Time marches forward, and with it, gaming must also keep itself relevant. A few months back, we talked about how Nintendo was ending online support for two of its now-defunct consoles. A recent update from the company has since narrowed down exactl??y when that's going to be happening.

As of April 8 �at exactly 4 p.m. PDT �most online services for the 3DS and Wii U will be shut down for good. That's according to a recent Twitter post, which leads to a customer support page that goes into more detail.

The information says the discontinuation will be for the following: New Nintendo 3DS, New 3DS XL, New 2DS XL, 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, Wii U Deluxe, and Wii U Basic. This will affect "online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution." A second tweet says it's possible to "merge your unused Nintendo eShop balance to your Nintendo Account" for use on the Switch. Details about that can be found here.

A number of caveats

While the servers themselves are being turned off, Nintendo does say that players "will still be able to use features and game modes that do not require online communication." It also won't be ending the StreetPass feature for now, as that uses local communic?ation and doesn't require online connectivity.

For the time being, you will still be able to update and redownload purchased games, and the service shutdown won't have an immediate impact on Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter. People should stil?l be able to download update data and redownload purchased software and DLC from the eS??hop. Again, that can all change in the future.

I was honestly surprised online was still supported for the Wii U and 3??DS. The latter ??was discontinued in 2020, while the former's lifecycle was ended back in 2017, almost seven years ago. Shows how much I have my finger on the pulse of outdated Nintendo consoles.

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Do it

Five years ago, Nintendo announced that the Switch would not be getting Miiverse and StreetPass. It was kind of devastating.

While the Switch has gone on to be a monumental success by any metric, it also doesn't have Miiverse or StreetPass. Or folders. Or a chunk of things that wouldn't take away fro??m the integrity of the simplicity of the UI, but would still be greatly appreciated under the hood (I digress). But one day, somehow, even if it's the fabled "Switch 2" or by way of a firmware update, I'd love to see StreetPass on Switch.

So when it comes to StreetPass, I can't stop thinking ?about this report from a few months ago. Someone spent an entire day in New York City and didn't come up with one StreetPass. They even w??ent into the Nintendo store! It just goes to show you how heavily Nintendo has dr??opped the 3DS like a sack of potatoes, and how much old guard StreetPass folk have given up. Give them a renewed sense of hope on the Switch.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_aU4C3QAoI

Right now we're all in a state o??f disarray when it comes to gatherings. But in the future, we will meet up again. For those of you who didn't experience StreetPass in its prime, you missed out.

StreetPass, very simply, enabled a set of minigames on your 3DS, bolstered by random meetups and connections. It was sort of an extra bonus to pretty much any leisurely walk in a crowded area, or a convention. You'd boot up your 3DS, get Play Coins for your efforts, and link up with random people that could help you out with minigames. This is before Pokemon Go and AR games really took off. It was a safe, fun way to stay semi-connected to people?, which was a bo?on for anyone with anxiety.

Meeting up with friends during cons and sharing our spoils was a regular pastime: seeing who had the most hits and who could finish their StreetPass Mii Plaza tasks first. Some people just liked finishing puzzles (you'd get a piece by connecting through StreetPass), of which there were many via constant updates. Others loved the "Find Mii" adventure minigame, which predated Miitopia. And if y??ou sprang for paid DLC, there was an ent??ire suite of things to do.

It's the little things in life that add up, and StreetPass was something I looked forward to during basica??lly every trip I took from the early 2010s through around the end of that same decade, when t??he 3DS started dying out. I'd love to see Nintendo come up with something so joyous again.

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It made me a true portable enthusiast

There is a very solid chance I would not be the Dragon Quest fan I am today without Electronic Gaming Monthly. Before I really fell for the online scene, that magazine was my gateway to the gaming world. I subscribed for three years and still remember some of my favorite articles and reviews. I remember the October 2006 issue, which released in something of a short Autumn lull. There were plenty of games in the review section, but the Game of the Month only scored an eight out of ten. It's not a bad score, but it certainly is a low score for ??GotM, all things considered.

That game was Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, and based on the short recommendation in that issue, I picked it up at my local K-Mart upon release. Then, over the next week, I fell head over healslime for that game -- it's still my absolute favorite on the Nintendo DS -- and a fandom was birthed. I would go on to pick up every release of that era, from Swords to the oft-forgotten Dragon Quest Wars, but it wasn't until 2010 that this fandom changed to a downright obsession. Because that is when Nintendo published Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the Nintendo DS. That title would end up changing the wa?y I game for years to co??me.

