Topic: What are your three favorite 3DS games and why?

[Phil]

1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

It amazes me how a classic from 1998 is still a capable and highly competent game to this day. The improved framerate and visuals of the 3DS game makes the title seem like a new ride with a familiar friend. I love using the gyro to aim. Only problem I have with the game is the ghosting in some parts of the game.

2) Super Mario 3D Land

I loved how this Mario basically was a combination of the 2D Mario games and 3D Mario games. I enjoyed the pop-out 3D and the ingenious level design, customary of Mario titles. Just when I thought the game was over after the first eight worlds, the game opens up to add an additional eight special worlds.

3) Kid Icarus: Uprising

Some have trouble with the controls, but I quickly adapted to them. (Of course, I used a bigger stylus for comfort reasons.) The game is packed with hilarious dialogue, awesome action, and loads of unlockable content. The game is also one of the more graphically intensive titles on the 3DS.

What are your top three games?

[Pixelated Pixies]

1 - Super Mario 3D Land - I went into 3D Land thinking it would be slow and derivative. I was wrong. This is not only the best portable Mario game ever made. It's probably among my top 5 Mario games ever made thanks in large part to it's unique combination of 2D and 3D gameplay.
 
2 - Mario Kart 7 - I do appreciate that MK 7 is another generic Mario Kart game, but having played it for around 40 hours online with my sister and a few friends I can say that it's a fantastic version of Mario Kart with some great tracks and a slick look. It's the game that keeps on giving.
 
3 - Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition - Chock-a-blocked! Sure, it's a port, but it's also one of the best fighting games ever released for a handheld. Unlike several other releases during the launch window Capcom decided to implement as many features of the 3DS as possible, making this a must own for those who subsequently became known as ambassadors. The online in particular was pretty awesome.

[LOZman]

1. Ocarina of Time 3D- There is not much to say here. It is a remake of my second favorite game of all time, and it translates very well to the 3DS. With greatly improved graphics, boss mode, and the inclusion of Master Quest, this is a must have for any 3DS owners.

2. Super Mario 3D Land- This game has become my third favorite Mario game, behind only the Galaxy series. It includes 16 worlds, lots of secrets, and the only really essential implementation of the 3D. What's not to love?

3. Mario Kart 7- This is certainly not the best in the Mario Kart series, but the fact that the multiplayer is well done made me love this game. It is the best part of the game, but the awesome new items and well designed tracks don't hurt either.


Note: This list is subject to change because today I am finally getting Resident Evil: Revelations.

[ejamer]

1) Resident Evil: Revelations -- This was a big part of the reason why I wanted a 3DS, and when it finally arrived lived up to my expectations in full.

2) Zen Pinball 3D -- My most played 3DS game. Easy to pick up, quick to play, always enjoyable. Can't for DLC (or Marvel Pinball) to arrive and expand the experience.

3) Colors! 3D -- What you get out of this app is directly related to what you put in. Beautiful pictures are possible, and even though my sketches never match that description it's still lots of fun.


Star Fox 64 3D almost made the cut. The only thing holding it back is that I've played the game to death on N64, and the same nostalgic love that made me buy it prevents me from looking at it the same way that I do new games.  Same could be said for the Ocarina of Time remake.


Sadly, I'm still finding the retail line-up very weak on 3DS. There are some good games, but very few that appeal to me. Hopefully that improves over time. Monster Hunter alone would probably justify the console and I've still got my fingers crossed that Capcom will bring it over.


On the upside, I've played a bunch of great DS titles that I wouldn't skipped if not for full backwards compatibility... Ghost Trick, Dragon Quest IX, 999, the Layton series, and more. So yay on that.

[Nemo]

1) Resident Evil Revelations: I love RE. This had excellent graphics and story. Online was fun enough and I always like it when there's streetpass support. I beat it on normal and hard. Good times.

2) Super Mario 3D Land: Fun. A bit easy... I 100%ed the game with about 800 extra lives. But part of the fun were levels you could beat super fast, or jumping off 20 enemies' heads in a row.

3) Alpha Bounce: OK, so I never had a DSi. But this game has a lot of replay value. And I love breaker/Arkanoid type games.

[Eman55]

Mario Kart 7:  I  like the new tracks,Wuhu Island ones are great additions and many of the other new ones are too.  The gliding and underwater transormations are cool.  The online is also great and racing friends and streetpass ghosts is fun.
 
Super Mario 3D Land: The 3D is really good.  The levels are also really well designed and fun to play.
 
Shantae's Risky's Revenge: I had to include a downloadable title and am impressed with the selection, especially because all the DSi games are new to me.  The transformations are cleverly used and the 2D graphics are great.

[TJ Spyke]

I don't think Shantae really counts though since it's a DSiWare game. It would be like saying Paper Mario is one of your favorite Wii games since you can download it on Wii.

I don't own may 3DS games due to lack of money. I own 3 retail games and 2 digital games (not counting the Ambassador games) and both of those were free.

