So, 2D isn't that bad...

I am talking about the N2DS. I still stand with what I said back when it was released. I don't see me carrying one around, due to its clunkiness... I may have gotten hold of one just to point the stylus at it and yell: "Hold it!" "Objection!" or "Take that!" For Puzzle games or point and click visual novel kind of games, it works fine... Or games that decide the fate of the world via Children's card games!
Settling stuff on Smash, well, that's a different story. The console's clunkiness come into effect here.
Marathonic sessions of more action oriented games make the console slightly uncomfortable.

I'd have to pay to get Cloud or Ryu... which brings me to my next point.
*expletive deleted* the Nintendo eShop *expletive deleted* it in the ass sideways with a Corporation sized cat *expletive deleted* Won't accept my credit card. (address not matching or some BS) so, the only way to get games is to go to a store and buy eshop cards... I mean at least PSN accepts PayPal (when it doesn't want to accept my card) 2 Games (Mario Kart 7 and Ace Attorney 5) take nearly 2Gb out of the 4Gb SD Card that it comes with... Need a bigger card. But as I was saying: The Nintendo eshop feels a bit clunky. Sure it's "easy to navigate" using the touch screen and stylus, but the loading times between sections can be a bit annoying. Like when you download a game:
It doesn't REALLY TELL YOU the size of your downloads. It only states: Game takes X blocks from the Y blocks you have. It doesn't even give you a time estimate of the download. You just wait... for an undetermined amount of time... At least other consoles give you a time estimate, so like if you're donloading an XBOne game, you have an estimate of say 5 hours until the game downloads, so you can go to the movies, play 360, or something... Here you have your awkward not so portable portable console that gives you a non-standard measurement for download and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY loathe Digital Only games.

Now, it kinda sounds like I HATE the 2DS... I don't. I got it because it was cheaper and it came with Mario Kart... The other option was a more expensive 2DS and a Pokémon game... and right now I'm tired of Poketto Monsutaa Go!!

So, yeah! I also got Dual Destinies and I'm on the final case of the game without counting the DLC... Guess I'll have to get another eshop card soon (Spirit of Justice and the DLC Cases for both games.)

I noticed that I don't REALLY NEED TO HAVE PLAYED Apollo Justice, but it is recommended that you do. It explains the Apollo Gimmick better and makes you familiar to it. Also it helps you understand Trucy's Panties... Also, if you don't play Apollo Justice, you won't understand what the Hell Happened to the Wright Law Office... Sure, you can read wikis, but it's not the same...

So, how to review the game... I mean, you played one Ace Attorney game, you have an idea how ALL OF THEM PLAY LIKE.

You start with a Murder. Then you go to court. There the Prosecutor, who is usually some sort of freaky weirdo, no really, they are weirdos... And more often than not, they have some sort of grudge against you. They reveal the Witness and all you need to do in your cross-examination is find out the contradictions in their testimonies and point them out. With the correct pieces of evidence, you can corner the witness and debunk their testimony. If this witness is not the Murderer, the plot thickens.
In longer cases, court is adjourned for the day and you get to do your own investigation. Find more clues, witnesses and you return to Court. There the Cycle repeats until the case is solved and your client is found Not Guilty... Except that one time...

Each Sequel has a "gimmick"... I should say, Each LAWYER has a Gimmick. It's just that they show up on the sequels. Mr. Wright has the Fey Magatama, which allows him to see Psyche Locks in people. Basically, it allows you to "Force the truth" out of characters via a "Magic Interrogation".
Apollo has his Magic Bracelet that allows him to STARE INTENSELY AT PEOPLE... and I mean Creepy stare kind of thing. He can stare at twitches and "force people to tell the truth"...

The New Gimmick comes from the new Lawyer, Athena Cykes... She uses a "Mood Matrix", which is basically "Forcing people to tell the Truth" using the "Emoji version of the Magatma"...

That's not all... Athena Cykes has a Secret. Remember the Haruhi Suzumiya Ace Attorney references in one episode? (Yes, Athena has an in-game secret as well, but no spoilers here)

Well, Athena is voiced by the same VA who voiced Haruhi... One has to wonder if that's how she got the Ace Attorney gig... If so, then nice move VA Casting folks!

Now back to the game. No longer bound by sprite art, the game has 3D models of the characters and uses those in the court and investigation, but the game is exactly the same as the NDS previous games. We have animated cutscenes with voice acting and past protagonists can use their gimmick in the case that you're stuck with them.

It's hard to rate an Ace Attorney game, since they are pretty much Visual Novels and I KNOW that's not a super popular genre. There isn't THAT MUCH Replay value, because it's a Visual Novel game. There are no different outcomes, because the path is set in stone. Now the cutscenes are a breath of fresh air... Kinda makes me wish we had a WiiU Ace Attorney game just to have a fully voiced game.

Now, the 2DS is a 3DS without the 3D gimmick and is capable of Near PS2/Gamecube graphics, which for a Nintendo Handheld, it's pretty amazing. The Normal DS was barely a portable N64... and the GBA was a souped up SNES. But the question is: ARE THE GAMES FUN? Well, like most consoles, you WILL FIND some good games, but a ton of crap as well. So far, I've only got 1 Nintendo game (Mario Kart 7) and one Third Party game, (Ace Attorney 5: Dual Destinies). I was able to borrow Smash from a co-worker to test the Unit with a physical game.

It bugs me that many of the console's games are Digital Only. But to be honest My last two Nintendo Portables have been bought to play Ace Attorney games and Yu-Gi-Oh! Now I also have Mario Kart... now if they made a Mario Maker 3DS...




I'd still need a WiiU if I wanted to upload courses online... but that will have to wait for some other time... I just have to wait until December to play SMM3DS...