Reggie Fils-Aimé famously put over 200 hours into Dragon Quest IX, a number I have to bow down before because I didn't get anywhere near that. I did crest the 90-hour mark and heavily enjoyed every second of it. I've now come to learn DQ9 is something a black sheep of the Dragon Quest family, but that doesn't phase my love for it one bit. Becau??se while it may lack the e??ngrossing story of the previous entries, it has treasure maps, the hunt for which dominated my life in the summer of 2010.

Dragon Quest IX did so much right on the Nintendo DS. It's absolutely beautiful a??nd being able to see monsters on the map made it a more user-friendly experience. But it's the treasure map hunting found in the game's Tag Mode that really set it off. Before Streetpass, Square Enix experimented with wireless c?ommunication between games with Tag Mode.

In Dragon Quest IX, after activating it at Quester's Rest, players could put their Nintendo DS to sleep and go about their lives, collecting data from other players who were doing the same thing. In Japan, Tag Mode was a massive success, setting records for wireless communication. For me in California, well, I couldn't exactly just walk around and pick up a great number of maps, quests, and other goodies. Despite being the best selling Dragon Quest game in the west, player concentration was still pretty sparse. However, Nintendo sought to rectify this by hosting events where players could go, meet up with other Dragon Quest IX owners, receive new maps and more.

The very first event I could attend was at a Best Buy in San Luis Obispo. It was my day off and I was probably 30 hours into DQ9 at this point without ever having used the Tag Mode feature. So I got in my car and drove to the event, a sleeping DS in my pocket. The set-up inside was just a table with a few Dragon Quest freebies to be given away to the first pe?ople to arrive. I was third in line so I mi?ssed out on the prizes.

By the time the event started, there was probably ten of us there total. I thought I would just log in and get my special treasure map, but then the ten of us started talking to one another. We started sharing stories of our adventure so far, giving tips on certain bosses and detailing the make-up of our parties. We started exchanging more maps and supplies with one another, and this simple in-and-out event turned into 45 minutes of blissful Dragon Quest bonding.

I've played games with other people before but there was something different about this event. We all traveled some distance to be in this spot because we loved Dragon Quest IX and we wanted to get as much out of it as we could. Square Enix intended for this game to be a social one and it succeeded. I'd always been a fan of portable gaming, but I never got into the Pokemon crazy so meeting up with other players was just something I never did. In fact, I rea??lly didn't carry my Nintendo DS with me at all. Tag Mode changed that.

With DQ9, I became a gamer who took my DS with me everywhere I went, always with that game in sleep mode - just in case I come across another savior of The Protectorate. And even when I stopped playing, the habit stayed with me. I brought my DS along to The Legend of Zelda preview concert in LA and played When I went to the Legend of Zelda preview concert in Los Angeles, I brought my DS along and played Four Swords Anniversary Edition with other concertgoers in line. I brought Mario Kart DS with me to the airport and spent a layover racing against some kids. I went to war with a guy at GameStop in Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. So many great experiences all because Square Enix wanted us to get up and get out to meet other DQ fans.

Nintendo shut down the DS Wifi system in 2014, long after it has created its own Tag Mode gimmick with Streetpass and Spotpass. To this day, I still carry my 3DS -- technically my Pokéball 2DS XL -- with me every day to work and anytime I leave the house hoping to add more players to my Mii Plaza. I haven't tagged anybody in Dragon Quest IX in almost eight years and I don't know, with the Ninten??do Switch not having any sort of passive wireless communication, if I'll ever experience something as wonderful as the summer of 2010 again.

DQ9 is still absolutely worth playing and copies are easy to find. In fact, in writing up this feature I've started replaying the game once more and have quickly fallen back in sync with it. I have that jumbo players gui??de for the game and there are still many maps for me to find. Look out Fils-Aimé, because I'm not stopping until I surpass your total hours!

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Next month

Remember when Nintendo said the??y were going to support the 3DS and the Switch at the same ti??me?

Like the elves at the end of the Third Age, the time of the 3DS is fading. Don't get me wrong, I still love it, use it, and hope Nintendo keeps the dream alive, but it's very cl??ear where Nintendo and third parties' priorities lie when 90% of each Nintendo download's offerings are Switch related, and in rare occasions, the Wii/Wii U get more releases than the 3DS.

Nintendo themselves also seem to be backing up this wind of change, as they're shutting ??down StreetPass Relay Stations in Japan entirely next month on March 28 -- not winding it do??wn, but closing them. For those who aren't aware, relay points allow 3DS owners to basically gather StreetPass instances en masse, by gathering them instantly at a single location.

