[Stilton Disco]

The Nintendo 3DS is arguably the best handheld gaming console ever made... that argument is wrong of course. The greatest handheld is of course the Vita.

But the fact that the argument can be made at all speaks volumes as to just how good the 3DS was, inspite of Nintendo seeming to do everything they possibly could to bugger it up.

Released in 2010, the 3DS was the follow up to the enormously successful 'third pillar' that was the DS. Sadly, straight out of the gate it was clear the 3DS was not in for the sales success of it's predecessor.

Overpriced, lacking content, woefully underspecced and in a market firmly now dominated by mobile phones, the 3DS looked like it was going to be Nintendo's Game Gear, a fun piece of kit, but ultimately just a footnote to other gaming device's success.

This disastrous start led to something not seen before, and only really continued, to a far lesser extent, a generation later with the Switch.

Nintendo didn't treat their customers like shit.

Both lowering the price massively and giving existing owners access to a load of free digital ports of older games (some of which are still basically impossible to actually buy from them), this was the most aggressively competitive Nintendo have ever, and likely will ever, be.

And it worked. The 3DS sold. And continued selling. With revision after redesign after peripheral, the system went on to sell about as well as the PSP, which wasn't great in comparisonto the DS, or the Switch that followed, but was still numbers most gaming devices manufacturers would kill for.

This trial and error approach had it's hits and misses, culminating with the best version, the standard n3DS, which married the systems best innovations with the originals perfect pocket size, unique swappable body plates that allowed infinite customisation, all with a slightly bigger screen that wasn't so big that it became too blurry due to the loss in pixel density. This version sold vastly fewer than it's blurring, less portable XL sibling however and was soon discontinued... fucking Clownworld...

Regardless, the thing that continued to propel the n3DS and it's inferior larger counterpart's sales, was the amazing library of games. With the added bonus of inbuilt backwards compatibility with the complete DS back catalogue, the 3DS has one of the largest, most diverse and flat out fun gaming libraries ever assembled.

What's more, thanks to it's unique 3D gimmick and the same dual screen set up as its predecessor, many of it's titles are all but impossible to port without more trouble than they're worth remastering, or by stripping back features that make for a far inferior experience in doing so, meaning that for anyone wanting to play DS or 3DS games, it's the best or only way to do so.

And those games require their own ranting discussion, so I'll open things up to the rest of you. Is anyone, like me, a hammer legend that is returning to simpler handheld pleasures? Did you love the system then, but have moved on to bigger, flashier things? Did you hate it and think I should shut my stupid Nintendo soyface, before my wife's boyfriend shuts it for me?

Share your thoughts, recommendations and memories, and let's see if we can drive the second hand prices even higher than they depressingly already are!

 

[HE1NZ]

I own 2 (one XL and a small New one), but for some reason never really played them too much. I had a killer time with Mario 3D Land though.

 

[Stilton Disco]

I'm going to pepper in some DS and 3DS games I recommend picking up for those interested, especially as a lot of these are only going to get increasingly expensive as time goes on.

Aliens Infestation

DS, 2D Side Scrolling Action Game, Sega

The best Aliens Game. Seriously.

This perfectly marries the frantic guns blazing action, horrible creeping dread and black chitin clad spectres of death that made James Camerons masterpiece, all through the medium of cartoony graphics and totally over the top set pieces, like some manic schizophrenic Saturday morning cartoon.

Tight controls, a clever limited extra life system that used each unique marine as a continue, cleverly balanced gameplay that meant you have to both carefully conserve ammo and keep swapping weapons to best keep the hordes of bugs at bay, the game takes you through a roller coaster tour of the Aliens Universe that doesn't rely on nostalgia to work, but adds a great extra layer for long time fans.

Not the most expensive game to pick up now, but expect to be spending at least as much as the day it released.

 

[HariSeldon]

I stole the wife's one and had a blast with Mario 3D Land. Fantastic game, fantastic system.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Codename STEAM

3DS, Isometric Squad Based SRPG, Nintendo

The redheaded stepchild of the same wave of new IP's Nintendo has been trying out that birthed Splatoon, this is exactly what you'd expect of a game that was a bunch of middle aged Japs completely missing the mark in designing a product to appeal to young yanks.

