Nintendo 3DS

"Take a look inside."
For cartridge games that are also available on eShop, please note/use this image: . Not all cartridge games available on the eShop are available in all regions at the same time, so note that as well.
==Cartridge Based==
Box Art	Title 	Genre 	Description
 	Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ 	Flight / Combat 	Not related to the console game Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, this is actually a port of Ace Combat 2, and an excellent title. In fact, if you hated Assault Horizon and wanted a return to Strangereal, then this is right up your alley. The "+" re-release adds some new features, including support for the new buttons, facial camera tracking for the new 3DS, as well as some Nintendo themed aircraft and amiibo support.
 	Animal Crossing: New Leaf 	Life Simulator / Comfy 	Pretty good improvement from the older games in which you are the mayor of your town and can develop and help out your community. Next to your new banana-dog assistant, Isabelle. New shops exist such as Re-Tail, where you can buy and sell items at a kind-of flea market. Make sure you pay off your house bill and get all your permits in line in the first day, because it's basically essential for stuff such as Streetpass. You can also take in-game screenshots by holding L+R in game so you can show everyone on Twitter how you caught a fucking fish. If you like Animal Crossing, get this shit.
 	Bravely Default 	RPG 	Remember Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light on the DS? This is a spiritual successor to it that basically fixes a lot its issues, and instead of being based off FF3, it's based off of FF5 and FFT, taking the best parts of both and mashing them together for a kickass job system. Combat uses a "Brave Point" stocking system. "Defaulting" gives you a BP, which enables you to defend for that turn, while "Bravely" uses up a BP, which lets you use an extra ability that turn for each BP you spent. This system adds some strategy to battles and makes fights more interesting, especially Bosses. One of the best RPGs on the system and worth checking out for sure. The method to unlocking the "true ending" is absolute bullshit though. Don't look up Spoilers!
 	Bravely Second: End Layer 	RPG 	If you liked Bravely Default and want more without wanting anything new, then you'll like this. Its a direct sequel the picks up two years after the events of the first game and the story is pretty good for what it is. It doesn't do anything new though so if you wanted it to build off of the first game then you should pass. It's more like a goodexpansion instead of a sequel.
 	Cave Story 3D 	Platformer 	The popular PC game Cave Story now upgraded with 3D graphics. Extras include a Prinny hat that's just for show, rearranged music, and three new areas about a minute long each. A tad easier than the original version since you can get double the amount of health, though the original version is also available here too.
Recommended for those who prefer physical media, as this is the only physical version of the game, and is quite difficult to come by.
Not to be confused with the vanilla 3DS port available on the eShop, or the (separate) DSi port.
 	Code of Princess 	Beat 'em up 	2.5D beat em up with sticky combo-based combat and ridiculous character designs. Designed by the same guy(s) who created Guardian Heroes. Play through the story to unlock over 50 characters (including grunts and monsters) to play as outside of story mode. Co-op and versus modes included. Frame-rate slows the game down a bit in combat and even more so with the 3D slider on. Still with the game you get an Art-book and an OST.
 	CRUSH3D 	Puzzle / Platformer 	Cute-sified remix of the twisted and sinister PSP original. A puzzler that blends platforming 2D and 3D nigh-seemlessly. Each stage lets you "crush" and "uncrush" the world at 4 90-degree x-axis parts to it and 2 90-degree y-axis parts to it, allowing for birds-eye overhead, 2d sidescrolling, and 3D freeroam sections. Stages have you collect mental-marbles and reach a goal, but there's also enemies to dispose of and obstacles to utilize and avoid. Everything crushes simultaneously, so always think a step ahead to avoid screwing yourself over. GameStop-exclusive in US, but goes for a spectacularly cheap $20.
 	Dead or Alive: Dimensions 	3D Fighter 	An excellent entry into the Dead or Alive series. Includes a "chronicle mode" that essentially summarizes the giant cluster fuck that is the DOA saga. Gameplay is based on DOA4 with some elements from DOA3 (like the simplified '3-point-hold' system). Features a great roster of 26 playable characters. It's a surprisingly fun and balanced entry in this fighter series, which may also prove "titillating" for newcomers as well. Online can be fun too, as long as you avoid Japan or you WILL get your ass kicked provided that you can find someone online. Frame rate slows down with 3DS slider on. Had some free DLC, but TK decided to stop hosting it anywhere but Japan.
 	Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D 	2D Platformer 	The sequel that lived up to the original now gets a handheld 3D port. Graphically inferior to the Wii version, and runs at 30fps instead of the Wii version's 60fps. Recommended only if you haven't already gotten the Wii version. (unless the portability and 8 new levels are a selling point to you) (or if you suck at waggle-rolling) Recommended anyway because this game is amazing!
 	Dragon Ball Fusions 	RPG 	A neat little action-RPG based on the anime with a huge roster spanning every iteration of Dragon Ball that allows you to build a team and fuse them together to make new fighters. Not a whole lot of substance outside the customization options but it's worth a go if you're a fan of the series.
 	Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past 	RPG 	It took 3 fucking years, but we FINALLY got the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII. And it was fucking worth it. Classic RPG combat, multiple costumes to wear, and hours worth of content, if you're a fan of JRPGs, get it without a doubt.
 	Etrian Mystery Dungeon 	RPG / Roguelike 	A crossover game between Atlus' Etrian Odyssey series and Spike Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series. Uses the same class system from Etrian Odyssey with the all the dungeon crawling goodness taken from the Mystery Dungeon games.
 	Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan 	RPG / Dungeon Crawler 	First entry in the dungeon-crawling series to feature fully-3D graphics and a symphonic soundtrack. Also features selectable difficulty modes (including Easy) and an overworld that can be explored via air balloon. Arguably the most accessible EO. Characters can eventually acquire a subclass and the corresponding skills, which makes the game relatively easy to break.
 	Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth 	RPG / Dungeon Crawler 	Final numbered entry in the series (so far), with the same production values as IV. Features all-new classes (and races) which, instead of subclassing, can further specialize into certain skill sets later on. Requires more micro-management than IV, and has no overworld to explore, so it'll be less accessible to newcomers. It still has an Easy (Basic) mode, though.
 	Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl 	RPG / Dungeon Crawler 	Remake of the original Etrian Odyssey for DS, with the production values of IV and V. Features an all-new story mode with pre-made characters and actual JRPG-style narrative, which is a first for the series, but classic mode (where you make your own party and explore the dungeon with minimal narrative) is also there. Easy (Picnic) difficulty makes this game extremely accessible to newcomers.
 	Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight 	RPG / Dungeon Crawler 	Remake of Etrian Odyssey 2. Like the first remake, it comes with a story mode with pre-made characters as well as a classic mode reminiscent of the original.
 	Ever Oasis 	RPG / Farming/ Town Building 	Equal parts Animal Crossing and Zelda, Ever Oasis is a new IP prodiced by Grezzo, the creators of the Mana series and the studio behind all those must-have 3D Zelda remakes on the 3DS.
Explore a desert, fight monsters, build a town, fight more monsters, solve puzzles, help your sweet aqua-waifu expand your oasis for more residents and shops.
Really fits the New 3DS XL nub-stick for camera movement.
Chibi art style is awesome, great jmusic, deceptively cute, this game is a lot of fun and should be a must-have for any 3DS owner.
 	Fantasy Life 	RPG 	An RPG in which you can choose one of twelve "Life Classes", various jobs such as Alchemist, Cook, Carpenter, Hunter, Woodcutter, etc. The main story involves investigating mysterious meteorites that spread dark energy to creatures throughout the land, and fighting those monsters. Very simple and cute art style, as expected from Level 5. Sadly, the gameplay is pretty shallow.
 	Final Fantasy Explorers 	RPG / Action-RPG 	An attempt at a Monster Hunter-style game with Final Fantasy jobs, skills, and monsters. While the idea is solid, and the game has lots of content for series fans, new jobs are unlocked too slowly, and bosses/stages are incredibly repetitive. You can play with others locally/online, and/or recruit monsters as teammates, the latter making the game incredibly easy.
