Topic: Your top 5 3DS games thus far and why (retail or download)

1. Ace Attorney: Duel Destinies: A glorious return to one of my favorite gaming series, I can't get enough of this series. The localization team are still amazing at their job and make everyone and everything about this story wonderful. This series is pure fun and I will hear no word from anyone who says otherwise.
2. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon: This is practically the go-to example for how to make a sequel, take what made the original great, add some new mechanics that change up the entire game while also still feeling like what made the original work and change the structure to keep things interesting and add more content with (mostly) not feeling like you're overdoing it. Not to mention a creative multiplayer mode that wasn't shoved in for the sake of having multiplayer (looking at you, Arkham Origins).
3. VVVVVV: This could've been released as a full retail title and that would be ok. Especially since I've probably put in 20 hours thanks to challenges and the player levels. It's a fantastic platformer with a simple gimmick that uses that gimmick for constantly engaging and challenging gameplay. Not to mention the amazing soundtrack. I haven't played a TON of indies, but this is already one of my favorites, maybe right up there with Cave Story even.
4. Kid Icarus: Uprising: I never put in the amount of time I wanted to in this game, and I'm not sure if it's because I played other games or if it's because I got sick of certain parts of it. Between the more frustrating challenges trying to unlock the music and my increasing lack of tolerance for its comedy, I'm not entirely sure I like it quite as much as I did. But it was still a fantastic and unique shooter that proved that shoot em ups are still valid (screw you Emily Rogers) and 3rd person shooters don't need to be dragged down with boring cover systems.
5. Pushmo: This was the first great 3DS title. Just a really challenging, fun puzzle game. Became a bit too difficult for me towards the end, but it was a nice change of pace from Nintendo (especially at that time).

5 Luigis Mansion 2
4 Pullblox
3 A link between worlds
2 Kid Icarus uprising
1 Fire Emblem Awakening

1. Kid Icarus: Uprising - Easy choice for number one, by far the best game on the system if you ask me. Everything about it is just perfect... the gameplay and all the mechanics, characters, music, controls (I find it bizarre how many people complain, they work amazingly, couldn't be better).
2. Virtue's Last Reward - 999 was amazing, and they followed on really strongly here and even improved upon the weak points of 999... so disappointed that it looks like we won't be getting a third game in the series, as I really wanted to find out what happens next.
3. Etrian Odyssey IV - First game I've played in the series, bought it on a whim, and what a great decision that turned out to be... got quite a lot more fun out of this title than I was anticipating.
4. Pokemon X/Y - The first Pokemon game I've really enjoyed since the Gold/Silver... Just the changes they made to make competitive breeding easier now has gotten me actually interested in that whole aspect of the game, rather than just playing through the incredibly boring story like I would previously.
5. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - I've spent nearly 1000 hours on the 3DS version alone, gotten quite a lot of local multiplayer fun with friends from this title, so it can make my top five for that.

Honorable mentions: Mario Kart 7, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Nintendo Pocket Football Club, Inazuma Eleven, Crimson Shroud, Mighty Switch Force!, VVVVVV.

I'm a little surprised at just how many people have Fire Emblem: Awakening right at the top of their list... for me it was the worst Fire Emblem game I've played (absolutely loved some of the previous entries) and a massive disappointment... Got bored and stopped playing before I even reached the end of the story.

Intentionally excluding ports and remakes.

1) Fire Emblem: Awakening - Because it's super cool.
2) Bravely Default - Also because it's super cool.
3) Rune Factory 4 - Super cool.
4) Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies - Very cool.
5) Pokemon X/Y - Pretty cool guy.

Also, Resident Evil: Revelations is a great game. I got it for Wii U instead though. As much as I love the 3DS, I couldn't imagine trying to play a survival horror game on a 3" screen with that silly little analog stick. I'd have a spookier time just reading some creepypasta on reddit.

Maybe because you're probably the only person who plays Fire Emblem for the story.

Well as boring as it was, the story wasn't actually my biggest problem with the game, but it did add to me having no motivation to finish it.
Spent about 30 hours or so over the first few days after launch, then haven't really touched it since.

