5 – Paper Mario: Sticker Star: This casual role-playing game has all the charm and fun that gamers have come to expect from the Paper Mario series. While Employing a new sticker mechanic to spice up the combat, the main draw of Paper Mario: Sticker Star has to be its puzzles. This is a challenging game that teases the mind, showcasing a trial-and-error method of level progression. Like any great puzzle game, Paper Mario: Sticker Star walks the line between stimulating and frustrating without ever falling onto the wrong side.
4 – Mario Kart 7: This excellent entry in the famed Mario Kart series adds a new level of kart customization. For the first time, players are allowed to fully customize their karts, matching up tires, frames and gliders in hopes of creating the perfect vehicle. Other new mechanics to the game include a first-person mode as well as the ability to glide at certain instances, sacrificing speed for the option of the shortest path. Simply put, this is a good game, even by Mario Kart standards.
3 – Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon: Fans of 2001’s Luigi’s Mansion cried out for a sequel and Nintendo listened. Returning to the same style of gameplay that made the original a classic, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon provides a lengthier experience that sprawls over multiple haunted abodes instead of just one. Those returning to the series will feel a welcome mix of old and new while those just joining the Luigi’s Mansion series will be in line to play the best ghost-busting game on the market.
2 – Animal Crossing: New Leaf: The subtitle is very apt in this new entry to the series that defies genre. While Animal Crossing: New Leaf offers a similar experience to any who have played the series before, the player villager’s new role as mayor brings fresh gameplay mechanics to the formula. Animal Crossing: New Leaf gives players the power to shape their town in ways that were not possible in the earlier games. The past wealth of side-activities and “missions” return accompanied by expanded options. Simply put: Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the longest and fullest game out there for the 3DS.
1 – Super Mario 3D Land: It should come as no surprise that the best game for the Nintendo 3DS is a Mario title. The red-hatted plumber is the most recognizable mascot on the planet and with good reason. His games are simply the best. There is no other game on the system that sells 3D visual’s new gameplay opportunities like Super Mario 3D Land. A stellar platformer, fantastic level design maximized for the portable hardware. This is the game to own for the Nintendo 3DS.
– Colin McMahon