Free Youtube App Comes to the 3DS

YouTube has finally reached the 3DS. Now users can enjoy browsing the latest game trailers and video walkthrough directly on their 3DS console.

Mini Gamers checked out the nifty little application, and found that the videos were surprisingly clear to view. The application can be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop for FREE, and has easy to navigate menus and buttons, which made the overall browsing experience quite pleasant.

However, those of you who were expecting to watch and download the latest batch of 3D videos on offer, are sure to be disappointed. The 3DS version of YouTube has no 3D support whatsoever, and any attempt to watch a 3D video resulted in some unsightly double-vision, as the 3D images are merely displayed as two identical screens (designed to be viewed with 3D glasses) rather than as a whole 3D image.

For those of you who just wish to browse videos as you would normally do on the PC or home consoles etc., this is a very handy application. However, the lack of 3D support on a console which so heavily on 3D as its unique selling-point seems like a gross oversight, and it also fails to make the 3DS version of YouTube any more interesting than the thousands of YouTube applications that can be found on various smartphones across the country, which is just such a shame.

Game of the Week: The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds [3DS]

 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was finally released in the UK today. The game marks the seventeenth title in the very popular gaming series The Legend of Zelda, and is the first game in the series to be developed specifically for the 3DS.

Link

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this fantasy epic, the series centres primarily on Link, who is the only playable character within the game. Link is best known for his rescue of a fair maiden called  Princess Zelda, the leader of the world of Hyrule, from Ganon, a Gerudo thief who is the primary enemy in the series.

Princess Zelda

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds indirectly follows on from the 1991 Super NES title, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, in this game, the usual villian, Ganon, has long since been sealed away by a group known as the Seven Sages, and peace has seemingly returned to the land of Hyrule.

However, an evil wizard called Yuga has recently begun tracking down the descendants of the Seven Sages and turning them into paintings, in order to use the power of the Triforce for himself. It is up to Link to locate Yuga and find a way to rescue those sages who have been turned into paintings before it is too late...

 

Although The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds takes place in the same world as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, there are lots of new exciting elements which help to mark a clear distinction between the two games. For example,  although the game environment is largely the same as that featured in A Link to the Past, all the dungeons are totally new, and the game features several new puzzles to solve.

The game's magic meter now refills automatically instead of requiring the player to collect potions in order to refill it. Furthermore, the magic meter now replaces the previous ammunition system for Link's bow and bombs, as well as being used to power other items and special abilities, such as the magic hammer attack.

Several items from A Link to the Past do return in this game, however, including Link's trusty bow and arrow for shooting enemies long distance, his projectile-shooting sword and his shield, as well as the mallet which allows Link to knock down pegs in the ground, and the Fire Rod which helps to create a firestorm.

Furthermore, these weapons can now be rented for a small amount of Rupees (the in-game currency) from Rovio's Shop, which gives Link a much better chance of defeating enemies earlier in the game.

 There is one catch, however, if Link gets defeated in a dungeon, he loses all of his rented items. nevertheless, these items are available for purchase later, assuming that players have enough rupees to do this.

A major new power for Link in this game is the ability to enter walls and become a painting himself in order to move along certain walls and passages and to reach new areas. This ability also allows Link to enter cracks in walls to move between the world of Hyrule and a mysterious alternative universe, known as Lorule, which has its own princess (Princess Hilda) for Link to rescue from the evil Yuga.
Drawings of hearts and rupees can also be found on these walls, but can only be collected when Link is transformed into a painting himself. Using any of these abilities or items will also cause Link's meter to deplete over time.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds also takes advantage of the 3DS' StreePass abilities. Once StreetPass is enabled, other players will appear in your game as Shadow Links. When you approach a Shadow Link, you can do battle with the character and reap special in-game rewards if you win.

In conclusion, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a really interesting game. The stereoscopic 3D really does add new depth to the game's environments, especially when exploring the dungeons.

The game will be instantly familiar to fans of A Link to the Past, but has enough new content to make it enjoyable to both old and new fans alike.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is available to purchase now from most videogame outlets, or as a digital download from the Nintendo eShop,  and even as a special bundle with the Legendary Gold Nintendo 3DS XL. If you liked the previous Legend of Zelda games, then this is definitely a must-have for your collection. Overall rating:10/10.

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy Review [3DS]

It has been hailed as the end of an era for one of Nintendo's most successful  adventure game series to date, but Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy has now made it to the UK. This is the sixth game in the series, and is apparently the last ever game to feature Professor Hershel Layton and his companions. So, what does the final Layton adventure have in store for its fans?

The main story sees Professor Layton, Emmy and Luke embark on the search for a 'living Mummy', said to be located in the icy environments of Snowrassa. Once there, they encounter a young girl (Aurora), frozen in the ice.

