So during PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) this past weekend in Seattle, we were able to go hands on with the new Nintendo 2DS system. So I thought I would write some quick impressions from my hands on time with it.
It is much lighter in the hand then I thought it would be, it appears to be quite heavy, but that is not the case at all, it is definitely lighter then both of its 3DS brothers.
It feels a lot like the original Gameboy advance. It’s sturdy, has a similar feel to the plastic, and feels solid, like you could easily give this to a child and not stress about it.
It is much nicer looking in person then I thought it would be. I actually really liked the hand feel when I was holding it and playing games on it. Because you are holding more of it in your hands, I could see this being easier to play over long periods of time then the 3DS Twins, as there is nothing weighing it down awkwardly on one side like you get when you have the 3DS open.
The screens are the same size as the regular 3DS, just not with the 3D. They seem to be the same nice screens that you expect.
You can still take 3D video/pictures and send them to your friends with a 3DS. They just can’t be displayed on the 2DS.
They have added a lock screen toggle switch in the bottom right corner, as well as the WiFi switch has been removed and is now a software toggle.
The new Home button looks really nice, I hope that it comes over to the 3DS in the future.
I managed to fit it in my back pocket. I think trying to get it in a front jeans pocket would be pretty difficult, but it did fit fine in my back jeans pocket. Just remember to remove it before sitting down.
So there you have it, those are my initial impressions of the new Nintendo 2DS. I must say I was a LOT more impressed with it once I was able to hold it, and see it in the flesh. This is a device for small kids, and to that end I think Nintendo nailed it.
Take a look at our video below where we show you the 2DS from all the angles. If you have any other questions about the 2DS, feel free to ask away.
Los Santos: a sprawling metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and fading celebrities struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap cable TV. Amidst the turmoil, three very different criminals risk everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life. Grand Theft Auto V is coming September 17, 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out the newest trailer and screenshots below, are you excited for Grand Theft Auto V?
From Bungie, the creators of Halo, comes Destiny. If this video is anything to go from, Good God I want in! Seriously, I have been following this game since they announced it, and seeing how much love and passion they are putting into this game, and just how incredible it looks… I may just got preorder it right now for the PS4. I honestly got goosebumps watching this video and thinking “Holy Crap, the Next generation can’t get here soon enough”. Seriously, take a look at this video, and prepare to get EXCITED!
Destiny is slated to be out in 2014 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
It would appear that Microsoft has yet again decided to pull another 180, this time in regards to the Kinect sensor.
Previously at E3, we were told that the Xbox One would not function without the Kinect sensor connected to the console. Well last night on IGN, Marc Whitten, Chief Xbox One Platform Architect was asked “How “off” can Kinect be when the system is in use?” and to this he replied ” You have the ability to completely turn the sensor off in your settings. When in this mode, the sensor is not collecting any information. Any functionality that relies on voice, video, gesture or more won’t work. We still support using it for IR blasting in this mode. You can turn the sensor back on at any time through settings, and if you enter into a required Kinect experience (like Kinect Sports Rivals for instance), you’ll get a message asking if you want to turn the sensor back on in order to continue.”
So the Kinect is no longer mandatory, but they are still selling every console with one. What do you guys think of this new turn of events?
You can see the whole AMA (Ask me anything) over at IGN.
Playstation Access has done this very cool video comparing the size of the Launch PS3 and the Launch PS4. To see that we are not getting another George Forman Grill, take a look at the video to see how they compare.
So after seeing this side by side video what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments.
Hey everyone, I have a couple codes sitting here that I need to get rid of and I figured what better way than to have a little contest. The first game is a download for Gears of War on Xbox 360, I know it isn’t exactly new but the price is right. Also I’ve got a code to download both The Witcher and Witcher 2 for PC, just in time for you to maybe play them both before The Witcher 3 comes out next year.
The rules are easy, to be eligible to win leave a comment on this post saying which game you’d like to win, share this story and make sure to LIKE US on Facebook. Contest ends at 8PM July 21st and I’ll draw the winners at random.
