The first games I got with the console were Pilot Wings and Samurai Warriors Chronicles. I remember the guys in GameStop trying to talk me into trying Ghost Recon Shadow Wars, but as I wasn't a huge fan of turn based strategy games at the time I didn't bother picking that one up. (Not that I had extra money for it anyway). Anyway after my cousin left I booted up that 3DS and jumped right into Samurai Warriors -- after watching that 3D video by OK Go that is. I remember at first I had a hard time focusing on the 3D itself, but eventually I got used to it.
After that the 3DS became a huge part of my everyday life. I didn't have many games to start out with, but whenever I got some extra cash I made sure to try to pick something up. The first new game I bought for it was actually Dead or Alive Dimensions -- a game that would go on to be my first 3DS review for this blog, and also the game that got me interested in Team Ninja in general. I blew through the game's story mode that night, but shockingly the gameplay kept me coming back for more! Up until then I only knew DoA as a "throw away" fighting game, with some stupid side games I couldn't care less about, but this game was actually fun! So I spent a lot of time learning how to use different characters, and then put countless hours into the game's online mode. I liked it so much that I bought the Ninja Gaiden series on PS3 (as I mentioned in a previous post), and got DoA5 on release date. But anyway... Dimensions was the first 3DS game to completely hook me, and still to this day it holds a top spot on my play log. Then Resident Evil came out.
Mercenaries 3D is something I went into during my Christmas series this year, but there's more to the story than that. I bought that game during the week of 4th of July that year, and for me those memories are priceless. Not only did I get to shoot off fireworks and hang out with some friends, I also got to see the new transformers movie with my uncle. Getting to play Mercs 3D was a fitting conclusion to a great weekend, and sadly one I will never get to go back to. Since that day that group of friends have never gotten together sense (as life happens), and with the passing of my uncle I'll never get to watch a movie with him again. So glad we got to see that one together at least. Afterwords though Mercs 3D did stay with me for a long time, and as I mentioned in the Christmas post, it's what I spent the week leading up to that Christmas playing. Co-oping online with a friend of mine was great, and playing between shifts at the bakery helped speed things along with what normally was a non stop busy nightmare. Before Christmas however there were a few other nice surprises the 3DS had in store. Thanks to me buying it before the price drop I was gifted some great NES and GBA games to play, and I was able to buy some others nice games like Star Fox 64 3D. These games kept me busy for a long time. (I just wish GBA games would've been added to the eShop.)
Once Christmas was said and done (and after spending who knows how many hours playing Mario Kart 7 online with friends during my winter break), the next major release I moved onto was Resident Evil Revelations. This game is still one of my favorite RE games to date. I bought it and the Circle Pad Pro on their release date, and for the first time I got to experience Resident Evil without the tank controls. It was great! Not too long after my friend who I co-oped Mercs 3D with also got the game (so we got to play Raid Mode together), but I did spend more time playing that game's single player than I did the online. It was just a fun game. I liked that it was a return to classic styled RE games, but felt like RE4 with a hint of 5 mixed in. I also really liked the ghost ship setting, and the fact that Capcom allowed for double the 3D effect -- something I've never seen another 3DS game do. To put it simply, it was the perfect 3DS game for me and I didn't think anything would surpass it. Then Kid Icarus came out.
Kid Icarus Uprising is still to this day one of my favorite games. I was pretty ticked the day it came out though, because I got roped into working at the Bakery as the lady who normally worked went on vacation, and by the time work ended it was storming. Yeah, not my day. I did manage to get to GameStop later on to pick it up, but I had originally planned on getting it as soon as they opened. But either way it did work out in the end, and as soon as I got home I spent the rest of the night paying it. Shockingly I was one of the few people who didn't have issues with it! By this point I was already used to mouse controls and pointer controls thanks to the PC and Wii, but it was a little strange holding the 3DS with one hand, while using the stylus to basically do everything other than move. My trick was I'd lay on my couch and use my knee as support, and while playing at my desk I'd just rest my hand on it. It worked well and I never once got a cramp or got tired of holding the console. Sadly the game wasn't too long overall, but I still kept coming back to try the harder difficulty modes as well as the online. (I got lucky and crafted a pretty over powered weapon right off the bat. Thing destroyed everyone!) It was a lot of fun, and I still wish that we'd get a sequel.
