Play Expo Manchester 2012 – Report

Play Expo Manchester 2012 – Report

It’s not often that anything exciting happens up north, so when it was announced that Play Expo was coming to Manchester, MS and I were most excited. On paper, at least, Play Expo sounded intriguing enough for us to fork out £13.20 (each) for a day pass. We both had our own ideas of what we’d like to see at Play Expo, but neither of us had particularly high expectations for the event. We decided that to make our trip worthwhile (in case the event was rubbish), we ought to report on our experiences for the benefit of future attendees. After all, how will people know whether or not they should attend Play Expo 2013 (if there is one), if there isn’t a no-nonsense review to guide them?

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to break down this review into the four separate event categories: now.play, pro.play. re.play and cos.play. Anything that’s not covered in any of these four these sections will be discussed under the heading of misc.play. Just to be clear as to what these headings actually mean, here’s Play.Expo’s official explanation:

now.play has a large emphasis on new and upcoming games, hardware and accessory releases, for the latest consoles and PC.  pro.play is an eSports event featuring [big-money!] competitive gaming tournaments whilst re.play will feature freeplay arcade & pinball machines, retro consoles and vintage computers. Finally, cos.play will include costume competitions, talks, DDR, Artists and Anime traders.

Now.Play

Inside the Event City warehouse (where the Expo was held), there were all kinds of videogame publisher’s booths scattered about the place. At the time of the Expo, the Wii U had yet to be released, so unsurprisingly Nintendo’s booth proved to be the most popular. It was so popular, in fact, that people were willing to stand in line for a chance to see (and play) Nintendo’s latest videogame hardware. Naturally, MS and I couldn’t be bothered queuing, so we decided to play Mario Kart on the SNES instead. If you were willing to wait in the queue, your patience would be rewarded with the opportunity to play the Wii U before anyone else. In my pre-attendance news article, I suggested that it would be great if we were given the opportunity to talk about the product (and/or the games) with the people who developed them. Unfortunately, Nintendo was represented by their UK sales and marketing team, so any information you’d receive about the product would have been in the form of a slick sales pitch.

 Above: Lucky girl

As well as Nintendo, there were other publishers/developers who’d sent teams of marketing types to represent their company. EA’s presence was certainly made clear with their two giant marketing booths – one advertising FIFA (unsurprisingly) and the other, the (then) new Need For Speed game. Gamers, of course, avoided EA’s booths like the plague, as many believe the company – through their alleged unsavoury business practices – is responsible for fucking up some of the best videogame franchises in history. Put it this way, there weren’t many Bullfrog, Maxis and Westwood fans flocking towards those booths. I’m not going to say any more about EA (because I don’t want to be sued), but there are many, many good reasons why Electronic Arts was voted 2012’s Worst Company in America by The Consumerist readers.

If you came to Play.Expo specifically to sample upcoming releases, then there were indeed opportunities to do just this. It was possible to sample games such as Ni No Kuni and X-Com: Enemy Unknown if you were interested in that sort of thing.  I can’t say I was all that fussed about sampling upcoming releases, so I didn’t really pay that much attention to this area of the expedition. Now.play, however, seemed popular enough with the other attendees.

Pro.play

In my pre-attendance news article, I made a list of things that I didn’t want to see at Play.Expo. Here’s a sample of that list:

• A room filled with Xbox 360s hosting a Call of Duty competition.
• A room filled with PS3s hosting a FIFA 2012 competition.

“A room filled with Xbox 360s hosting a Call of Duty competition” would be an understatement: there was an entire warehouse devoted to this nonsense, complete with a team of commentators and cinema-sized projection screen to replay the highlights. There were bays of Xbox 360s in which ‘clans’ would crowd around and take it in turns to (virtually) shoot their rivals. Interestingly, every single competitor was a male aged 16 – 30, which begs the question, why aren’t females participants in this (rather unhealthy) gaming culture?

It’s not just physically-unhealthy, sat down, staring at a screen intensely and downing energy drink after energy drink, it’s also socially-unhealthy. If a competitor ‘fragged’ someone, they’d get up and shout ‘in your face’ or some other equally as obnoxious and uncouth Americanised phrase. If someone did that to me during a game of chess, for example, I’d probably punch them in the face. These young males have spent so many hours chatting gaming nonsense through their headsets that they can no longer communicate with people in a civilised manner. They’ve adopted this aggressive form of online communication as a means of socially-interacting with the outside world, which to me seems rather dangerous. Sooner or later, someone’s bound to take offence at their blatant disregard for Grice’s Maxim of ‘manner’.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never quite understood the appeal of Call of Duty. At some point in the franchise’s history, COD was a historical FPS which portrayed warfare in a realistic manner. However, nobody plays this game for its setting… or its plot… or um, it’s character development, they play it to shoot strangers online. Before Black Ops 2 was released, I had a chat with a couple of fans who had the game on pre-order. I asked what they thought of the single player campaign, to which they replied, “I only play it online; I just wanna shoot people on Xbox Live.” I’ll admit, the few people I spoke to were rather chavvy-looking, but these comments seemed to represent the shared mentality of the COD fan. They’re not gamers; they’re complete fucking wankers. If they really want to fire a gun at strangers, they ought to consider joining the army.

It’s a shame that Play.Expo devoted so much time and space to this ugly gaming culture, but if they’re going to appeal to a mass market, they need to cater for these people. There were some competitive events which were aimed at normal people. The Super Mario Kart time-attack challenge was one such event:

Above: That guy in the red hooded top… if Grumpy Cat were a gamer…

The challenge was to beat Sami Cetin’s (world record holder) time trial score on the first course of the Mushroom Cup. At 50p a play, the purpose of the event (aside from having fun) was to raise money for the Ludus Magnus charity. Unlike the COD competitions, this event highlighted how gaming can have a positive impact in society. Unsurprisingly, the Mario Kart competitors were a lot less obnoxious and socially-inept than the COD freaks.

Aside from the Mario Kart challenge, there were other competitions aimed at traditional gamers, such as Street Fighter II tournament, however, neither of these events benefited from the same floor space/resources as the headline pro.play tournaments.

Re.Play

Re.play, arguably the most enjoyable part of the Expo, gave attendees access to freeplay arcade & pinball machines, retro consoles and vintage computers. There were rows and rows of retro videogames machines hooked up to 14” CRT televisions:

Above: The Joker appeared to be playing Batman Begins on the Gamecube.

