Most people returning from this year's E3 games conference claimed that Nintendo 3DS was the highlight of the show. In his blog from the show, ONM Editor Neil said "Nintendo hasn't just won E3 this year - they've smashed it to pieces, put it back together and then displayed the whole thing on a see-it-to-believe-it 3D screen.". It wasn't just us who held that opinion either. In their Nintendo 3DS review CVG called the handheld the most important piece of entertainment technology in decades. This week those of us who weren't lucky enough to travel to E3 discovered that they were right.
Nintendo showcased its amazing new handheld at a special event in London this week and we were there to see (almost) the best of what it has to offer. We say almost because Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and Star Fox weren't there. But we still managed to see demos of Mario Kart 3DS, Metal Gear Solid: The Naked Sample and Resident Evil plus go hands on with Nintendogs & Cats and Pilotwings. And with what we've already seen at E3 we've compiled a list of the 10 best 3DS moments so far. Here it is...
1. Metal Gear Solid Best 3D moment: The bees The fact that Hideo Kojima is making a 3D version of Metal Gear Solid 3 for 3DS proves that the best developers in the world are excited about the handheld. This demo - called The Naked Sample - is just Kojima showing off what he could do with 3D. It begins with Snake moving slowly through the Jungle and viewed from a first-person perspective, there's so much for the eyes to take in - leaves fall towards you, an alligator elegantly glides past you, butterflies flutter about and the flower field at the end is stunning but our favourite bit is when you clap your eyes on the bees nest. You instantly know that something is going to happen and sure enough, as Snake crosses a bridge, a bee buzzes behind him. It's soon joined by a swarm which attacks Snake, leaving him hanging from a bridge. Astonishing.
2. Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Best 3D moment: Link rides Epona Denied the opportunity to see Ocarina Of Time in London, we'll just have to go on what we saw at E3 - the title screen. But this isn't any old title screen. It's Ocarina Of Time for heaven's sake. This means it's Link on the back of Epona riding across Hyrule in glorious 3D. Even if you ignore the fact that it's 3D it's amazing to see Ocarina Of Time brought up to date with stunning visuals.
3. Mario Kart DS Best 3D moment: The Blooper The first game we saw in London. It looks great as Mario drives around Peach's Castle and Wuhu Island yet it appeared to be a game that perhaps didn't need to be 3D until a Blooper turns up in front of Mario and shoots black gunk at the screen. This is where it all comes alive as your view is obscured but you can still see Goombas in the distance bounding towards you. Brilliant.
4. Resident Evil Revelations Best 3D moment: Jill and Chris stand off The 3D effect may not be as impressive as what we've seen in Metal Gear but the visual quality is right up there. Remember the trailer you saw last month? You thought it was all CGI cut-scenes didn't you? Well the fact that you can move the camera around with the control stick during the demo proves that it is real time. The three-way stand off between Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and a mystery man who looked like Hunk from Resident Evil 2 threw up one big question that needs to be answered. Why is Jill pointing a gun a Chris Redfield's head?
5. Star Fox 64 3D Best 3D moment: Dodging falling pillars The last few Star Fox games (Command on DS and Assault for GameCube) have been disappointing so it's good to get back to basics with a return to the superb space shoot 'em action of the N64 classic. We say basic. That's if you could call a beautifully crisp reimagining of the first level in glasses-free 3D basic. Flying games seem perfectly suited to 3D gaming (see Pilotwings and Kid Icarus) and dodging falling pillars from the seat of our Arwing was one of the finest moments we've experienced on 3DS so far.
6. Pilotwings Resort Best 3D moment: Flying high with the Rocket Belt 3D just gives you a great sense of distance, a moment you'll experience for yourself when you get the Rocket Belt in Pilotwings Resort. Of course you should attempt to burst five balloons within the allotted time but we soared as high as we could go in order to get a great view of Wuhu Island below us. We failed the mission but it was worth it. Also worth a mention is the fact that you can land on the duelling platform where Wii Sports Resort's sword fights took place.
7. Kid Icarus Uprising Best 3D moment: Pit's sparkling wings It's good to have Pit back but as most of you will know, this is a completely different experience from his old NES platformer. It appears to be a Sin & Punishment-style blaster but Pit's power of flight doesn't last forever so he returns to ground from time to time to blast enemies. While running around shooting enemies looks like it will be fun, it's the flying moments that truly shine in 3D with Pit's wings sparkling beautifully as red beams blast across the screen.
8. Nintendogs & Cats Best 3D moment: Throwing the boomerang When we picked up Nintendogs & Cats, we wondered if this was a game that wouldn't benefit at all from being in 3D. As our mutt sat in the corner of the room chewing on a tennis ball, it just looked a bit like the last game. But that all changed when we chucked a boomerang at our dog and watched in amazement as he chased after it before turning on its heels and grabbing it inches from our face as it curved back towards us.
9. Films Best 3D moment: The potential In London we saw the trailer for Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, a new 3D film from the makers of Happy Feet. It looks quite good when the owls fly towards you but let's face it: this ain't Avatar. Yet the fact that we're even watching a 3D film on a handheld without needing to wear glasses is impressive. To get the same experience in your living room currently costs over £1,000.
10. 3D Camera Best 3D moment: Pointing at the screen I started by taking a picture of ONM's Chris Scullion and wasn't that impressed with the results but for the next picture, he pointed at me and that's when the 3D came to life. Once you've taken the picture you have to use the control stick to merge the frames in order to get the full 3D effect. It's cool when manage it and you almost want a sound effect to accompany the moment when you hit the sweet spot.
