Nintendo 3DS (XL)

[BulletMagnet]

Handful of impressions of the Bravely demo so far if anyone's interested, though it's obviously old news to any European members:

- Though you don't get to transfer any of your levels/items/etc. from the demo to the full game when it comes out, as you progress and accomplish certain things you'll receive award "packages" of items which can be sent to the full game, and will apparently make the early parts a bit easier...

- ...which might not be too bad of an idea, as on "Normal" (haven't tried Hard) the game, while not exactly "hardcore" in terms of challenge, is not a pushover. I haven't Game Over'ed yet, but until you figure out how to properly set everything up (and likely grind a bit), you'll probably feel a bit underpowered. The villagers warn you where the stronger critters are, but even the "easy" dungeon can mess you up a bit if you aren't prepared.

- Once you dig in a little, though, there is a good amount of customization available; aside from your character's "main" class (which gives them access to any command skills they've learned for it), you can also choose one additional pre-set command skill from another class and up to four passive skills from any class to beef yourself up. Also pay attention to the weapons and armor you equip, and each class's innate affinity for them; that mace might give your knight higher raw attack power, but equip him with a sword and he'll attack two or three times per command if he's proficient enough. That said, I found some abilities decidedly more useful, at least in the demo, than others: I'd suggest giving everyone some manner of access to white/black magic and finding your bearings before messing around with most of the other stuff.

- The "Brave" and "Default" commands are, of course, the main gimmick, and thankfully work quite well at alleviating several of the annoyances that have hounded JRPGs for years: basically, if you Default (defend) you save up an extra turn, which can be expended later, or even tack on an extra command right at the outset (Brave) at the cost of skipping your next turn instead. It's a simple setup, but can make various situations less irritating: dead party member? Use two turns to both revive and heal him at once, so the enemy's next attack doesn't instantly KO him again. Whittled the enemy party down but not quite finished them? Have everyone Brave and bum rush them and be done before the lost turns matter. Baddie charging up a nasty attack or turtling? Go right ahead and Default, since it's not nearly as much of a wasted turn as the usual "defend" command tends to be. There's also no "chain bonus" or any other such incentive to save up loads of turns and blow them all at once for bonus damage, so you save and spend as needed.

- If you don't feel like fighting or are in the hunt for critters to beat up you can go right to the options menu and adjust the random encounter rate however you like, which is nice; you can also adjust the innate difficulty at any time, and even turn off experience and gold gain if you don't want to over-level.

- One possible if minor annoyance, at least for me, is the passive village-building gimmick: open up a menu and you can direct people in a far-off village to rebuild various shops and such, and when they're done you get periodic rewards from them. Thing is, rebuilding takes in-game time (one shop in the demo takes 10 hours to be finished), and the only way to cut down that time is to StreetPass, as each pass can cut the time in half. I don't live in a very busy area, so I'll likely have to wait out a lot of this stuff. You can also apparently summon StreetPassed people into battle to help you somehow, but I'm not as concerned about that.

- The game's been out for a bit already but still looks good IMO - the characters recall the classic "stumpiness" of old-time JRPGs, but with slightly more realistic proportions to make them a bit more distinctive, and the overall art style has a nice painterly feel to it. Looks fine in 3D, though as per usual I ended up turning it off after a bit.

- Apparently there's a way to make some spells affect multiple targets, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it; what in heaven's name am I missing?

- The goofy limited-use thing is still in effect, as for all 3DS demos, but hopefully 30 plays will be enough to accomplish everything.

Still have some ways to go to "finish" the demo, but so far I mostly like what I see; even as someone who appreciates (to a degree) the more experimental approach Square has taken with some of its releases lately, it's good to see them, at long last, just sit back a minute and say "okay, here's something we've been doing pretty successfully for some time, now how do we keep it comfortable for our base while tweaking to improve it over its predecessors?" Looking forward to next month's retail release.