1. Fire Emblem Awakening
2. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
3. Animal Crossing New Leaf
4. The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds
5. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D
Honorable Mentions: Pokemon Y, Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Kart 7, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Professor Layton and the Azran legacy, Luigi's Mansion 2 and Bravely Default.

Fair enough.

Shame you didn't enjoy it though. I've also been a fan of the series since it first came to the west and I loved Awakening. It's my favorite entry in the series, but stylistically, it was a bit of a departure, so I guess I can see why it would turn off some people.

Is the story THAT bad? I haven't got around to Awakening yet but a good story makes or breaks an RPG for me.

I wouldn't say it's necessarily bad or anything, but I personally didn't find it particularly interesting.
If the rest of the game itself was enjoyable enough then I wouldn't have had any big complaints about the story I guess, but more than anything else I just personally don't like level grinding being possible (I never did play the GBA one), but it seems that's just me that thinks that.

Kid Icarus Uprising - plenty of content, polished and has great gameplay and multiplayer.

MH3U - Exactly the same as Uprising

Etrian Odyssey IV - A bit easier than other entries in the series, but still the best RPG on the system

Cave Story - Fun and challenging 2D platformer, pretty good soundtrack and nice sprites

A Link Between Worlds - Maybe a bit too easy, but level design and OST is nice. I wish the freedom of items were taken a bit further, such as needing several items for a single dungeon

Fire Emblem is one of those series where the story is basically just a framing device for the gameplay and character interaction.

Story of almost all Fire Emblem games so far: A sword-wielding Crown Prince is suddenly orphaned, and what at first seems like a small problem (local bandits are up to no good) soon unravels into a much bigger conspiracy (bandit activity was actually organized raids by neighbouring country bent on war, where the easily-manipulated king's strings are being pulled by Lord Evil McBadGuy, Ally of Big Dragons). The titular Fire Emblem appears as some family heirloom that awakens and must be used to seal away Evil McBadGuy's power and his big dragons.

Plot twist of Fire Emblem 7: Lord Evil McBadGuy was the big dragons.

It's not necessarily bad. It's just sort of... there. The real draws of the games are the strategic gameplay and interesting cast of characters.

With Fire Emblem: Awakening being my first FE experience, I agree that the story is a little convoluted if not slightly contrived, but really, the game is all about the amazing character designs and their interactions, so it hardly matters IMO, somewhat akin to how most Zelda titles have a generic overall story.

Bravely Default
My favorite 3DS game. Put 60 hours in it and could've gone on. Loved the story, the characters, the jobs mechanic... The only downside was the tedious process of repeating the same sequence of events five times to get the true ending.

Fire Emblem: Awakening
One of the few strategic RPG I've played and I loved it. I couldn't put it down and bought a lot of DLC for it. I thought the story was a bit lackluster but other than that dialogues and graphics were great and there was a lot of depth to it.

Shin Megami Tensei - Devil Survivor: Overclocked
Another strategy RPG I had a great time with. I love fusing demons and the story was entertaining, with multiple endings adding replay value.

Shin Megami Tensei IV
My first SMT game and I was blown away. Superb voice acting, the story was gripping and once again the fusion mechanics were great fun. I was genuinely enthralled by the story.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
This one was a pretty short and simple game, but the wall-crawling gave way to creative puzzles that I very much enjoyed. It also runs very smoothly and added new things to the Zelda formula that I loved.

no specific order, I really can't choose:
Pokémon Y
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Fire Emblem Awakening
Kid Icarus Uprising
Steamworld Dig

this might change after Smash Bros, Persona Q and Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire get released.
or after I get SMTIV, ALBW, Kirby 3D, etc.

1) Fire Emblem: Awakening - One of the system's most polished and memorable experiences. The incredible music, the high production values, the good voice acting, the deeply strategic combat, and, most of all, the way it made you care about your little units as they goofed off and fell in love made this one of the great highlights of the system.

2) Animal Crossing: New Leaf - I've struggled with this one, as it lacks so many of the features I look for in my games: compelling stories, character growth, deep gameplay, etc. Ultimately, though, almost nothing else keeps me coming back quite like this title. There is simultaneously so much and so little do in this game. It eschews traditional game structure to offer a magical little experience that is definitely the most fully-featured and polished in the franchise. I can only say that this is one of the few games I will never, ever let my system go without.

