Nintendo 3DS: MYST Release Delayed...

At the beginning of April, Mini Gamers discovered that online retail giants Play.com and Amazon.co.uk were both advertising a MYST 3DS game for preorder. The game was given a late April release date. Very little had been discussed about the game up until that point, and we were very confused as to why a popular franchise such as Myst should not receive a lot of publicity before its supposed release date.

Today however, just three weeks after it was first available for preorder, the game has since been taken off the preorders list on both sites and is now stated as: "Date to be confirmed" or "Out Of Stock - Unavailable"  What's worse, is that there is now no way of knowing when this product will be available for preorder again.

This particular 3DS title has ironically been shrouded in MYST-ery ever since it first surfaced online, and it looks like that mystery is set to deepen for the time being. Remember to check in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for more news on this subject as it happens.

Nintendogs +Cats (3DS): How To Unlock New Breeds And Other Questions Explained...

It has become apparent over the last few days that many of you are still searching for answers about the new Nintendogs + Cats 3DS game. Mini Gamers takes a look at some of the more common questions about the game and attempts to provide you with the answers.

Q1. How do I unlock new breeds of dog?

 If your dog takes part in competitions with opponents whose breeds have not yet become unlocked, and if your dog wins First Place in the competition, then there is a good chance that the opponents' breeds will become unlocked the next time you visit the kennels.

Rather annoyingly, this game does not tell you when a new breed becomes available, so it is worth checking the kennels regularly to see if a new breed has become unlocked. Please note, however, that if new breeds have recently become unlocked, it may be some time before the method above will unlock any more breeds.

Q2. How can I make money in Nintendogs + Cats?

There are different ways to make money in Nintendogs + Cats. For example, you can sell any unwanted items back to the Second-Hand Store. This can also include items found when you are walking your dog.

 Enter your dog in the Daily Competions. The more skilled your dog gets at each competition, the higher they will progress and the more money you will earn.  You can enter each competition twice a day and can make several hundred pounds in this way.

If you have more than one dog, each dog can enter a competition twice a day, which means that you will make even more money over time.

If your dog wins the Nintendogs' Cup for the first time, they will get a Gold Crown along with their £500 prize money. This Crown is worth £1,500 when sold to the second-hand store.

However, please note that it is only possible to win the Gold Crown once for each of your dogs in each of the three competitions on offer. Once these crowns have been sold there is no way to earn them back again.

The other option for making money is to find Piggy Banks on your walks. If your dog is lucky enough to find a Piggy Bank, wait until you get home and then drop the piggy bank on the floor to break it open. You will unlock a random amount of money inside.

Q3. Can cats go for walks or take part in competitions too?

Unfortunately, the answer to this is no. Cats behave very much like their real counterparts in this game and pretty much do their own thing. We hate to say it, but cats do seem very much like the - well - underdogs in this game really.

It would have been nice if there had been a Cat Show competition in the game, but this has not been included. You might find that your cat randomly brings you a present every now and again, but that is about it.

Q4. I own the original Nintendogs game as well, is there a way to transfer or import my old dogs into the new Nintendogs + Cats game?

Again, the answer to this is no. Unfortunately, the two games are incompatible with each other and there is no way to import your old dog into the new game.

Q5. How many cats and dogs can I actually own in Nintendogs + Cats?

Although there are twenty-seven breeds of dogs and three breeds of cat in Nintendogs + Cats, you can only own a maximum of six pets in total. This includes three pets at home and a further three pets in the Hotel.

This is a stark contrast to the original Nintendogs game, which allowed players to keep up to eleven pets in one go, three at home and eight in the Dog Hotel.

Mini Gamers was very disapointed to learn that the number of pets had been reduced as this has a serious negative impact on the overall replay value of the game.

Q6. What is the 'Surprise Me' function about in Nintendogs + Cats?

The 'Surprise Me' option mixes together different colours and fur patterns to create several varients on the traditional fur patterns that are available within each of the main breeds of dogs and cats available in the game.  If you don't know what colour of dog you would prefer, select this option. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find!

Q7. Can Puppies and Kittens grow up or have their own puppies and kittens?

No, your puppies and kittens are designed to stay cute and adorable forever. If, however, you do want a game in which your dogs or cats can grow, you might want to check out the PETZ range of games on the Nintendo DS, but this is not available for the 3DS. Sorry.

Q8. Where can I find the 'Secret Path'?

The secret path does not always seem to appear in the same place within the game, although it almost always leads your dog to the Mountain trail. You must look for a signpost with a woman walking her dog on it. Select 'yes' when prompted and you will soon find yourself on the secret path, which means a lot more presents and items to sell.

Q9. Why are there Traffic Cones on my walks?

The Traffic Cones are actually a hidden mini-game. Guide your dog successfully through each of the coloured cones on your walk and you could find yourself rewarded with an extra present at the end of your walk. It takes practise though!

That marks the end of our Mini Gamers Nintendogs + Cats FAQ. We hope that you found it useful. If you would like to read more about this game, please take a look at our full hands-on review of the game.

