Wait Is Almost Over For Fans Of 'Minecraft: PS Vita Edition'?

It has been a long and difficult time for the many thousands of gamers who have been patiently waiting for the hugely-popular Minecraft franchise to finally make its debut on Sony's PS Vita handheld.

Mini Gamers first bought you news of Minecraft: PS Vita edition back in June, when the game was first revealed to the public during Sony's press conference at E3 2014. The game was originally given a release date of 'August 2014', but various game glitches and bugs  meant that the PS Vita edition was delayed.

Today, 4J Studios, the team behind the Minecraft: PS Vita edition, announced that the game is in its final testing at Sony. Whilst there is still no official release date for the game, the fact that the game is undergoing its final checks prior to release is still something to feel excited about.

Keep checking in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for further Minecraft: PS Vita edition news as it occurs!

God Of War Collection Gets PS Vita Release Date...

Sony has announced a God Of War Collection for the PS Vita. The collection will feature both God Of War 1 and God Of War 2, and is expected to feature updated and improved graphics and new touchscreen capabilities.

For those of you who are still unfamiliar with the series, God Of War is an action-adventure, which is loosely based on Greek mythology. The use of a mixture of combat, platformer and puzzle elements, as well as an engaging and emotive plot, have helped to make the God Of War games extremely popular over the years.

Players must take on the role of Kratos - a Spartan Warrior and Demigod, who has been forced to serve the Greek god, Ares, in order to save his own life, but this action later leads to the murder of his wife and child, which then sees Kratos turn on the gods of Olympus as he seeks vengeance against those who have wronged him.

A trailer of God Of War Collection can be viewed below. If you are having trouble viewing the trailer on your device, then please CLICK HERE:

 God Of War Collection will be released on the 8th of May 2014. It will feature the first two games of the series on a single game cartridge. It will also mark the debut of the God Of War series on the PS Vita. If you have never played a God Of War game, but the idea of battling against the Greek gods appeals to you, then this may be the perfect time to go ahead and introduce yourself to the series.

Nintendo Announces the 2DS...

 

Nintendo has announced that it will be releasing its latest dual-screen console on October the 12th 2013. The 2DS is supposed to be a new take on the 3DS model, which allows users to take advantage of the latest 3DS titles, without  actually having to play them in 3D.

The introduction of a 2D model of the 3DS is a strange one. For a start, the 3DS already comes equipped with a 3D depth-slider, which allows users to lower and turn off the 3D effect if they so wish, which makes the notion of a 2D console rather obsolete.

Nevertheless, one of the advantages of this latest addition to the Nintendo dual-screen range, is that it will come with a lower price tag than its predecessor. Nintendo claims that the 2DS will come with a recommended retail price of £109.99 when it is released in the UK, at least £50 cheaper than the current 3DS prices. Nintendo also claim that the 2DS will be fully backwards compatible with older Nintendo DS titles as well, meaning that gamers will get more value for their money.

Although the 2DS is an exact replica of the 3DS in terms of its gaming  functionality, the outer design of the new console is very different. For the first time, the 2DS will not have the clam-like feature that has been prevalent in the other DS consoles. Nintendo have removed the hinge between the upper and lower screens, and have instead opted for a block design which is very reminiscent of one of  the earlier Nintendo Gameboy consoles.

A further advantage of the 2DS is that it may also help to quell the fears of those who claim to experience bad side-effects from viewing the 3D images on the 3DS console, or those with eyesight problems that prohibit them from enjoying auto-stereoscopic 3D, at last giving those affected another way of enjoying the latest gaming titles.

Nevertheless, despite having a few basic advantages, the 2DS console does seem rather retrograde. Mini Gamers is doubtful whether the ability to display 3D images in a 2D format is the USP that most gamers will be looking for when deciding what console to put at the top of their list this Christmas. The question remains: Is 2D now the new 3D?

 

HAVE YOUR SAY...

 

 

What do YOU think about the new 2DS console?

 

Had you decided against a 3DS console, and if so, has the 2DS inspired you to try the latest 3DS titles in a 2D format?

 

Whatever your opinion on Nintendo's latest console, why not share it with us by commenting in our Comments Box below. We'd love to here from you.

 

 

 

Still undecided about the 2DS? Watch the latest trailer here.

 





Flare Red 3DS UK Release Date Scheduled For September...

Mini Gamers can reveal that the long-awaited Flare Red 3DS console will be arriving in the UK on Friday the 30th of September 2011.

The red 3DS console has long been a favourite amongst 3DS owners ever since it was first revealed alongside the two launch colours, Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black,  back in early 2010.

However, the red console never actually materialised during the 3DS launch in March this year, leading to disappointment from those gamers who had set their heart on owning a red one.

Recently, Nintendo announced that the Flare red (AKA Flame Red) 3DS console would be released in Australia and the USA in September, but did not specify a UK release date - until now...