Obviously, there were plenty of the more popular consoles such as the SNES, Mega Drive and N64, but it was nice to see some of the more unusual systems such as the Turbo Graffix and the er, MGT SAM Coupé (whatever that is).  Attendees tended to flock towards the more popular consoles, however, particularly the Super Nintendos playing Street Fighter and Mario Kart. I can’t blame them, of course, this was a rare opportunity to play these classics on the original, non-emulated system. During peak times, there were queues to play these more popular games, which forced people onto the lesser-known systems. This was probably a good thing, as whilst both MS and I have access to a Super Nintendo and Mario Kart at our homes, neither of us owns a Goldstar FC-200 MSX.

Above: Amiga Vs. Atari – I was always an Atari man myself

As well as home videogames systems, there were also arcade and pinball machines. Admittedly, I’m not much of a fan of pinball, so I’ll just relay my observations. There were well over 50 pinball machines, which were all occupied for pretty much most of the day. As well as competitions to win cash prizes, this was also an opportunity for pinball enthusiasts to purchase spare parts for their machines from the Pinball Daze stand. It was unsurprising to see that this area of the Expo was so popular; with so few amusement arcades nowadays, it begs the question, where exactly do people go to play pinball?

Above: It’s not every day you see Guile drinking a pint of lager

Of course, the same question can apply to the videogame arcade machines, too. In my youth, going to the arcades to play videogames was one of my favourite pastimes. Beat-em-ups such as Final Fight and Killer Instinct were the machines I clocked up the most time on. When virtually all the arcades closed down in my town, it was a sad day indeed. Yes, we can play far superior games are our Xboxes at home, but there’s something to be said for playing these charming titles in an arcade environment, stood in front of a big, black cabinet. It’s not an experience which can be (easily) emulated at home. Moreover, in an arcade environment, you can physically interact with people (rather than virtually through Xbox Live), and challenge them to a game of something. It’s poignant to consider how few modern gamers will ever experience the pleasures of arcade gaming.

Back to the Expo… the arcade section was to some extent, a disappointment. Many of the arcade machines which should have been set up for multiplayer, i.e. Sega Rally, were set up in single-player cabinets. To make matters worse, the multiplayer games in the multiplayer cabinets (such as Killer Instinct) weren’t in full-working order. This meant that if you wanted to have a two player game of Killer Instinct, your opponent would have to play without half his/her controls working. This really annoyed me, as these machines should have been in full-working order before they were put out on the floor. Yes, they were ‘free play’, so I shouldn’t be complaining, but at the end of the day, I paid good money to attend this Expo, and part of my ticket cost has paid for the use of these machines.

Above: Arguably the best arcade machine at the Expo… shame it didn’t work properly.

Overall, the re.play segment of the Expo was a good laugh. MS and I probably spent the vast majority of our time at the Expo playing these gems from the past. Had the arcade machines all functioned properly (and that includes being set up for multiplayer gaming), re.play would have been worth the ticket price alone.

 

Cos.Play

Let me start this section by saying that prior to this event, I have never actually met a cosplayer, let alone sat in the audience of a cosplay competition. This means that I’m perhaps not the best person to judge this section of Play.Expo, so apologies if my understanding is somewhat erroneous. From what I can tell, cosplayers invest a huge amount of their free time creating replica costumes of their favourite videogame or anime character. Part of the skill is to reproduce the costume as accurately as possible. However, dressing up is not the only aspect of cosplaying. When on stage, they must also ‘play’ (hence the term cosplay) or act out the part of the character they’re trying to replicate. So, for example, if they’re dressed up as Gordon Freeman from the Half Life series of games, I would imagine that they’re not allowed to talk. Again, as well as being judged on their outfits, cosplayers are also judged by how well they act out their characters. Whilst I can’t quite understand the appeal of this unusual pastime, there’s no denying that the cosplayers themselves appear to really enjoy what they do.

The event itself was broken up into 3 parts. To start with, a seasoned-pro gave the audience an introduction to ‘cosplay’, discussing what it is, and what one needs to do in order to get involved in the culture. Following on from that, there were live demonstrations on how to apply ‘anime’ style make-up and things. At this stage in the event, MS and I had temporarily disappeared, as the demonstrations became rather tedious. When we returned, the main event was about to begin – the cosplay competition. As you’d expect in such a competition, there were lots of ‘neckbeards’ with high-powered digital SLR cameras, stood as close to the stage as humanly possible. The cynic in me would say that they were only there to take photos of scantily-clad young girls, but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. They were probably just cosplay enthusiasts, who document these events in the same way that MS and I document our gaming experiences.

The competition was judged by 3 cosplaying experts, and there were roughly 30 (mainly female) participants. From what I could gather, they were being judged on the accuracy/craftsmanship of their costume, as well as their character performance. I wasn’t that arsed about character performance, I just wanted to see to scantily-clad ladies. Ahem. Anyway, as the cosplayers walked on stage, appropriate music for their character played through the rather loud sound system. It was quite well-organised to a point, but every now and then, there were a couple of fuck-ups regarding the correct music tracks. There’s not really much else to say about the cos.play event, other than despite the fact I’m not the least bit interested in cosplay, I actually had a good laugh watching them all arse about on stage. Anyway, here’s a picture gallery of some of the most interesting cosplayers at Play.Expo:

Above: She was the seasoned-pro who gave the cosplay lectures.

 

 Above: It’s Princess Zelda, of course. She appeared to be pointing at everyone, for some reason. Still, she looked the part.

Above: Oh my, someone’s ripped the poor girl’s jeans. She seemed to know how to work the stage, though.

 

Above: This man looked like he was dressed for the pub. I assume he was drunk when he got on stage, as he had absolutely nothing to do with the competition.

 

Above: Another Princess Zelda, and this time she’s brought Link along. They seemed to know what they were doing.

Above: It’s the Joker, and he looked pretty convincing.

Above: He certainly acted the part, but I can’t say he looked particularly convincing.

Above: She looked good from all angles, even if I had no idea who she was supposed to be dressed as. She must have been bloody cold, though, considering the outdoor temperature that day was around 5 degrees Celsius.

Above: Judging by all those belt buckles, I’m guessing she was dressed as a Final Fantasy character.

Above: Ah yes, arguably the most hated Internet culture of all, the furries. I’m not sure if it was a he or a she under that fursuit, as I don’t think it was ever taken off.

Above: Bloody hell, that’s a costume and a half. I’m pretty sure he actually won the overall competition. 10/10 for effort.

Above: Er, probably not the outfit for her body shape.

Above: Ah yes, she was by far the best cosplayer in my opinion.