3) Virtue's Last Reward - Despite its flaws, this title still boasts one of the most interesting plots I've seen in science-fiction. It is an intelligent, disturbing, amusing, and supremely entertaining title that everyone seems to love, regardless of how they normally feel about visual novels and puzzle games.

4) Etrian Odyssey IV/Shin Megami Tensei IV - Cheating a bit, I know, but these are Atlus' two best games on the system, and I honestly don't know which to pick. They're both incredible experiences in their own right. SMTIV has a more interesting universe, with its apocalyptic cybrerpunk flair and addictive demon capturing system. On the other hand, EOIV feels like a genuine adventure, and is a supremely polished and deep dungeon-crawler.

5) Super Mario 3D Land - The oldest and still one of the best reasons for owning a 3DS. The production values are top-notch and the gameplay bite-sized and fun. I rarely 100% games, but I did absolutely EVERYTHING there is to do in this game, including beating the secret, ultra-difficult final level with both main characters.

Really? You liked the original Resi and Nemesis more than REmake? For me, it was, far and away, the best game in the series. Even if some of the goofy charm of the original was lost, it was one of the most genuinely frightening and engaging experiences in the franchise. Absolutely everything was improved upon in REmake, and nothing in the series has come close to topping it.

Also, Code Veronica is always so underrated. I'd say it is better than 3, 5, and Revelations easy.

1. Disney Magical World- My favorite sim kind of game. it has disney characters, ghost busting, farming and you get to run a cafe.
2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf- plugged a lot of time into it.
3. A Link Between Worlds: best Zelda I've ever played and that I wanted to finish. Only played the NES and GBA ones.
4. Bravely Default- loved this RPG
5. Pokemon X & Y- loved being able to choose skin color and loved having a choice of clothes. Just wish there was more post game stuff to do.
Would like to mention that I loved Professor Layton Miracle Mask, SMT IV, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Yoshi's New Island and Fire Emblem Awakening. They are in my top ten. The list might be different once I play Professor Layton & the Azran Legacy. Haven't had a chance to pick it up yet.

So many to choose from. There are at least 15 awesome exclusives for the 3DS so a top 5 is tough. But here goes:

5) Resident Evil Revelations
A welcome return to form for RE that really deserved to sell a hell of a lot more than it did! It kinda felt more like the original resident evil
than any of the recent incarnations.

4) Mario 3D Land.
To be honest, I'd say it's probably the worst 3D mario game. But that still makes it awesome. The gameplay is solid and there are a lot of nice ideas but it doesn't have the level design of mario 64 or the masterful gameplay mechanics of Galaxy.

3) Link Between Worlds: Near-perfect game. The only issues being that the world isn't as fun to explore as a brand new one would be. And sadly there's almost no story. Skyward Sword might have gone too far with story but Link Between Worlds doesn't go far enough. Nintendo need to look back to OoT to remember how to balance story and gameplay.

2) Fire Emblem: Awakening.
This is the absolute model of game design. To take such a niche genre and make it so accessible and enjoyable to play is a rare skill. Easily contends with FFTactics as the best of the genre. (I'd say it has a bit weaker story and world design but a LOT better gameplay)

1) Zelda: OoT3D.
It's kinda a tough decision here. If you factor in that it's a remake, then maybe it gets a bit less credit. But you did just say best 5 games. And judged purely as the game itself, this is one of the best thing the games industry has ever produced.

I'd echo what others are saying. The story is typical but not really in focus that much. It's a lot more the more local storytelling (the character interactions and the battles)

A Link Between Worlds (Even though it is miles too easy at the least the first time through but its spoilt then playing the hero quest will never be as good as it could have been I played that first time around)
Kokuga
Jett Rocket 2 (Only play a few of the levels the 3D ones but I cannot play 3D Land any more after playing 3D levels in 60fps).
Retro City Rampage DX (Choice to ditch the 3D for the framerate was the right one.)
Sayonara UmiharaKawase (Yumi's Odd Odyssey)