Arcade and Retro General Chat in Karkariko Village Tavern: Live Ocarina Music

the groutch

I call dibs on modding the Saturn forum

o1s1n

I call dibs on the Sega 32X forum.

Myrddin - Make it so.

richymcdermott

can I MOD a sonic forum

CiDeRmAn

A nursing forum?
I could mod that.
And that's nursing as in healthcare rather than breastfeeding in the middle of McDonald's.

Are there any stats in how long it takes any topic in the After Hours forum to have a racist post or one that references genitalia?

We should have used the blackout to mess with the forum rules around the place, like banning atheists from the science forum, or any mention of Streets of Rage anywhere ever again.

deathrider

So I beat Megaman II last night. Monster game! I really enjoyed it, and had great craic writing up the review for it tonight too. This is the only one I've ever played though (ZX on DS not included), which other ones are worth checking out?

Retr0gamer

Megaman 3 is as good (I prefer 2). 4 is alright, 5 is great and 6 is good. Megaman X is one of the best games ever made well worth checking out. I enjoyed X2 and X3 as well but not played the rest of the series.

Also make sure you check out the Gameboy Megaman games, they are different from the NES ones. 1 is a bit meh but 2 and 3 are very good. 4 and 5 are absolutely superb.

The three Megaman Legends games are absolutely superb ( that's MML1, MML2 and Misadventures of Tron Bonne). They look gorgeous as well and come across as a better Studio Ghibli game than that boring Ni No Kuni.

I really enjoyed Megaman 9 and 10 that were released as downloads lately.9 especially.

deathrider

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Megaman 3 is as good (I prefer 2). 4 is alright, 5 is great and 6 is good. Megaman X is one of the best games ever made well worth checking out. I enjoyed X2 and X3 as well but not played the rest of the series.

Also make sure you check out the Gameboy Megaman games, they are different from the NES ones. 1 is a bit meh but 2 and 3 are very good. 4 and 5 are absolutely superb.

The three Megaman Legends games are absolutely superb ( that's MML1, MML2 and Misadventures of Tron Bonne). They look gorgeous as well and come across as a better Studio Ghibli game than that boring Ni No Kuni.

I really enjoyed Megaman 9 and 10 that were released as downloads lately.9 especially.

Deadly stuff. Cheers, man. I can definitely see myself getting into more of these. I have III in Gameboy, but never tried it out. It's looking like it's time has finally come.

Also, what console was the Legends series on? They're 3D games, yeah?

Retr0gamer

Megaman 3 on Gameboy is pretty tough!

The Legends games are all on PS1. They cost quite a lot to pick up and unfortunately Crapcom lost the rights to the English dub so doubt they'll ever get a re-release (they are on japanese PSN and got PSP re-releases) so either start saving or chip your console.

They're so good though, really worth playing them. They both play like Ocarina of time (I'd go so far as to say MML2 is a far, far superior game) but actually MML1 predates Ocarina and has many of of the features people claim Ocarina introduced. I think MML1 was also the first game to have lip synched voice acting. If you like Laputa Castle in the Sky then it's an even bigger treat because it's heavily influenced by it.

Be warned,the second game ends on a cliffhanger that will produce Shenmue levels of rage. When you get to it you'll realise the fan pain at MML3 getting cancelled.

MrVestek

richymcdermott wrote: »

can I MOD a sonic forum

A Sonic forum?

<sonic forum>

Thread one:

NEW SONIC GAME ANNOUNCED OMG SEGA DON'T **** IT UP!

Thread Two: NEW SONIC GAME LOOKS PROMISING!

Thread Three: LOOKS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING OMG SEGA... SO MANY NODS TO THE PAST AND OLD BADNIKS

Thread Four: JUST GOT THE NEW SONIC GAME... GODAMMIT SEGA YOU FOOLED ME AGAIN IT'S AWFUL!

