I should think so too.

Retail Games - Great line-up for this year, but I would love to see a 2D Metroid (with graphics like Project X Zone) and a proper 3D, Wind Waker-style Zelda. A Dragon Quest would be nice too.

eShop - With WayForward supporting it, that's all I really need.

Virtual Console - This is the real area I feel the 3DS could improve. SNES and GBA would fit it like a glove.

No disrespect to the chaps involved, but "putting Mario on iPad" has become an obsession with some. I think it comes from people who simply like their iPads (fair enough) and think Nintendo = Mario. But of course, Nintendo also = Metroid, Zelda, Fire Emblem and many others. It doesn't really make sense to me that Nintendo would put one franchise on iOS but not the others. If Nintendo thinks there's a business case for putting the NES games on iPad, great, but from my experience these people actually want the latest ones as well.

The graphics are so amazingly good. Nintendo should try and make 2D Metroid and Zelda look as good as this. I mean, look at the Mega Man sprite! The way the sprites animate and scale is just on another level.

I thought it looked like a really good game, potentially. OK, so it may not be exactly like traditional Mega Man but, as great as Metroid Prime is, it doesn't play exactly like the traditional Metroids either. Don't get me wrong, it made the transition to 3D perfectly, but it doesn't feel quite the same to play as the 2D ones. A good game is a good game, whatever its origins.

Simplest thing would have been to make sure the GameCube was part of the plan from Day 1, and that the Wii U had a controller that could play its games. And yes, GBA should be on 3DS!

I remember seeing the Wind Waker demo in a shop and being astonished at how much like a playable cartoon it was. From that moment, I knew I had to buy a GameCube. When I actually obtained my copy of Wind Waker, I was spellbound.

Although I loved the N64 Zeldas, now we had a machine that could create far better graphics and let you see much further into the distance. Thanks to the C-stick, we also had the best-ever controls for Zelda, with the player able to view the overworld from almost any angle. The combat was also a series-best, with you able to pick up Moblin staves or Darknut swords. None of this has ever been bettered (or even matched) in subsequent Zeldas.

The story was sublime, but the real star of the show was the exploration. The way you could stand on an island, look into the distance and know there was another island that might link up with your one. Or the way there were so many rocks that could be destroyed or lifted with Power Bracelets, leading into another hidden area. Then there was the way it still had all the best items, like Fire and Ice Arrows.

Nintendo still makes great games, but I'm not 100% sure they can still make them as good as Wind Waker. I hope they can.

Really amazing that some people are so uncomfortable with the human form. It's art, and we should have been able to see it (in-game).

Personally, I'm against violence/gore and in favour of sex/nudity, but it doesn't really matter which ones you like or dislike. Everything should have the correct rating and be correctly described, that's the point. They should not have censored Fire Emblem, they should have just given it the correct rating and written "Suggestive Themes" on it. That way, if any parents honestly think the female form is harmful, they can avoid it, and the rest of us can enjoy the art that it is.

I love the 3DS, it's been my favourite handheld since it launched, but... I have to say, I preferred the sort of games they had in the early days to the type that are on their way. Nothing seems quite as exciting as OOT 3D, so I hope there are more like that.

Bring back scrolling ones like Final Fight!

It actually looks like one of the nicest 2D games I've seen, thanks to the quality of the sprites. I would definitely buy this for the 3DS.

Nice to see such an honest review.

Although I sort of like the fact Nintendo are making 3D games for the eShop, I would love them to make some new 2D games as well. I'm sure they could be making successors to A Link to the Past or Super Metroid - like SNES games but even better. I just think they would suit the eShop really well.

I agree with them. Yes, we all played "proper" games on the Wii, but that's not what it was designed for. I don't believe it was designed for the betterment of gaming. It was meant to be cheap and novel - something that people would buy as part of a trend. Developers made some good games for it, but that's just because it was the latest Nintendo console.