Its a me, Rico! and here we are with day 2. If you couldn’t tell already I was at Nintendo’s booth for a good portion of the second day. My experience at Nintendo had me giddy as a child on Christmas morning and utterly disappointed when I realized that I didn’t get the presents I was asking for. Nintendo had some great games on display but they forgot the major franchises at home in Japan. I guess Nintendo is cool with showing up to a gun fight with a kitchen knife. That being said though I did play both of the new Mario titles, Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8. I can easily say that these are must have games for the Nintendo fan. Super Mario 3D World is pretty much what you’d expect, its an HD version of the excellent 3DS title with a much larger scale. For starters Nintendo has added 4 player co-op like New Super Mario Bros and that each character has unique abilities, for example Peach’s floaty jump is back. Another new addition is the cat suit that allows characters to attack enemies with a scratch attack and the ability to climb walls, flag pole included. Nintendo was only demonstrating the new cat suit and co-op functionality but I’m sure there will be other abilities and power ups. Mario Kart 8 was the other major Nintendo title on hand that I spent a decent amount of time with. The new addition besides the beautiful HD graphics was the ability for the carts to transform into anti-gravity karts and literally drive up the walls changing the dynamic of the courses and adding new more course options. It wasn’t ground breaking but when I was playing Mario Kart in HD I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face.
Unfortunately though some huge games were missing, no Pokemon XY or Smash Bros. which quite honestly both games should have been showing and playable. A big problem the Wii U has is a lack of games and Nintendo didn’t do much to comfort Wii U owners, Mario Kart and Smash Bros don’t even come out until next year. As we all pretty much know the Wii U has just become another Nintendo box and I guess that’s OK but it would be nice if they could get some other major titles and fast. Another highlight of hanging out in Nintendo’s booth was a random Conan O’Brian sighting and he was super effective, at creating crowds.
With Nintendo and the kids games out of the way it was time for some adult action. (I kid, I kid or do I?) Anyways, Square was kind of a let down as I couldn’t get into their demos because they were super busy and shit the bed with organizing their press appointments. Not to be totally disappointed though most of what they were showing was at PAX East or simply a trailer that everyone at home could see, so I don’t feel like I really missed anything. The real highlight of their booth was Saints Row IV and of course it was off the hook. Imagine GTA plus crazy and you’re still not even close, now you have super powers and a fricken dub step gun, nuff said.
After the disappointment of the Square booth, EA surprisingly came to my rescue or my money I’m not sure. EA has at least two new IP’s with Garden Warfare and one of my favorite games of the show Titanfall. I mentioned Garden Warfare the other day and I got to see another demo of what looks to be a garden fresh take on the shooter genre.
Titanfall is definitely one of my favorites from the show, behind closed doors they showed us an extended multiplayer match. Between this and Destiny next year will see some awesome new shooters that do more than the genre is currently. If this game was available at launch the Xbox One would have a killer app but unfortunately it isn’t going to be available until March 2014 and I have my doubts about that.
After I was done with EA I moved on to the Witcher 3 and got to see an extended behind the scenes demo. CD Projekt Red looks to deliver one of the largest and most dynamic open world RPG’s with the Witcher 3. Gone are the problematic boss battles from Witcher 2 in fact there are no bosses battles per say but giant monsters that can be randomly encountered in the world, or your quests. CD Projekt promises that there over 80 unique creatures in the world to hunt down and battle with their own strategies and abilities to make them very distinct. The dialogue system is also being reworked to add more character and life to the game. Another system added are dynamic side quests that can have world impacting repercussions that can come back to haunt you later depending on how you resolve them. All in all the Witcher 3 looks to be a wicked evolution to the franchise and will probably end up being next years best RPG from what I saw.
I also had a chance to check out the Nvidia Shield and Ouya but I’ll try to do a separate write up on those another time and with that we end day 2.
Check out my gallery below and follow me on on Twitter @RicF, also check out our YouTube Channel for more videos.
Hey guys and gals, sorry this update has taken so long but its been pretty crazy here on the show floor. Obviously both Sony and Microsoft booths are standing room only as everyone is eager to get a glimpse of the next generation of console gaming. I started my day by hanging out in the Sony booth and played most of the confirmed launch titles for the PlayStation 4. Unfortunately Watch Dogs, and Infamous Second were only theatre demos and no recording was allowed. However I did get a chance to play Killzone Shadow Fall behind the scenes with the Lead Designer of the game. I was impressed, obviously it looks stunning and learning from the competition Killzone has adopted new methods of traversal and enemy takedowns that break up the monotonous gameplay that has hampered many shooters lately. Also the environments have been opened right up with multiple side objectives that help alleviate the feeling of alway being in a corridor or shooting gallery. Killzone also introduces a new drone sidekick that you can use to setup up zip lines accross the environment, hack computer terminals or simply attack your enemies, just to name a few of its abilities. I can easily say that Killzone Shadow Fall will be a day one purchase for me. I also had a chance to try out the Vita version of Killzone Mercenary and I can say that Vita will finally be getting the quality shooter we’ve been looking for. Tearaway for Vita was another stand out title that I got to spend some time with and it looks to be a great little adventure platformer.