Above: She got a lot of dirty looks from her fellow female cosplayers…

Above: … and an awful lot of photographs from the (mainly) male audience.

Above: At last, I think I finally understand the appeal of cosplay.

 

Misc.Play

One thing I always look forward to at expeditions is picking up a rare souvenir or momentum. There were a number of stalls selling videogame-related artefacts, ranging from retro games and systems to t-shirts and plush toys. The merchants selling actual games and systems had a good range of products, but were selling them at a premium. Put it this way, they knew what their stock was worth, so there was no chance of getting a bargain from them.

Above: £80 for a Mega Drive? No thanks.

I’d rather it was more like a car boot sale, where people sell items based on how much they want for them, rather than what they think they’re worth. There seems to be this shared mentality amongst certain videogame merchants that if a product is old and boxed, it must be worth a lot of money. This just isn’t true. The Sega Mega Drive, for example, does not hold the same cultural or aesthetic value as the Super Nintendo. But to get back to the Expo, the videogames stalls were disappointing simply because they didn’t offer anything cheaper or more unique than what’s available on eBay.

Whilst the videogame stalls weren’t brilliant, the related-merchandise stands were a lot better. Their prices were realistic and their range of items was decent. For example, there were people selling their own videogame fan art and other related homemade crafts. A lot of this stuff had sold out on the Saturday, but there was still plenty leftover for Sunday attendees. Admittedly, these merchants are entering into the realms of copyright infringement. The legalities of selling drawings based on copyrighted videogame art are somewhat questionable. Personally, if their work is original, using unique character poses etc., then they deserve to make money from their hard work. If, however, they’ve just traced an existing pose, then I don’t believe they should be allowed to profit from their efforts.

Above: Okay, technically I was photographing the t-shirt stand… ‘Babydoll’ just happened to be stood in front of it…

Both MS and I had specific items in mind that we had hoped to pick up at the Expo. MS wanted a decent mug, presumably with a retro Nintendo design. I was happy to settle for a decent t-shirt or vinyl statue. Unfortunately, neither of us found what we wanted. Nintendo, for example, had their marketing booth, but for whatever reason they weren’t selling any merchandise from it. Just think how many people would have loved an officially licensed Nintendo mug or t-shirt from the Nintendo stall. This was a wasted opportunity, because people like me will throw good money at anything with the official Nintendo licence stamped on it.

Finally, it’s worth briefly discussing some of the facilities Play.Expo had on offer. If you needed to empty your bladder, there were plenty of toilets situated in a convenient locations. If you wanted to fill your bladder, there was a stall to buy food and drink. The food wasn’t brilliant: it was the typical junk food you’d associate with a gamer’s diet, served from what looked like a glorified burger van. If you didn’t fancy anything from the burger van, The Trafford Centre was just across the road with its HUGE food court, as well as an ASDA hypermarket. Because everywhere was heaving in the Trafford Centre, MS and I (regrettably) elected to eat at ASDA. If I ever visit again, I’ll probably just bring my own food.

Above: Bronies…

Conclusion

The underlying concept of Play.Expo is sound. If there’s one thing the North West needs, it’s an annual expedition devoted solely to the pleasures associated with videogames. The basic foundations are in place for future expeditions; but this is not to say they don’t need building upon. The pro.play section, for example, needs to cater for a wider demographic. Unless you’re a socially-inept male aged 16 – 26, you’re not going to want to partake in a COD competition. There should have also been pro.play arcade challenges, for example. The re.play section for me was the highlight, but as mentioned in the report, the arcade machines weren’t in full-working order, and there weren’t enough multiplayer racers.

Despite all these problems, I did enjoy myself. If I was asked if I’d go again, I’d probably say yes. Like I said, Play.Expo is fundamentally a great idea – I just hope all the niggling flaws are ironed out before my next attendance.

Score: 7/10

RH

News – 26/10/2012

With only two staff writers NNR is somewhat understaffed, so when someone offers to assist with the workload, it’s difficult to turn them down.

Just the other day, a rather unsightly-looking thug burst into NNR Towers demanding that we give him a job.

When asked for his CV, he responded by smashing his head through a glass table.

We liked his no-nonsense approach to recruitment procedures, so we offered him a full-time (unpaid) vacancy. We’re not sure if he can actually write, but he certainly had some strong (vocal) opinions about Wonder Boy: III Monster Lair. He claimed that NNR was too soft on Westone, and that THUMPER (that’s his name, apparently) would have scored the game zero out of ten.

Anyway, we’d like to welcome THUMPER to the team, and look forward to his contributions.

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THUMPER’s arrival has inspired us to create a staff profile section, which will feature some basic information about myself, MS and er, THUMPER.

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In other news, both MS and I are working on our Play Expo report, which should be completed in the next couple of days. In the meantime, here’s a gallery of cosplayers from the event:

http://unimpeachable.deviantart.com/gallery/40077079

THUMPER had some strong opinions about cosplayers, which we won’t repeat (in the news section).

RH

News – 12/10/2012

Play Expo 2012 is just days away, and to say I’m excited, would not be entirely accurate. You see, I have this vision of what I’d like to see at Play Expo, but the reality of the event might not necessarily live up to my expectations.

Here’s what I’d like to see:

• A room filled with arcade machines, past and present. Hopefully there will be a Killer Instinct coin-op.
• A room filled with (independent) merchants selling gaming goodies. Perhaps there will be someone selling off their sealed SNES collection.
• A room filled with developer’s booths selling official gaming goodies. In this same room, gamers would be given the chance to chat with the developers about the latest um, developments.
• A room filled with Wii Us (which we can actually touch and play with).
• A cosplay contest.
  

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Here’s what I don’t want to see:

• A room filled with Xbox 360s hosting a Call of Duty competition.
• A room filled with PS3s hosting a FIFA 2012 competition.
• A room filled with merchants selling overpriced shit which can be bought virtually anywhere.
• A room filled with PUBLISHERS (yes, not developers… publishers) who’ve brought along their top sales and marketing executives, in an effort to plug the latest DLC and subscription packages.
• Misc. sales and marketing teams  trying to sell products which have nothing to do with computer and videogames.
• A room filled with Wii Us, for display purposes only, playing the same demo reel we saw at E3.

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Both MS and I intend on critiquing this event, so expect a full report on Play Expo very soon.

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Some review Gadgets & Technology news:

I’ve finally uploaded my video review of Sony’s KDL-46HX923. As I mentioned in the video description, the intention of the review was to concentrate on either the features specific to the HX923, or features which have been introduced to the 2011 BRAVIA range. However, I suspect that some followers of NNR were expecting a more thorough review, similar to the Network Media Player critique. To satisfy these people, I intend to do another FAQ article based on the most popular search terms relating to the HX923.

