Nintendo unveils 3DS launch titles

Written by on Feb 22, 2011

Nintendo 3DS

Planning on getting a Nintendo 3DS at launch on March 27? The good new is there’s quite a robust lineup of launch titles to choose from, featuring several big names and franchises. From Nintendo, we’ll have three titles in Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver and nintendogs + cats, though perhaps that should be five with three different versions of nintendogs + cats. Cash grab? No.

  • Pilotwings Resort™, an aerial adventure featuring airplanes, hang gliders and rocket belts. Players soar above tropical Wuhu Island in 3D as they complete missions or snap pictures.
  • Steel Diver™, a submarine game that involves strategy and combat. The 3D visuals give players the sensation that they are looking into a miniature aquarium as they control the sub’s speed, depth and pitch, and fire torpedoes.
  • nintendogs™ + cats, a game that lets players interact with realistic puppies – and kittens – in a variety of fun ways. There are three versions of the software, each with different starting breeds: French bulldog, toy poodle and golden retriever. But in each version players can unlock and enjoy more than 20 different breeds

Nintendo also plans to bring The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Mario Kart and Kid Icarus: Uprising out before the end of 2011.

It’s odd to see Nintendo launch a new gaming device without a Mario game being front and center, whether a new title or a remake of an older game (perhaps the underappreciated Mario Sunshine is due). But perhaps 2012 is when the rest of Nintendo’s character arsenal is unleashed.

Third party publishers are bringing a host of other big name titles to the system at launch:

  • 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

The 3DS will also be capable of playing almost the entire library of DS titles, excluding those that require a Gameboy Advance slot.

“Seeing 3D visuals without the need for special glasses is just one aspect of Nintendo 3DS,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The real test of any system is whether the games and applications draw you in and keep you engaged. Through the launch window and beyond, Nintendo 3DS delivers.”