We went hands-on with the 3DS at Nintendos big launch in Sydney This week the Vooks crew attended Nintendo’s big launch event for the Nintendo 3DS in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Dawes Point. We got to go hands-on with the console ...
This week the Vooks crew attended Nintendo’s big launch event for the Nintendo 3DS in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Dawes Point. We got to go hands-on with the console and some new games; here’s the team’s recap of not only the event but also the Nintendo 3DS.
VOOK (Daniel Vuckovic)
Wow, what an event! Nintendo has set off the 3DS in Australia with a bang, with a price that’s not too expensive (much less than we thought and dreaded it would be) and a release date which would have been the envy of the GameCube desiring teenage self. Four days wait? Sounds awesome to me.
So James and myself actually flew out to Sydney for the event and as luck would have it we were at the hotel next door to the building, so finding the venue wasn’t too hard. We had mixed messages on when the event would start so we got there extra early and scored second spot in line. We didn’t have to wait too long to get in though (alright it was like nearly an hour) and once we were in, it was a Nintendo 3DS magical land. The entrance had some of those fancy peek-a-boo boxes we saw at Nintendo World 2011 with various demo loops playing. Nintendo promised the 3DS at the event and 2 metres in through the door, there it was.
After walking through a Nintendo 3DS smoke screen (fog rolling down with a 3DS logo projected on it) you were in the meat of the event with a Mii Maker booth (get your Mii printed out from the 3DS) and some demo stations for Kid Icarus. The playable Nintendo 3DS systems didn’t roll out until after Nintendo made its presentation. Dylan Lewis and Nintendo’s Greg Arthurton took most of the time to run through the 3DS’s functions, all of which had already been revealed in the many gaming events since E3. However Nintendo Australia’s new Managing Director, Mr Yuji Bando, took to the stage as well to welcome everyone. Once the date and price were out of the way, it was on to the games and the food!
Nintendo 3DS consoles were rolled out either attached to the hip (literally) or stationed at pods around the event. Third-party games were manned by their respective company employees so they knew what they were talking about. I was glad to not have to wait 75 minutes in line to check out Ocarina of Time again. As well as Nintendogs, Face Raiders, the 3DS Camera and the AR Games, there was Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and more. Ubisoft was also out in force too with Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D, Asphalt 3D and Bust-a-Move Universe. Strangely they also chose to demo James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes. Not the best game to show off at a noisy event. Ridge Racer 3D from Namco Bandai was also there.
I’ll save game impressions for the other guys who had more time on them than myself; I got a mere 30 seconds of Splinter Cell play before being pulled off to talk to some of the Nintendo crew including Mr Yuji Bando himself. I was really chuffed to say the least. Made my night. What also made my night was that Nintendo was giving away three Nintendo 3DS consoles (to be given out when they get them). There was one for playing all the games at the show, one for uploading a picture of yourself holding the Nintendo 3DS logo in a silly pose on Facebook and one for the best Tweet of the night. According to Nintendo, the person who had the best Tweet was me! So as soon as that Nintendo 3DS shows up, I’ll be sure to do a video.
Some people have asked about the Tweet wall that was at the event, so I’ll give a quick run over of that. Basically Nintendo chose a Twitter hashtag for the event which was #3DSAusLaunch, and any Tweet with that got put up on the wall. It was a great way to interact and see what the impressions were out there on the internet. Many hilarious jokes featured throughout the night.
The entire Vooks crew had a blast at the event. We thank them for inviting us! It was great to meet Emre for the first time, catch up with Billy and also catch up with all the Nintendo crew!
LordZod (Adrian McMurray)
After much hype and speculation, the Nintendo 3DS was revealed to the gathered gaming media on Tuesday night in a rather crowded pier in Sydney’s Dawes Point. I’ve got to say, going into the event I hadn’t kept up with a lot of the specific details on the system, so I was going in with an open mind, ready to be impressed.
And impressed, I was.
Walking into the room, we were encouraged to view the console through what I could best describe as a “peep hole”, just to give us a feel for what we’d be playing later. It was here where I saw 3D—without the glasses (a point that was emphasised heavily)—for the first time. It was a pretty cool moment. Unlike 3D movies where things appear to move out of the screen in front of your face, the 3D effect on the 3DS gives you layers inside the screen, if that makes sense. You now have an unparalleled level of depth which will bring life to gaming worlds like never before—travelling through Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will be both a nostalgic and uniquely new experience, simultaneously, while all new worlds will be born into this 3D environment.
