Fantasy Life (3ds)

[I.M. Weasel]

Im actually thinking of buying a 3ds just for this game. Does anyone have it or have you played it? Ive read lots of good reviews on it, but I wanted to know if there are many/any drawbacks or shortcomings of the game. Do you need any online connectivity or access a lot of the games content/special items? Or maybe connecting with other players?

On another note, is there anyway to reroute a 3ds' visual output to a bigger screen or is there a usb port to plug in a 'controller'?

[Specially Cork]

Got this last week as I love Level-5 and enjoy both Animal Crossing and Rune Factory which this is basically a mash-up of.

It's a very well presented game, is packed with easily over 100 hours of content, and is a really great portable game in that you can easily accomplish something in a spare 10 minutes.

The main drawback is the same one mentioned in reviews really; progression for the sake of completion is the only motivation you're going to get. It lacks the emotional connection you build up with your village in Animal Crossing, and the story is an uninteresting throwaway that can be breezed through in about 10 hours with even a low-level Tailor or Cook.

Most players I know, including myself, just blast through the story for the sake of unlocking the world, so they can spend the rest of their time on the other 99% of the game: levelling up lives to their strongest with near-endless MMORPG-style questing: bring me this, kill 10 of that, find 5 of these etc.

I have no shame in admitting I can easily succumb to the addictive nature of gameplay like that and have definitely gotten my money's worth already with loads left to do, but just be aware that that is what you're getting into.

I'm pretty sure there's mods and cards that let you output the 3DS to another screen, but it's definitely not a standard feature and there's no way I'm aware of to connect another controller.

[Specially Cork]

Oh, I should tack on, I still think it's a great game. The game looks great and the localization is fantastic, plus the world is surprisingly huge with loads of places to explore. The towns are huge and packed with people, plus you can enter every house and find stuff everywhere.

It just might not be for everyone.

Oh, also, there's a massive DLC add-on as well.

[I.M. Weasel]

From the screenshots, I like how it isnt a visual clusterfuck, like many of the games that have the same in-fight style.

Also, truthfully the lack of story sounds good. I'm tired of the old rpg trophe that a single teen character finds he has the power to change the world and he and his friends (who find they have that power too, to a lesser extent) go on a quest to rid the world from evil. (see all the FF games).

Ive been trying to find rpgs i like these days that dont have too much story, but nowadays, thats one of the huge selling points of rpgs.

Side Q: Do I need to sign up with a CC to get the DLC or can I just buy a 'point' card from a store and use that?