Next up was the single game I’d wanted to try most; Kid Icarus : Uprising. Of the games on show last night, this was probably the one that impressed me most. The depth offered by the 3D is incredible, making targeting enemies – particularly during flying shooter bits – exceptionally intuitive. The stylus-based controls are a little cumbersome and will take a little getting used to, but this is certainly a game to watch.
I got the opportunity to try the 3dfied remake of The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time. Failing to put nostalgia aside, one of the best games of all time has just gotten better, thanks to the 3D. It’s crisp, colourful – and as beautiful as you remember.
A game that surprised me was Steel Diver, a submarine-based game that uses some of the device’s new gyroscope features. I only got to play in “periscope†mode. Your goal is to shoot down enemy ships from your long, hard vessel filled with seamen. you actually have to move the handheld around – as if you were looking through a periscope. It’s pretty novel, and surprisingly fun.
I was also really impressed by the device’s augmented reality features. The 3DS will come with 6 augmented reality cards packed in, which when placed on a flat surface and read by the 3DS’ camera generates an augmented reality mini-game. but the one I got to play spawned targets (and dragons!) on the viewpoint as seen through the device’s external camera. As long as the card is kept in view, you can physically move about and still have a 3D rendered, and 3D scene play out on your table.
My last highlight was seeing a rolling demo of Paper Mario in 3D. the marriage of Paper Mario and that extra dimension leads me to believe that this is the system Paper Mario was destined for.
I was terribly excited for the 3DS before getting to play one, and my interest has increased exponentially. March 25th can’t come soon enough.
Last Updated: March 4, 2011
