The 3DS enjoyed a rather successful year in 2012, rising from the depths of defeat (in the form of a premature price cut just five months after launch) to become the hottest little portable out there. Following its shaky debut in March of 2011, the 3DS went on to destroy all expectations in 2012, its first full year on the market. It was the system’s first opportunity to really flex its wings and show off its potential - and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
As we dive headfirst into 2013, and all the surprises and epic gaming that hopefully await, let’s first take a look back at the 3DS’s journey this past year…
While January was painfully slow (sound familiar?), the 3DS still managed to kick off the year with a bang thanks to an excellent new entry in a beloved survival horror franchise. Resident Evil Revelations not only set the bar for what graphics on a 3DS can look like, it was also one of the greatest, most well-rounded entries in the series in years. Of course, along with this little gem came the arrival of something much less exciting (and much more confusing)… the already essentially forgotten Circle Pad Pro.
Remember that thing? We wouldn’t blame you if the answer is no. The peripheral controversially added a second Circle Pad and two extra shoulder buttons to the system, and was supported by games like Revelations, Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater (which launched just a couple weeks later) and eventually Kid Icarus Uprising (but only to allow for left-handed play) and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Then it basically disappeared off the planet, and so far we haven’t heard a peep about any new games that intend to use the device.
Speaking of Icarus, fans of Nintendo’s more obscure past were treated to a blast from the Big N’s past when Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai brought the world of Pit and Palutena to the forefront of gamers’ minds with Uprising. It was a decided departure for the franchise, which hadn’t seen a new release since Myths and Monsters for Game Boy, but one that managed to capture the silly nature and out there personality of everyone’s favorite angel. Rounding out the first part of the year was an appearance by the plumber himself in Mario Tennis Open. Mario played tennis in it, and that’s basically all you need to know.
Together, all these games made for a fairly active start to 2012, but gamers still had their sights set on what was to come… little did they know that entailed a redesign for the little portable that could.
As we waited for a set of Square Enix games to hit store shelves, which I’ll touch on in a moment, an unexpected crossover from the gone-but-not-forgotten DS side of things fell in our laps in the form of Pokemon Conquest. The game completely wowed us with its solid strategy RPG gameplay, awesome art and character design, and especially its unexpectedly incredible integration of the Pokemon brand with the much more obscure Nobunaga’s Ambition franchise. The result was a breath of fresh air, and more than enough to keep us satisfied until those anticipated titles finally arrived.
Following Conquest was Square’s set of contributions to the 3DS’s first full year in office. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was a competent rhythm game featuring the jaw-droppingly amazing music of the Final Fantasy series. Up next was Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, which saw the return of Sora and Riku and also served to pave the way for Kingdom Hearts III… which is apparently still in the works (We’re no longer holding our breath, however. We almost died.)
After Square’s set of 3DS games came and went (both were incredibly fun, if you missed out) came something somewhat unexpected - the announcement of a new entry in the New Super Mario Bros. series for 3DS, one that came out just weeks after its announcement during a Nintendo Direct broadcast. The game got our hopes high with the promise of tons of coins to hunt down - in reality it was a great game, but one that would be overshadowed in just a few months by New Super Mario Bros. U, which took more chances in terms of art style and level design. Some Coin Rush DLC and an addictive StreetPass mechanic still succeeded in making the game a must-own for any 3DS owner, however, and it wasn’t alone when it arrived on store shelves… it also came with a whole new design for the fledgling system.
And now we come to the news that came out of left field along with the New Super 2 announcement. The 3DS XL redesign is exactly what the system needed, taking its potential and finally putting it in a package that was ergonomic and had a half-decent battery life. The XL also boasted 90 percent larger screens, less glare, better stylus placement, larger face buttons and a slick, matte finish that hid fingerprints much better. It was a slick system, to be sure, but its arrival was still somewhat bewildering… especially as it came just weeks after legendary Nintendo creator Shigeru Miyamoto declared that he didn’t think a redesign was in the cards. We were confused, to be sure, but once we finally got the shiny, new system in our hands at the start of August, all was forgiven.