[replayme]

Bravely Default does look interesting. But alas, the biggest reason as to why I'm no longer keeping my 3DS is because its choice software (by and large) is too expensive. And is unlikely to drop (significantly) any time soon.

[brentsg]

Bravely Default does look interesting. But alas, the biggest reason as to why I'm no longer keeping my 3DS is because its choice software (by and large) is too expensive. And is unlikely to drop (significantly) any time soon.

I hope to never agonize over a $150 purchase while keeping an interactive public diary of the matter.

[replayme]

I don't know... Less than 8 hours playtime for £130 is something that I'd like to agonise over. And it's not just that, as apart from Zelda ALBW, there's arguably nothing which interests me sufficiently enough to want to spend £30 on it. At a stretch, maybe Bravely Default and SMT IV (which isn't out in the UK), and maybe Zelda OoT and Luigi's Mansion (but they need to be cheaper). There's also nothing coming out in the next few months which interests me.

Edit: the software lineup wouldn't be a problem if it was cheaper. But alas, it's not. And for an equivalent price, I'd be able to get more enjoyment from my PC and PS360 - not to mention my PSP and Vita. Guess I've been spoiled too much by the competition.

Like the high class hooker, Nintendo are too "high maintenance" for my liking. Their price for staying with me is too much, and after much deliberating, I find that they're just not worth the money. Nothing wrong in believing that they've priced themselves out of the market - which probably explains as to why the 3DS attachment rate is so low.

I'm sure that my 3DS will go to a loving home.

[Skykid]

Like the high class hooker, Nintendo are too "high maintenance" for my liking.

I would have thought high class hookers were subservient.

which probably explains as to why the 3DS attachment rate is so low.

Can you point me to these figures?

I don't understand the torment over 3DS game pricing, they seem the same as, if not marginally cheaper than Vita software.

[ZellSF]

which probably explains as to why the 3DS attachment rate is so low.

Can you point me to these figures?

I don't understand the torment over 3DS game pricing, they seem the same as, if not marginally cheaper than Vita software.

3DS library's main draw is Nintendo titles and they practically never drop in price. Sony first party titles, and all the third party ones do.

If I went to any random store to pick up Wipeout 2048 and Mario Kart 7, which do you think would be more expensive?

Of course there's more to the cost equation than just price of the games (price of hardware, Club Nintendo offers, PS+)... but the games I think there's a pretty clear difference.

[Moniker]

Bravely Default does look interesting. But alas, the biggest reason as to why I'm no longer keeping my 3DS is because its choice software (by and large) is too expensive. And is unlikely to drop (significantly) any time soon.

I hope to never agonize over a $150 purchase while keeping an interactive public diary of the matter.

Yeah, it's not so much dramatic as sad. I hope the promise of the adage "this too shall pass" will kick in soon.

[replayme]

Like the high class hooker, Nintendo are too "high maintenance" for my liking.

I would have thought high class hookers were subservient.

Everything and everyone has a price. You just have to know as to whether you can (and are willing to) afford that price tag.

Everyone sucks cock at the end of the day.

Edit:

which probably explains as to why the 3DS attachment rate is so low.

Can you point me to these figures?

I don't understand the torment over 3DS game pricing, they seem the same as, if not marginally cheaper than Vita software.

3DS library's main draw is Nintendo titles and they practically never drop in price. Sony first party titles, and all the third party ones do.

If I went to any random store to pick up Wipeout 2048 and Mario Kart 7, which do you think would be more expensive?

Of course there's more to the cost equation than just price of the games (price of hardware, Club Nintendo offers, PS+)... but the games I think there's a pretty clear difference.

Also worth pointing out that PS+ makes everything so much more "cheaper". I got Wipeout 2048 for "free" as part of the 10 game pack-in bundle (not that I've played it), but I still had to pay a premium for Mario Kart 7 (even if I did get it in the sale). Everybody's Golf was about £4, Persona 4 was about £18, and Rayman Legends was £15 (although later given to me for free).

