Pocket Gamer's Top 10 Games of the Year 2011 - Nintendo 3DS Edition

The 3DS has had a rocky start in life. It arrived on the scene with an inflated price tag, a mediocre collection of launch games, and tabloid headlines about how playing for too long made your head explode. It wasn't the best launch ever.

But, Nintendo and friends have worked tirelessly to rescue the device from the brink. And after a huge price drop, some essential exclusives, and Ninty cramming the eShop with digital goodies, here we are.

This three-dimensional gadget has only been on shop shelves for nine months, and we quite confidently picked out ten great games for it. We've got epic ports from yesteryear, huge system-selling headliners, and a few downloadable treats.

Follow us as we count down the very best games from the 3DS's debut year.

Super Mario 3D Land
By Nintendo

This bouncy platformer is a mix tape of Mario's legacy. It borrows levels from Galaxy, items from Mario 3, environments from Mario World, and puts fresh twists on enemies from Mario 64.

But, while it might spend more time cribbing from past games than coming up with its own ideas, Super Mario 3D Land spins these ingredients in fresh and unique ways. Stages are now bite-size morsels, for example, which let you chew on two or three on a bus ride.

Older levels are brought back with fresh twists - new power-ups and rules, a shadowy doppelganger who chases you, a ticking timer - to give the game a longer life. And the subtle 3D effect makes the game pop without distraction.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
By Nintendo

It's obvious that Nintendo sees Ocarina of Time 3D as the archetypal Zelda game. Heck, almost every subsequent game has been a direct sequel or a knowing prequel. With all these games, Nintendo was clearly trying to capture Ocarina's magic touch - and it wasn't subtle about it.

But, can you blame The Big N? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is the quintessential fantasy adventure. It's got the epic world, the fearsome boss showdowns, the princess and her keep. It reinvented the way Zelda games work, and introduced elements that are now part of Hylian lore.

Plus, it's even better in 3D, as Hyrule's endless fields stretch into infinity, while scowling lizards lunge out of the screen.

StreetPass Quest
By Nintendo (Preloaded application)

Yes, we admit it: it's not exactly a game. You can't buy it, and it doesn't come on a cartridge. But, this built-in quest is more memorable than most RPGs from the last decade. For a start, it's a monster-basher powered by walking and generally orbiting around other humans.

You can use coins (earned by steps) to hire backup warriors, while nearby 3DS owners who you StreetPass become impromptu protagonists in this lengthy battler. Then, it's about carefully using your team's skills to dispatch ghosts, knights, and piles of slime.

It's not the most deep role-player around, but it does encourage a totally different style of play from anything else on this list. It forces you to get out and get walking, and to go to places where you can meet people. It's the antithesis of most video games, and that's what makes it so wonderful.

Starfox 64 3D
By Nintendo

It wouldn't be unfair to categorise the Nintendo 3DS's first few games as a bunch of remakes, ports, and rehashes. But, does it matter when the source material is so sweet?

StarFox's N64 outing was an electric thrill ride with smart levels and classic bosses. It's just as good in 3D, whether you're playing with the Circle Pad or using the console's gyroscope to pilot Fox.

Plus, the multiplayer mode (offline only, sadly) is wicked fun - especially when you use the camera to put a photo of your gloating mug above your Arwing.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
By Capcom

Portable pugilists: rejoice! This year, Capcom managed to squeeze one of this generation's best brawlers into a pocket-sized frame.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition comes complete with a dojo-full of fighters, all the special moves, and online matches, plus a dynamic over-the-shoulder camera mode that plays up the 3D effect.

It also makes smart use of StreetPass in a way that most other games have since ignored. You collect tiny figurines and create a team of fighters. Then, when you pass by another Super Street Fighter IV fan in the real world, your two teams go head-to-head without your even knowing. Stats are swapped and a winner is declared ready for the next time you flip the lid. Clever stuff.

Cave Story 3D
By Nicalis

Cave Story was indie before being indie was cool. Before everyone on Twitter decided they'd like to make their own game, and before every game developer decided to quit his job and go solo.

Cave Story, a pixelly Metroidvania adventure, was there at the start. But, since then it's blown up, cultivated a cult following and, now, become a proper 3DS game. With a box and everything.

Still, nothing's been lost in the intervening years. New visuals, sure, and remixed tunes, we admit, but it's still painfully retro, still bouncy, still crunchy, still utterly charming. It's still Cave Story.

Pullblox (a.k.a. Pushmo)
By Intelligent Systems (available on the eShop only)

Pullblox is a paradox. The game starts all cutesy and kiddy, with kindergarten colours and plush-toy heroes. It looks like a game for the under-sixes, and the tutorial's patronising pace suggests the same.

But, after a few levels of this smart 3D puzzler - which involves tugging out a mosaic of boxes to build a ladder you can climb up - suddenly Pullblox isn't so friendly. It can be a rock-hard game, with levels that squeeze your prefrontal cortex and test your logic centres.

So, don't let the presentation fool you. This is a Nintendo-level production, with the precision game design you expect from any Intelligent Systems title.

Mario Kart 7
By Nintendo

After 30-odd years, it's become clear that Nintendo franchises don't change much. Link still treks through dungeons, Mario still bops turtles, and Pokeheroes still pick from a trio of critters in the first half hour.

Mario Kart, too, has gradually fallen into a template of blue shells, unlockable karters, and retro levels. But, it's hard to fault it when so much of the design is timeless.

It never gets old to bomb around Rainbow Road or fire a red shell at Yoshi on the last turn, and going toe-to-toe with a friend is a potent joy whether you're connected by a ropey GBA Link Cable or the World Wide Web.

Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
By Ubisoft

How about something with a little more tactical bite? Something cerebral and smart in this sea of twitchy shooters and bouncy platformers?

Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, from X-com co-creator Julian Gollop, is the 3DS game for the thinking man.

You needn't be a turn-based master to enlist, though. By streamlining certain elements, drawing new players in with a gentle learning curve, and explaining the tougher concepts in a detailed tutorial, Ghose Recon: Shadow Wars welcomes strategy pros and turn-based greenhorns alike.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions
By Team Ninja

If Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition doesn't fully satisfy your face-punching taste buds, hopefully this beat-'em up from Team Ninja will do the trick.

It's fast and furious, like previous DOA games, but now the action pops out in 3D. Best yet is the fact that this game is bursting with modes, including a great online system, loads of extra goodies to unlock, and even an interesting StreetPass twist.

The game will analyse your play style and make a ghostly doppelgänger for you. This digital dude will then silently fight other Dead or Alive: Dimensions players while you're walking down the street.