Is it the beginning of the end? Reggie, say it ain't so!

StreetPass [Nintendo]

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RIP funny drawings and confused young boys

Much to some fans' dismay, Miiverse and StreetPass, Nintendo's rather novel communication systems for Wii U and 3DS, weren't mentioned last night during the extensive Switch presentation. If that absence left you?? anxious about the fate of these features on the system, your fears were well-founded.

"I can answer that we're not going to be using Miiverse for Nintendo Switch," Nintendo of America's David Young informed VentureBeat, also noting a similar fate for StreetPass on the Switch. In place of Miiverse, the console will rely on existing social media, bu??t Nintendo didn't name names.

Straight up, that's so disappointing. These features weren't perf??ect, but they sure had charm.

At least we'll always have BadMiiversePosts.

Nintendo Switch won??’t have Miiverse or StreetPass [VentureBeat] [Art by megablurdxl]

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National StreetPass weekend now active in North America

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

It's a slow news day since it's a national holiday here in the United States. I recommend settling down with the Mystery Science Theater Turkey Day Marathon running now on YouTube. You could also check in on Animal Crossing: New Leaf, as Franklin's Harvest Festival runs all day today. It'd be a good excuse to check out the new Welcome amiibo content.

If you want to get out of the house for a while, you could take a walk with Pokémon GO, which is running a double experience/double stardust event right now. And ?if you do, you may as well bring your 3DS along to take advantage of the National StreetPass Weekend. Nintendo runs these a few times a year, and it can help people who don't get to gaming conventions like PAX or MAGfest in expanding their StreetPass plaza. 

It can be tough to collect StreetPasses if you don't live in an urban environment, so some businesses offer access to "Nintendo Zones" that collect and broadcast StreetPass signals from anyone who comes in with a 3DS. Normally, these Nintendo Zones only broadcast signals from people who've actually been at that location. National StreetPass Weekends change up the rules a little bit, ?broadcasting StreetPass signals collected at?? Nintendo Zones all over the country. 

You can find a list of participating retailers here. Most Best Buy and McDonald's locations contain the repeaters, and so do Fedex Office locations for some reason. Collecting StreetPasses will allow you to play any of the StreetPass games in the plaza, and can also unlock items or minigames in titles like Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon. This event runs ?th??rough November 28, so make sure to keep your 3DS with you all weekend.

Hopefully, none of you have to work retail today. The encroachment of Black Friday on the holiday is pretty disgusting, in my opinion. If you're planning to fight crowds tomorrow, m??ake sure to lim??ber up first and wear knee and elbow pads.

The post Celebrate Thanksgiving with Nintendo appeared first on Destructoid.

Just two days

How many of you crazy kids still StreetPass? I haven't done it in quite so??me time, despite the fact that I love j??ust about every minigame on the plaza. It's mostly due to the fact that my friends kind of fell off with it, but Nintendo has something in mind to drag people back in. This week will host a National StreetPass Weekend, which will queue up six tags per Nintendo Zone visit.

It's? a small little thing, b?ut I assume a lot of you fanatics will appreciate it.

National StreetPass Weekend [Nintendo]

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29,000 hotspots

Although I wasn't thrilled with the StreetPass functionality on the 3DS at first (literally no one I knew had one), the popularity of the system has increased my enjoyment of it tenfold. This also goes for the StreetPass events and special Miis Nintendo throws our way, and there's?? another of the former starting this week.

From December 24 to January 4, Nintendo will be running ano??ther StreetPass "Week??end." You'll be able to participate by way of any of the 29.000 Nintendo Zone hotspots across the US, which could net you up to six tags per stop.

A gift for you: Hol??iday Str??eetPass Weekend from 12/24 - 1/4 [Nintendo]

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In Japan

Well this is kind of cool. While I thought Pokémon Rumble World was rather fair with its free-to-play scheme, it will be getting a full retail releas??e in Japan on November 19. It'll run you 3,700 yen (roughly $30 US), and will net you 3,000 PokéDiamonds, which essentially eliminates the free-to-play portion of the game??.

I'd love to see something like this for Pokémon Shuffle, but the??n again that game is a lot more predatory -- so it wouldn't make much monetary sense.