Mini Gamers is relieved that there is now a solid date for the UK Flare Red console release, but with only fourteen days left until the console's apparent release, we can not help but wonder what those initial gamers who originally wanted a red 3DS console but decided to opt for one of the launch colours instead will do now.

This brings up a very important issue in the world of handheld gaming. Should companies like Nintendo be allowed to announce or display a particular colour of console in their pre-release marketing campaigns but then delay its release until several months after the console's original release date? Is this not simply causing unnecessary disappointment to gamers?

HAVE YOUR SAY...

Are you hoping to purchase a Flare Red 3DS console?

What makes the Flare Red colour so attractive to gamers?

Did you originally want to purchase a Flare Red 3DS console but opted for one of the launch colour consoles instead?

Are you now disappointed that you did not get a Flare Red 3DS?

If you wish to discuss this issue with other gamers, then please leave us a comment. We'd love to hear your thoughts.



3DS UK Release Date Now Official!!!

"This isn't the launch of a new gaming device - This is the launch of a new Entertaiment era..." [Sotoru Shibata]

The UK release date for Nintendo's 3DS console has been officially set for the 25th March 2011.

 Speaking at the 3DS preview event in Amsterdam this afternoon, Nintendo's Managing Director of Marketing and PR, Laurent Fischer, spoke about the 3DS console which will be released in two colours - Aqua Blue or Cosmos Black (nothing was shown or mentioned about the Red 3DS console originally shown at E3 2010).

Fischer went on to describe the 3DS' new wireless communication features SpotPass and StreetPass.

SpotPass will allow users to download fresh content for their console such as news from Eurosport, TV items from SKY 3D and even short films like Aardman Productions' Shaun the Sheep, which will all be presented in stunning autostereoscopic 3D without the need for 3D glasses.

Meanwhile, Streetpass will download game data, statistics and content from other 3DS users even if the console is in Sleep Mode. This feature has already been Incorporated into games like Super Street Fighter IV.

Capcom's producer of the Street Fighter series, Yoshinori Ono discussed how StreetPass will allow users to engage in battles with other 3DS users everywhere. He said: "Street Fighter battles have always been head-to-head but now battles can take place anytime, anywhere, with anyone, immediately..." 

Ono said that Super Street Fighter IV will have a line-up of 35 fighters (including classic characters,) and it will also feature a Channel Live mode, which will allow 3DS users to watch battles between other 3DS users.

Other developers that were featured at the Amsterdam event included Ubisoft, who said that they would have up to eight launch titles for the 3DS including Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy, Rayman 3D, Ghost Recon: Shadow Cell, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Battle of Giants and Driver Renagade.

Konami announced that they have developed Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 for the 3DS. PES' Producer Naoya Hatsumi spoke about how the 3D capabilities of the 3DS has allowed them to improve realism and express depth. Hatsumi said that a new camera angle called Player's View means that the camera is centred just behind the player and helps to immerse gamers in all the footballing action.

Team Ninja announced that they would be releasing a version of their popular Dead or Alive series for the 3DS. The Head of Productions, Yosuke Hayoshi said that:  "Dead or Alive: Dimensions [3DS] will be a kind of 'Best Of ' collection of highlights from the previous four Dead or Alive games" but he went on to say that it would feature some new content as well. He said that the new game would be: "A whole new dimension in 3D fighting games..."

Nintendo Europe's CEO and President, Satoru Shibata, spoke about the long-awaited PilotWings Resort and Nintendogs + Cats as well as the range of Pre-loaded Software that would be included in the console.

 The software will feature a Daily Activity Log which turns the 3DS into a useful pedometer, whilst the new 3D Motion Camera and Mii Studio will allow players to take a 3D photos of themselves and convert it into a recognisable Mii avatar for use in some games.

A new StreetPass game called Face Raiders will also be included in the console free of charge. The game will post pictures of players' Miis into a shooting gallery! The 3DS will also feature Augmented Reality software, which has recently been used in the PSP game, EyePet.

Furthermore, the 3DS will come with its own Internet Browser and E-shop which will allow players to access and download new Nintendo software more easily.

Shibata also gave details of the kinds of existing DS games that we could expect to see being developed for the 3DS over the coming months, including Animal Crossing, The Sims 3, Steel Diver, Paper Mario and many more...

Shibata claimed that there would be a "Launch window between 25th March and 30th of June 2011 where more than 25 games would become available to 3DS users..."

The preview event helped to answer several burning questions that fans had about the new 3DS and its capabilities. However, the end of March still seems a long way off. Nevertheless, the various games and features that have been developed so far have definitely piqued Mini Gamers interest.

Keep checking back with the Mini Gamers blogsite over the next few months for all the latest news concerning this revolutionary new console.