Topic: Is 3DS Nintendo's best handheld?

[Evan_B]

Are you implying the Game Boy is a better handheld?

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

Soren, who knows. Me I am saying it flat out, not because of the machine but the games, in that I could access them without buying the handheld, with DS and 3DS I cannot do that. That alone makes it hard for me to evaluate the games on the 3DS if I can't play them, but I can look at Youtube videos and see there are not many I am interested in that I feel I am missing out on, enough that if they were all on Wii U instead of 3DS I might be slightly more fine with Wii U but still not enough to elevate it up to satisfied.

[Evan_B]

Yeah, you kinda lost me there for a bit. Are you saying the Game Boy library is more appealing to you or that you can pirate it more easily? Those are my best two interpretations.

[ejamer]

Yeah, you kinda lost me there for a bit. Are you saying the Game Boy library is more appealing to you or that you can pirate it more easily? Those are my best two interpretations.

(I think it was more that GBA/GameBoy Player options allows portable games to be played on TV with the respective GameCube/SNES consoles.  As far as I know, it's also pretty easy to pirate DS games.)

[Evan_B]

Uh, yeah. Okay.

Handheld gaming rarely has resolution issues that tv gaming does, which is another reason I think that handled games have more artistic merit, especially when they aren't ports of console games.

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

ejamer explained it better. Piracy is not an option for me but if it was then there is no point in having any discussions because Windows wins hands down no contest in that respect.

If there was an adapter or a slot, or an update that let 3DS stream to Wii U via Blue Tooth or Wi Fi then I would consider, or if the price of the larger screen handheld XL came down to what I would be willing to pay I would get one.

[Khushrenada]

I believe I've amassed a collection of 93 DS games, and currently 37 3DS games. These numbers don't count digital games, which would boost the 3DS numbers some, though it's tough to tell what to count there. Everything digital I have on 3DS was free, obtained from the Ambassador program, or from promotions like Club Nintendo. I don't see my retail collection of 3DS games rising even close to 93, though there certainly are more games I want for it. My prediction is that it'll end up around 50-60 in the end, a respectable number, but just not as good as DS. I still want some more DS games too...

My numbers may be a bit off but I have 89 DS games compared to 34 3DS games. Yet, there's like another 15 or so DS games I'd still be interested in buying compared to about 10 or so games for the 3DS. That's just going by retail. Digitally, the list for 3DS would grow but still be further back from the DS. That said, I do think it is a bit of a quality over quantity thing in 3DS vs DS with the 3DS having a lot of "great" games while the DS has a lot more "good" games.

Moreover, with the 3DS having backwards compatibility and able to play every retail game from the DS on its system, it really eliminates the need to own a DS aside from accessing some DSiWare perhaps. Plus, I really do love 3D gaming and really hope Nintendo keeps it going forward on their handhelds at least. I like the extra features the system has and the analog nub to complement the controls.

The only knock on it is the faulty shoulder pad buttons that stopped working on many of the original systems. Not sure if that's been fixed in the XL and New 3DS models but I'm hoping so. Even with that fault, I'll agree with the 3DS being Nintendo's best handheld despite the difference in software library.

[ejamer]

... it really eliminates the need to own a DS aside from accessing some DSiWare perhaps. ...

Outside of a couple very specific pieces of software, you can get most DSiWare on the 3DS eShop.


The only exception that jumps to mind is FlipNote. There is a 3DS equivalent, but for some reason Nintendo limits access to it...

[Khushrenada]

... it really eliminates the need to own a DS aside from accessing some DSiWare perhaps. ...

Outside of a couple very specific pieces of software, you can get most DSiWare on the 3DS eShop.


The only exception that jumps to mind is FlipNote. There is a 3DS equivalent, but for some reason Nintendo limits access to it...

Is that all? For some reason, I thought there might have been around 3 titles that were DSi only but I never owned a DSi or followed it much to know for sure.

[Mop it up]

The 3DS is also unable to play any game that relied on the Game Boy Advance slot of the original DS and the Lite, this might just be the Guitar Hero and Band Hero games as the instrument plugged into the GBA slot, but there could be others I'm forgetting. Similarly, any game which could access the GBA slot as an added bonus won't have that extra feature on 3DS either, such as the Pokémon games being able to trade up from the GBA games.

