Well, spank my three dimensional ass. Nintendo today announce the 3DS launch titles to accompany its new baby’s release on March 27th and, wouldn’t you know it, there’s actually a few humdingers.
Sadly, there’s not a hum, or even a ding, about any of Nintendo’s own launch titles with Pilotwings Resort leading a sorry bunch of 3D gaming misfits that also includes nintendogs and Steel Diver (“a submarine game that includes strategy and combat”. Erm, Battleships anyone?) Nope, the first you’ll see of Nintendo itself in the quality department will be later in 2011 when Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, and a new installment in the Mario Kart™ series finally see the light of day.
Nope, the only decent games heading our way anytime soon are all third-party. Capcom’s Super Street Fighter IV 3D and Konami’s Pro Evo 2011 are both tipped for launch by July, and of course there’ll be a Sims 3 and Lego Star Wars III clone to pump up the numbers. These are, thankfully, somewhat juicy.
But wait, let’s take stock.
Three sub-par titles on launch day, a clutch of 3D rehashes in the second-wave, and no specified date for the Nintendo big guns. Is this the future of gaming?! The feel so far is that the 3DS has nothing to offer beyond the gimmick – there’s nothing here to suggest that the new tech is pushing any boundaries. Still, as long as Chun Li looks good in 3D I’m not too distressed.
For the full list of launch titles, have a gander below.
• Pilotwings Resort
• Steel Diver
• nintendogs™ + cats
• Super Street Fighter® IV 3D Edition from CAPCOM
• The Sims™ 3 from EA
• Madden NFL Football from EA SPORTS
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
• LEGO® Star Wars® III: The Clone Wars™ from LucasArts™
• RIDGE RACER® 3D from NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
• Super Monkey Ball™ 3D from SEGA
• BUST-A-MOVE UNIVERSE™ from Square-Enix, Inc.
• SAMURAI WARRIORS®: Chronicles from TECMO KOEI AMERICA Corp.
• Asphalt™ 3D from UBISOFT
• Combat of Giants™: Dinosaurs 3D from UBISOFT
• Rayman® 3D from UBISOFT
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Shadow Wars from UBISOFT
Later in 2011:
• The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D,
• Star Fox 64™ 3D
• Kid Icarus™: Uprising
• Mario Kart™
Did you see the Australian launch line up? A staggering 4 games!
According to CVG ‘those in Australia and New Zealand may have as few as four to choose from – and that includes three versions of Nintendogs + Cats’.
But they do get SSF4 as well so it’s not all bad (Famitsu gave it a 34/40).
The other games are listed as coming soon apparently, although they may get monkey ball, PES and Lego Star Wars 3. As if anyone cares about them!
And yeah, I know I said Australia and not New Zealand even though they get the same deal, but I feel bad enough for them right now!
Some of these games are actually tempting, the question is, how long does the 3d gimmik last for 200 bad boys. And they don’t even come on a handy all on one card like with the r4 *cough. Support your developers people, buy games, not r4’s, hehe. i say people, but i mean dibbs and bedgell obviuosly. which reminds me, the update that overwrote my mother packing files got rid of the google analytics. lets get some stats boys.
Moving back to subject, rayman 3d might be nice, i liked rayman 2 on the Dreamcast plus them last 4 mentioned for later
• The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D,
• Star Fox 64™ 3D
• Kid Icarus™: Uprising
• Mario Kart™
Yeah see those four – well actually minus kid Icarus – are the only ones I could give a shiz about. And they’ll be worth having – even tho they’re unlikely to be anything at all new. Will ocarina basically be exactly the freaking same? Probably. So for 200 dibbers I’m thinking no thanks. But definitely interested to see what happens next. A 3d handheld is about the only interesting use of 3d so far (cos of need for glasses everywhere else…)