2011 Games To Watch #8: Nintendo 3DS

Okay, so it's a console, not just a game but the signs for the Nintendo 3DS are looking very promising. Before the recent European Nintendo conference, the eagerly awaited handheld would have been higher up the list- now things are very different with a £230 price point rumoured to be attached. No matter how impressive the no-glasses technology is, this is still essentially just an upgraded version of the original DS and the launch titles don't exactly give sound 'must-have': Street Fighter; Nintendogs (and Cats); Combat Dinosaurs, the only first-party title by Nintendo is Pilotwings Resort, and with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario and Mario Kart all near finished that just doesn't seem good enough. Oh well- the 3DS is still another addition to the handheld race and that just makes 2011 a more exciting year for gaming. Keep an eye on this one: once some killer apps are out for the Nintendo 3DS and it's below £200, things might shift in its favour in the same way as it took a while for the first DS to get going!