</sonic forum>

CiDeRmAn

It is so true, I think the last time everyone was unanimous in their hopes realised for a great Sonic game was Sonic 2, since then they have all disappointed in some regard.
Even now, we seem to pleased simply when it doesn't completely suck, Sonic Generations or Colors.
Compare this to Mario games and where the bar is set for his adventures, unless they are amongst the best the software generation has to offer we feel a bit let down, Sunshine, NSMBWii

MrVestek

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

It is so true, I think the last time everyone was unanimous in their hopes realised for a great Sonic game was Sonic 2, since then they have all disappointed in some regard.
Even now, we seem to pleased simply when it doesn't completely suck, Sonic Generations or Colors.
Compare this to Mario games and where the bar is set for his adventures, unless they are amongst the best the software generation has to offer we feel a bit let down, Sunshine, NSMBWii

I have warmed to Sonic: Lost World alot as I have gone back to playing it. Once you get to grips with the new control system it's not so bad.

In saying that though if you replaced Sonic with Mario and I went to play it tomorrow I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

Myrddin

All the 'modern' Sonic games aren't Sonic game to me. They may have the name tacked on, but replace Sonic with any generic symbol, & the game would still be exactly the same. The charm, character & soul of the 'classic' games, has long since left the franchise. At this stage, I don't even get excited, or pay much attention to upcoming 'Sonic' games or news, because it's all generic mush these days

/hipster

MrVestek

At least the latest Sonic Games (Colours, Generations, Lost World) have no bones about making fun of themselves.

The dialogue in these past few games has become very self referential.

Myrddin

Achilles wrote: »

The dialogue in these past few games has become very self referential.

Dialogue in a Sonic game...ugh

Andrew76

Myrddin wrote: »

All the 'modern' Sonic games aren't Sonic game to me. They may have the name tacked on, but replace Sonic with any generic symbol, & the game would still be exactly the same. The charm, character & soul of the 'classic' games, has long since left the franchise. At this stage, I don't even get excited, or pay much attention to upcoming 'Sonic' games or news, because it's all generic mush these days

/hipster

It's interesting to me, looking in from the outside (as someone who never payed Sonic all those years ago), to read these Sonic discussions about how generally crap/sub-standard all of the Sonic games are since the MD days. I do wonder why it's so hard to nail a new Sonic game. Is it just down to developers who have no interest in producing a good Sonic game? Is it anything to do with the actual mechanics of the MD games, at a programming level, that makes it hard to re-produce something faithful yet new? For the most part, Nintendo have no problem nailing new Mario platformers.

Surely they're not as complex to make as the Mario games? Maybe the simplicity with Sonic leaves no room for improvement - other than carbon copy the mechanics and just design new level layouts?

Controversial question coming up - actually how good were the original Sonics? If there was some Top x List of platformers where would they rate I wonder? I'm a relative newcomer to the MD Sonic games but the physics in the Mario games always seemed better, more comfortable or suitable for a 2D platformer. Maybe that's just a familiarity thing I'm not sure. Just to state, I do think the MD Sonics (1&2 anyway) are excellent games (even if I'm crap at them).

deathrider

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Megaman 3 on Gameboy is pretty tough!

The Legends games are all on PS1. They cost quite a lot to pick up and unfortunately Crapcom lost the rights to the English dub so doubt they'll ever get a re-release (they are on japanese PSN and got PSP re-releases) so either start saving or chip your console.

They're so good though, really worth playing them. They both play like Ocarina of time (I'd go so far as to say MML2 is a far, far superior game) but actually MML1 predates Ocarina and has many of of the features people claim Ocarina introduced. I think MML1 was also the first game to have lip synched voice acting. If you like Laputa Castle in the Sky then it's an even bigger treat because it's heavily influenced by it.

Be warned,the second game ends on a cliffhanger that will produce Shenmue levels of rage. When you get to it you'll realise the fan pain at MML3 getting cancelled.

Cool. For some reason I thought they were PS2 titles. They definitely sound good. I'll keep an eye out for them in the hour of striking it lucky, because I'm not too big on the idea of paying up big bucks.

Retr0gamer

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Compare this to Mario games and where the bar is set for his adventures, unless they are amongst the best the software generation has to offer we feel a bit let down, Sunshine, NSMBWii

You found NSMBWii disappointing? It was a big surprise for me and one of the finest platform games ever made, in fact I'd rank it up there with Mario 3 and World. NSMB on DS on the other hand was very dull and mediocre which is why the Wii version surprised me by being so good.

