chad78

I understand the desire to not call it a "3DS" when there is no 3D. But, 2DS is just about the worst name they could have picked.

Oh, and "The employees will know better" thought is a lovely dream, but is not true. I bought a Game Boy Micro from Walmart years ago - because I wanted a tiny game console - shut up, it was cool... Anyway.... I was on the fence because I really loved some old school original Game Boy games, and I was pretty sure the Micro didn't work like that. So anyway, it was towards the end of the Micro's life cycle, and this particular Walmart was wanting them off the shelves, so they were cheap. I think it was like $39.98 or whatever odd cents Walmart tacks on the end of their prices... So I asked the dude (and he wasn't a gentleman, or an associate, he was just a dude) working there in the electronics department.... "Does the Game Boy Micro play original Game Boy games?" "Oh yeah, it does." "Are you sure? because I thought it didn't." "No man, I'm sure. My buddy has one, and I've totally played GameBoy games on it." "Ok, ring me up." Well, of course, it doesn't. So, there's no way I trust the average store employee to know what works in what system. I've worked in a retail store before (a Kmart - remember those?) - and let me tell you, you don't have to know jack about the department they stick you in. I was primarily in electronics, but because I was one of the few male employees, I also had to cover Sporting Goods whenever the other guy wasn't there. I don't know jack about fishing lures or crossbows or basketball.. um "loops" I think they are called? So, yeah, the employees are not experts on their departments. I know I wasn't.

The problem isn't that the store employees will be uninformed or misinformed (although they will be) - it's that the customers will be misinformed or uninformed. If stereotypical grandma walks into a Walmart and knows that her daughter bought her grandson a Nintendo 2DS game system, when she walks the aisles of the electronics department, she's going to look for Nintendo 2DS carts. Keep in mind, if she (and it could just as easily be grandpa making these same choices - or uncle Bob or aunt Ruth) has tried to keep up with this stuff, she knows that the Atari 2600 didn't play Atari 7800 games, and Playstation 2s didn't run Playstation 3 games. The numbers have to match. Super NES is not the same as NES. Xbox 360 is not the same as Xbox is not the same as Xbox One (although, that name is just as, if not more, stupid than the 2DS). Nintendo already had a problem with the DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS, DSi XL/LL, 3DS XL crap they've been putting non-gamer game buyers through for the last 8 years. They just made it worse. Nintendo 3DS Flat would have been better. Or 3DS lite or even 3DS 2D. When you have a console called the DS, another one called the 2DS, and another called the 3DS - it just makes sense that they would be in that order, and while the bigger numbers might be backwards compatible - no game console has ever been "forwards compatible". Technology doesn't work that way. I can't stick a BluRay in my DVD player and have it work - nor could I put a DVD in my VCR and have it work. Based on decades of not just gaming, but technology naming conventions - the 2DS logically should not run 3DS games. Or really, it should have never been called the 2DS.... ever.

Breath of Death VII - I forgot about that one! I bought it, played a little bit and then forgot about it. It's still on my 360. There's also Cthulhu Saves the World by the same people. Ouya can side-load Android apps and games, and most of them work "out of the box" - but - keep in mind, you're interfacing through a controller, and not a touch screen, so if the games do not have controller support, you will have to use the controller's built-in trackpad, which is not nearly as easy to use as a touchscreen. The OUYA has no built-in overscan fix, which means if there is important information near the edge of the screen, it may not show up on your TV. Some TVs are worse than others about overscanning, and some have options in the menus of the TVs themselves that compensate for it, but the OUYA does not have any such option. There is one thing you can turn on or off buried in the systems advanced options menus, but it doesn't do anything as far as I can tell. Again, the overscan thing isn't an issue for all (or even most) standard apps and games, but when it is an issue, there's nothing you can do to fix it. And for some RPGs - there are status boxes, menus, and text boxes that may or may not be near the edge of the screen. Basically, it's an app-by-app thing, you just have to try it to see. The main thing for RPGs, though, would be do they support controller input or not. If you just want to use the OUYA as a "make my Android big" device, I would suggest getting something else, either a Google ChromeCast or plugging your phone/tablet into the TV via HDMI, or something like that. I like my OUYA, and I like some of the games on it, but it's not the best Android experience. It's cool for what it is, an inexpensive game console with hundreds of free games - (all the games are free to some extent - first few levels, 24 hours of game play, freemium, or straight up completely free). But it's not a replacement for a standard Android device.