One thing I have to mention, however, is how much of a personal experience playing the 3DS is. I can’t emphasise this enough. While waiting in line to get my mitts on the various consoles scattered through the room, quite naturally I tended to look over the shoulder of the person who was playing, to see what exactly was on offer. Unless you enjoy headaches, do not do this! At first I thought it was the games themselves inflicting this pain, but soon realised it was just looking at the 3D screen from side-on for far too long. I can’t help but feel that playing the console would be so much more rewarding when you’ve got your own device and aren’t at the mercy of a tightly packed bunch of people.
In terms of the games, there was quite an array of different titles. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play all of them, and missed out on some of the cool features like the Augmented Reality (AR) Games, but what I did get to play showed great promise. Ocarina of Time 3D was the game I’m sure you’ve played and loved, with new 3D effects. It will be a great way to rediscover the game for some, while others will get to have a crack at one of the greatest games ever for the first time. The Sims 3 demo was just a player creation centre, but I think that that the full game has a lot of potential on the system. Steel Diver was… rather lacking, I thought.
It was great to see two big franchises in the form of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Ridge Racer 3D make their way onto the 3DS. Sadly for me though, it turns out that I’m terrible at both! Probably my pick of the night (from what I played) was Kid Icarus: Uprising. It seemed to be a lot of fun, from what I played. It was very easy to use and control, and could be a hit for all ages.
Excite (Emre Aral)
So, the Nintendo 3DS. To be honest, I was envisaging that the 3D graphics would be in front of my face. Like, literally centimetres from my eyes, kind of like this. I guess I thought that if there was going to be lots of depth, there would also be lots of negative depth, where graphical elements would appear to be above the screen. Anyway, it was just impossible for me imagine how glasses-less 3D would look, and I was super pumped to try it out.
Immediately inside the entrance to the event venue were "peep holes" containing the systems, like the ones that were at Nintendo World. The first demo I viewed was Nintendogs + Cats and instantly I was taken aback. The 3D effect made me feel like I could pick up a dog with my fingers! I have to admit, the effect kept distorting because I couldn’t reach in and adjust the Depth Slider for my "sweet spot", but I was looking forward to quality time with the playable games.
After a lengthy wait watching others have their turns, which incidentally was both unbearable and also hard on the eyes (as Adrian mentioned), the first game I played was Steel Diver. In it, you control a submarine as you navigate through waters and complete missions. It was perhaps the least impressive demonstration of the 3D. However, in terms of gameplay, you’re constantly using the touch screen and thinking how you will adjust the speed, depth and pitch of the submarine to avoid crashing into the ocean floor and other obstacles, and I personally enjoyed that aspect. A simple game but a promising one.
I moved onto Nintendogs + Cats, and man does that game melt your heart. The whole time I was just petting the animals, that’s all. The content on their faces was so satisfying to watch. Buy the game for that reason alone I say. The new mechanic of interacting with a silhouette of your pet on the touch screen while watching them on the upper screen was a bit fiddly at first, but in time you get used to it.
Next I made a beeline for an AR game, which was the "dragon" one. It was awkward trying to move around and shoot the dragon because a) the Nintendo rep was holding the AR card in her hand rather than setting it down, b) there was hardly any room to move around and c) the insufficient light meant the 3DS cameras would often lose sight of the card. I gave up after a while but I knew it would be a fantastic game in the proper conditions.
Among the other games I played were Pilotwings Resort, which felt a bit uninteresting given that I’m already so familiar with the Wuhu Island setting. Ridge Racer 3D was great, partly because I was going so well in it… James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes was probably the worst on the night. At the start there were loads and loads of dialogue and info to establish the setting of the game, and the two puzzles I played ranged from "I-endured-all-that-dialogue-for-this?" easy to "why-is-this-taking-so-long?" hard. I also played Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition; I was using both the face buttons and touch screen (for combos) to play, which felt awkward. Then again, I’m not very experienced in the fighting genre. However, the new dynamic camera angle and me winning made things more interesting.
The star of the night was without a doubt Kid Icarus: Uprising. The controls were superb; you use the Circle Pad to move Pit around, the touch screen to move a reticule and the L Button to shoot. It might seem complex when you read it but it works great, and the 3D effects in this game were breathtaking. The environment is constantly moving as Pit flies up, over and through the world – I really enjoyed this one.
In regards to exploring the design of the 3DS unit itself, I was too preoccupied with the "ZOMFG 3DDD!!" but one thing that did catch my attention was an aspect of the Select, Home and Start buttons below the touch screen. They’re actually flatter (or less prominent anyway) than Nintendo’s stock 3DS images suggest. That’s it, I’m cancelling my pre-order.
