Nintendo Handheld Console 3DS - Metallic Red

As a bonkers Nintendo fangirl and collector for the past 20 years, I pre-ordered this and got it on release. For several months, however, it did just sit there, virtually unused.But then the GOOD games started appearing. :DThe first game I actually got for my 3DS was Ocarina of Time 3D, three months after this came out, and I finally got to see the 3D in action properly.The 3D is actually pretty good - obviously you just have to make sure to hold the console in the right position, otherwise you'll get a weird double image. It can be quite impressive, although sometimes when I have the 3D on I feel like my eyes are crossing to try and focus on it properly - I find having the slider turned up about halfway is just about right.However, I actually think games look better with the 3D turned OFF. The lines are much clearer and the console really does have some smashing graphics. I now usually only turn on the 3D for cutscenes.Since Ocarina of Time, I've bought Star Fox, Mario Kart, and Super Mario 3D Land. You can really appreciate the 3D on Mario, it's actually fantastic.And then there's the Virtual Console. This was what I was most excited for the 3DS for - being able to download old Gameboy, Gameboy Colour, and Game Boy Advance games, just like you can download old console games on the Wii. For quite a long time, releases on the VC seemed slow, but they've been picking up recently and there are some cracking titles available to download, like Zelda: Link's Awakening, Kirby, Wario Land, and Super Mario Land: 6 Golden Coins, amongst others. The games are all reasonably priced (between around £3.60 and £5.40ish, depending on the game), and being older games, don't take up much space at all on the SD card, so you can cram it full of golden oldies.Any old SD card will work with the 3DS, and one comes free with the console, unlike some consoles that are only compatible with overpriced memory cards made by the same company (*cough*Vita*cough*) You can top up the amount of cash to download games either by debit card, or by purchasing an eshop card from a shop (NOT a Nintendo points card! Must be an eshop card).You can also download all the DSiWare stuff on your 3DS, too.Plus, there are game videos you can download, AND game demos, so you can try out some games before you buy them.Have a DSi? Want a 3DS? Have purchased DSiWare that you'd like to keep on your 3DS? No problem. Nintendo have added a simple to use Data Transfer system, which you can use to transfer EVERYTHING from a DSi over to your shiny new 3DS, or even from 3DS to 3DS. Absolutely everything is transferred, and afterwards the console that had been transferred from is reset to factory settings.I myself used the Data transfer system when I bought a different 3DS (The limited edition Zelda one... it's so shiny) and needed to transfer the stuff I had already downloaded from my old 3DS. I can confirm that it really is easy to use - it's completely fool-proof - and it really does transfer everything - VC downloads, saves, etc.If there are people here who, like me, bought the 3DS on release and as a result got the 20 free Ambassador games, and you'd like a new 3DS (there are more pretty limited edition ones coming!), rest assured, the system transfer does transfer your Ambassador status and your free games. :)In all, this is a great console. Yeah, the 3D can be a bit gimmicky at times, but it does work well, and you can turn it off whenever you like. Now that it has a better games library, it's much more fun, and the Virtual console is just great. Plus with great upcoming games like Kid Icarus: Uprising (It looks amazing!), Luigi's Mansion 2, and Fire Emblem (confirmed for Europe!), it's going to get even better. The price reduction last August makes it even more of a must buy - I paid £180 for mine on release, which was about as cheap as you could get. It's dropped very significantly since!But at least I have my 20 free games to make up for the price-drop. Cheers Ninty! :D

Looking past the hardware part of the 3DS which any other reviewer will tell you of, at launch there's something made incredibly clear to me.Nintendo is aiming for social gaming.Aside from the Mii creator, music recorder and player, you have a host of in-built software that actively encourages the player to seek out other 3DS users, such as the Mii Plaza which rewards you for coming across other people with their 3DS on sleep mode, and the Face Raiders minigame which tries to coax you into taking pictures of you and your friends' faces to make a pretty funny little shooter using your real-world environment as its background, with a reward system based on having more pictures to unlock stages (I admit you could cheat and use photos or your own face many times, but that's no fun!).In other aspects, the software front is completely improved from previous Nintendo consoles. The menu takes its cues from the Wii with a set of icons that scrolls, with the user specifying how large or small they appear, meaning you can have them so big only three will fit on the screen side-to-side, or another view which, while I'm unsure of the specific scale, renders the icons to about 1/20th their default [largest] size.The online aspects seem vastly improved with the system almost being persistently online, it can update through the internet (and will undoubtedly later update by game cards) an in-system friend list, meaning you no longer need to add friends in each and every game you play that has online features. You can also see which friends are currently online, and what they're playing. As of the moment there isn't any chat, game-invite or messaging features, which supports Nintendo's hopes for a child-friendly online environment, but I am sure if they choose to these features could be implemented in the future.As of now it's important to note that some online features aren't currently available, but are announced (although undated). These being the internet browser and virtual console (which will feature ports of classic Game Boy games like Super Mario Land, Doctor Mario and More). Another announced, but currently in-development piece of software is a DSiWare transfer, so people with a DSi that wish to upgrade without losing their software might want to wait until that is released.The software lineup at launch is a little meagre, Pilotwings is a fairly decent update to the classic series, although it is more of a 'pick it up to play for half an hour every once in a while' title.Other notable launch titles are Super Street Fighter IV, an impressive port of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 fighter. The controls work incredibly well, which addresses the concerns of many fighting game buffs. Furthermore it features well-coded online play, so if you're competitive, this is the game to get.Ubisoft has released a range of titles for the 3DS, but you should be extremely wary of them - The majority of which are clumsy DS ports. Ghost Recon, however, is reportedly a fairly good title if you ignore its sub-par graphics.Nintendogs & Cats is more or less a graphical update to the DS game, with added features, better graphics and, of course, cats. If you want a cute virtual pet game, this is the one to get.Looking to the future there is a host of fantastic games coming out in the coming year, including the long-awaited Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake (in 3D!), Super Paper Mario, Super Mario, Resident Evil, and a whole lot more.To conclude - If you're a truly hardcore gamer, or just a gadget-enthusiast, this is a must-have device. The hardware is great (although the battery life isn't incredible - you'll have to watch your gametime, and try to charge it whenever you're not playing). The direction of the console, if it takes off, will be absolutely fantastic as a social gaming experience. Anybody else might want to consider waiting until the price comes down and/or more games and software get released before making an investment.