RH

Sony BRAVIA 46” 3D HD LED TV – KDL-46HX923 [£1799 DEC 2011]

This video link below is a review of the Sony’s KDL-46HX923 flagship television. The review will cover the following topics:

00:07 — Physical appearance

00:44 — Gorilla Glass

01:08 — Wall mounting

02:34 — User interface

03:43 — BRAVIA Internet Video

04:28 — Smart TV: apps and widgets

06:42 — Media steaming & Track ID

09:19 — Sound

10:16 — Motionflow XR 800 & refresh rate

14:07 — “Intelligent Peak LED for optimum picture contrast”

15:49 — Gaming & input lag

18:32 — The “crease” — light bleed

Even though this video dragged on for 20 odd minutes, there’re plenty more features I could have discussed. I’ve tried to focus on the features either specific to this TV, or the features which have been recently introduced to BRAVIA televisions.

Wonder Boy in Monster Land – Sega Master System (1988)

Wonder Boy in Monster Land – Sega Master System (1988)

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Monster Land is the direct sequel to the mediocre arcade game Wonder Boy. Released in 1986, Wonder Boy in Monster Land was originally developed for the arcades. The following year it was released for the Sega Master System, and roughly a year or so later, it was ported to virtually every other non-Nintendo gaming system. By 1988, Nintendo had already released two well-received Legend of Zelda titles for its Nintendo Entertainment System, which meant that if Sega were trying to compete in the RPG adventure market, this port of Monster Land would have to be pretty fucking special.

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The most immediately obvious difference between the Master System port and the original arcade version is its visual presentation. Due to the Master System’s limited graphics memory, the sprites are much smaller and environments lack the same level of detail. On the positive side, the GUI which limited your visibility in the arcade version (and most other versions) has been replaced with a status screen which is accessible via the pause button. I particularly like the Master System’s bright and bold colour palette; yes, it’s not the most detailed game of all time, but the simple, cartoon-like graphics work well.

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The animation for the most part is a little on the simplistic side. When Wonder Boy walks forward, for example, it’s only his feet (rather than his whole body) that are actually animated. Many of the enemies move unnaturally due to their lack of animation sprites. Perhaps this is a harsh criticism for a game that’s over 20-years-old, however, The Dragon’s Trap was released the following year for the same system, and the animation in that game was vastly superior.

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The enemies of Monster Land for the most part look fine, but they’re not exactly original creations – just how many games have we seen bats and snakes used as standard opponents? The bosses and mini-bosses, on the other hand, are rather awesome:

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Monster Land might not push the Master System to its technological limits, but for a game that’s over 20 years old, I think we can forgive Sega on this occasion.

One of my favourite aspects of Wonder Boy in Monster Land is its superb musical score. It might not feature as many tracks as the arcade version, but most of the best music remains. Interestingly, the Master System music sounds like it’s played at a higher bitrate; the arcade version often sounded ‘crackly’ for one of a better word. I’m slightly disappointed that this version of the game doesn’t feature the iconic cave BGM which was used in The Dragon’s Trap. If you hadn’t played the arcade version of the Monster Land, this obvious nod to the previous game would be completely lost on you.

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Left: Wonder Boy has no trouble breathing under water.  Right: Conveyer belts are a typical feature of Monster Land castles… for some reason.

I haven’t touched on the sound effects yet because, well, there’s not really much point. Monster Land seems to share the same sound effects with pretty much every other Master System game of 1988. It certainly doesn’t have as realistic SFX as the arcade version, but it’s no better or worse than any other Master System game of this era.

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Above: Wow, I’ve never seen a pyramid level in a Master System game before!

If I had to guess the reason why Wonder Boy in Monster Land (or Super Wonder Boy) was ported to so many systems, I’d say that it was due to its addictive gameplay. I mentioned The Legend of Zelda earlier as a series to rival Wonder Boy: this was due to both games sharing a similar setting (medieval fantasy world) and featuring both side quests and character development. Arguably, this game has more in common with the legendary platformer Super Mario Bros.. Unlike a Legend of Zelda title where you need to solve puzzles and collect special items in order to progress, Monster Land simply requires you to run and jump over obstacles before the timer runs out. Okay, so there are a few boss battles along the way, but the point I’m trying to make is that the sort of skills a player needs to complete Wonder Boy in Monster Land are not to dissimilar to the button manipulation required to beat Super Mario Bros..

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I’m not overly sure I like Westone’s attempt at amalgamating an arcade style platformer with an RPG adventure game. As a consequence of the timer, there’s very little time to stop and explore the environments. During my playthrough for this review, I was in such a rush to complete the levels (to avoid running out of time), that I ended up missing the entire sidequest. Unless you know exactly where you’re going, and where each hidden door is, the timer just adds a needless challenge. Perhaps to add replay value, Sega could have implemented an optional timed mode for the more discerning gamer; but for a first playthrough, without any guide, it forces you to complete the game in about half an hour… and that’s not good value for money.

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Above: There are secret doors throughout Monster Land – press the up button frequently.

Having said all this, Monster Land’s gameplay remains a powerfully-addictive force. I might have completed this game in just 40 minutes, but within an hour or so, I felt like I wanted to do it all over again, perhaps adjusting my strategy for a more efficient playthrough. It’s not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, and the value in this game comes in the form of the player wanting to hone their sword skills (through replaying the game) in order to make their next adventure less brutal. The controls are very precise which makes the fighting and platforming element all the more enjoyable.

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Above: Hidden boss rooms contain sword upgrades.

An important part of Monster Land is character development. Throughout your adventure you’ll come across shops and inns which sell equipment and energy replenishment. Shields and armour obviously improve your defence, whilst better boots allow for quicker movement and longer jumping. There is definitely a strategy dictating the right time to purchase certain equipment. For example, buying quality boots early on allows you to jump to platforms which contain hidden gold, thus allowing you to purchase the more expensive items. Of course, searching for gold takes time, and it’s likely you’ll end up sacrificing energy (as that’s what happens when the hourglass runs out) for cash. If you can’t afford additional equipment, enemies will sometimes drop items such as gauntlets or helmets which can temporarily improve your attack/defence.

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Left: Be sure to purchase new equipment at shops.  Right: Ale or Mead? Alcoholic beverages are a good source of health, for some reason.

