GamersCast Exclusive: New Details on Spongebob Squigglepants 3D

As I had posted yesterday, a Spongebob game known as Spongebob Squigglepants will hit the Nintendo 3DS this May after its appearance on uDraw for Wii this April. The game will have nanogames similar to WaroWare's microgames. I had the opportunity through THQ to get some questions answered about how the developers are handling the 3D effect of this game and here is what they had to say:

Q: How important was the stereoscopic 3D in Spongebob Squigglepants' development?
A: The 3D look is important to get a the full effect visually, but it is not necessary for gameplay. In fact the game is designed so you can play it without 3D without penalty.

Q: Is all of the gameplay in 3D and are the live action cut scenes in 3D as well?
A: We were careful to balance what was shown in 3D and what wasn’t. After evaluating the project, we felt restricting the 3D to the games/artwork felt more cohesive, so we made the Patchy and Potty sequences play without 3D.

Spongebob Squigglepants 3D will release on Nintendo 3DS this May. Stay tuned to the GamersCast News Feed for more information on all your most anticipated games.

Nintendo 3DS Costs Under $100 to Build

As many of you know, the Nintendo 3DS will launch this weekend with a launch price of $250. However, a recent report from Eurogamer.net shows that the Nintendo 3DS costs Nintendo under $100 to develop per system. So, essentially Nintendo is making over $150 profit per system sold. While the Nintendo 3DS is currently the cheapest and most accessible form of glasses-free 3D technology, if you somehow bought a 3DS and got another free Nintendo would still be making a profit. Personally, I find this absolutely insane, especially when you compare to the most recent console launches.

Back in 2005, when the Xbox 360 launched, reports showed the Microsoft was actually losing around $50 per Xbox console sold. But they opted to do this to get their console in the hands of consumers at a relatively affordable price. Hopefully, hardware manufacturers won't buy into this strategy that both Nintendo and Apple (where the iPad 2 is earning them over $300 profit per iPad) have taken.

If the Nintendo 3DS doesn't hit their expected launch numbers this Sunday, expect a price drop by early 2012. The original Nintendo DS had a price drop around April 2005, after only being on the market since the previous November. And with the estimated levels of profit Nintendo is making with the 3DS, they would easily be able to afford a price drop, early on in this handheld's life cycle.

My advice: If you're really not sure, if the NIntendo 3DS is worth the $250 plunge, wait for my review videos this weekend, which can be found on my YouTube Channel, at: YouTube.com/GamersCast

Otherwise, if you think you can hold off, wait till Q2 of 2012, as that's when I'm expecting a price drop by. But if Nintendo does hit their mark, it could take a while before we see one (eg: the Wii).

Spongebob Squarepants Making his 3DS Debut this May

Already making his debut on the uDraw GameTablet for Wii on April 12, the world's most famous sponge will get his very own game on the new Nintendo 3DS in May. Spongebob Squigglepants will have players going through over 100 nanogames through seven worlds. If you love the WarioWare franchise, you will be very familiar with the gameplay style of Spongebob Squigglepants. Live action cut scenes will feature Patchy the Pirate as he quides players through the story of the game. Squigglepants will also boast a unique 3D world that boasts a unique art style. Spongebob Squigglepants is being published by THQ and will be released on Nintendo 3DS this May. Stay tuned to GamersCast for more information on the game.

Adam Shear's Nintendo 3DS Launch Coverage

Hey guys! It's Adam Shear. First of all, I just wanna say thanks to everyone who watched Matt, Deo Gen Z, Vladamir Z, and the others who defeated The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 19 hours. We so far have an amazing $753 in donations, all of which is going to The Red Cross to help Japan. I'm leaving the donate button at the bottom of this post in case you also want to chip in. Every dollar counts. I believe you will have until this weekend to donate through us at GamersCast. If you do, we will make a video and in that video Matt will individually thank every donor. If you want to view any of the 19 hour stream, it is all up on youtube.com/gamerscast. It is over 90 parts and every second is there.

As we all know, the launch of Nintendo 3DS is in only nine days! I know that Matt is planning on attending the official Nintendo 3DS launch event in New York City. This should be very exciting and I will let him update you guys on that. Due to my location at the time, I will not be able to be there with him. Instead, I'll be picking it up when my Gamestop opens at 9am on March 27. Immediately after I get it, I will do a live unboxing via my ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/user/AdamShear).