Personally, I think it looks brilliant and would have liked to play it. The core ideas are very good, like using enemy weapons, armour transformation etc. I'm not saying they haven't been done before, but I'd have welcomed another Metroid Prime type game.

The only problem with Power of Illusion was having to do so much painting and thinning on the touch screen. Well, I say "only" - it stopped me from buying the game, but I'd give Castle of Illusion another whirl.

Excellent points from @erv.

I just don't think there is anything childish about "simple" themes. In real life I follow poilitics and current affairs, but when I turn on a game I'm happy if it's just about exploring, jumping from platform-to-platform or fighting monsters. It's the quality that counts, not the "maturity" of it.

Also, I do think developers should be more free to include sex and nudity whenever they want. At the moment it's often allowed only if the game has a serious or "mature" theme. Personally, I think it's more mature to just accept it's something many people like and it's OK to have it just for the sake of it!

I'm glad, to be honest. Only got II & III when they reprinted them and have also got Luigi's Mansion 2 to play. When it does arrive, I'll be there!

I'm a HUGE fan of Dragon Quest, but I'm sorry, any game that requires a mandatory internet connection deserves to flop.

Wind Waker HD for me, followed by Shovel Knight, then Pikmin 3/Yarn Yoshi/Duck Tales.

Dragon Quest XI, playable offline and like VIII but even better - that's what I'd like to see.

Heck no. My favourites are probably Mega Drive, N64, GameCube and 3DS.

I just hope they go back to basics - making good Japanese RPGs that can be played offline (even if there's an online mode). Restore Final Fantasy to more like what it was, and make a Dragon Quest better than VIII.

The 3DS is easily my favourite handheld ever, and I've liked all the Nintendo ones. In the early days I took 3D photos and tried to get a StreetPass everywhere I went, as well as played excellent games like Pilotwings Resort and Ocarina of Time. Then there were the times I carried all the brilliant eShop games around with me, like Mighty Switch Force, Zen Pinball and Virtual Console/Ambassador titles, as well as whatever cartridge I was playing at the time (Heroes of Ruin last summer). That's not to mention Letterbox (which was brilliant before Miiverse) and of course the very solid retail line-up consisting of games like Super Mario 3D Land. What a fantastic machine.

I'm fine with downloads. I just think they need to take into account that there is no resale value. So, if you can pre-order a new game for £30 (which you usually can), you can also assume you'll be able to sell it on for at least £10. So, all in all, I really think £20 is the right price for retail downloads.

If they keep on making Etrian Odyssey games, I'll keep on buying them. I still need to complete II and play III & IV though!

He's absolutely right about dual analogue, and his other points aren't bad either. I love the 3DS, but I can't say I disagree with any of those criticisms.

Yep, this will be a Day 1 purchase for me. WayForward's games are so polished. Everything about them feels right.

There's nothing wrong with scores. I think it's pretty universal that 6 = Above Average, 7 = Good, 8 = Great/Very Good, 9 = Excellent and 10 means near-enough to Perfect that little flaws don't ruin it.

What we need is for fans to stop getting annoyed about scores either way. I do believe the latest Castlevania was reviewed honestly, and people simple had different opinions.

But if I'm honest, there was a huge difference between what sites gave Skyward Sword (a lot of 10s) and what the gamer consensus is (I'd give it 7/10). The latter is backed up by less-than-impressive sales. The trouble is, fans got really angry about the reviews that said it was a 7 or 8/10 (accusing them of attenion-seeking - before they'd even played it themselves, naturally, same with TP), and yet to many of us, those were the reviews that represented our thoughts on the game.

That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with scores, it just means both sides of the coin need to be heard.

Metroid: Other M was a very enjoyable game, but I could easily understand the criticisms about it. A solid 8/10.

New Super Mario Bros was a good game, but it's the nature of the NSMB series that newer ones make the older ones obsolete. They're always about an 8/10 to me.

