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The Official Video Game Help Thread!

Hey guys, I'm looking for a sort of specific recommendation. I'm going through this phase right now where I can't be bothered to play video games without a good, meaningful story to make me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. This brought my attention to Shin Megami Tensei, supposedly a role-playing game series filled with symbolism and subtext that'll make a pretentious college kid like me cream his pants with cries of "METAPHOR!!! ANALYSIS!!!" Anyway, I got the original Shin Megami Tensei on my iPhone and I'm liking it so far, although I think I'm spending too much time grinding for my liking. Anyway, that's not really my question.

I've also been playing the demo of Metal Gear Solid 3D for a while now, and for the longest time I hated it because I couldn't figure out the menus, but I finally had a eureka moment and figured out how the menus work and now I'm actually really liking it. Basically, what all this boils down to is that I have $20.00 to spend on the eShop and I want to know which has a better story: Metal Gear Solid 3 or Shin Megami Tensei IV? Anybody who's played either of these games would have valuable input. Thanks in advance!
 
Hey guys, I'm looking for a sort of specific recommendation. I'm going through this phase right now where I can't be bothered to play video games without a good, meaningful story to make me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. This brought my attention to Shin Megami Tensei, supposedly a role-playing game series filled with symbolism and subtext that'll make a pretentious college kid like me cream his pants with cries of "METAPHOR!!! ANALYSIS!!!" Anyway, I got the original Shin Megami Tensei on my iPhone and I'm liking it so far, although I think I'm spending too much time grinding for my liking. Anyway, that's not really my question.

I've also been playing the demo of Metal Gear Solid 3D for a while now, and for the longest time I hated it because I couldn't figure out the menus, but I finally had a eureka moment and figured out how the menus work and now I'm actually really liking it. Basically, what all this boils down to is that I have $20.00 to spend on the eShop and I want to know which has a better story: Metal Gear Solid 3 or Shin Megami Tensei IV? Anybody who's played either of these games would have valuable input. Thanks in advance!

Never played MGS3D but I have played SMT:IV so I'm going to recommend it. It follows the chaotic, neutral, lawful setup. Every decision leans you towards one of those three paths and affects how the last half of the game goes. There is a lot of deciding whats moral and if the moral thing is the right thing to do. While the story is amazing you HAVE to grind and do tons of demon fusing so if you don't particularly enjoy that you probably wont have as much fun with SMT. The only thing I didn't like about the game and think is a huge negative is the map. It has about 4 million locations on it and is like micro sized. Also nothing is labeled on it so you just kinda have to remember which little square is what.
 
Never played MGS3D but I have played SMT:IV so I'm going to recommend it. It follows the chaotic, neutral, lawful setup. Every decision leans you towards one of those three paths and affects how the last half of the game goes. There is a lot of deciding whats moral and if the moral thing is the right thing to do. While the story is amazing you HAVE to grind and do tons of demon fusing so if you don't particularly enjoy that you probably wont have as much fun with SMT. The only thing I didn't like about the game and think is a huge negative is the map. It has about 4 million locations on it and is like micro sized. Also nothing is labeled on it so you just kinda have to remember which little square is what.

Thanks for the tip. I've never played Dragon Age or Hyperdimension Neptunia so I'm afraid I can't return the favor and answer your questions up there. Sorry :p

Playing the original Shin Megami Tensei on my iPhone, I thought the first-person dungeon-crawling coupled with the extremely simplistic over-world navigation (where you're just an arrow moving down the streets connecting the first-person segments) would bore me to death, but this is how the entire game is presented, so all of the well-written dialog and story is unfolded here. It adds up to a game that really gives me inspiration to fill in the gaps with my imagination, if you get what I'm saying. It's like the feeling I got playing Pokemon when I was a kid. I'd imagine a game released two years ago is even better at this than a game that's older than I am.

I really like seeing what all the different demons look like and do, so I think I'll be fine with the demon fusing as long as it isn't random. The two things you mentioned that worry me are the grinding and the map, which I've heard elsewhere is really bad. Hopefully, spending my childhood playing Pokemon has numbed me to grinding, and hopefully what I've found with the original being well-constructed enough that I can recognize where I am at any time will hold true for SMT IV. The way you said that there's "about 4 million" things on the map leads me to believe that SMT IV has a lot of those "little things" that add up to a memorable experience like I've been having with the first game. Would you say that's true? Minutiae like talking to your mother in the first game, that's the "little things" that create a believable world to experience the story within, so I hope it's well-done.
 
Thanks for the tip. I've never played Dragon Age or Hyperdimension Neptunia so I'm afraid I can't return the favor and answer your questions up there. Sorry :p

Playing the original Shin Megami Tensei on my iPhone, I thought the first-person dungeon-crawling coupled with the extremely simplistic over-world navigation (where you're just an arrow moving down the streets connecting the first-person segments) would bore me to death, but this is how the entire game is presented, so all of the well-written dialog and story is unfolded here. It adds up to a game that really gives me inspiration to fill in the gaps with my imagination, if you get what I'm saying. It's like the feeling I got playing Pokemon when I was a kid. I'd imagine a game released two years ago is even better at this than a game that's older than I am.

