Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS came out Sunday in America, bought by thousands of people who couldn't wait to get their hands on the 3D gaming system. Unfortunately, I was not apart of that vague statistic.

Besides living on a student budget, the 3DS game launch hasn't released anything that I have to buy immediately. Not even knowing about future releases like Zelda: Ocarina of Time can make me purchase the 3DS in a impassioned Nintendo frenzy (I still own it on the N64). But hearing about later releases such as Harvest Moon, the Phoenix and Layton crossover, Paper Mario, and the Shin Megami Tensei games, I question if the previous sentence was just said out of bitterness and jealously.

I think I might wait for the next incarnation of the 3DS to come out (like I did for the DS). Nintendo tends to launch their systems with a small handful of games I'd like to play, but as its catalog grows bigger and its selection better, my need to buy their system grows with it.

Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar - First Impressions

Finally, I received my copy of Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar after waiting for months, Natsume pushing back its release date more than once. After ripping off the plastic covering and sitting down for a few hours with the game, I thought I’d give my first impressions.
The Good:

• Grand Bazaar deviates from the characters in Sunshine Islands and Island of Happiness
• Crops easier to grow
• You own a bazaar
• Nice farm and town layout
• You can use the one tap L button to run
• The newly introduced jump button (A), you can even get two jumps in by pressing A twice
• The control pad and buttons are used for all actions
• Washroom and sauna in own house
• Cat and Dog choices
• Cute love interests and towns people
• The town mayor Felix has a picture of himself in his own house (he looks rather handsome with his mountain backdrop. Very Ricola.)

The Bad:

• Time only stops when you speak to towns people (there is no pause button)
• On the map screen, you are the only disembodied head (unlike in SI/IH)
• The main girl sprite looks like the boy sprite but with blonde hair
• The B button is used to talk and use your tools (fortunately you can remove your tool with a press of the Y button)
• Colour palate and textures are rather dull looking

Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar might not be a perfect game, but so far, the improved HM formula is keeping me entertained and (after this post) coming back for more.