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Nintendo 3DS, my favorite tech thing of 2025
I’m a lifelong Nintendo fan, but I never gave much thought to Nintendo’s DS and 3DS. I was inspired by ProZD/SungWon Cho’s YouTube video Top 20 Nintendo 3DS games, which showed off a treasure trove of games that I completely missed, including series like Mario and Zelda that are otherwise must-play for me. So I went out and bought a Nintendo 3DS XL from my local GameStop this last April.
I also bought Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Partially out of brand loyalty, but also morbid curiosity. My impression of the game was that it was a remake of A Link to the Past with a new story that served to paper-over the fact that it’s a remake. And things I’ve heard and seen over the years suggested it’s not a worthy entry in the Zelda series (see Why Modern Zelda Sucks: A Link Between Worlds). But as it turned out, I loved it. My initial impression of it being a kind of remake of A Link to the Past was not entirely mistaken – it’s set in the same world as Link to the Past – but it’s its own game with all original dungeons, items, and mechanics. I enjoyed it so much that when it was over, I played through the whole over thing again on Heroic (hard) mode.
Another game I’m playing though is Super Mario 3D Land. 3D Land is the predecessor to Super Mario 3D World. Both games reuse the style of classic Super Mario Bros. games and translate it into 3D. Compared to 3D World, 3D Land is a smaller game. The levels are shorter with each level focused on a single mechanic or challenge (like platforms that appear in time to music). That makes it more of a portable game, where it’s designed for filling shorter slivers of time. The first play-through of 3D Land is enjoyable, but the levels are pretty easy, almost making for more of a visual demo of the 3D capabilities of the system than anything else. After beating Bowser, the special worlds are unlocked with soul-crushingly difficult variations on the regular levels. Between going back to get Star Coins that I missed in the easy levels along with fighting my way through the special levels, I’m getting my money’s worth of game play.
Lastly I’m playing Pokemon Sun. When I was around 9 or 10 years old, I played the hell out of Pokemon Red. But I lost interest with the Pokemon sequels Gold and Silver. Back then I had very strong opinions about games and the new Pokemon in the second generation rubbed me the wrong way. A few decades later, I’m enjoying going back to the generations of Pokemon that I missed since the first generation. The Pokemon formula is so familiar to me that it makes for a cozy game like the way people talk about Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. It gives me just enough fiddly tasks to keep me interested and feeling good.
Any of these games would make the list of my favorite things in any given the year. The fact that they are all on it is why I have to give it up for the Nintendo 3DS.
It’s a delightful game system with a great catalog of games. A truly portable system that fits nicely in a bag or pocket it a way that the bulky Nintendo Switch doesn’t. This thing sat in my blind spot for years despite the fact that I’m its exact target market. I’m grateful that I finally got back around to playing this system. I’m pleased with the game play I’ve gotten from it already, and I’m excited because I know I’ve only gotten started.
Previously: