Skip to main content

Nintendo 3DS launch title review roundup

nintendo-3dsEven if the Nintendo 3DS had the ability to pay your taxes, clean your house and make dinner for you, the system would still only be as good as the games released for it. Well, ok, being able to pay your taxes would be pretty cool, but the 3DS can’t, so the success of the hardware is going to be determined by the games that have been released for it.

Nintendo is foreseeing a long and profitable life for its newest handheld system. It is, after all, the successor to the best-selling video game system in the history of the planet Earth, so you can expect an avalanche of new titles for the system over the coming months and years.

Recommended Videos

Of course, patience is for suckers. When a new gadget is released we want it now, and are willing to stand in line for hours to get it. The Nintendo 3DS is no exception. But with a device like the 3DS, simply grabbing the system and taunting all of those behind you still waiting in line—though no doubt good clean fun—is only part of the shopping process.

The 3DS itself is a device with promise, but you can’t stream Netflix on promise, nor can you browse the internet (both of which are features the 3DS has promised, but neither are available yet). So now more than ever, the 3DS will be reliant on the launch day games to justify its existence (and price). And that is where our launch day roundup comes in.

Check out our Nintendo 3DS review, and click below for a look at each title.

Check out all our reviews of the Nintendo 3DS launch titles:

Ridge Racer 3D

Bust-A-Move Universe

Madden NFL Football 3DS

Ridge Racer 3D Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder


Bust-A-Move Universe Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder


Madden NFL Football 3DS Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder


The Sims 3 on 3DS

Nintendogs + Cats 3D

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

The Sims 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder


Nintendogs + Cats 3D
Image used with permission by copyright holder


Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder


Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 3D

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3D

Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 3D Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D Review Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3D Review
Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
As the 3DS eShop closes, devs reflect on a golden age of Nintendo indies
Best Nintendo 3DS games

The 3DS eShop is no longer allowing Nintendo fans to make new game purchases, marking the end of a long era of DS-branded handhelds. Not only that, but it's also sunsetting a vibrant indie community in the process. After helping smaller developers break through with WiiWare and DSiWare, the 3DS eShop was where indies really started to flourish on Nintendo consoles. Multiple games and developers built success stories on the platform, starting series that are still recognized in the eyes of Nintendo fans and stand as some of the 3DS’ most iconic games.

Within a year of the eShop's launch, WayForward's Mighty Switch Force provided one of the system's best 3D experiences, Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudd showed the potential of a platformer where players can hop between the foreground and background, and Hörberg Productions' Gunman Clive provided a short, sweet, and cheap throwback platformer experience with lots of styles. By 2014, Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight had cemented itself as one of the best indie games of all time on the 3DS. Titles like that gave the 3DS a reputation as a haven for smaller developers. a platform where they could break out of a niche and connect with a larger audience.

Read more
Pick up these Nintendo games you can only get on Wii U and 3DS
xenoblade and pokemon picross headline eshop update chronicles x nintendo wii u

The Nintendo Switch has one of the greatest first-party lineups of any Nintendo console. In addition to several outstanding original games, a lot of awesome Wii U games like Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, and Mario Kart 8 finally got all the love they deserved when they were ported to the Switch. Even some 3DS games like Miitopia have made their way to Nintendo Switch. Still, that isn't all-encompassing, so when the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops are discontinued on March 27, we will lose access to some amazing first-party Nintendo games that aren't available elsewhere.
From black sheep in their respective series to new IP that tests out some novel ideas, four Wii U and four 3DS games that are still platform exclusives stuck out the most to us. If you're specifically looking for Nintendo-published games to pick up before the 3DS and Wii U eShops stop allowing the purchase of new games, consider picking up one of these titles.
Xenoblade Chronicles X

Considering the rest of the Xenoblade Chronicles series is on Nintendo Switch, it's very surprising that Xenoblade Chronicles X has not made the jump over yet. This RPG stands as the black sheep of the series, with a more gritty style and tone, mech suits, and a plot about humans who crash land on an alien planet after escaping Earth, which might be why it didn't come over before the trilogy was completed. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a great game in its own right, though, and also makes ample use of the Wii U GamePad for its detailed map and menus. As such, it's a worthwhile Wii U pickup for those who like to play games uniquely tailored to the system and enjoy seeing what the oddball entries in game franchises have to offer. 
Star Fox Zero

Read more
You need to get this oddball Zelda game for free before the 3DS eShop closes
legend of zelda twilight princess nintendo wii grandma grandmother reddit 755 hours

The day of reckoning is fast approaching: The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop isclosing down on March 27. When that happens, you’ll no longer be able to make any digital purchases on those systems. Considering that several games on each platform only ever got digital releases, it’s creating a bit of a preservation nightmare. Hidden gems that never came to another platform, like Affordable Space Adventures, will be totally lost to time.

But it isn’t just obscure indies that are impacted by that change: One of Nintendo’s biggest franchises is about to lose a piece of its storied history. You’ve only got just over a week to grab a certain Legend of Zelda game before it disappears forever -- though it’s probably not one you’re expecting.

Read more