The visuals in Junior Mystery Stories are a mixed bag. The story aspects feature vibrant looking characters with nice, clean lines and a coherent and interesting visual style. Unfortunately, the actual play field is dull, muddy, and lifeless, even when littered with tons of random objects. Hidden object games are supposed to look confusing, but here the environment looks both confusing and lifeless, making the object search more tedious than it has to be. I actually can’t tell if that’s a brown statue that’s blending in to the dull, brown carpeting of the mansion. More color, more variety in textures, and some small animations would’ve gone a long way in making the play area more fun to explore.

A lot of the more annoying aspects have more to do with the DS hardware itself. With a low resolution screen, developers have to account for how much detail gamers will actually be able to see. This is especially important in the hidden objects genre. The developers chose to spread most of the search areas across various screens, but that doesn’t help when they kept the items too small anyway. Most developers choose to allow players a certain level of zoom to compensate for the low resolution on the DS, but unfortunately Junior Mystery Stories does not. Combine the lack of zoom with the fact that you often have 3-4 screens to flip through to find items, and the process can quickly become frustrating.

One aid that the developer has provided is hints, where you hit the Y button and you get a big sparkle where the object is hidden. Use up a hint, and the meter (a crystal ball with some blue fluid inside) drains. You have to wait until the crystal fills up again before getting another hint. This hint method presents its own set of problems. For one, if you’re at the end and have just two items left which you can’t find because they’re muddled by the low resolution and the lack of zoom, you have to use up a hint, WAIT A WHILE, then be able to use another hint. I would’ve preferred the traditional method where you have a limited amount of hints to use up. The second problem is that the sparkle is just too quick and imprecise, and the item doesn’t light up and stand out like in other hidden object games. The result is that, even after using the hint system, you sometimes still can’t find what you are looking for. That’s inexcusable in this genre.

What’s surprising here is that, as you unlock more rooms, you also unlock some hidden mini-games. Not just a few, either, but 16 of them. And some of them are really good. There are the classics like snake, sliding tiles, jigsaw puzzles and memory games, but there are some newer types like one where you guide a butterfly to safety using your stylus. This added content, which is surprisingly beefy, in addition to the main hidden object campaign and the budget priced nature of this game, actually make for a decent value proposition.

Overall, Junior Mystery Stories is a competent hidden object game, albeit not a standout in a genre that could badly use something fresh. The story is carried out in interesting sequences with some good art and vocalizations. Yet the game fails to set itself apart in the actual hidden objects gameplay, and even takes a few steps backwards in some of the fundamentals, such as the hints system. It is aimed squarely at a younger audience, where the story and main character will certainly resonate. But in this journey there will be some frustration to go along with the mystery.

In Pilotwings Resort, you create a Mii character and go through a series of increasingly difficult challenges. You can choose to fly a seaplane, hang glider, or a jetpack, and the challenges consist mostly of flying through a series of rings and landing successfully within a specific time limit. There are variations on this, and you are allowed a free-flight mode to explore at a more leisurely pace, but the gist of the game revolves around time challenges. The different flying devices all feel and control differently, adding a bit of diversity, and each requires you to master them in order to advance to the later challenges.

While the challenges are difficult and there are quite a few of them, there just is not enough variety and you’ll either run through them or hit a wall trying within a few hours. Each time you complete a challenge, you get a star rating, from one to three. This can add some replay value to those who enjoy getting high scores or collecting the highest possible rating on each challenge. Wuhu Island is gorgeous, but it’s also relatively small and there isn’t anywhere else you can go. After the feeling of discovery wears out, the sense of freedom for which the Pilotwings series is known disappears.

