The Nintendo 3DS is one of Nintendo’s biggest consoles to date. Releasing all the way back in 2011, this handheld has withstood the test of time, still alive and kicking in 2018. With newer models improving on the default design, the 3DS will continue being supported in the foreseeable future alongside the Nintendo Switch.
Because the system has been out for so long, there are hundreds, if not thousands of games already out for it. As you might expect, there are tons of excellent titles that any owner should shell out the money for as well as some that are less than desirable. With games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Metroid: Samus Returns, 3DS owners are going to have no shortage of games to play.
However, because Nintendo has done a great job with continually supporting the system, they have caused a lot of games to go unnoticed. While everyone is messing around with Super Mario 3D Land, there are a few other great (if not better) games that are collecting dust on store shelves. While Nintendo does make some excellent titles, there are others just waiting to be explored with new worlds and fun times.
There are a ton of 3DS games that everyone says are great, but we’d go as far to say that 15 of them are overrated. On the flipside, there are 15 other games that underperformed but are more than deserving of a second chance on your library.
30 Overrated: The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
After the nearly perfect remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, it was time for Nintendo to do it again with the game’s sequel, Majora’s Mask.
Unfortunately, this remake wasn’t as good as its predecessor, having some changes that were made for the worse.
Some of the controls were made less intuitive than they were back on the N64, and there was even a boss that was given a painfully obvious weak point that wasn’t present in the original game.
29 Underrated: Metroid Prime: Federation Force
The biggest problem with Metroid Prime: Federation Force is timing. While everyone was ready for a new Metroid game, Nintendo decided to have a casual co-op shooter with a poor man’s Rocket League attached.
However, those who actually played Federation Force and let go of the fact it wasn’t a standard Metroid game actually had a lot of fun with it. It had interesting level design and fighting classic monsters with your friends was a blast. The way it was designed guaranteed you could get hours out of it.
28 Overrated: New Super Mario Bros 2
When New Super Mario Bros 2 came out, Nintendo was parading around its release. A lot of people shelled out the cash to get this new entry in the side-scrolling series, but it wasn’t all that interesting. A lot of the environments were the same as any other New Super Mario Bros game.
Furthermore, the only gimmick this time around was trying to collect as many coins as possible, but with no reward or payoff, there was no proper reason to do so.
27 Underrated: Code Name STEAM
Code Name: STEAM definitely got the short end of the stick. It was made by the same people who worked on the Fire Emblem series, but it had a much different style in mind.
The game was a steampunk strategy game with a different perspective than the standard top-down.
On top of this excellent art style, the game probably has the best Amiibo support in any Nintendo game to date, adding Fire Emblem characters in it. Unfortunately, it underperformed so badly that Nintendo hasn’t talked about it since.
26 Overrated: Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate
The Monster Hunter series is well-made, and one of Capcom’s best, but there are a few problems with it and Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate on the 3DS. As a series, Monster Hunter is extremely complex and not nice to newcomers.
After grinding through a painfully long tutorial, you then have to learn to grind and gather resources, which grinds the pacing to a halt.
While this is fine for fans, anyone on the outside has a hard time getting into it.
25 Underrated: Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!!
The Adventure Time games have taken a stab at various different gameplay styles, but it’s Hey Ice King, Why’d You Steal Our Garbage that takes the cake as one of the best. Having a structure similar to games like Shovel Knight and Zelda II, you control Finn as he sidescrolls through the Land of Ooo. Add some branching paths along the way and a more open style to the game, and you’ve got a respectable product for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
24 Overrated: Fire Emblem Fates
Fire Emblem: Awakening cemented the series as one of Nintendo’s top franchises. While it paved the way for more games in the West, the subsequent releases in the form of Fire Emblem Fates were fairly lacking.
Fates had an inconsistent difficulty spike, maps that seemed extremely uninspired, and a graphical style that was largely inferior to when the series appeared on the GameCube. If you absolutely need a Fire Emblem game on 3DS, check out Awakening or Echoes instead.
23 Underrated: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was a lovely homage to the phenomenal music of the entire series with a few RPG elements added along the way. However, that formula was perfected with the release of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call.
Curtain Call ups the amount of songs (even including some from other Square franchises), brings in new characters, and tightens the gameplay even more. The rhythm gameplay is so tight that even people who aren’t familiar with the series can still get enjoyment out of it.
22 Overrated: Tomodachi Life
Collectathons and simulators can be fun when put in the same room, but Tomodachi Life doesn’t really try to convince you of that. While it has some cute jokes and writing, the novelty doesn’t last very long.
After a few hours with the game, you’re left with an experience that feels hollow, directionless, and like it has no purpose.
