Side Quest Comic

The Nintendo 3DS launched 5 years ago (March 27, 2011), I was fortunate enough to get mine on my birthday is 2012. So, I haven’t had mine for 5 years but, if you where around for the systems launch things didn’t start getting warmed up until around this time. I absolutely love my 3DS and over the past 4 years it’s been my go too system. Even with my new addition of a PS4 the 3DS is still an exciting system to anticipate new games for even if it’s heading into the golden years of its life. To celebrate the mighty handhelds anniversary here is a quick list of my favorite retail games. I’ve also added some great comics we’ve done over the years featuring the 3DS.

5. Kirby Triple Deluxe – Over the sumer of 2014 I started my new career and went from working crazy hours at a restaurant to having a sustained 9-5 schedule. On top of my new job and schedule I was juggling a couple different comics projects. During this radical transition in my life having a comfortable, charming, and colorful platformer to pick up and escape into for a few moments was a godsend. Kirby games have always had a soft spot in my heart but, aside from my personal bias Kirby Triple Deluxe is a solid platformer. A great amount of levels to explore, tons of collectibles wight the key changes and, a stelar balance of casual and hardcore play. Attack every level and find every secret or just enjoy the bliss of play, either way this game is wonderful.

4. Bravely Default: –  I tore threw the demo once it released on the eshop and couldn’t wait for the full game to come out in the winter of 2013. Apparently I wasn’t the only one because it took me a month to track down a copy for myself. Fans of classic Final Fantasy and play style that defined Square is all rolled into this JRPG that is as much of a throw-back as it is unique. Classic job systems mixed with a redefined play system that smoothed the rough edges of JRPG’s that have become the dredges of the genre. Sadly I haven’t competed the game yet but every few months I find myself grinding, switching up my jobs, and progressing the story. I will finish this game at some point…I hope.

3. New Super Mario Bros. 2 – This was the first game I could get really excited for once I had my 3DS. Leading up the August it dropped I couldn’t read enough about this game. I was a huge fan of the Wii version (not so much of the predecessor DS version) and with the addition of the coin collecting mechanic I new this game was going to be something I’d love. This was also the first 3DS game that I could experience the internet buzz for in realtime; something I wouldn’t experience until Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – My experience with Animal Crossing was very limited but I was sucked into ACNL because of the amount of buzz the game was receiving. And, I regret nothing when it comes to this game. I don’t even regret the amount of time I spent playing, organizing my house, and searching for treasures. The amount of online love for this game was tremendous too, I’ve never been witness to such an outpouring of art, comics, and spirit around one game. The hardest thing about owning this game is keeping myself from firing it back up and dropping another chunk of time into it.

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – I was really sick the winter this came out and being house-ridden allowed me to play in a way I hand’t been able too since I was a teen. I could literally play this game for hours on end, it was the first game that I would go from a fresh charge to a dead 3DS battery in one sitting. ALBW keeps the nostalgic vibe of past games like A Link To The Past but adds an open world element that completely changes up the game play. Being able to just simply explore the world around Link creates a greater emersion than a straight forward point-to-point quest. This is the Zelda game I’ve been waiting for since A Link To The Past and is one of the few games that I feel bad that I’ve only completed it once.

 

Honorable mentions:

Naruto: Powerful Shippuden – A really fun side-scrolling beat’em-up that adds some RPG elements and interesting quests. No need to stick around for the story, the real fun of this game is the nonstop action.

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven – This is a great SRPG that I reviewed for Digital Nerdage last year. The review and the game are both worth checking out.

 

Honorable eshop mentions:

Some truly wonderful gaming experiences on the 3DS have come from the eshop. Slow to catch on but once the eshop warmed up I started to pay more and more attention to the weekly updates. I wish I had more time to talk in extent about these games (maybe in a future list) but if you want to chat about some of them feel free to hit us up on social media. 

 

Hope you enjoyed this quick look at the 3DS games that I’ve enjoyed over the past 5 years and the comics that were inspired by those games. Here’s to more great games and comics about them.

 

Cheers,

Travis