Keep an eye on my Twitter @AdamShear to know exactly when I will be live. I can guarantee if things go according to plan, it will be sometime between 9:15 and 10:30am EST. During my live unboxing I will be obviously taking the 3DS and all of its components out of the box, setting up the system, making a Mii, and setting up Streetpass mode, as well as answering any questions I get. After that I'm guessing I will probably want to eat breakfast and play with the 3DS. I know it is so early in the morning but I will be giving out a SOCOM 4 beta code during my live unboxing. Hopefully that is enough of an incentive to wake up early.

After that, I will not go live again until about 4pm EST. During this time I will be discussing my experiences with my Nintendo 3DS thus far as well as answering any questions I get from you guys, the fans.

My advice is to bookmark this post and/or check it on the 26th as well as keep checking my Twitter account. Everything I have said above is subject to change. I doubt it will change but if it does, I will make note of it both in my Twitter and in this post. Hope to see all of you there!

Nintendo 3DS Hands On Impressions From Someone Who Actually Supports 3D (Updated)

3D is definitely a very interesting and controversial technology. There was a small period of time where people praised 3D but after horrible conversions like Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender, people are only thinking of the technology as an eye straining and headache inducing gimmick that raises the prices of movie tickets and forces you to wear glasses. People sigh and roll their eyes when a movie trailer says "in 3D". I believe the opposite. 3D is an incredibly unique innovation that lets a person view images on a screen the same way their eyes look at the world. Less than an hour as of the time I am writing this, I got to try out Nintendo 3DS. It's 3D without the glasses which in my opinion is the biggest barrier. Was I amazed? Do I think it is the future? Do I think it will make people form a better opinion of 3D? All of this will be answered in my article.

The system itself felt very nice. It was not heavy at all. The buttons felt relatively similar but the analog circle pad felt better than I imagined. It works well as I really like the rubbery texture of it. The game I got to play was Pilotwings Resort, the game I'm planning on buying alongside my 3DS in less than two weeks. Pilotwings itself is very fun and the demo really gave me a full idea of what all the modes in the game are like. There are missions where you go through rings and hoops but what I really loved is the free flight mode where you can fly around the island for two minutes trying to fly into 75 different locations. Just flying in the game and exploring the island in 3D will keep me coming back to it for a while. My only complaint so far is the controls of the jet pack which were a bit hard to maneuver but I'm sure it won't be too hard after a little practice.

Now for my impressions of the 3D. I am about to give a more in depth impression on the 3D than any other impressions I've seen. The bottom line is that it works. I had seen my fair share of 3D televisions at SonyStyle Store and Best Buy before trying out the 3DS there. It definitely was comparable to what I had seen on the 3D screens. It felt great to not wear those heavy glasses. The screen very much seemed like a lenticular lens. The sweet spot for the 3D is fairly small. Moving it slightly will produce a split second glare similar to a lectinular lens and you will lose the effect until you bring it back to the sweet spot. Nothing really popped out of the screen aside from some text but Pilotwings focused on making the screen more of a window to look into. They definitely succeeded in that regard. Wuhu Island looked amazing in 3D and I could spend hours flying over it.

And of course what makes the 3D on Nintendo 3DS special is the 3D slider which allows you to adjust the 3D effect for your eyes. I played around a lot with this. The slider turned up all the way produces the most powerful effect but the sweet spot is incredibly small. You pretty much have to keep it completely still. I also found it very daunting on my eyes. It was hard to play with the slider all the way up. I found that keeping the slider about half way produced the best effect for my eyes. The effect was still present (maybe not as much as it was when the slider was at the max), there was a much larger sweet spot, and it was much easier on my eyes. Pilotwings also looked nice in 2D but the 3D effect was much cooler. I saw no performance drop between 2D and 3D but I still have to experiment with this further to really figure it out. I played the 3DS for about 25 minutes and I'll be honest, I had a small headache on the drive home. Not sure whether it was the 3DS or the additional 20 minutes of IMAX Under the Sea 3D at the SonyStyle store (the 3DS was the last 3D I saw today)but 3D will cause these health problems. I felt really good while playing it. It was only afterwards where I started to feel ill. It was pretty minor and it did not effect my overall impressions of the 3DS.

I cannot wait for the Nintendo 3DS to come out and it really blew me away. I really hope 3D is here to stay and that the 3DS will help people form a better opinion of 3D. It definitely has the power to do that.

Update: I have gone back to play it a second time and have answered many of the questions I got as well as answered some of my own questions. As to how motion controls and 3D could work, I found that moving the 3DS vertically (up and down) still kept the 3D effect but moving it left and right is going to be a potential disaster. I'm guessing some of the AR games will be fine in 3D but games like Face Raiders might not keep the effect so well. The 3D effect with the slider up to the max felt a bit better this time but again, I found it much easier to play with the slider about half way. The effect is noticeably less as the slider is moved down but thankfully it is not a major difference, even as the slider is the furthest down it can be before going into 2D. Again, no major difference in game performance between 2D and 3D. Last but not least, no health problems this time around. Maybe it's a little harder for me to focus my eyes on stuff for the time being but that really is not a huge problem. I only played fifteen minutes versus the twenty five I did yesterday but even still, I pretty much proved that the 3D effect will take some getting used to. Pilotwings is still fun and the game and the 3D effect looks amazing.

Ocarina of Time for Japan!

As many of you know, there was massive 8.9 earthquake followed by a tsunami that struck Japan. So, we here at GamersCast decided we are going to help in the only way we know how! We are going to do a live Ocarina of Time marathon doing the game from start to finish Wednesday night at 8 PM (EDT).

We are doing this to help benefit Japan's relief fund. 100% of all donations will go directly to the Japanese relief fund. The entire GamersCast homepage will be take down and replaced with the live feed at that time!

If you can't make it to the live stream you can still donate now, simply click the Chip In button above. Everyone who donates will be thanked by name in a thank you video. This event can't be a success without you guys, so please tune in! THANKS!

Pokemon Black and White Sell Big with New Song

Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version have sold through 1.08 million copies on launch day alone. This is definitely an impressive number beating Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Versions by over 300,000 copies.

In honor of the release of Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version, a new theme song for the new games has been announced today. The song is called "Can't Stop (Catchin' 'Em All)" and is written and performed by The Presidents of the United States of America. The song features many of the 156 new Pokemon introduced in the new games. Hope your having fun playing Pokemon Black and White. Download and listen to the new song here and also be sure to check out DeoGenZ's review of the game in the news feed and my interview with serebii.net webmaster Joe Merrick in our podcast feed either on the gamerscastpodcast.com home page or through iTunes.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood DLC - Da Vinci Disappearance Review

So, a new DLC for Assassin's Creed came out today. This one is available on both Xbox Live and PSN retailing for $10 (800 Microsoft Points). Essentially, without spoiling too much, Leonardo Da Vinci was kidnapped and you have to get him back. You may be wondering why I was so brief with the description. Well, the reason is, if I said anymore it could spoil the whole thing. The single player campaign added on is that short! I cleared the whole thing in just about 2 hours, despite the fact that I did make a lot of careless mistakes along the way. But for those two hours you can expect the same quality quests that you'd expect from the main game.

On top of that, two extra dungeons were added. And the only other thing added was some new multiplayer modes. And if you've played Brotherhood's multiplayer already you basically know what you're getting yourself into. Nothing that is added is that drastic to drive you to play the game anymore than you already do.

My primary gripe against this expansion is the price and the amount of added gameplay you get for it. Is 2 hours and some extra multiplayer worth $10? Hello no. If this expansion was say $5, I'd say, hey, you get what you pay for and I'd probably give the whole pack a 9 out of 10. There are quality missions here that match those of the main game along the great voice work and cutscenes that you've already come to know from Brotherhood. But again, the amount of time you get, isn't worth the purchase price. When this DLC goes on sale, make a jump for it, but until then....


FINAL SCORE: 8 out of 10

Master Quest is included in Zelda 3DS

It has been said that very few things in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS remake will be changed from the original. Nintendo confirmed that the pre-rendered backgrounds are all being replaced and the art style has obviously changed, but they've also said that there is no bonus content and it will be a straight port of the original.

However, Nintendo has recently also confirmed that the Ocarina of Time Master Quest expansion will be included in the OoT 3DS remake. Master Quest was originally released for the failed Nintendo 64 disk drive console expansion, which released in Japan only. But those outside the land of the rising sun, didn't get to experience Master Quest until the 2003 pre-order bonus for Wind Waker. That pre-order bonus was two straight ports (most likely emulations) shoved on a Gamecube disc as a free gift to those who pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Master Quest is the exact storyline of Ocarina of Time, with all of the game dungeon's replaced with harder challenges and more difficult obstacles. So, if you weren't a Zelda fan back in '03 and didn't get the chance to experience Master Quest, the OoT 3DS remake will a great time to do it.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS remake is expected to launch sometime around June with an expected MSRP of $40. Though it is possible that Nintendo could release this game as a budget title since essentially these games are straight port from 90's Nintendo 64 games. (fingers crossed for a $20 price tag)

Pokemon Black & White Written Review

A new generation of Pokemon has emerged for the Nintendo Ds. But will this last 2D adventure with a 3D perspective bid fond farewell to the system or simply be a repetitive pass?