I'm also really enjoying the WiiU version. It seems the console versions of those games are really good while the handheld ones disappoint.

o1s1n

Andrew76 wrote: »

It's interesting to me, looking in from the outside (as someone who never payed Sonic all those years ago), to read these Sonic discussions about how generally crap/sub-standard all of the Sonic games are since the MD days. I do wonder why it's so hard to nail a new Sonic game. Is it just down to developers who have no interest in producing a good Sonic game? Is it anything to do with the actual mechanics of the MD games, at a programming level, that makes it hard to re-produce something faithful yet new? For the most part, Nintendo have no problem nailing new Mario platformers.

Surely they're not as complex to make as the Mario games? Maybe the simplicity with Sonic leaves no room for improvement - other than carbon copy the mechanics and just design new level layouts?

Controversial question coming up - actually how good were the original Sonics? If there was some Top x List of platformers where would they rate I wonder? I'm a relative newcomer to the MD Sonic games but the physics in the Mario games always seemed better, more comfortable or suitable for a 2D platformer. Maybe that's just a familiarity thing I'm not sure. Just to state, I do think the MD Sonics (1&2 anyway) are excellent games (even if I'm crap at them).

Mario is far more exploratory, which translates into a 3D environment.

Sonic is just all about platforming - something which tends to become boring when given a 3D makeover.

And to make it worse, developers assume Sonic is about 'speed' and 'running' - so they decide to flesh out the platforming simplicity with speed run after speed run. Which is tedious in itself.

Then there's the voice acting and added characters. The less I say about that the better!

deathrider

Andrew76 wrote: »

If there was some Top x List of platformers where would they rate I wonder?

I'd be quite interested in seeing that list.

Myrddin

Andrew76 wrote: »

It's interesting to me, looking in from the outside (as someone who never payed Sonic all those years ago), to read these Sonic discussions about how generally crap/sub-standard all of the Sonic games are since the MD days. I do wonder why it's so hard to nail a new Sonic game. Is it just down to developers who have no interest in producing a good Sonic game? Is it anything to do with the actual mechanics of the MD games, at a programming level, that makes it hard to re-produce something faithful yet new? For the most part, Nintendo have no problem nailing new Mario platformers.

I imagine it's a couple of things. Firstly, the Team Sonic developer of today, isn't the Team Sonic who were responsible for making Sonic the success it was. People come & go, but these guys & gals seem to have a completely different idea of what Sonic should be, rather than what it is.

The focus on modern Sonic games, is all about speed. This is a fatal flaw in the planning for me. While speed was an aspect of the successful Sonic games, it wasn't what made the games great. Try speed your way through Marble Zone, or Labyrinth Zone in Sonic 1 & many other examples. Speed works in certain places in Sonic, & at that, you always feel you shouldn't be going this fast...& not feel that the level required you to go that fast. The successful Sonic games worked for me, because they got some select things, very, very right:

1) Level design. Every single stage, of every single zone in the classic line up, was designed so brilliantly well. None, absolutely none, were huge sprawling spaces that you blitzed through, all had numerous ways to complete them, all were intuitive & all paced to perfection. Nowadays it's huge speed runs with insta-drops, & you feel as though you're just blitzing through the level without taking any of it in. It all seems so, rushed.

2) The controls. The physics of the classic lineup, while not to everybody's taste, were absolutely perfect once you got used to them. In particular the jump physics, were perfect. In modern games, there's just something not quite right with them, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's instantly noticeable for me & is hugely off putting. It's like driving a car that isn't driving as it should, your attention is constantly focused on what's broken.

3) The music. God the music. Each level is a masterpiece in 16bit music. Some of the sounds they got outta the Megadrive were incredible. They matched the soundtrack of each zone so perfectly well to the theme of the level, so each stage is instantly recognizable & ethced into your memory. With the newer games, to me it all sounds like generic mush...there's nothing individual about the sound design.

4) The art design. So not only did the game sound great, was controlled great...but it looked great too. The design of Sonic from the first two games should have never changed, it did though in Sonic 3 & it wasn't a change for the better. Since then, they've tried all sorts of designs, but none have been true to where it all began.

All the little points add up, along with it being a product of its time, to create a truly classic series of games.

Surely they're not as complex to make as the Mario games? Maybe the simplicity with Sonic leaves no room for improvement - other than carbon copy the mechanics and just design new level layouts?

