Topic: Best of the 3DS eShop: 2012 Releases (Part 3)

[Khushrenada]

The Usual Preamble

With the 3DS pretty much winding down and a lack of upcoming releases we have now arrived at the life cycle of a system where users start looking back in the catalogue of available games that were released and that they missed or forgot about when games were coming out regularly. For myself, I know that I didn't always pay as close attention to the eShop and its releases as I did physical releases. And while I have accumulated a few titles from it, I feel there are probably more I should take advantage of especially since Nintendo hasn't created any other source to purchase many of these titles.

While I could I slowly go through each title and try to track down reviews, I'd rather get the opinions of the NWR Forum users whose gaming tastes I trust a bit more. Plus, I figured this would be a chance to engage in our favorite practice of reminiscing about games we loved playing (and arguing about the worth / rank of a game.

The main goal is simple. If you have personally played any of these titles, post which ones you have and which ones you highly recommend others should have on their 3DS, which ones might be recommended for Kairon (or a deeper cut for a certain type of fan) and what you think should be skipped. (And sure, even if you haven't played them and have an opinion, I'm not going to argue against you from posting it). I've also included a poll for people to vote on the games being discusses that they think a person should acquire for their 3DS.



What Is Being Discussed?

As mentioned before, I am trying to go through the eShop exclusives in chronological order. I'm currently basing it on the order games were reviewed in Nintendo Power although sometimes they reviewed a game that was delayed and released later. Nintendo's website only goes back to the last months of 2012 when it comes to listing eShop games. Since Nintendo Power ends in 2012, once that overlap occurs, I'll be going by the release dates on Nintendo's website.

There are about 65 games or so that came out for the eShop in 2012 if you are not including VC releases or applications like YouTube. While I could create a mega poll for them all, I'll be dividing up the 2012 releases in 3 parts to let them breath a bit and perhaps bring focus to a few titles that could be overlooked in a large list. I've already listed Part 1 and Part 2 earlier and this is now Part 3 and the conclusion of the 2012 releases.

Thus, the list of titles up for discussion this time around is:


Crazy Kangaroo
Nuriabe by Nikoli
Sparkle Snapshots 3D
NightSky
Liberation Maiden
2 Fast 4 Gnomz
Johnny Hotshot
Pokedex 3D Pro
Dress To Play: Cute Witches!
Crashmo
3D Mahjongg
Aero Porter
Murder on the Titanic
Mighty Bomb Jack
Gardenscapes
Crimson Shroud
3D Game Collection
PIX3D
escapeVektor
Fluidity: Spin Cycle
Johnny Impossible
Mahjong 3D - Warriors of the Emperor


Which games do you think are worthy of being added to one's collection and played? Are there any overlooked gems you might be aware of?

[Order.RSS]

2Fast4Gnomz would be a great forum username.

I've not played any of these, but I'd wager Crashmo. Fluidity Spin Cycle, and Crimson Shroud will probably be the favourites.
Was Liberation Maiden ever any good? That's the shoot-em-up from Grasshopper, right?

[ejamer]

I own and would generally recommend:
* Liberation Maiden - weird concept, and somewhat repetitive gameplay... but it's short and inexpensive enough that the game never outlives its welcome; this is a pretty good title and worth trying if you enjoy fast-paced shoot'em ups
* Crimson Shroud - this game has some significant flaws, probably the worst being that you need a semi-random drop from a specific room quite early on to make progress... but it's got a great sense of style and story, and there is a surprising amount of content unlocked on repeat playthroughs; maybe worth checking the retroactive that RFN did a while back on this title? it won't work for everyone, but was a great deal for me
* escapeVektor - it's been a long time since playing, but I recall enjoying this game; it's got a Pac-Man feel where you are avoiding enemies and trying to cross all paths on a maze-like surface, with time targets to beat along the way; the one thing that bugged me back on the day was that many time targets are impossible until you get quite deep in the game and unlock some power-ups
* Fluidity: Spin Cycle - I much preferred the WiiWare original, where you had large stages filled with all kinds of paths and puzzles, instead of this sequel that has ultra-focused, bite-sized levels... but some people feel the other way; it's motion-based though, so if you don't enjoy tilting and rotating your 3DS console all the time maybe take a pass?