The overall structure of the Pokemon RPG remains intact. You start as a kid in a small town with big ambitions receiving your first Pokemon from the local PokeProf. You’ll have the stock “Evil Team” to beat as usual, but unlike teams of the past, morality comes into question. The story won’t have you on the edge of your seat, but often you’ll find yourself contemplating the rights and relationships of Pokemon and you. This time around you’ll be filling your pokedex with 150 new creatures exclusively (before the National Dex). It’s amazingly refreshing to not have to spam through the same Rattatas and Zubats for the millionth time. Obscure Pokemon coupled with familiar mechanics, create a real drive to try and apply what you’ve learned in past generations to the current. Newcomers will find plenty of useful info from the townspeople and also from the newly added “Help” option found on Pcs at all Pokemon Centers.

Aside from help and healing, Pokemon Centers are now fused with the GTS & market. Streamline features that fans have been asking for such as trading on the fly, battles over Wi-Fi without friend codes, and seasons are all present. Black/ White evolve player connectivity even to the point of video chat on Dsi/ DsiXl. A great majority of the depth in these games come from these features. It will truly test all would be Pokemon Masters laughing in the face of NPCs. Pokemon will never be a lonesome experience so long as there is a Wi-Fi connection in range! The Pokemon Company has even gone as far as to step up the online solo experience for all you dreamers out there.

Launching on March 30^th the Pokemon Global Link (accessed via computer) gives the user access to player stats around the world and entry into a new concept called the dream world. In it players have a chance to meet exclusive Pokemon, grow berries, and receive downloadable content for their game. Many of these wonderful features have been simplified as a touch menu on the bottom screen called C-Gear, which is fully accessible at any time during your adventure.

Excellent features aside some of this generation’s Pokemon look utterly ridiculous. When ice cream cones and garbage bags start becoming Pokemon, it may be time to hang up the pencil and sketch pad for a while. Thankfully you can transfer all of your Pokemon from past generation Ds tittles, but not before beating the main quest. Although a tad off putting at first when given a chance, unknown Pokemon and circumstances become exhilarating! My suggestion to everyone is play the game the way it was intended (w/o past gen pkmn in the main quest), otherwise you’ll just be ruining it for yourself.

Pokemon Black & White are the pinnacle of portable Pokemon pleasures. With the addition of seasons and tilted camera for 3D effect the games overworld looks fantastic. Battles are enhanced with moving sprites and increased speeds, but pixilation lessens the fluidity of their movement at times. Veterans and new comers alike will find endless hours of enjoyment whether it’s connecting with friends or becoming a true Pokemon Master. That’s why I (DeoGenZ) give Pokemon Black & White a 9.6/ 10

This will be an excellent game to pick up for the 3Ds when good quality launch titles are low. For more information about the games head on over to www.youtube.com/spongmario and enjoy the Walkthroughs of Black & White.

Final Score 9.6

Nintendo Announces Big Things at GDC

Moments ago, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata left the GDC stage and left audiences with important messages about the industry. He and Nintendo of America's president Reggie Flis-Amie (who made a surprise appearance) announced some missing pieces to the Nintendo 3DS puzzle and announced an exciting new game. Here is a brief rundown of the major announcements

-Netflix streaming will be available on Nintendo 3DS this Summer

- The first worldwide update in late May will bring the e-shop, web browser, ability to transfer DSi Ware games, access to over 10,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots (in US at least), and 3D Hollywood movie trailers starting with The Green Lantern (trailers might not come until June)

-Aside from Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, Game Gear and Turbografx 16 games will be part of the 3DS' Virtual Console

- 3D video recording on Nintendo 3DS confirmed and will come eventually

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will be released in June

- Miyamoto is working on plans to help Nintendo celebrate The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary which is this year

- New The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword trailer was shown

- Iwata unveiled the first screenshots and information on the new Super Mario Bros. game on Nintendo 3DS tentatively called Super Mario and from the mysterious logo there looks to be an interesting twist to the gameplay. Super Mario will be fully unveiled at E3 in June.

If you would like to contact Adam Shear, the author of this post, you may do so at adam@gamerscastpodcast.com

Cartoon Network's Best Battling it Out in 3D

Crave Games has officially announced that Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion is coming to Nintendo 3DS. What is Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion? Think about a game like Super Smash Bros. only with Cartoon Network's most iconic characters. Favorites from shows such as The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and more. You even get the not as good (that's just my opinion) characters from present Cartoon Network shows such as Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Eighteen characters will be included along with nineteen assist characters to help you in combat.

Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion will feature thirty two single player levels over twenty one arenas from your favorite Cartoon Network shows. There will a story mode and battle mode. Online multiplayer has also been announced for the game.

Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion looks to be a blast from the past for people my age who grew with many of these shows as well as kids who are growing up with Cartoon Network's current shows. Check out Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion when it releases on Nintendo 3DS in May. If you don't have a 3DS, you can always wait for it to come out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii this holiday season.

Stay tuned to GamersCast Podcast's news feed for the latest news on Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion and all your favorite games.

If you would like to contact Adam Shear, the author of this post, you can do so at adam@gamerscastpodcast.com

Nintendo 3DS Launches in Japan

This past Saturday the Nintendo 3DS has launched in Japan, with an initial shipment of over 400,000 units, which instantly sold out across the country. And upon quickly releasing the second shipment, that sold out too. So, it looks like the 3DS is going to be making a powerful impact, whether that impact will surpass that of the last DS generation remains to be seen.

However, now that the 3DS is out and in the hands of gamers, we're learning more and more about the system. Some of it good, some of it, not so much.

As far as the bad goes, there are reports of massive eye strain when using the Nintendo 3DS for extended periods of time. Nintendo of Japan has released a statement saying that gamers should take a 15 minute break from playing, after every 30 minutes of playtime. That's twice the advisory they have with a typical console or previous handheld game. So, may we have yet another Virtual Boy on our hands? That remains to be seen.

The Virtual Boy was Nintendo's first attempt at full-3D gaming in the mid-90's and it only released 16 titles since, and was swiftly taken off the market afterwards. It's interesting to note this, as only 16 titles were released at launch for 3DS.

Another thing to note is, despite months of arguing that the anti-piracy technology is groundbreaking and that the platform is unbreakable, within the first weekend of the handheld's release, images of an R4 running successfully on the device have already been seen. And while it may not be "fully hacked" yet, it's still interesting to note the homebrew community have already made such impressive strides with the system.

The Nintendo 3DS will launch in North America on March 27 for $250.00 Nintendo says they want over 4 million units circulating worldwide by the end of March.

GamersCast Interview with Serebii

We at GamersCast Podcast are happy to announce the start of our epic coverage of Pokemon Black and White versions releasing in the US in only eight days. We are starting our blowout coverage with an interview with Joe Merrick. I'm sure you probably don't know who he is but if you are a hardcore Pokemon fan, you definitely know his work. He is the founder and webmaster of serebii.net, the number one Pokemon fansite and online database in the world. I got to talk to him and learn about his opinions on the Pokemon video games, anime and more. He also shares his opinion on Pokemon Black and White and discusses why he thinks its the best Pokemon game ever made. Look forward to listening to that when we release it on March 1 which is three days from now. You will be able to listen to it by going to gamerscastpodcast.com or by searching "GamersCast: Video Game Podcasting" on iTunes.

If you would like to contact Adam Shear, the author of this post. You can do so at adam@gamerscastpodcast.com.

Sony Giving PS3 and PSP Gamers Even Better Deals

Sony today has announced some price cuts that will be of great benefit to all gamers. First, they cut the price of the PSP down to $129.99. This is great deal that also comes with lower prices for games. New releases such as God of War: Ghost of Sparta and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars will now be as low as $29.99. Some PSP favorites such as Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Assassin's Creed Bloodlines are now Greatest Hits titles that will cost only $19.99. And legacy PSP titles such as Daxter and Killzone Liberation are now in the PSP Favorites brand and will cost an extremely low price of $9.99.

These are some great price drops but Sony did not stop there. It also added a few amazing PlayStation 3 titles to its Greatest Hits branding. The newcomers which include Heavy Rain, God of War III, ModNation Racers, UFC Undisputed 2010, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Game of the Year Edition will now all cost only $29.99. This is a huge price drop for some of the PS3's greatest games. If you are thinking about buying a PS3, these amazing games at lower prices could be a deciding factor.

If you would like to contact Adam Shear, the author of this post, you can do so at adam@gamerscastpodcast.com

Gears of War 3 Has a Release Date

Remember the days where we thought Gears of War 3 would release on April 8? Well those dreams were destroyed thanks to Microsoft who delayed Gears of War 3 in order for it to become the marquee title for their 2011 holiday season.
Today, Epic Games has announced that Gears of War 3 will be releasing on September 20. This date really comes as no surprise since many of Microsoft's big titles like the last three major Halo games were released in September. If you really can't wait until then to play it, make sure you pick up a copy of Bulletstorm on Xbox 360 in which the first couple shipments of the Epic Edition contain an invite to the Gears of War 3 beta.