I vowed to not buy the 3DS until there were more games for it. Even after the price drop, there just wasn’t enough software to warrant a purchase. On Wednesday morning, I walked into Target and heard a familiar tune emanating from the 3DS demo unit. I walked over, played the game for less then three minutes, and knew I was sold. I managed to hold out until Friday afternoon, but I walked past a Gamestop, walked in, saw the unit, and walked out with the handheld and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. My initial guilt over dropping about $240 on the system, game, extended warranty, and taxes was overwhelming. I had promised myself that I wouldn’t buy the system until the holiday season when all of Nintendo’s heavy hitters would release. Also, I was expecting that my wife would eventually come home with one as a present, especially after I told her I wasn’t very interested in the system just yet. When I played around with the included mini-games and camera, I warmed to the idea that the system has a ton of potential for the quasi-core crowd. This unit is NOT built for the hardcore gamer. There will be some releases that are super-niche, but much like the DS, those games will be limited to the RPG genre. My impressions of my six hours with the 3DS: 1) The 3D effect can be very stressful on the eyes. I have it barely turned on for Zelda and it proves to be too much after about 15 minutes. I switch back and forth from the 3D mode to regular to prevent headaches. 2) The nub used as an analog stick is pretty good. It has adequate tension to recenter itself fairly easily, but it is completely void of any type of traction. I find that my thumb slips off very easily. 3) The clamshell action locks into place when it’s fully opened, but if you click it close a touch, it gives a little bit of way. I would like for it to have remained very taut at every angle. It’s not a show stopper and it doesn’t flop around, so don’t worry about that. 3) Where are the headphones? I don’t know when hardware manufacturers got so cheap, but a handheld should have headphones included. 4) The system includes an ingenious feature that will make paper obsolete: in-game notes! After I came to an area of Zelda that I knew I’d have to revisit later once I found the bomb bag, I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote it down. After I turned the game off and was playing around with the menu screen, I found this feature. It should be standard fare for all handhelds from here on it, providing they have a touch-screen. 5) The system’s speakers work fairly well. They’re nice and loud, but you won’t get any of the treble or bass that headphones will give you. 6) One big question mark is going to be battery life. Everyone has complained about how quickly the batteries die, but I don’t play games for 2 1/2-3 hours at a time, so it’s not a big deal to me. In review, I like the system. I know that there will be several other variations of the 3DS coming, but I still have my original DS and it works as well as it did the day I bought it in 2005. My recommendation for anyone on the fence would be to wait unless you are a huge Zelda fan. We know when the major games are going to come out, so it may be worth waiting for. For me, I played Ocarina of Time in 1999 when I bought my N64 and haven’t played it since. This seemed like the perfect time and opportunity to replay through what I consider to be one of the 5 greatest video games ever made. My biggest fear is that it will be a first-party driven system like the Wii and DS. If it doesn’t have Mario, Metroid, or Zelda in the title, most of the time it’s not worth playing. I know that there are some exceptions to that rule, but for the most part, that’s the way it is. In my short amount of time with the system, I’d give it a solid B so far. Share with friends!
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