Kirby's Dream Land Coming to 3DS this week

Thursday's update will include a Game Boy classic.

This week's 3DS eShop update will feature Kirby's Dream Land, the first game to star the pink ball with legs.

The game will go on sale this Thursday on the Virtual Console. The 1992 platformer is priced at €4, which is around $3.50. A US date and price have yet to be revealed.

Joining Dream Land is A Fairy Tale on DSi and 3DS and the wonderfully named Successfully Learning German: Year 3 across all three of Nintendo's current systems.

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Miyamoto Not Interested in More 3DS Remakes … Except Link to the Past, Maybe

More original titles on the way for the 3DS.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, famed game designer Shigeru Miyamoto says Nintendo is not interested in any more 3D remakes for the 3DS. "We would like to create more new titles. For example, this year we are making Super Mario 3D, but it's not really a remake of [the Wii's Super Mario] Galaxy."

The 3DS will see several 3D makeovers of old games this summer, including remakes of Nintendo 64 games The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64. Additionally, downloadable versions of NES title will be getting the 3D treatment on the 3DS beginning with Excitebike, which will be available free to Japanese 3DS owners as part of a system update this month.

New Details on Mario Kart 3DS and Star Fox 64 3D

We have new information about two of the 3DS' most highly anticipated titles.

Following a lackluster launch lineup for Nintendo's newest handheld, Shigeru Miyamoto has finally broken his silence about a couple of highly anticipated 3DS titles that have been in the works. At a French press event last week, Miyamoto revealed that Mario Kart 3DS, the next entry in the popular kart racing series, will be hitting store shelves by the end of the year, as reported by VG247.

Nintendo Releases The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D Opening

Nintendo updates official site with opening cinematic from game, details on 3DS version.

Link is getting a glasses-free 3D facelift in Nintendo's upcoming remake for Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and today fans get to see how the graphically overhauled opening of the classic adventure plays out on the 3DS.

As spotted by Andriasang, Nintendo finally updated the official Japanese website for Ocarina of Time 3D, providing details on new features the game will include as well as the serene horseback-riding opening. See it below:

As for those new features, along with the graphical overhaul and 3D visuals, Nintendo says it has added a touch-based inventory system to the 3DS' second screen for quick, easy switching of items. And courtesy of the portable's gyro sensor, first-person shooting elements can be controlled by shifting the 3DS itself.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is set for release on June 19.

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Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D First Look

Konami's football game flies in 3D.

Broadcasters might be trying to convince everyone that the beautiful game is even more beautiful in 3D, but it takes some convincing to get an entire bar to don the dreaded glasses on a Sunday afternoon. Nintendo's 3DS doesn't have that particular problem and it proves one thing: Pro Evolution Soccer in 3D looks bloody spectacular.

Walking around the show floor at Nintendo's Amsterdam showcase it's clear that the quality of 3D is going to vary wildly, and Konami's efforts are near the head of the pack. Pro Evolution Soccer 3D has depth, clarity and some crisp visuals borrowed from the series' mainline, and the demo did its best to flaunt its achievements to the hilt.

Only one perspective was available, offering a dynamic view of the action that sweeps dramatically across the field. Reminiscent of the camera modes that accompany Pro Evolution Soccer's Become a Legend mode, it did a good job of tracking the action, smartly panning when sprinting down the wing to give a clear view of where to punt the ball next.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Kicks Ass

The best launch "window" title? Very likely.

I've always been of the opinion that there are two types of people that want to play fighting games. Those who study those games as if they were cramming for a mid-term, and those of us (like me) who just want to kick around and have fun for a few hours. What's remarkable about Capcom's Super Street Fighter IV 3DS is that while it seems very much intended for gamers like myself, it's honestly going to still appeal on some level to the hardcore folks looking for a portable version of the game they love.

