E3DS.

A few nights ago; in a post football "feeling incredibly sorry for myself" state, I decided to download all the 3DS eShop trailers from E3. I'd watched some of them on YouTube, but my natural curiosity/geekiness got the better of me. I wanted to see them in 3D; in their natural environment, the way they'll be played. And there are some seriously impressive titles in the releases list:

• Super Mario.
• Paper Mario.
• Mario Kart.
• Resident Evil: Revelations.
• Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising.
• Animal Crossing.
• Luigi's Mansion 2.
• Starfox 64.

I have to say, & I can imagine most gaming enthusiasts will agree with me: this is an absolutely stellar line-up. Every single one of these names & trailers is impressive in their own right. All the Mario footage just looked so good, suitably mad & everything you would expect from the Nintendo mascot. It’s also nice to see they’re all brand new games too, not just ports or rebooted franchises. However. Out of the selection though; I have to admit that a sequel to Luigi’s Mansion (one of my favourite games, ever) was a very welcome surprise. 

Announcements of a Starfox 64 remake & a 3D Animal Crossing are also exciting prospects. Although, I can’t help but wish there was a new incarnation of Starfox, not just a port. But I’m not going to complain, considering the visuals are absolutely awesome & there’s ingenious use of the 3DS gyroscope. Plus Lylat Wars was one of my favourite N64 games; along with Ocarina of Time & Goldeneye, it’s going to be pretty cool seeing it in 3D. Especially with the addition of online multiplayer deathmatches, I can see that being a real selling point. And what to say about Animal Crossing? It’s just one of the most harmless, addictive & engrossing games I’ve ever played. It definitely contends with the likes of The Sims & Harvest Moon on the addiction front.

However, out of the trailers on offer there were only three that really...grabbed me. Revelations was the first, & excited me no-end, especially after the catastrophic save-data issue with Mercenaries. The graphics are amazing & the gameplay looks super smooth, hopefully it’ll stay that fluid whilst actually playing the game. The familiar dark, claustrophobic atmosphere also seems to be instilled right from the start, even from the minute or so footage I’ve seen. I think the cruise ship setting also naturally helps to enforce that sense of sheer terror, being unable to escape & the fear of being backed into a corner. And whilst I don’t think Revelations has the online & local multiplayer capabilities of Mercenaries, it does have the advantage & appeal of being whole new title, a whole new chapter in the Resident Evil timeline.

A pleasant surprise came in the form of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. I’ve heard that Snake Eater was the weakest game in the series; but after seeing the trailer, I think I’m a convert. It looks absolutely stunning, showing a vast, lush, detailed jungle & characters. It is incredibly easy on the eye. As with Revelations, the gameplay looks slick & adjusted to the touch controls very well. A neat little feature the footage showed is the ability to use the 3DS camera to take photos & convert the photos into camouflage for Snake. Kinda pointless, but very cool at the same time.

But. I was absolutely blown away by the Kid Icarus: Uprising trailer. Now I know literally nothing of Kid Icarus, apart from that it was a NES game from 1987 & I only know Pit is the main character because of Super Smash Bro’s Brawl. So once again my curiosity kicked in, I checked it out & was instantly sucked in. Another trailer with gorgeous, sharp graphics, insanely vibrant colours & some insane/imaginative characters. Same as Starfox 3D; online multiplayer deathmatches have been introduced, which was an unexpected move. But from the footage the gameplay seems to flow pretty very nicely & if executed well, could be an incredible experience.

Consider me very excited.

Window eShopping.

With the lastest update of the 3DS & releasing the eShop, Nintendo have gave away two lots of free downloadable content. Excitebike 3D & the Pokémon Black/White 3D Pokédex.

I have both of these (duh, they’re free!) and whilst the Pokédex is undeniably, incredibly aesthetically impressive, I did find it a little pointless to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Pokémon, & always have been. No shame. But in my opinion it’s much easier (and more entertaining) to play the games & learn about the new monsters as you go along. It’s much more entertaining & satisfying, rather than trawling through a totally separate application that just looks pretty.

Saying that, I must admit I did have fun scrolling through what was initially available. And the ability to use the 3DS’ QR code reader to receive & register new Pokémon is a pretty cool use of technology. Also the fact you can print out your own AR cards to use with the augmented reality function & see the Pokémon coming out the screen at you is very impressive. If only our printer had ink, I would be all over that. It's just a shame that a 2D screenshot doesn't do it justice, it does look incredible in 3D.

But for me, Excitebike was the much more impressive game on offer. It’s had a whole new lease of life. An original NES classic from 1984, remade in 3D, giving it depth, sharper graphics & vivid colours. Sure it’s nowhere near as visually impressive as anything made these days, but it is one hell of an addictive game. A high score seeker’s dream. I also think it’s an absolutely fantastic way to get younger gamers interested in Nintendo’s heritage.

It has the potential to unlock a whole new (old?) generation of games, as well as keeping older fans happy. To be honest even I missed out on these NES & SNES games, considering I was only born in 1990, & we didn’t have either of those systems. I really hope Nintendo releases more of these retro 3DS classics, it is such a good idea. (Especially if they’re still free!)

Since I originally started writing this (I’ve resurrected it from a previous post) there has been a plethora of different items added to the eShop. A 3D Green Lantern trailer, the Robin & Zelda Williams Ocarina of Time adverts, trailers for 3DS games announced at E3, the original Super Mario game, the original Donkey Kong game, Kirby’s Dream world, more Game Boy originals & a huge range of DSi Ware games already. 

Now I know this might not seem like much of a revelation to most gamers in the era of Xbox Live & the PlayStation Network, but I’m not much of a console gamer. This world of downloadable games, movie trailers & many other cool things on offer is whole new experience for me. It’s the most engaging, interesting & just plain fun thing I’ve come across for a while. And I’ve fallen in love with it.

Pre-season blues.

The Havant & Waterlooville Hawks posted this photo on their Twitter account earlier & they've improved the pitch so much, it's barely recognisable. It's just made my excitement for the upcoming season skyrocket, & there's only about a month to go now.

New players, new sponsor, new kit, new pitch & a whole load of football to look forward to with some of my favourite people, at one of my favourite places. There is just something so much more entertaining about seeing your local team play, especially at their home ground. The atmosphere is usually incredible, there's plenty of banter & referee abuse.

West Leigh park & the beautiful game brings out the monster in me.

Eclectic at best.

It’s not until I flick through my “recently played” list, that I realise quite how varied my music taste can be.