After freeing the young girl from the ice that has entombed her, Layton and co. quickly realise that she has no memory of what has happened to her. The search for clues to Aurora's past takes them on an exciting journey through cities, islands  and even jungles until they finally discover the truth about Aurora and her links to an ancient civilisation known as the Azrans.

Along the way, Layton is hampered by his old foe Jean Driscole, (AKA The Masked Gentleman,) who fans last met in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Driscole wishes to utilise the power of an Azrans for himself. He is also joined by a new enemy, a mysterious organization named Targent, who have recently taken possession of an Azran relic known as The Azran Legacies in the hope of also utilising its strange powers. Can the Professor and his friends locate the item before it falls into the wrong hands?

Gameplay in Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy follows a very similar format to its predecessors in terms of touchscreen controls, Hint coins, Hidden puzzles and unlockable mini-games.

Nevertheless, this game also features 500 new types of logic puzzles for players to solve, which will greatly improve the game's replay value. Furthermore, the game also involves travelling to lots of different locations around the world including the United States of America, South Africa, and Russia. The puzzles themselves are also embedded within the main plot much more subtly this time around and seem to fit the overall narrative much better.

The three new mini games are also likely to please fans of the series:

Nut Roller sees players assume the role of a squirrel, who must successfully guide a walnut around a 3D grid, rolling boulders and acorns in order to guide the aforementioned nut towards the goal tent.

Blooms and Shrooms sets a unique gardening challenge in which players must carefully place special cross-pollinating flowers in order to encourage growth and make the garden blossom into life, without disturbing the already placed mushrooms.

Dress Up is a mini game that we feel is best suited to younger Layton fans, in which the aim of the game is to find suitable clothes for each of the non-playable characters, based upon the request.

All in all, it is clear that Level 5 inc. have really pulled out all the stops for this game, and as a result,  Professor Layton's final adventure could not be more epic. Mini Gamers is sure that fans of the series will find it a fitting end to a very popular gaming series, and a game that is well worth playing. Overall rating: 10/10

PS Vita Update: ICon Changes, PS4 link button and Parental Controls Given New Feature...

Yes, there has been yet another system update for the PS Vita console this week, and with it, users may notice some interesting changes to their normal PS Vita icons. Here is what has been updated in system update 3.00:

 (PS4™ Link)

The (PS4™ Link) application has been added. With this application, you can use your system to remotely control a PlayStation^®4 system. When you are playing a game on the PS4™ system, you can also display information from that game on your system using the second screen feature.

(Parental Controls)

The (Parental Controls) application has been added.
 Users can now manage the overall length of time that children and teenagers can play on the console, as well as set and manage the types of games and videos that children and teenagers can have access to. It is also possible to restrict access to some of the PS Vita's other applications such as the Internet browser, for example.

(Photos)

(Panoramic Camera) has been added to the camera application. Camera enthusiasts can now make use of the new Omnidirectional, Tall and Wide modes to take panoramic photos. As with the standard camera images, it is also possible to view the panoramic images you have created, and it is also possible to attach the created images to your messages in order to send them to other Vita users.

(Friends)

The application layout has been improved.

(Messages)

The (Group Messaging) application name and icon have been changed to (Messages).

The application layout has been improved.

You can now send and receive messages with friends and players who use PS4™ systems or PlayStation^®App.

Users will also receive 'Game Alert' messages for games that they play online etc.

(Party)

The icon for the (Party) application has been changed to (Party).

You can now voice chat and text chat with friends and players who use PS4™ systems.

PSN^SM

 The "PlayStation^®Network" has been renamed "PSN^SM".

(Email)

You can now sync the contacts saved in your email account from services such as Gmail™ (Google's email service) or Yahoo! Mail, and then use, edit, or delete these contacts on your system. To sync your contacts, you must adjust settings for your CardDAV account.
Select (Contact List) > (Options) > [CardDAV Settings] > [Add CardDAV Account], and then follow the screens.

(Content Manager)

You can now use Wi-Fi to connect your system with a PS3™ system, and transfer data between them.

Connect the PS3™ system to a wireless access point, and then connect the PS3™ system with your system using the access point. Your system and the PS3™ system must be connected within the same network.

• To use this feature, the system software of the PS3™ system must be version 4.50 or later.

When copying PSP™Game software from a PS3™ system to your system, your system now checks if update data is available. If available, it is automatically downloaded.

• To use this feature, the system software of the PS3™ system must be version 4.50 or later.

(PS3™ Remote Play)

The (Remote Play) application name and icon have been changed to (PS3™ Remote Play).

(Sourced from: http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/psvita/)

Halloween Fun With The Folks Of Animal Crossing: New Leaf

 

 

*WARNING!!! CONTAINS SPOILERS*

 

Halloween is upon us once again, and for those of you who enjoy playing the 3DS title Animal Crossing: New Leaf, this can mean only one thing: the Halloween festival is about to begin!