Skyward Sword, on the other hand, I couldn't understand the 10/10 reviews whatsoever. The combat and overworld were so bad, it's the first time I've wondered if a console Zelda was actually worth playing (I did complete it, for the record). I'd still call it a 7/10 "Good", but just about.

It seems to me games are getting worse. Graphics are getting better all the time, but less care is going into whether the traditional, single-player experience is as good. If you think back to Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask etc, as well as various GameCube/PS2 games like Wind Waker/Dragon Quest VIII, I just don't see anything on that level nowadays.

It's bad enough publishers not wanting to make single-players games like those any more, but making the remaining single-player games need an internet connection is absolutely crazy.

The New Super Mario Bros series is great, it's just that a) I prefer it on handhelds, and b) it wasn't very exciting as a Wii U launch game.

Fantastic news! Only played Seasons before, but going to pick up both this time.

I used to hate Sony for this kind of barb. Sadly, I now think they've got a point.

I wish Square-Enix would just get back to making great RPGs. Get Level 5 (best developers on the planet) back onto Dragon Quest, make it offline and finally make something that can surpass Dragon Quest VIII.

Link's Awakening DX is probably the best thing on the 3DS eShop. I hope they get Oracle of Ages/Seasons on there one day.

I find 3D Land more enjoyable to play than Galaxy 1 & 2, even though all three are good. The graphics look sharper on my 3DS than the Galaxy games do on the TV, it's nice not having to replace batteries in the Wii remote every now and then, and I generally just prefer playing on the 3DS.

To me, 3D Land is a fully 3D game. There are a few sections where you can only go left-right, but it certainly doesn't switch to 2D controls. You still have to be very careful which direction you steer Mario in. I preferred the explorable, 3D levels, and would like to play another one, ideally with dual analogue...

Great article, and good call about using the attacking-whilst-running from Twilight Princess. That was probably TP's best innovation.

As a PAL gamer, I've never been able to own the 60hz versions of NES, SNES and N64 games. I was going to build up a big SNES collection on the Virtual Console, but I'll only do so if they're 60hz.

Suits me.

I thought it was spectacular, especially Wind Waker HD and a little bit of information of the next Zelda. When I saw Windfall Island I had to check I wasn't dreaming.

Shantae... unless Dragon Quest VII and Etrian Odyssey IV are released in Europe this year. Even then, it's up there.

The Wii U is too expensive to attract casual gamers and the games aren't good enough to attract core gamers (apart from very loyal Nintendo fans). It doesn't help that the tech specs aren't all that impressive. There is another type of gamer - the true, core gamer - that does respect Nintendo and played Metroid Prime and Twilight Princess on the GameCube, but they won't part with their money until the games are there.

If this was the only way to buy this in Europe, I would do so.

I just don't agree with their being patents for software or control systems. Although I used to like SEGA, I hope they are not successful with this.

Brilliant, brilliant news! I have the European version of Etrian Odyssey and regret not buying the US versions of II & III. Just need to beat Primevil - probably the hardest RPG boss I've ever encountered.

As has been said, VIII had random encounters and, if I'm being really nitpicky, so did IX (when you were at sea)! Personally, I don't mind them. I find they let you use your imagination more and appreciate the overworld, rather than visible enemies charging at you (or running away) on sight, accompanied by the "alert" sound effect.

Other than that though, Dragon Quest VII looks absolutely fantastic. It must come to Europe, surely, as it looks too good not to? This is not some obscure title - Dragon Quest VII looks like it could be the best game on the 3DS.

The one I'm getting for sure is Denpa Men, I'm very interested in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion and Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and it's getting harder and harder to resist a Wii U!

I think more power will be enough, personally. As much as I like Nintendo, I long for the day when they can get back into the hardware race. Whoever else has to step out, it doesn't matter to me (not that I'm wishing it on anyone), but I can't wait for the next Nintendo console where I'm actually impressed with how well the games run.