The Nintendo 3DS

Just a couple weeks after I got an XL. You all should thank me. Though I guess I have no right to complain seeing how I got it for $100.

I'm actually thinking of getting an XL anyway. As much as the size of the actual system bothers me, I do like the bigger screens, and I can get it in the same colour as my old GBA SP.

Maybe I'll see if I can get my hands on the smaller model and check how easy it is to reach the second L and R buttons. That was my big concern with the test model of the XL I tried.

Heh. My brother just pointed out that Xenoblade should've been the bundled game with the system, seeing as that game needs the N3DS in order to be played. I don't really have a response for him, though I think they went with AC because it sold really well on the 3DS.

At least in Japan, I'm pretty sure Happy Home Designer was a bigger system seller than Xenoblade. It's a much bigger IP, one of the top 5 on dedicated systems in Japan, and I'm sure it's a lot less hassle to not use the peripheral.

(I actually suspect Happy Home Designer will flat out be Nintendo's best selling game this year, but I honestly don't know how much the west will like it.)

Xenoblade didn't move the needle in Japan. Happy Home Designer is on track to be one of the system's best selling games, and yeah, probably worldwide.

edited 31st Aug '15 4:24:50 PM by Watashiwa

It makes more sense to bundle it with Happy Home Designer because that's the newest game in a popular series and anyone who wants to play Xenoblade probably has the New Nintendo 3DS XL already as far as Nintendo is probably thinking. Plus this ensures that people buy Happy Home Designer if they really want a New Nintendo 3DS but not the XL.

Actually I think it's mostly a way of selling faceplates. The XL model of both 3DS versions outsold the regular model in Japan, and I think in Europe. By bundling the faceplate-able system with the system's next killer app, they create a market for the faceplates.

(Basically people like the XL better so this is how Nintendo sells the smaller model.)

I find it funny that Happy Home Designer, a game I initially dismissed as being free to play garbage meant to sell cards, ended up not only being a full fledged game (I think), but will also be Nintendo's biggest money maker this year. Did not see that coming.

How is Fantasy Life? I'm kind of wanting an open-world RPG for the 3DS, and that seems to fit the bill the most.

Pretty good. It's a nice life simulation game with a lot of things to do.

I hope to get the New 3DS or the XL. I haven't been able to play mine since January because the circle pad started to disintegrate.

Bought it for a sibling, who tried it and never really cared for it. Much preferred RFIV. Of course, if you want open world there's always Xenoblade...

edited 31st Aug '15 6:36:45 PM by Watashiwa

I'm still wondering when they're going to release new colors for the New 3DS. I want my blue New 3DS, dammit.

The Etrian Odyssey series is great, if you like RP Gs. There are four games on eShop, three with demos, if you want to try. One is the fourth entry in the series, the others are remakes of the first two, and the last is a Mystery Dungeon game.

It's kinda like Final Fantasy in that there is no overarching narrative, though bits of worldbuilding are shared between titles.

I can post some screenshots sometime, if you'd like.

I beat Untold 1 recently. Very fun, especially the map drawing. But I got burned out near the end since it was one of my backlog games I wanted to beat. Not touching another one of those for awhile.

Looking at reviews, it seems mechanically Fantasy Life is really basic. Not sure if I'd like that. Now Rune Factory IV, that might be good. I've always had a soft spot for Harvest Moon, and while I didn't play the first RF a whole lot, what I did play was fun.

Yeah, I highly recommend Rune Factory. I personally preferred the third entry, but the fourth is the most polished, easiest to get into. There's no need to worry about the farming if that isn't your thing, you can automate huge amounts of it. If the combat stops being your thing, literally everything you do will boost your combat stats in some way, which will make that easier for you. There's also tons to do related to neither farming nor the critical path, so you can just spend time dicking around and still get some benefit from it.

It's one of the three RP Gs that my sister ever got into, the others being Xenoblade and TWEWY, which I think is a mark of extraordinary quality.

To be honest I haven't touched my copy of Rune Factory 4 since a few days after I got it. Mostly because I find it too hard to get any enjoyment out of it. It took me over 20 tries to beat the second boss fight and I basically ragequit after the third or fourth time I tried the third boss fight. The game was pretty fun otherwise but not being fond of the farming aspects or the actual plot makes playing a pretty limited.

edited 3rd Sep '15 9:43:26 PM by Chariot

I tried Rune Factory 4 and just couldn't get into it, honestly.

How good is story of seasons?

Depends entirely on your opinion of Harvest Moon. So S is the name the original creators went with when they lost access to the HM name.

How is Story of Seasons compared to past Harvest Moon games?

I absolutely loved More Friends of Mineral town and the older harvest moon games. I prefer farming to actually being a thing instead of being optional.

If it helps I loathed Save the Homeland and did not enjoy Magical Melody that much either.

I loved Magical Melody and DS. Friends of Mineral Town is fun but I prefer DS. I really didn't like Tree of Tranquility but Animal Parade was pretty good from what little I played.

I would have liked to pick up Animal Parade, after enjoying Tree of Tranquility. It and Magical Melody were certainly a breath of fresh air after my first foray into the HM series, which was A Wonderful Life. That one got to be a bit of a downer.

And speaking of Rune Factory, If you've never played Frontier, I won't blame you if you don't want to. It's not a bad game in other aspect, but those gorram Runeys and having to CONSTANTLY babysit their precious ecosystem daily is a major stain on the game. Well, that and Raguna takes hits like a complete wuss.

Figured it'd be less of a necro-bump to post this here than the Animal Crossing thread.

Picked up the Happy Home Designer + NFC Reader bundle today more or less on impulse. It's relatively simple, but I'm enjoying it so far nonetheless. There's a surprising amount of attention to detail in your clients' reactions to your designs. While designing a house for Sable and her sisters, I put a tea set on a small table surrounded by a sofa and a chair. When I completed the house, it gave me a shot of Mable and Labelle sitting and enjoying tea in the same area.

edited 25th Sep '15 9:47:31 PM by FawfulCrump

So you know what I hate?

How when you get special miss, they don't show up regularly in the Mii Plaza, because they get pushed off by your regular Miis.

So instead of being able to play them with your normal miss, you have to play the normals first, and then do the special Miis on their own, unless you avoid getting a full ten normal miis, which I have not been able to avoid doing.

I mean, it used to be that the special ones took up a slot, but now they seem to be counted separately, so I keep having them around because they keep not showing up if other miis fill up the gate.

It irks me.