As we got into October, things really started heating up on the portable front, as Nintendo started releasing a host of awesome games for gamers to sneak onto their holiday wish list. First came Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, the very first numbered Pokemon sequels. We were all expecting the traditional third entry in this console’s generation (Pokemon Gray, in other words), but were pleasantly surprised to find there was a lot more to this sequel than just a simple rehash. In fact, the game went on to win our choice as IGN’s 3DS/DS Game of the Year. Not too shabby for a DS game that came out during a rather fruitful year for 3DS.
Following Pokemon’s DS distraction, we got a handful of 3DS games to round out the 2012 package. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (the excellent sequel to the DS’s equally excellent 999: 9 Persons, 9 Hours, 9 Days) wowed us with its twisted storytelling, and Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask was brimming with that Layton charm we know and love. Up next came Paper Mario: Sticker Star, which brought the diorama-like world of the Paper Mushroom Kingdom to life like never before and introduced a cool, new, sticker-based battle system. It’s wasn’t exactly the more traditional Paper experience we were expecting, but it was still a lot of fun (and a gorgeous show of 3D). Rounding out the year was a delightful romp through the land of Ooo in Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!!. All in all it was a pretty decent holiday lineup, especially considering most of the world’s focus was aimed at the Big N’s new home console, Wii U.
It wasn’t only retail games that shined this year on the 3DS - the company’s digital store also kicked into full swing in 2012. Don’t get us wrong - there were a lot of weeks with absolutely nothing worthwhile debuting on the eShop. But a few quiet periods aside, this year we were treated to quite a few truly unique and delightful original download games.
Possibly topping that list is Crashmo, the addictive sequel to last year’s breakout hit, Pushmo. Other cool download games that came out include Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword, Dillon’s Rolling Western, Ketzal’s Corridors, Colors! 3D, Mutant Mudds, VVVVVV, Marvel Pinball, Order Up!!, Pokedex 3D Pro, Pokemon Dream Radar, Fractured Soul, The “Denpa” Men: They Came By Wave!, a 3D version of Cave Story, NigthSky and the Guild01 games Liberation Maiden, Aero Porter and Crimson Shroud.
All that doesn’t even include the eShop’s NES and Game Boy Virtual Console collection, which was expanded thanks in large part to the company’s 8-bit summer campaign. The 3DS eShop is now home to the likes of classic games such as The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Punch-Out and Ninja Gaiden on the NES side of things, and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters and forgotten Miyamoto title Mole Mania on the Game Boy side of things. The 8-bit summer did grant us a host of retro games, and seemed to reignite interest in the Virtual Console… but it’s interesting to note that we’re still waiting for Sonic Blast and Sonic Labyrinth to arrive, as promised in the 8-bit summer announcement video.
Finally, this year also saw retail games become available for the first time on the 3DS eShop. From New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D Land to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D to Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! and Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - all manner of retail games are now being offered on the 3DS eShop for download, with even more on the way in 2013 (such as Fire Emblem Awakening, launching February 4).
All things considered, it was a rather important and eventful year for the Nintendo 3DS. The system saw a huge boost in sales, especially following this recent holiday season - and not long following its price cut, it finally reached a point where it was no longer being sold at a loss. Its library has grown from pretty good to pretty incredible, and with the promise of Pokemon X and Y, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Fire Emblem Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and who knows what else heading our way in the months to come, it will only continue to grow and prosper. And we’ll be there every step of the way - especially if Nintendo gives us a peek at a 3DS Zelda or Metroid before year end.
Dare to dream, Koopalings. Always dare to dream.
Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can keep track of her wild adventures by following Aminka on IGN or @GameOnAminka on Twitter. Game on!
Source : ign[dot]com
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