Nintendo 3DS: Everything You Need To Know

Nintendo 3DS came out two days ago, and numerous websites (including this one) have posted negative articles concerning headaches, the price and lackluster sales. It's a ridiculous amount of criticism. You'd think Nintendo 3DS was made by Muammar Gaddafi.

Well, we're lucky enough to own the shiny new portable, and there's plenty to love. After spending hours on games like Nintendogs + Cats and Pilotwings Resort, we've grown very fond of the system, and wanted to highlight a few of the good things that make 3DS a worthwhile investment.


Nintendo First Party Comes Through Yet Again

Everyone talks about "Mario this," and "Zelda that." You know what? Pilotwings Resort is strong enough to make the wait for one of Nintendo's premiere characters bearable. We've spent hours on the game, both in Mission Mode and Free Flight, and it's amazing how much the "one more time" bug hits you. We've racked up lots of flight time with the plane, rocket belt and hang glider, and the innovative vehicles that show up in later levels are clever and fun. The game also has a ton of unlockables, practically daring you to try and put it down before you hit three stars across all modes.

Also, don't mind what Metacritic says, Steel Diver is a lot of fun. You have three game types, gyroscope support and some cool 2-D underwater missions. It's worth a purchase.


Lastly, Nintendogs + Cats is a system seller for anyone who is an animal lover. We already have two animals frolicking in our Japanese-style apartment (there are others you can try out, too), and the magic is even more evident with the clean 3-D effects. Our dog, Kiwi, is already racking up the wins, vanquishing other, lesser canines in Frisbee and lure competitions, and the obedience trials are a blast, using augmented reality, voice recognition and 3-D to make a true emotional connection with these virtual creatures.

Third Parties Show Up Big

Haters always talk about how third parties fail to deliver on Nintendo platforms, but this time, companies showed a ton of support. Lots of third party games achieved massive sales, with Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition dominating the charts. Meanwhile, games like Ghost Recon Shadow Warrior and Ridge Racer 3D deliver memorable gameplay experiences that will have Nintendo 3DS owners happily occupied for a long time.


3-D Is Awesome

We get headaches from eating too much ice cream, but that doesn't mean ice cream kills. There are reports of Nintendo 3DS causing headaches, but people forget that, like everything in life, 3-D (and ice cream) is best in small doses.

Besides, unlike a PlayStation 3, which requires a system, 3-D enabled HDTV and crazy-looking glasses, all we have to do with 3DS is, you know, look at the screen and get magical 3-D. Some people can't stop complaining about things as cool as 3-D without glasses. We find it absolutely fascinating.

Augmented Reality Is As Good As 3-D

The Nintendo 3DS Augmented Reality found in Nintendogs, Face Raiders and AR Games trumps the 3-D effects. In fact, when showing off the system to family and friends, we were surprised to hear the "oohs and ahhs" coming from the Archery mini-game. Seriously, the coffee table transformed into a video game. Amazing stuff.

Other Awesome Things

Pedometer that unlocks Nintendo 3DS Play Coins? Nintendo 3DS StreetPass ushering in a new way of interacting with other gamers? Play Coins to purchase new games within the system? Nintendo 3DS 3-D Camera? Sound effects editor? We could go on.

In this day and age of instant gratification, everyone wants the latest fad, but sometimes, people need to stop to smell the proverbial roses. Or, in this case, play Nintendo 3DS. Give it a look and let the haters hate. We'll strap on our rocket belt and head for the blue skies of Wuhu Island, away from all that noise.

Modojo is a mobile games industry website, which primarily covers the iPhone games, iPad games, Android games and Windows Phone 7 games. Chris Buffa is the editor-in-chief.