The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Aqua Blue

Let’s get this straight, I called it months ago. I said the 3DS was “Magic from the Future”. I was right.

Last week I headed off to one of Nintendo’s 3DS preview events to finally get my hands on the 3DS. Over my gaming life I have owned every handheld console Nintendo have released since the original Game Boy (with the exception of the Virtual Boy), so you can see why the 3DS, in my mind, was always going to be awesome. No matter what.

But I am not the boy I used to be and £220 is a lot of money. I’ve got a family to support, bills to pay and a cat to feed stupidly expensive pedigree cat food. I can’t be making ridiculous impulse purchases. There are decisions to be made here. We have two DS Lites and a DSi in the house so at least one of them could be traded in to take the edge off the £220. After many calculations we decided that as Max uses the DSi every day we should keep that and trade in the two Lites; if I’m going to be hogging the 3DS I can’t leave him with a downgrade to a DS Lite, that’s just not fair.

So off I went to try the 3DS with the hope of coming away about to make an informed, responsible choice.

I pre-ordered two.

Yes, I know… bills, cats, etc. I left the preview having played at least six or so different games. Every one left me wanting more but more than that I left knowing that this was a console Max would adore and a console I want him to play. I grew up playing Pilotwings, Zelda &  Kid Icarus and here they all are, in freaking 3D! These games are at the core of my gaming past and I saw them all on a new console ready to play again. Here are the first thoughts that crossed my mind on seeing those three games:

I held the attack button, Link charged his sword swing, memories wash over me. Sold. I need this game. Oh hey, Navi. What? Huh? I am listening, you annoying little fu…

On the runway in a bi-plane, flying through hoops, easy. Next up? Jetpack. Sold!

HOLY FUCK IT’S PIT! OH MY GOD, FLYING EYEBALLS! – There better be Eggplant Wizards in this. Regardless, sold!

There you have it, 2D handheld gaming can go get bent, this is becoming a house of 3D. Father and son sitting back to back, chopping down bushes, flying through rings, shooting mythical flying eyeballs, IN 3D!