[Adrock]

1. Super Mario 3D Land - One of my favorite games of all time. It's that good.

2. Resident Evil: Revelations - Not the best RE title. It does a damn fine job of bringing the RE experience to a handheld. Also, Jill Valentine. Come on...

3. Mario Kart 7 - My favorite MK title.

[Phil]

Yes, I meant 3DS or eShop games. DSiWare doesn't really count as they are intended for the DSi. That's okay, though!

[lolmonade]

1) Legend of Zelda: OOT 3D - I was reluctant to get this re-make due to already owning this game in two separate mediums, but my wife got it for me as a surprise, and it ended up being my favorite 3DS game so far.  The menu being at the touch-screen has helped so much with the overall flow of the game.  Somehow the movement speed seems faster than the original game as well.  It seems like I completed the game much quicker than my other replays.  The gyroscope controls for looking around and shooting projectiles are a nice added touch that I didn't feel were necessary, but were fun to use occasionally.  Finally, everything looks so well cleaned-up while retaining the original style of the game that although it still looks dated, it doesn't look nearly as aged as the original cartridge or Virtual Console release.  Before I played this re-make, I would have much preferred a re-make of Link to the Past over Majora's Mask.  After playing this and seeing how much improvement a re-make could provide N64 games, it seems like Majora's Mask has the most to improve upon.
 
 
2) Super Mario 3D Land - I was first a skeptic of this game when reading about it, having a bit of mario fatigue lately.  This game is what I consider a perfect mobile version of Mario: Short but dense levels that are almost all quality.  They really ratched up the easy to pickup and put down format of moblie gaming with a novel perspective of 3D mario games. 
 
 
3) Mario Kart - I almost chose Pilotwings instead due to how much fun I had at the initial launch with that game, but the replayability fades as you complete all of the levels.  While Mario 3D Kart technically doesn't advance the series much, there is something inherently exciting about gliding in the air when you get a high enough jump, and this is the first MarioKart online experience i've completely loved.  I also felt the new set of tracks are much better than the ones introduced by MarioKart DS & MarioKart Wii, and a good selection of prior game tracks are also on-hand.
 
I guess it says something about my favorite 3 3DS games being Nintendo franchises.

[Evan_B]

1ST Kid Icarus: Uprising- If you got a problem with the controls, you're a bitch. The online is a blast, the gameplay ferocious and fun, and the story is lovingly crafted- plus, the game utilizes pretty much every 3DS function in some way, which is awesome. Overall, it seems like one of the only titles really BUILT for the 3DS, and it's an immensely entertaining ride.

2ND Resident Evil: Revelations- Yeah, this game is boss. As my first foray into the Resident Evil saga, I could not have chosen a better title, mixing the formula of the old with a little bit of the new. Immensely fun online co-op and single player raid mode, and a beautiful, atmospheric single-player campaign. Seriously, do yourself a favor and GET IT. Also, DAT CIRCLE PAD PRO!

3RD (TIE) Mighty Switch Force and Mutant Mudds- Both titles are lengthy, gorgeous romps for the eShop. Great mechanics are implemented in both, and Mighty Switch Force goes for however much mileage you get out of the title with its Par Times and difficult, but wonderfully appreciated DLC, and Mutant Mudds goes for being balls-to-the-walls tough with precision platforming and interesting level design (including 3D perspective plane jumping).

I refuse to include Ocarina, as it was mostly boring, and that atrocity known as Super Mario 3D Land was a summation of everything I hate about where the franchise has been heading in recent years.

[Nemo]

2ND Resident Evil: Revelations- ... I could not have chosen a better title ...

If you have a Wii, you should get Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, as I think it's the only RE game better than Revelations.

[Hey Einstein!]

If I included ports Zelda, Starfox & Ace Combat would take it in that order. All are brilliant, Ace Combat is slightly frustrating at times  but still a lot of fun.

I'm going to restrict myself to original 3DS games & they are:

1) Mario Tennis Open: My first Mario Tennis game and it took a while to click with me. I decided to blow through the main mode and then sell it on. Only now I am hooked and really love having this title to come back to again and again. I wish it was available as a download so I could dip into it when ever the mood takes regardless of what is in the cartridge slot.

2) Mario 3D Kart: Yes, I really do like Mario Tennis Open more then Mario 3D Kart. I was surprised too! Just goes to show that personal taste is more important then review scores. This is another great Mario Kart, not much else to say really.

3) Resident Evil Revelations: I don't think I enjoyed this as much as the rest of you who've commented. For me it's good but not great. If it had been a home console release I think it would have been criticized a lot more.
I thought the first quarter of it was pretty weak, the swimming chapters are just bad, the plot is terrible, it lacks classic boss battles and the last boss is far too tedious.
BUT I did enjoy it, it does have some excellent moments, it's VERY Resident Evil and the circle pad pro is a lot closer to the feel of proper twin stick controls then the Vita manages & more comfortable to hold for long play sessions then the regular 3DS.  I hope we get a sequel that builds on what worked but is more even to play through.

