Topic: Still Playing 3DS in 2022?

The Switch has been the hot new thing for some time now, and it's basically become the only console I play anymore. It's just so cumbersome having to dust off my other systems, plug the HDMI into the TV and the AC adapter into the wall, make sure the controllers are kept charged, and (if it's an old console) having to deal with the pain of wired controllers and scratchy disks. Most of my favorite retro games have been ported to Switch in some way, though, so I'm not missing out on much. (Still waiting for GameCube games--pretty please!)

The 3DS is an exception, though--its portable nature makes it really convenient to come back to, since I don't have to worry about hooking anything up; I just have to remember to keep the darn thing charged. It also helps that the 3DS still has some great exclusives that haven't been ported to Switch: Kid Icarus Uprising, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Kirby: Planet Robobot, and the remasters of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, to name a few.

That's not even mentioning the stereoscopic 3D; it can be hard going back to standard-definition games for me on other systems, but the effect just looks SO GOOD! It still gives the system an identity of its own that the Switch will never be able to take away. Unfortunately, I've been having some concerning visual issues where I see a bit of a double-image in real life, so I don't know if I'll use the 3D very much going forward. (The two things probably aren't related, but just to be safe.)

Due to the pandemic, 2020 was a pretty slow year for games, so I went back and bought some late 3DS titles I missed out on, specifically: the Luigi's Mansion port, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, and Bowser's Inside Story + insertunnecessarysubtitlehere. (The Switch isn't the only port machine.)

I never beat Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam back in the day, as I was miffed there were no original characters and got bored with it. I'm planning to go back and finally cross that one off my backlog before the massive influx of new games that comes out this year, since it at least still has the classic turn-based gameplay unlike Paper Mario. **AHEM.**

I loved Dragon Quest 11 on Switch and this was my first DQ game, which really makes me want to go back and play the others. I really wanna try DQ8, as I hear it's the next best one, though I still want to give 7 a try too in spite of hearing the pacing is very slow. I feel like the moment I buy the 3DS versions, they'll get announced to be coming to Switch or something.

I have the same problem with Yoshi's Woolly world (which I did own on Wii U, but I want to replay it), where I'm worried it will come to Switch if I buy it. The gameplay is great, but the visual downgrade is so significant, I'm not sure if it's worth it. Thoughts?

I typically like to purchase games physically, but since the 3DS has been discontinued, cartridges seem to be getting quite expensive. So moving forward, I'll probably just download retail games to my SD card since I have nothing else to save that memory for anyways. I am getting close to filling it up, though.

I also feel like it's a sin that I haven't played every Mario game, so I may even download that Mario and Donkey Kong game off the eShop after hearing AntDude praise it--the one with 3D gameplay--and also Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure. I've also heard great things about Fantasy Life, but I don't know if it would be worth owning in 2022 if playing online is necessary to have the best experience.

I've also been itching to replay the Superstar Saga remaster (which I rushed through to beat before Odyssey came out), as well as A Link Between Worlds. Hopefully, a lot of these games will find their way to the Switch someday, but in the meantime...what, if anything, have you guys been playing on 3DS? Tell me down below!

Let me know if you're still active, even if it's just a little bit here and there. (Switch is still the console I put hundreds of hours into every year, but I always get that little itch to go back to it every now and then.) If people are interested, maybe we could even share friend codes to have a nostalgic romp through old games like Mario Kart 7 or something.

Also, what 3DS games would you suggest I try that you don't think will ever be ported to Switch? I have most of Nintendo's first-party games but not a lot of third-parties for 3DS. I've also never been big on RPGs outside of Mario and now Dragon Quest, so I was a bit miffed at how many JRPGs the handheld got in its last few years and not much else. I would be open to trying some of them now, though--I've heard great things about Bravely Default, and Ever Oasis seems like a hidden gem. (That one definitely deserves a second chance on Switch.)