Make no mistake about it. The 3DS version of Super Street Fighter IV is the real deal, complete with all 35 characters from the home console versions. Capcom has effectively ported the game over, and what differences there might be visually are easily covered over by the smaller screen format. And it's also gorgeous in 3D.

To build upon the established quality of Super Street Fighter IV, Capcom is adding several features. The first is what they're calling "3D Mode," which isn't to be confused with the notion that the entire game can be played in 3D. This mode shifts the camera perspective during a match by about 10-20 degrees. All else remains the same, including controls. At first this might sound utterly bizarre, but in practice it's absolutely effective. After a few minutes I found myself almost preferring this mode, simply because it was visually fresh - a bold change from what we've all come to expect from fighting games.

Perfecting the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Can one of the greatest games ever created become even better?

Can you improve upon perfection? That's no doubt the question many have in mind as they contemplate whether to buy The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, the latest re-release of a game that many (including myself) consider one of those rare perfect gaming experiences.

Considering my reverence for the original title, I was a bit apprehensive about revisiting Ocarina of Time. Would Nintendo change too much? Will the enhanced graphics be hastily added? Will the 3D interfere with the original concept? Am I going to want to use touch-based item management or the gyroscope to aim?

As it turns out, most of these fears were unfounded. At today's 3DS Preview Event, Nintendo offered three portions of the game's earliest moments as a taste of things to come. The Kokiri Village, Great Deku Tree and Gohma Boss fight were available for selection, each more or less showcasing the same concepts.

The game's visual alterations are fantastic and effective. This is everything I remembered and loved about Ocarina of Time, polished and upgraded for a portable experience. While the game is still perhaps somewhat limited by its aged visual design, Nintendo has redone character models, textures and some animation sequences. And the aged visuals actually work in the game's favor now, coming across as a sleek, streamlined art choice rather than an unfortunate trait of a game that is over 12 years old. Link's hat moves with better fluidity. His leaps have more frames of motion to them. It's honestly all very subtle, but considering I just played through some of these sequences of Ocarina a few weeks ago, the changes are definitely there. There's nothing different here that should displease purists.

Madden 3DS: It's Like John Madden is Coming Right at You

Just like on TV, sports are some of the first things to go 3D.

It's rare for American gamers to get exclusives in new system launch lineups. That is, unless you like America's most popular sport that nobody else in the world cares about. That's right, I'm talking about football. And what would a new system be without a version of Madden NFL Football to keep it company?

Madden on the 3DS plays like a normal Madden game, for the most part. I'm not going to go into the rules of football, or how to play a game that has been around for two decades. Really the two things that make this game interesting are the 3D elements and the touchscreen.

The game uses a few different camera angles, and at times the 3D effects work well. It gives a sense of depth to the football field, making an end zone that's 60 yards off seem like miles. Unfortunately, most of the demo was presented from a high, almost overhead angle. I'm hoping that players can change this because otherwise the 3D is hardly even noticeable.

3DS Price, Release Date Announced

Nintendo confirms launch details for U.S. and Europe.

Nintendo said today it will launch the 3DS in the United States on March 27, 2011 for $249.99.

Folks in Europe can get their hands on the device a few days earlier on March 25. Nintendo said European pricing will be set by retailers. HMV and GAME list the 3DS price at £229.99, while Play has it listed for £219.99.

The announcements came during the company's worldwide press events held in New York City and Amsterdam. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said that during the system's launch window - between the launch of the 3DS in March and E3 in June - that more than 30 first and third-party 3DS games will be released. Europe will see more than 25 games during the same time period.

"Nintendo 3DS is a category of one – the experience simply doesn't exist anywhere else," Fils-Aime said. "You have to see Nintendo 3DS to believe it. And it's like nothing you've ever seen before."

Nintendo also detailed many new features and software pre-installed in the 3DS.

Nintendo Explains Region Locking

3DS hardware available in three types.

Nintendo has spoken out about the 3DS's region-locking, explaining the reasoning behind the decision as well as laying out how it will work.

