Nine years after a harsh release and changing landscape, the Nintendo 3DS ended up to be the little handheld that could. In a time when standalone handheld systems were out of vogue if they couldn’t multitask, Nintendo managed to release a beast of a portable device and packed it with some very impressive and unique technology such as glasses-free 3D and the wonderful StreetPass software. While it was not as powerful as the PlayStation Vita or ubiquitous as the iPhone, the 3DS managed to stand out and find its audience thanks to an expansive library that still has a slew of exclusives worth checking out today. Very few companies take risks on strange and sometimes impractical tech for the sake of video games, and in the case of the 3DS, I do not think we will see something this unique from a major gaming publisher in a long time.

1. Fire Emblem Awakening

Incredibly, this was to be the last Fire Emblem game in the long running turn-based strategy games, but the success of this one game has kept this franchise alive to this day. Yes, Awakening has caused many of the newer games to become light “dating-sims” that irk a lot of the fans, but the added side conversations give the characters and setting some much needed flavor. The game is loaded with strategic battles and some of the best maps in the series, and the only way to play it currently is on the 3DS. Highly recommended not only for the series, but certainly one of the must haves on the handheld.

Keep reading