For those who don't know about Target Shooting, an Augmented Reality game (possibly) coded into the 3DS hardware, I'd recommend reading this article. It sounds like it could do for the 3DS what Wii Sports did for the Wii, turning the portable into a social phenomenon.
The tech is pure magic: You see the real world onscreen via the 3DS' external cameras, and then watch as polygonal characters and obstacles are superimposed on top. With the stereo 3D effect, it's as though they're actually there...
And it's interactive. For example, to dodge incoming attacks, you must physically move the 3DS, keeping your 3DS focused on the reference point at all times. So if the paper card you place on the kitchen table in real life turns into a dragon in the game, you'll have to move around the kitchen table to dodge its attacks. Defeat it, and a hole remains -- if you lean over where the hole is and peer down, it's like a rabbit hole in the middle of the kitchen table, leading to another world. It's as though the 3DS is your Lens of Truth, and the world around you is filled with invisible wonders.
So it works well, which makes me wonder, will Nintendo take it a step further and fashion a deep game out of the dynamic? In the 2011 predictions thread, I suggested a new Pokemon Snap title, which I think would be a fun use of the tech.
It seems very marketable: Your 3DS is Todd's "camera," and with it you can uncover all the Pokemon you never knew were hiding in your everyday life. Perhaps the game could use real Pokemon TCG cards, even recognize the character depicted on each card via a special barcode, and cause that Pokemon to emerge from the card in full polygonal 3D. My inner sixth-grader goes ape-shit just thinking about it.
In real life, you can walk up to it for a close-up shot, the 3DS' accelerometers tracking your speed of approach, lest you startle the Pokemon by moving too quickly. You can circle the Pokemon to take its picture from different angles, even sneak up on it from behind, catching it unaware. You can throw bait to lure it, or Pester Balls (ala the N64 original) to agitate it into action-packed poses. Maybe some Nintendogs-style voice recognition could even be incorporated?
And each picture you snap records both the live-action backdrop and videogame character superimposed on top -- in full 3D, as the system is capable of doing. So if you walk outside and put a Smugleaf (I'm sorry -- Snivy) TCG card in the middle of the garden, you'll get a sweet shot of the Grass-type mingling among the flowers.
The game could come bundled with a stack of cards, maybe a deck of 60 (the N64 game had 63 species). The cards could increase in difficulty a cantankerous Primeape, for example, is tougher to shoot than a friendly Pikachu and the game could task you with capturing certain behaviors and poses while getting a clear, centered shot. And unlike the first game, Pokemon could attack you, possibly putting you out of commission if you sustain enough hits. Thus, youll have to back off, duck and weave to avoid what they throw at you until you can distract them or pacify them to take their picture.
You could share your pictures with the world online, maybe even print them out if Nintendo would be so cool as to bring back the printing stations they had for the N64 original back in the day. And new cards could always come out, if Nintendo has the foresight to program in their characters ahead of time -- or if the 3DS can support such DLC.
At the end of the day, the real magic is seeing your favorite Pokemon right there in front of you. For many children and children-at-heart, it's a dream come true.
What say you, GAF?
The tech is pure magic: You see the real world onscreen via the 3DS' external cameras, and then watch as polygonal characters and obstacles are superimposed on top. With the stereo 3D effect, it's as though they're actually there...
And it's interactive. For example, to dodge incoming attacks, you must physically move the 3DS, keeping your 3DS focused on the reference point at all times. So if the paper card you place on the kitchen table in real life turns into a dragon in the game, you'll have to move around the kitchen table to dodge its attacks. Defeat it, and a hole remains -- if you lean over where the hole is and peer down, it's like a rabbit hole in the middle of the kitchen table, leading to another world. It's as though the 3DS is your Lens of Truth, and the world around you is filled with invisible wonders.
So it works well, which makes me wonder, will Nintendo take it a step further and fashion a deep game out of the dynamic? In the 2011 predictions thread, I suggested a new Pokemon Snap title, which I think would be a fun use of the tech.
It seems very marketable: Your 3DS is Todd's "camera," and with it you can uncover all the Pokemon you never knew were hiding in your everyday life. Perhaps the game could use real Pokemon TCG cards, even recognize the character depicted on each card via a special barcode, and cause that Pokemon to emerge from the card in full polygonal 3D. My inner sixth-grader goes ape-shit just thinking about it.
In real life, you can walk up to it for a close-up shot, the 3DS' accelerometers tracking your speed of approach, lest you startle the Pokemon by moving too quickly. You can circle the Pokemon to take its picture from different angles, even sneak up on it from behind, catching it unaware. You can throw bait to lure it, or Pester Balls (ala the N64 original) to agitate it into action-packed poses. Maybe some Nintendogs-style voice recognition could even be incorporated?
And each picture you snap records both the live-action backdrop and videogame character superimposed on top -- in full 3D, as the system is capable of doing. So if you walk outside and put a Smugleaf (I'm sorry -- Snivy) TCG card in the middle of the garden, you'll get a sweet shot of the Grass-type mingling among the flowers.
The game could come bundled with a stack of cards, maybe a deck of 60 (the N64 game had 63 species). The cards could increase in difficulty a cantankerous Primeape, for example, is tougher to shoot than a friendly Pikachu and the game could task you with capturing certain behaviors and poses while getting a clear, centered shot. And unlike the first game, Pokemon could attack you, possibly putting you out of commission if you sustain enough hits. Thus, youll have to back off, duck and weave to avoid what they throw at you until you can distract them or pacify them to take their picture.
You could share your pictures with the world online, maybe even print them out if Nintendo would be so cool as to bring back the printing stations they had for the N64 original back in the day. And new cards could always come out, if Nintendo has the foresight to program in their characters ahead of time -- or if the 3DS can support such DLC.
At the end of the day, the real magic is seeing your favorite Pokemon right there in front of you. For many children and children-at-heart, it's a dream come true.
What say you, GAF?
