Nintendojo Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2015: 3DS eShop

The handheld eShop gems of 2015!

By Robert Marrujo. Posted 12/10/2015 09:00 1 Comment     ShareThis

Whether it’s at home on Wii U or on the go with 3DS, the eShop is one of the hottest marketplaces for buying the best, unique downloadable titles available. As with the Wii U eShop, there are also a lot of games to choose from that are being sold for small prices, making this the place to go for players downloading on a budget! Here’s our take on some of the best title to hunt down from the downloadable service for your 3DS this holiday season!

Note: All prices were accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.


Gunman Clive 2

Price: $2.99

From our review:

“For the uninitiated, Gunman Clive 2 is a platforming sidescroller reminiscent of classic NES titles like Mega Man. The majority of the game’s 25 levels are focused on making it to the end of the stage while fighting a unique menagerie of enemies. This time around, however, there’s a bit more variety. Developer Hörberg Productions didn’t make any radical changes to the formula, but there are some welcome new additions, such as flying levels, animal compatriots, and a greater variety of locations and enemies. These small changes accumulate to make Gunman Clive 2 feel like a stronger overall package than its predecessor.”


Proun +

Price: $6.99

From our review:

Proun+ is at its core a racing game. Unlike traditional games in that genre, Proun+ eschews cars in favor of colored spheres, and a race track for a thin pipe. …For F-Zero fans, it will be very reminiscent of the course Fire Field in F-Zero GX, and in other ways it feels a bit like rail grinding in the Sonic games. I was pleased with how silky smooth the controls were. Though there is the option for motion controls, they’re nowhere near as effective as the D-Pad/Circle Pad. Sticking with physical inputs, I was spinning my ball around the race pipe with ease. The sense of speed is also complimented very well by Proun+‘s excellent 3D.”


Music On: Electric Guitar

Price: $1.99

From our review:

“Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat: Music On: Electric Guitar is not a video game, it’s a tool. Music On isn’t scoring you, it isn’t tracking any sort of progress, it isn’t presenting any sort of challenge, and it isn’t telling you a story. Instead, it really is a strange little guitar and amp combo that fits in your pocket. …I could definitely see plenty of people finding a use for Music On as a way to play around with new melodies and progressions while away from home or perhaps pulling up its prodigious chord library for reference from time to time.”


Excave

Price: $4.99

From our review:

“Surprisingly, despite its budget origins, Excave looks rather nice, with colorful visuals and good character models. …Slashing and shooting enemies feels satisfying, and the game provides enough variety with the weapon choices for its two main characters. …Excave is a functional dungeon crawler, which should be fun, if you’re willing to work your way around weak item management, the lack of a map, constant backtracking, and its overall short length.”


Stretchmo

Price: Free to Start | Less than $10 for full-game unlock

From our review:

“The pay model is fair and flexible, the gameplay feels refreshed and is highly addictive, and it’s clear that Mallow and his companions will be part of the Nintendo family for many years to come. Another smash 3DS eShop volley from the House of Mario, and reason once more to get puzzle solving. I also can’t recommend enough that anyone who downloads Stretchmo would do well to give Pushmo and Crashmo a look, too.”


A-Train 3D: City Simulator

Price: $19.99

From our review:

“Natsume is primarily known in the West for its Harvest Moon titles, so it was refreshing to see the company spread its wings and bringA-Train 3D: City Simulator to our shores. With some unique presentation elements and a robust suite of features, A-Train tries to set itself apart from other simulation titles, but ultimately it suffers from many of the pitfalls that tend to hold the genre back. A-Train is an intricate, layered game that will reward players, but only if they have the patience to tackle its voluminous introduction and slow pace.”


Toki Tori 3D

Price: $1.99

From our review:

“The satisfaction of solving puzzles in Toki Tori 3D is undeniable, proving to be right up there with the likes of Mario vs. Donkey Kong or Lemmings. It doesn’t seem to matter how much time passes, as the series’ signature resource management remains as engaging as it was back in 2001. I also really enjoy the array of abilities and tools that Toki Tori has at his disposal; from the Freeze-o-Matic to teleporting, there are a lot of different ways to get hold of the bird’s missing eggs! For $1.99, Two Tribes has practically made this a compulsory purchase. Toki Tori 3D is fun, its core concept is still original, and it’s also the best version yet of this game.”


3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Price: $5.99

Developer M2 has been going nuts remaking classic Sega titles in 3D for 3DS, but the studio’s efforts go far beyond a mere aesthetic upgrade. These are top-tier remasterings of beloved favorites, boasting impeccable visuals whether in 2D or 3D, a bevy of features to make the gameplay experience as modern or authentically historically accurate as the player prefers, and all at very reasonable prices. 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is one of many titles in the Sega 3D Classics lineup; check out the full list here and get to downloading!


Dementium Remastered

Price: $14.99

Renegade Kid’s first-person horror title Dementium: The Ward became a cult classic on Nintendo DS when it launched in 2007. The game was a technical marvel that showcased how far the graphics on DS could be pushed, and offered tense, thrilling gameplay to go with it. Dementium Remastered is an eShop-exclusive upgrade of the original that offers better visuals and refined gameplay, making it the ultimate way to experience the title for both returning fans and those new to the series. Be sure to give it a download before the sequel comes to the eShop! Renegade Kid is also planning to develop another title in the series in the future, so get in on the ground floor now.


The eShop is stuffed with great games to play; what titles did you find as you made your way through this service over the past year? Tell everyone what you found in the comments!

One Response to “Nintendojo Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2015: 3DS eShop”

  • 0 points
    says...

    These are all pretty solid choices, but there are some better than a few listed here. Azure Striker Gunvolt come to mind, along with Aeterno Blade. The 3D Sega releases are also great, like Outrun and Hang-On and so forth. Too many to mention.

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