Next month, Nintendo is rolling out a brand new handheld, called the 3DS. New hardware means new games. But how do the 3DS’ games match up with the last time Nintendo released an entirely new portable?
The line-up of 3DS games available in Japan when the Nintendo 3DS goes on sale on February 26 are:
Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution) 3DS Soccer
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
Samurai Warriors: Chronicle
Tobidasu! Puzzle Bobble 3D
nintendogs + cats
Ridge Racer 3D
Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle
In total, that is eight titles. And there are popular franchises represented (Pro Evo, Street Fighter, Nintendogs, Ridge Racer and Professor Layton), but how does it look stacked up to the games that went on sale when the original Nintendo DS launched in Japan on December 2, 2004? Those titles were:
Daigasso! Band Brothers
Chokkan Hitofude
Cool104 Joker & Setline (Aruze)
Feel the Magic: XY/XX
Kensyui “Dokuta Tendo”
Mahjong Taikai
Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits
Pokémon Dash
Super Mario 64 DS
The Urbz: Sims in the City
WarioWare: Touched!
Zoo Keeper
That’s 12 games, four of which were from Nintendo (Daigasso! Band Brothers, Pokémon Dash, Super Mario 64 DS and WarioWare: Touched!). Out of these games, I remember being entranced by Feel the Magic and the ability to play Mario 64 on a portable. WarioWare: Touched! was good times, too.
The biggest difference between to the two line-ups is that Nintendo rolled out Mario right off the bat for the Nintendo DS, while with the 3DS, the plumber seems to be waiting on deck with the promise of a 3DS Mario Kart. Also, while the 3DS line-up might seem slim, there are – as mentioned above – major non-Nintendo titles hitting it early. That’s good news!
The Nintendo DS went on to become a hugely successful portable and saw some of the best games released in the last decade. What does the future of the 3DS hold?
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