So, 3D, huh? Is that what you like? Leaves and papers and stuff hovering in front of you?
Ok, takes all kinds, we guess.
So, of course, there's only one gaming handheld for your kind and there you are, unboxing it as we speak. The young 3DS needs care and feeding. Here are 12 essential gaming experiences that will help it—and you—grow strong. Remember to rest those eyes!
Update 11/14/12:
We've added the newest Professor Layton to our Bests list for Nintendo's stereoscopic portable. Whether you've sporting the original 3DS or the newer, super-sized version, these games will make the most of the handheld.
Update 02/26/13: The call has sounded! And it says "Fire Emblem is pretty great!" Who are we to ignore the call? Of course, one game has to get the boot to make way for Intelligent Systems' fine RPG. So, wave goodbye to Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and say hello to an addictive new handheld experience.
Update 04/18/13: Why should Mario get all the fun? Somebody at Nintendo decided that he shouldn't, because there's a ton of enjoyment to be had in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, which joins the 3DS Bests list. So, say a fond farewell to Cave Story 3D and shake hands with Nintendo's other adventuring plumber.
Fire Emblem: Awakening revolves around two things: Complex tactical combat and sweet, sweet romance. It's a turn-based tactical role-playing game like Final Fantasy Tactics or Devil Survivor, but with a twist: As your combatants fight alongside one another, they can fall in love. If you keep them paired up, they'll boost one another's stats, and they can even get married and have kids together. Without all the love and marriage, Fire Emblem: Awakening would be an immaculately designed, rewarding, and difficult strategy game. With all the love and marriage, it becomes one of the best strategy games on any system, and certainly one of the best games on the 3DS.
A Good Match For: Strategy fans, people who like games where loss carries real consequences, romantics, micromanagers, matchmakers.
Not For Those Who Want: Fast-paced action, uncomplicated rules, unchallenging games, main characters who have feet.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
This entry in the Tom Clancy-licensed military games doubles down on the tactical decision making at the heart of the series.
A Good Match for: People who pine for the original X-Com. As in the mid-1990s classic, you're tasked with moving the Ghost soldiers through enemy terrain via turn-based combat. And also like X-Com, you'll be able to deploy special skills like cloaking to fire on bad guys without them knowing where to shoot back.
Not for Those Who Want: Actual 3DS feature implementation. The stereoscopic depth doesn't really add anything to Shadow Wars and the Ubisoft release doesn't take advantage of StreetPass or any of the other cool tricks built into the 3DS.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop
Ketzal's Corridors
We've called it first-person Tetris. We can also label it one of the best download-only games for the 3DS. (We can show you why!) Ketzal's Corridors is a puzzle game that has you twisting and turning a Tetris-piece-like shape as it sails forward toward a series of walls. Each wall contains holes that are barely big enough for the shape to pass through. The game is all about making the right twists to get the piece through each opening. In later levels, the pieces you control are more complex, the holes tricker. You can speed things up or fill extra openings with the same piece for more points. The more you play, the more complex the challenges. But Corridors remains one of those pure gameplay games. There's not much story or other garnish getting in the way. It's distinct from anything else out there on any handheld and highly recommended.
A Good Match for: 3DS owners who want a quick-fix game to play during commutes or while waiting in line. Also for those who want some comfortable straight-ahead 3D in their 3DS games.
Not for Those Who Want: Online multiplayer. It offers same-system and multi-system local multiplayer, but you won't be able to compare scores or compete online.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: The Nintendo eShop.
Kid Icarus Uprising
Kid Icarus Uprising isn't like most 3DS games. Really, it isn't like most video games. It's weird as hell, but it's enthusiastically weird, a hot mess of arcade shoot-em-up, rail-shooter and multiplayer smash-fest. It also offers absurd amount of oddball, off-the-beaten-path content, hidden menus, and unlockable weaponry. The screwball dialogue is a trip, the jokes will make you chuckle, and the voice-acting is great (if occasionally a bit too constant). It's one of the most distinctive and enjoyable games for the 3DS so far. (Read our review.)
A Good Match for: People who want a lot of content in a single game, fans of Sakurai's Super Smash Bros., people who want different sort of 3DS multiplayer experience.
Not for Those Who Want: Precise controls, a game that's easy to play on the bus, a serious, dramatic story, menus that don't take a full hour just to understand.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time 3D
Let's be honest: the gloss of 3D adds very little to this 13-year-old video game. But it's still Ocarina of Time, arguable the best entry in the best franchise of all of video games. Being able to play it in your hand thanks to this new remake makes picking it up a no-brainer.
A Good Match for: Zelda fans who don't mind a little evolution. Small tweaks change the way this Ocarina plays: you'll be able to use the gyroscope for first-person aiming and can equip items by tapping the touchscreen. These may not be canonical controls but they are helpful and different.
Not for Those Who Want: Visual Continuity. While the characters all benefit from graphical upgrades, only some of the environments got that new coat of paint. The result is that you'll have a shinier, sharper Link running through dull blocky environments, an awkward reminder of the distance between then and now.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Sequels don't all have to be bad. Take Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. It's a follow-up to sequel to the 2001 GameCube game that will make players chuckle, as Mario's skinnier brother suck sucks up ghosts using a souped-up vacuum. More than that, though, it's a new installment that successfully adds multiplayer and new mechanics—love that Dark Light!—in ways that don't ruin an already-fun experience.