 

As the game is played in real-time, players will have to wait until 6pm tonight (British time) in order for the Halloween festivities to commence, but here at Mini Gamers HQ, we thought that a little sneak-peak might be just the thing to put Animal Crossing fans in the Halloween mood...

 

 

 

If you have been playing the game regularly since the beginning of October, then you will have already met up with a mysterious character named Jack who has asked your Animal Crossing character to collect some spooky masks (from the accessories section of the Able Sisters shop) and some Candy (from Nook's store).

 

Halloween in Animal Crossing: New Leaf is not all that different from Halloween in real-life, except it's a lot more fun. From 6pm tonight, fans can expect to see the residents of their town walking around in strange, colourful pumpkin-head costumes, similar to the one which the aforementioned 'Jack' wears.

 

 

 

 If your character stops and talks with any of these residents, they will be asked whether they want to give a treat (in the form of the collected candy) or risk a trick instead. If your player is brave enough to refuse to hand over their collected candy, then they will be challenged to a mini-game such as Rock, Paper, Scissors or Charades, etc.

 

If your character wins the game, the defeated resident will give you some of their candy, but if your character loses, the resident will 'trick' your character in various ways, including causing weird 'horned' hairstyles or ridiculous outfit changes, or some of the items in their pockets being transformed into jack 'o' lanterns, etc.

 

 

 

Not all residents will be roaming around collecting candy either. Some residents will choose to stay in their homes. This is where the spooky masks you have been collecting will come in rather handy. Each of these residents is scared of one particular mask. If you go to their house wearing the mask that scares them the most, you will be rewarded with some special lollipops.

 

If you get the choice of mask wrong, you will again be challenged to a mini-game. Win this, and you will be given some of the sweet-like candy. Lose the game however, and you will get tricked again.

 

Willingly giving your candy away to other residents who are trick-or-treating around the town will also reward you with potential information about which masks will scare each of the home-based residents, which can be extremely useful.

 

 

The infamous 'Jack' will also be making regular appearances around your town tonight. He will ask your character for some candy. The normal sweet-like candy that your character has purchased from Nook's store will give the option of one of two rewards: either some items of spooky furniture  or some spooky masks so that your character can continue to scare the home-based residents into giving up those lollipops.

 

Every time Jack receives a lollipop (his favourite sweet) from your character, he will reward you with some extra-special items from the Creepy Series instead.

 

 

The format of Halloween celebrations in Animal Crossing hasn't changed that much over the years, but it is still very entertaining, especially when viewed in 3D. If you aren't busy trick-or-treating tonight, then it might be worth taking a look at Animal Crossing: New Leaf. We are sure that you won't be disappointed. Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Affordable "TuneIn" App Brings Radio To The PS Vita and PS3

The PS Vita can often be considered as more of a media centre rather than just a handheld games console, and a new affordable application called 'TuneIn' is now set to extend the media offerings of the PS Vita to the medium of radio.

TuneIn allows users to stream over 70,000 AM, FM, and Internet radio stations, podcasts and shows from all over the world instantly. The application (which can be downloaded from the games section of the PS Store) also allows users to search for specific radio stations or genres of music, and even allows users to search for radio interviews and song selections from their favourite artists, although Mini Gamers did find this portion of the application a bit limited.

The TuneIn application is set to be released for PS3 this week and for the PS Vita early next week. Moreover, it is expected to be FREE to download for PlayStation Plus customers.

Nevertheless, even users who haven't signed up to PlayStation Plus yet will be pleasantly surprised at the applications price tag as the PS Vita version is expected to cost as little as £0.79 to download!

3G Vita users will gain maximum benefit from the TuneIn radio application, as they will be able to turn their PS Vita into a handy portable radio device everywhere they go. Not bad for such a reasonable price tag.

If you enjoy listening to the radio, then this is definitely the application for you. Overall rating: 10/10.

AABS ANIMALS REVIEW [PS VITA]

Aabs Animals is a new downloadable exclusive game title for the PS Vita. This game is different from almost every other pet simulation video game on the market in that the goal of the game is not really centred around caring for your new virtual pet at all.

Aabs Animals does not ask users to feed, wash, or even entertain their chosen pet (who all seem to be different breeds of cats for some reason). Instead, the idea is that gamers use the game's Augmented Reality backgrounds and PS Vita camera to create different digital screenshots featuring their virtual pet, and spend time petting their animals and adjusting their positions. It sounds pretty basic, and it is.

Like most PS Vita titles, this game does feature some unlockable trophies, but not in the way you'd expect. In Aabs Animals, trophies are unlocked by how much time users spend playing the game rather than a reward for anything that the user achieves within the game itself, and with only five trophies on offer, it is actually possible to unlock ALL the trophies within a mere six minutes of gameplay, which for its £3.99 price tag, does seem a little bit ridiculous.

