Features

Get involved! The PG Community Round-up (19/08/13 - 02/09/13)

The most talked about stories, biggest site announcements, and more

Get involved! The PG Community Round-up (19/08/13 - 02/09/13)
|
Every two weeks, I like to look back at the three big topics of conversation that got everyone talking over the past 14 days, and collect them here for you to get involved with. This round-up is also the perfect opportunity for you to catch up on the latest happenings from around the world of Pocket Gamer: competitions you might have missed, big features we've launched. That sort of thing.

In this particular round-up... a new 3DS sans the 3D, the revival of Dungeon Keeper is unveiled, and the hot new portable that you're currently enjoying.

Onwards!


The Big Three 1. The Nintendo 2DS is a thing and opinion is divided:

In a surprise announcement, Nintendo unveiled the newest member of the "3DS family", the Nintendo 2DS. Featuring a wedge-like design, and lacking 3D, it's a curious addition to The Big N's line-up of hardware.

Eriatarka exclaimed "wow that looks awful, tiny screen and uncomfortable (probably) to hold", while Bhavukjain noted that it was "awful design". Jonmorris could only muster "why oh why oh why?" as his response to the announcement.

William Hartman came to the defence of the new system though, pointing out that "an awful lot of people did not care for the 3D gimmick" and that "this 2DS looks an awful lot like the Wii U controller, which is actually comfortable to hold".

One of my favourite comments of the fortnight came out of this story, with Zillabrad stating "I will wait for the 2DS XL".

2. The new Dungeon Keeper's tone is slightly off, maybe:

Gamescom fell into the last two weeks of coverage, and at the show a new Dungeon Keeper was announced. The classic PC franchise is going freemium, and is changing the graphical stylings somewhat for a new audience.

Funem thought that "the graphics have been ruined from the original version, it's all to cute now, should look dirty and squalid like the original" and though GlennX correctly pointed out that that was "largely due to the fact (the original) ran in 320x200 pixels with a 256 colour palette", I can see Funem's point.

The usual anti-freemium argument was made, but MW1 offered this balanced approach to whether it will work in Dungeon Keeper: "we'll just have to see when it comes out - and thanks to it being free, you can do so without paying anything". Very true.

3. You're surprisingly excited about the Wikipad:

The Wikipad is essentially a mid-spec tablet with a dedicated controller attached, much like the Nvidia Shield. I was personally a little sceptical at the relevance of the gizmo. You think quite differently though.

Michael Hamer was cautiously optimistic "I love the idea & the controls look reasonably solid, but the Tegra 3's are past their prime now. If they were to release a mk2 with a Tegra 4 perhaps, then I'm interested".

Jeffro Bodine was far more enthusiastic. He claims that "this tablet is solid, the controls are fantastic and well built. And the best part: nearly every game that works natively with the Nvidia Shield supports the physical controls of the Wikipad. Outstanding device". Gosh!

Mikepweiss told us the story of his son who broke both of his arms, and "the WikiPad controllers allow him to play games", going on to say that "it's pretty damn cool".


Get stuck in!

The Official Pocket Gamer Guide to Tiny Troopers 2 has been released into the wilds of the App Store, and can now be downloaded free-of-charge. That's right, this gorgeously produced, highly detailed strategy guide to the hit game will cost you absolutely nothing. Aren't we kind?

You can find out all about it here.

Have you checked out the Pocket Gamer Podcast yet? As many of you know, we re-launched it a while back to have a multi-format approach, meaning that every mobile and handheld platform is now covered. Sometimes we deviate and talk about which beloved Hollywood actors were actually a bit nasty in real life, so that's definitely worth tuning in for.

Join us via iTunes here, or on Stitcher Smart Radio here.


I'll be back with another community round-up in a fortnight.

In the meantime, make sure you're following us on Twitter, that you Like us on Facebook, and you've subscribed to our YouTube channel.

Oh, and make sure you've +1'd us on Google+, and are Following us on Pinterest. That way, you can keep up to date with all the latest news, competitions, and features from the Pocket Gamer team.

Peter Willington
Peter Willington
Die hard Suda 51 fan and professed Cherry Coke addict, freelancer Peter Willington was initially set for a career in showbiz, training for half a decade to walk the boards. Realising that there's no money in acting, he decided instead to make his fortune in writing about video games. Peter never learns from his mistakes.