Buyer Beware: Rating Nintendo 3DS Launch Games
- By Chris Kohler
- March 25, 2011 |
- 2:45 pm |
- Categories: Portable Gaming
Having played the majority of the first wave of games for the Nintendo 3DS, we can say one thing for sure: The glasses-free 3-D handheld, which hits U.S. stores Sunday, will be stuck in the launch doldrums for a while.
Yes, many of the 16 games that will be available at launch prove entertaining enough. And there's a lot of fun stuff to do with the hardware, even if you don't buy a single game.
But in the rush to make it out on Day One, developers have cut corners. Some games last only a few hours, others lack the communication features that were supposed to make 3DS games special, and some are rush-job ports from other hardware. It's not that there's anything particularly bad about them. It's just clear we're going to have to wait for games that fully exploit what 3DS can do.
Like iPad early adopters, gamers who snag a 3DS this weekend will no doubt be itching for something to do with their snazzy new machines. Unlike iPad apps, 3DS games typically retail for $40 a pop. If you want to spend that money wisely, read our hands-on impressions of games that will be available for Sunday's launch.
Above:
Steel Diver
This slow-paced underwater adventure comes out of left field for Nintendo. The collection of games revolves around the thrilling life of a submariner, beneath the sky of blue and sea of green.
In the game?s main mode, you pilot a sub through a few short levels, taking out enemy ships and avoiding obstacles as you make your way to the finish. Playing Steel Diver made me think of the Atari game Lunar Lander: Both games involve accomplishing a simple task that is made infinitely more complicated by complex, deliberately clunky controls. You can?t just point your ship where you want it to go. Instead you have to adjust course using an array of sliders on the touchscreen that control the vessel's depth, acceleration and pitch.
Trying to master these controls is fun, although it might not be every gamer?s cup of tea. For those looking for more of a quick gameplay hit, the first-person Periscope mode makes solid use of the 3DS? unique features. You must sit on a swivel chair, or stand, or otherwise have full, 360-degree freedom of rotation. You hold the DS in front of you, spinning like a dervish as you search out enemy ships and launch torpedoes.
I?ve only spent a couple hours with Steel Diver, but it seems that, like the feature-deficient Pilotwings Resort, it?s a bit on the short-and-sweet side. And it doesn?t use any of 3DS? vaunted connectivity features ? there?s no online play, no StreetPass, no Play Coin support, etc. Bear that in mind if you want to take the plunge on launch day. ?Chris Kohler
Chris Kohler is the founder and editor of Wired.com's Game|Life, and the author of Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life. He likes curry.Follow @kobunheat and @GameLife on Twitter.
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