I really like seeing what all the different demons look like and do, so I think I'll be fine with the demon fusing as long as it isn't random. The two things you mentioned that worry me are the grinding and the map, which I've heard elsewhere is really bad. Hopefully, spending my childhood playing Pokemon has numbed me to grinding, and hopefully what I've found with the original being well-constructed enough that I can recognize where I am at any time will hold true for SMT IV. The way you said that there's "about 4 million" things on the map leads me to believe that SMT IV has a lot of those "little things" that add up to a memorable experience like I've been having with the first game. Would you say that's true? Minutiae like talking to your mother in the first game, that's the "little things" that create a believable world to experience the story within, so I hope it's well-done.

Thankfully demon fusing is not random. Its a lot of needing to be a certain level, in a certain part of the story, or having to complete a certain quest. If you do get burnt out on the grinding you can buy a piece of 1 dollar DLC that helps with that. each fight you win in it drops an item that gives you a free level but it takes a lot of the experience away I think. there are a ton of little things that add up to the big story and it is worth it to do a lot of the side missions because they make you think. What is difficult is that some cities you need to get into are in two sections of Japan and the only way to get to one half of the city is to go through a tunnel in a third completely unrelated section. So it is fun but it is unrelentingly long until you get the ability to fly. I personally had to pull up 2 different maps online to help me get the hang of all the different tunnels. But once to finnish that side quest that needs you to go to every remote spot in each section you will never feel more accomplished. :)
 
Personally, having played both games... I'd definitely say Metal Gear Solid 3D is worth the time. The menus aren't too fun, but the game itself is amazing. SMT IV is good too though.
Pretty hard choice you put yourself in imo. I'd definitely get to MGS3D at some point though.
 
Personally, having played both games... I'd definitely say Metal Gear Solid 3D is worth the time. The menus aren't too fun, but the game itself is amazing. SMT IV is good too though.
Pretty hard choice you put yourself in imo. I'd definitely get to MGS3D at some point though.

It would probably make more sense for me to get Shin Megami Tensei IV because Metal Gear Solid 3D is just one version of the game, and from what I understand it's not the best version, but I'm in a position where I have no options other than the 3DS. I highly doubt it's going to be that way for ever, though, so maybe I should hold out on Metal Gear. Not to mention it takes up way more space on the SD card than SMT IV.
 
If those are the circumstances, maybe SMTIV would be the better choice. Be wary of the story choices you make though. =w=;
 
So...I have a question! I'm planning on buying a Nintendo New 3DS later this year, and there's one thing I'm wondering: is it possible to buy games like Pokemon Yellow off of the Virtual Console for the New 3DS? Or can you only buy the Pokemon games from the regular 3DS/2DS VC? If I get a New 3DS, I want to buy Earthbound and Pokemon Yellow, but I wonder if it's possible to buy the old Pokemon games from the New 3DS VC.
 
So...I have a question! I'm planning on buying a Nintendo New 3DS later this year, and there's one thing I'm wondering: is it possible to buy games like Pokemon Yellow off of the Virtual Console for the New 3DS? Or can you only buy the Pokemon games from the regular 3DS/2DS VC? If I get a New 3DS, I want to buy Earthbound and Pokemon Yellow, but I wonder if it's possible to buy the old Pokemon games from the New 3DS VC.
You can absolutely download Yellow version! There are only a handful of games that are actually system specific.
 
I have a tachnical issue.

I was playing my Pokemon White 2, on my Nintendo 2DS.

When I pressed the "game icon" on the 2DS screen to start the game, the screens went black, like usual when a game is started and tries to load, but the screens stayed black, and didn´t continue to load.
I pressed the power button to turn off the console, but it did not respond, for some reason. The game was frozen on the black screen and wouldn´t respond or load. I pressed the power off button a few more times, took the cart out, and put it in again, but the black screens didn´t change, and the game didn´t turn off either. I left it, and when I checked it 2 minutes later, the console had finally turned off. I then turned it on again, and my Pokemon White 2 loaded and played normally.

Is this a common bug? And is it my 2DS or my White 2 that freezes?

I have had that same thing happen to me 2 or 3 more times when playing my Pokemon X on that same console. However, back then (on Pokemon X), the black screen happened when pressing the power button to turn OFF the console (during gameplay). While this time, it happened when trying to load the game from the 2DS icon screen. It is the first time it happens for White 2.

Also, this time, as I mentioned, it lasted 2-3 minutes, but back on Pokemon X, it stayed frozen for hours and I had to wait for the battery to empty so the console would turn off.

Therefore, my guess is that the 2DS freezes, and not the actual cartridge. I don´t know if this is common, or is it something more serious?
 
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@Meta Boss Does this same issue happen to any other game while using your 2DS? Or can you test your White 2 on another console?

