In classic Nintendo fashion the game is overflowing with charm thanks to some expertly written dialogue. The badges are a cool idea that fans of 3DS themes will enjoy, allowing further customisation of their 3DS home screen. They are clearly inspired by the slightly more skill based Japanese machines, as opposed to our western machines that have elements of chance programmed in to them, which is a good thing. The crane games themselves are quite well designed. On the surface the game does a lot right. Last year, Japanese 3DS owners were treated to a nice surprise when Nintendo Badge Arcade launched on the Nintendo eShop, and now Western 3DS owners are able to get in on the fun! The game stars a cute little rabbit that works at an arcade full of crane games (which already rings some alarm bells) where players try to grab cool little badges, featuring designs of famous Nintendo franchises, which can be used to decorate your 3DS home screen. So far I feel Nintendo’s handful of “free to start” titles have erred on the light side of the free to play market (check out Fullblox as an example), however I fear they may have taken their first step towards the darkness.
On one hand, I like the benefits that a pricing model can bring the consumer… but I also hate the execution a lot of companies have chosen that makes them feel like money sucking machines. I have a love/hate relationship with free to play games.
