The 3DS is set for launch on March 27 in the United States, and the games that are arriving along with it have just been announced. It’s a diverse list of 18 games, and Nintendo is promising that at least 12 more titles will be released before “early June”. There is a little something for everyone here, but not a whole lot in the way of killer apps.
The thing is, the 3DS doesn’t really need killer apps, at least, not at launch. The thing would sell like crazy even if it had zero games at point of release. That’s why I think it makes sense for Nintendo and 3rd parties to hold off for a little bit before they drop their big guns. They just don’t need them yet.
That’s not to say that titles like Nintendogs + Cats, Super Street Figther IV 3D, LEGO Star Wars III, and Super Monkey Ball 3D aren’t going to sell in the millions. The whole launch line up is sure to do well, if not for the fact that early adopters are going want to buy anything that helps them to show off their flashy new console.
Come to think of it, are there any games here that you think wont sell well?
On March 27, new Nintendo 3DS owners will be able to choose from the following Nintendo-published games, each available at a suggested retail price of $39.99:
- 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.
Other Nintendo 3DS games in the works for 2011 from Nintendo include The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, Kid Icarus™: Uprising and new installments in the Mario Kart™ series.
Third-party publishers also have a strong slate of games ready to go on March 27. These include:
- 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
Nintendo 3DS also comes pre-loaded with a variety of fun games, applications and features, such as the Nintendo 3DS camera, which can be used to take photos in 2D and 3D as well as be used in other games and applications. For instance, the built-in Face Raiders™ game asks users to shoot at funny depictions of their own photographed faces, while the Mii Maker™ application lets gamers use the camera to take a picture of a person and have an automatic Mii™ character created. The system also comes with six AR Cards, which, when viewed through the outer cameras, bring to life fun and interesting animations and images. For example, when used with nintendogs + cats, users might see their puppies or kittens sitting on their coffee tables or in the palms of their hands. With Nintendo 3DS Sound, users can enjoy sound-manipulation tools or rock out with their Nintendo 3DS system while listening to their MP3 or AAC music files.