Pokémon Rumble ?World to get a retail release in Japan on November 19th [NeoGAF]

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The future is here

With over 1,000 puzzle pieces available for the Nintendo 3DS' StreetPass Puzzle Swap game, it takes a considerable amount of time to collect them all. Now one man has inve??nted a robot to automate the process of pressing A multiple times, ??saving him tens of seconds per use and allowing him free time to "eat a sandwich." 

The future is here, and ?the future is scary. I wonder if this guy has a HomePass setup -- it's a homebrew application to get StreetPasses fr??om the comfort of your own home. I used to but something changed recently and I need to go through the process again. 

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Zombie beat-'em-up action

StreetPass is a strange obsession. Ever since the days of having only Puzzle Swap and Find Mii, I have been fascinated with the functionality. I carry my 3DS around with me everywhere, and when I pull it out of my pocket at the end of the day ?to see the green light glowing, I get excited despite the relative sim??plicity of the actual gameplay.

The complexity grew (for better and for worse) with the second wave of StreetPass games. An early favorite was Mii Force, as the most "like a real game" title in the bunch, but it soon fell by the wayside because it took too long to play and essentially required a full roster of tags. Flower Town ended up being my favorit??e in the long run, with its quick execution and hidden narrative.

A few days ago, the two new StreetPass games Ultimate Angler and Battleground Z released. Given the nature of StreetPass, it's impossible to review them without living in a major metropolitan area or spending several days building up Play Coins. That said, I had a fat stash ready and waiting for such an occasion, so I played through the first set of areas in both. So far, Battleground Z is looking pretty good, though I worry that it can fall victim to the same pitfall that Mii Force suffered.

Battleground Z (3DS)
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: April 16, 2015
MSRP: $4.99 ($7.99 for bundle with Ultimate Angler)

Battleground Z is essentially a beat-'em-up, but it features a lot of variety for the genre. The first level involves simply defeating all of the zombies in an area, but each level af??terward introduces a different mechanic to keep it interesting. So far, I have seen a level that involves finding taxis to collect spare tires, a base defense against waves of zombies, an escort mission, and a boss fight in a stadium against a full zombie American football team.

Comba??t itself seems fairly simple at first. There is a single attack button that can be pressed for normal attacks or held for a ??limited number of charged attacks. There are a few different types of attacks, like slashing, smashing, or power. Each of the many types of zombie is more susceptible to one type of attack over the others.

Like Mii Force, it is another title that feels substantial enough to be a standalone game. Though the base combat is rudimentary, it requires actual skill to play well. Each level has a set of challenges, including hitting a target completion time or finishing without allowing an objective to take any dam??age. Going for these medals? is actually pretty tough in some instances, and I have only seen the first set of levels so far.

In terms of StreetPass functionality, Battleground Z does something different than any other game in the plaza. StreetPassed (or Play Coin-purchased) Miis provide the player with a weapon to use, but instead of tying the weapon to one of the tw?elve shirt colors, it is tied to one of the twenty-seven hobbies listed in profiles.

It's a really cool idea because it adds a lot of variety to the combat. For instance, a Wii Remote-sword (tied to the "playing videogames" hobby) handles very differently than a frying pan (tied to the "cooking" hobby). The Wii Remote-sword is a slashing weapon and its charge attack is a Legend of Zelda-style spin; the frying pan is a smashing weapon and its charge attack flips zombies into the air befo??re pancaking an? area in front of the player.

Diff?erent weapons will have different stats and areas of effect. Some will activate more quickly or more slowly,?????????????????????????? some are ranged instead of melee, and some are crazy gonzo things like the suitcase, which has a charge attack involving loading all on-screen zombies onto a bus and sending it through a portal to another dimension.

Beyond that, there is a depth to the combat found in the weapons behind its simple exterior. For example, some zombies wear resilient trash cans, taking several hits before the squishy zombie inside is exposed. The fry?ing pan's flip charge maneuver can remove the can in one shot, essential for hitting the target time in some levels. I'm sure there are other weapon nuances that I have yet to learn.

The one big downside of tying weapons to listed hobbies is that some are undeniably more common than others. After pushing about 50 Miis through I saw a large number of Wii Remote-swords -- after all, the people who carry 3DSes around will generally list "playing videogames" as a hobby. I don't know if I'll ever see the weapon associated with the "cleaning" hobby. Thankfully, each level is playable with any weapon, though some may be better suited to certain situations. In theory, the one frying pan I get when I tag my wife will be enough to play ??through any lev??el, though having more backup increases options and survivability.

