The Top 10 Nintendo 3DS Games

5. RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS

One look at Resident Evil: Revelations might cause one to mistake it for an early generation Xbox 360 title. The game just looks that jaw droppingly good, and with the 3D effect on, it looks unbelievable. Capcom somehow managed to squeeze every last ounce of power under the system’s hood, and in doing so, they created a game that is in the running for the best looking portable game ever created. Yeah, the PS Vita will ultimately get games that far dwarf anything the 3DS can ever manage, but for now, Revelations remains one of the standard bearers.

It’s not just about the graphics, though. The game is a throwback to the franchise’s past, back in the days where it actually used to be a survival horror series. Mixing it up with its newer, action oriented direction, the game found the perfect compromise between the series old plodding pace and its newer orientation, and it created one of the most genuinely thrilling Resident Evil games in a very long time, and a title that is perhaps one of the best in the series. With a dirge of content- from the full featured, excellently produced story mode to the compelling Raid Mode- Resident Evil Revelations represents a major step forward for the series.

This one is simply a must have. There is nothing about this title that would dissuade anybody. The demo’s up on the eShop, download that and give it a go for yourself. It’s a game worth playing, and if you’re having any reservations, the demo will sell you on it. But your 3DS really deserves this cartridge in its slot.

4. PUSHMO

Pushmo came out of nowhere.

Intelligent Systems have created a puzzle game that will probably go down in history as one of the greatest ever created; it is also the game that single handedly justifies the use of stereoscopic 3D in gaming, like Wii Sports did for motion controls.

As a concept, Pushmo is so simple, so stunningly elegant, that you will wonder why no one ever did anything like it before. The idea of pushing and pulling weirdly shaped blocks to make a path towards the goal is so stunningly addictive, I’m sure there will be tons of games made around the same concept soon, just lime Tetris spawned an army of clones.

Pushmo is not just one of the best games on the 3DS- it is perhaps one of the best Nintendo produced games to have hit any of its handhelds ever. With over 240 levels, and the capability to make your own, and download user generated levels online, Pushmo has more content than many retail releases. If this were a fully priced 3DS game, I would have no issues recommending it. At $7, this game is highway robbery. Go for it. There is nothing quite else like it.

3. MARIO KART 7

The game that perhaps single handedly sold the 3DS, Mario Kart 7 was the 3DS’s first AAA title that literally took advantage of everything the system offered. It fully showcased the system’s technical capabilities, with some stunning graphics that rivaled that of the Wii’s version, and maintained a framerate of 60 FPS even in 3D mode, it utilized the gyroscope in a novel new cockpit view mode, it showcased the system’s online infrastructure with the most fully realized suite of multiplayer options in any Nintendo game ever, it utilized the system’s StreetPass and SpotPass modes… oh, and by the way, it also moved the series forward with some daring track design, by rebalancing all the items, and by being, mechanically, probably the best Mario Kart game since Double Dash.

Yes, the character roster is poor. Yes, they took away the single player VS mode. And yes, the Waka Mahu glitch is a pain. But God damn, none of that matters, none of that matters at all, as Mario Kart 7 remains as gleefully chaotic, as addictive as the series ever was, and it tops it all off by being probably the best installment in the series till date. It remains to be seen if the game will ever be as ultimately successful as the DS version was, but as of right now, that doesn’t matter. Mario’s latest kart racing shenanigans have already sold millions on to the idea of portable stereoscopic 3D gaming. If you’re one of the five people who owns a 3DS but not Mario Kart, just… go and hide under a rock somewhere or something. Oh, and sell your 3DS, while you’re at it. You seriously have no reason to be owning it.

2. SUPER MARIO 3D LAND

Oh, Mario. How you can change the flagging fortunes of any Nintendo system you appear on.

The Nintendo 3DS’s fortunes truly changed when Super Mario 3D Land launched for the system in November. Yes, the price cut had managed to sustain the sales at a healthy level, but it was only in November when the 3DS finally had an original killer app to call its own that appealed to millions, that it started selling faster than the speed of light.

Super Mario 3D Land was that game. When it hit the 3DS, it not only was the best 3DS title till date- honestly, that was no big deal back then- it was also perhaps the single best handheld game ever created, and arguably the best 3D Mario game till date. A game that was a celebration of over twenty five years of Mario, the game took Mario back to the basics, and somehow translated its ages old 2D platforming ethos into polygonal and stereoscopic 3D, losing nothing in the transition. It was the truest Mario title in over a decade.

Tight controls, no more wrestling with the camera, incredible level design, beautiful graphics, and whimiscal music, Mario 3D Land remains one of the best games of 2011, and probably the best game released on a handheld ever. Again, this is a game you should be owning at all costs. No excuses can suffice. The game is just that incredible. As a matter of fact, it would have been at the very top of this list, had it not been for another game…

1. KID ICARUS: UPRISING

Being better than what is one of the best Mario games of all time (and by extension, one of the best games of all time) is almost impossible. To accomplish it, a game has to be nothing short of borderline groundbreaking. It has to break the mould and surpass all expectations so thoroughly, that no Nintendo game can possibly do it, because as a game designer, Nintendo ultimately takes a very conservative approach.

Happily for everyone, then, there is one man in Nintendo who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sakurai, the man who created Kirby and the man who created Super Smash Bros., was put in charge of creating the 3DS’s premier first party title. When it was first announced- Kid Icarus Uprising, a revival of a series that has been dead for over two decades, as a third person shooter, everyone was stunned. The initial excitement soon turned to apprehension, as all pres previews and reports were unflattering. And yet, no one should ever have doubted Sakurai at all. As of right now, he is probably Nintendo’s greatest asset.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is an amazing game. The initial controls curve can turn many people off, but under all of that lies some amazing game design. Narratively, this is the strongest title Nintendo has ever produced. Graphically, the game is stunning. It has probably the best soundtrack in any game in years. The constant voiced banter between its excellently voiced characters lend the game a lot of credibility. The story mode is amazingly long, featuring many games’ worth of content. It has an unusually exhaustive difficulty scale, and excellent game design. The multiplayer mode is pure mayhem and chaos, like Smash Bros. in a 3D space.

In addition, Uprising takes advantage of every single feature the 3DS offers, and then some. It offers support for StreetPass, SpotPass, local multiplayer, online multiplayer, touch screen, circle pad, AR gaming, Circle Pad Pro, and more, so much more. The game is loaded with content, perhaps as much content as Super Smash Bros. Brawl had. In other words, this game alone could probably last you years, all by itself.

Pit lost nothing in the transition to 3D and gained everything. The old Kid Icarus games were so obsolete that it wasn’t worth preserving anything about them but the spirit, and that is exactly what was done with Uprising. As a transition to 3D, Kid Icarus Uprising is masterful, and on the same level as Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Metroid Prime. As a game, it is the best of the best, the best title of 2012 so far. As a 3DS game, it will go unmatched for years. Many years from now, when the 3DS is old, and its successor is imminent, and a similar retrospective 3DS games list is made, Kid icarus will still be at the top. Sakurai has created a modern masterpiece, a legend that will only grow in the retelling.

Bring on the sequel.

What are your favorite 3DS games? Remember to let us know via your comments!

Remember to look out for our review of Kid Icarus: Uprising! It will be hitting the website soon!