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Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an important landmark in the series, representing the transition from the pure arcade platforming style of the original, to the more adventure/RPG orientated Dragon’s Trap. However, I don’t suppose many modern gamers will appreciate this title. Nowadays, very few gamers would have the patience to play a game like Monster Land. It’s not like Skyrim where you can simply level up until you’re strong enough to overcome a dungeon; Monster Land requires you to hone your existing skills until you can avoid every fire ball, or jump onto every platform. Today’s gamers have it too easy; or at least, the vast majority of them do (Dark Souls wasn’t a huge commercial hit you see).

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Above: The Mecha Dragon looks shite in this game.

Anyway, the point I’m (possibly) trying to make, (although I’m not overly sure anymore) is that Monster Land hasn’t aged as well as The Dragon’s Trap – a game which did away with all the arcade elements of  its predecessor. If you were born after 1990, I wouldn’t recommend you purchasing this game; you just won’t get it. Monster Land, for me, remains the most charming game in the series; it’s certainly not the best Wonder Boy adventure, but its nostalgic appeal is unparalleled.

Score: 6/10

RH

Developer(s)	Westone
Publisher(s)	Sega
Price(s)	eBay auction: £5 – £20 (used) eBay fixed price: £12 – £30 (used) ZX Spectrum version – approx. £15 Other systems – unknown Wii Virtual Console: 600 points

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap – Sega Master System (1989)

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap – Sega Master System (1989)

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The Dragon’s Trap is the third game in Sega’s incredible Wonder Boy series (ignoring the truly dreadful Monster’s Lair). Released in 1989, Wonder Boy III is an action adventure game set in the perilous fantasy world of Monster Land. The story continues from the last game, which sees Wonder Boy entering the Monster’s Castle in an effort to destroy the evil Mecha Dragon. Unbeknownst to our protagonist, Mecha Dragon can inflict powerful curses upon its enemies, and upon being defeated, he transforms our hero into another being. In his new form, Wonder Boy must fight through the treacherous Monster Land in an attempt to vanquish evil from this world once and for all.

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Whilst the narrative is somewhat similar to the previous Wonder Boy adventure, the major difference between this game and its predecessor is the ability to change form. The only time you’re in command of Wonder Boy in his human form is during the opening scenes of the The Dragon’s Trap. Once you’ve defeated Mecha Dragon you’re immediately transformed into Lizard-Man. Throughout the game thereafter, you’ll transform into a whole host of characters, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. I’ll discuss this idea of changing form in more detail during the gameplay section of this review. For now, let’s concentrate on the visuals, and determine how successful Westone have been in setting the scene for this fantasy adventure game.

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In terms of visuals, The Dragon’s Trap is vastly superior to Monster Land. The character/enemy sprites are much bigger and much more detailed; the characters themselves are much better animated; and the overall detail in the environments is also an improvement. It’s hard to believe that both games were released on the same system within two years of one another. I mentioned that Wonder Boy has a number of new forms: Lizard-Man, Mouse-Man, Piranha-Man, Lion-Man and Hawk-Man. Each one of these sprites is unique and well-animated, a crucially, look like what they’re supposed to represent. Perhaps my only issue with these sprites is that if you change your equipment, the character sprites remain unchanged. Perhaps I’m asking too much of an 8-bit game released over 20 years ago.

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The backgrounds for the most part are detailed and are certainly an improvement on the previous game. However, there are moments when dungeons look rather bland and generic, and even instances when there’s too little detail to determine where you’re actually adventuring. The best example of an environment which lacks detail is the boss rooms:

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The boss room consists of a solid black background and a grey boarder. I don’t know if this lack of detail can be attributed to a limited graphics memory, i.e., with the large boss sprite on screen, perhaps the Master System couldn’t handle any extra detail. I’ve noticed this in other Master System titles such as Shadow of the Beast:

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There are some areas which have questionable backgrounds; for example, in Daimyo Dragon’s dungeon, I have absolutely no idea what the background imagery is supposed to represent:

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However, there are some excellent backgrounds which are complemented by detailed enemy sprites:

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The previous Wonder Boy game didn’t have a huge variety of monsters, and many of them were rather clichéd, i.e. bats and snakes. The Dragon’s Trap, on the other hand, has a huge roster of enemies – anything from Cyclopes to Samurais. Like with virtually every other Sega game of the late 80s/early 90s, many of the enemy sprites in The Dragon’s Trap are re-coloured to represent more difficult opponents. So, for example, red Giant Toads are easy to kill, green Giant Toads are more difficult, and finally, the blue ones are tougher still. I’m not particularly fussed about sprite recycling, as there are already a huge amount of individual enemies which feature throughout the game. For the most part, The Dragon’s Trap scores well in terms of visuals.

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Above: Treasure chests contain useful things!

Wonder Boy in Monster Land had some of the best videogame music of er, 1986. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for The Dragon’s Trap. There are two reasons for this: 1) the levels are much longer than the previous game so the looped music tracks sound a lot more repetitive, 2) the scores themselves sound rather bland and unoriginal. It’s a big disappointment when you consider that Wonder Boy games tend to have very agreeable musical scores. The sound effects, on the other hand, are rather excellent… or at least, rather excellent considering the Master System’s (very) limited sound capabilities.

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Above: Secret doors are hidden throughout Monster Land.

Wonder Boy adventures have always stood out as having particularly excellent gameplay. The Dragon’s Trap is no exception: the simple mix of platform jumping and sword slashing combined with (basic) RPG elements makes for a superb gaming experience. This title also offers a more nonlinear style of gaming, for example, you can return to any area in Monster Land at any point in the game. This is especially useful if you’ve missed something the first time around or if you simply need some extra gold. This always annoyed me about the previous adventure, where if you couldn’t afford an item in a shop, you could never return to it in the future when you’ve acquired the extra funds.

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Above: Shops are one the only areas you can interact with people/pigs.

The ability to change into different forms is obviously another big change in this game. At first, I wasn’t sure of what to make of the game when Mecha Dragon transformed me into the pathetic Lizard-Man. However, when I realised I could transform into many different beings, all with their unique skills and abilities, I decided that this was actually an amazing concept. So, as an example of this, Mouse-Man can fit through small holes as well as walk up certain textures:

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Lizard-Man is physically strong and an amazing swimmer:

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Lion-Man and Hawk-Man also have unique abilities (which you can find out for yourself):

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One area of this game I don’t particularly like is its lack of RPG elements. For example, in the previous adventure there were side quests and characters to interact with. If you’re stuck at any point in this game, there is no one to guide you. I can’t tell you how long it took me to work out that I needed the Dragon Mail to cross the desert’s lava pit. Although there wasn’t as much equipment in Monster Land, there was more variety: for example, there are no boots in this game. Perhaps this is due to the fact that each of the forms Wonder Boy can change into have more than enough abilities to compensate.

