Zelda 25th Anniversary Concert:

Tickets have gone on sale for the London leg of the concert tour from the Ticketmaster website which now amazingly lets you pick your own seats rather than just randomly allocating whatever is available in your price range. At the moment the cheapest tickets available start at £62.50 (including fees).

Batman: Arkham City:

Its been announced that Rocksteady Studio’s Batman: Arkham City will be playable at Eurogamer Expo 2011. So you’ll able able to play the game a full month before it hits the shops on the 21st Oct 2011.

Lego Portal:

Yes, you did read that correctly. Some clever person called Keshen8 on YouTube has posted a brilliant Portal/Lego mash-up video. If you fancy something a bit more gory then you’ll love Lego Back Ops.

Warhammer 40000: Space Marine:

THQ are doing a stirling job of making mouth watering trailers for their upcoming Warhammer 40000: Space Marine game. This time the spotlight is on the different multiplayer classes in the game. Does anyone else think that some of the levels in the trailer look a bit Quake-like? Maybe it’s just the brown colour scheme making me think that.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

This is coming to the Wii later on this year, around autumn time, as Nintendo have now finally finished it. Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening will be available to buy via 3DS eShop from the 7th June 2011. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords will be coming to the DSi and 3DS for free later on in the year.

To celebrate The Legend of Zelda’s 25th anniversary there will be a series of symphony concerts playing the classic Zelda tunes that we’ve come to love over the years. As soon as I find out the times and dates for these concerts I’ll post the details.

Mario Kart 3DS

In the 3DS version of Mario Kart, the karts have undergone some fairly radical upgrades to cope with the new track locations. For instance the karts have propellers for the underwater tracks. For other tracks the karts come with a James Bond like hand glider attachment.

Mario 3DS:

This is a brand new Mario game built from the ground up specifically for the 3DS. After watching a demo on a 3DS in the Nintendo stand, sadly in video form, I was impressed with the 3D. You could really feel the depth to the levels, especially when you come across the giant flame towers belching hot plasma straight into your screen. The rest of the game was classic Mario.

Starfox 3DS

In Fox McCloud’s latest adventure you can either use the standard d-pad controller or tilt the console to control his ship. Starfox 3DS also makes use of the 3DS camera to show you other players at key points during the game. You can get to see everyone’s happy, sad or angry faces. Hmmm, I’m not keen on this little bit of functionality. No doubt it will be funny for the first couple of times then quickly get boring. Starfox 3DS will be coming out in Sep 2011.

Luigi’s Mansion 2

Luigi is back and still armed with his ghostbusting vacuum. With similar looking gameplay to the original game on the Gamecube, Luigi’s Mansion features some very nice looking 3D visuals. The lighting effects in particular were quite stunning. Luigi also gets to explore multiple mansions this time.

Pokedex 3D:

The global phenomenon comes to the 3DS via a 3D Pokedex. This will be downloaded only through the Nintendo eShop. It will also be free.

3DS System Update:

Nintendo also mentioned that with the June 2011 3DS system update you get a free version of Excitebike 3DS for a limited time. Don’t forget this game is now 27 years old, so don’t expect something ground breaking. The Virtual Console and 3DS demos will be appearing later on in the year on the eShop.

Wii U:

This is the name for Nintendo’s new console. It main feature is its big, new controller, which hogged all the limelight during the press conference. I actually don’t remember seeing the small, Wii-shaped console that accompanies the controller such was the focus on the controller.

The controller features a 6.2 inch touch screen at its centre. It also includes a microphone, camera, accelerometer, speaker, control pad, two circle pads, a rumble feature, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons. Accompanying the controller is the base unit which looks very much like the Wii and varies in power according to which website you read. Nintendo have announced that it will support HD visuals, which would be a substantial improvement over the shockingly poor graphics that you get from the Wii.

Wii U allows you to switch from playing a game on the TV to the controller. This is useful if someone wants to watch something else on the TV. Other functionality includes the ability to draw on the controller’s screen (if you have any talent) to create beautiful masterpieces. You can use the screen to play board games too. The screen allows you access your inventory or a map without you having to interrupt your game.

Nintendo Wii U Controller And Console

Wii accessories can be used with Wii U. So all those controllers you’ve bought for your Wii will still be useful.