After spending a better part of 4 hours playing around in the Sony booth I moved onto Microsoft and the PR mess that is Xbox One. Honestly I’m pretty excited for Xbox One regardless of some terrible choices they’ve made in terms of DRM, I’m sure the Xbox will have some great features and of course exclusive software. Unfortunately Microsoft didn’t want to talk about anything but games so little was learned about the console itself that we don’l already know. In their booth I got play RYSE, Forza 5, and Killer Instinct. I had a blast playing Killer Instinct except that I couldn’t combo worth shit, but it was still great. I uploaded a video and you can for yourselves, a nice side effect of all the power in these new consoles can be seen in all the lighting and particle effects.
Forza 5 looked pretty impressive as well but I’m not much of a car guy so I can’t really speak to any of the improvements. A cool feature Forza demoed though were the new triggers in the Xbox One controller which have rumble built in. With this extra level of rumble added things as simple as starting the engine or the skidding of the tires added a new dimension which was pretty neat. We also got to see the Mclaren P1 which was pretty sweet, now wheres that extra million I had hidden away?
Finally I ended my day with a pretty lengthy play through of the RYSE demo aka QTE the video game. All jokes aside, RYSE is still pretty sweet and had a real gritty feel. the combat system was very similar to the most recent Batman games with parrying attacks and building up chains. The graphics were unbelievable and I felt like I was killing with the best of the Spartans though it remains to see if much is added otherwise it could probably get pretty repetitive. So thats about it for my late day 2 recap, things have been pretty crazy and I”l be back with more soon.
Wow, would simply be an understatement for the opening day of E3.
Xbox came out swinging by revealing games, games and more games. Not only did Microsoft show a suite of excellent exclusive games, they opened their conference with the first gameplay trailer of Metal Gear Solid V a move that would certainly make any core gamer happy. Little time was spent on anything but games however Microsoft did reveal their exclusive partnership with Twitch for video game streaming. Unfortunately the conference was marred by a couple technical glitches, and a poor sexist joke that probably should of been kept at home with the boys. That being said though there were some great reveals by the Xbox Camp, most notible would have to be Titanfall from Respawn Entertainment. Respawn are the original creators of the Modern Warfare franchise and this game looks awesome. It’s a fast free running shooter with mech combat all rolled into one, and it looked stunning. The Titanfall reveal was definitely the high point of the conference which was a good one regardless of the missteps.
Xbox One Conference Low Points
Next stop EA, sports sports sports naw just kidding they had celebrities too! Seriously though EA had a great conference without any technical glitches. The usual suspects that fill EA’s coffers were all on display, new Madden, NBA and FIFA games were displayed as expected. Surprisingly though Garden Warfare was a new franchise reveal, from a company that isn’t known for doing anything but the usual yearly fare. Garden Warfare is a multiplayer first person shooter based in the Plants vs Zombies world, that looked like a fun new take on the genre. Of course other EA work horses Need for Speed and Battlefield 4 showed great demoes as well. In what seems to be another move to win back the hearts of gamers EA also revealed their biggest surprise a new Mirrors Edge game that fans have been demanding since the originals release.
The clear winner of the press conferences though had to be Sony. Sony’s conference was long and dragged at times but they came with the bombs and shot the opening salvo in this next round of the console war. Sony had 10 stations on stage where games were being demonstrated live during all points of the conference and showed drop in and drop out multiplayer in titles that supported it. Sony definitely delivered when it came to reveals with new exclusives from Square we saw Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts which are sure to satisfy the hardcore. A new title from Ready at Dawn called The Order 1886 is a Victorian Era multiplayer survival shooter that looks to show a lot of promise. A definite highlight of Sony’s show was the exclusive gameplay reveal of Bungie’s new title Destiny. Destiny looks to blend the world of fast paced multiplayer shooters with those of Loot driven MMO’s to breath some new life into what some may call the tired shooter genre. With that said though the real news of the conference came in the form of several megaton bombs that Sony dropped directly aimed at their competitors. Firstly the news that PlayStation 4 supports used games just like any other system released to date was huge. Microsoft has been severely criticized over their policies and the fact that they are still unclear have gamers in outrage and Sony obviously decided to side with their consumers on this issue. Next was news about DRM and that PlayStation 4 has no authentication that requires you to be connected online, period. Finally the last surprise was that the PlayStation 4 will be available this winter for $399 and with that Sony literally dropped the proverbial mic. I was 4 rows from the front of the venue and with each of these announcements the crowd went wild. There was a definite energy in the air of excitement for the next generation and Sony might have won a huge battle before the systems are even released.
I’ll try to do a roundup each day but things are pretty crazy here, just watch the Facebook page and here for any news. Check out some pics and video from day zero and remember to follow us on twitter @RicF
GEEKOHOLICS 
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