Zero's Top 10 Nintendo 3DS Games (as of early 2016)

So awhile back I made a list of my top 5 3DS games, which I believe was in 2013. Since then a huge amount of fantastic games have been released for the 3DS and I feel I need an update, as well as an extension to make this a top 10 because there's so many games I want to include. Do note that I obviously haven't played every 3DS game released, and I know that there are a few out there that could potentially be on this list if I had played them. (notably Fire Emblem Fates) I can't really include them if I haven't played. Anyway, let's get started:

10. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS



Smash 3DS along with its Wii U counterpart together make up the definitive Smash experience. But how do they fare on their own? Not too bad, and although there isn't much new outside of the huge amount of added characters, playing Smash on the go make this a must buy for 3DS owners. It also has an interesting art style compared to the Wii U version and previous entries. Personally I'm not really part of the competitive scene, and for that Smash 3DS is definitely not the best option in the series, but as a fun party style fighting game, it's my personal favorite in the series. However, that isn't quite enough to get higher on the list.

9. Pokemon X/Y



After not playing Pokemon for the longest time, I decided to play a new one with the 6th generation, just because it looked fairly fresh and I felt like I should at least try out a new Pokemon game. I ended up liking it quite a bit more than I expected. The worlds were more cleverly designed than previous games, and more fun to explore. The new Pokemon were interesting and the ones I'd missed from the past few generations were nice to catch up on. The new music in addition to some remixed classics was fantastic, and the battles were actually somewhat captivating. Overall they ended up being my favorite in the series so I feel that, even if I'm not a big fan of the series, I should at least give it credit for what it did right and becoming my #1 Pokemon game.

8. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon



Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is an amazing sequel to the 2001 GameCube original. Personally, although the original was an interesting idea, they didn't really do much with it, and I felt that it was lackluster overall. It was also much too short to really develop as a full experience in my opinion. Dark Moon changes that with a fairly lengthy, more enjoyable and more clever game. It's also one of the few games I always use 3D with when playing, just because the ghosts and worlds really pop. Luigi's Mansion was always intended as a showcase for 3D and they were finally able to show that off with the 3DS. Fantastic game.

All 3 of those games are great even if most fans think other games in the series are better. Smash 3DS was alright for a handheld Smash and Smash Run was pretty for a while. Pokemon X and Y helped make Pokemon a little fresh again and Dark Moon had very unique level themes and it was much longer then the 1st Luigi's Mansion.

7. Kid Icarus: Uprising



Kid Icarus: Uprising was honestly a surprise to me. While I thought it would be a decent game, I didn't expect to enjoy it all that much, and certainly not as much as I did. While the flying segments are the game's highlight, the ground segments are only very slightly lower quality and I still felt they were designed really well. While of course the NES/Game Boy games weren't able to give full personalities to the characters, it's shown here in droves. Full voice acting that is actually top tier for video games (most tends to be pretty horrible) is run throughout the entire game, even while playing. There's so much dialogue and quite honestly it's all phenomenal. I wasn't expecting to laugh at all while playing, let alone at least once per chapter. The multiplayer was a nice addition although could've been fleshed out a bit more. Regardless I still enjoyed playing it, especially with @Gameguy1996.

This was one of my favorite games on the 3DS and things really got good after chapter 9 when you think it's the end of the game. I would also agree about the voice acting being good and I wish the treehouse could get find even more great voice acting if a sequel is ever made.

6. Mario and Luigi: Dream Team



Mario and Luigi: Dream Team is probably the only really good Mario game available on the 3DS, along with a couple other decent games like NSMB2 available. But even so, it's an amazing one, and my unpopular opinion is that it's the best in its series. It keeps the charm and humor of the previous games, updates the art style to something that really pops on the 3DS with some really great looking sprites, adds in the dream sequences that are essentially much more interesting versions of the Bowser sections from the previous games, and has the best battle theme out of the entire series. It's simply a great game. While some areas do drag on a bit too long it's still worth completing and is definitely among my top 3DS games.

The only issue I had with the game where all the tutorials and some of the giant battles. With that said I feel like it's one of the more unique games in the series with unique locations and characters that are enjoyable unlike Toads.

Though I disliked Dream Team at first because it felt a little too much like Inside Story, I eventually grew to love it. The only thing I dislike about the game is the tutorials, they're really annoying and they're still around in Hard Mode. They should have been skip-able at least and it would have been fine. It's something that bothers me about the series but it doesn't stop me from replaying them.

The areas are great and Pi'illo Island was very interesting as a whole. The bosses and giant bosses were great. The music is just amazing especially the boss battle. The final boss is insanely difficult, which is great. I'm still on my Hard Mode run currently and having a blast with it. I always wanted a Hard Mode.

5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds



I'm going to say this right now. A Link Between Worlds is probably my favorite game in the entire Zelda series. (or at the least somewhere in my top 3) And yes, it's only at number 5. I honestly like the games in my top 4 so much that I had to put this behind them.

A Link Between Worlds is amazing in that in blends familiarity in the form of using the overworld from A Link to the Past and the sharing of many features, with huge innovation and nuance. While the general world layout is the same as in A Link to the Past, it adds so many new secrets and areas to explore that it almost feels completely different. It's essentially like exploring the same world again but much later in time. (which I believe is actually the case going by the Zelda timeline) It's so much fun to be able to make your way around easily if you're familiar with ALTTP, while still having that satisfaction of finding all these secrets and new areas. The dungeons however are completely different, and are honestly almost all amazing. With the exception of perhaps the ice dungeon, each one has its own brilliant mechanic that uses both the weapon for the dungeon and other new mechanics. The addition of the item renting system also works really well, with you now being able to choose the order in which you play most dungeons, which is pretty cool, although not quite as open as originally expected. Still, an amazing game that definitely deserves a spot up high on the list, even if it can't get quite as high as I would like it too. (just because it's such a great game)

A Link Between Worlds is one of the few Zelda games that kept me going back and it's the only main game I have beaten so fair. The item system is great, the characters fit in while and the gameplay has that classic feel while still feeling new. I also thought that the 2 worlds was a nice idea since it was kind of like light and dark in a way.

4. Code Name S.T.E.A.M.



I LOVE Code Name S.T.E.A.M. I quite honestly think it's the most underrated game of this generation so far. Everything about it is fantastic. Great battle/weapon system, an interesting take on the tactical turn based and live combat, interesting characters, amazing artstyle and great music. I can't really say much else about it, it's an amazing game that any fan of strategy or tactical RPG games should play.

Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is definitely an underrated gem with all of his enjoyable characters based on characters we all grow up with in some way even if the maps can get pretty difficult at times.
I also would like to try the online at some point.