The last element of Battleground Z that I am wary about is its play time. Though each level has been entertaining enough to play two or three times already, each takes about three minutes to get through. In a high StreetPass volume setting like a convention, I can imagine leaving Battleground Z unplayed for the same reason I generally leave Mii Force unplayed: I would rather spend the? same amount of time getting tags for all of the other games combined than for that one game.

Still, it's an impressive effort for something a huge chunk of 3DS owners seem to pass up. Though StreetPass games have a reputation for being ultra simplified, Battleground Z&??nbsp;is probably the deepest, with gameplay that could work in a standalone?? title. Only time will tell if it holds up or if favor goes toward the quicker games.

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Mix bait like a master

StreetPass is a strange obsession. Ever since the days of having only Puzzle Swap and Find Mii, I have been fascinated with t??he functionality. I carry my 3DS around with me everywhere, and when I pull it out of my pocket at the end of the day to see the green light glowing, I get excited despite the relative simplicity of the actual gameplay.

The complexity grew (for better and for worse) with the second wave of StreetPass games. An early favorite was Mii Force, as the most "like a real game" title in the bunch, but it soon fell by the wayside because it took too long to play and essentially required a full roster of tags. Flower Town ended up being my favorite in the long run, with its quick exe?cution and hidden narrative.

A few days ago, the two new StreetPass games Ultimate Angler and Battleground Z released. Given the nature of StreetPass, it's impossible to review them without living in a major metropolitan area or spending several days building up Play Coins. That said, I had a fat stash ready and waiting for such an occasion, so I played through the first set of areas in both. So far, Ultimate Angler is looking pret?ty good, but it doesn't mesh well with my usual source of tags.

Ultimate Angler (3DS)
Developer: Prope
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: April 16, 2015
MSRP: $4.99 ($7.99 for bundle with Battleground Z)

As a fishing game, Ultimate Angler leans more toward arcade than simulation. The actual fishing involves watching a bob on t?he line, pressing A when it sinks, and then reeling in the catch. Reeling too quickly can cause the line to break, but reeling too slowly can allow the fish to escape. It isn't difficult, at least at the beginning.

Upon reaching the islands, players are tasked with findin?g not only the everyday fish, but also a legendary creature at each island. These legendary creat?ures take a bit more effort: players must wear them down over multiple fishing attempts before being able to bring them in.

In terms?? of action, it isn't the most exciting StreetPass game out there, but it's a quick endeavor and it isn't obnoxious, so I can imagine keeping at it until my logbook is full of all varieties of fish.

The StreetPass functionality comes with the bait. There are 12 types of bait, each corresponding to one of the colors that a Mii can wear. Tagging somebody will net that color bait. There does not appear to be any sort of bonus for multiple tags as in Find Mii or Monster Manor.

Each species will prefer some types of baits over others, so anglers can hone in by choosing the right bait. Additionally, bait can be combined and bigger fish are attracted to larger pieces of bait. The result is a highly luck-dependent system; players generally want to combine multiple pieces of bai??t to get bigger fish (and better ratings) within a species, but adding pieces that don't match can attract a non target species. Through StreetPass or the use of Play Coins, shirt colors are generally random, so there is no guarantee that an outing will even produce the right color bait.

Ultimate Angler suffers from one drawback present in Mii Force, though not to the same extent: it feels like a full roster of ten is required for optimal play. Where Mii Force reduced potential firepower for anybody coming in with fewer than 10 teammates, Ultimate Angler reduces options and potential rating. It isn't quite as bad, be??cause the actual play isn't affected much; only the r?esult is.

The other design quirk that hurts Ultimate Angler in terms of the way I play it is th??at using Play Coins is basically required in order to see a variety of fish. I StreetPass with my wife several times a day, but that will always be just one piece of red bait. Though I can fish once with it, I will always catch that same species and they will always be small.

On the other hand, Ultimate Angler succeeds in one place necessary for a good StreetPass game: it can be played quickly if n??ecessary. Each fishing session from line cast to caught creature takes only 10 or 15 seconds. With the bait-combining mechanic, even a full cast of 10 helpers can be chauffeured through without wasting too much time. For those wh??o would rather drag it out, single bait casts are possible. It's a smart way to handle two different styles of play.

I can picture myself playing this for a while. It has the same sort of relaxed feel to it as Flower Town, but with at least a bit of action injected in. If it continues the strange, uncomfortable narrative, this could be another hidden gem.

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Uhh... Can I just go fishing now?

