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Incoming! The 10 most anticipated 3DS games for 2014

2014's hottest 3DS games

Incoming! The 10 most anticipated 3DS games for 2014
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3DS

I'm going to be honest: writing this list was not easy. That's mainly because there really aren't that many exciting games in the pipeline for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014.

Of course, though, we could be pleasantly surprised by some unexpected announcements during the course of the year.

At this moment in time, however, there aren't really many stellar 3DS titles on the horizon. I struggled to come up with just ten new games, to be honest. Let alone ten exciting ones.

Still, here are the 3DS games we think you should be frantically waiting for next year.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe
By HAL Laboratory - out in 2014

I'm honestly not a massive Kirby fan - the little pink blob has never really piqued my interest - but Kirby: Triple Deluxe may well change all that.

It's a puzzle-platformer in which you have to save your mortal enemy King Dedede from danger by climbing the World Tree and sucking in anything that moves (as per usual for Kirby).

We're talking trees, trains, wrecking balls, anything that gets in your way essentially. It's all looking rather cute and clever, which is exactly what I'd expect from a Nintendo platformer.

Yoshi's New Island
By Arzest - out in 2014

What do we know about Yoshi's New Island? Well, it's definitely another Yoshi's Island game, with immediately familiar gameplay and level design.

But there are some differences. The visual style is the big one, a sort of watercolour / papier-mâché mash-up that is as unsettling as it is unique. Meanwhile, there are plenty of new items thrown in, such as giant eggs that can smash through walls.

We're not 100 percent convinced that this is going to be a smash hit, but that won't stop us from highly anticipating another Yoshi adventure.

Super Smash Bros.
By Sora Ltd - out in 2014

This one's been a long time coming. It was first revealed way back at E3 in 2011 (although development on the game didn't actually commence until 2012.)

The Super Smash Bros. series is always a huge laugh, with players gathering around the TV to do battle as well-known video game characters. The big question, of course, is whether the gameplay will translate well to individual handheld screens.

Either way, this is a game that is going to help Nintendo shift 3DS hardware by the bucketload. We can't wait to get our hands on it.

Mario Golf: World Tour
By Camelot - out in 2014

The Mario Golf series is a weird one. Every game is meticulously designed and great fun to play, yet you rarely hear people naming them as the best Mario games. Probably because, you know, golf.

Still, with Mario Golf: World Tour on the horizon, we'll be happy to jump back into this niche franchise in which Camelot always manages to make the art of whacking a ball with a club far more accessible than the real thing.

And there'll be online multiplayer golf tournaments this time around, which is a scary proposition. Expect many of your hours of free time to dwindle down to nothing, 'thanks' to stroke after stroke of above-par action.

Treasurenauts
By Renegade Kid - out in early 2014

You know Renegade Kid as the developer behind Mutant Mudds. Now, the team is taking on a larger-scale project, as known as Treasurenauts.

It's classic 2D platforming, with plenty of enemies to kill, traps to dodge, and bombs to throw. By unlocking power-ups and upgrades, you'll then be able to go back and gain access to new areas.

What's cool is that you'll be able to tackle the entire game in two-player local co-op fashion, if that's your cup of tea.

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney
By Level-5 and Capcom - out in early 2014

The world of puzzling gem Professor Layton combined with the hard-hitting courtroom drama of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Can you even begin to imagine how wonderful that would be?

We actually don't need to imagine, since we've already played the Japanese version. We thought that it was rather lovely. Of course, with the upcoming launch of the English version, we can't wait to get busy all over again.

Expect pointy fingers, random people who have puzzles for you to solve, and plenty of neat anime cutscenes from this glorious franchise mash-up.

The Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pup
By Chris Seavor - out in 2014

This one is from the guy who made Conker's Bad Fur Day. I bet that made you sit up and listen, eh?

The Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pup is the story of a dog's head strapped to a wheel. It's just as dark as it sounds. Apparently, it will be a little bit like Lemmings, but not THAT much like Lemmings. Right, okay.

As you can probably gather, there aren't many details on the game floating around the interweb - there isn't even a video of it yet - but it looks gorgeous, and we're very keen to get our teeth around it.

Yumi's Odd Odyssey
By Natsume - out in early 2014

There's a fairly odd Japanese series of games called Umihara Kawase that involved your slashing your way through a world of mutated sea creatures as a Japanese schoolgirl.

Now, the franchise is making its way to the West for the first time, in the form of Yumi's Odd Odyssey. It looks as though it'll be a side-scrolling platformer with crabs to kill and hooks to swing around.

Whether it'll actually be any good is another story entirely, but we're always excited to see a quirky Japanese series reach our shores.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
By WayForward - out in early 2014

WayForward's Shantae series has failed to disappoint up to now. The original Game Boy Colour platformer was solid stuff, and the DSiWare release Risky's Revenge also stirred up funny feelings in our nether regions.

Now, there's a Nintendo 3DS Shantae game on the way, and it's hopefully going to be just as entertaining as the previous ones.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is the first game in which our half-genie protagonist has lost her powers, and is learning how to cope without them.

That won't stop her from going on an adventure, though. This time around, she'll be teaming up with her enemy Risky to regain her powers and defeat a new evil in the world.

The Lego Movie Videogame
By TT Games - out in February 2014

I'm going to level with you here - The Lego Movie Videogame is included in this list because, quite frankly, I've run out of interesting-looking Nintendo 3DS games for 2014.

That's not to say that The Lego Movie Videogame won't be any good. Most likely, it'll closely resemble all the other Lego games, and therefore be kind of enjoyable but pretty 'safe'.

If you're a Lego game fan, though, then you'll no doubt be watching out for this one anyway.

Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.