Gallery: Buyer Beware: Rating Nintendo 3DS Launch Games
01steel-diver
Having played the majority of the first wave of games for the Nintendo 3DS, we can say one thing for sure: The [glasses-free 3-D handheld](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2011/03/nintendo-3ds/), which hits U.S. stores Sunday, will be stuck in the launch doldrums for a while. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/tag/nintendo-3ds) Yes, many of the 16 games that will be available at launch prove entertaining enough. And there's a lot of [fun stuff to do with the hardware](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2011/03/nintendo-3ds-features/), even if you don't buy a single game. But in the rush to make it out on Day One, developers have cut corners. Some games last only a few hours, others lack the communication features that were supposed to make 3DS games special, and some are rush-job ports from other hardware. It's not that there's anything particularly bad about them. It's just clear we're going to have to wait for games that fully exploit what 3DS can do. Like iPad early adopters, gamers who snag a 3DS this weekend will no doubt be itching for something to do with their snazzy new machines. Unlike iPad apps, 3DS games typically retail for $40 a pop. If you want to spend that money wisely, read our hands-on impressions of games that will be available for Sunday's launch. __Above:__ Steel Diver ----------- This slow-paced underwater adventure comes out of left field for Nintendo. The collection of games revolves around the thrilling life of a submariner, beneath the sky of blue and sea of green. In the game’s main mode, you pilot a sub through a few short levels, taking out enemy ships and avoiding obstacles as you make your way to the finish. Playing Steel Diver made me think of the Atari game [Lunar Lander](http://www.atari.com/play/atari/lunar_lander): Both games involve accomplishing a simple task that is made infinitely more complicated by complex, deliberately clunky controls. You can’t just point your ship where you want it to go. Instead you have to adjust course using an array of sliders on the touchscreen that control the vessel's depth, acceleration and pitch. Trying to master these controls is fun, although it might not be every gamer’s cup of tea. For those looking for more of a quick gameplay hit, the first-person Periscope mode makes solid use of the 3DS’ unique features. You must sit on a swivel chair, or stand, or otherwise have full, 360-degree freedom of rotation. You hold the DS in front of you, spinning like a dervish as you search out enemy ships and launch torpedoes. I’ve only spent a couple hours with [Steel Diver](http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/m3o4ZfuurAOd1_e1DwifkylBFTJ9_qs1), but it seems that, like the [feature-deficient Pilotwings Resort](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2011/03/pilotwings-resort-3ds-review/), it’s a bit on the short-and-sweet side. And it doesn’t use any of 3DS’ vaunted connectivity features — there’s no online play, no StreetPass, no Play Coin support, etc. Bear that in mind if you want to take the plunge on launch day. *—Chris Kohler*
02pilotwings-resort
Pilotwings Resort ----------------- We’ve already published our [full review of Pilotwings Resort](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2011/03/pilotwings-resort-3ds-review/), but here’s the gist of it: It’s an enjoyable and occasionally addictive game that lets you fly hang gliders, planes and jetpacks in a series of increasingly challenging courses. The downside is that it doesn’t pack much replay value: Once you’re done with the main challenges in a few hours’ time, there won’t be that much to keep you around. *—Chris Kohler*
03ridge-racer-3d
Ridge Racer 3D -------------- In the annals of omnipresent launch-day franchises, Sega has [Monkey Ball](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Monkey_Ball_(series)), and Namco has Ridge Racer. The latter is one of the few proud remnants of the olden days of arcade racing, when “realistic” meant leaning on the accelerator and blasting off at inhuman speeds down ridiculously impossible highways while listening to electric-guitar solos. [Ridge Racer 3D](http://rr3d.namco-ch.net/) isn’t exactly a showpiece for the 3DS graphics — in fact, it looks more like a regular DS game — but heck if it isn’t a lot of fun. This is just the sort of racing game I like, the kind where you really only need to worry about a couple of things, and you’re constantly getting that great feeling of overtaking other cars, made possible by the fact that the game drops them throughout the racetrack instead of starting you all at the same point. You’re not really in a *race*, you’re just driving. Since other launch titles (including two of Nintendo’s three) don’t, Ridge Racer also gets points for including StreetPass functionality — if you pass another player, you might receive a “ghost” of their best performance on a certain track, which you can attempt to beat. *—Chris Kohler*
04rayman-3d
