For a one year birthday gift, we churn like there ain’t no tomorrow through ten games that are must owns for the Nintendo 3DS.
Happy Birthday Nintendo 3DS! The handheld successfully made it through its first year out in the gaming industry, and in such defiant fashion when you really consider that grim start. At the beginning, sales dragged in all regions, a number of the games released lacked that “I Got To Run Out & Buy That” flavor, and a good sum of people felt the device was irrelevant in a post-smartphone world.
Oh, but how could we count you out Nintendo 3DS, you little spitfire, you! With backs to the wall, Nintendo unleashed their comeback attack (double quarter circle right, and two punch buttons, I think ): immediately dropping the price to $169.99, pushing out some super fun titles, and beefing up their online service, the eShop, which instantly brought back the masses to the 3DS’s praises.
Nintendo celebrated the one year birthday occasion by sending out Mii’s of Nintendo head honchos, Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime. I totally recommend syncing your 3DS if you haven’t already; the sight of Reggie’s mighty cartoonish chin is like first dawning eyes on Mount Everest. What a sight! (Also each one comes with a puzzle piece and can be used as a level 5 hero in Find Mii.)
To contribute my own efforts to party – someone else already brought the ice and party plates – I reasoned what better way to honor the portable, but with a nifty list of the ten games everyone should own for the Nintendo 3DS. I didn’t just totally fish through big name games though, I dropped in a couple of gaming underdogs in the list too. With that said – bang a gong, let’s get it on!
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Nintendo/Project Sora
It’s amazing how Masahiro Sakurai, god of Kirby and Super Smash Bros., reinvented a Nintendo franchise that’s been in a cold sleep for the past nineteen years. And while the controls have their missteps, this triumphant return of Pit oozes charm to the max, has a weapons system that is pleasurably deep, and even comes with a stand!
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Ubisoft
I don’t blame you for ignoring this launch game. Hearing the Tom Clancy name being slapped on a Nintendo handheld, sure doesn’t conjure up any good vibes – certainly not a surprisingly good tactical role-playing game, either. Something, something, never judge a book, something, something. If the lack of a Advance Wars-like RPG for the 3DS has been keeping you up at nite – come one, come all.
Pushmo
Nintendo/Intelligent Systems
Simple is always better. As is the case with Pushmo, where high-class simple puzzle-platforming is where it’s at. Incredibly addictive, and cuter than a bucket full of puppies and kittens, this eShop download is hands down one of the best puzzle games of recent memory, and you’ve got to play it. And at only 500 Wii Points, with all of the awesome user-created content there is to be had, there’s no reason not to.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Nintendo/Grezzo
One of the best games of all time perfectly recaptured on the Nintendo 3DS. Need I say more? Drat right I don’t. Well… only that the special edition Nintendo 3DS that was bundled with it was pure beauty.
Ridge Racer 3D
Namco Bandai Games
Looks certainly aren’t its greatest attributes – unless it’s in 3D mode, where the game really shines – but for lovely arcade-style racing that’s always been the pride of the series since its inception, Ridge Racer 3D is a hell of a fun ride. It’s no Mario Kart 7 when it comes to content or multiplayer – heck, I wouldn’t be mad at all if you went with that instead – but this game is tops in the fun department.
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
Activison/Vicarious Visions
Skylanders shows how you just can’t keep a good dragon down. The (very expensive) Activision title has become a breakout hit with kids and adults; incorporating a genius piece of tech that stores in-game info on an actual toy, including gold, level stats, and upgrades earned and bought through game play, across whatever gaming platform you decide to get your dungeon-crawling loot-hauling action on.
Different from its console big brothers, the Nintendo 3DS version is more akin to Spyro games of old on the PlayStation One, which should be fine and dandy, because honestly, that’s when Spyro was at his best, if you ask me.
Resident Evil: Revelations
Capcom
Who would have guessed it would of taken a slot on the Nintendo 3DS for Resident Evil to (slightly) go back to its survival-horror roots. Blissfully that’s what you get with Revelations, which mixes game play of new (over-the-shoulder camera view) and old (focus on exploration and puzzle solving) to create one solid foundation for a game that will make series veterans giddy like girls at a Justin Bieber concert.
Mutant Mudds
Renegade Kid
Don’t be fooled by Mutant Mudds simple kid-friendly looks, this is one mean platforming game. Not a bad thing, certainly. If your gaming itch is platforming titles where the challenge of making it out of level requires a strong thumb is the norm (i.e. Super Meat Boy), Renegade Kid’s downloadable title hits that spot perfectly.
Dead or Alive: Dimensions
Tecmo Koei/Team Ninja
Jiggly breast physics won’t be found with Dead or Alive: Dimensions (that might be a big plus or minus for some), but in return we get a 3D fighter that is something special. The fighting is golden (expert fighters look else though), there are gaming modes that keep things mighty fresh, and is one of the more prettier games on the 3DS by a long shot.
Super Mario 3D Land
Nintendo
Some say Nintendo played it safe using all of its precious nostalgia points up – hogwash I say! If anything, it’s a fine text-book example of how nostalgia should be used in any game. And given the amount of amazing polish, the way 3D and 2D work hand-in-hand to deliver an experience like nothing else, it, above all the games listed here, is an automatic keeper for any 3DS user.
Honorable mentions? Hmm, I could of seriously swapped in Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, Star Fox 64 3D, and Mario Kart 7, but those games already received a lot of respect, and hey, it’s my danged list. I hope you enjoyed it, and here’s to another great year of releases for the Nintendo 3DS and beyond!
Geeze, after writing all that I sure could go for a powered burger. Or… perhaps I should skip that – who needs food anyway – and find out what are the 12 incredible & scariest Joker art pieces right here on Walyou. You should too!