The visuals in Pilotwings Resort are very reminiscent of those found in Wii Sports Resort. Wuhu Island is reproduced nicely, with excellent geometry, vibrant colors, and inventive lighting. Activating the 3D makes it even more stunning, with excellent depth and clarity. I’m not sure if the 3D actually helps in beating some of the challenges, but it does add to the visuals and makes flying around more enjoyable. There are also different lighting environments. You can play during the day, dusk, or at night, and each time of day looks great, although it doesn’t change anything about the gameplay. The sound is reminiscent of the Wii Sports franchise, which is to say light and airy, but not particularly memorable.

With its short length and comparatively small play area, Pilotwings Resort can be a tough sell at the high price DS games are launching with. Still, with an overall weak launch lineup, Pilotwings Resort will undoubtedly stand out amongst the available 3DS games. The beautiful 3D, easy mechanics, and lively environments will have wide appeal and the game will provide a few hours of fun before you get your fill. This is one short, but enjoyable, flight.

NintenDogs + Cats is a great casual introduction to the 3DS. The first thing that you’ll notice if you’ve played NintenDogs in the past is the improved visuals. Not only do the dogs and cats look great, the animations are fantastic, and the environments are very nicely detailed. Taking your dog out for a walk is a pleasant experience thanks to the Wii-like visuals rendering Mii characters and a beautiful neighborhood.

The big draw for the 3DS is of course the 3D, and NintenDogs + Cats pulls off a great sense of depth. The main room where most of the interactions take place looks convincingly three dimensional, and as the dog (or cat) moves around, you get a real sense of how big the room is. There isn’t too much of a “pop-out” effect, which is generally more difficult to pull off, but overall the 3D in N NintenDogs + Cats is effective.

Not much has changed in the format of NintendDogs, you still select a pet, feed it, buy stuff for it, enter contests, etc. What they HAVE done (besides add cats) is to add a lot more stuff. More things to buy, more contests, more prizes, etc. The improved visuals do help to draw you into your pet, which now seems more intelligent when responding to your commands. Speaking of the cats, they really don’t add much to the gameplay, and though the cats bring along new behaviors they just don’t add much overall. I’m a cat person myself, but let’s face it, they aren’t the most exciting creatures to base a game on, and so it was smart of Nintendo to stick to the dogs as the main act. The dogs are the main draw and they are as cute and playful as ever, and the game will likely prove just as adept at hooking the casual gamers.

One of the main differences in this edition of the 3DS (and one that may be considered a drawback) is that your interaction with the pets just isn’t as direct. Yes, they look better and the 3D makes them feel closer than ever, but since only the bottom screen is touch capable, you have to use a shadow outline on the bottom screen to interact with your pet. It works, but it definitely creates a disconnect and you won’t get that same sense of directly interacting with your pet when playing toss or giving them a bath.

NintenDogs + Cats is an incremental improvement, and fans of the original will find plenty to love here. If you didn’t like the title on the DS, you won’t like it here either, but casual gamers should find plenty to love in the laid-back, easygoing title. As a system showpiece, NintenDogs + Cats does a good job of demonstrating the updated visuals and 3D that are the main draws of the Nintendo’s new handheld. More content would always be welcome, but Nintendo has done a good job of adding to a successful formula and putting in enough effort to justify purchasing this game if you enjoyed the original.

“We’re extremely excited to be bringing The Tale of Two Towns to these two great platforms,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “We wanted to ensure that all of our loyal Harvest Moon fans would have a chance to play this game. No matter which version they pick up, they’re sure to love the great new cast of characters, the fun festivals, and the exciting new gameplay mechanics.”

Konohana and Bluebell villages were once the friendliest of neighbors. Then a huge dispute erupted between them.over FOOD! Both towns were certain that their cooking was the best in the world. This feud has transformed these happy neighbors into bitter rivals. As a new farmer to the area, players choose which village to live in. Will it be Eastern-styled Konohana with its abundant fields of crops, or the animal-loving, European-styled Bluebell? Players will pick a home, build a thriving farm, and compete in a huge variety of festivals. If they develop their skills enough, and they might even find a way to bring these two towns together once again!