There are some good points about Aabs Animals however, for example, two percent of the purchase price actually goes to the Headquarters for the Relief of Animals in Emergencies charity, which is a noble cause to support. Furthermore, the game's simple style and cute furry graphics means that even non-gamers are likely to enjoy it.

 Nevertheless, it could be argued that as the game doesn't feature any pet care tasks of any kind or any way of really interacting with your chosen pet at all (besides using the touch screen to pet it), the makers of Aabs Animals have removed some of the essential elements that make Pet Simulation games fun, thus leaving gamers with a stale and very limited 'five-minute wonder', which really isn't worth the money that we were asked to pay for it. Here at Mini Gamers HQ we say save up your money and buy a tamagotchi instead - much more enjoyable!!! Overall rating: 1/10.

Real Boxing [PS Vita]: The Affordable Game That Really Packs A Punch!

We here at Mini Gamers HQ were a little bit suspicious when we saw that Real Boxing had been priced for download at a mere £7.99. With so many other PS Vita titles retailing for almost triple that amount, we began to wonder why the game had been given such a low price tag. Nevertheless, within minutes of downloading the game, we realised that we had in fact purchased a real bargain...

 

The first thing that players will be expected to do upon starting the game is to customise their boxing avatar. Although the customisation options are less sophisticated than some of the current games on the market, players can name their avatar as well as choose the colour of an avatars shorts or trousers, gloves and/or boots, alter their hairstyle, and even add a range of interesting tattoos to help give their avatar a more personal look.

 

Next, Players are treated to a thorough tutorial. Real Boxing allows gamers to choose whether to conduct their boxing moves via the PS Vita buttons or the dual analogue sticks.

 

Mini Gamers found it better using the analogue sticks for movement and the buttons for defence and attack moves, but this may not be the same for everyone. Nevertheless,  the controls are surprisingly easy to master, with the D-Pad controlling left fist punches such as jabs, uppercuts, and left hooks, whilst the X, O, Square and Triangle buttons do the same for the right fist. Each of these moves can be easily duplicated by the left and right analog sticks as well.

 

 

Holding down the R button will allow your avatar to protect his face from any direct punches, whilst briefly pressing down the R button during your opponents attack will allow your avatar to dodge the oncoming blow and even give him the chance to execute a cheeky counter-attack.

 

The main object of the game is to drain your opponents health bar as quickly as possible whilst trying to stop them from depleting your avatar's stamina and destroying their health bar.

 

Stamina can be restored by simply standing still and not throwing any punches, but your avatar's health bar will continue to deplete with every successful punch from your opponent, so defence is equally as important as attack in this game.

 

 

There are two main mini games included in Real Boxing. Firstly, there is a Clinch mini game. If your avatar's stamina bar and health bar are both almost depleted, then holding both the L+R buttons together will allow your avatar to execute a clinch (AKA a grapple).

 

Once in the initial clinch, players must move the PS Vita console from side to side very gently so that the moving indicator arrow stays in the 'green zone'. A successful clinch earns your avatar some extra stamina and can even increase their health bar slightly, making a knockout from your opponent less likely.

 

Secondly, if your avatar has been knocked out by their opponent, the game automatically enters the KO mini game. Essentially, what this entails is a mad button-press of the L + R buttons before the on-screen count reaches ten.

 

If you manage to successfully fill your avatar's energy gauge before the count reaches ten, your avatar will get up off the mat and the fight will resume. However, if an avatar gets knocked out too many times during a round, it becomes impossible to fill their energy gauge and you will lose the fight against your opponent.

 

 

 The game features three game modes: Career Mode consists of three tournaments that begin with a group stage and progress to a few knockout rounds, where your avatar will hopefully earn a championship belt and the chance to increase either their strength, speed or stamina, which will hopefully help your avatar to progress in subsequent matches. Bonus points will also be awarded if players manage to successfully execute the challenge set at the beginning of the tournament.

 Exhibition mode allows players to jump straight into the ring against a CPU opponent. This is good for gamers who are just looking to fill a bit of spare time and also makes for excellent practise when playing against other gamers in multiplayer mode.

Real Boxing also features both online multiplayer and local multiplayer, which means that players can choose to test their boxing skills against online opponents or challenge their friends in ad-hoc mode.

 



 

This game has been brilliantly designed by its creators, Vivid Games, and has made the leap from the iPhone to handheld console very well. In fact, any flaws in the game are minor.

 

The commentary is sometimes a bit repetitive, with the same phrases being offered again and again, and the fact that the menu can only be accessed via the touchscreen is slightly annoying, but none of that really matters once players immerse themselves in the action of the game.

 

This game is a must-buy for any boxing fan. It has excellent gameplay and graphics, which far excel its £7.99 price tag. Overall rating: 8/10.