Anyways, that's it for me! Sorry I typed a book, but I'm a very wordy person. Can't wait to get no replies because probably no one posts in this category anymore. 🙃

Mario and luigi's dream team, god I want that game to be on the switch sooo much, but because of alpha dream dying and all, Its never gonna happen.

I would still play my 3ds, if my R button didn't crap on me so when I try'd to fix it, I wouldn't Break the stinken cable for the L button, So I would then end up with no shoulder buttons! (:

I still playing 3DS games until today.
I have four 3DS XL machines (2 USA machines, 1 Japanese machine, 1 PAL machine) and more than 50 3DS games altogether combined.
And during pandemic, i have collected some Yokai Watch 3DS games.

I probably would be still playing mine if I still had it. Unfortunately it was stolen last year and since it's pretty much impossible to replace it, I don't see myself going back to the DS or 3DS library.

Yeah, I love my 3DS/2DS. I still have a huge backlog of games to play. The dragon quests are a must IMO. The DS has just as good of a game log as well, so don't forget about the normal DS games. Dragon Quest IX for the DS is downright amazing. It looks and runs incredible for a DS game. Give Fire Emblem awakening a go if you haven't yet, It's another must play IMO. I definitely still play my DS, I'm going to replay the DS version of Diamond/Pearl since I didn't like how the Switch port turned out. You can play some good gameboy/snes/nes classics on it too using the shop or a digital code. It still has a huge amount of potential.

@Tasuki There's still games on your backlog .

@Torn And how am I suppose to play them without a console???

Never stopped never will. Always in my pocket

@Not_Soos
3DS is in my top 5 consoles, just packed full of features & has a personality.

I used to drive in a city for a living so my streetpass hits were ridiculous, I had to reset them many times a day for years. I miss going on holiday & getting random hits then going into my games at night & beating high scores, time trials, grabbing puzzle pieces.

The Switch is great but bereft of such features as streetpass, cameras, 3D, native voice chat, built in AR software, music player, web browser, themes, games released in a complete state with rarely a patch seen, Virtual Console, Miiverse, Mii maker, pocket-sized, little need for additional memory etc...

With regards to Yoshi, it's Wooly World, not Crafted on 3DS. It lost a lot of its appeal on 3DS for me, the soundtrack & graphics really are special when full-fat on Wii U.

Love my 3DSXL, replaced the circle pad recently after my friend's kid broke it. Grabbed Warioware Gold - great game, lots of speech & inventive stuff. Play Tomodachi Life far too much - I can play at work with one hand while using my laptop.

@Tasuki
Sorry for your loss. Check charity shops - my brother found a 3DS for £4 including a game. Also social media marketplaces - 3DSs show up for peanuts as parents aren't sure what they're worth.

Definitely! The 3DS is one of my all-time favorite game systems. I actually just picked up Super Mario Kart on the eShop yesterday and I've been playing that a lot today. There are still a ton of games I want to play between its own library and the original DS' as well, and plenty of my favorite games are available in some form on the 3DS. I'd definitely recommend the Dragon Quest games if you're interested. I haven't played much of VIII yet (I plan to soon, it's one of the two main series entries I have yet to beat), but I loved VII's 3DS remake and would highly suggest giving it a shot. Yeah, the pacing's slow, but the class system is probably the best I've ever experienced and I think its structure makes it an ideal JRPG to play in shorter bursts. DQVII's probably my favorite 3DS game. If you can get a hold of them, the DS games (DQIX, remakes of DQIV-VI, and a few spin-offs) are fantastic as well, though the remakes in particular are tough to find at good prices. I have a good feeling those three will come to the Switch at some point though, especially with DQV being the fan favorite entry of the series by far. IX's my second favorite in the series after XI, and it's not too tough to track down last I checked. It's similar to VII with its structure and class system, though the main story's pacing is a lot faster at the expense of less class depth.