The two new 3DS StreetPass games came out yesterday. I downloaded them last night but didn't get a chance to play either until this morning. Wanting to start out with the lighthearted fishing game Ultimate Angler before taking on the zombie hordes of Battleground Z, I loaded it up to learn the ??ropes (or uh, the fishing lines).

Af??ter playing through the tutorial and catching a few D-grade fish, I figured I was ready to go on and spend some relaxing time on a boat. Before I could, my guide's father came into the outdoor supplies store to casually discuss his problems in front of me. My Mii seeme??d pretty uncomfortable with the whole encounter (see above).

Previous StreetPass game Flower Town surprised me with its semi-hidden narrative, a story that weaves between all of the different buyers. I was a little surprised that Ultimate Angler went here, and I think for the same reason: low expectations. I go in expecting a simple fishing game, so when some unlucky sing??le dad brings the mood down, it can't help but feel strange. Like my Mii, I just want to know if I can slowly tiptoe backward out of the ??room and hop on the boat to go fishing.

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Free to actually play

Nintendo has been dipping its toes in the water of DLC and free-to-play with mixed results. Although it has done a great job creating worthwhile add-ons that don't feel like rushed day-one cash grabs, the whole amiibo situation has caused a lot of problems, mostly due to rare figures that sell out in seconds, locking out content behind impossible-to-obtain toys.

Free-to-play worked out great for Nintendo with Rusty's Real Deal Baseball and Steel Diver: Sub Wars, but Pokémon Shuffle was far too stingy with the ability to let people play the game. While Pokémon Rumble World essentially distills into a mindles?s hack and slash, it also hosts a fair free-to-play scheme.

Pokémon Rumble World (3DS)
Developer: Ambrella, Nintendo SPD
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: April 8, 2015
MSRP: Free

Rumble World has a setup that's a bit more endearing than past Rumble titles. In a medieval realm of toys you serve the king, seeking to defeat evil wizards and vagabonds, and of course, catch 'em all for his pleasure -- and by "all," I mean all 719. Your Mii is heavily involved in the adventure which is a nice touch, and you can tell a lot of effort was put into it, borrowing from the adventure setup pioneered in Blast.

You'll start off with one humble creature and progress across small levels comprised of multiple boards, hacking and slashing your way through hordes of Pokémon. On occasion, said Pokémon will drop to the ground instead of exploding into dust, allowing you to capture them and add them to your team. Players start off with just one attack at first, eventually earning two after capturing higher-level creatures. If one so chooses, switching Pokémon is as easy as selecting one f??rom a menu and waiting a few seconds.

Beyond a bit of nuance regarding the weakness chart, that's pretty much it. It's mindless, but the dungeon-crawling setup is far more engaging than the arena theme of the first game and Rumble U, especially since there are some side paths to explore and bosses to defeat. Every world is hosted by way of unique balloons (that run on timers; more on that in a second), which are themed after specific elements (fire, water, grass) or subfranchises (Kanto, Johto, all the way up to X & Y), so there's a?? lot of variety in store for players who keep forging on.

Capturing more creatures is the main draw of the game, as it will increase your adven??turer rank, opening up more shop purchases, quests, and balloon types. There's also a core storyline by way of daily challenge levels with extra optional objectives. The actual kingdom is very small, mostly consisting of just a balloon launching site and a store, but it will fill up with more Mii characters and Pokémon to spice things up over time. Thankfully, the rate at which capturing occurs feels ??fair, as you'll find new party members in nearly every level.

Ok, so how does it work with the free-to-play model? Not bad, actually! The premium currency is Poké Diamonds, which can be used to insta-buy items, new balloons upgrades, continue after death, or inflate balloons early. 50 Diamonds for $1 is the going rate, and balloons sell for 10 to 100 Diamonds each. You can also earn Diamonds through normal gameplay. That's right, the game has timers, but it's done in a fair way that allows you to constantly pl??ay the game. For starters, those daily story quests are repeatable without having to ride balloons. You can't capture anything while playing them, but you can earn Diamonds and, of course, simply have fun without having to worry about energy or timers.

On top of that, most of the early balloons inflate at a rate of 30-60 minutes (some are longer), and all of them have individual timers. It's not as bad as some other energy-based games as rounds tend to last? more than 30 seconds (my average dungeon run is two to three minutes), and I had plenty of other activities to do while waiting like exhaust all of my other balloons, master additional challenge difficulties, and manage my party.

Later in the game by the time you finish all of your timers, you'll cycle through several of them, allowing immediate repeat adventures. There's also some online and StreetPass functions, including the ability to invite other players to your kingdom, v?isit other realms, and earn Diamonds. I can't stress eno?ugh how mindless everything is, but I had a decent enough time jumping into each dungeon on a repeat basis, staring at the party screen as more and more creatures populated it.