 	Fire Emblem Awakening 	SRPG 	The first 3DS Fire Emblem title borrows elements from modern JRPGs to create a more expansive world with more to explore, but the option to grind in between missions gels awkwardly with the gameplay and makes the story either too easy or populated with abrupt difficulty spikes. Character and script work have gotten a big boost with the return of detailed Support conversations and an emphasis on coupling and relationships as part of the story, and localization is great. Character and stage design are also wonderful and most everyone in the cast grows on the player. On the gameplay side you can expect the usual, but there's too much dependence on the Pair-up System and missions lack variety. There's tons of side content and DLC, including recruitable characters from all past games, and the game is in general a treat to series fans. If you're looking for a deep and challenging strategy experience this may leave you wanting, but it's full of fun and polish.
 	Fire Emblem Fates 	SRPG 	You take control of a hero who was abducted from their family as a child and raised by your kidnappers, you can choose which side to fight on; your original family or your family that abducted you, with many twists and turns along the way. The gameplay remains the same classic SRPG strategy Fire Emblem has already had, so you can already guess it's pretty good. More characters that develop and raise, more romancing, pretty much more everything.
NOA's localization has become rather notorious for changing a lot of things about the game. They removed the option to pet your units in a minigame similar to Pokemon-Amie and butchered a few lines of the dialog with stupid jokes. If this is too much, there exists a ongoing Content Restoration patch to fix all the damage done, so go check that out if you're interested.
 	Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning 	Simulation 	The first original Harvest Moon title on the 3DS. For those not familiar with the series, it's basically a farming/life sim where you raise crops, take care of livestock, interact with the townsfolk, and get married. It's a lot more fun and addicting than it sounds. The big "gimmick" with this one is the customization aspect, which is actually fucking awesome because you can essentially make the town and your farm look however you want. However, since the game starts you out with practically nothing, it takes a long time for it to get fun. The hoarding plays a bigger role here than in previous titles so get a guide if you're going to play this one, you will need it.
Those looking for a more classic HM experience should take a look at Story of Seasons instead.
 	Hyrule Warriors Legends 	Hack N' Slash 	A sort-of upgraded port of the Wii U version. Hack and Slash your way through thousands of enemies in Dynasty Warrior style, just like the Wii U version. While it doesn't run anywhere CLOSE to the Wii U's performance, it has plenty of new exclusive content not found in the Wii U version. It runs like ass on the original 3DS, so it's recommended you get it on the New 3DS.
All the characters in this game can be gotten on the Wii U version as DLC, however, only the characters, all the other exclusive content stays here.
 	Kid Icarus: Uprising 	Rail Shooter / Action-Adventure	Easily one of the best 3DS games. Loads of amounts and types of weapons, powers, and items AND online and local multiplayer (on-foot). The solo-play story mode has on-rail shmup action stages and exploratory on-foot stages to find new stuff. It also destroys the 4th wall. Difficulty is player-adjusted from laughably easy to brick-shittingly hard. If you're a Smash Bros. fan, you'll find hints of it in gameplay and music (thank Masahiro Sakurai for that). Playing its predecessors isn't necessary to enjoy this. The controls DO take getting used to, but can be adjusted in button-action setups and stylus sensitivity. Also, Circle Pad Pro is a must for lefties. One "major" weakness is that some of the challenges can be bullshit to pull off.Controls are a make or break issue. If you don't like the controls you will not enjoy the rest of the game.
 	Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance 	Action RPG 	Happens after KH2, leads into 3. Play as both Sora and Riku, each now with unique skills, and both are in a dream world, so no Goofy and Donald. Instead you tame dream world enemies, each giving a variety of abilities, but features a pseudo Pokemon petting system to take full advantage of them. Gameplay is similar to Birth by Sleep (minus command fusion), but now with the lovechild of all the Drive form abilities in KH2 being at immediate disposal. Several new Disney worlds and characters. Also, If you care about the story, don't miss this, or KH3 won't make any sense. But, if you're new to KH, an HD collection of the originals is available on PS3. Sadly, the TWEWY stuff isn't as important as you may have hoped.Also Baloonga.
There's an HD port for the PS4. If you want to play most of the games in the series, you're better off getting the PS4 HD collections.
 	Kirby: Triple Deluxe 	Platformer 	Handheld Kirby done in 2.5D perspective. Simple platforming fun with unique and colorful characters. One of the newest copy abilities is that of a rhinoceros beetle that allows Kirby to impale his enemies which is incredibly satisfying. Also features some bonus games, one similar to Super Smash Bros. in which you can battle with your own customizable Kirby, and the other being a King Dedede rhythm game.
 	Kirby: Planet Robobot 	Platformer 	The next 3DS Kirby game, it plays yet again similar to Return to Dreamland and Triple Deluxe. This time you can grab a hold of robots which also have copy abilities to defeat your foes. Simple platforming fun just like the last ones. This one also has a sort of RPG battle mode as one of the sub-games, and for the first time ever; a sub-game where Kirby can move in 3D.
 	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D 	Action-Adventure 	One of the most beloved games of all time, with THREE DEE and some other cool features like updated textures, a touchscreen inventory, some pretty awesome gyroscope aiming, and a boss rush mode. Master Quest is also included, though you have to unlock that by beating the game first, which kind of sucks. There's also a new video-hint system for casuals, but really, who doesn't know their way in this game? Even if it's just a slight remaster of a game we've played countless times before, this is honestly the best version of the game released yet.
 	The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D 	Action-Adventure 	A remake of Majora's Mask, and probably the strangest and darkest title in the series. Months after Ocarina of Time, the hero Link finds himself in the strange parallel world of Termina, with only three days to save it from its impending doom. Boss battles have been altered. Now includes fishing!
Note: Some people have complained about the changes made for this game. If you just so happen to prefer the original N64 title over this one and have a hacked 3DS, take a look at this restoration mod.
 	The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 	Action-Adventure 	A 2D style Zelda in THREE DEE. Serves as a more direct sequel to A Link to the Past, using largely the same overworld. Introduces new items, system mechanics, and ways to solves puzzles, which includes turning Link into a 2D painting and sidling along flat surfaces (way cooler than it sounds). Travel between Hyrule and 'Lorule' (yeah, I know, it's retarded) which serves as the game's version of the dark world. The most 'old school' style Zelda game in at least a decade, and a real treat to long time fans, also has the most freedom since the original (you can complete the dungeons in almost any damn order you please). The game took a page from the Tingle RPG's book and heavily revolves around rupees, which actually ends up working in it's favor since any features relying on them were well implemented (no more bag sizes, you can carry 9,999 from the start). Honestly, this might be the best Zelda game since... whatever your last favorite was, let's not argue.
 	The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes 	Action-Adventure 	A spiritual successor to Four Swords and based off of A Link Between Worlds. You can play with friends or online (even though it's kinda dead). You can wear different costumes to give you different abilities to solve puzzles. Not as good as A Link Between Worlds, but it's decent on its own right.
Be warned though, Nintendo of America has infected it with their memes.
 	LBX: Little Battlers Experience 	Mecha/Action-RPG 	The first Danbouru Senki title to be released outside of Japan, LBX is essentially the spiritual successor to Custom Robo. Customize your little robots to battle other customized little robots in order to save the world or something. The story is a little predictable, but the visuals and gameplay buy it back.
 	Luigi's Mansion 	Adventure / Puzzle 	Port of the original GCN launch game that features slightly updated graphics, gyro, Circle Pad Pro and New 3DS c-stick peripheral control support, as well as some amiibo interactions. Use Luigi to navigate the ghost-infested abode while, scared out of his mind, he has to collect the various themed ghosts with a vacuum.
 	Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon 	Ghostbusting 	After 12 years Luigi's Mansion gets a sequel, and a great one at that. Instead of one mansion, you explore five mansions sucking up all of the ghosts and eventually the boss of each mansion. Game has a mission based system this time instead of a free roaming aspect, but it works great. Game has multiplayer as well, but expect this each time you play with others.
 	Mario & Luigi: Dream Team 	RPG / Platformer 	Arguably the best in the series, Dream Team has the brothers harness the power Luigi's dreams to save the day. Similar to M&L BIS, you interact with Weeg while he naps and stuff happens mid-dream (ex: grab his mustache, then snap it to give Mario a quick ride thru the air). Enemies are pretty trippy, as expected from the M&L series, and are a joy to fight. In the awake world, both bros laying the smack down, mostly with standard controls. In dream world, Mario summons his stand Luigi and his clones to fuse into a giant hammer, bowling ball, etc. and the skills lean more towards screen-tilting, touch, etc. Arguably, a must have for the 3DS.
