Asphalt by Gameloft/Konami

So what are your thoughts on the visuals of this hardware? I think a lot of the low quality stuff is because of the time frame and people just porting existing engines or existing mobile games or re-using old assets.

The majority of Nintendo stuff seems GC quivalent, slightly lower, especially in the texture resolution.

The Capcom stuff varies, SFIV in pics doesn't look hot but in motion it's great. DOA Dimensions looks about Xbox quality. Revelations is obviously the standout game and emulates a 360/PS3 look with low res textures. Mercenaries looks worse than Revelations.

Animal Crossing looks better than the Wii game with shaders and a rimlight. In 3D it will be gorgeous if you like the art like I do.

Snake Eater re-uses PS2 assets, but has added shaders here and there for some rocksides. The character models are MGS4 quality though (according to Kojima) and could be better - he says.

Mario Kart up close looks vaguely N64 like with its textures and character models, yet in normal gameplay the colours and environments pop looking as good as the Wii game? Not sure, almost.

RRacer 7 looks like shite, Asphalt and Driver look good.

I'm suprised by Splinter Cell, this must be a rush job, given RE Revelations visuals and the 3DS shaders Chaos Theory should look a lot better.

robio said:

I'm really trying not judging the visuals too much. Without the 3-D effect it doesn't seem fair. However I will say that Chocobo Racing looked like utter crap. Pretty much like someone at SE just said, let's build a first gen DS game and try to make it 3-D.

By the way do you thiink its time to make one specific 3DS thread to keep all of this stuff in one place?

I don't know. I think one thread would help.

I get what you mean, I mean the 3D effect is what jazzed everyone at E3 and we can't even see it. I mean, I'm not sure anyone should even pre-order without seeing it themselves first hand. You could be one of these people who can't even see the effect.

I will be bitterly disappointed if I can't view 3D like some unhappy souls. I may still get it for the games but it would take away a huge chunk of the excitement. At the moment 3DS is almost like a circus attraction for me, to see it work with no glasses in the front of me. Without it, it would be like PSP with a bottom touch screen.

Agnates said:

Or, it would be like a DS with more power ready for another generation of quality gaming... You liked the DS, right?

Yeah but I need a good hook.

I'm still worried about how the touch screen is going to be used on 3DS. As the main action will be on the 3D screen which isn't touch screen, it be like using a mouse.

I want direct touch for stuff like soul bubbles. In which case it would have to be on the bottom screen, with no 3D.

Agnates said:

I still don't see the problem... It's a DS... With more power..... And 3D on the top screen... It sure can't be worse than a DS with less power and no 3D... And will likely last another 6 years of fun for people who buy it since it's getting such positive response... The hook for me will be the killer apps (which as I said have yet to show for me) not some visual gimmick. And yeah, a very hypothetical Soul Bubbles sequel will either not have 3D or render on both screens or something, big deal, it's just Soul Bubbles... Most games used the top screen for the main action. I doubt 3D would be very convincing with your finger/stylus poking everywhere even if that could happen.

i agree with all that, but the 3D effect/real depth perception is like the icing on the cake and i can't help getting more and more excited by the promise of it.  i will also be bitterly disappointed if i cannot experience it even though in all likelihood i will get it for the games alone

Ravenprose said:

3D plays no part in whether or not I'll be getting a 3DS someday. It would be a interesting bonus, but that's about it. Then again, I'm one of those who sees nothing but headache inducing blur in 3D.

Like I've said before. You and I are so very much alike.

So you could have stayed with just the GameCube then instead of get a Wii. I didn't mean power makes the games better when I mentioned it, but DS is old, both sales and development will get stale, hence a new DS can mean a new generation of good games if it replicates the success, which it looks like it will. The system is 3D, certain games like Trauma Center will have to do without 3D, but they aren't gonna be bad games since they were pretty fine on DS already and they can use the extra power and other 3DS features to enhance them, including the 3D display, even if it's outside the main gameplay. Besides, 3D may not necessarily be all about more power but it's still just a visual effect, much like more power lets you do better graphics, ie, better visual effects, so if you don't care about power I don't see why it's such a bummer a minority of games may not fully take advantage of the 3D aspect for the sake of keping their unique gameplay, I mean, that's for the best if it happens really. Trauma Center could still use it for certain procedures, like controlling robotic arms or other gear that makes sense to work on one place (the bottom screen, as some control panel) yet look at another (the top screen, the actual patient or a monitor).

gamingeek said:

If the 3DS wasn't 3d to myself, personally it would be pretty lame. I'm not that excited about more power, like I'm happy with Wii visuals.

Like I said if most games use the top screen and you can't touch the top screen, some of the most innovative touch screen games like trauma center or soul bubbles wont work on it.  And if I couldn't see the 3D either, well that would be annoying. 3D is the hook of this machine. Sure it can be used without it but it's not the same. People at E3 were astonished by the 3D, not by how amazing the software was. Without 3D, Snake Eater is just a PS2 port and Dead or Alive is like any other Dead or Alive.

I'll wait 'till I see it personally, but I'm sure I'll have 3d slid all the way down most of the time.  I'm just happy with the more powerful hardware -- so long as I keep getting games like the ones I have today.  (But I doubt it).