Pokémon Rumble World probably won't make as much money as Shuffle, but it feels a whole lot less scummy. It's fairly shallow but very fun in spurts, and the best part is that players can truly enjoy the game for more than a few minutes at a time without feeling like they aren't getting anywhere. I may have burnt out on the simplistic formula after roughly a week of ??play, but I still have a desire to return to the game on a casual basis.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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'Ultimate Angler' and 'Battleground Z'

On April 16, the 3DS eShop is about to get a whole lot busier. Two new StreetPass games will debut, both of which feature completely different themes. First up is Ultimate Angler, which sees players fishing and visiting different islands. There is some strategy involved as specific baits will wo??rk with different fish -- there's 150 fish in all including legendary creatures.

The other title is Battleground Z, which tasks players with fighting zombies. It'll feature 26 weapon type??s. You'll also be able to opt into a "Premium" version of the StreetPass plaza, which allows for birthday interaction, a VIP section, and a few other extras like a calendar. This last bit seems geared towards hard?core StreetPassers.

I think I'll buy the two games, but I'm hesitant to get the Premium upgrade. Feel free to weigh in here with your StreetPass habits.

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Pok?diamonds for human dollars

Pokémon Rumble World is the next installment in the Rumble series and features over 700 Pokémon. Unlike the arena based combat in Pokémon Rumble U,  Pokémon Rumble World is more of an action adventure game. Players traverse to various stages via hot-air balloons unlocked with Pokédiamonds. Pokédiamonds are obtainable for completing stages, St??reetPass, or buying them with human dollars. 

Pokémon Rumble World will be available as a free-to-play title on 3DS April 8. No mention of the NFC figures used for Pokémon Rumble U&nb??sp;having compatibility with this ??game has been made.

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Pok?mon Omega Ruby and Pok?mon Alpha Sapphire

In order to reach and catch Latios in Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Latias in Pokémon Omega Ruby?, we'll need an Eon Ticket. And to get one of those, well, it's kind?? of a pain in the ass.

Here in the US, The Pokémon Company will give Eon Tickets to Play! Pokémon League Leaders who will then be able to share the item via StreetPass. In the UK, it'l??l select 15 people to meet up with Game Freak's Junichi Masuda and bring a ticket back to their local GAME.

Eon Tickets should spread around the world but depending on where you live, it co?uld be a while before you see one, if ever. There's always trading, though.

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Also ran

Rehashing is not new for Capcom. Still, does it feel like, just maybe, the excitement over Keiji Inafune's two not-Mega Men has spurred Capcom to release a bunch of Mega Man stuff this month? Maybe.

Mega Man 5 is up on the Wii U eShop. I'd sort of like to see Battle Network 2, which is better than the first, but I guess I can just go play the GBA cart. Mega Man 6, X3, and Battle Chip Challenge are all on their way this month, too. 

You streets ahead StreetPassers can also do a Mega Man puzzle on 3DS now. 

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I want it!

The marriage of Mega Man and Nintendo continues past Smash Bros. as the classic NES hero now has his own 3DS StreetPass puzzle. It features classic Mega Man imagery, including an old school 8-bit feel, Wily, ??Proto Man, Eddie, and Beat. Check it out in the gallery below.

The StreetPass puzzles are a pretty amazing feature, and one I did not expect to spend so much time with. I just wish more third party games like Mega Man and Monster Hunter (both available in Japan) were?? supported ove??rseas.

Soranotateana [Twitter via Rockman Corner]

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The Nintendo Zones will be all mixed up

Nintendo has informed us that National? StreetPass Weekend is happening on December 14 and 15 and yes, this is a serious holiday. W??hile I'm content sticking to StreetPassing each year during PAX and calling it a day, this should be a nice little treat for more dedicated players.

The North American Nintendo Zones (find yours here) will be mixed about, meaning you'll have the opportunity to interact with folks from other areas. Those dancing Miis at 0:30 suggest that good times will be had by all who participate. Nintendo in the YouTube age su?re is a sight to behold.

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That's much better

Remember when Nintendo announced that the 3DS' StreetPass function would be improved so that you would get tagged whenever you passed through a Nintendo Zone location? The way the system works, two 3DS owners don't have to be present at the sam?e time. Instead, y??ou'll be able to tag the last person who had been hanging out in that spot.

