Another Remake but Another Classic

Today I'll talk about Rayman 3D for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS.  Only 3 days and a few hours left before it's officially released here in North America, so let's go over this game.  Rayman 3D is yet another one of those remakes that is being released for the 3DS.  I am not, however, complaining about this.  Rayman 3D was originally released as Rayman 2:The Great Escape back when the Sega Dreamcast saw it's short span of glory.   In this game, a Pirate named Razorbeard leads a band of evil mechanical pirates to try and take over the world.  It's up to Rayman, a blob looking character with dis-embodied feet and hands to stop the pirates reign. 
Of course a port wouldn't be worth getting if it didn't have some improvements.  Graphics have been enhanced this time around as well as a few extra features.  Also, gameplay mechanics have been improved upon to suit the interface of the Nintendo 3DS. 
With all the classics such as Super Mario 3D, Mario Kart 3D, Rayman 3D, Starfox 64 3D, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time 3D, I am pumped for these three days to pass and I can finally get my hands on my pre-order of the cosmo black Nintendo 3DS.  Thanks to ign.com for images and chack back next week as I will be writing about my own hands on time with the 3DS and my experience while playing.

3DS on its Way!!!

Only 8 days left for the long awaited Nintendo 3DS to arrive here in America.  It's something that many are expecting and Nintendo is partying in up too.  Gary and Alison from Nintendo's Nintendo Week got their hands on the Nintendo 3DS this last week and had loads of fun with the out of the box included content including Face-raiders, Augmented Reality games and more.  The 3DS Face-Raiders game allows you to take a photo of yourself or a friend and then play a game where you are being attacked by an onslaught on the person's face and you have to shoot the mobing targets.  Augmented Reality games are played with the support of the AR cards.  Place them on a table and use the 3DS's 3D cameras to watch amazing things happen before your eyes.  For example, watch as a dragon breaks through your living room table and you have to defeat it with the 3DS's lasers.  Another fun feature is the Mii Maker that allows you to create a Mii, or cartoonized version of yourself.   You can also make the Mii by taking a photo of yourself and allowing the automatic feature to compare the photo and make a Mii that matches the photo.  The 3DS is not only a new hand-held game system, it's a new platform altogether.  Here's a video from ign.com of some more of the the things included in the 3DS out of the box at launch.

More IGN Videos

Save Files? Who needs them?

Have you ever found yourself at a critical point in a video game where you have to make a vital decision? One that will change the ending of the game? And once you have chosen it, you realized it was the wrong choice and had to revert to a previous save to play that portion all over again?  It sort of sucks, doesn't it?  Radiant Historia is a game for the Nintendo DS that brings up this dilemma differently.  Here, going back to make a new decision isn't really going back, it's going forward, as Nintendo Week's Alison puts it. 
This game is a JRPG or Japanese Role Playing Game that brings a new twist to things.  JRPG's are known for there very predictable story plots but Radiant Historia isn't so predictable as you can change the events that occur by traveling back in time to make a different choice to save a comrade or take on a new job.  With so many decisions, the game branches off into multiple endings.  If you want to know the true ending however, you will have to keep playing to find which choices are the right ones.  It is truly an unbelievable game.

More Radiant Historia Videos

3DS Launches

The Nintendo 3DS launched in Japan last week and caused sensation.  Lines in front of gaming stores were not short at all as people camped out since the night before the release date in eager await to get their hands on the next generation portable gaming console.  The system sold thousands, as much as 400,000 Nintendo 3DS systems were sold and there were still people who left empty handed.  Some retailers avoided the mess created by the long wait lines by having it so only people who had pre-ordered the system would get one.  Other retailers had mainly pre-orders as well but only ordered a few extras for those who hadn't pre-ordered.   When I say a few, I mean a few.  This means that some retailers only ordered as low as 4 extra systems for those who hadn't pre-ordered the 3DS. So if you were un lucky enough to be that fifth person, you weren't going to get a 3DS, at least not at that store.  The Nintendo 3DS basically flew off the shelves in Japan and the same will probably happen when it hits the rest of the world later this this month.  Europe will get their hands on the 3DS on March 25th while North America can get it on March 27th.  Some people have already imported a japanese version of the system but others will wait for the localization.  This system is going to be big.  The onle question now is, how will Sony's NGP do at it's launch compared to the 3DS launch?  Only time will tell.