 	Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam 	RPG / Platformer 	Mario and Luigi X Paper Mario. While some complain this was wasted potential (Although they were coming up with the most batshit insane stories possible with fanservice out the ass) it is still a pretty good game. Tutorials are now skippable, and you can use Paper Mario as a third party member to fight enemies, while using cards to help you out as well. Pretty decent follow up to Dream Team.
 	Mario Golf: World Tour 	Sports 	More Golfing with Mario and pals! Arguably some of the best 3D models for Mario & Co. to come out of Camelot. The game bolsters the most holes in the series, but you have to earn most of them first by gettin' gud! The RPG elements from past portable Golf titles was replaced with stat-changing clothes and costumes for your Mii. There's a stream of official tourneys and challenges plus lots of potential online communities to battle on the green, as well. One of the more chill games to unwind with, though your golfer repeats lines very quickly. This is one of the first Nintendo games to offer a "Season Pass", though it's really a DLC bundle that gives you all of the courses from the N64 Mario Golf (minus the putt-putt, those bastards!) along with 4 more characters. Double your hole content for half the asking price (which kinda sucks in EU & AUS...).
 	Mario Kart 7 	Racing 	Mario Kart is back and in 60 FPS! New to MK are hang-gliders during big air and you can also drive underwater with little sub-propellers (which kind of suck because it slows the pace of the game down). Courses and characters new and old are featured (along with your Mii). Vehicle Customization lets you change body, tires, and accessory, each affecting your kart. Multiplayer can be local (with download play!) or wi-fi. Along with ghost races, you can also use your spot/street pass modes to register other people and build a "community" of them along with any registered friends who have it. Easily worth getting; the most solid outing of the series. (Comes pre-installed on a special White 3DS bundle in EU, also in a Blue 3DS bundle in NA).
 	Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D 	Stealth / Action-Adventure 	This version of the MGS classic is a little hit and miss. As the game is available for the same price in HD bundled with 2 other MGS games it's up to the player which version to get. This version offers a few gameplay tweaks but is notably scaled down to work on the portable. It adds a few new features like the EXTREMELY helpful crouch walking and photo camo. The 3D is great and adds very useful depth to the jungle environment. That being said the game suffers from harsh framerate drops in cutscenes and the controls are pretty bad compared to every other version of MGS3, so you may want to play it elsewhere.
Also Available on PS Vita, as part of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
 	Metroid: Samus Returns 	Metroidvania 	A 2.5D remake of Metroid 2 on the original Game Boy. Has good old-school platforming exploration and introduces a really well done countering system that adds some complexity to combat. Otherwise, its an old Metroid game. You play as Samus, kill metroids, kill a big ass metroid, kill Ridley, go home. It's good fun. Another option for playing an updated Metroid 2 is AM2R, a fan-made remake that got C&D'd by Nintendo when they decided to make this official remake.
 	Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate 	Monster Hunting 	Addictive Action game. A combination of and update to the content of Tri and Portable 3rd. Fairly difficult for the uninitiated, more of the same for the familiar; will suck hours away in both cases. Multiplayer is local only unless you have a Wii U, in which case you'd probably be playing the Wii U version. Still a great single player experience and better off for the fact that it's portable. Plays better with a CPP.The game isn't for everyone, as the game's style of gameplay and pacing are hard to get into at first. The demo on eShop is also a poor representation of the final product.
 	Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate 	Monster Hunting 	This is the best game in the series to date. It does the best job the series has so far to explain the mechanics to newcomers, although it's still better to learn things from an experienced friend or from a guide. Many improvements have been made since the previous installment. More platforming, larger areas, and new mechanics. Now features a fully integrated online multiplayer and a "Guild Quest" system, so you can hunt with your friends to your heart's content. The difficulty is ramped up this time around, which is a welcome change from the ease of Tri. As with any Monster Hunter, you can easily dump hundreds of hours into this game. And you'll enjoy every second of it.
 	New Super Mario Bros. 2 	Platformer 	More from the New Super Mario Bros. series. Pretty much what you'd expect, though this time it places a lot of emphasis on coin-collecting, and features new items that provide more coins, such as Gold Flowers, rings, and a block mask that produces coins as Mario runs.
 	Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth 	RPG 	A crossover RPG featuring the protagonists of Persona 3 and 4, along with a couple new faces. Gameplay is similar to that of the Etrian Odyssey series, with some added Persona elements. The chibi arstyle may be off-putting for some, but don't worry, the game is NOT CANON to the series.
 	Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire 	RPG / Monster Sim 	The remakes Hoennfags had been screaming about for ages, now upgraded with 3D graphics and all sorts of new features. New Mega Evolutions, fairy type, mini games, etc. Lots and lots of obtainable legendaries. Aside from the Hoenn starters, you can also grab a Johto, Unova, and Sinnoh starter as well. Beware though, the game is extremely easy compared to the originals. Did I mention it was easy?
 	Pokémon Sun and Moon 	RPG / Monster Sim 	The seventh generation of Pokémon, set in the Hawaii inspired region of Alola. Has a larger focus on story (similar to Black & White), new Pokémon to catch and better graphics. Compared to X/Y, the game world feels more open, and the difficulty has been ramped up. Gyms have been replaced by challenges, mini events that play better than they sound. For example, one has you hunting Ghosts with a camera and another has you answering trivia questions in a pitch black room. There are still boss battles around though if you miss fighting Gym Leaders. Also HMs have been removed (no more HM slaves!) and replaced by summonable Pokémon that fulfil the same purpose. Two Words: SHARPEDO JETSKI
Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon are also available, acting as the "special editions" of Gen VII with more features. If you're going to play Sun & Moon, these are the versions to play.
 	Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon 	RPG / Roguelike 	The largest PMD game yet, with 720 recruitable Pokemon and emphasis on item usage over standard combat as you'll face much stronger Pokemon than yourself throughout the game. Play a human who has awoken with amnesia in the Pokemon world finding his way back while exploring randomly generated dungeons and figuring what's afflicting the Pokemon world.
Recruiting to your party is no longer random, instead you recruit whatever Pokemon asked you to take on a mission, eventually running out of new missions to take on unlike previous games with the mail boards. Also the pacing is really slow for the first few hours of the game. Still, these are minor flaws and the game is a fantastic tearjerker with strong, challenging gameplay.
And have fun with Salamence!
 	Pokémon X and Y 	RPG / Monster Sim 	The sixth generation of Pokémon. Set in the French inspired region of Kalos, X/Y are the first main series games to have 3D graphics. The Pokémon themselves look impressive, using detailed models with some smooth animations, however everything else look only slightly better than a DS game. There's a low amount of new Pokémon to catch (only 68), so you'll mostly be seeing familiar faces on your journey. Still, it's one worth taking. Now with FAIRIES! No Pokémon Z sadly.
 	Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy 	Puzzle 	Follows the conclusion of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Story revolves around the Azran Legacies, an ancient relic and an organization called Targent trying to use its power for their own purposes. Similar gameplay to Miracle Mask, and includes over 500 new puzzles.
 	Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask 	Puzzle 	Professor Layton, except that the 2D sprites are replaced with 3D models and the puzzles utilize the 3D effects. Story wise, it's the second prequel game in the Professor Layton series. Features a strange villain who dons a mask that does all sorts of twisted shit, like petrifying people and levitating things, among other actions. Guess who has to put him down and save the day? This also explores the backstory of the lovable prof, Hershel Layton, back when he was a younger badass with an untamed mane.
 	Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 	Puzzle / Adventure 	A crossover game featuring Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright. Borrows elements from both series, the investigation portions are similar to Layton gameplay, and the trials themselves are similar to the Ace Attorney series. Features animated cutscenes and full voice acting.
 	Project X Zone 	Tactics / Fighting 	Fan service at its finest. Not only a crossover of Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega; but a crossover of genres too. Combines tactics gameplay with a "Cross active battle system" combo system for the battle scenes. Does get repetitive towards the end but the production values and the ability to use Ulala from Space Channel 5 makes it all worth it. Caution is advised however, as the game has been known to induce migraines in those sensitive to flashing lights and patterns (read: me).
