Nintendo's E3 3DS Brings Out the Big Guns

Dan included my note about Luigi's Mansion 2 in a post earlier today, but I want to go into more detail about the other things I saw in Nintendo's 3DS area at E3. It seemed as though I was there for a very long time, and considering that the demo for each of the 6 titles I played lasted at least 10 minutes, I probably was. I tried each of the six first party Nintendo games on the floor, including the soon to be released Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. My experience, coupled with the Virtual Console and 3D Classics discussed in Nintendo's Press Conference, appeases any concerns that the 3DS might be a disappointment this year.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Immediately after finishing Luigi's Mansion (in hindsight I think my enjoyment might have been limited by the booth girl constantly telling me what I needed to do), I marched over to the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D table and waited for a turn on my most anticipated game of the summer. There were three choices on the demo, and one that caught my eye was the Water Temple. Fearing the absolute frustration of the Water Temple, I originally intended to play the simpler forest level. When I mentioned my distrust of levels consisting of mostly water, the guy behind me joked that maybe they'd fixed it, and the guy across the way called us both cowards and proclaimed that he would conquer the Water Temple.

I wasn't about to forgo a direct challenge so I restarted the demo and went after that Water Temple with all the memory of not having played the game in many years. And I failed. I got maybe 4 or 5 rooms in when the demo ended, having squandered a lot of time playing with the new controls and trying to remember details from long ago. I did find that the touch screen menu controls make life a lot easier when switching on and off those heavy boots and that looking around with the 3DS motion control is cool, but a bit slow. Also that if you treat the booth girl with a bit of kindness and understanding when she tries to press a part of the screen that doesn't actually do anything, she'll give you the last Zelda pin.

Super Mario 3D

Oh yea I also tried out a few other games. Super Mario 3D is great! The Tanooki suit finally makes a heroic return and a nice transition to 3D. I meant 3D rendering there, but the actual 3D is very nice too. I'm finding that anything rendered in 3D or having some depth concept to it will look amazing on a 3D screen. The analog nub works very well for controlling Mario in the 3D environment. Additionally, the look of the game does not suffer at all from being the first 3D rendered Mario game on a handheld. The usual Piranha Plants and Goombas were present. Some of the Goombas are actually cardboard cutouts, an illusory trick that is dispelled with the 3D. There are definitely some new platforming challenges to be had. Going down a warp pipe sends you to a small room where the perspective makes a block appear as though it's in front of you, but it's actually above you. The 3D also lets you see past this visual trick, so I'm looking forward to bigger rooms with larger perspective platform puzzles in the full game. I also got a Super Mario pin, which is nice.

Star Fox 3D

Star Fox 3D was next on my list. With the 3DS having an analog nub, it was not necessary to use the slightly uncomfortable touch screen controls from Star Fox Command, thank goodness. It is a beautiful remake of Star Fox 64 with 3D again working very well in a world of flying towards objects and objects flying towards you at high speed. You can also use the accelerometer to control the ship. Otherwise it's pretty much just Star Fox 64. It's an excellent game that, if you loved as a kid or missed because you didn't have a Nintendo 64, you're probably going to want to check out.

Mario Kart 3D

Mario Kart is simply a game that needs to be released on every system. The 3DS version looks to have all the bells and whistles of the past iterations in the series, with the added benefit of air and water travel. Your glider or propeller automatically deploys when you launch off a certain ramp or descend under water respectively. So far these new aspects made up only very short portions of the demo's tracks. The glider part only had you dodging two pillars that were entirely out of the way of a straight line. When pressed to reveal if there would be longer glider portions, the booth guy said that he couldn't answer that since the game is still in development. Here is hoping that there are longer more difficult challenges for kart riders using the gliders.

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Kid Icarus for 3DS plays half as an on-rails shooter and the other half as an action-adventure game. When you're in the air you use the touch screen to aim and the analog nub to dodge enemy fire, while shooting with the R shoulder button. It was difficult for me being left handed, because there's really no way to avoid using your right hand with the stylus. Maybe I need is a left handed 3DS mod. Someone make it happen.

Once on the ground, Pit moves in a 3D environment, so it's a bit harder to control. It just feels like there is a lot to do. The control scheme is at least very similar to the one used in the air with a bit more variation in how Pit attacks in melee or blasts his enemies from range. There is some simple puzzle aspect, although it isn't nearly as complicated as the Water Temple from the Zelda demo. You simple shoot one or two pillars to allow the door to open. Despite my tragic left handedness, I think Kid Icarus: Uprising is going to be another great addition to the 3DS library when it releases later this year.

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