I seriously thought this was a joke when I first saw the video on YouTube. But I actually kind of get it. Not the name - I've given up on ever liking the name of a Nintendo console ever again.... But the form factor. It's for kids (primarily). Hinges break. I've had a DS Lite hinge break on me spontaneously. Seriously, I went to bed on night, and the next morning it was broken. I lived alone at the time, with no pets, and not in an earthquake prone location - so I have no idea what happened. Nintendo generously replaced it for me. Since then I've learned that even a broken hinge can be worked around with a protective case, if that case also has a hinge. Also, it is meant to be sat on a table. If you are 5 years old, holding a 3DS (especially an XL) for an hour can be tiring. And the lack of 3D is a cost-saving measure, as well as a safety issue for young kids, people with epilepsy, and people who get headaches looking at a 3DS. The name - however - is beyond justification. People will be confused. Just like they are with the Wii and the Wii U. No store is selling Nintendo 2DS games. There are DS games, and 3DS games, but no 2DS games. (There are even a few - like maybe 5 - DSi games.) Grandmothers everywhere will be at a loss this Christmas.

I've been playing a lot of retro-style games lately, particularly RPGs. It all kind of started with Retro City Rampage (which isn't exactly an RPG). Then my OUYA arrived, and I learned of Saturday Morning RPG. Which lead me to Dragon Fantasy. Then I found Gailardia. (It is retro style, but takes it self a lot more seriously than the other games listed above, which are all full of nostalgic insider-jokes and pop culture references.) Gailardia has a number of sequels, so far, only 1, 2, and 3 have been translated into English. Then there's Doom & Destiny (more self-referential pop culture humor.) There's Gurk - which is a lot *too* retro for me. It's like not even 8-bit. I can't really even play it. Gailardia is pretty close to Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest). Actually, more like DW2, since there are 3 people in your party. It can be hard sometimes to know what to do next, the translation quality is not superb, but for the first one (which is free, and no ads) there is a pretty decent online walk-through. I can post the link if anyone is interested, or you can google. Saturday Morning is more of an action RPG, it's technically turned-based, but you can defend and there are mini-games to boost your attack. Similar to the Super Mario RPGs (Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series). Dragon Fantasy is very close to Dragon Warrior as well, (the name, of course, a combination of Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy), but can try too hard at times to be funny. There are tons of other non-RPG retro-style games, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Double Dragon Neon, Evac, Radiant (which I LOVE), and so many more. What are you playing?

I had never played the original, but the remake is very cool.

This is me: http://microserf.stumbleupon.com/ This is my review: computers, cyberculture, video-games, games, reference •http://www.retromags.com/ Do you like classic gaming? Do you believe the Super NES was the best console ever made? Have you spent hours perfecting your speed run of Super Mario Bros.? Does the phrase "up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start" mean anything to you? Then you need to join RetroMags.com! RetroMags has the biggest collection of out-of-print Gaming magazines on the Internet (that I can find, anyway). If you remember "Playing with Power" during the golden age of gaming - then this is the site for you. Check it out. You'll be glad you did!

It's been a long time since I subscribed to, and collected, Nintendo Power. However, I still have some of the big issues from back in the day. Things like the Mario Mania guide to SMW and the Game Boy Guide, etc. Are these things that you would include, or just the actual magazines themselves? I ask, because I have a scanner and the magazines right on the desk next to me, and I work from home, so getting them all scanned shouldn't be a problem. TIA!