This is a game that sees American historical and mythical figures fighting Aliens in a steam punk, alternate history Victorian era, and it very spectacularly failed in a way pretty much no other Nintendo first party title has before or since.

The thing is though, it's actually a properly good game. Not great, and very obviously not what it's target audience wanted, but if you're a fan of games like X-Com, it's a genuinely enjoyable title with all the usual Nintendo polish and fun. If you like the genre, then I honestly recommend giving it a go, because underneath the retardedly stupid aesthetic choices, there's a solid little game there.

Also it's got the dubious honour of being the cheapest Nintendo first party game likely ever on the second hand market, going for well under a fiver new and sealed, so you're not exactly going to lose out if you take a gamble on it.

 

[The Bloody Nine]

Is the 3DS XL any good? I can buy one for £60.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Is the 3DS XL any good? I can buy one for £60.

Broadly, yes. The n3DS and n2DS have faster loading times, a selection of SNES ports, built in Amiibo scanner, extra shoulder buttons, better 3D (it tracks your eyes instead of you needing to keep it still in one position), a right c stick nub that acts as a pseudo second analogue stick and the following exclusives:

BlockForm
Box Up
Brick Race
Color Cubes
Cup Critters
Fire Emblem Warriors
forma.8
Futuridium EP Deluxe
Galaxy Blaster
Hit Ninja
Hyper Light EX
Lifespeed
Minecraft: New 3DS Edition
Pink Dot Blue Dot
Pirate Pop Plus
Pixel Hunter
Runbow (retail)
Shoot The Ball
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth
Wind Up Knight 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

Plus enhanced performance, textures and modes in some games.

If you don't care about any of that, the 3DS XL is still a great system and a huge improvement over the original version.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

3DS wasn't as good as DS but that's okay, the handheld can play both systems. I do appreciate the beefier hardware because some of those DS games are rough. But DS had a lot MORE.

One of my favorites was Etrian Mystery Dungeon, toward the end of the system's life. I've always liked the art style and intricate systems of the EO series, but I vastly prefer top-down traditional RL / Mystery Dungeon style. The world had a cool fort / boss-creep / team building aspect to keep players returning to old dungeons.

Monster Hunter 4U holds a lot of fond memories for me. I remember being bummed that it came to 3DS instead of Vita, because as a PSP MH fan I wanted the function of that second analog stick. Anyway, the game was still amazing. Playing online with newcomers to the series was also special, even though a lot of them sucked, especially players from francophone countries who always seemed to play glaive, forever making me hate the weapon (Je suis monte!)

 

[The Bloody Nine]

Broadly, yes. The n3DS and n2DS have faster loading times, a selection of SNES ports, built in Amiibo scanner, extra shoulder buttons, better 3D (it tracks your eyes instead of you needing to keep it still in one position), a right c stick nub that acts as a pseudo second analogue stick and the following exclusives:

BlockForm
Box Up
Brick Race
Color Cubes
Cup Critters
Fire Emblem Warriors
forma.8
Futuridium EP Deluxe
Galaxy Blaster
Hit Ninja
Hyper Light EX
Lifespeed
Minecraft: New 3DS Edition
Pink Dot Blue Dot
Pirate Pop Plus
Pixel Hunter
Runbow (retail)
Shoot The Ball
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth
Wind Up Knight 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

Plus enhanced performance, textures and modes in some games.

If you don't care about any of that, the 3DS XL is still a great system and a huge improvement over the original version.

Thanks, appreciate the effort. Which is the best version to go for overall, in your opinion?

 

[Cravis]

Aliens Infestation is such underrated gem. Speaking of Wayfoward I'll add Contra 4. That was right up there with the originals. Their Thor game was good too.

 

[Arkam]

I dont know if I would call them retro yet. I only recently stopped seeing these when I would travel. It was the best bad system. Everything about it was a miss....well except for the games. The HW its self was the perfect marriage of bad decisions. After the phenom that was the DS all Nintendo had to do was lay it up with a few nips and tucks based on market trends (you know rise of smart phones and PSP). All the DS lacked was analog sticks and the grunt to render 3d games in a meaningful way. And to a less extent a higher res screen. All of these were bungled by Nintendo. They gave us ONE stick for some madness that gimped 3d games. On the 3d front, Nintendo couldnt play nice with Nvidia and instead of getting a capable chipset they got that Pica200 garbage that was riddled with proprietary techniques that no one used. And instead of a highres screen they gave us the 3D screen which only kinda worked and was pretty much abandoned inside 2 years. And somehow they sold a shit load of these things!