 	Project X Zone 2 	Tactics / Fighting 	A pretty direct sequel that features much of the same gameplay as the first with an even more insane cast, including characters from Yakuza, Shenmue, and even Fire Emblem. The improved pacing and systems makes it easier to get into. Both games were removed from the e-shop so it can only be gotten physically now.
 	'Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology 	RPG 	A remake of the DS classic. New art that is hit and miss and some new mechanics including a follow-up mechanic similar to Tokyo Mirage Sessions, which the devs also made. Still a great game.
 	Resident Evil: Revelations 	Survival Horror 	Revelations blends the new over the shoulder more action orientated RE with the classic corridor wandering atmospheric titles. And it blends pretty well too. Hands down the best looking game on the system and a great use of 3D. The main story will last around 9–10 hours and you will unlock Hell mode after which will have different enemy placement, tougher enemies and fewer ammo, so lots of replay-ability. There's also an offline & online co-op "Raid" mode which has you take out every enemy in the level and get to the goal as efficiently as possible. You unlock and collect weapons in this mode and it has plenty of variety. Game has been ported to the PS3, 360, Wii U, and PC with a couple new features (Raid Mode outfits and DLC), but critics say the 3DS is the best (and cheapest) version. Also DAT JILL ASS!
 	Rhythm Heaven Megamix 	Rhythm 	Basically a bunch of quirky, rhythm based minigames. Still good even though it's the weakest game in an excellent series. Sadly a lot of the games are straight ports from older titles in the series, the story mode and level unlock system get in the way, and the difficulty has been toned WAY down. That said it has a lot of content to unlock.
 	Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure 	Rhythm / Puzzle 	Nifty little rhythm game for the 3DS. Use the buttons, stylus, dpad and gyro sensors to play through a wide variety of rhythm games on your journey through Paris. There are a few short puzzles here and there, but they are mostly straightforward and don't take much time to complete. The smooth animation and music give this game a nice charm. Supports local multiplayer and streetpass.
 	Rune Factory 4 	Simulation / RPG 	It's more Rune Factory! Explore dungeons, farm, and get married.
 	Senran Kagura Burst 	Beat-em-up 	Titty Ninjas on 3DS. For the first in the series, it's a decent beat em up, with an enjoyable story and actually well written characters. That being said, what holds the game back is the very poor framerate. Worth a look if you're interested in seeing how the series started, though you may be better off looking at the other games for gameplay.
North America only got digital only release.
A remake was released for the PS4 and PC. The PS4 version has cut content.
 	Shin Megami Tensei IV 	RPG 	The long awaited follow-up to 2009's Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, and the older SMT3: Nocturne. One of the most solidly crafted RPGs on the 3DS even though the game is only hard for the first 3 hours. From there on it snowballs to the easiest RPG on the 3DS with very straight forward dungeons and demon negotiating the series has always been known for. It's also the first title in the mainline series not to feature a main cast designed by Kazuma Kaneko, though his classic demons are still here. First run copies include the usual Atlus soundtrack CD as well as a 180 page guidebook covering the first 30-40% of the game. Atlus says it's an artbook, but don't believe their lies, that only covers about eight pages of the book.
 	Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers 	RPG / Dungeon Crawler 	Port of the original JP-only Sega Saturn game. The 3DS version includes fully voiced dialogue, new demons, "Hacks" which allow you to do things like adjust difficulty and a bonus dungeon in which Raidou Kuzunoha from the PS2 Devil Summoner games makes an appearance. Story involves you playing the role of a member of the Hacker group, The Spookies, as they unravel the mystery of the Phantom Society which seeks to steal all the souls of the inhabitants of Amami City via a virtual reality world known as Paradigm X. Since this game is fairly easy it would be a good starting place for individuals interested in getting into the SMT games.
 	Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked 	Strategy RPG 	A remix port of the original. A solid combo of visual novel and strategy RPG, with the SMT-standard Press Turn battle system. Full voice acting, more skills, more demons to recruit, slightly smoother graphics, a Compendium to register and resummon demons for cash, and an extra 8th day scenario for four key characters, along with a few new game+ bonuses. Not bad if you never played it before and possibly are a Megaten fan. Out in Euroland now, thanks to based Ghostlight.
 	Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker	SRPG 	Just like how they re-released the first Devil Survivor, here's number 2! New additions include voice acting that isn't as bad as Overclocked, new story that happens after the events of the original that adds about 30 hours, and new demons and skills yada yada.
 	Shinobi 	Platformer 	A difficult side-scrolling Shinobi that stars Jiro, Joe Musashi's dad, and blends and builds on classic and modern elements, gameplay, and control. Has a more fluid feel to it than Shinobi III. The combat has simple combos and you can parry attacks to build up your multiplier which increases how many points you get and how fast you run. 
There's also Challenge Maps to put your skills to the test (access with either streetpass and/or play coins). You can also unlock Joe and another character. A Retro Mode is also unlockable, where one hit = death, like the arcades. There's also a mode to save your replays of stages.
 	Story of Seasons 	Farm Simulator / RPG 	Harvest Moon by the same developers, but with a new name (published by XSEED, the Harvest Moon property is owned by Natsume in the west). Create and customize your own character before heading into town to build your own farm. Visit your friends homes, exchange items, and grow crops together!
Gives a more classic experience than A New Beginning and fixes a lot of the problems, so you might want to play this one first.
 	Star Fox 64 3D 	Rail Shooter 	The graphics look really impressive, everything plays and runs much faster and smoother too. Allows for traditional or 3DS controls that use the Gyro-Sensor. One neat update is the option of score attack to replay individual stages at your leisure, as opposed to straight out story mode. There's also new multiplayer battle options and modes, even a live feed of players' faces.
 	Super Mario 3D Land 	Platformer 	Essentially Mario 2D and Mario 3D sandwiched to create this game. "The most Mario-like 3D Mario game ever" with flagpoles, airships, music and question blocks, and even Boom-Boom from SMB3 return! The Tanooki suit returns without flight (too easy), but still acts the same as before. The new boomerang suit is like the hammer bros suit, but with 'rangs. The game auto-angles camera to create depth and emphasize 3D, but also has side-scrolling levels. Some levels are weaker than others, but its the latter half and post-game unlocked levels that make this a keeper. Also, Weegee.
 	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 	Fighting 	The first in the Super Smash Bros. series you can take on the go. Includes all of the characters that the Wii U version has, though this unfortunately meant the exclusion of Ice Climbers due to hardware limitations (SAKURAIIII!).
Tons of trophies and upgrades to collect, and the game actually runs incredibly smooth on the 3DS. 60 FPS for characters, with assist trophies/Pokémon running in 30. Online matches run pretty well without items on, though you'll probably lag otherwise.
Features a beautiful Magicant stage from the Mother series, exclusive to the 3DS version, as well as a great throwback stage to F-Zero on the SNES.
 	Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition 	2D Fighter 	It's Super Street Fighter IV Y'all, but on the tiny screen and in THREE DEE. It has everyone from the consoles, including the DLC. LOL Arcade Edition. Works really well on the 3DS. The fighters look really good, the backgrounds lack a bit but when the fighters look this good portable, no complaints here. The best 3DS launch game out. (Note: Online is broken as fuck due to a fair amount of Lite-control spammers. You can change the online setting to only engage in Pro battles. Otherwise, prepare to lose to Guile and Ryu every time.) Also, Figurine battles which use StreetPass.
 	Tales of the Abyss 	Action RPG 	A port of the classic PS2 game. The original NA extras on the PS2 version are in all 3DS versions. If you already played it before you know what to expect. Only real changes are the massively improved loading times, always a good thing, and the 3D which unfortunately isn't very good at all. The game will last at least a good 60+ hours and is all in all a very good RPG game. Very limited quantities so the game is quite hard to find in Europe; America seems to be getting lots of printings. The MC is annoying at first, but the other characters are pretty ace.