Someone else brought up Fire Emblem, and the 3DS entries are fantastic as well for anyone who enjoys JRPGs. Most people will recommend Awakening, and while that's the best one for a newcomer to get into the series with, I'd urge anyone who enjoyed Awakening and/or Fates to try FE Echoes: Shadows of Valentia as well. It's really different in terms of its overall structure and a lot of the mechanics, but it's still a fantastic game and my personal favorite FE from what all I've played so far. I think it's a shame it was overlooked due to releasing after the Switch and because of how different it was from the previous 3DS entries. That being said, I did also really enjoy Awakening and Fates (with the exception of the Revelations path, which just felt like it copy/pasted too much from the other two paths to be worth the play).

The Kirby games are all easy recommendations, especially Planet Robobot. Kid Icarus Uprising is another one of my favorite 3DS games, though it's one I would love to see get a remaster on Switch because the controls are physically painful as a lefty on a New 3DS XL. There are a lot of Pokemon games between the DS and 3DS, and while the 3DS games are divisive, I personally enjoyed all of them. The first two generations being on Virtual Console is a bonus as well! Metroid: Samus Returns is a great remake of Metroid II, and while the game gets a lot of hate, I'd argue Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a really fun co-op spin-off for anyone who wants a 3DS FPS they can play with friends. Between that, Smash, and Mario Kart, I have a lot of great multiplayer memories with the system. As much as I love the Switch and how sleek and convenient it is, there's something about the 3DS/Wii U generation that's just really fun and cozy to me.

Been playing Fluidity Spin Cycle. Nice little exclusive

I played Mario Party: Island Tour with my friend yesterday

I love my 3DS XL. If you are into homebrew/modding then they are really handy for that and it opens up lots of options

I often replay Link between worlds and bowsers inside story/dream team. I recently started Pokemon Y (rather than buying SD/SP on switch) and it is still alot of fun.

Whoa, this is gaining traction! Sweet! 😀

@Snatcher I know Joy-Con have the whole drift problem, but in theory, they're perfect for replacing broken parts. I know SO many people who have broken a trigger button on their DS or 3DS, and for every other handheld, you'd have to get your whole system fixed, which would be really expensive I'm sure. But alas, the genie curse is that Joy-Con always have to be fixed. Hopefully by next gen, this won't be an issue. It could have been a defining feature of the console to easily replace individual parts if they weren't all defective.

@Torn Yeah, I meant to mention in my original post that I'm not really looking to replay DS games. The visuals are just too jarring for me to go back to, which I know is a lame reason. Been thinking about replaying Super Mario 64 DS for the first time in like a decade though, so maybe I'll do that.

I've never been a Pokémon fan, but I was always interested in Diamond and Pearl, so I did pick up the remake in spite of the controversy. People's main gripe seems to be that it looks hardly better than the original, and since I haven't played that one, I'm hoping I won't be phased by it. I'll be honest, I've only played the first couple minutes and it hasn't really grabbed me yet, but I'm hoping that will change.

I know about the Virtual Console library and I'd be willing to buy from that. Ironically, the graphics of those games don't bother me as much as DS, haha. I do think Game Boy will come to NSO eventually, though. I forgot EarthBound is on there, which we've still not seen any signs of coming to Switch yet. I've never played it, so maaaaaaybe I'd get that one? Would still much rather play it on Switch, but that's looking pretty iffy...

I truly wish 3DS would get a successor. But I don't think there's a chance since the Switch is so successful. It just feels so nice, safe and nostalgic to play on the 3DS.

I was playing Rhythm Paradise Megamix on 3DS just yesterday. Even today the 3DS is my favorite Handheld and i'm still buying new Games for it every now and then.

@Kayvoo Whoops, fixed it! I knew that, I'm just...uncharacteristically dopey lately, lol. Been making typos left and right for some reason. I choose to blame it on sleep deprivation coupled with a new medication I'm taking that can cause confusion, haha. Woolly World is what I meant to say.