Speaking of hardware, that's also an area where I felt the DS line did it better. The original 3DS model is a piece of junk, it has such shoddy construction. Loose buttons, floppy hinges, weird Start and Select "buttons," the freakin' top screen got scratched from being closed... It was like a prototype that somehow made its way out as a final product, it was pretty pitiful that Nintendo released it like it was, and had the gall to ask $250 for it no less. The XL and the NEW models have much better construction, though they still have a few strange design decisions such as the weird locations certain things are placed. Out of all of Nintendo's handheld designs, I like the DS Lite the best.

Noticed lots of overlap with what I've got. Some games that were missing, that you might enjoy:

I'm not sure if I'm interested in licenced games but yeah, I've considered getting most of those games if I came across a low enough priced copy in good condition. That's an increasingly hard thing to do these days though since GameStop has complete disregard for the condition of DS games and often junks all the cases and manuals for them. With something like Ghost Trick, I'm not yet sure if I like these "interactive novel" type games so I need to play the couple I have first and find out. I have really wanted Rocket Slime though, but it's been real tough finding a copy, especially one with the case. Castlevania OoE hasn't been a priority for me simply because I haven't yet played the second DS one that I own (Portrait of Ruin). I still have a couple of Trauma Center games on the Wii that I have not played yet, one of which I believe is a remake of the first DS game.

[Khushrenada]

DS Lite is a pretty tight design. I forgot about Guitar Hero DS. Still, I'd say 99% of the DS library is available to 3DS owners which further makes it hard to track down older games for it in a way as it could lead to new consumers looking for those titles. Even with the faults of the original 3DS design, I still liked it. The 3D effect has just always impressed and glossed over those concerns but with the release of the New 3DS fixing most of the 3DS issues, that has pretty much put me in the camp of the 3DS being the best Nintendo Handheld.

As for Rocket Slime, I finally got around to playing my copy a few years ago. You're not missing too much. It's rather simple, requires a lot of collecting and the Tank Battles lose their appeal and become a case of you invading the enemy tank to tie up the tank operators while you wait for your automated allies to slowly load and shoot ammunition at the enemy tank. In the end, the game just became a slog to finish losing any appeal it had in the beginning.

[pokepal148]

I keep hearing DS XL and 3DS XL are worth it with the larger screen but I just kind of felt like they were over priced.

They are a bit pricey, but if you search for one around the holidays, you can get a 3DS XL for less. In past holidays, I've seen the XL sell for $150 at a few retailers, and there was even a time where Target was clearancing out older colours for $99.99. I prefer to play on a TV too, but the XL is good enough to be worth it I feel.

Well, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are enhanced remakes of some of the best games in the series, but I'd say a better comparison would be with OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire.

This is probably true, however I have not played one of those games either, and don't own one, so I compared it to the game I did play on 3DS. There are still some things I liked in HeartGold that did not make a return in X, such as having a Mon follow you around. However, the best thing about HeartGold is that it had online co-op for the Battle Frontier! It was actually a lot of fun, and this feature is not in X/Y nor ORAS. I also own Platinum on DS and I'd probably place that ahead of X as well since it still has the Battle Frontier, but I didn't like its world as much as the world in X.

Hasn't it been repeatedly proven that the AI for those things is blatantly cheatsy if you get anywhere in them?

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

Seriously question, outside of Pokemon what games are there on 3DS that don't have equivalents on Wii U that are worth playing? A Link Between Worlds has me considering one if I can find the extra money or sell some stuff.

[Khushrenada]

I honestly really liked Rhythm Thief. The characters, the setting, the aesthetic, the different rhythm games and styles. I think the story stumbles a bit near the end but it still left me wanting more and another a sequel. It's a game I wish had more success as it might have led to Sega doing more stuff like it instead of going with Sonic Boom.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf doesn't have a Wii U equivalent. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and as my first Animal Crossing game, I may be more enthusiastic about it than others but I've found it a very enjoyable and engrossing game.

Although Pushmo World is available on the Wii U, the original Pushmo and Crashmo started on 3DS and are still worth checking out if you are into puzzlers.

There's a wide range of games on 3DS not on Wii U like Kirby Triple Deluxe, Chibi-Robo Zip Lash, Fantasy Life, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Box Boy, Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies, Professor Layton, Kid Icarus, Mario Golf: World Tour or Mario & Luigi RPGs to name but a few. Whatever gaming taste you have will probably be covered on the system.

[ejamer]

Seriously question, outside of Pokemon what games are there on 3DS that don't have equivalents on Wii U that are worth playing? A Link Between Worlds has me considering one if I can find the extra money or sell some stuff.

Monster Hunter 4 (although you can get 3 Ultimate on Wii U).
Atlus games, most notably for me the Etrian Odyssey series.
Theatrhythm games.
Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon.
Bravely Default games.
Fire Emblem games.
Animal Crossing on 3DS is the best version so far, in my opinion. And it's not even close.