In terms of games, Lego City Stories is coming to Wii U and the 3DS. This will be an open world game packed full of Lego vehicles. Darksiders 2 will be available for Wii U at launch. Other notable games that caught my attention were Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed, Ghost Recon Online and Aliens: Colonial Marines. Alas, there were no firm details about how the controller will be used in each of them. Nintendo also teased that Smash Brothers will be developed 3DS and Wii U and will work together in some fashion.

And that’s it for the Nintendo media briefing. There were units to play with during the E3 Expo running 8 different tech/gameplay demos, but no actual games. We did get to play with the Wii U so look out for our hands-on impressions post. Randy Pitchford did mention during his talk during the Aliens: Colonial Marines live demo that they have got the game running on Wii U hardware, and that they’ve had the units for some time. But that was all we got out of him.

So this leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions about the Wii U. How much is it going to cost? When will we see it in the UK? What’s the backward compatibility like with Wii games? Are developers going to retro fit Wii games to take advantage of the new controller and what do they think of it? And what are the games going to look like on the new hardware. Tech demos and just that, demos. Rarely have they been representative of what it’s like to play games on the console that you get to buy and plonk in your living/bedroom.

Now, 13 years later, Ocarina of Time is back, but on the 3DS. I was very curious to find out if the game that is often referred to as the “greatest game of all time” still has what it takes to be a great game in 2011 or is it a classic of a time gone by. So last week, amongst the many branches of the great Deku tree and , I got some hands-on time with the game.

21st Century Link

This new 3D version of Ocarina of Time is a bit of an eye-catcher. Boasting an updated graphics engine, Zelda impresses from the get-go. It looks exactly like the game I remember playing all those years ago, which is funny as the original N64 version now looks terrible. I checked, by playing Zelda on one of the N64s in the event’s nostalgia area. Zelda 3D was like reuniting with a long lost friend; so many things were familiar and comforting, especially the music. To see Link riding aloft his horse, Epona, who was majestically galloping across the vast Hyrulian field… it brought back waves of happy memories. It even sparked the notes to Epona’s theme back to life in my brain. The very same notes that I used to play on Link’s Ocarina whenever I wanted Epona to give me a lift.

I spent a while flicking between the 2D/3D modes to see what view I was most comfortable using. The full-on 3D view really showed off the impressive depth of field. This did bring a whole new dimension, if you forgive the pun, to the battle sequences. Those pesky PeaHats that infest Hyrule field are a perfect example of this, with their spinning blades appearing as if they pop right out of the screen.

The N64’s controls have translated fairly well to the 3DS, with the LB taking the place of the must used Z-trigger for locking onto items/enemies. The touch screen allows you to quickly navigate between your items, the world map and your weapons. After all these years, Nintendo have finally sorted out how to quickly switch between the longshot and the iron boots. This one simple change makes the whole Water Temple an infinitely nicer place to be as you need to use both items almost all the time. On the original, it was a bloody pain. Just ask anyone whose completed it.

The circle pad on the 3DS takes the place of the N64’s joystick and is a very poor replacement, to be honest. Whilst the pad is nice enough for making Link walk and run around, it’s bloody awful for aiming when using any ranged weapons – bow, catapult, longshot. It’s not sensitive enough. But using the in-built gyro and physically moving the 3DS console around to aim in first-person view is far more accurate way of doing things. However, this can get a bit tiring after a while. It’s also best to use the 2D mode as it’s very difficult to maintain the correct alignment between your eyes and the screen for the 3D effect to work properly.

Same dungeons, different puzzles

Happily, there is more to discover in this 3DS version of Ocarina of Time. For starters the Master Quest add-on is included. In this add-on, the basic game play, locations and events of Ocarina of Time are the same, but once you get into each of the dungeons things are different. Each dungeon has been comprehensively redesigned to make them much more of a challenge. For Ocarina of Time veterans like me, these new puzzles are a very welcome addition.

There is also a new boss challenge mode which allows you to refight any boss you’ve already defeated. Either on their own or as a series of continues battles. Modes like this have never been much of an interest to me. I’m usually quite happy to see the back of most boss battles. I really don’t want to have to fight them again, especially by choice.

Thankfully, Nintendo have addressed one of the major flaws of the original – what the hell to do next? We’ve all been there. You’ve just completed a dungeon with your shiny new weapon and then you have absolutely no idea where to go next. Instead you waste loads of time wandering around the world map before stumbling on the next area/event. This new version includes various Sheikah Stones dotted around Hyrule which give you hints and tips to help you with your adventure.