[xcwarrior]

1) Kid Icarus Uprising - Just picked this game up this week, but my gosh it's like the Star Fox sequel I've been waiting on for years. Will be playing this game multiple times over for sure.

2) Nano Assault - I like flight shooters obviously. I wish more people had the game or at least used the online leaderboards so I had more to compare to. It's a quick and fun game you can get pretty cheap.

3 TIE) Mario Tennis Open and Pushmo- Sports game done right. Easy to learn controls, fast paced games, lots of characters and we keep getting more. Plus online, which I still need to try out. Good fun. As for Pushmo, I love Puzzle games, and this has to be one of the best and meaty download games I could have picked up for. If you like puzzle games at all you should own this game.

[noname2200]

I'm going to exclude Virtual Console games, as those are kind of cheating.

In no real order:

1) Resident Evil: Revelations - I was skeptical that Capcom could make a good portable Resident Evil title, and thought we'd basically get RE5: Handheld Edition, but they managed to pull it off. Good balance in terms of weaponry, and the chapters were well executed for portability.

2) Final Fantasy Theatrhythm - I was initially annoyed that the 3DS' Final Fantasy game was going to be a spinoff, but the series' music is the only consistently great thing about it, and the controls gel after a short while. Great title, highly recommended.

3) Zen Pinball 3D - I love pinball, real and virtual, and while the physics are a little sketchy two of the tables are really, really well designed. Probably the most bang-for-buck I've had on the system.

[AnGer]

1. Kid Icarus: Uprising – This is basically one of the kinds of game I really love. Mission structure with a high replay value, over-the-top action, crazy dialogues and even more crazy enemies that keep you up at 100%.


2. Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] – I'm a sucker for the franchise and this game has deepened my love for it even more. Plus, I'm someone who considers the Kingdom Hearts spin-offs to be better (gameplay-wise) than the mainline games.


3. Mario Kart 7 – The game I've played the most to date. By far. I'm not a big fan of multiplayer games, but when I pick one up, I spend a lot of time with it.

[Pixelated Pixies]

Is it just me or is 'Mario Kart Seven' always changed to 'Mario 3D Kart' when the comment is posted?
 
I don't seem to recall actually typing Mario 3D Kart, I'm pretty sure I typed 'Mario Kart Seven'. I've also just noticed that other people seem to have the same thing in place of what should be 'Mario Kart Seven'. Am I crazy? Why would it do that?

[TJ Spyke]

It always shows up as "Mario Kart 7" to me.

[NWR_insanolord]

If you have the language filter on it shows up as Mario 3D Kart. Unsurprisingly, that was the work of James Jones.

[Do_What]

1. Cave Story 3D  Because it is so thoroughly my kind of game. That and the soundtrack is wonderful.


2. Super Mario 3D Land - Because it's a good mario game. The music isn't the best, but it's pretty good, and the second half of the game is a blast.


3. Shinobi - Even though it's pretty hideous to look at, it's a fun enough action game and I got it for $10.

[NWR_insanolord]

I keep forgetting to post in this thread.

1. Super Mario 3D Land. This game isn't only my favorite 3DS game, but my favorite game ever. EAD Tokyo does platforming better than anyone, and while the Galaxy games got close to overtaking Mario 3 as my number one, this game combines the best elements of the Galaxy games with the essence of Mario 3, and creates something amazing. Yeah, the first half is easier than it needs to be, but it's still really fun, and the second half is the perfect mix of 2D and 3D Mario for the best platforming experience I've ever played.

2. Mutant Mudds. Despite my already huge 3DS backlog, with over a dozen retail games I haven't even started, I keep going back to this little eShop game. It can be brutally hard at times, but it's just so well designed that it never feels cheap or unfair, and it uses the 3D of the system more creatively than anything else I've played.

3. Resident Evil: Revelaitons. I've never been a real survival horror fan, or really a fan of anything horror period, but this game really hooked me. It took the best elements of RE4 and implemented them in an actual survival horror context. The tense moments where I was nearly out of ammo and without any health items created a great, truly scary atmosphere that sucked me in in a way no other game in the genre ever had.

[BranDonk Kong]

OOT 3D, Swapnote, and Netflix. Why? Because that's all I have besides the ambassador stuff.

And thank you for spelling Revelaitons like the original box art editor wanted it to be spelled.

[neptunepirate]

1) Super Mario 3D Land - I am a huge platformer fan, always have been. 3D Land is fantastic in almost every way possible. Tons of replay value and great gameplay.

2) StarFox 64 3D - StarFox has always been my favorite Nintendo franchise, so any game in the series will always be fun for me. Playing this on the 3DS brings back a lot of good memories from my early teenage years.

3) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - Adventure games, always great in my book and Zelda nails an A+ in every category for me. It's the number one 3DS game I have spent the most time on. Still working on completing the Master Quest.

Honorable Mentions - Heroes of Ruin, Steel Diver, Kid Icarus: Uprising

EDIT: Added some honorable mentions.