You’ll also enjoy the new flying Raccoon Mario powerup. It’s just one moment in the 80-stage game that is really very cool. So he pulls off a dance move - exactly in rhythm to the music that’s playing. As the catchy Mario music plays in the background, one of the turtles takes a moment from coming at you. Sure, it’s the same deal you see within all the Mario games: Princess Peach has been abducted, this time by Koopalings in a weird kind of balloon that has a propeller stuck in the bottom.īut within the first five minutes, you know this is a special game. 2 is a charming, challenging game that will often delight you with its details.
If you move it to full 3D, the backgrounds get all fuzzy.Īnd while the backgrounds are always good in the Mario games, they never have been as rich and detailed as those in, say, the Zelda games. Mario is detailed, right down to the mustache, and so are his friends.īut when you try to enhance the 3D effect with the depth slider on the right of the XL, the clearest 3D comes at about a third of the way up.
The graphics on the side-scrolling platform game are sharp enough. 2 might not have been the best choice to release in tandem with the 3DS XL. Pros: Raccoon Mario tons of coins to collect smart level design.Ĭons: Could use better story backgrounds need more detail not enough varied powerups. In this case, bigger is better - most of the time. While I like my 3DS, the XL will be my platform of choice to review Nintendo DS games on. That cuts down on the neck- and headaches you might have experienced with the 3DS. With the XL, there’s a slightly wider viewing angle. More good news: When you play the 3DS, you have to look at the top screen head on - without moving - if you don’t want to lose the 3D effect. One charge gives you six to eight hours of play, a definite plus. You’ll be happy about the extra battery life. Maybe that’s just because they are placed wider apart for better stereo. The graphics aren’t perfect, but they border on being excellent.Īlso, the speakers sound clearer and crisper on the XL. You might think that magnifying the size of the 3DS graphics for a bigger XL screen would result in games with jaggies. Bigger is better when it come to seeing the lushness within, say, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time in three dimensions.
Now, the screen is nearly 5 inches when you measure it diagonally.Īnd that makes so much difference with the effect of 3D without glasses. The 3DS XL has about a 90 percent bigger screen. The same goes for the plastic stylus, which no longer retracts.īut don’t judge a book by its cover. And the buttons under the hood are plastic and cheaper looking. My red XL case doesn’t shine with the same metallic sheen as my blue 3DS. On the surface, the 3DS XL doesn’t look as cool as its smaller sibling, the 3DS. Is Nintendo’s reimagining of the 3D system worth saving up $199 for? Pros: Bigger 3D screen slightly better viewing angle longer battery life.Ĭons: Plastic shell looks cheesy viewing angle could be wider price is high. Incoming! They’re arriving just in time for your last summer trip (and just before school begins). It's so skinny! " posted to Write a Funny Caption For This Photo. " posted to Write a Funny Caption For This Photo.