Crazy Kangaroo Sort of Review - Could the 3DS be Nintendo's "Smart" Device?
So while I journeyed to the eShop to see if Pokemon Battle Trozei had released (it releases tomorrow arrrrgh), I decided to check out the Price Drops section for a cheap game or two to buy while I wait. Among them I spot "Crazy Kangaroo", a rather cartoony-looking game that I later learned was an iOS port. After reading the reviews calling it a semi-average, 5-6/10 game, I decided, "Why the hell not, the thing's 2 dollars, there's no way it's gonna be that great."
Well you might be expecting me to say Crazy Kangaroo is the best game ever and worth more than it's 4-dollar (now 2-dollar) baseline price. It's not, but it's not a bad game either and definitely worth a look if you need some more little games to play on your 3DS. Crazy Kangaroo did lead me to think; could the Nintendo 3DS pass off as Nintendo's "smart" device?
Your first thought might be "no," because there's a good deal of things that iPhones, Android phones, and Windows phones can do, that the 3DS cannot do. The 3DS cannot call people, check email, or really be used as a messaging device like a phone can. And while the 3DS can be used as a music player, camera, internet browser, and have YouTube support, it does these somewhat poorly. (except for the music player, that thing's actually pretty damn fun) At the same time however, can you play Pokemon X and Y on your iPhone 5S? Can you play Fire Emblem Awakening on an Android phone? I thought so. While smartphones can do things the 3DS can't, the 3DS can do things smartphones can't.
Let's also talk price tags here. While most smartphones are inexpensive, society's trends to get the newest devices might have people shelling out 400 to even 900 dollars on a new smartphone. According to the Apple store, their phones can range in value from $199.00 to $849.00. That maximum price can buy you approximately 5 basic 3DSes, 4 and a half XL models, and 6 2DSes (though why you'd want to buy half a 3DS XL is beyond me). As far as I know, the 3DS' price range ranges from the 140-dollar 2DS to the 170-dollar basic model and finally the 200-dollar 3DS XL model, and while it may have titles worth more than 40 dollars on its "App Store," 849 dollars would be like paying for a basic model and maybe 20 or so games or apps.
I know that it's kind of a poor comparison, comparing the 3DS to an iPhone when the two have completely different purposes. I'm more speaking in regards to future game developers like me who might be able to help Nintendo's eShop thrive. If more iOS ports like Crazy Kangaroo are coming, it could help Nintendo get out of the pickle they're currently in.