This is something I've thought about too, & I don't think it's anything got to do with complexity. If anything, they've over-designed the modern games albeit, in the totally wrong direction. As for scope for improvement, yes that's a problem. Even by Sonic 3, you could see they were trying new things. By Sonic & Knuckles, they probably had gotten out of the formula what it could give. I don't have a problem with that, but it's just sad to see how such a hugely successful game being zombified...let Sonic rest in peace.

To release a truly great Sonic game today, would require them to revisit the roots...& do exactly what the devs of Megaman 9 & 10 have done. Basically ape the loved games in all ways. Would I buy Sonic 5, if it were a back to basics 2d platformer...damn right I would. They tried it with Sonic 4, but again, things the old school Sonic fans would notice like flaky controls let it down big time.

Controversial question coming up - actually how good were the original Sonics? If there was some Top x List of platformers where would they rate I wonder? I'm a relative newcomer to the MD Sonic games but the physics in the Mario games always seemed better, more comfortable or suitable for a 2D platformer. Maybe that's just a familiarity thing I'm not sure. Just to state, I do think the MD Sonics (1&2 anyway) are excellent games (even if I'm crap at them).

For me, I'd rate Sonic 1, 2, 3, Knuckles, and to some extent Sonic CD as truly great & enjoyable platforms. I don't rate them against Mario, because there's two different things going on despite both being platformers. With Mario, it's a much deeper gameplay experience, whole worlds to unlock, hidden exits, & is a different style of play. With Sonic, it just oozes pick up & play charm, flashes great graphics at you & plays some really great music. There isn't much else to it. Kinda like playing Gran Turismo for a few hours, then having a bash of something like Ridge Racer...both drivers but totally different.

Myrddin

And now, for absolutely no reason at all, I've the Chemical Planet theme tune playing in my head. Not bad for a 22 year old piece of music to have to longevity

Star Lord

deathrider wrote: »

It really does. It's totally bat-sh*t crazy, but it knows it. The ending and final boss weren't as mental as I heard they were though. I'm thinking I'll have to beat it on Directors Cut mode for those parts.

Talking the HotD Overkill ending or Catherine?

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Some of the endings are quite normal. You should see the endings with Catherine though, now they are bonkers and absolutely hilarious

I only finished it once, got the Katherine (True) ending. The bit about Erica was hilarious

Retr0gamer

Sonic was never about speed, it was about momentum. Sonic only becomes controllable when he has a bit of momentum going, jumping from a standstill won't get you far. The people making sonic games need to realise this.

DinoRex

Did everyone see this weeks Cinemassacre video? The speed of this game on the NES is crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5INj76ni21c

Retr0gamer

That game was a big running joke on retronauts for a very long time, they were all dumbfounded when an actual copy of the game was found. It does look insane how fast it scrolls.

It was found on April 1st as well which made for a lot of confusion since the game was already the subject of a number of hoaxes

MrVestek

DinoRex wrote: »

Did everyone see this weeks Cinemassacre video? The speed of this game on the NES is crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5INj76ni21c

An NES game with Blast Processing? WHAT?!

On the Sonic thing again they really have any of you played the Sonic games on Android and iOS built by Christian Whitehead?

I remember him from the Sonic Retro forums years ago when I used to be involved in the Sonic hack scene. (nobody is ever going to see my roms, they're awful... and most probably lost on old hard drives).

The guy has built his own engine and has totally rebuilt the classic games from the ground up. THIS guy gets Sonic.

This guy should be coding the Sonic 4 line of games. Sonic 4 ep I and II with The Retro Engine physics would make me so happy.

richymcdermott

I wonder would if it just suited sonic to remain 16 bit like megaman was and just have it as a downloadable title

Retr0gamer

I played his Sonic CD port on Xbox and while it's a crappy game it really is an absolutely cracking conversion. The physics feel right and it has proper widescreen support as well.

Retr0gamer

richymcdermott wrote: »

I wonder would if it just suited sonic to remain 16 bit like megaman was and just have it as a downloadable title

That's forgetting how amazing the Megaman Legends games were :P

Jack burton

The last few days I was sending a few emails to pinball sellers just to see what's around and get some information. One website in the UK had well over a dozen machines listed and had a very professional looking website.