Finally, the atmosphere of the night was great; music was pumping, there was food, there were celebrities (like the funny Dylan Lewis and no-one else particularly important), and everyone was enjoying themselves. I liked how we were all busting to know the 3DS’s price and release date, and Nintendo’s Greg Arthurton announced it so casually, like it was a minor detail. There was a projection of a Twitterfall for the event’s hashtag, which was cool; many a lol was had at the amusing Tweets. I had my Mii made at the Mii Maker booth and at the end of the night we received a goody bag containing a 3DS key ring, a bottle of ice tea and pimple spray… The event was also my first opportunity to meet some Vooks members; James, Billy, Adrian and not to mention the overlord himself, Daniel, were all wonderfully warm people and I’d love to do this all again with them some time.
Kirby102 (Billy Chlochaisri)
Upon arrival we were presented with 3DS windows showcasing the 3DS reel as seen at Nintendo World, but as they say, you’ve gotta see it for yourself. After having a glimpse of the 3DS, we were given lanyards with an AR card on it and we all congregated near the 3DS stage that they set up.
After the short, formal side of things concluded, it was hands-on for the rest of the night. We all blindly rushed to the nearest Nintendo rep to get our grubby fingers on a shiny 3DS before they got tethered down. The device itself seemed quite light, lighter than a DSi I must say. The newest addition to the handheld, the Circle Pad, brought more precision to all the games on demo. But to nitpick a little, on all handheld consoles with button control schemes I’ve played with so far, I’ve played them with my thumb joints (yes I’m weird, that’s how I like it). It will somewhat take some time for me to adjust to the Circle Pad.
One thing I tried was the audio side of things. I plugged my headphones into the headphone jack, but the volume of it was… disappointingly low. I don’t know if this should be considered due to the loud surroundings, but I compared it with my Game Boy (yes I brought one), and even that was louder. Hopefully if I get another chance to test it in a quieter surrounding, then I’ll accept it. Also, holding it in both of my hands, I didn’t think the 3DS was as big as it’s said to have been (i.e. as long as a DSi and as thick as a DS Lite). I think it’s the right size, most likely due to the larger 3D screen.
Speaking of the 3D screen, it works! Buzz words for the night were "sweet spot" and "3D Depth Slider", both of which helped greatly. Idealistically, you want to be facing front-on with the 3DS, since if you look at it from a different angle or distance, you’ll lose the effect. This works very well and truly discourages those who want to see what you’re playing, making them feel nauseous; that is unless you’re nice enough to turn the 3D off, then yeah.
The first game that I already stood in a "line" for (there was no line) was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which is the sex. So much of it, like the title screen rendered in 3D, was so hot. I chose to play the Gohma boss battle and tried some of the newer features. The 3D was shown well here; a map and GUI overlay, and some shiny things flying here and there. The gyroscopic first-person view, sure it looked cool; just the functionality of it in Zelda didn’t seem necessary. It’s probably just me, but I don’t like change in the greatest game of all time. The crouch-stab glitch works, and I managed to defeat the boss with 3 stabs. Impressive?
Next on the list was Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (that was a quite a mouthful to say – I will be referring it as SSFIV3DE), and it was awesome. The new Dynamic View is a nice addition to the Street Fighter formula, which adds an over-the-shoulder view of the battle, along with some 3D incorporation to create some fantastic effects. It looks much better than the iOS version, and the control scheme seems to work in favour of the 3DS, especially the Light mode with the 4 preset button combinations to help execute the complicated ultra combos.
Steel Diver, knowing nothing of the game itself, has potential. Even if it doesn’t seem to be action-packed, it’s quite technical for what it is. The operations of the submarine, with the speed and depth gauges, felt very complex. A nifty gameplay element I thought was that when you got hit (and I did lots of times), you have to repair the control deck on the touch screen, as it was leaking water. To fix this, you would have to tap on the leak and it would repair it.
The AR Games are probably the 3DS’s main selling point, which I think will be. With 6 AR cards bundled with the unit, I tried one of the cards that we were given at the start of the event. The AR game we got was the "dragon" one, which had us shooting targets and a dragon from all angles. Combined with the gyroscope, I was able to crouch and shoot from a lower angle to hit the dragon, and was able to step sideways to shoot it at the side. It was quite immersive, though you would need to be in a brightly lit area. If some shadow was to interfere with the card, the whole thing just came to a halt. Other than that, I wonder what the other 5 AR cards will be.
Overall, the night was quite good. I had lots of fun with the first 3DS hands-on in the country, along with sharing that fun with other Vooks members, and VOOK himself, who managed to nab a 3DS for the win. Hope we can all meet up once more for some Lemon Lime Bitters Slurpee/Freezies (my shout!).