If you’re interested in having a more casual simulator game, definitely play Animal Crossing: New Leaf instead... you’ll get more mileage out of it.
21 Underrated: Fantasy Life
If you think that Animal Crossing is fun but lacks true purpose, then you might want to give Fantasy Life a try. This massive RPG puts you in the driving role, allowing you to select up to 12 different lives (or jobs).
You can learn all of them in whatever way you want, and each one of them makes the game feel substantially different.
You can play it like a standard monster-defeating RPG, or you can go more casual and spend your days woodcutting or tailoring to complete quests. It’s a truly open game that didn’t get the credit it deserved.
20 Overrated: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is a good game on its own, but as a Luigi’s Mansion game, it doesn’t work too well. By splitting up the game into bite-sized missions, it loses a lot of the creep factor that was present in the original release.
There were multiple mansions this time around, but none of them were as well-structured or designed as the one in the GameCube release.
It’s a respectable game, but one that falls short to the original in almost every way.
19 Underrated: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends Of The Titan
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan does it hardest to convince us that first-person dungeon crawlers can still be worth playing. The game is a very old school RPG, complete with a brutal difficulty. However, it also has great world design, a fantastic musical score, and a wealth of customization options that make it worth getting invested in. Many people skipped it because of the old school design, but we assure you, it’s fantastic entry in a fantastic series.
18 Overrated: Pokémon X And Y
Pokémon’s first foray onto the 3DS was in the form of X and Y. It brought the series completely 3D with a new region and new mechanics.
While it all sounds nice on paper, the games were severely lacking.
The story was extremely weak and by the numbers, the game was painfully easy, and there were so few things to do after you beat the Elite Four that it left you feeling that the game was incomplete. It was nice graphically and musically, but that’s about all it had going for it.
17 Underrated: Pilotwings: Resort
The only sincere flaw with Pilotwings: Resort is that it’s a tad short. Other than that, it’s a respectable and fun game that sees you flying through the skies of Wuhu Island. It has a great tie to Wii Sports Resort, and having the Miis take center stage was a great way of giving it a new identity. With some great visuals and challenges to complete, it was a fun game that, while not worth full price, certainly didn’t get the credit that it deserved.
16 Overrated: Bravely Default
Bravely Default is a good game, but every problem it has is practically solved by its unsung sequel, Bravely Second. Bravely Default has a painful ending sequence that nearly breaks the enjoyment of the game up until that point.
It sends you through the same cycle of bosses and side quests four times in a row.
In order to get the “True Ending” you have to complete all of these quests, regardless of the fact that are carbon copies of each other. It’s a painful end to what could’ve been an otherwise fantastic game.
15 Underrated: Monster Hunter Stories
If the standard Monster Hunter experience is too complicated, then Monster Hunter Stories is definitely the way to go. This game trims out the grinding fat of the franchise and goes for a more simplistic take that feels more like a traditional RPG. The game also has a new, cartoonish art style that looks much better on the 3DS than the standard realistic graphics. Couple that with the game getting its own line of Amiibo, and it’s definitely a great release that was overlooked by many.
14 Overrated: Super Mario 3D Land
If Super Mario 64 DS was any indication, 3D Mario platformers don’t control well on handheld consoles. As you might expect, the same is largely true with Super Mario 3D Land.
However, this game was based on levels rather than worlds, making the experience feel more artificial than the platformers that had come before it.
It looked nice when you turned the 3D on, but it is extremely inferior to Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U.
13 Underrated: Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
At first glance, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars doesn’t sound like it’d be a good fit for the 3DS. However, you’d be wrong. This game resembles the series in name only. Instead of a shooter, it’s a tactical action game similar to XCOM.
Not only is it one of the best-looking games of its time, but it’s the gameplay that shines.
You can take on hordes of foes, set traps, and shoot your way to victory. What makes it even better is the fact that it has plenty of content to keep you hooked for weeks.
12 Overrated: Mario And Luigi: Dream Team
At some point, it felt like Nintendo was going through the motions with the Mario and Luigi games. Mario and Luigi: Dream Team is an example of this. The story and humor were all forgettable at best and the game suffered from tutorials that broke the pace. Any time something new was introduced, you were subjected to a tutorial that couldn’t be skipped. On top of that, the Dream World causes a lot of battles to overstay their welcome.
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater is undoubtedly one of the best games in the series. What most people forget is that it was ported to the 3DS. Much like Ocarina of Time 3D, this version of Snake Eater cleans up the visuals a little bit and places all of the HUD on the second screen, leading to a clearer experience. The 3D visuals are a nice touch, leading to the game being on par if not better than most first-party releases at the time. It also helps that the original game was still intact and held up well.