I haven't played Crashmo, but strongly suspect it's worth owning. Pushmo was pretty much fantastic, and this is the 3DS sequel, right? The only reason I haven't bought it yet is because of too many games already downloaded on my system.

[pokepal148]

I actually just finished Liberation Maiden the other day and the game's repetitive nature really doesn't do it any favors.

You get really sick of constantly hearing the words "enemy missile tracking you." really quickly.

It's just a very forgettable game outside of it's absurd premise and the game doesn't even lean into it far enough to really get any mileage out of it imo.

[Khushrenada]

There are a few more standout titles in this latter batch of 2012 but the only one I can comment on is Crashmo. I liked Crashmo more than Pushmo so it gets a high recommendation for me. It had a few hard stumpers but, unlike Pushmo, I didn't have to resort to a guide to give up and beat the game. I was able to solve everything on my own although it is up to you how stubborn you want to be and how much time you want to put into solving a puzzle. Does this mean it is easier than the Pushmo? I'm not sure. Maybe the crashing idea limited how challenging the puzzles could be compared to Pushmo or maybe I just got better at figuring out the puzzles after Pushmo. In any case, it is still worth checking out and I do not regret the purchase at all.

I suppose I should look into Fluidity: Spin Cycle after picking up the first game before the Wii Shop shut down. (Although I've still yet to play the original either.)

[BeautifulShy]

I actually need to play Liberation Maiden and Fluidity: Spin Cycle.

[Lemonade]

Definitely play Liberation Maiden. Its only about an hour long, but I remember it being weird and fun.

[Khushrenada]

And now the NWR Reviews for this batch of games:

Crazy Kangaroo gets an 8.
Nuriabe by Nikoli is unrated.
Sparkle Snapshots 3D is unrated.
NightSky gets a 6.
Liberation Maiden gets an 8.5.
2 Fast 4 Gnomz gets an unexpected 7.
Johnny Hotshot gets a 5.5.
Pokedex 3D Pro gets an 8.5.
Dress To Play: Cute Witches! gets a 5.5.
Crashmo gets a Japanese Version review of 9 and an English Version review of 9 as well.
3D Mahjongg gets a 5.5.
Aero Porter gets a 7.5.
Murder on the Titanic is unrated.
Mighty Bomb Jack is unrated.
Gardenscapes gets a 6.
Crimson Shroud gets an 8.5.
3D Game Collection gets a 6.5.
PIX3D gets a 6.5.
escapeVektor gets a 9.
Fluidity: Spin Cycle get an 8.
Johnny Impossible gets a 7.
Mahjong 3D: Warriors of the Empire gets a 7.5.


So, top-rated games in this batch by review score would be: Crashmo, escapeVektor, Pokedex 3D Pro, Liberation Maiden, Crimson Shroud, Crazy Kangaroo and Fluidity: Spin Cycle. (Although I have to wonder if Pokedex 3D Pro would still be considered a 9 now...)

[Khushrenada]

To sum up a bit, there were 66 games for the eShop in 2012 based on the data I've used. There were 14 games that NWR did not review. Those titles are:

Sudoku by Nikoli
Kakuro by Nikoli
Slitherlink by Nikoli
Dot Runner: Complete Edition
The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 Jewels
Akiri by Nikoli 
Masyu by Nikoli
Touch Battle Tank 3D
Hitori by Nikoli
Heyawake by Nikoli
Nuriabe by Nikoli
Sparkle Snapshots 3D
Murder on the Titanic
Mighty Bomb Jack

If you consider one Nikoli title like the other (and maybe they pretty much are aside from the different puzzle types) and take out those 8 games then that is just 6 other unique games not reviewed. And hey, even Nintendo Power never bothered to make any recommendation good or bad for the Nikoli games either in this time span either. Depending on how you want to judge it, 52/66 is 79% and 52/58 is 90%. In both cases, I'm quite impressed by how many of these titles NWR managed to cover during this period. I didn't think they'd have covered as a many as they did. Curious to see if they keep up that pace for 3DS's big 2013 year.

[Khushrenada]

I'm surprised that Liberation Maiden is leading the poll results. I guess I need to look into it more.

Someone's been hating this eShop series. All the 2012 releases suck so I guess I'm just wasting everyone's time.  Welp. Onward to 2013.