Noteworthy things:
James (James Mitchell)
It might have been seen as being a bit extreme to fly to the other side of the country in order to play a console and attend a launch event, but boy was I happy that I did. Lining up outside the rather upmarket and trendy Simmer on the Bay in Sydney, we were all understandably giddy with excitement. With the lovely Maude Garrett recording segments, and the PR people peeping out the curtains every now and then, it was so hard to keep my excitement in. Tweeting like crazy, it was a sight to see. There were even some eager fans in front of me dressed as the rather infamous Boo himself. Then, all of a sudden, we were let in. Things were about to get intense, and I briefly Tweeted my excitement only to be embarrassed shortly thereafter. We’ll chat about that later.
As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by some very friendly PR people who told us to see the 3DS in action by peering into some rather ominous "peep holes". I was not ready at all for what I was about to experience, and putting my head into the hole without any preparation blew my mind. It was Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D running at an amazing frame rate with vibrant colours and, of course, in total 3D. I was blown away. Things were looking so amazing, however shortly thereafter I was hurried along by a rep as I’m sure I was holding things up.
The peep boxes were separated from the main venue by a very impressive smoke curtain, which not only obscured the view of the main venue but was constantly billowing from the roof. To put the icing on the cake, the smoke had the Nintendo 3DS logo projected onto it. It really was a sight to behold and was no doubt one of the things I wowed at besides the 3DS at the event. I affectionately called it the "3D smoke".
Fast forward a bit and we found ourselves all tightly packed into an industrial looking gallery with lots of pillars of light scattered around, with drinks and game logos emblazoned on them, but alas, no 3DS consoles. Well-dressed waiters brought out some rather trendy looking fish and chip cups and other assorted finger foods. The star of the night, besides the 3DS however, was the Twitter wall. On the back wall above the DJ were all the Tweets from the night, rolling in live. And there it was, at the top, my embarrassing excitement Tweet (complete with swear words). Still, I swallowed my pride and continued to look around and trying to find a 3DS console. None were in sight. I was a bit worried.
Then, Dylan Lewis took to the stage and showed us a few trailers, followed by Nintendo Australia Managing Director Yuji Bando and Marketing Director Greg Arthurton. Arthurton promptly announced the rather impressive price point of $349.95 and a release date, a rather meagre four days after the US launch. However, no launch titles were announced, which was a bit disappointing. That being said, it was a bit hard to be disappointed knowing that the Nintendo 3DS was only five or so minutes away from being in my excited hands. I promptly looked around to find a console that I could play. I didn’t care at this point, I just wanted to play SOMETHING!
Out came the Nintendo reps with their 3DS utility belts in tow. Not as many people flocked to them as I would have expected, but I was happier about this sentiment than annoyed as I got to play many games as early as possible. For example, I got to play Ocarina of Time within five minutes of the consoles appearing, whereas our Japanese friends had to wait for much longer, I know this much. I even got to play all three scenarios too without interruption, since no-one was queuing up at the very beginning of the play-through.
After playing a few games, including Super Street Fighter, Kid Icarus, Steel Diver, Monkey Ball, Resident Evil, Pilotwings, Ridge Racer and a few more I’m bound to be forgetting, I was pretty much sold on the Nintendo 3DS’s 3D visuals. It really has to be seen to be believed.
During the games, Nintendo brought out a massive bowl of paella (and we mean massive) to feed the crowds, as well as a rather interesting hot dog stand with hot dogs the size of, well, we’re not sure but they were definitely bigger than your usual hot dog. Throughout the night Nintendo gave three people a chance to win a 3DS system if they did various things, including playing the demos and getting your own Mii created at the Mii Plaza. Unfortunately, both me and one of my colleagues didn’t really feel it looked a whole lot like us, but the PR reps were quick to throw us out once they’d taken a photo, presumably to lessen waiting time. We’re sure when we have more time with it, we could tweak our Miis. VOOK was lucky enough to win a 3DS too for all his Tweets, which was good but at the same time quite disappointing for myself.
Finally, the night came to an end and we were all almost too tired to go on. Nintendo provided us with some rather interesting goody bags, which included a press release, 3DS mugs, iced tea, pimple face spray (yes, we’re not sure either), and of course the personalised AR card we were provided with on a 3DS lanyard on entry.
All in all, the Nintendo 3DS launch party blew me away, not only because of the 3DS but the way that Nintendo set it up. It was much more trendier and much more interesting than I thought it would be, and the opportunity to play all the amazing 3DS titles were welcomed to. An extended thanks must be sent out to Nintendo for the invite, with a huge pat on the back to all those who organised it. It was really amazing.
FREEDOM WARS Remastered, Once Again and Super Onion Boy+
To pass the time.
Or in the office, we won't judge