I'd also probably check for scratches on the White 2 cartridge. Is it banged up in anyway? Cause that could affect how it plays.
 
Does this same issue happen to any other game while using your 2DS?
As I said, it has happened at least 2 more times while playing my Pokemon X (a year ago iirc). So it is the first time this happens while playing my White 2 game, but it is the third or fourth time this has happened overall, while using this 2DS.

The difference is that this time, it happened when trying to load the game (White2), while with Pokemon X, it happened when trying to turn the game off from the power button.
Or can you test your White 2 on another console?
I can´t. I only have this 2DS :(
I'd also probably check for scratches on the White 2 cartridge. Is it banged up in anyway? Cause that could affect how it plays.
Well, I actually made a whole thread about this, which I hope you will check. (Is my new game really "NEW"? (please give your opinions!)) I wanted to hear people´s opinions, but only one person has answered sofar.

In essence, I bought my White 2 "brand new and sealed", from Amazon UK marketplace, but I have my doubts if it really is brand new, as it has some suspicious small imperfections/scratches on the top. However, the cartridge appears quite new elsewhere. It only has those imperfections on the top...

And I haven´t banged or dropped my White 2 at all. Whether somebody has damaged it before me, I don´t know. But I did buy it as "New and Sealed" so I hope it hasn´t been used by anyone but me...
 
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I also have an issue with a 2DS, but this one in mechanical. I'm pretty diligent about making sure it doesn't get dusty or anything, but inevitably some things slip through. Sometimes my Circle Pad will resist being pushed in one direction or another, and so I need to wiggle it around to get it working smoothly again, until it catches again. I'm pretty much certain it's just some crumbs of something or other that slipped inside the 2DS and get in the way of the Circle Pad moving smoothly, so I'm just looking for some pointers about unscrewing the plastic and fiddling around inside my 2DS. All I'm probably gonna do is crack it open and dust out the insides, maybe take some compressed air and do it that way, but I don't understand electronics at all so I want reassurance that I'm not gonna do something wrong and make the 2DS freak out when I screw it back together.

Also, this is minor and I imagine it's not worth the effort, but as much as I try to keep dust off of the screens, some dust has managed to find its way inside the screen, meaning I just have to let it sit there inside the screen, taunting me. It's mostly concentrated around the bottom-left corner of the top screen, so I'm assuming it isn't perfectly air-tight in that corner. I don't know if there's anything to do about that, I likely won't bother at the risk of messing it up somehow.
 
Hey everyone! Just was wondering if you could help me out.

I'm wanting to buy the original Xenoblade Chronicles but am not sure to get it on the Wii U VC or N3DS. I've heard that downloading the VC version onto an external drive (which I have) will cause other games stored on it to freeze up or cause frame rate drops in-game. Anyways, thanks in advance if you can help me out. :)
 
Hey everyone! Just was wondering if you could help me out.

I'm wanting to buy the original Xenoblade Chronicles but am not sure to get it on the Wii U VC or N3DS. I've heard that downloading the VC version onto an external drive (which I have) will cause other games stored on it to freeze up or cause frame rate drops in-game. Anyways, thanks in advance if you can help me out. :)

First off let me say that Xenoblade Chronicles is a great game, and I've played both Wii and 3ds versions both are psychical copies so I can't say anything about the VC one freezing and messing stuff up. So lets look at the two other big factors and some small ones. First, do you want to play on the go? yes? 3DS. No? Wii. the other big thing is does price matter? Wii U VC is 19.99 while the 3DS is 39.99 of both new and used(at gamestop) I also want to make sure that you have a "New" 3DS as the game uses a mini circle pad to adjust the camera and you'll need that. It's also recommended that if you get the Wii version to use a classic controller for playing the game, but it's not necessary and you can play with the gamepad and I have no idea what that is like. The Wii one has better graphies but it's not that big of a downgrade since you'll have a smaller screen. There is also some layout differences like the map and status being on the bottom screen of the 3DS. Here is a side by side video of the graphics.(Warning said video contains spoilers for the start of the game, but the first few seconds should be enough to show you what it's like, and no spoilers in those seconds.)

All in all you need to chose which one fits you the best, and which one will be the better experience for you.
 
Does anyone knows why my original Nintendo DS has some lines on the top screen? The DS is 11 years old and it haven't been damaged as far as I know of. The lines doesn't cause any problems to the system and games play just fine and normally except that the lines are annoying.

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@Kirby4ever Hello I am not completely sure, but I think the lines may have appeared on the screen by pressure that was put on the top screen possibly.
 
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Does anyone know of any guides on what amount of experience Prowlers/Palicos get from hunting different types of monsters in Monster Hunter Generations? There is no "next level from x amount of exp" thing like in a lot of rpg's, or at least not one I've seen. So I don't know which monsters are the best to hunt. actually along with that does anyone know if there is a guide on how much a cat takes to level up at different levels? Like how much does a level 5 cat compare to a level 15 one, for example?
 
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