A Good Match For: Sidekick lovers. Sure, he's a big ol' fraidy-cat in this game but Luigi gets to amble through an exceedingly clever set of designs in Dark Moon. Whether it's things like pulling away curtains to reveal coins and secret passages or stunning a handful of ghosts to suck them up all at once, Luigi feels resourceful in a way that's not possible when he's playing second fiddle to Mario.
Not for Those Who Want: To leave previously explored environments behind. This Luigi's Mansion makes you backtrack and revisit various levels a lot, without offering up compelling reasons for doing so.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop | Nintendo eShop
Mario Kart 7
The Mario Kart formula wasn't broken so you can't say that Nintendo needed to fix it. What they did need to do, though, for the franchise's 3DS debut was find a way to add new elements that would tap into the device's key features. Hence, the addition of glider wings, aerial sections, submersible karts and underwater detours. You can steer usng the gyroscope while airborne and the will get the benefit of a nice 3D pop when you're soaring or submerged. Just goes to show that your wheels don't have to be in the ground for a Mario Kart to still be great.
A Good Match for: Bumper car addicts. The wild unpredictability of Mario Kart races are what make them so fun. Just like the theme park staple, there's only a loose connection to these vehicles and actual real-world automobiles. Until Toyota includes a forcefield as a standard option, that is.
Not for Those Who Want: Customization choice. While the ability to swap out bodies and add on details is a new one in MK7, new parts get doled out to you automatically.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop
New Super Mario Bros. 2
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is all about greed. Not on Nintendo's part, though it may seem that way. No, the sidescrolling sequel wants players to get as gold-crazy as they can, tasking them to grab up as many gold coins as they can. The mercenary focus introduces some clever twaeks to the tried-and-true SMB formula, like power-ups that turn enemies into gold so that they splatter into coins when you defeat them.
A Good Match for: Venture capitalists. Co-op play is a big part of NSMB2 but working together with someone also becomes a competitive experience, too. Players can power-drop their partner to become the session leader, which means that the screen progess according to your progress. And the mad scramble to grab the most coinage will sometimes make you forget you're supposed to be working together.
Not for Those Who Want: A radical re-invention. While it has the word "new" in the title, this Super Mario Bros game basically harbors the same structure as many titles in the iconic plumber's legacy.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
The latest entry in what has become one of gaming's best yearly franchises, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask starts the eponymous professor as he puzzles his way through a quaint, British version of Las Vegas. Miracle Mask shakes up the formula once or twice, playing around with its new three-dimensional skin to deliver some really interesting puzzles. Charming dialogue, a lovely story, and fantastic music don't hurt either. (Read our review.)
A Good Match For: People who like puzzles, and thinking, and British accents.
Not For Those Who Want: A fast-paced, action-packed adventure.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Pushmo
Oh, boy! It's a game about pushing blocks. Aren't you glad we're here to help you recommend fresh, wonderful games? Trust us. This one is phenomenal. All you're doing is climbing elaborate piles of blocks—piles that may just happen to resemble iconic shapes and characters. The challenge is to push and pull the right blocks to create a staircase that gets you to the top. It's way tougher than it sounds.
A Good Match for: People who like both solving puzzles and making them, thanks to the game's elaborate level-creator. It's easy to snag new levels by taking photos of special QR codes that Pushmo proponents constantly publish on the Internet.
Not for Those Who Want: Triangles.
Purchase from: The Nintendo eShop
Resident Evil Revelations
This is one of the best Resident Evils on any platform and an incredible showcase for the deep 3D effects of the 3DS. Play through this episodically-chopped up horror game that oscillates between old school survival horror missions and Rambo-style action sequences in what amounts to a satisfying 10-hour adventure that nestles into the elaborate Resident Evil timeline. (Read our review.)
A Good Match for: People who like to play games that are made to be played in the dark. The music, the creeping bad guys, the lack of ammo... you'll jump in surprise at least twice, guaranteed!
Not for Those Who Want: Modern-style big-action Resident Evil. They've got some of that in here, but the reason to play this is to enjoy the throwback to the more tense survival-horror style of the series' original games.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop
Super Mario 3D Land
Of course, it's a Super Mario game that validates the decision to base Nintendo's newest hardware around glasses-free stereoscopic 3D. Even with the gameplay as familiar as always, the mid-air blocks and moving hazards seem more dreamlike and surreal than ever, floating somewhere between the device and your brain.
A Good Match for: Folks who need a little bit of help. 3D Land riffs on the play-assisting Guide features that Nintendo's been putting in games for the last year or so with the Super Tanooki Suit, which makes you nigh-invulnerable
Not for Those Who Want: The rug to stay right where it is. If Super Mario 3D Land's rug is warm nostalgia, then it gets ripped out from you once you finish it the first time. A whole new level of challenge opens up for subsequent playthroughs and there's nothing warm about it.
Here's how it looks in action.
Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop
Note: The 3DS can also play the original DS's entire library of games. Check out our list of "Best Games on the DS" list for more game recommendations.
This list will be updated if and when we discover better games. We will only ever list 12 games, at the most.