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, but as I mentioned from the start, it frequently suffers at the hands of reality. The 3DS version of Ocarina of Time avoids this problem to a certain degree by updating the visuals, adding new challenges to the existing dungeons (via Master Quest) and providing help to lost adventurers. However, the tedious adventure sections in-between dungeons and painfully slow conversations between Link and the numerous NPCs still blight the game. In fact, the game would be substantially better if Nintendo just linked all the dungeons together. That maybe a blasphemous statement to legions of Ocarina of Time fans out there but the game play outside the dungeons has not aged well at all. In-game narrative and character interaction has come a long way in games since 1998. Ocarina of Time’s stilted dialogue and clumsy plot exposition match up very poorly to modern games like Heavy Rain, Mass Effect and Portal 2.

Summary:

The graphical lick of paint and the prospect of solving a whole new set of dungeon puzzles are probably just enough to tempt veteran players back to Hyrule. For new players, this is the best version of Ocarina of Time to date and is worth seeing what all the fuss is about, even with the flawed and slightly dated adventure sections.

Screenshots:

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is released on the 17th June 2011 for the 3DS.

Does it work?

Debbie: So, that 3DS, eh? 3D effects without wearing silly glasses? Yup, we can confirm that it does indeed work… provided you don’t move the thing more than an inch in any direction or tilt the screen at all. Now I don’t know about you but when I use a handheld console, I’m usually on the train. At the very least, I’m slouched on a sofa reaching out for a drink or munching on some biltong. Quite apart from the fact that I can physically feel the eye strain from the second I switch the thing on, the glasses-free feature just isn’t as flexible as it needs to be. Offering the analogue slider to adjust for different focal lengths is a very nice touch but in practice, it just meant I was twiddling with it every few minutes as I shifted position.

No, I don’t like the 3DS experience at all.

Nick saves his friends from invisible flying helmet heads

Nick: I was quite excited to be finally getting my hands on a Nintendo 3DS, having heard so many good things about it. After being distracted by the Street Fighter and Resident Evil cosplayers (I totally got grabbed by a zombie!) I finally got hold of a 3DS. It felt a lot sturdier than I expected with a much better build quality than my DS. The 3D to 2D slider is very clever, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I probably spent more time playing with the slider than I did playing the actual games themselves.

I was surprised how well the 3D effect works. You pick up the 3DS, look into the top screen and it’s all in beautiful 3D. However, if you move your head out line with the 3DS, or tilt the 3DS itself then you immediately lose the 3D effect and it goes all blurry. On this evidence, I have reservations over how well the 3D effect is going to work whilst you’re travelling.

For another viewpoint, check out Simon Barker’s experience at the Manchester Nintendo 3DS preview.

After a bit of a talk about Spot Pass and Street Pass and whatnot (I wasn’t really paying attention), we fiiiiiinally got to spend a few (i.e. 5-ish) minutes on each of these game demos:

Lego Star Wars 3D

Debbie: It’s Lego Star Wars, yo. ‘Nuff said.

Oh, okay. It’s Lego Star Wars on a smaller screen with a bit of 3D effect thrown in for good measure. It’s still basically a side-scroller. Just as fun as the home console versions with the same gameplay and controls.

Kid Icarus

Debbie: This game was designed for 3-armed mutants. You’re expected to fly using the analogue nub, aim using the stylus and touch-screen and shoot using the X button all at the same time. Ridiculous. You can sort of get away with plopping the aiming reticle in a strategic place on the screen and running around to aim but since I was on easy mode it was probably very forgiving. Seemed all right as far as third-person kill-everything-that-moves games go. Nice landscapes.

Nick: After the initial “oooh, isn’t it pretty” thoughts have worn off, you realise that you don’t have enough arms to play the game. I ended up alternating between moving and aiming using my left hand plus stylus and my right hand hovering over the buttons. It was a case of vaguely aiming in the right direction with the stylus and then moving to hit the enemies using the analogue nub. It felt very awkward.

Resident Evil: Mercenaries

Chris isn't looking so good. I think the zombies won this round

Face Raiders

Nick: I really liked playing Face Raiders once I’d got over the shock of seeing my face shooting back at me. It was quite fun blasting lots of my hovering faces into pieces. You also got to shoot other peoples faces who had previously been photographed by my 3DS. The “real-life” destructible background to the game was a clever feature and meant that you had to be careful where you were shooting. However, I can’t see myself playing this game on more than one or two occasions. There is no real depth to the gameplay. Fun, but without more variation to the gameplay, it will be short-lived enjoyment.