But like its predecessor, it had some fantastic games that allowed us to look past the HW failings and have some great times.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Ever Oasis

3DS, Management Sim Action RPG, Nintendo

Ever Oasis had the misfortune of being released just as the Switch came out, completely overshadowing what is still a charming little title that could have led to an amazing refined sequel, instead being consigned to being little more than a footnote in the 3DS's troubled story.

A cutesy, brightly coloured and family friendly mashup of Animal Crossing, Rune Factory and Zelda, the game see's your character managing and expanding a magical oasis town in a dessert, enlarging the town and encouraging travellers to set up shops, keeping the residents happy, raiding dungeons and growing crops, while also trying to defeat the big bad that has brought the world to scorched ruin.

It's an undemanding but rewarding title that is unlikely to ever officially make its way to another platform.

Can be picked up for less than 20 quidbucks, likely thanks to Nintendo seemingly not expecting people to jump to Switch as quickly as they did.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Thanks, appreciate the effort. Which is the best version to go for overall, in your opinion?

To my mind the line peaked with the n3DS (not XL), which has all the 'new' hardware advancements while being more portable than the XL and n2DS XL, plus it had the excellent swappable body plates. The only advantage the n3DS XL had was a bigger screen but, as it's the same resolution, it had worse image quality as a trade off. Well, that and an hour longer battery life.

If you don't care about 3D though, the n2DS XL is the best value purchase. There was also a lot more of them produced and they're less in demand from collectors.

 

[Mickmrly]

Ever Oasis

3DS, Management Sim Action RPG, Nintendo

Ever Oasis had the misfortune of being released just as the Switch came out, completely overshadowing what is still a charming little title that could have led to an amazing refined sequel, instead being consigned to being little more than a footnote in the 3DS's troubled story.

A cutesy, brightly coloured and family friendly mashup of Animal Crossing, Rune Factory and Zelda, the game see's your character managing and expanding a magical oasis town in a dessert, expanding the town and encouraging travellers to set up shops, keeping the residents happy, raiding dungeons and growing crops, while also trying to defeat the big bad that has brought the word to a scorched ruin.

It's an undemanding but rewarding title that is unlikely to ever officially make its way to another platform.

Can be picked up for less than 20 quidbucks, likely thanks to Nintendo seemingly not expecting people to jump to Switch as quickly as they did.

If that came on steam I might play it but I don't really like going back to the 3ds form factor now due to my large hands getting a little uncomfortable on long playthrough's.

I think I got the 3ds the first Christmas it was out in late 2010 I think. I was able to get the bonus games such as mario and luigi and fire emblem. Those 10 games or so were great to play but I think the best thing was the eshop, where I was able to play heaps of random gameboy games like Mario Picross and older Pokemon games. So much fun without even mentioning the large amount of good 3ds games. I think it is a shame the eshop store wasn't ported over to the switch, Nintendo could have had even more of my money in the droughts between their big game releases.

A fine system all in all. I wouldn't quite call it retro yet but when the switch successor releases, I think then it would be retro tech.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Senran Kagura Burst 1 and 2

3DS, Beat-em-Up while Beating Off, Marvelous

No wait, hear me out.

The Senran Kagura games have a reputation as shallow, vulgar, misogynistic, low quality coomer bait.

The truth is however very different. Well not the coomer bait part, that is actually fair enough.

However these two games, the original and core titles of the series, go well beyond low budget porn games. There is a depth of both gameplay and narrative underneath all the gratuitous schoolgirl tits and thinly veiled lesbian lust, providing a well crafted, easy to learn but hard to master combat system, wide variety of playable unique characters, most of whom are actually well written and properly fleshed out, as well as a story that gets increasingly deep and thoughtful as it goes on, before going absolutely batshit insane with lovecraftian eldritch abominations.

Honestly, these two games are some of the best action titles on the 3DS. If you're not into cartoon tits, they're still well worth picking up for that alone.

And if you are into that, well, tits are life, ass is hometown.

Can be picked up from about 25 dollarpounds each.