 	Tetris Axis  	Puzzle 	Maybe the most jam-packed Tetris. 20+ Tetris game modes, some based on classic Tetris, some based on Bombliss, and some just plain new. There's also some AR game modes, but those tend to suck without a flat table and good lighting. There's also some versus and Co-op modes as well. In addition, there's wi-fi modes, and even some Download Play modes to share with other 3DS owners who lack the Tetris Axis card. SpotPass lets you find new items for Fever modes. In addition to solo play, 2-8 players can multiplayer, depending on the game and method. Some say it's not as cool as Tetris DS (the one with the Nintendo characters), but this is still fun and damn solid.
Known simply as Tetris in non-NTSC regions.
 	Theatrhythm Final Fantasy 	Rhythm / RPG 	It's sorta like Elite Beat Agents meets Beatmania with Final Fantasy characters (if that makes any sense). There's 3 main modes: Field, Battle, and Event. Field has characters journey and find loot to a beat, Event has series cutscenes with music instructions, and Battle has you fight iconic monsters and bosses. While it does have some RPG elements to it (Life bar, abilities, etc.) they are pretty much useless and there just to be there. Has Streetpass and DLC. Over 50 songs at first, but you can access more, and use them in the non-Story-Mode Challenge Mode. Extra Characters can also be accessed via DLC and non-DLC means. There's a lot More Info that would fill this page up, so get reading. If you're a fan of the franchise and/or its music, this is a must-have game.
 	Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call 	Rhythm / RPG 	The sequel to Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Includes over 200 songs, 60 characters, and a brand new Versus Battle Mode, which involves two players competing for a higher score, with status effects to prevent each other from winning.
It's basically the old Theatrhythm but with more content, if you get this one don't bother with the old one.
 	Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars 	Strategy 	Arguably the sleeper hit of the 3DS launch, produced by the creater of the original X-Com series. Closer to Fire Emblem than anything else. The average playtime is about 40 hours, and that's only with the main story. There's also a heapin' helpin' of extra missions to play as well.
 	Tomodachi Life 	Simulation 	A really weird life simulator featuring your Miis. Recommended for those who might be a little sick of Animal Crossing and want to try something new. All hail the Virtual Boy!
 	WarioWare Gold 	Minigame / Puzzle 	WarioWare is back after eight years. Wario couldn't afford Pizza so he decided to scam all his friends into making games for him to profit off of. It has new games and brings back a lot of classics. If you still have a 3DS lying around give this a shot.
 	Yo-kai Watch 	Pokeymans 	An interesting Pokemon clone courtesy of Level 5. Find mons yo-kai using your radar rather than random encounters, and befriend them with food, MegaTen style. The battles are automatic, you play the role of a coach, switching yo-kai out as needed and doing quick minigames for specials. The story is also a lot more involved than in most Pokemon games.
If you are tired of Pokemon or want a different experience, give this a shot.
 	Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward 	Visual Novel/Puzzle 	The sequel to the awesomeness that was 999 on the DS. Amazing story and characters wrapped up with plenty of well-designed puzzles that will suck away your time. Obviously contains a lot of reading (it's a VN) so look up gameplay to make sure it's for you.WARNING: This version of the game has a bug where your saves can get corrupted if you save during the puzzle sections in the PEC Room or the Crew Quarters. If you have a Vita, that version is recommended instead.
 	Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma 	Visual Novel/Puzzle 	The final game in the Zero Escape Trilogy is definitely the weakest in the series, but still pretty good. The puzzles are still strong but the story does not deliver on the promise of the first two games. That being said, it still has its moments. The characters as an ensemble are not as strong overall as the groups from the previous games, but some of them are memorable in a good way. It is worth going through if you've gone through the first two games, but temper your expectations.
===New Nintendo 3DS===
Please be aware that any games on the "New" Nintendo 3DS list can only be played on the newer models with the extra thumbstick.
Box Art	Title 	Genre	Description
 	Xenoblade Chronicles 3D	RPG 	A port of the pretty rare Wii game. Widely considered to be one of the greatest JRPGs of the last generation, so if you missed your chance to play it, now's the opportunity. Also compatible with the Shulk amiibo (if you're one of the five people who has one).
Now on the Switch. Upgraded from 240p to 504p with some upgraded character models and environments.
==Nintendo eShop==
Amusingly enough, Nintendo dropped the "Ware" name from Wii and DSi, because they felt devs and audiences would think they were making inferior products (given the notorious restrictions associated with the names, they weren't too far off with that).These are downloadable with real world monies and taxes, which requires you to use a credit card monies or a 3DS card to add cash. If you don't have enough cash at the moment of buying the game and are only off a little, you can use your credit card to add just what you need to make the difference.
Title 	Genre 	Description 	Screenshot
3D Classics: Excitebike 	Racing 	It's fucking Excitebike with depth-perception. You can also create your own tracks, and save several of them. Sadly, you can't share them with other 3DS-es. Not too shabby, and easy to get into. Pretty good for one's first foray into 3DS' 3D-ness. 	
3D Classics: Kid Icarus 	Platformer/Adventure 	Graphical remix of the now-famous Pit's first game. The backgrounds are all updated to give stages extra flavor. Blends elements found in Metroid, Super Mario Bros, and Zelda. You can upgrade Pit's gear, find secret shops and passages, and there's plenty of tough jumps, maze-like fortresses, and bosses to conquer. Noted for its difficulty, but after the first stage and an upgrade or two, it isn't as bad as some make it sound. Has "custom" controls which make it play better and like the GB game, and it uses the FDS save system instead of passwords.Worth buying, same with its Game Boy sequel (if it comes over here), which improves a number of elements from this game, and has more challenges to face. 	
3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure 	Platformer 	Essentially the same game, but now crisper and cleaner (palette errors and slowdown are completely gone), and with sprites/backgrounds that stick out/recede a bit more. Feels like you're looking at a pop-up book with 3D on. Without it, you get that old NES feel, sans CRT. It's a bit hard looking at the tiny screen, but it looks really great when you find a comfy viewing position and 3D level.If you've never played it before, go ahead and get this. If not, it depends on how well you remember/love the original versus GBA's Nightmare in Dreamland rearrangement. For anyone on the fence, have a friend and/or relative buy it on their 3DS (or yours) and give it a try. 	
3D Classics: Twinbee 	Shoot 'Em Up/Cute 'Em Up 	One of the classic Cute 'Em Up pioneers. Similar to Xevious except cuter, faster, and with more weapons and options. Like Xevious 3D, you can control your rate of fire per button. If you don't know, there's loads of enemies onscreen often, and your bell system gives you a power-up relating to how many times you fire a bell to change its color. As such, having the options for different fire rates is welcome. Great for shmup beginners, though a bit hard for gaming beginners. The pop-out effect is subtle, but just enough to keep on for a while at a time (it can strain the eyes with all the shit flying around sometimes). 	
Art of Balance Touch! 	Balance/PHYSICS! 	If you like balancing stuff, this is the game for you. Balance a variety of shapes made of various matters. Weight, angle, shape, density, composition, all these and more factor into creating perfect balance of your given structures. Card houses ain't shit! If all that sounds kind of boring, then check this video to see how challenging it can be to achieve balance, but also to maintain it long enough to clear the stage. 	
Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale 	Adventure/Interactive Story 	A very, VERY short (think about two or three hours) adventure game with a card-battling minigame for extra replayability (even though it's just glorified rock-paper-scissors).You play as a young boy who has just moved to a small town in rural-ish Japan in the 1970's. While there, he makes new friends, plays a lot of card games, solves the townspeople's menial problems, and solves the mystery behind the monsters that invade the town every Friday night. Yeah. The big draw to the game is its emphasis on giant monsters and superheroes and the television shows that they were featured on. It really draws you into the setting and gives the town this fantastically charming atmosphere that carries the game to its end. And, like most screenshots show, there IS an actual fight between a giant monster and an Ultraman ripoff, but it's at the very end of the game and isn't as significant as people might think. The main focus is on the children and the events that they take part in. That said, if you're a classic tokusatsu fan, interested in early 70's culture in Japan, or just like a charming and endearing story, give this game a chance. 	