For me personally, the 3DS is probably my third-favorite system, behind only the Switch and GameCube which are just legendary. I didn't think to bring up StreetPass--it's a great feature I actively used for years. I live in a small, rural town in the middle of Appalachia, so I never matched with another person until months of carrying it around with me. I had better luck when I went out of town. Puzzle Swap also really encouraged me to exercise more, which is amazing considering how much of a couch potato I am.

I would love to see them revisit the idea of StreetPass in the future. Like the stereoscopic 3D, it's another great feature the Switch is sadly missing. Maybe the "Switch 2" could have a retractable screen you can stretch and squash to the size of your choosing, so you can compress it to fit in your pocket for convenient carrying. I know it sounds absurd--and maybe impossible--but if anyone can and will, it's Nintendo.

I also really loved Miiverse, though it came to 3DS way too late, and like the Internet Browser, YouTube, and other online applications, it took too long to load to be very practical. The Switch could take much better advantage of it. You'd even be able to take a screenshot and post it later instead of having to stop your game.

WarioWare Gold is super good; probably my favorite game in the series. The voice acting was a great addition, though I still hate the simplified character redesigns. Ashley looks pretty much the same, but Dribble disgusts me now, lol. It's a great compilation with a ton of content, including the amazing Gamer mode from Game & Wario. It works SO much better on 3DS where the screens are close together, the microgames aren't the same repetitive handful, and they came up with so many creative new ways for the mom to pop out unexpectedly. The new microgames are also really good--the retro-inspired ones like Super Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Country are some of my favorite in the series. Get It Together just didn't live up, unfortunately.

Speaking if games that didn't live up, Mario Golf Super Rush was a huge disappointment for me. I would have much preferred a remaster of World Tour on 3DS. The game with DLC was the same price as Super Rush, but World Tour had 3x the number of courses Super Rush had at launch. That game is still light on content in comparison. The courses that are there in Super Rush also just kinda suck, if I'm being honest. They're super uninspired, and some of the DLC ones are almost unplayable to me because of the annoying mechanics and hazards.

Generic theming, too. The 3DS game had a space-themed Mario Galaxy course, an underwater course with Cheep Cheeps swimming around, a DK jungle course, a course where everything is giant with a remix of the Honeyhive Galaxy music playing, a Yoshi's WOOLLY World course (got it right this time ) and tons more. Most of the DLC ones were just based on New Super Mario Bros. worlds, but that sadly still felt less lifeless than the ones in Super Rush. World Tour controlled way better and had a more interesting character roster and custom gear too. My only gripe with the game is that in spite of all that great content, it was hardly worth playing when it didn't have Download Play, since none of my friends were gonna buy it. So I barely touched it. Would've been sooooo good on Switch, but Camelot dropped the ball right into the water hazard on that one.

It's funny, I thought Tomodachi Life looked amazing back when it was a Japan-only game called "Tomodachi Collection: New Life," and I even wrote to Nintendo back in like 2014 asking them to localize it. I played the demo before it launched over here and really enjoyed it, but I just didn't get into the game all that much as I felt I had already seen everything worthwhile in the demo. It's too hands-off for me and I don't like playing the role of the disembodied "look-alike." I'd much rather actually play as my Mii character and be able to get a job, drive a car, go on dates, and all that stuff organically instead of just watching it from a distance. If we get a sequel, I hope it's more like what I described.

Ironically, I skipped Miitopia on 3DS and had little interest in the Switch port, but I picked that one up and actually VASTLY prefer it over Tomodachi Life. I would strongly recommend it if you haven't played it. The amount of content is also ridiculous; I put it down after maybe 30-40 hours (wanna come back to it eventually), but from what I read online, I'm nowhere near finished.

Ah, yes. StreetPass was really fun. It was always so exciting whenever I found someone on StreetPass. Almost only happened when I was abroad or for some reason I was in a city/mall.