Nintendo 3DS: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars Review

For those of you who don't know, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is a new turn-based, tactical combat game for the Nintendo 3DS. The characters take it in turns to move and attack various enemies in the battlefield.

The main storyline focuses on a Russian Ultranationalist called Yuri Treskayev who is amassing a secret army of drones in the hot desserts of Kazakhstan. It is up to the 'Ghosts' - an elite special operations fighting force - to stop Treskayev from coming to power.



There are three gameplay modes: Campaign mode is a single-player mode in which players must control a squad of six Ghosts as they complete a series of thirty-seven missions. Completing the required  objectives in each mission earns the player Hit Points (HP) which can then be used to upgrade equipment and weapons.

The other two game modes are Skirmish Missions and Multiplayer. There are twenty Skirmish missions to complete, each one features a fixed team of Ghosts. There are also a total of ten Multiplayer missions which can be played by two or more players.

The six main Ghosts that you control all vary in rank and the type of weapons that they use. The respective soldier ranks of the main Campaign Mode squad are as follows:

Commando: The Commando (Duke) is equipped with an assault rifle and a hi-tech shoulder mounted missile launcher. He is a very agile member of the team and makes use of all the weapons at his disposal very effectively. There are two types of Commando soldiers, anti-vehicle or anti-personnel.

Sniper: The sniper (Haze) is an expert in long range weapons including heavy sniper rifles, which are very good at getting through the enemy armour, or light sniper rifles, which allow Haze to move faster on the battlefield. His secondary weapons include a choice of either AP or EMP grenades.

Gunner: The gunner (Richter) has a high-powered automatic weapon. This causes an excellent amount of  damage to the 'hostiles' and features good return fire, but does slow Richter down overall. Like Haze,  the gunner has a choice of grenades for his secondary weapon.

Medic: The Medic (Saffron) has effective personal defence weapons and a wide choice of medi-kits, including a 'stim kit', which can give injured characters a chance to perform their attack again, or a 'boost kit', which provides extra power points to the rest of the squad.

Recon: The Recon (Banshee) is has a special camouflage system that prevents any direct attacks against her unless she is revealed by an adjacent enemy. Banshee's main weapon is some silenced carbines, and she also has a choice of EMP grenades or knife for secondary weapon.

Engineer: The engineer (Mint) is equipped with an assault rifle as his main weapon. His secondary equipment is either a deployable gun turret or an armed, mobile drone. His main function within the squad is to repair damaged vehicles and drones.

Weapons and characters can be selected by using the stylus or by pressing the 'A' button on the 3DS D-pad. All the main characters have strengths and weaknesses which must be utilised correctly for players to succeed through all the combat missions. However, they may also be joined by other teams occasionally and can issue  specific orders to these squads as well.

The graphics are very good. The cutscenes look fantastic and realistic in 3D. However, the graphics in the actual game are shown from a Birdseye perspective and often look quite small and unclear on-screen.

Overall, this is a brilliant game and will no doubt be a very popular 3DS launch game. The turn-based combat system may not appeal to everyone's taste but it does seems to work very well here.

If you are a fan of tactical combat games then Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars definitely has a lot to offer. Overall rating: 9/10.

Nintendo 3DS: PES 2011 3D Review

The Pro Evolution Soccer  (PES) franchise has often been accused of living in the shadow of fully-licensed football games such as the ever-popular FIFA video games series, nevertheless, the inclusion of PES 2011 3D in the list of Nintendo 3DS launch titles has proven to be a stroke of genius and really allows this fantastic game to shine.

PES 2011 3D has a lot to offer both new and old fans of the series. As well as full football commentary during every game, PES 2011 3D features an impressive list of  6 different stadiums, 10 leagues, 60 national clubs, 170 league clubs.

The game also features three different gamplay modes, including an Exhibition single-player match mode, a Champions League Mode and a Masters League Mode, however, in a change from other games in the series, PES 2011 3D does not feature any Training Modes.

The 3D graphics adds greater depth and realism to the game. It is now easier to become immersed in the action via the new Player's Camera view, which centres the camera directly behind the main player.

Mini Gamers could not believe how lifelike the new 3D AI players seemed to be. They looked much more like their real-life counterparts and moved easily and realistically along the pitch. Parts of the game really felt like we were taking part in a real football match!

The D-pad controls are fairly easy to understand and mostly involve using the directional circle pad to move, and pressing the 'A' button to pass the ball between players and to execute sliding tackles.

Nevertheless, this is where we encountered our first problem - the sliding tackle function did not always work first time and we often found ourselves fouling the other players (and being presented with a 'yellow card' by the referee) when we tried to use it.

Sliding tackles aside however, this really is a very enjoyable game. One of the features that Mini Gamers found most impressive was the camera replays after every goal. They really do show the game from every possible angle and reminded us very much of an actual televised football match.

The PES 2011 3D game is a fantastic addition to the series and the new 3D depth makes the matches really interesting. If you like football games, you will definitely want to give this title a try. Overall rating: 9/10.