3DS Playable Demos: Have You Tried Them Yet?

It has been a few weeks since Nintendo released the first of their 3DS playable demo for Resident Evil Revelations in the Nintendo eShop, and since that time, two more demos for CRUSH 3D and Cooking Mama 4 have emerged.

Each demo showcases a particular level or aspect of the featured game. These demos can be downloaded for free, and can be used for 30 plays each, which gives players plenty of time to decide whether they like the game or not.



Crush 3D: Test out the various game mechanics and get a feel for the game.

Although the demos which are currently available are all of currently available shop titles, it is hoped that the eShop demos will soon feature games before their release date, allowing players to experience the latest 3DS titles way before they hit the shop shelves.

This not only avoids the disappointment of buying a game that one is not satisfied with, it also offers a good opportunity to explore the game mechanics and environments that will appear in the full version of the game.

Resident Evil Revelations: Check out the zombie hoardes in this game.

Future playable demos are thought to include games such as Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Metal Gear Solid: Snake 3D and Rayman's Origins, amongst others.

Mini Gamers has checked out the various demos ourselves, and was pleasantly surprised how good each demo was at portraying many aspects of the full games, including the stunning 3D graphics in most cases, although we do think that these demos should have been a feature of the Nintendo eShop from day one.

Whether you want to make pizza with Cooking Mama, enter Danny's mind in Crush 3D, or kill the zombies in Resident Evil Revelations, these demos should leave you feeling pretty satisfied and wanting to purchase the full title - if you haven't already. A very good addition to the Nintendo eShop's 3DS content.

Further Delays For EyePet (PSP)

It has happened again. Mini Gamers has just received word that EyePet on PSP will now be delayed until the 5th of November 2010.

This game is one in a series of recent PSP titles to be delayed more than once. The fifth game in the hugely popular Metal Gear Solid franchise, Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker, was delayed from the 25th of May until the 2nd of July 2010.

Then the PSP version of Lego Harry Potter was famously delayed from the 25th of June until the 13th of August this year, causing distress to many of the PSP-owning  Lego Games fans around the world.

Next was UFC Undisputed 2010, which was delayed from the end of May until the beginning of September 2010, dispite the fact that the game had already topped the UK pre-order charts.

Now EyePet (PSP) is set to continue the trend. So what is happening here? Is it - as some sceptics have suggested - merely an attempt to delay the most popular titles until the 2010 Christmas rush, or could it be further evidence of Sony PSP's further decline in the current gaming market?

Whatever the reason, delays such as this often cause confusion and disappointment for millions of gamers and can even sour the experience of owning a delayed game when it is finally released to the public. Mini Gamers sincerely hopes that the reason for this delay (and any future delays) can be rectified soon.

 Remember to check in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for more news on this subject as it happens.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

How has the delay of EyePet and the other games in this article made you feel? Why do you think that PSP games in particular seem to be suffering from long delays at the moment? Should games producers be allowed to change release dates on games without a proper reason?

If you have a comment and wish to share your views with other readers on this site then please feel free to click on the 'Comments' link below this post (or fill in the comments box if viewing this post in a separate window). We would love to hear your views.

Metal Gear Solid Sneak-Peak Shows Off 3DS Abilities...

Snake meets his enemies in 3D

It has been little over a month since Nintendo's revolutionary new console was unveiled at E3, but already there has been widespread speculation about what games on the 3DS would actually look like and how the 3D effects of the console would be seen without glasses.

Now a sneak-peak video of  the 3DS version of the third Metal Gear Solid game, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, could provide the answers.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater Trailer

Of course, this video is only a snippet of what 3DS gamers could come to expect in the future, but it is already a good indication of the type of sharp, realistic graphics and 3D environments that are possible with the new console.

Moreover, Metal Gear Solid is not the only 'big name' gaming series to be given the 3D treatment, other game series set to debut on the Nintendo 3DS include The Legend of Zelda, Professor Layton, Animal Crossing, Resident Evil, Assasins' Creed and many, many more.

For those of you who are interested in the aesthetics, (i.e. what the console will actually look like,) three inital colours of 3DS have been announced - black, red and blue.

 It is thought that the red and blue consoles are a clever reference to the red and blue colourings used in the original 3D spectacles, however this might be a coincidence.    

Nintendo have been somewhat reluctant to provide an actual UK release date for the console as yet, but they have hinted that the 3DS will be released in Japan some time between December 2010 and the end of the finacial year in March 2011.

The other major question that fans of Nintendo have been asking is how much will the console cost when it is  first released to the public? Although there is no definite answer to this, Nintendo have recently indicated that the new console may cost under £200 to buy.  

In an interview with Electric Pig, Nintendo's Marketing Manager, James Honeywell, stated that: "The DSi is around £129.99, the DSi XL is around £159.99, so obviously it [the Nintendo 3DS] is going to fit somewhere around that kind of architecture..."

[sourced from: http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/07/29/video-nintendo-3ds-questions-answered-by-ninty-top-brass/]

This is good news for consumers - many of whom suspected that the use of such impressive technology would carry a hefty price tag.

It might be a long wait until the console finally hits the shelves, but the 3DS already looks set to revolutionise handheld gaming and puts Nintendo squarely ahead of its main competitors.

Be sure to keep checking  the Mini Gamers blogsite for all the news about the 3DS' development over the coming months.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP)

 Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker is the fifth game in the Metal Gear Solid series.The game has been produced by the same team that created Metal Gear 4 and is set to be one of the best stealth titles on the PSP to date.

The main storyline is set in 1974 - four years after the events in the Portable Ops game. Snake, (AKA Big Boss) must travel to Costa Rica where a  rogue CIA unit have taken over the country and have bought with them their last nuclear warhead nicknamed "Peace Walker", which the well-armed rogue soldiers intend to use  as a means of deterring any resistance. It is up to Big Boss and his Militaires Sans Frontières guerrilla group  to save the day once again. They must use their all stealth tactics to dispatch the enemies and rescue the local inhabitants.

The aim of the game is to complete all missions without getting caught or killed.This PSP-exclusive title features all of the excitement of the other four games. Like the other games in the series, Peace Walker utilises third-person gameplay. Fans of the series can choose to hit the enemy with  tranquiliser darts or bullets and even flip or choke enemy soldiers in close combat. Big Boss can also crouch down, which makes stealth attacks much easier.

The previous games in the Metal Gear Solid series have been somewhat criticised for having complicated and lengthy cutscenes or unclear plots, however both of these flaws have been addressed in this game with shorter, more focused gameplay making for a more enjoyable title.

For those of you who prefer to game with friends, Peace Walker features optional co-op play on every single mission throughout the game, and also features a multiplayer mode for up to five persons. Play team death matches or practice capture and defence tactics in a Capture The Flag type game.

Peace Walker is a great stealth title and fans of Metal Gear Solid 1-4 are bound to be impressed with the latest game. If creeping through jungles searching for enemy soldiers is your idea of a good time, then this is the game for you. Overall rating: 9/10