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There are some instances in The Dragon’s Trap where you’ll need to stop and think, rather than just hack and slash your way through levels. Certain equipment such as the Dragon Mail and Magical Saber are essential to bypass specific obstacles; however, I think this idea could have been expanded upon. It’s not like a Legend of Zelda adventure where there are 10 plus items which you’ll need to bypass obstacles at different points in the game. It’s a shame really, because had more been made of this, and had there been proper character interaction with side quests, The Dragon’s Trap could have been one of the best games of its generation.

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–Above: Power-ups such as Tornados can help you defeat unreachable enemies.

Before I can wrap up this review, I need to discuss the game’s level design. As discussed earlier, it’s possible to return to any point in the game’s map providing you’re able to transform into enough characters. In a sense, it’s a lot like Dark Souls (bear with me on this), in that the entire game map is connected. Whilst this is obviously a welcome feature, the levels themselves aren’t as well designed as MonsterLand. In fact, many of the dungeons are simply long corridors with little in the way of altitude changes. In MonsterLand, there were ladders and moving platforms to connect different areas of a dungeon; The Dragon’s Trap seems to lack this variety. Having said that, the different forms Wonder Boy can transform into allows for variation in the gameplay such as flying and swimming.

Overall I’d say The Dragon’s Trap is a solid adventure game which helps set a new standard for the Wonder Boy series. Whilst Monster Land had the better score and a more interactive story, The Dragon’s Trap is a far more sophisticated game. Thanks to a password save system, it’s now possible to take a break from your adventure, rather than having to do it all in one go. Whatever flaws this title might have, there can be no denying that in terms of gameplay, it’s one of the best Master System adventures money can (or rather could) buy. There are enough hours of gaming to make it a worthwhile purchase on your Wii Virtual Console.

 

Score: 7.5/10

RH

Developer(s)	Westone
Publisher(s)	Sega
Price(s)	eBay auction: £3 – £10 (used) eBay fixed price: £7 – £15 (used) Wii Virtual Console: 600 points

 

 

News – 04/09/2012

NNR has been rather quiet as of recent, and this is due to the um, economic climate… for some reason. This is not to say NNR has run out of things to rant about: on the contrary, there’s a whole backlog of rants and reviews that we just haven’t found the time to upload. Anyway, onto the news:

I’m getting sick and (fucking) tired of making purchases on eBay, only to receive a product which does not match the item description. Despite having written an entire essay on the subject, the decision makers at eBay don’t seem to have paid any attention to it. My biggest issue at the moment is sellers placing opened, unsealed items in the brand-new category: “New: A brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item in original retail packaging (where packaging is applicable).”

If it’s been opened and the factory seal has been removed, then the item should be placed in the “new other” category. So, for example, if a Nintendo DS game has had its Nintendo factory cellophane removed, then it is NOT ‘brand-new’; it’s been opened and therefore needs to be placed in a different category.

I’m so fucked off that so many eBayers are abusing the system that I’m actually going to write to eBay, express my concerns, and then publish their response on NNR.

There are at least some honest eBayers out there. Here’s a good example:

And here’s an example of a dishonest eBayer:

I know the above eBayer is dishonest because I actually bought this ‘new and sealed’ product, only to have it arrive unsealed with a battered outer casing. I’m not going to name and shame the eBay user, as that’s between me and eBay’s customer service. However, as mentioned in my eBay buying guide, NEVER trust stock photos. I stupidly took the risk, and ended up with a pile of fucking shit.

In other news, I’ve finally plucked up the courage to download the Mass Effect 3 extended cut DLC. I’ll let you know how that went in my up and coming Mass Effect 3 review… well, it’s probably going to be an essay, actually.

Finally, I’m just days away from completing my review of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. It’s been far too long since I’ve reviewed an 8-bit title, and even longer since I’ve critiqued a Wonder Boy game.

Oh, actually, that wasn’t the final announcement… the REAL final announcement is that NNR is now on Facebook. Admittedly, we’ve just started a Facebook page called No Nonsense Reviews… and have not actually done anything with it yet… nor do we intend to in the next few weeks… probably months actually… but the point is… well, there is no point yet… but click ‘like’ if you have the time:

http://www.facebook.com/NoNonsenseReviews

RH

Play.com – 12/06/2012

Play.com – 12/06/2012

Item:	Samsung Essential Class 10 32GB SDHC Memory Card
Price:	£16.99 (new)
Delivery charge:	Free delivery
Purchase date:	12/06/2012 @ 19:30
Estimated dispatch:	2 – 3 days
Estimated delivery:	3 – 5 working days (21/06/2012 – 23/06/2012)
Actual dispatch:	18/06/2012
Actual delivery:	21/06/2012

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There was a time when Play.com served as a viable alternative to Amazon. Before Amazon introduced ‘super saver delivery’, Play.com was one of the few online retailers offering a free delivery service. This meant that if both websites offered the same product for the same price, consumers would naturally be drawn to the retailer which offered the cheapest delivery. Play.com not only offered free delivery, but their service in general was efficient and reliable.

However, this was 10 years ago, and since then virtually every other online retailer has jumped on the ‘free delivery’ bandwagon, meaning Play.com has to offer something unique in order to differentiate itself from the competition. Play.com has recently been bought by Japanese e-commerce company, The Rakuten Group. Their takeover has introduced some changes to the website, most notably its sleeker-looking interface. Play.com was looking a bit chaotic at one point, which means the new design will come as a welcome change for many shoppers. Another recent change is the introduction of Play.com’s ‘SuperPoints’, which is reward system to encourage repeat business. Here’s the official explanation:

You will earn one SuperPoint for every £1 spent. One SuperPoint is then worth 1p to spend on products across the website.

It’s good that Play.com has decided to reward its customers for using their service, however, the SuperPoints aren’t worth any more than Zavvi’s ‘Rewardz’, and are worth significantly less than Shopto’s points.

It is very easy to navigate Play.com thanks to an excellent search bar and chunky dropdown tabs. Since Rakuten has taken over Play.com, it’s now a lot clearer who you’re actually buying products from. The item descriptions tend to be very detailed and include high-resolution images and customer reviews. The product I purchased for this particular shopping experience was a 32GB SDHC memory card, which was the cheapest price on the web by a long way:

Above: Screenshot of Play.com taken at time of purchase

Once I added the product to my (virtual) shopping basket, I found the checkout process to be very straightforward. Following on from this, I was sent a confirmation e-mail. Six days later, I was sent a message to inform me that my product had been dispatched.