Azure Striker Gunvolt 	Action Platformer 	The best thing to come out recently for Mega Man fans, especially fans of the Zero and ZX series. While the core gameplay is pretty similar to Mega Man, you actually use your gun to tag enemies so that you can zap them with electricity, adding some more depth to the main strategy of the game. Dashing and wall climbing feel a bit different, but they're there as well.Unlike Mega Man, bosses don't give you new weapons, instead you unlock new bullet types that change the way you tag enemies. You can also unlock all kinds of gear (in the forms of rings, necklaces and contact lenses) that boost your stats or give you some abilities, like air dashing and double/triple jumping.The game is pretty easy to beat, but trying to get high scores in all stages is a huge challenge, and there is plenty of incentive to do that (especially because some awesome j-pop tunes start blasting during the stages once you break a certain score barrier). There are all kinds of challenges and rewards in form of cash and materials to craft new gear.The game is also on Steam. The Steam version has some extra modes and is fully voiced in japanese, but the way it handles the dual screens is a bit botched.	
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 	Action Platformer 	A full sequel to the previous game, with a second playable character, Copen, whose air dashing attack technique is insanely fun. The scoring is a lot more forgiving than the first game, but you can optionally turn on harder scoring modes for more points. Plotwise it devolves further into weeb territory, with more lolis, more harem tropes, and more j-pop, but the gameplay is still extremely fun and challenging. 	
Bugs vs. Tanks! 	Simulation/Survival 	Do you like tanks? Have you just watched Girls Und Panzer or visited a Tank museum? This game will scratch your tank itch like crazy, collecting the tanks is great and there are ~35 to collect and you can paint them in different camo colours or blasphemous heart patterns. Gameplay is solid you handle moving with circle pad and rotate turret left/right with the buttons and can have shooting on auto or manually fire. The whole silly tank based survival game stick doesn't overstay its welcome as the story(What there is of it) moves well between objectives. Streetpass is shit. Worth trying if you love tanks or picking up on sale if not. 	
Cave Story 	Action/Adventure 	Action-adventure platformer with run and gun action, and some LIGHT metroidvania aspects. You can find weapons, gadgets, and a few types of upgrades throughout the areas you explore. Some upgrades you have to make some extra effort to obtain or you'll miss them, giving the game some nice replay value, which is taken further thanks to multiple endings. Similar to the Steam variation released before it. If you want to know more about this specific version, check HERENot to be confused with Cave Story 3D or the DSi eShop port. 	
Crimson Shroud 	Tabletop RPG/RPG 	A wonderful game that is certainly different. Crimson Shroud is a game that you are likely to either love or hate. It is an RPG from the creator of Vagrant Story/Final Fantasy Tactics that is heavily inspired and influenced by classic tabletop RPGs. Roll dice, get loot, and use your imagination. It can be completed in 6–7 hours, but features a New Game+ with new areas, items, stronger monsters, and a new ending totaling play time to around 20 hours. Features a great soundtrack, gorgeous visuals, and costs $8. 	
Dillon's Rolling Western 	Beat 'Em Up/Tower Defense 	Protect the west, ranger! A mix of strategy and beat 'em up, with a dash of adventure. In the day, you roam areas for materials and items to help you build and upgrade guntowers to protect towns from monsters. In the evening, you fight said monsters with said towers, but you can also tear them up Goron-style with spin dashes and claw-slashes. At night, you can take side-quests to fulfill the next day and also buy upgrades to your skills. Gameplay is primarily touch-screen based, but works surprisingly well, taking little time to figure out. The tough part is protecting towns! 	
Fluidity: Spin Cycle (known in Europe as Hydroventure: Spin Cycle)	Platformer/Water simulation 	Sequel to a WiiWare game. It scraps the Metroidvania-ish layout of the first game with four huge interconnected levels for sixty linear mini-levels. Just like in original game you collect rainbow drop, puzzle pieces and flowers to unlock stuff and control the game with tilt. A new type of levels with full 360 spin might confuse at first, but once you realize you can control the game holding 3DS horizontally like a plate with water it will be fine. Aside of gimmick of controlling water to make it basically fly, these levels also add new gravity gameplay elements. 3D effect is turned off due to all tilting and spinning. 	
Gunman Clive 	2D Action-Platformer 	A great Mega Man tribute game done in a western style. For $2 it's one of the best deals on the eShop. It's a bit short though, but two extra playable characters (which play differently to Clive) add to the replay value. 	
Liberation Maiden 	Shoot 'em up 	You live your life normally as the sixteen year old female Prime Minister of Japan until some aliens attack and destroy your country's green areas while being a general pain in the ass. Or something. What matters is that it's up to you to wear a hi-tech suit to fly around and shoot the aliens in the face WEAK POINTS to up your approval rating among the people. Think of it as 3D Touhou with Gundam weapons. It's pretty short but at least it doesn't feel stretched out and with such a silly premise, that's great. 	
Mighty Switch Force 	2D Puzzle-Platformer 	Another entry in WayForward's "Mighty" series. Traverse a wide variety of stages with a weak beam-pistol but a mighty instant "switch" mechanic that turns on/off blocks for you to utilize by jumping on/in them, using them in puzzles, and killing/utilizing enemies. All of this is much tougher than it sounds, even if the game doesn't seem very long. Meant to capture the "repeat appeal" of NES run n' guns, so if you only play games once, this ain't for you. Getting the par times though? Quite the challenge that may take many repeat attempts! In the mean time, Pay what you want for the delicious soundtrack (even free)! Has an HD version on Wii U with additional levels. 	
Mighty Switch Force 2 	2D Puzzle-Platformer 	Similar to the first, except now everything is on fire. It's up to you to hose down the flames, and save all the dames. And of course, the switching aspect still comes into play. Also, save the hidden baby in each stage (to much hilarity) to unlock an alternate skin. Visuals and sounds are as groovy as ever, if not more so. Has a Wii U port, but regrettably, it didn't add or change anything unlike the port of the first. It's probably best to play the first before this, but feel free to jump in with this. 	
Mutant Mudds 	Platformer 	Started as a DS(i) 3D platformer, and is now a "12-bit" 2D platformer by Renegade Kid, who did the DS FPS games Dementium 1+2 and Moon. You control Max with his water blaster and jetpack as he combats mud-critters and intricate stages. Level design is MASTERFUL and challenging after the early areas (the secret levels more so). "Virtual Boy Wario Land" was a big inspiration for the interwoven-triple-plane platforming and the 3D effect is great. Has a free demo with progressively harder stages. Official Site with media and FREE soundtrack. 	
Nano Assault / Nano Assault EX 	Shoot 'em Up 	Excellent twin-stick shooter which makes good use of the second stick on the 3DS. You go Fantastic Journey-style into a scientist's body to destroy viruses. Actually a sequel to the Nanostray games on the DS.
The original release is available in physical format, while the EX update is digital-only. 	
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy  	Adventure / Visual Novel 	Ports of the first three Phoenix Wright DS games: some of the best adventure games in existence, all bundled together in a nice package. All 3 games are conveniently available from the beginning, so if you're eager to jump into your favorite game you're free to do so. Features better graphics that enhance the animu atmosphere. The 3D effect is nice and subtle that works to benefit the character art. A great deal for both fans of the series and newcomers alike.
If you're interested in a physical copy, the Japanese release has an English language option. 	
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies  	Adventure / Visual Novel 	Phoenix Wright has his badge back, and it's a very welcome return. Phoenix, Apollo (no longer a pushover, thankfully), and newcomer Athena are all playable at points, and they share the spotlight well. The story is decidedly darker and grittier than previous games - so much so that the rating's been bumped up to M. Also for the first time, we get fully animated cutscenes, with voice acting (English voices are campy but in a charming way). The difficulty has been ramped way, way down, and past characters make cursory appearances if any at all, but the story is heart-pounding and worth the game's price. There's also a DLC case in which Phoenix defends a whale (it makes sense in context), that hits on all the same points as the main game. 	
Picross e, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7  	Puzzle 	A bunch of small Picross collections, in the same vein as Picross DS. What else is there to say? 	
Pocket Card Jockey 	Solitaire/Horse Racing 	Another expiremental title from Game Freak, and arguably their best, you are a novice jockey that dies in your first race (trampled by horses) and makes a deal with an angel to be returned to life with the power to win races by completing games of solitaire. It's as ridiculous as it sounds, while also being lots of fun with a suprising amount of depth. A remake, Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! is available exlusively on Apple Arcade. 	