That's all well and good in the sparse areas of the US, but it still isn't good enough if it's limited to just one tag. But later this month, Nintendo will bump that number up so that you'll receive data from the last six people. That's much, much better and should have been such from the ??beginning.

You still ?need to be present at the Nintendo Zone location (Best Buy, Starbucks, etc.) for a minute or so to get the data. It's not like you can just drive by in your car and get tagged.

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Nicely done, Nintendo

The four new StreetPass games added to the 3DS Mii Plaza seem to be taking off. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Tokyo Keizai Online that they've generated $4 million in around a month's time. The titles -- Mii Force, Flower Town, Warrior's Way, and Monster Manor -- are priced at a mere $5 each, or $14.99 whe??n purch??ased together.

It's the rabbit. It has to be. The average StreetPass-using gamer is ?too susceptible to his charms.

New StreetPass Games For 3DS Earned $4 Million In A? Month [Siliconera]

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29,000 Nintendo Zone locations are rolling out

In just a few weeks, everyone with a 3DS will be able to reap the benefits of the enhanced StreetPass program, which utilizes Nintendo Zone locations to allow your portable to "relay" StreetPasses. What this basically means is that you can beam your StreetPass to a hub location, and if anyone ha??ppens to walk by it, they'll acquire it -- rather than forcing you to be in the same location at the same time.

Nintendo notes that over "29,000" locations across North America will have this functionality, including Best Buy, Simon Malls, Future Shop, Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, and other locations that have AT&T Wi-fi Hotspots. This update should be incredibly useful for those who live in more rural areas and can't find any StreetPass buddies -- especially given the new Plaza games that were released recently.

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Finally!

Rejoice! That fabled 3DS Streetpass DLC update that hit? everywhere but North America is finally available in...North America. In the dead of night with no press release or fanfare whatsoever, Nintendo released a conspicuo??us system update, and presto -- brand new Streetpass DLC.

The four games are Mii Force (a side scrolling shooter), Flower Town (a garden tending game), Warrior's Way (army building), and Monster Manor (a ghost mystery). Each game is $4.99 each, or you can buy all ??fo?ur for $14.99. All of them have new hats to collect.

Iwata has stated previously that 200,000 3DS owners worldwide (wow!) have purchased at least one Streetpass DLC ??game, and that number can only grow wit??h a North American release.

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But they'll cost you

In addition to a feature allowing users to back up their save data for downloadable 3DS games and most Virtual Console titles, Nintendo's newest 3DS firmware update has added premium StreetPass games. Look for all four of them available for purchase in the Mii?? Plaza as the update rolls out to different regions.

There's StreetPass Squad, a shmup from Good-Feel (Kirby's Epic Yarn); Ocarina of Time 3D developer Grezzo's StreetPass Garden; strategy title StreetPass Battle from Spike Chunsoft (Virtue's Last Reward); and Let's Tap studio Prope's haunted-house mystery StreetPass Mansion.

Shame Nintendo couldn't get this update pushed out before E3, as the expo was seemingly one g?iant excuse to get everyone to Str??eetPass one another.

[Thanks, Zach]

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Come November, the 3DS will get one more piece of the p?uzzle that will be the system we were promise??d prior to launch: 3D video recording. You'll be able to capture 3D video of damn near anything you want and share it sans 3D glasses. That's assuming you can get them within the 3D viewing cone, however. Optimal? No, but pretty neat.

Also new to November will be a set of "new experiences" for those busy bees among you who have completed the StreetPass challenges in the Mii Plaza. Since these StreetPass challenges ??rank among the best the 3DS has to offer out of the box and I rescued my Mii from his precarious caged perch long ago, ??some new blood is more than welcome.

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For those of you that don't know, the 3DS has a feature called Streetpass that allows you to swap some data with people you pass by who are also carrying their 3DS. You can collect other people's Miis, rate them, use them to battle monsters and collect hats in a turn based mini-RPG that's built into the 3DS, swap 3D puzzle pieces, and that's just with the built in software. If you have retail titles like Super Street Fighter 4 and Nintendogs + Cats, you can ge??t some game-specific Streetpass action as well.

The problem with Streetpass is that not that many people own a 3DS yet, and those who do seldom seem to carry them around. In fact, I rarel??y see regular DS's in the wild, despite the fa??ct that Nintendo has sold tens of millions of the things in the US over the years.

I was hoping that ?w??ouldn't be the case at an event like E3. I brought my 3DS to the event to see how many Streetpasses I could get. Here's what happened.

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