Games like Tearaway also released at £20. Even the cheapest "indie" low profile game from Nintendo will never release below £30.

3DS attach rate is about 2.90 - according to http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platfo ... io/Global/

[NTSC-J]

One possible if minor annoyance, at least for me, is the passive village-building gimmick: open up a menu and you can direct people in a far-off village to rebuild various shops and such, and when they're done you get periodic rewards from them. Thing is, rebuilding takes in-game time (one shop in the demo takes 10 hours to be finished), and the only way to cut down that time is to StreetPass, as each pass can cut the time in half. I don't live in a very busy area, so I'll likely have to wait out a lot of this stuff.

Your location won't be an issue. If StreetPass doesn't work for you, everyday you can do an update that will increase your village population by three. I live in Tokyo, but most of the time when I did this I would get players from France or Italy. The shops will all eventually take 99 hours for each higher level, but a few dozen people working on them cuts that down considerably; I finished the village the other day after having the game for just a week.

Apparently there's a way to make some spells affect multiple targets, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it; what in heaven's name am I missing?

There should be a "target all" option above the enemy target list.

[professor ganson]

BulletMagnet, thanks for the impressions! My interest is rising with everything I hear about this. One question: Is it likely to be off-puttingly complex for someone not raised on jrpgs? (I'll usually put up with complexity in srpgs, but I'm a bit less willing with other sorts of rpgs.)

I hope to never agonize over a $150 purchase while keeping an interactive public diary of the matter.

Yeah, it's not so much dramatic as sad. I hope the promise of the adage "this too shall pass" will kick in soon.

Ha, you guys just made the whole "drama" worthwhile right there.

[BulletMagnet]

Your location won't be an issue. If StreetPass doesn't work for you, everyday you can do an update that will increase your village population by three.

Hmm, I guess this only appears in the full version, as I don't see anything like it in the demo (one guy I talked to in town gave me one extra villager, but that was it) - will need to keep my eye out for it.

There should be a "target all" option above the enemy target list.

Yeah, I actually noticed this not long after making my previous post, and felt like the world's biggest nincompoop for not seeing it.

One question: Is it likely to be off-puttingly complex for someone not raised on jrpgs?

Hmm. Based on my experience with the demo, at least, on the one hand I wouldn't call Bravely Default "a game that will bring non-JRPG players into the fold", for despite its enhancements it definitely doesn't stray too far from the genre conventions of yesteryear. On the other, I'm far too impatient and easily-confused to stand a chance at strategy games, so if you can handle SRPGs I doubt you'd find BD overwhelmingly complex. As I mentioned earlier, there are a handful of different character traits overlapping each other to take into consideration, but once you've experimented a little and gotten the basic idea you should be good to go: if you can I definitely recommend getting ahold of the demo yourself and seeing if the main gist of the game agrees with you.

While I'm here, a handful of other notes:

- To keep things moving, during battle you can set the "Brave" and "Default" commands to the trigger buttons to avoid having to scroll down to them, and can also hit right on the d-pad to speed up the animations.

- Someone else would have to confirm this, but during some of the more lengthy boss battles the baddies seemed to stop using some of their special attacks near the end; it almost seemed like they could eventually run out of MP, and thus "turtling" could be a strategy for your party as well. Again, though, this might have been coincidence.

- In the demo Job classes are "mastered" upon reaching level 4, though I'd imagine they go higher in the full game; there also appear to be references to some sort of crafting/enhancement system using enemy drops, though all you use them for here is side-quest gathering.

[professor ganson]

Thanks, BM. Sounds like it should be manageable.

[NTSC-J]

To keep things moving, during battle you can set the "Brave" and "Default" commands to the trigger buttons to avoid having to scroll down to them, and can also hit right on the d-pad to speed up the animations.

Never noticed this! Thanks.