After Kid Icarus I'd just go back to trying out different things. Mario Tennis was fun, but didn't hook me. I just played it because I owned it. I downloaded some GB games to keep myself busy as well, but those too weren't anything that held my attention in the long run. Pokemon Rumble was a game I randomly bought while at Walmart one night, and as I played it I realized my 3DS' circle pad was starting to break down. (It would feel like it was hitting plastic inside.) Thankfully it would last until I got my New 3DS, but it still worried me. I bought Pokemon right before I got my Vita however, so my 3DS did get a break for quite awhile. Up until then I was using my 3DS for nearly everything, so it really was only a matter of time before it broke down. But then Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance came out, and I was sucked into both it and the old DS game The World Ends With You. Man, good times. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was pretty cool, but I honestly didn't stick with that too long either. During that time I was a bit worried about finishing college and what to do next, so I honestly don't remember too much of my time with it. Shinobi, Kirby Mass Attack, and Starfy were three games I got from winning a Review of the Month contest however, so I did make sure to finish those. (Actually promised a review of them, but didn't fully keep that promise.) 999 was the game I got shortly after, and still to this day is one of my all time favorite stories. It's a shame that Paper Mario Sticker Star was such a let down, but still a nice Christmas present from my Grandma. And then Fire Emblem Awakening happened.
Fire Emblem Awakening was the turning point for this blog. This was the game that was out when we broke away from Capcom-Unity, and it was a big part of my life for quite awhile. I got it when I went to visit my Grandma in the hospital (as she went blind in one eye), and it was sorta what helped me keep my mind off of things. I felt a lot better once I knew she would be fine (well, as fine as possible), but even before then FE was a distraction for me. Despite getting it at a bad time, it ended up providing me with a lot of good memories to make up for it. It's also what I brought with me when I took my Grandma to follow up eye doctor appointments, or when she needed me to drive her somewhere. Even though I had beaten the story pretty quick, I loved replaying it and doing whatever I could to build "perfect" teams. Man I miss that game.
Really this is how most 3DS games are for me. They are memories, and I treasure them all (even the bad ones). I bought Zelda OoS on the eShop the day a tornado ripped through our town, Animal Crossing New Leaf came out around e3 and was the day I first tried Yakisoba (funny I remember that), and Rune Factory 4 finally came out shortly after I started my new job. I guess in a way Animal Crossing was my final "summer vacation" with my friends before I entered the real world, while Rune Factory (which is a spin off of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons) was the start of my working life. Pokemon Y was just me continuing my favorite series from my childhood, but thinking back it was one of the last games I bought at that GameStop I used to go to... Then you have Mario & Luigi Dream Team and Link Between Worlds... I... Don't think about these two too much... As this was just a day before my uncle passed away. But at least Bravely Default was there a couple of short months after to help me keep my mind off of things! Still remember sitting at my grandparents house on Friday night playing it. I think it was our way of trying to return things to normal, but honestly things never did go back to the way they were. Even when we visited you could always feel the hole my uncle and the Bakery left.
After Bravely Default I started buying a lot more. I had a job and money, so I bought what I wanted. Smash Bros 3DS, Persona Q was out for Thanksgiving, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate came out with the New 3DS around valentines day (which was a game I would spend months playing online with friends), and Xenoblade 3D came along during my issues with my liver. That was a scary time, but again thinks like this helped keep my mind off of it. Chi-bi Robo was kinda cool, Final Fantasy Explorers was a major let down (just stuck with FF14), Project X Zone 2 was fun, but Fire Emblem Fates didn't hook me as much as Awakening before it. I don't know, I guess by this point the 3DS was starting to fade for me. Although not completely.
As for how I feel about the 3DS today, I still like it. I don't use it quite as much as I used to, but there are still games on it I'm playing through. Fire Emblem Echoes was a fun remake of the second FE game, Radiant Historia's remake was a nice surprise that came out when I was unemployed, and Persona Q2 is much better than Q1. I'm also now back to finally trying out games like Shin Megami Tensei IV, and I still want to go through Ace Combat whenever I get the chance. (And let's not forget the Pokemon games I missed out on.) Bottom line is I still like my 3DS, and I don't see myself putting it away for quite some time. As you can see though, the 3DS was a huge part of my last ten years, and I really do owe it a lot for getting me through some tough times. It's also the reason I even signed up for Netflix to begin with, so I can thank it for all the great shows I've watched as well. Man, it really was a great handheld.