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword 	Beat 'Em Up 	A short, but sweet game about, well, this. You play as said pure-hearted samurai and slice some motherfuckers up. The gameplay is a melting pot of classic Nintendo, but most similar to Punch-Out, but also with aspects of Zelda and Mystery of Murasame Castle, plus dashes of a few others. In short, mashing the A button gets you nowhere, as you must dodge and counter instead. Enemy thugs come in droves in each area that's not a town, so don't think there's ever a dull moment! There's also some bonus gameplay modes as well. 	
Sayonara Umihara Kawase/Yumi's Odd Odyssey  	Puzzle-Platformer 	Use your rubbery fishing line as a grappling hook to complete physics puzzles. Frustrating due to a high difficulty curve and required accuracy of game mechanics. It's worth redoing completed levels to practice what you've learnt. Stages are short and the game complements speed-running with best times, high scores and a replay feature. However, just unlocking levels will take a lot of practice, patience, and deaths. Visuals aren't amazing, but certainly unique. 3rd game in the series "Umihara Kawase". Only available outside of JP as an e-shop title. Trailer. 	
The Starship Damrey 	Puzzle/Horror 	Okay, this one is hard. Part of it's appeal is that they fool you again and again, so I can't really explain why this is so cool. Tons of stuff to read, but it's a short game. Buy it in the afternoon, leave it downloading, play it all in one night. 	
SteamWorld Dig 	Metroidvania 	Game is a cross between Dig dug/Motherload gameplay about digging up minerals and taking them to a western themed robot town and metroidvania. There are main paths where you are free to carve your own path to extract as much $$ as possible and then there are caves where you can retry if you die and are much more skill and puzzle based, these are where you obtain new powers like a projectile or a steam jump. Having to manage your water well between your various different gadgets is good and the game is paced well so you never get bored mining in one area for two long. 	
Steel Empire 	Shoot 'em Up 	Amazing remake of the classic Mega Drive/Genesis shmup with high-res sprites and effects. 	
The Denpa Men: They Came by Wave 	RPG 	An RPG made by Genius Sorority. Capture leotard-clad men in your environment's wi-fi connections (and after the first few dungeons, you can use QR codes to get new pals). Take them into dungeons and battle Dragon Quest-ish style (though unlike DQ8 and 9, battles move at breakneck speed). Although there are no "weapons", there are different powers per Denpa (healing, curing, elemental "magic", buffs, debuffs, ailments), along with items, accessories (with various helpful effects), and clothes (which acts like armor, but provide other helpful bonuses as well) to buy and find.Silly, fun, and surprisingly engaging for a $10 RPG. Post-game will stomp you into the ground. Will keep you busy long enough to give you your money's worth.You can play the free demo and transfer your save to the main game. 	
The Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves 	RPG 	Much improved sequel to the first, which it can also transfer data from (but not to). A bit more conventional thanks to new additions like more equipment parts per Denpa and an overworld; but, it still retains the 1st's whimsical nature and foundations.Further additions add further depth in the forms of fishing, gardening, online battling (your team vs another player's), and a bonus dungeon which only allows progress based on streetpasses. All of which can be utilized for additional and helpful items.Once again, there's a demo which lets you transfer your save to the main game.If you've never played the first, it is recommended to start here. 	
VVVVVV 	Platformer/Ragequit 	Flip gravity back and forth to leap across increasingly elaborate challenges in a quasi-sandbox alternate dimension to incredibly catchy tunes. You'll die, a lot, but a proliferation of checkpoints means you'll rarely lose more than a minute when you die (although you might rip out several hairs when you get stuck on certain parts). It's fairly short, but that makes it a game where, once you finish, you'll occasionally want to fire it up and run through it again, which is always a good thing. The 3D effect doesn't really add much (parallax scrolling), but is a nice extra. The 3DS version supposedly goes a little faster than the PC variants, but I personally can't verify this (if someone else can, please do). Still, hardly a bad choice to invest in, especially if you like these sorts of games. 	
HarmoKnight 	Platformer/Rhythm/Bit.Trip Runner	The closest thing to Runner 2 you're gonna get on the 3DS. Play as a little knight with a giant music note staff, which you use to smack monsters in their stupid faces to music. It has bosses, and one of them is a fucking wolf that is part snowmobile, making it instant GOTY material. There's also a bonus level for each world set to Pokemon music. For $15, it's a little steep for a downloadable, but show your support so Game Freak can finally make more not Pokemon games. 	
==="Infinite" Games===
These games have that "Tetris appeal" in that there is no real "ending" to shoot for, and you can replay them constantly. Most of these are puzzle games (a small few aren't), but with a variety in gameplay. Most of these have some sort of single-player goal-centric mode to accompany endless modes, however, the main meat of the purchase comes from the latter.
Title 	Genre 	Description 	Screenshot
3D Classics: Xevious' 	Shoot 'Em Up 	One of the original shmup granddaddies. It was famous for having two planes of action (air and ground), each with enemies simultaneously out to get you. One nice thing about this version is that it has settings to control your rate of fire per button. It's one of those love or hate games, requiring patience, steady hands, and a refined focus to not die constantly. If you're on the fence, go for Twinbee, which is similar and arguably better. If you prefer something older-school and like a challenge and an urge to beat your high-scores, then hop in your Solvalou and get blasting. The 3D effects and planes look great here, and really heighten the experience. 	
Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive!	Platformer 	The bastard child of Cocoron, Drawn to Life, and Animal Crossing. Make a Formee character out of different parts, including name, phrase, voice, abilities, and body parts (wings, wheels, arms, etc.). Share your critters with Streetpass and/or QR codes. Control it with the touch screen in different ways. It can eat, shit eggs, do little quests for other characters, and earn money for additional character-creation options and bonuses, and even be re-edited. Stage elements can also be visually changed. The more you create and play, the larger the world grows and the more areas there are to explore.. It's stupid mess-around fun if you're creative with it, but if you just make dicks everywhere, don't bother.Replaced by Freakyforms Deluxe (the old version isn't available anymore). While you can't transfer data straight to "Deluxe", you can still use the QR codes from this old one on that (but due to new parts and such, not vice-versa (IIRC)).	
Pushmo/Pullblox 	Puzzle 	This shit is fucking awesome and possibly eShop GOTYAY. You're a little guy who has to save little babies, by pulling and pushing parts of giant picture backgrounds in and out to create platforms for you to jump on to reach the part where the baby is. Starts simple, then gets quite challenging with really well thought out puzzles. Also includes a great level editor, and you can scan in other people's creations via QR codes. Features lovable aesthetics and an adorable soundtrack. Well worth money, and if possible, should be your first eShop purchase. Note: you can often find QR codes floating about different websites or make threads. (If the demand is high, we'll put some on this wiki!) 	
Crashmo/Fallblox 	3D Puzzle-Platformer	Sequel to Pushmo. Mallo is back, and this time saves birds instead of babbys because I don't know. Instead of just pushing and pulling back and forth up to 3 spaces though, you can push and pull them left and right and even take them out of socket (since there's no longer walls of just 3 layers) from any 90 degree angle, making formations come falling down (or crashing down, because shit's gotta be loud IN AMERICA). However, you've gotta be smart, as some goals can't be reached without careful strategy. There's also floating blocks as well. There's over 140 stages, but like the original you can also make your own stages with an editor and share them via QR codes. 	
Stretchmo/Fullblox 	3D Puzzle-Platformer	The Pushmo series continues with a new installment. This one is more similar to Pushmo than Crashmo: save babby by pushing and pulling blocks to escalate weird murals. The catch is, this time, is that you can also stretch blocks, which is often necessary. Puzzles have a bit more depth than the first two. This is 'Free to Try', which means the first seven stages are a glorified demo, and then there's four 'packs' to purchase. Pack one is 4.99, has one hundred levels. The other three are 2.99 and have fifty levels each. Just buy it as a package for 9.99 to save monies. There's a fifth pack as well, but it unlocks automatically if you beat the previous four. As always, endlessly replayable thanks to level creation and QR codes. 	