More details can be found at www.natsume.com. You can also follow all of the latest Natsume news at www.natsume.com/facebook and www.twitter.com/natsume_inc. NintendoSpin will have much more on this game, including an exclusive interview with Natsume.

At $250, it’s not cheap, but you definitely feel like you’re getting a solid piece of tech for that price. Nintendo hasn’t said much about the graphics hardware powering the 3DS, but from the launch software and some of the previews we’ve seen of upcoming software, it’s safe to say the 3DS is roughly on par with Wii visuals, which is great for a handheld and will continue to impress until the much more powerful Sony handheld is released later this year. There are quite a few jaggies on most games (made worse when you crank up the 3D), but overall the 3DS is a very capable piece of hardware for portable gaming.

It is available in two colors, with cosmo black being the sensible choice, and even there, some of the color work seems suspect, including a two-tone shade on the top cover. The coloring on the console is just too overdone; there are too many shades and too many variations on material texturing. Hopefully Nintendo chooses to consolidate future colors so that it is overall more uniform, rather than the mix they have going in the launch units. Really, the color choices are the only weaknesses on an otherwise solid hardware design.

The system features two cameras in the back for taking 3D pictures and one camera in front for taking self-portraits and for use in Mii creation and software like Face Raiders, which allows you to shoot pictures of you and your loved ones. None of the cameras are particularly effective at taking good pictures, especially in low light. Still, they are competent enough to work reasonably well with software designed for them, including some of the augmented reality stuff that comes packaged with the handheld.

One of the most talked about topics regarding the 3DS is the battery life, and although I wish I had better news on that front, I don’t. Battery life on this device is terrible, there is no getting around that. Nintendo has sought to mitigate this by including a docking cradle that you can easily place your Nintendo 3DS on to charge, and it was a smart decision, since it makes charging the device second nature. Still, without 3rd party solutions, you’ll be running up against the battery limitations just about every time you take your Nintendo 3DS on trips or even on long play sessions at home.

The 3D Effect
The first time you start up your 3DS and toggle the 3D on, you’ll smile. It works, and it is convincing. I happen to own a 3DTV along with a 3D kit, so I have stereoscopic 3D experience to compare against. The 3D in the 3DS utilizes a parallax-barrier system that is different from the one used in modern day 3DTV’s with Blu Ray 3D movies and 3D games on Ps3 (and to a lesser extent the Xbox 360). The 3D effect is not nearly as pronounced as the pricey stereoscopic kits, and although the 3DS produces very good depth in its 3D, the “pop-out” effect is rather lacking. Also, the viewing angle is pretty narrow compared to the stereoscopic setups. You will have to find the “sweet spot” on the 3DS and remain still, plus you’ll likely have to fiddle with the 3D slider to get the desired effect.

Still, you won’t need the goofy glasses, and you get to take this 3D on the road. And the 3D effect, when used properly, is both dazzling and entertaining. I’ve yet to show someone the 3D without seeing them smile once their eyes adjust and they sense the 3D effect in action. To have this kind of effect without glasses and on a handheld is still magical, although I suspect it will be rather commonplace once Android phones with similar technology start to flood the market. The 3D slider itself is a wonderful design choice, allowing users to place the image at a comfortable level, or turn it off completely, which is what I do with my young daughter.

The Bundled Software
If all you could afford was a 3DS with no games, you’d still have plenty to do after you brought it home. Nintendo has packaged a good amount of software into the device, all of it mostly superfluous, but also entertaining and engaging. There is the Mii creator, a Mii plaza, a music player, a 3D music video (once you do your first system update), photo software, note-taking software that works across games, activity log software that complements a built-in pedometer, software called Streetpass that allows your 3DS to talk to other 3DS’ as you go through your daily commute….the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, the web browser and web gaming store are not ready at launch, a HUGE disappointment for us.

