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Joystiq Weekly: New 3DS XL, The Talos Principle review, no more review scores and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. This was a busy week, but our decision to drop numerical review scores is probably what will have the longest-lasting effect on Joystiq. While not everyone has expressed support of the decision, we immensely appreciate the effort and thought many have put into discussing the topic with us. We hope our transition into using "In Other Words" text summaries and the new Joystiq Excellence Award will be more effective at conveying our stances and better at helping you find games that you'd actually enjoy. Even if you're indifferent about the discussion of reviews though, plenty happened this week beyond our shift in examining games. The New 3DS XL will reach us next month, Xbox One consoles slipped back to their $350 holiday price, The Talos Principle surprised us with its depth, and 3D After Burner 2 transcended the fabled "arcade-perfect" status of arcade ports. All those stories and more are waiting for you after the break!
Barring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far
Outside of Super Smash Bros, the physical incarnations of Mario, Pikachu and other Nintendo icons don't have much to do on their plastic pedestals. While they transform into teachable, collectible opponents in Nintendo's flagship brawler, tapping an Amiibo toy into Mario Kart 8 or Hyrule Warriors is a one-step process to unlock a minor in-game item. Nintendo has created a more substantial cameo – bordering on reverent – for the Amiibo line in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, the oddball 3DS strategy game from developer Intelligent Systems. If you happen to own a Fire Emblem Amiibo and tap it in, warriors Marth, Ike, Robin and Lucina are summoned into Code Name's steam-powered war against aliens. They each have unique attacks, animations and can be an integral part of your strategy.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, limited edition 3DS launches next month [Update]
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will launch on February 13 worldwide, Capcom announced during this morning's Nintendo Direct livestream. The game will be accompanied by its own themed (new) 3DS XL, featuring a brushed silver cover and blue logo. The latest Monster Hunter game launches on the same day as the standard, red and black versions of the new 3DS. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Monster Hunter 4G in Japan) is the updated version of Monster Hunter 4, which first launched in September 2013 in Japan. 4G reached Japan in October 2014. Update: Nintendo offered a new trailer for the game, found after the break. Additionally, GameStop announced that the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate 3DS XL will be exclusive to the retailer, and is available for pre-order today. The system will come with the game pre-loaded on it for $230, and customers will have to pay for the bundle in full upon pre-ordering it. [Image: Nintendo]
Majora's Mask New 3DS coming February 13
With the launch of the New 3DS XL stateside, there will also be a Majora's Mask 3D limited edition released on February 13. The bundle will feature a gold-tinted New 3DS XL featuring five of the game's masks, which transform Link into various characters from the Majora's Mask universe. The remastered Nintendo 64 game will launch on February 13 as well. Hopefully we'll have more than three days to snag it before an angry moon crashes into us. Update: The unit appears to be sold out at GameStop, currently listed as "not available." [Image: Nintendo]
Report: 3DS XL on the way out in Japan
The super-size 3DS XL is about to be downsized in Japan, at least according to new details spotted on Nintendo's website. As Siliconera reports, Nintendo's 3DS site lists "ending production soon" notices for the seven XL colors available in the country. Nintendo's not announced anything formally, but it does seem the XL will soon be an ex-device in Japan While Nintendo's notices indicate the regular 3DS is to remain in production, the company's gaze looks to be shifting to the New 3DS. Both the XL and regular versions of the enhanced handheld continue to top Japan's sales charts, and according to data tracker Media Create they're matching the strong initial pace of the DSi, itself an iteration of the DS. Media Create estimates the New 3DS, which launched in Japan back in October, will reach 1.2 million sales by the end of 2014. Of course, there's no similar news of XL discontinuation for North America or Europe, where the New 3DS is still waiting on release dates.
Final Fantasy Explorers ditches 3D, uses new 3DS' C-stick
Final Fantasy Explorers will not use the 3DS' stereoscopic 3D functions, Siliconera reported. The game will make use of the new 3DS and 3DS XL's buttons and C-stick, however, controlling the third-person game's targeting and lock-on mechanics. It will also be compatible with the Circle Pad Pro, unlike a certain popular Nintendo-published fighting game that launched recently. Square Enix isn't the first publisher to dismiss the handheld system's 3D capabilities to some degree; Nintendo's own Pokemon X and Y limited their use of the stereoscopic 3D visuals to the game's battles. The console manufacturer even launched an entire version of the system without the 3D functions roughly one year ago, the Nintendo 2DS. Final Fantasy Explorers will launch on December 18 in Japan. While both US and European trademarks exist for the game, it hasn't yet been given a release date elsewhere. [Image: Square Enix]
New 3DS models will be region-locked, (th)womp (th)womp
If "no region-lock" was on your list of desired features for Nintendo's new 3DS models, well ... we hope the addition of a C-stick, ZL and ZR buttons, built-in NFC and a better CPU will make up for that feature not making the cut. GameSpot has confirmed with Nintendo that the new 3DS and 3DS XL will, like their currently-available siblings, be region-locked. We can't say we're surprised, considering Nintendo has a longstanding history of region-locking their hardware, and it's not just limited to handhelds, as both the Wii and Wii U are also region-locked. Still, at least now we have confirmation. [Image: Nintendo]