Backwards compatibility with a bunch of incredible DS games.


Not sure that any of those will sell you on getting a portable.

[Mop it up]

I think Mario is the main thing that has equivalents on both Wii U and 3DS. And Smash Bros. The libraries are pretty unique outside of that. I'm pro-TV-game and I've still found plenty to play and like on 3DS and DS.

[Evan_B]

Ah, that's a good question.

I would strongly recommend the fourth installments in a number of RPGs- Shin Megami Tensei IV, Etrian Odyssey IV, and Rune Factory 4 (especially if you like Harvest Moon). Also, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the most accessible the series has ever been.

I also think that Kirby: Triple Deluxe is one of the best Kirby titles, taking what Retun to Dreamland did and doing it better. Fantasy Life is also adorable if you can get behind Level-5 titles. Triforce Heroes is great, despite what anyone might say. The experimental Code Name S.t.e.a.m. is never getting a sequel so you might want to play that (it's also one l the best games on the system). Lastly, I enjoyed Kid Icarus: Uprising a whole lot, though many people would argue that point.

Also direct yourself to the eShop thread for QUALITY.

[Ian Sane]

The issue is more that Wii U games often have 3DS equivalents that make it a less essential system purchase but not really the other way around.  Just the 3DS' stronger third party support ensures that it has more games with no Wii U equivalent.

For me personally I have Bravely Default, Fantasy Life and Theatrhythm and they're all awesome and there really isn't anything like them on the Wii U.  Hell I'm mostly into RPGs on the 3DS and I'm struggling to think of RPGs on the Wii U besides Xenoblade X and Monster Hunter 3 which is presumably topped by MH4.

"Outside of Pokémon and Zelda..." - those aren't enough to justify it right there?

[Evan_B]

Yeah, it's unfortunate that a number of handheld installments have been made "irrelevant" by Wii U, but since so few people actually own the system, Nintendo has justified their decision to make the most iterative installments in their franchises' histories with Wii U.

Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Xenoblade, Smash Bros., and Super Mario all have earlier or similar entries on the handheld, but they aren't any less good than the home console versions (unless we're talking about 3D Land to 3D World- there's a massive difference between a piece of garbage and an awesome platformer). The fact that so many of them play very similarly to each other is a testament to how good handheld development has become. But in the same way, it draws heavier critique towards the console installments for not doing enough different.

I feel that the sentiment applies more towards Mario, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros. than Xenoblade, though, since the latter is an example of a sequel that is VASTLY different.

[Ian Sane]

Yeah, it's unfortunate that a number of handheld installments have been made "irrelevant" by Wii U, but since so few people actually own the system, Nintendo has justified their decision to make the most iterative installments in their franchises' histories with Wii U.

Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Xenoblade, Smash Bros., and Super Mario all have earlier or similar entries on the handheld, but they aren't any less good than the home console versions (unless we're talking about 3D Land to 3D World- there's a massive difference between a piece of garbage and an awesome platformer). The fact that so many of them play very similarly to each other is a testament to how good handheld development has become. But in the same way, it draws heavier critique towards the console installments for not doing enough different.

I feel that the sentiment applies more towards Mario, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros. than Xenoblade, though, since the latter is an example of a sequel that is VASTLY different.

I think part of the problem is that handhelds now are where you find new games that feel like they're from the Cube/PS2/Xbox generation.  Nintendo stuck with games within that kind of scope for a long time because of the Wii and even now with the Wii U the games don't really feel like games from HD era that much, more like Cube era games with better graphics.  I'm sure for some that's actually a good thing but it makes the difference between the two platforms pretty minor.  Look at the GBC and GBA years where the 2D games on the handheld were like something from a different world compared to the 3D games of the N64 and Gamecube.

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

I actually prefer games from that period, I have a PS4 but I'll admit I don't play many of the really big titles because the scope is just too much for what I have time for.

[Evan_B]

Nintendo stuck with games within that kind of scope for a long time because of the Wii and even now with the Wii U the games don't really feel like games from HD era that much, more like Cube era games with better graphics.

I don't know what this means, but if you want Nintendo games to be more like other HD titles, then I don't really want to understand.

[Mop it up]

I actually think Mario Kart 7 is better than 8...

[pokepal148]

I actually think Mario Kart 7 is better than 8...

No. Absolutely not.

[NWR_insanolord]

Also, 3D Land and 3D World aren't nearly as similar as they appear on the surface, and there are good arguments for preferring Land.