The result of NNR’s shopping experience:

 

Website	Navigation	Very good on the whole. Big, chunky tabs with detailed dropdown menus.
	Item descriptions	Detailed descriptions. High resolution images. Customer reviews.
	Range of items	Excellent. If Play.com is out of stock, you can always try one of the PlayTrade merchants. Most of the merchants are fine, but be wary of traders with little feedback. I’ve actually been sold counterfeit goods by a PlayTrade merchant. Play.com dealt with the seller, of course.
	Value	Competitive. This particular item was the cheapest on the web.
Service	Rewards	Play’s SuperPoints.
	Delivery	8 days isn’t brilliant, but at least it was within the quoted parameters… JUST.
	Item Condition	The correct item arrived sealed and unharmed.
	After Sales	Not required.
Final score	8/10 – More or less faultless, however, delivery should have been quicker.

 RH

News – 01/08/2012

Some general site news:

If you wish to contact NNR for any reason, our new e-mail address is as follows:

admin@nononsensereviews.com

The above e-mail address should also be used to send us fan/hate mail and art.

In other news, our next online shopping experience will be at Play.com. Not everyone’s been happy with Play.com’s service since their takeover by the Rakuten Group. It’s up to NNR to put consumers’ minds at rest by undertaking another one of its online shopping experiences.

Finally, RH is in the process of reviewing Mega-CD classic Popful Mail. This superb adventure RPG was never actually released in Europe, but like Monster World IV, there’s a very good chance that it will soon be ported to the Wii’s Virtual Console.

NNR

Nintendo 3DS [£139.99 – JUNE 2012]

Nintendo 3DS [£139.99 – JUNE 2012]

It’s no great secret that the 3DS experienced a somewhat difficult launch. If Nintendo’s excessive pricing (£229.99 on launch) wasn’t enough to dissuade consumers from buying one, the negative press relating to the console’s possible health risks certainly would. Reports suggesting that the console’s stereoscopic 3D effect could damage children’s eyesight as well as induce headaches quickly spread throughout the mainstream media. It seemed that the gimmick Nintendo used to initially market the console would ultimately lead to its failure. Nintendo reacted to these stories by stating that the console should not be used in 3D mode by children under six-years-old, and that it was perfectly safe for anyone else to use its stereoscopic functions.

Anyway, now that the 3DS is at a reasonable price point, and that children over six can use it to its full capacity, it’s time for an in-depth review of Nintendo’s latest Dual Screen console.

Appearance

Let’s begin as always with a discussion of the product’s appearance and build quality. There can be no denying that the aqua blue 3DS is arguably one of the best-looking handheld consoles of all time:

It looks stunning from virtually every angle. Nintendo are so proud of their work that they’ve even provided a pedestal stand to encourage people to leave it out on display (rather than hide it away in a case):

The sharp angles and mirrored-finish remind me of a blue rupee from the Legend of Zelda series:

I now want to buy a red and green (if Nintendo ever manufacture one) 3DS to sit on the shelf next to my blue one. For some strange reason, Nintendo have decided to discontinue the aqua blue 3DS, which is obviously completely fucking ridiculous. Why would you stop manufacturing your product in its most iconic colour? It would be like Ferrari deciding to stop manufacturing their supercars in red. Speaking of red, the 3DS also looks good in this colour.

Everything about this console looks and feels premium. The stylus certainly looks a lot classier than the plastic ones included with previous DS consoles. The new stylus not only looks good, but it also uses a telescopic extension system, too. Of course, this mechanism will eventually break if the stylus is used by younger children (particularly the spoilt ones). The console feels very solid overall, however, I’m not convinced by the build quality of the thumb stick. I’ve noticed that it sometimes gets stuck in certain positions when moving it back and forth quickly. It was always going to be a huge technical challenge to fit an analogue stick into such a small space, so Nintendo deserve some credit for getting it mostly right. The lack of a second thumb stick is somewhat baffling though, especially when you consider how many games for console have fully 3D environments.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the 3DS in terms of its physical attributes is how it feels to hold. The DS Lite and DSi both feel very comfortable in the hands; this is in part due to their shape but also because all surfaces/edges are completely smooth. For some reason, the 3DS has 4 small feet on each corner which if you catch your fingers on, feel quite the opposite of smooth:

They probably help protect the bottom side of the 3DS, but if you’re playing a game which requires frequent use of the L & R buttons, you’ll end up catching your fingers on these pokey feet. Out of all the problems the 3DS has, this is by far the worst. So whilst the 3DS looks good and feels solidly-built, it’s nowhere near as comfortable to hold as previous Dual Screen consoles.

Connectivity

The 3DS is not too dissimilar from the DSi in terms of its connectivity. The 3DS has an integrated wireless adapter (802.11b/g) running at up to 11 Mbit/s. Strangely, the 3DS also has an integrated Infra Red port: I can’t quite see the point of an IR port if the product is Wi-Fi enabled. Like the DSi, the 3DS also has an in-built SD port which supports standard SD cards of up to 2 GB and SDHC of up to 32 GB. As mentioned earlier, Nintendo provide you with a pedestal stand with an in-built charging port; it tilts the DS at a comfortable viewing angle, which is particularly useful for games which rely heavily on the bottom screen. Finally, the 3DS features a microphone, 3.5 mm headphone jack and the same power charging port as the DSi. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the 3DS does not support Bluetooth or 3G.

Features

The 3DS is not only more powerful than previous range of Dual Screen consoles, but it is able to produce stereoscopic 3D imagery. The 3D effect can be enjoyed without the need to wear glasses which is clearly a step in the right direction if the technology is ever going to take off properly. If you don’t want the 3D switched on, or only want it on a small amount, it’s possible to adjust this effect using the slider on the top screen. The 3D effect looks very good, and it certainly adds a lot of depth to gaming environments. However, I don’t feel overly comfortable viewing my games in 3D, and after a while (5 minutes), I usually end up switching it off. It seems that with or without glasses, 3D imagery makes for an uncomfortable viewing experience.

As well as the traditional control interface, the 3DS features a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope. I suppose this technology can be likened to that of the Wii Motion Plus controller. Star Fox 64 3D makes good use of this technology, for example, if you tilt your 3DS to the right, the actor on screen will mimic your movement. It works pretty well, but I’m not sure it’s as accurate as using the traditional control interface, which is no surprise seeing as Star Fox 64 was originally designed with the Nintendo 64 controller in mind. To get the most out of this technology, games need to be developed specifically for use with the 3-axis accelerometer/gyroscope.

