There was something about the Fatal Frame games that was utterly spectacular.  The series, which ran on PlayStation 2 across multiple releases, raised some genuine scares while avoiding the pratfalls of most survival/horror games, arming you with a special camera rather than a powerful array of weaponry.  The concept worked quite well over the years, prompting Tecmo Koei to give it another shot, this time on the Nintendo 3DS with the mostly unrelated Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir.  It was a great idea, but from the first moment it tries to take advantage of the system’s built-in augmented reality, things fall apart rather quickly.

For the longest time, Square Enix’s role-playing games have followed a usual tradition, a pre-set game pattern involving an intricate battle system or characters that could easily be adapted to, depending on their techniques and weaponry.  While fans can certainly appreciate such an approach, others can be turned off by it, merely due to the monotony.  But the company is listening, and ready to provide something a little different this summer with Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy.

When Epic Mickey came out for the Nintendo Wii a couple of years ago, it introduced an interesting alternative style for the legendary Walt Disney character, one with a vivid new world for him to explore and compelling new gameplay elements that let him change the world.  And though not everyone was crazy about the game being exclusive to Nintendo’s console, he certainly shook things up, opening the door for a hit franchise.  Now, in 2012, it’ll reach its fullest potential, with Epic Mickey 2 set to hit various systems, including Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  But that’s not all – it’s coming to the 3DS as well, and is set to be better than you could ever expect.

The Tekken series has been brawling for years now, but over the last few months, Namco Bandai has really been pushing the series hardcore.  Last year’s Tekken Hybrid turned out to be a cool little collection of stuff, including Tekken Tag Tournament HD and a demo for Tekken Tag Tournament 2; and this past week’s release of Street Fighter x Tekken has gone over moderately well with the hardcore crowd.  But let’s not forget the portable front, where Tekken 3D Prime Edition has left a little dent as well.

When I played Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for Nintendo 3DS last year, I saw some great potential out of the game, save problems and all.  But it still felt a little short-handed to me, as if Capcom was holding back for something better – in this case, Resident Evil Revelations.  And this problem has happened more than once, and is likely to happen again when next month’s Operation Raccoon City is dwarfed by Resident Evil 6 later this year.  But that’s later on.  For now, I humbly suggest you enjoy Revelations, because it’s the Resident Evil experience that the 3DS needs.

Rayman Origins was, in our eyes, one of the best games of 2011.  Michel Ancel and his team made a platformer that all players could easily get into, while including a local multiplayer factor that turned it into the ultimate party experience.  Now, in 2012, the game will be thriving on the portable front, with a release slated for the PlayStation Vita around launch.  There's a version in the works for 3DS as well, though there's a catch at this point regarding it...

As a dark harbinger of things to potentially come in other markets, Sony has not been able to attract Japanese gamers with its new PlayStation (PS) Vita portable gaming device. During it’s first week at retail in Japan, the game system sold 320,000 units (although that only covered two days). But in its second week (and first full week) on store shelves, Sony enticed a meager 72,000 gamers to buy its pricey new hardware. Even the old PSP outsold the new PS Vita by 40% over Christmas.

Years ago, the PC game Myst stood out amongst others for its time, with its dynamic visual interface, intricate puzzles and somewhat moving storyline.  Granted, it did all this without actually using real-time movement, as you walked around a pre-rendered island searching for answers.  But that isn't stopping Maximum Family Games from giving the game a new look, this time for Nintendo 3DS.

As you can see, we previously discussed Nintendo 3DS releases with our previously posted Myst story.  But how about a game that people actually wouldn't mind seeing again?  And for that matter, something that's affordable and well worth the money.  Well, you're in luck, as Terry Cavanagh's classic platformer VVVVVV will hit the Nintendo 3DS Shop next week.

As the Nintendo 3DS library is just now picking up, there's a number of games to check out for this holiday season, among them Sonic Generations, WWE All Stars and, of course, the Mario misadventures that are 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.  However, even though these more popular titles guarantee good times, there's a chance you might miss out on the more smaller, compelling experiences.  Like, say, Nano Assault.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday might be over but the deals for video game devices is still on. Best Buy has the Nintendo 3DS in black, red and aqua blue for $169.99 with a free $50 Best Buy gift card making the net price for the Nintendo 3DS only $119.99.

I’m all for an aggressive NASCAR game.  Sure, the realism based ones are okay, but you have to be in the proper mood to go around hundreds of laps without feeding the urge to ram Tony Stewart into the wall.  So it made me happy to play NASCAR Unleashed on the 360 last month, with its simplistic arcade nature and its numerous options.  When I heard there was a version available for Nintendo 3DS, I was curious to see how it fared, imagining car parts flying at the screen in 3D and all sorts of havoc ensuing.  Well, I got the havoc part right, but not in the way I wanted.