I did a Switch version of this thread a bit ago and wanted to give the 3Ds some more appreciation.
It may not have been the most technically impressive handheld but it doesn't mean it didn't have any good looking games on it.
Here are some games that come to mind that I think are the best looking on the system:
Literally every single monster game. These to me are by far the most technically impressive and best looking games on the system with very few games rivaling it or even getting close.
MH3U, MH4U, MHG - These are the more "realistic" games that look really impressive to me its like playing a ps2 game but its compressed on the 3ds and they all run very well, I can't recall ever having the frames of the games in a playthrough for any of the games mentioned
Monster Hunter Stories - Honestly this game was Pokemon Arceus before it was cool. It had free roaming monsters you could obtain with beautiful Cell shaded graphics and big areas to explore on top of fun mechanics.
Dragon Quest 7 - Theres not much to say about this one other than that its a really good remake and a really good looking game at that.
Now this list is kind of cheating since they're ports but I want to point them out anyway since they still look really good on the console and they're impressive ports at that.
Dragon Quest 8 - A timeless game ported to the system and it looks great on it! It's also arguably the definitive version.
Xenoblade Chronicles 1 - One of the best if not the best looking Wii game and they somehow managed to fit it on the 3ds and it looks great on it
Well thats it for me what 3Ds games do you think are the best looking ones?
They don't have to be technically impressive necessarily, just ones you think are visually impressive or appealing,
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was the game where I looked at it, and was blown away. Because its on a handheld, and largely lived up to how games looked on the GCN. To a lesser extent Kid Icarus Uprising, but that blew me away when the first trailer came out, while with Luigi's Mansion it was years later and while actually playing the game. I remember 2001 very well in terms of gaming, so seeing the changes in technology just 12 years later was incredible.
Nano Assault EX. It's not necessarily the most aesthetically interesting game but it looks really impressive technically, which is not too surprising as it's made by Shin'en.
Xenoblade Chronicles 1 - One of the best if not the best looking Wii game and they somehow managed to fit it on the 3ds and it looks great on it
Xenoblade Chronicles certainly had an impressive scope for a Wii game but I wouldn't call it the "best looking" one. It's very rough around the edges in a lot of places, especially the character models. I'd say more cartoony games like Mario Galaxy and Skyward Sword hold up better today visually. Nothing against Xenoblade Chronicles though, I played it both on the Wii and Switch and loved it both times.
For 3DS, I've never played it but Resident Evil: Revelations looks amazing. I'm surprised they were able to get the 3DS version looking that good.
So many 3DS games are really nicely presented and look great, even if the live action rendered images are a bit on the basic side.
I've gone sifting through some images I have - this is not a definitive list but just a selection of screenshots I happen to have captured since my 3DS began running luma.
I think the presentation in the Yokai Watch games is fantastic. There's nothing particularly special about this shot, but the caption is kinda humourous so I went with it:
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure has some lovely stuff in it:
Majora's Mask does indeed have some great stuff in it:
I think Sticker Star can be a very nice looking experience:
Whilst pretty basic (and this shot is not the best example), I happen to find Super Hang On looks great in motion with the 3D effect:
But I think the prize for best looking screenshots in my current collection has to go to Metroid: Samus Returns - just so stylish and cool, to the extent that even if the game starts to drag on towards the end, you keep playing anyway cos it's so slick and stylish:
Edit: **** imgur, why do none of those links work?
I feel like there was a thread for this at some point, though it's probably an old one. Anyway, here's my current list:
Super Mario 3D Land - This used the 3D effect to its benefit and is a graphical delight.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D/Majora's Mask 3D - Both are rendered beautifully on the system; there's only an occasion or two when the original assets and textures behaved a bit oddly.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Listed separately since it isn't a port and has a top-down aesthetic. This also used the 3D effect very well, particularly with the 2D wall merge gimmick.
Any 3DS Fire Emblem title - Besides the wonderful art the series is known for, the combat maps all look like miniature popup 3D sets.
Bravely Default/Bravely Second - The sprites, most of the models, and background art are all rendered beautifully.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - Another beautiful game and the one that got me interested in the rest of the series. Unpopular opinion maybe, but I prefer it over the first game.
Any Yo-Kai Watch title - The 3D overworld in these games clearly had a lot of care put into it.
Metroid: Samus Returns - Covered quite well above.
I also second @CactusMan on Attack of the Friday Monsters; I picked up that gem as a palate cleanser last summer and quite enjoyed my time with it.
@Zuljaras I still kick myself for never grabbing Mirror of Fate; I loved the demo but unfortunately had to make some tough gaming decisions on a budget at the time (#PoorCollegeStudent). Shame it never saw an eShop release.
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Topic: Best Looking 3DS Games
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