I sent an email enquiring about buying 1 or even 2 machines and other info, here's the reply

Ben,
No machines currently in stock
Regards
Jon

These high pressure sales tatics go beyond me sometimes

Retr0gamer

The more I heard about FFXIII-3 the stranger and better it sounds.

Apparently it's pretty much Valkyrie Profile 3 but with a Final Fantasy name and to make matters weirder it's made by the same developer as Valkyrie Profile.

deathrider

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Talking the HotD Overkill ending or Catherine?

I only finished it once, got the Katherine (True) ending. The bit about Erica was hilarious

HoTD: Overkill, although exactly the same could be said for Catherine.

o1s1n

Do any of you lads use extended life battery packs with your 3DS or 3DSXL at all?

I've been using mine loads lately and it's just reminded me how horrendous the battery life is.

The top of the line ones are made by Mugen, this thing'll give you 20+ hours of battery life, but it doesn't come cheap at $99!! ($92 with a discount code)

http://mugenpowerbatteries.com/mugen-power-5800mah-extended-battery-for-nintendo-3dsll-with-battery-door.html

But jeez, 20 hours battery life would be glorious

OwaynOTT

o1s1n wrote: »

Do any of you lads use extended life battery packs with your 3DS or 3DSXL at all?

I've been using mine loads lately and it's just reminded me how horrendous the battery life is.

The top of the line ones are made by Mugen, this thing'll give you 20+ hours of battery life, but it doesn't come cheap at $99!! ($92 with a discount code)

http://mugenpowerbatteries.com/mugen-power-5800mah-extended-battery-for-nintendo-3dsll-with-battery-door.html

But jeez, 20 hours battery life would be glorious

That's the price of a Bravely Default and a Soul Hackers cart, so no thanks. Is there much use for such a device really? I mostly use it at home or in work and I'm never very far from a power source at those times.
I'm sure a lot of people only use it on their commutes to and from work any again it's not needed really.
I suppose for long periods of travel like a trans-Atlantic flight or a bus to Donegal it would be useful.

Retr0gamer

I get less than 4 hours out of mine with 3D on. The worst thing Nintendo did with the 3DS other the region lock was to make the battery non-replacable.

****.

o1s1n

OwaynOTT wrote: »

That's the price of a Bravely Default and a Soul Hackers cart, so no thanks. Is there much use for such a device really? I mostly use it at home or in work and I'm never very far from a power source at those times.
I'm sure a lot of people only use it on their commutes to and from work any again it's not needed really.
I suppose for long periods of travel like a trans-Atlantic flight or a bus to Donegal it would be useful.

Ah it's just the hassle really. I hate having handhelds flashing red on me in the middle of a game. Has happened every day this week while playing Zelda. I seem to be getting about 3 hours max.

Plus I'd use streetpass a lot more. 20 hours of game time is going to equal an insane amount of standby/streetpass hours!

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I get less than 4 hours out of mine with 3D on. The worst thing Nintendo did with the 3DS other the region lock was to make the battery non-replacable.

****.

The battery is replacable just remove the screws and whack a new one in.

deathrider

I'd love some proper battery life for my 3DS. I just got it for xmas, and was stunned how quickly I could kill the battery. Before this, I was playing the old phat DS which has a lifespan of about 15 years per charge, so you can imagine how taken aback I was with the 3DS. I tend to avoid using the 3D feature and the wireless in an attempt to preserve the charge in it, and I manage to feel like I'm ripping myself off due to these restraints. However 99 quid for extra battery life is waaaaay over my budget.

DinoRex

Anyone playing Broken Age? Wasn't a backer myself so will have to wait.

The Edge review reads like it was done by someone who hasn't played a graphic adventure since the early 90s as they seem to think a lot of pretty basic stuff is innovative.

http://www.edge-online.com/review/broken-age-review/

johnny_ultimate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHujQ9q-Vw

Super Metroid speedrun race. Boils down to milliseconds :eek:

Star Lord

deathrider wrote: »

HoTD: Overkill, although exactly the same could be said for Catherine.

Didn't think Overkill had multiple endings, just the one, where Clement goes... back where he came from...

James Howlett

I like that that Metroid video has commentators and to be they do improve the video... especially for those who have never played the game... I'd imagine... not saying that I never played it anyway...