There are also two built-in games, one is an awesome little shooter called Face Raiders that takes your face, puts it on a character, and makes you shoot it. It is a ton of fun for a short burst, and much more fun when you get someone else’s face in there. There is also a set of games centered around augmented reality tech where you put some cards on a table and them marvel as things grow in and around the card, morphing your environment into an actual game world. If you’ve never experienced AR gaming, it’ll blow your mind, and although you’ll need fairly ideal conditions (chief among them being a well lit room), the software is an excellent demo of why you want the cameras on the DS, even if they are terrible at actually taking pictures.

The Verdict
NintendoSpin will review the retail software separately, but on its own, the 3DS hardware is a compelling handheld, the best one Nintendo’s ever put forward from just a technical and usability standpoint. Its main selling point, the 3D, works well and provides a very convincing level of depth to gaming environments. The graphics, even for the launch software, point to very capable hardware under the hood. Some of its shortcomings, including the battery life, can be partly remedied with 3rd party solutions, but likely won’t be fully fixed with a hardware refresh anytime soon.

At $250, it is expensive, so whether you want to buy it now will depend (aside from your current financial situation) on how you feel about the launch software, or whether you want to wait for Zelda, Metal Gear, and the system update that brings us the web store and browser.

Together with the announcement Teyon presents the launch trailer of Heavy Fire: Black Arms. Drop deep into the middle of the thrilling campaign in the heart of the jungle as the bestselling special forces shooter is back in action soon! The video can be reached at Teyon’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPHxEcTYfsg

More information can be found at the official website of the game available at http://www.heavy-fire.com

“Natsume Championship Wrestling is one of the all-time classic wrestling games,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “Loaded with depth and technique, this game delivers an unmatched wrestling experience!”

Step into the ring with one of 12 outrageous wrestlers and bring the pain! Wield the massive power of Asteroid, the lightning-fast strikes of Viper, the underhanded attacks of Phantom, and many more madmen ofthe ring! With its robust grappling system and over 50 moves to master, Natsume Championship Wrestling delivers the deepest and most realistic wrestling action of the 16-bit era! Players can test their might against the crafty AI, or up to 4 players can compete in exhibition, tag team, and round robin matches! For more information on Natsume Wrestling Championship, please visit www.natsume.com. You can also follow all of the latest Natsume news at www.natsume.com/facebook and www.twitter.com/natsume_inc.

Choose from over 101 baby dolphins or simply adopt them all! Discover their personalities as you feed, clean and care for your new pets. Bring out your pet’s talents by training your dolphin in a variety of fun and wacky activities. Enter your dolphin into pet shows and earn money to buy exciting upgrades including toys, food, clothes, accessories and more! The more tricks you teach and the more games you play, the more fun you’ll have! You’ll never be bored with so many new best friends to pamper, play with and love!

For now you can take a look at the official trailer presenting some game’s highlights. It is available at the Teyon’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT2BjN3RHsA
Also, check out the game’s site at teyon.com: http://www.teyon.com/games/101-dolphin-pets-dsi/

Players will travel through 5 different eras constructing legendary buildings and competing against mythological creatures, while collecting jewels and gold along the way. Using the stylus, gamers must drag and drop matching sets of jewels over blue marble slabs in order to destroy them. When no blue slabs remain, the Orb of Tyche, the Goddess of Fate appears and gamers must drag the orb off the game board to complete the level.

Featuring over 100 jewel-themed Match-3 levels and 15 bonus mini-games, players are put to the test with challenging time restrictions. By combining logic, skill and speed to gain bonuses players can advance through the levels. Bonus tiles include additional time, gold, food, and building resources.

Gamers must use different strategies in order to acquire valuable tools that will help them construct ancient buildings such as the Theatre of Dionysus and the Pergamon Altar. Players will build-up an enchanting metropolis as they advance through the game with the aim of reaching the legendary Olympus. Players must keep their subjects happy by erecting temples and ports while defending their empire against dangerous creatures from Ancient Greek mythology.