Someone else would have to confirm this, but during some of the more lengthy boss battles the baddies seemed to stop using some of their special attacks near the end; it almost seemed like they could eventually run out of MP, and thus "turtling" could be a strategy for your party as well. Again, though, this might have been coincidence.

I don't think this strategy will work for long. By chapter 4, bosses are really strong and aggressive and will wipe you out if you're too defensive (although there is a passive strategy involving the Ninja class with evasion + counter abilities that's dirty but effective).

In the demo Job classes are "mastered" upon reaching level 4, though I'd imagine they go higher in the full game; there also appear to be references to some sort of crafting/enhancement system using enemy drops, though all you use them for here is side-quest gathering.

They max out at level 14. Not sure about those enemy drops, though. Are they orange bottles? I think those are used by the Alchemist job class.

While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this game for anyone who doesn't already like SFC/PS1-era JRPGS, if you do miss that era of Square you should check this game out.

[BulletMagnet]

By chapter 4, bosses are really strong and aggressive and will wipe you out if you're too defensive

Considering I just got handed my first Game Over by the fourth demo boss methinks I might be in for some trouble down the road, heh. To some extent all my boss battles so far have been wars of attrition that went on for awhile, seems I'll hafta re-evaluate my strategy (or at least wait 'til I can get some better equipment whenever the village rebuilds, since I've bought out the armor and magic shops).

Not sure about those enemy drops, though. Are they orange bottles? I think those are used by the Alchemist job class.

Those might be it; "beast liver" and "devil tail" are the ones I can remember (not sure if they're in the main game), but their description says something about their being used for some manner of stat enhancement. The Alchemist isn't in the demo, so I'll hafta wait and see how that one works next month.

[Skykid]

I just updated my 3DS to get the Bravely Default demo and set up the new Nintendo ID, but I'm getting 3ds error code 011-7510 whenever I try to access the store. Anyone else having probs connecting?

Network status says its ok. Didn't have this problem before setting up the ID.

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/networ ... status.jsp

Been a few hours, still can't access the store. Anyone else have this issue? I understand there were several similar outages over Xmas.

[AweOfShe]

No issues here, at the moment. I connected fine when I went to buy Space Harrier and Shinobi III, with a NA 3DS connecting to the Canada eShop. Checked with the Japanese 3DS, and it connected too.

[Skykid]

No issues here, at the moment. I connected fine when I went to buy Space Harrier and Shinobi III, with a NA 3DS connecting to the Canada eShop. Checked with the Japanese 3DS, and it connected too.

Hey, thanks for taking a look for me. I went for a walk, got back, gave it another shot and suddenly I'm in. I assume Nintendo's ongoing issues after the update hit me this afternoon. Getting that Bravely Default demo now!

[replayme]

Just seen the following Zelda ALBW review. Again.

http://youtu.be/sC_tPzlAy5g

Hate it when I'm not allowed to make a clean break. I hate it also when I say that this is the one game that I still consider wanting to keep my 3DS for...

Might have to keep my 3DS. And buy Zelda after I have completed FF: Crisis Core and Gravity Rush. Because, you know, priorities.

I said I might.

Nobody likes being raped. And I hope Nintendo don't rape my childhood.

Ugh... Even the thought sickens me.

[NTSC-J]

I just updated my 3DS to get the Bravely Default demo and set up the new Nintendo ID, but I'm getting 3ds error code 011-7510 whenever I try to access the store. Anyone else having probs connecting?

Network status says its ok. Didn't have this problem before setting up the ID.

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/networ ... status.jsp

Been a few hours, still can't access the store. Anyone else have this issue? I understand there were several similar outages over Xmas.

You're not alone.

[Skykid]

You're not alone.

Well spotted man. It's behaving at the moment, touch wood.

[brentsg]

I got that error code trying to put credit on my eShoo account. Guess I need to see if I got charged.

Nintendo support was useless.

I had to go buy a prepaid card.

[Blackbird]

Finances weren't as shot after Xmas as I thought they'd be, so I think I'm finally going to go in on a 3DS. What is a very good price for a 3DS XL? Need to know what price point to shop for.