DinoRex

Some of the Dark Souls speed runs are crazy... I think the record is around 1 hour 12 minutes now for killing all the bosses (DLC included)

OwaynOTT

o1s1n wrote: »

Ah it's just the hassle really. I hate having handhelds flashing red on me in the middle of a game. Has happened every day this week while playing Zelda. I seem to be getting about 3 hours max.

Plus I'd use streetpass a lot more. 20 hours of game time is going to equal an insane amount of standby/streetpass hours!



The battery is replacable just remove the screws and whack a new one in.

I haven't really noticed how long mine lasts but it doesn't feel like the warning is at me the whole time. I don't use the 3D at all though or very rarely, do you use it much?

Myrddin

I don't find the battery life an issue really, though admittedly the 3DS isn't something I bring outdoors with me, & is never far from a socket. $99 for a high end replacement is a bit much alright

o1s1n

OwaynOTT wrote: »

I haven't really noticed how long mine lasts but it doesn't feel like the warning is at me the whole time. I don't use the 3D at all though or very rarely, do you use it much?

I'm probably my own worst enemy to be honest. Most of the time I play with 3D on, wireless on (always forget to turn it off!) and the backlight up full. I'm not really willing to sacrifice the 3D (in games which benefit from it) and backlight, but maybe if I'm more conscious about the wireless I'll get a bit more longevity out of it in between charges.

Myrddin wrote: »

I don't find the battery life an issue really, though admittedly the 3DS isn't something I bring outdoors with me, & is never far from a socket. $99 for a high end replacement is a bit much alright

Price wise, with the discount, it comes to €67 delivered. Not as daunting number wise as $99, but still a lot for a battery.

I think I've just been spoiled with the Nomad after that battery mod

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

I think I've just been spoiled with the Nomad after that battery mod

With an average playtime of 8.3 years per charge, those batteries have to have some nuclear fusion going on

CiDeRmAn

The standard 3DS seems to have a lot of cheaper battery options though.

o1s1n

Myrddin wrote: »

With an average playtime of 8.3 years per charge, those batteries have to have some nuclear fusion going on

Sometimes I'm tempted to put a geiger counter beside that thing just to check!

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

The standard 3DS seems to have a lot of cheaper battery options though.

It really comes down to 'you get what you pay for'. This is another option which is far cheaper and claims to be 5000 Mah.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5000mAh-Battery-For-Ninetendo-3DS-N3DS-CTR-001-Extended-with-back-cover-/150975235337?pt=UK_ConsumerElectronics_Batteries_SM&hash=item2326d34509

Problem though is that when you get Chinese batteries claiming to have high ratings, it's generally all lies. Folks reckon that the battery in that link has about half the power in reality.

It's also an ugly mofo!

The Nyko doubles the battery power to 10 hours, nice price too.

http://www.amazon.com/Nyko-Power-Pak-3DS-Nintendo/dp/B004SJA7L6

Bit easier on the eye.

That's still only half of what the Mugen 5600Mah yolk can do though..

On a side point, the Mugen also adds a nice big of bulk to the console, I wonder would it help alleviate hand cramps?

Feck it, I'm using my 3DS constantly lately, may as well make it as enjoyable an experience as possible. I think I'll take the plunge come pay day in a couple of weeks

OwaynOTT

o1s1n wrote: »

I'm probably my own worst enemy to be honest. Most of the time I play with 3D on, wireless on (always forget to turn it off!) and the backlight up full. I'm not really willing to sacrifice the 3D (in games which benefit from it) and backlight, but maybe if I'm more conscious about the wireless I'll get a bit more longevity out of it in between charges.



Price wise, with the discount, it comes to €67 delivered. Not as daunting number wise as $99, but still a lot for a battery.

I think I've just been spoiled with the Nomad after that battery mod

Most games I've played recently don't really need 3D. Fire Emblem only really for the fight clips and Devil Survivor not at all.
I'll get back to you when I play something that needs 3D or even uses it.

o1s1n

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Most games I've played recently don't really need 3D. Fire Emblem only really for the fight clips and Devil Survivor not at all.
I'll get back to you when I play something that needs 3D or even uses it.

I kept the 3D off for a good percentage of Fire Emblem alright. A Link Between Worlds has been the complete opposite though, the 3D looks really great in it.

Most games don't really need it, but a good lot of them are enhanced visually. I do quite like the sense of layers and depth it can add.