The 3D Classics branch of the 3DS eShop has been a little hit or miss. There are of course games which seem to genuinely benefit from the cosmetic changes, like Kid Icarus and Kirby's Adventure. Some games, however, have raised a few eyebrows in the west because they have seemingly been chosen to receive the stereoscopic treatment on the basis that they've retaining some amount of affection amongst nostalgic gamers in Japan. Urban Champion and TwinBee come to mind.
Recently, however, it was announced that a 3D Classics version of Sonic for the Genesis/Mega Drive is to be released in Japan. Up until this point 3D Classics have tended to be NES games, and in that sense Sonic marks a broadening of Nintendo's stereoscopic 3D re-release sub-category (catchy term, right?).
Which got me thinking (albeit wishful thinking), what if Nintendo were to really blow the doors off of 3D Classics? If there were no impediments to them being made, what 3D Classics would we would like to see? Of those platforms already under the VC umbrella which one game from each system would you choose to receive a 3D overhaul?
My choices might look something like this.
NES -
Shadowgate - Viewed from fixed first-person perspectives this game had lots of cool and interesting angles which would work really well in 3D. Mostly though, I just want to revisit the game to see if it's as horrifying as I remember.
SNES -
Donkey Kong Country - How cool would it be to see 2D sprites of pre-rendered 3D models in stereoscopic 3D?!
N64 -
1080° - Dion Blaster is so fast that viewing him snowboarding down a mountain in 3D is likely to cause some sort of aneurysm. That's a risk I'm willing to take.
Master System -
Space Harrier 3D - That's right, Space Harrier was already in 3D back in the days of yore thanks to the Master System's 3D glasses accessory. So they should be able to just dump the rom, stick a 3D Classics tagline on it, and call it a day right?...I'm pretty sure that's how it works.
Mega Drive/Genesis -
Comix Zone - Essentially a 'Beat 'em up', Comix Zone has stuck with me because I really like the idea of 2D drawings physically jumping off the page and invading other comic panels of the comic. I also like the fact that the artist's hand intervenes in the world of the comic book characters and makes changes. It seems like a concept that might be well suited to 3D.
TG-16 -
Lords of Thunder - If the existing 3D Classics catalogue has taught me anything it's that 2D sprites in stereoscopic 3D look great. By lifting sprites up slightly from the background, 3D really emphasises their crispness. Few games would be able to take advantage of that more than Lords of Thunder. The game is packed with massive colourful sprites and screen filling special attacks. I'm confident it would exceptionally good if it were to be given the 3D Classics treatment.
So, those are some of my choices. There are many more bizarre and wonderful choices out there, I'm sure, which we'd love to see under the 3D Classics banner. Which game from each platform would you choose?