Debbie: This game is stupid. Or maybe I’m stupid and couldn’t figure out what to do with the level 3 face-rotating boss and its stupid face-spinning cronies.

The game is touted as an augmented reality shooter. Take a photo of a friend’s face (or your own) and it gets transformed into flying enemy heads. The 3DS uses the console’s camera to treat your actual surrounding as the game’s background. You have to turn around to follow the flying heads and physically tilt the machine up and down to aim and shoot. There’s a bit of gimmicky scenery destruction which is nice in the technical sense and gets old quickly when it comes to entertainment value. Kids will probably love the game.

Ryu. His punches have the strength of kicks.

Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

Nick: This was perhaps the most impressive of all the games on show. Street Fighter IV looks absolutely gorgeous in 3D. Ok, I picked Cammy as my character, so I got some very impressive 3D buttocks ;-) They have made the game more accessible too, as you can now execute special moves simply by tipping the bottom screen. I did have a slight Kid Icarus control problem at one point. I was trying to move my charter using the analogue nub, activate a special move on the bottom of the screen and then try to kick the opponent using the X button. It meant that my hands were moving all over the 3DS. I’d be really concerned that I’d drop the damn thing if I was playing standing up on any form of moving vehicle!

Legend Of Zelda – Ocarina of Time

Nick: Unfortunately, I only got to play Zelda for about 3 minutes before we were ushered off into another room at the event. But, I can say that Zelda on the 3DS looks fantastic and is really easy to control, unlike Kid Icarus. However, I really didn’t like the “move the 3DS console to aim” feature which you can use to aim the catapult. I just kept losing the 3D effect as I moved the console around in the air, making it even harder to aim. A silly and unnecessary feature.

Overall I was really impressed with the 3D technology and with Street Fighter IV and Zelda. Old games with new, fancy visuals!

Want to try the 3DS for yourself? Nintendo will be holding preview events in Bristol and Glasgow on the 12th and 13th Februrary 2011.

They will also have 20 3DS machines available to try at the Midlands MCM Expo in Telford, 19th February 2011 with Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Super Street Fighter IV 3D and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D as well as other unconfirmed titles. Best get your tickets quickly.

I liked Zelda: Phantom Hourglass as a whole, apart from the repetitive nature of one of the dungeons. So no more of that please. Also I really, really, really hope that they fix the crappy save system on Zelda games so you can resume where you left off. No idea if this is the case in Spirit Tracks, but you can but hope.

Age rating:

7+ (PEGI)

What is it?

Another Zelda game.

Is it fun?

Yes.

Is it worth the money? £22.99

Yes.

Why?

So the mega franchise that is Zelda finally makes it to the DS. Therefore it must use the stylus, which to be honest, it does very well. Controlling Link is a breeze (after Zelda gets kidnapped, as usual) and so is using all the weapons that he collects along the way. Also the cell shaded graphics look pretty good too, with great use being made of the dual screens (especially during boss battles). But underneath these fine new clothes, beats the heart of every other Zelda game ever. Same moves, same puzzles, same temple based game structure and the same weapons. It’s all the same. Again.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed playing (most of) the Phantom Hourglass. It’s a game I’ve been wanting for ages (even bought a DS in preparation of it being released). But, there are some really annoying bits which keep recurring just to annoy you even more. Yes, I’m taking about you Mr Temple of the Ocean King. Whoever in Nintendo thought that making the player go through the same dungeon (temple) multiple times and against the clock, should be be forced to watch every Uwe Boll film. Forever. This single temple almost, and I say almost, ruined the entire game for me.

The are other problems too. The save system still sucks balls. It doesn’t quite save the game state, so you can’t resume part way though a temple. Instead you resume at set points throughout the map, sort of near where you last saved. But, isn’t meant to be a portable game? Play and save anywhere? Except you can’t, and because of this limitation I never once played through a temple whilst travelling. You can quite happily play the rest of the game, just not the temples. Also some of the puzzles (drawing ones mainly) are impossible to do unless you’re perfectly still.

Then you have the great little puzzles to solve and the fantastic boss battles. Drawing on the maps is a lovely addition and really helps the game as a whole, especially during each of the temples. Some of the cut sequences have some great comedy moments hidden inside them that just made me laugh. So there is lots of fun to be had from playing this game.

In summary:

It has all the good and bad bits of almost every Zelda game before it. If you’ve played one of those you won’t come across too many surprises in this DS version.

Screenshots

The Legend of Zelda – The Phantom Hourglass is out now

Video available here (requires Flash plug-in).