With Nintendo’s latest handheld, the 3DS, out in a matter of weeks, we’ve finally learned of the system’s list of launch titles…
I’ve smashed my piggy bank, sold a kidney and traded in my family heirlooms to cobble the funds together for Nintendo’s forthcoming wonder machine. The prospect of a faster DS with the added novelty of a 3D screen is exciting enough, but it’s the quality of the games coming out for it is more enticing still.
The trailer for Paper Mario looks genuinely marvellous, as does the big N’s 21st century overhaul of The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time. Then there’s Kid Icarus: Uprising, a potentially stupendous reboot that mixes ground-based combat with rail shooting, a 3D iteration of the classic Mario Kart, two Resident Evil games, plus a revisit to the furry utopia of Animal Crossing.
Sadly, none of these games will be ready for the 3DS’ launch date. There are, however, a few gems among the 13 games that will hit the stores at the same time as the system – we can’t say we’re terribly excited about Nintendogs + Cats in any of its guises, which include an entire dog pound full of mutts to look after, but we’re most definitely excited about the prospect of a handheld Super Street Fighter IV, and early word is that it’s a faithfully executed port.
Pilotwings Resort looks like a nifty little title too, though it’s perhaps a little disappointing that Nintendo has chosen to create a series of Wii Sports-inspired mini-games rather than a full-blown remake of the Super Nintendo flight simulator.
Elsewhere, we have the port of EA’s eerie doll’s house simulator, The Sims 3, Pro Evolution Soccer 3D, a miniature version of Super Monkey Ball, and as a rather more violent change of pace, a 3D remake of Splinter Cell.
The Nintendo 3DS arrives in the UK on 25 March. In the meantime, here’s that launch line-up in full:
- Pilotwings Resort
- Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends
- Nintendogs + Cats: French Bulldog & New Friends
- Nintendogs + Cats: Toy Poodle & New Friends
- Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition
- The Sims 3
- PES 2011 3D - Pro Evolution Soccer
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
- Ridge Racer 3D
- Super Monkey Ball 3D
- Samurai Warriors: Chronicles
- Asphalt 3D
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D
- Rayman 3D
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