Augmented Reality is another innovate feature of this Dual Screen console. Using the two rear facing cameras the 3DS scans QR codes from the AR cards; real time graphics are then ‘augmented’ onto the live footage in camera’s line of vision. It’s quite amazing seeing your ‘real’ world objects being transformed into computer graphics via the AR system. It’s certainly an impressive feature and I’m looking forward to seeing what Nintendo can do with it in the future.

Like the DSi, the 3DS features front and rear facing cameras. The rear facing cameras are able to shoot 3D imagery which you can later edit in the software provided. It’s also possible to shoot small segments of 3D video, too. Unfortunately, like the previous DS console, at 0.3 megapixels the cameras are pretty much useless. The novelty of shooting and editing low resolution 3D images soon wears off. Aside from the AR feature, the cameras don’t really serve any practical use. Perhaps in the future Nintendo might introduce some practical apps to support the technology, such as Skype video conferencing.

The 3DS offers a number of online features such as an Internet browser and Streetpass/Spotpass. The Internet browser is pretty basic and doesn’t support Flash content. Streetpass/Spotpass is basically a system that connects to Wi-Fi hotspots to send/receive information. Spotpass can detect other 3DS users in range, even in sleep mode/play mode, and transmit data between the two systems. Linked to this service is Swapnote/Nintendo Letterbox, which allows you to send media content to other users registered with the service.

 

Playability

I can’t say I’m particularly interested in any of the features mentioned in the previous section; I bought a 3DS purely to play games. Thankfully, there are some features aimed at users who are interested in playing games, i.e. the Virtual Console store. The 3DS Virtual Console store offers an array of handheld classics which aren’t available to download through the Wii version. For example, at £5.40 you can buy Game Boy Colour classic Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening DX. The pricing of Nintendo eShop titles is a little silly, though. I’d certainly pay a fiver for one of the best handheld RPGs of all time, but not £5.40. I just don’t understand why Nintendo felt they needed to charge an extra 40p. When you consider the price of some of the latest Android games, it seems completely ridiculous to pay over £5 for a game that’s nearly 20 years old. I find it even more ridiculous having to spend £5.40 for a game that I’ve already spent £60 on, having bought it in 1995 for the Game Boy and again in 1999 for the Game Boy Color.

The 3DS is marketed as being backwards compatible with standard DS games. What Nintendo doesn’t tell you is that for some completely and utterly mind-boggling reason, the 3DS seems to have much weaker colour palette than the DS Lite and the DSi when it comes to playing original DS games:

In the above picture, the top screens were both tilted at the same angle and the camera was placed as centrally as possible before taking the photo. I actually noticed this when reviewing the DSi XL, too. Now, I understand that DS titles have to be scaled to be compatible with the 3DS’ higher resolution screen. However, this doesn’t explain why the colour reproduction is so piss poor. Surely Nintendo must have performed the same comparison test as I did? Nintendo should have stated on the back of the retail packaging that standard DS games will not look anywhere near as good on the 3DS. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s disappointed that I can’t permanently shelve my DSi/Lite, because I assumed the 3DS would be compatible with my huge collection of DS software.

If you’re not particularly fussed about backwards compatibility, you’ll be pleased to know that the 3DS has its own selection of superb games. The updated version of Ocarina of Time looks amazing:

I used to think Phantom Hourglass looked good; OOT 3D makes it look rather pathetic in comparison. As well as improved graphics, the sound is actually much better on the 3DS too. To match the 3D visuals, the 3DS uses a virtual surround system that tricks you into thinking sound is coming from all directions. The control interface is much better, too; the original DS lacked an analogue stick, which made it virtually impossible to play the likes of Super Mario 64 DS. The 3DS obviously has such a device; however, as mentioned earlier, it would have made more sense to have an additional thumb stick on the opposite side. To compensate for this, there’s an official add-on (Circle Pad Pro) which attaches a second thumb stick on the right-hand side of the console. Of course, this add-on is fucking huge which makes the 3DS much less portable.

Speaking of portability, the 3DS is slightly heavier than the DSi but pretty much of the same proportions. It’s small and lightweight enough to be considered a proper handheld console, which means unlike the DSi XL, you can actually take it outside of your home. However, don’t take it out for too long, unless you’re planning on taking your battery charger with you. I complained that the DSi XL had a poor battery life; the 3DS appears to be even worse. If you switch on the sound, 3D and Wi-Fi, don’t expect to get more than 2 or 3 hours playtime out of your 3DS. What’s the point of having all these fancy features if the battery isn’t potent enough to support them? It’s just not good enough, Nintendo.

Conclusion

In many ways the 3DS is a big improvement on the previous Dual Screen console. It’s more powerful in terms of memory and processing power, so it’s capable of running much more sophisticated games. The main menu is much easier to navigate and allows for better customisation. The 3DS is much less restrictive in terms of the types of networks in can connect to, which is good news for all those people who had problems connecting their DSis to Wi-Fi zones. The 3DS is packed with enough technology to secure its place in the handheld market for the next couple of years.

Of course, the 3DS is not without its problems: for starters, it’s nowhere near as comfortable to hold as the DS Lite or DSi. If an uncomfortable gaming experience isn’t enough to put you off, then surely the 3DS console’s limited battery life will. It’s amazing how the battery life of Nintendo DS consoles has decreased from around 15 hours with the original console, to somewhere in the region of 3 hours with the latest 3DS. Finally, if the previous points don’t discourage you from buying one, the backwards compatibility issues surely will. If you want to use standard DS games, you’ll have to buy a standard DS to play them on. I can’t get over how dreadful DS games look on the 3DS in comparison to the DSi/Lite.

For all its bad points, however, I would still recommend buying a 3DS; not for its gimmicky 3D and media features, but for its primary purpose – gaming. The 3DS is saved (just) by an excellent catalogue of exclusive games. I was lucky enough to gain Ambassador Status when I bought my 3DS, which meant Nintendo gave me 10 free NES games and 10 free GBA games as a reward for buying it (at a silly price). I’ve had some amazing gaming experiences playing these Nintendo classics on my 3DS. I’ve also had some super gaming moments playing some of the 3D Mario and Zelda titles. It seems that I’m willing to put up with minor discomfort and a limited battery life for a good standard of videogame.

Score: 6/10 – A great software library, sleek looks and excellent connectivity help compensate for the 3DS’ limited battery life and backwards compatibility issues.

RH