Rayman 3D --------- Ubisoft has gotten a lot of mileage out of [Rayman 2](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayman_2:_The_Great_Escape), which it originally released in 1999 for PlayStation and Nintendo 64. It ported the game to the original DS shortly after its launch, and now it's bringing an enhanced version to 3DS on launch day. Although certain elements of the presentation (like the characters' low polygon counts) betray Rayman's roots as a last-last generation game, overall the graphics look quite nice on the 3DS screen. The camera worked well, at least for the opening 20 minutes of the game I played. A brand-new game designed with 3DS' strengths in mind would have been preferable, but with Mario missing in action, [Rayman 3D](http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/Qc5MPHFjQkc_MW2ww2kzdg6zmz4N3Usu) seems like it will fill that gap in nicely — unless you've already played it a dozen times on a dozen different platforms and don't need another retread. If you've never experienced Rayman 2, this seems like a good way to break in. *—Chris Kohler*
05asphalt-3d-2
Asphalt 3D ---------- Just in case Ridge Racer isn't enough 3-D racing for you, Ubisoft has its own launch-day repeat offender in [Asphalt 3D](http://www.ubi.com/US/Games/Info.aspx?pId=9334). Originally released by the company's mobile phone division, Asphalt was a real mess when it launched with the original DS, but this version proves significantly more entertaining. This is probably because it borrows from [Burnout](http://burnout.ea.com/index.asp?noredir=yes), Electronic Arts' groundbreaking racing series. You earn points for smashing into other cars, disabling your opponents by knocking them off the road, etc. There are even modes where you run from a phalanx of police cars and try to avoid getting busted before you cross the finish line. None of this is expertly crafted. The irritating, looping music will have you reaching for the volume control within minutes. The collision detection during those car-crash moments is not exactly realistic. Mostly the cars just pass through each other as if they were droplets of water. This isn't going down in history as a classic of the genre, but it's fun enough to clear the (lower) launch-day bar. *—Chris Kohler*
06lego-star-wars-iii
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars ---------------------------------- Plucked from the consoles and dropped unceremoniously onto the DS, this action-adventure Legofies your favorite (Yoda) and least-favorite (angsty teen Anakin) Star Wars heroes. The good: Watching the traditional Star Wars crawl of yellow text is really cool in 3-D. The not so good: [Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars](http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/product.xml?topcatID=461;product_id=1326234) is pretty much a straight port of the console games with little to differentiate it on the 3DS. The camera is zoomed out so far to fit everything on the handheld's small screen that you lose the novelty of everything being built of Lego bricks. Instead, it looks like clumps of pixels smashing into other clumps of pixels. To be fair, all the games in the various Lego series (which by now includes Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, etc.) are pretty good children’s entertainment, and this one will probably be well-received by its intended audience. But as a straight console port, it doesn't even scrape the surface of what Lego games could be on 3DS. *—Chris Kohler*
07bust-a-move-universe-2
Bust-a-Move Universe -------------------- Hey, do you like Bust-a-Move, aka [Puzzle Bobble](http://www.classicgamesarcade.com/game/21606/puzzle-bobble.html)? If so, you'll probably like it in 3-D. Square Enix's 3DS launch game is not any of the stuff it announced at E3, like Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. No, it's a revival of the classic Taito puzzle game, starring those lovable dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble. You fire colored bubbles into more colored bubbles, and make them disappear when you match three. I played this a lot in college, and I am a gray-haired old man now. But it's still fun. The 3DS version doesn't add much: You'll see classic Puzzle (kill a certain arrangement of bubbles before you die) and Challenge (get the highest possible score in a certain amount of time) modes, and ... that's it. No multiplayer, no special 3DS functionality. Perhaps realizing that it had prepared a truly bare-bones release, Square Enix made [Bust-a-Move Universe](http://release.square-enix.com/na/2011/01/20_02.html) the only 3DS launch game to sell for $30, not $40. *—Chris Kohler*
08super-monkey-ball-3d-2