Zen Pinball 3D 	Pinball 	Surprisingly accurate to real pinball (even has LCD displays and "TILT" sensor). Game comes with 4 original tables to compete for your high scores, each table has its own mini-game-like gadgets and gimmicks, mini-missions and rewards. Has online leaderboards which is may keep you replaying to beat that dude above you in the rankings. It's generally liked by critics and audiences, plus the 3D is impressive, although the entire game is restricted to the top screen which can be disorienting; however, there's many views to choose from, so you can find that sweet spot.Marvel Pinball from the same people is coming soon as a separate game so you might want to wait for that if comics are your thing. 	
===Applications===
These are not technically games, but have neat features. These include internet-based and/or sometimes creative-driven applications, along with other things that may come in handy or are just kinda fun to mess with. Unlike DSiWare, these are not limited to your 3DS' system memory, but run off your SD card. Which is good, because some have pretty big file sizes.
Title 	Genre 	Description 	Screenshot
Colors! 3D 	Drawan/Paintan 	"Colors!" was originally only on DS flashcarts and smartphones, but they managed to get an official release on 3DS. It works really damn well, regardless. Easy to figure out and quite functional. In addition to normal draw+paint, you can divide stuff into 3D layers for a nice pop-out effect. You can also access the official "Colors! 3D Gallery". You can also simultaneously paint with others on a shared canvas using wireless (sadly, it's only local). Nothing as fun as shitting up your pal's digital masterpiece. If you like art-ing it up, get it. It may be a bit pricey to some, but for what it does and what you can do with it, it's worth it. Well, unless you suck at art (in which case, and I shit you not, it includes a few coloring-book style outlines for you to fill in). 	
Netflix 	TV/Moviewatchan 	It's fucking Netflix. The application itself is free, but you have to pay 8 bucks a month if you aren't a member already (if you are, it's no additional charge to you). If you just want to try it out, there's a 1 month free-trial period to non-members. SD/non-widescreen movies don't take up the full 3DS screen (think DS games), but widescreen will, along with HD (but quality is compressed a bit)If you've got a good connection, Takes about 35–40 seconds on average to start up, and less to get a movie prepped (~20 seconds for features an hour-long or more, only ~10 seconds at most for smaller stuff), but after that it's smooth streaming (even FF/Rewind resuming is just as fast as normal). If there isn't a good connection nearby, it doesn't tend to be as smooth (well, no shit). Awesome on the 3DS because LOOK MA NO HANDS, which you can't really do with the Vita.	
Nintendo Video 	Misc.Videos 	A small app that is just a video streamer for random BS through and through. Some videos are good, a lot are bad. A free app that takes up about 2,500 blocks of extra space (mostly for storing the pre-cached videos), so check 'dem SD Cards. Most videos oddly don't use the 3D feature or at least not well. Official Nintendo ones tend to be a bit better in that regard though. 	
Pokedex 3D Pro 	Tech-demo/Collectan	It's an index of them there Pokemon critters. You get a set of 10 of pokeymans listed and you need to get the rest through the 3DS SpotPass. Kind of derp, but it's free. Still, da 'mons do look pretty good in action, which may make one hopeful for any possible 3DS Poke-games. You get 3 random Pokemon a day until you have all 150 of the Unova Pokemon. And then you can take pictures and shit with the Pokemon you have. Notice: the application has now been updated to include all Pokemon from generation five and before. However, the app is no longer free, now priced at $15.00. 	
Swapnote / Nintendo Letter Box	Messaging/Drawing 	It's like Pictochat, except buffed the fuck up to awesome shit levels. Send notes to people over your friends List or Street Pass. You can also save and post recordings and images into your notes. A free and must-have app. Warning, having this will resort in ALOT of fucking notifications from people (though there is an option to turn this off under "Settings"). Especially if you have a troll on your friends list or something. You can also technically play a DnD style game. WELL LA DE FUCKING DA. THANKS FOR NOTHING, NINTENDO. LIMITED TO STREETPASS ONLY NOW. YOU CAN NO LONGER SWAP ONLINE/VIA SPOTPASS. If you still want it, feel free to give a fuck. Everybody else won't. 	
==3DS Virtual Console==
If you missed them the first time, and feel like supporting the classics over pirating them, check out this page for a good idea of what (may be up) to buy: Game Boy (Color). The only games that not really up for grabs are typically those with licensing issues, such as Disney games. Game Gear is also worth checking, if Nintendo ever gets off its fucking ass and puts more stuff on there outside of Japan.
Note that the availability of these games will be different depending on your country. For NA, check availability HERE, EU checks HERE, and JP checks HERE.
Although mostly similar, the VC libraries and prices do differ per region, so beware. Also, in case you didn't know, the NES VC for 3DS is different from the Wii NES VC and the two have access to different separate libraries instead of the same one. Pricing seems to be company set, and not all games cost the same, regardless of the game's original system.
Info:
*NES, GB and GBC all have "save state-like" functions called "Restore Points", located on the touch screen. If you wish, they can also be disabled (and re-enabled at any time).
*All games are presented as is, so no in-game coding has changed (with a few exceptions).
*NES Games are locked in at a specific ratio and cannot be changed. For turn-taking multiplayer, such as in Super Mario Bros, pressing L+R+Y will switch between player 1 and 2. Regarding simultaneous multiplayer, a few games currently utilize it and it is done via Download Play (i.e. Player 2 sets their 3DS for Download Play and gets sent the game data). Restore Points are turned off during Download Play multiplayer.
*Game Boy games are only in monochrome (black/grey/white or shades of green; switch with L+R+Y) and have no Super Game Boy or Game Boy Color support. Game Boy Color games are always full color in their original palettes (so no monochrome option, and still no Super Game Boy support).
*Holding select or start upon starting a GB or GBC game until it loads up will let you play GB and GBC games with a system border and the original resolutions.
*Regarding controls: For NES, GB, and GBC, B is B and A is A, just as Select and Start work respectively. Y acts as a short-hand version of the Select button and X acts as a 2nd B button for NES only. For GB and GBC, X instead brings up the VC menu.
Unlike Nintendo's VC, the Game Gear features many more options (excluding multiplayer (out of Japan at least)), including: fully customizable buttons that include options for rapid-fire, screen mode (tiny ass screen with GG system border or expanded, full-screen mode), system color, "Blur" (ghosting/after image), system performance (normal or original (i.e. likely includes slowdown and things like that)) in addition to the normal save state-like restore points. The system colors (i.e. the border) to pick are black, blue, yellow, or red. Damn. Even now, Sega does what Nintendon't.
Screen/Menu Example (text is respective to country, so it's likely in English for you): 
File:Gbnesexample.jpg|Don't get caught off-guard by the left and right borders
File:3dsgbvcborder.jpg|Just like you remember it, sans green tint
File:Gbvcexample.jpg|Press L+R+Y to Spinach Green (not shown)
File:GG_3dsVC_1.jpg|Can't see shit, captain.
File:GG_3dsVC_2.jpg|Ah, much better.
File:Gbc3dsreferencepoint.jpg|Who is that in the reflection? Batman, perhaps?
==DSiWare==
It may seem odd to want to play something that would be considered "outdated", but fuck you, DSiWare had some pretty fun stuff. It will also be supported for a little while longer, so you might want to keep your eye out for some future releases anyway. Of course, now you get charged sales tax, but that's entirely Nintendo's fault. Thankfully, they get reviews and videos on 3DS, so you can get a preview before you buy.
DSiWare is downloadable and transferable with the 3DS. However, you won't be able to keep any of your save data (due to Nintendo's legal bullshit). That said, all you have to do is download a free application off of the DSiWare Shop (the 3DS already has the means to do so without said app). Have both plugged in (or you'll get a fuckton of warning messages), set up a full or custom transfer (the full is much more convenient), and Pikmin will transfer all your data. If you get an error message, whatever was in the middle of being transferred will have to re-transfer, but everything else will already be sent over, and won't start all the way over.
== Recommendation images ==
3dsrecgames.jpg|Updated January 23, 2016.
3ds_rec_template.jpg|made by /vg/, older
3ds info graph.jpg|updated infograph
Category:Nintendo
Category:Eighth Generation
Category:Handheld