News broke that Nintendo's new handheld would be region-locked last week, and now Nintendo has finally broken its silence to address the issue.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition's Online Play Detailed

Online arcade challenges, friend codes, achievements and more revealed.

3DS is going to have some major online support right out the gate at launch. Capcom has shared details on Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition's online play, which looks like it could rival the game's console counterparts.

To play online in Super SFIV 3D Edition, you select "Internet Versus" from the title screen. You'll be able to select quick match, custom match and friend match. Quick match gets you into a match quickly (hence the name). Custom match lets you specify parameters in your search for an opponent. Friend match lets you select an opponent from your friend list.

Nintendo 3DS Apparently Will Be Region-Locked

Bad news for importers, as Japanese and European games won't work on U.S. 3DS units.

Although they had remained undecided on the matter even up to the announcement of the device at E3 last year, it looks like Nintendo has indeed made the 3DS region-locked.

The confirmation comes by way of an email from Nintendo of Japan's customer support, translated by NeoGAF user farnham. "The Region Codes are installed in each games and the 3DS itself. If the codes don't match, you can't play," the email reads.

 

So that means, for example, that if you plan on importing a 3DS from Japan when it releases on February 26, you won't be able to play U.S. games on it. Similarly, if you planned on importing Japanese games to play on your U.S. handheld (the 3DS launches here in March), those won't work either.

 

Hands On: Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D

Nintendo remakes a classic with 3D visuals, gyro-based camera controls and more!

Zelda was the chief attraction at the Nintendo World 2011 3DS demo event in Japan, which opened its doors for three days of early 3DS demo play on Saturday. The game drew lines of up to 110 minutes even as most other games made players wait just 20 to 30 minutes.

We braved the long lines and came back impressed with some of the improvements the 3DS hardware brings to the N64 classic. The demo had three save files: a free romp through Kokiri Forest, dungeon play in Deku Tree, and a boss fight with Gohma.

The fundamentals in terms of moving Link around and locking on to enemies for combat are pretty much what we remember from the original. We were able to pick up and play without any controller-related adjustments.

The 3DS does make some clear improvements to the gameplay, though. Of particular note is the presence of the touch screen, which allows you to easily switch between inventory, equipment and map, and tap to use items. You can also respond to Navi's calls by tapping an icon on the bottom screen (if you're unfamiliar, Navi is the fairy that accompanies Link and acts as a navigator). The screen also shows the weapon assignment for buttons, lessening the clutter on the top screen.

Eye Specialists Disagree with Nintendo's 3DS Warning for Children

Eye doctors say viewing the handheld's 3D screen "should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever" for kids.

Nintendo recently issued an official warning that kids under the age of six shouldn't be allowed to view the 3DS with the 3D effect turned on -- it could, the company says, potentially harm their eye development. Evidently top eye doctors disagree.

The New York Times spoke with "some of the worlds elite pediatric ophthalmologists," who all agreed there's little scientific evidence to warrant the warning. "The fact you'd watch 3-D in a theater or a video game should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever," said Dr. Lawrence Tychsen, professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Dr. Tychsen has conducted research with Rhesus monkeys wearing 3D glasses, which he said provide an excellent approximation of how the human eye develops. The results: Monkeys that wore 3D glasses and looked at 3D screens daily for three months had no different eye development than monkeys that didn't.

 

Also confused by the warning: Dr. David Granet, a pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of California, San Diego, and chairman-elect of the ophthalmology section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In fact, when Nintendo released the warning, Dr. Granet said he and other doctors in an online discussion group he runs were puzzled about the cause. "There were a flurry of e-mails saying, 'Does any one know the reason for this or where it came from?'" Dr. Granet said. "I don't think that parents need to worry about kids playing video games, 3-D or otherwise, from a vision perspective. The bigger question for parents is: Do you really want your 3-year-old playing a video game?"