[brentsg]

Finances weren't as shot after Xmas as I thought they'd be, so I think I'm finally going to go in on a 3DS. What is a very good price for a 3DS XL? Need to know what price point to shop for.

There have been some good sales that would nab you a bundled digital game w/ XL for $150.

[Friendly]

XL's battery is designed to be replaced, unlike many modern devices. Remember to fully discharge, then recharge the battery and you should be fine.

That's terrible advice for most modern types of rechargable batteries (as they have no memory effect like the old NiCd did) and especially for the type used in 3DS (XL), which is a lithium-ion battery. You should NEVER fully dischare a lithium-ion battery before recharging as that actually shortens its lifespan and capacity considerably.

Nickel–metal hydride batteries on the other hand are not damaged by fully discharging them, but it doesn't do them any good, either- every time you put a half-discharged NiMH into a charger which has a discharge feature and first discharge it and then fully recharge it, you reduce its lifespan by TWO cycles.

[Drum]

Just seen the following Zelda ALBW review. Again.

http://youtu.be/sC_tPzlAy5g

Hate it when I'm not allowed to make a clean break. I hate it also when I say that this is the one game that I still consider wanting to keep my 3DS for...

Might have to keep my 3DS. And buy Zelda after I have completed FF: Crisis Core and Gravity Rush. Because, you know, priorities.

I said I might.

Nobody likes being raped. And I hope Nintendo don't rape my childhood.

Ugh... Even the thought sickens me.

God you are such a worthless sack of rotten cunts. (I hope you got the response you wanted)

[Friendly]

I have been under the impression for a while now that replayme has simply mistaken the shmups forum for his own personal blog, to be tirelessly filled with his inane ramblings, a constant never-ending stream of mental farts. An honest mistake no doubt which could probably happen to each and everyone of us. If we were on crystal meth.

[SuperGrafx]

The 3DSXL is probably the best console of this generation.
I bought one (after swearing off Nintendo products for a few years) and haven't regretted it one bit.

[replayme]

Just seen the following Zelda ALBW review. Again.

http://youtu.be/sC_tPzlAy5g

Hate it when I'm not allowed to make a clean break. I hate it also when I say that this is the one game that I still consider wanting to keep my 3DS for...

Might have to keep my 3DS. And buy Zelda after I have completed FF: Crisis Core and Gravity Rush. Because, you know, priorities.

I said I might.

Nobody likes being raped. And I hope Nintendo don't rape my childhood.

Ugh... Even the thought sickens me.

God you are such a worthless sack of rotten cunts. (I hope you got the response you wanted)

Seeing as to how you couldn't act like a grownup, I'd say that's the response you get in your actual regular life.

Ho hum!

[CMoon]

Was gonna add something to BM's take on the Bravely Default demo, but after rereading his posts, all I can say is go play the dang thing! Might have helped to include an in-game manual of some sorts because there's a lot to figure out right away. Like so many other 3DS games right now, this one seems like it is gonna be huge...hell, the demo looks like it is gonna be huge.

The 3DSXL is probably the best console of this generation.
I bought one (after swearing off Nintendo products for a few years) and haven't regretted it one bit.

I will admit this is the only console I'm playing right now, but the PS4/XBONE need time to take off. Regardless, I invested solely on the basis of the ATLUS titles but stayed for everything else.

[Blackbird]

3DS basically is the best console, by process of elimination.

XBone? More like XBox 180. Microsoft doesn't believe in games ownership or in having consumers.

PS4? Like multiplayer? Hope you like giving out your personal and financial info to hackers.

PC? Maybe. It's been playing underdog to consoles in developer priority for some time now. Indie games are still strong, but a lot of "AAA" PC games these days are just console ports so there is no real graphical advantage.

WiiU? Despite the usual strong first party software support, it has Dreamcast-level third party support.

Vita? No.