 

[Nush]

There's a great library of games but it just became my dedicated Animal Crossing player.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

@Stilton Disco great thread btw

3DS is indeed one of the best systems one can own; if for no other reason, the compatible library is absurdly good. Ignoring the 3DS would be like ignoring the PS2 in my opinion. Even if you passed on 98% of the library there are some absolute diamonds in there.

 

[JORMBO]

I've been scanning EBay for one lately but the new 3ds xl are so expensive now and most of them are scratched up pretty bad. Even new 2ds XL are $200+. A few weeks ok Nintendo had them up for $100 on their site as refurbs. They sold out as I entered my payment then EBay was flooded with them for double price a few days later.

 

[cryptoadam]

20 years is when things become retro.

If it launched in 2010 it will be retro in 2030. So just a few more years to go...

 

[Grinchy]

I didn't play a lot of it, but I had some time with one of the regular sized New 3DS models. Played Link Between Worlds on it and a few other games.

The screen size was just too small and the resolution was just too low for me. And it felt uncomfortable to play on. I may have missed out on some gems, but I just didn't like actually using the thing.

 

[Stilton Disco]

I've been scanning EBay for one lately but the new 3ds xl are so expensive now and most of them are scratched up pretty bad. Even new 2ds XL are $200+. A few weeks ok Nintendo had them up for $100 on their site as refurbs. They sold out as I entered my payment then EBay was flooded with them for double price a few days later.

The insanely high second hand prices, and realisation of why they were so high being due to how difficult many titles would be to preserve outside the DS/3DS itself, was what prompted me to dust mine off again, then make this thread after I had so much fun with it. There are some absolute gems in the 2 systems libraries, and they're not getting cheaper any time soon.

I didn't play a lot of it, but I had some time with one of the regular sized New 3DS models. Played Link Between Worlds on it and a few other games.

The screen size was just too small and the resolution was just too low for me. And it felt uncomfortable to play on. I may have missed out on some gems, but I just didn't like actually using the thing.

Screen size is a tricky one with the system. It is too small, there's no getting around that, but it's also so low rez that simply enlarging it makes everything so pixilated and blurry that personally the XL isn't worth the trade off.

As much as I like the system, it's very much inspite of it's hardware, not because of it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a total design failure like the WiiU, but it's certainly of the same era of Nintendo having fallen into a complacent rut that meant they were designing systems purely for themselves rather than the player.

I actually bought myself one of the clip on handle shells for my n3DS, which makes it far more comfortable, especially when using it for any extended period of time. It also has a built in kickstand, so presumably whoever designed it was a big Kid Icarus Uprising fan, since that's the only game on the 3DS I can think of that would make use of such a thing.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology

3DS, JRPG, Atlas

An enhanced remaster of the DS Original, Radiant Historia is a very old school JRPG with an incredibly deep and intricate narrative, built around hoping between different timeliness to unravel events and prevent disaster.

As well as enhanced visuals and quality of life improvements, Perfect Chronology added additional timeliness and characters that can be either inserted into the main game or played post credits.

The overall experience is a one of the better remasters out there, that both preserves the original for purists and add in changes that only complement the experience for those that want them. Few major titles are treated with such respect, let alone an obscure old handheld JRPG that never particularly sold well the first time.

A must play for fans of older classics of the genre on SNES and PS1, and well worth playing for anyone that enjoyed it on the DS.

Expensive as hell on the second and market. While only 20-30 liberty-royals digitally on the eshop, for those that want the cart you're easily looking at 100+, especially for the PAL version which had a very small production run.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I was a Vita dude in that time, and while there were definitely a lot of great games for the 3DS, I could not get around it's shitty graphics and resolution back then. Especially THOSE HUGE PIXELS on the XL version.

I am usually not a graphics whore, but what the 3DS showed felt like an eye sore to me.

Sorry for the derail, BUT THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID (by a Vita fanboy) : D




also: Vita means "Life".

 

[Stilton Disco]

I was a Vita dude in that time, and while there were definitely a lot of great games for the 3DS, I could not get around it's shitty graphics and resolution back then. Especially THOSE HUGE PIXELS on the XL version.

I am usually not a graphics whore, but what the 3DS showed felt like an eye sore to me.

Sorry for the derail, BUT THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID (by a Vita fanboy) : D




also: Vita means "Life".