Super Monkey Ball 3D -------------------- Sega will never let any console launch go by without cranking out a version of its monkeys-in-hamster-balls game. [Super Monkey Ball 3D](http://www.sega.com/games/super-monkey-ball-3d/) is actually three significantly different games in one: The original don’t-fall-off ball-rolling game is joined by two naked ripoffs of Nintendo mainstays Mario Kart and [Super Smash Bros](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros.). On the one hand, if you’re craving that sort of thing, Sega is here for you while Nintendo’s games remain MIA. On the other, these clones are not very good: "Monkey Race" suffers from floaty controls, uninspired course design and a ridiculously unforgiving difficulty curve, while "Monkey Fight" is a lackluster four-player fighting minigame. Add the fact that the standard "Monkey Ball" game is getting quite long in the tooth, and I’m not sure why you’d want to put this in when so many original 3DS games await you on Day One. Oh, and there’s no StreetPass or online support, either. *—Chris Kohler*
09super-street-fighter-iv-3d-edition-2
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition ---------------------------------- As a longtime devotee of fighting games, I have never been one to play them on the go. Portable devices lack the advantages that home consoles provide, such as controllers with extra buttons that allow for shortcuts, and joysticks that offer more precise movements. [Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition](http://www.streetfighter.com/us/ssfiv3d/) on the 3DS more or less levels the playing field. Up to four commands can be mapped to the touchscreen, and while there’s no joystick, the analog slide pad feels exceptionally smooth. It’s still not as good as an arcade stick, and the shoulder buttons lack the tactile resistance of the four face buttons, but the control scheme works well. In fact, I’ve had so much fun using these controls that I wish I could use my 3DS to play [Marvel vs. Capcom 3](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2011/02/marvel-vs-capcom-3-review/) at home. The 3-D effect in this game is pretty neat, particularly when viewed in the new over-the-shoulder camera angle. Individual body parts of the fighters exist on separate layers, creating a sense of depth and adding a certain intensity to the fight. However, I still prefer the traditional perspective, because it’s otherwise hard to estimate the distance between combatants. As mentioned in [Game|Life’s 3DS hardware coverage](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2011/03/nintendo-3ds-features/?pid=1020&pageid=33777 ), the StreetPass figure battles in Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition are an absolute blast. There’s luck involved, as the battles are automatic, but there’s an impressive level of strategy, too. A level cap prevents you from simply choosing your five strongest figures: Anticipating your opponent’s figure placement is key. All in all, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition might be the perfect launch title for the 3DS: It looks great in 3-D, can be enjoyed alone or with others, and takes advantage of all the system’s features — touchscreen, StreetPass, Play Coins, etc. *—Daniel Feit*
10nintendogs-cats-and-the-rest
The Rest -------- Wired.com didn't get to spend as much time with these 3DS launch titles. (In a few cases, we did not try them at all.) *—Chris Kohler* Nintendogs + Cats ----------------- Raise a dog from a puppy to be a mighty cage fighter! That is not the goal of [Nintendogs + Cats](http://nintendogspluscats.nintendo.com/), which is pretty much just about playing with a puppy until you somehow make enough money to buy another puppy and a cat so you can watch them all play together. I got to the point where I named my French bulldog "Fondue" and taught him to sit. The dogs are tremendously cute, and I had to stop before I got too attached. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/gamelife/2011/03/giants_sims.jpg) __[Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D](http://www.gamespot.com/3ds/action/combat-of-giants-dinosaurs-3d/news.html?sid=6286591&mode=previews):__ (above, left) In olden times, dinosaurs fought for supremacy. It was kind of like [Punch-Out](http://www.punchout.com/). __[The Sims 3](http://www.thesims3.com/):__ (above, right) EA calls this "the first full-life simulator available in 3-D for a handheld." Well, it would have to be. __[Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D](http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/YiLUcu6mLFxJtLXEYyPr3WfPnCkXHteA):__ I hear this game is popular in countries that are not this one. Sadly, I didn't get to try it. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/gamelife/2011/03/madden_ghost.jpg) __[Samurai Warriors: Chronicles](http://www.samuraiwarriors.eu/):__ Tecmo Koei's popular series about feudal warlords going on massive killing sprees. __[Madden NFL Football](http://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-3ds/games/madden-nfl-football-3ds/88280):__ (above, left) A three-dimensional representation of the [little-known sport called American football](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gamelife/2010/07/football/). __[Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy%E2%80%99s_Ghost_Recon:_Shadow_Wars):__ (above, right) A grid-based tactical strategy game based not on medieval warfare but on stealth operatives and future technology.
