little hands-on with the system. It's definitely capable of excellent 3D, as Kid Icarus made evident, but we'll see - it could certainly have benefited from a second analog control. Also, because you truly cannot take video of games, hands-on is critical. I look forward to testing out a few more things at PAX East next week. Legend of Zelda should be there, in addition to Pilotwings and all the other titles I missed at GDC. Personally, I hope Shin Megami Tensei will be on display.
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