No no, the Vita was 100% the superior system and still my choice for best gaming handheld ever made.

It is however far easier to emulate, with most of it's best titles now available on other platforms, so it's not got as many hidden gems nor as staggeringly skyrocketing second hand prices.

This thread is also meant to alert others that they should be jumping on these games sooner rather than later, because prices are only going to go up from here on out.

I'll probably do a similar Vita thread once I'm satisfied I've put out enough recommendations here, since it's been fun revisting them.

And yes, Vita means Life brother, Vita means Life.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Stella Glow.

3DS, SRPG dating sim, Sega/Atlas/NIS

Stella Glow feels like it should be a Vita or Switch game. There's far more such very Japanese titles on those platforms, while the 3DS (Senran Kagura aside) tended to shy away from such fan service heavy and mechanically demanding titles.

Stella Glow is just great though. Like if Persona and Final Fantasy Tactics had a really outgoing and flamboyant child.

The plot starts out with your cliché hidden destiny, big bad wants to destroy the world, young heroes village gets destroyed starting the classic heroes journey, but it quickly starts to become more complex and less morally black and white as the game progresses.

There's a great deal strategy needed in It's grid and turn based combat, requiring both placement, use of terrain, power comboes and attack variety to get through the unexpectedly tricky fights, while between battles time management is needed for various activities and to allow characters to bond, which both effects gameplay and the plot.

There's even a few choices scattered throughout that alter the narrative and gameplay, culminating in a number of varied endings that really boost replayablility.

It's simply a charming and engrocing title, and one of the better obscure games on the system

Also, this is what the game thinks Ninjas look like:

It's dope as fuck.

Currently going for about 50 smackers, which is surprisingly low compared to other such games on the system, probably due to relative obscurity and the atypical design sensibilities, making it embarrassing for the average Nintendo player to be able to ask his wife's boyfriend permission to buy it.

 

[Zefah]

Not quite retro, but a damn good handheld. I never really got on with the 3D vision gimmick, though.

I think I have like 7 or 8 different 3DS series hardware incarnations in my household.

 

[Jack's Fury]

It's a good system which i have a huge backlog for, i say "good" because it's main gimick, which was abondend by Nintendo themselves when they released the 2DS, and caused it to have that abysmal IQ! Fucking hell the system came out in 2011 with a 240p screen which was a huge step back from the PSP a system released in 2004 with a 480p screen! And that useless overpriced fucking Circle Pad Pro which 99% of games didn't use!

Still games are what matters in the end and there's a lot of good stuff on it.

 

[Arkam]

One game that I loved on the 3DS was Steel Diver: Sub Wars. Who knew a FPS multiplayer submarine game would be so damned fun. The best part was how it played into all the 3DS weaknesses (one stick, no voip, weak GPU) and made irrelevant.

Not sure that lighting can be caught in a bottle a second time, but I sure would like to see a sequel on the switch.

 

[Soodanim]

My OG 3DS XL has gone unused for years. I think I'll only revisit it when I'm ready to emulate the games, because despite everything I tried the system just isn't comfortable to hold. I bought a grip with handles, but that didn't help much. I even imported the analog stick attachment. Not much better, and barely supported by the games I played. The weight balance of the screen was awful, too. Not much they could have done, but that fact didn't make it any better.

I even bought a 2DS, thinking that with its ergonomics and weight distribution it would have been better to hold. Returned that the day I got it.

I don't recall the 2DS XL existing, but at least the weight balance and performance would have been better.

 

[Stilton Disco]

My OG 3DS XL has gone unused for years. I think I'll only revisit it when I'm ready to emulate the games, because despite everything I tried the system just isn't comfortable to hold. I bought a grip with handles, but that didn't help much. I even imported the analog stick attachment. Not much better, and barely supported by the games I played. The weight balance of the screen was awful, too. Not much they could have done, but that fact didn't make it any better.

I even bought a 2DS, thinking that with its ergonomics and weight distribution it would have been better to hold. Returned that the day I got it.

I don't recall the 2DS XL existing, but at least the weight balance and performance would have been better.

The 2DS XL is just the n3DS XL without 3D but, for some insane reason, both still having the stereoscopic 3D cameras, and also moving them to the bottom of the system.

Nintendo are weird.