[QUOTE="SaikaiDreams"]

I consider the original DS and the 3DS to all be part of the same line.

Pixel-Perfect

If you're involved enough to post at a gaming forum, you should be involved enough to know the the 3DS is a different console from the DS.

Gaming is all I do outside of work. I read every major site and follow every piece of significant gaming news. And even after reading the arguments presented here, I still feel that the 3DS is just a DS with gimmicky 3D. I forgot to mention in my original post that I absolutely despise Nintendo, and vowed to never buy another Nintendo product after the absymal and hilariously bad Wii. I have zero respect for Nintendo and their gimmicks.

But alas, there are some non-Nintendo games that interest me that are only on the 3DS. At first it was just Etrian Odyssey that interested me, and I couldn't justify the purchase of a 3DS for one game, but recently the list has expanded to include Bravely Default, Code of Princess, Devil Summoner, Devil Survivor, and Unchained Blades. Yes I realize some of these aren't stateside yet, but I live in Japan, so problem solved.

So I think it's inevitable that I'll pick up a 3DS for the exclusive titles. My opinion on Nintendo will probably never change, but the question is will they just screw me mildly by just continuing to make kiddy garbage, or screw me hard by continuing to make kiddy garbage AND announce a new system in the (yes, THE) DS line like 10 seconds after I buy a 3DS?

I'd put my flameshield up, but insults from Nintendo fanboys have about the same impact as a water gun.

Since the original DS they've released new pieces of hardware that improve the old hardware, one piece at a time. I consider the original DS and the 3DS to all be part of the same line. Right now Nintendo is up to 3DS XL. Are there any rumors even of the next iteration coming anytime soon? I'm interested in the 3DS XL, but I know if I buy it, and then a month later they annouce the 3DS XL iLite Awesome XLi edition, I'm gonna be really disappointed.

Let me just throw out some characteristics about myself. Please tell me if you think Guild Wars 2 would be a good investment.

- I am tired of WoW formula MMOs. I decently enjoyed WoW back in the day, but never took a character to max (just got too bored too quick). Now, every MMO is really just a variation on WoW, and it's boring. The closest to a fun/unique experience I've had was with Rift, but that really only lasted about two weeks.

- Major Diablo fan, but I was sorely disappointed with Diablo 3. In fact, I'd go so far as to say Diablo 3 just straight up sucks. Diablo 3 has convinced me that I'll never play another "RPG" without proper character development, either in the classical sense (attribute/skill points), or in some new and innovative way. I just will not play an RPG that doesn't give me any choice in development, even if it is just an "illusion" of choice.

- I love near-impossible difficulty games. I'm a proud owner of Demon Souls platinum, and I have beat "I Wanna Be The Guy," start to finish. Overcoming obstacles that at first seem impossible is what drives me to play a game more and more. Sadly, this is increasingly lost in games as time goes on.

- Sadly, I'm an adult now with a full time job and many real life responsibilities. In one way, this has made me value my game time more. Super satisfying to work a 10 hour day, come home, and play a game. It just makes that one or two hours a day so much more awesome. But that's just it: I can't really dedicate more than one or two hours to a game per day.

- I am an achievement junkie. I know, I know, "they don't have any meaning," "they're not worth anything," etc. Trust me, I know. But I'm the kinda guy who will play a super crappy game JUST for the achievements. Seeing a progress bar fill is probably the 3rd or 4th most satisfying thing in life for me. Not just gaming, but in work as well --- I put so much into my work in my off-time as well, just because I want to make more progress in my projects. Similarly, I love to "work" in games. When I tried Lord of the Rings Online, I spent more time just going for all the exploration achievements and stuff than actually fighting, and man, it was fun.

Sorry, I don't have a Buccaneer and I don't feel like creating one and playing it enough to get some skills to try this out myself, but what in the world are "Chase" skills?  Everyone talks about them like it's a common term or something, but honestly I have no idea what it means.

Awesome, thanks a lot Hadoken!

Hehe, unfortunately no. It's some new social network kind of thing where you "pin" stuff you find on the internet. I kind of want to see if it will work as a personal scratch pad sort of thing, so when I find a piece of code or something I found useful, I can pin it to my board for later reference, rather than just bookmark it and then have it get lost in my sea of random bookmarks.

Anyone got Pinterest that can send me an invite? Please send me a PM and I'll reply with my e-mail. Just kinda curious to see what is so great about it.

My question got totally ignored on the last page, so here we go again:

Star Ocean The Last Hope, Trinity Universe, or Disgaea 4 (it's out where I live): which would you spend your time on and why?

I'm looking for a J-RPG with the most focus on leveling up your characters and items via fighting, material gathering, and crafting. I'm a fan of tedious, repetitive work. I always enjoy grinding to become more powerful/hit harder/last longer, especially when you can see the results of your efforts (i.e. one shotting a boss that previously wiped you).

Points to consider:

1) I liked the previous Star Ocean games.
2) Trinity Universe looks like what I want, but the reviews are somewhere between "poor" and "mediocre."
3) I did not like Disgaea 1 (so I never tried any of the sequels either), but for some reason it seems like it would be fun now.

Star Ocean The Last Hope, Trinity Universe, or Disgaea 4 (it's out where I live): which would you spend your time on and why?

I'm looking for a J-RPG with the most focus on leveling up your characters and items via fighting, material gathering, and crafting. I'm a fan of tedious, repetitive work. I always enjoy grinding to become more powerful/hit harder/last longer, especially when you can see the results of your efforts (i.e. one shotting a boss that previously wiped you).

Points to consider:

1) I liked the previous Star Ocean games.
2) Trinity Universe looks like what I want, but the reviews are somewhere between "poor" and "mediocre."
3) I did not like Disgaea 1 (so I never tried any of the sequels either), but for some reason it seems like it would be fun now.

I didn't enjoy EVE because the game has already been around for too long, and the way the system works, it is literally impossible to "catch up" to people who have been around as long as you. Veterans of the game will tell you that this doesn't matter, newbies can still be an asset, but I don't like knowing that no matter what I do, I can never be on top.

SaikaiDreams