We love our iPhones, and they're utterly spectacular gaming devices. But that doesn't mean we're blind to the wonders of other gaming systems. It would be silly to ignore the successes of developers on other platforms. This year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the Nintendo 3DS showed off some fantastic software. With several iOS developers showcasing many different ways to bring 3D apps to iOS (and with us not wanting to shell out $250 for a 3DS,) we decided to make a list of all the games that are coming out for the 3DS that we're hoping will one day get ported over to the iPhone and iPad.
To keep this list at least somewhat realistic, we've chosen not to include games that are made by Nintendo. Simply because hoping Nintendo will start releasing their games for the iPhone just isn't very practical. It'd make for a pretty boring article where we restate the obvious fact the we'd all like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda to be available on all systems, but it's not really worth talking about.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Unless you're a hardcore console gamer you may never have heard of the Metal Gear Solid series, but it's legendary amongst the hardcore. This installment is among the most celebrated, and it's getting a 3D rerelease on 3DS. It's a stealth-based action game that takes influence from old spy movies like James Bond (hence the provocative title.) It takes place deep in the jungle as an operative attempts to stop a nuclear threat. The sense of style is amazing, and the big band 1960s soundtrack is legendary. If we could get one game on iOS this would undoubtedly be the one.
Resident Evil: Revelations
We've gotten a few solid Resident Evil games on iOS before, but nothing that even approaches the larger versions that have released on other systems. What we really want is a truly canonical Resident Evil game that matches up against the console and handheld versions. Resident Evil: Revelations would be more than enough to sate our desires. We've got an "itchy tasty" craving to blast some zombies, and uncover Umbrellas secrets on the iPhone. Make it happen, Capcom!
Heroes of Ruin
The dungeon-crawler is back in style these days, and Heroes of Ruin is the first to bring this genre to the Nintendo 3DS. While it doesn't look like it'll be radically reinventing the genre for Nintendo's handheld, the more hack 'n slash loot gathering we can get the happier we are. The iPhone is rife with all manner of gaming genres, but dungeon-crawlers aren't one of them. Dungeon Hunter pretty much has the platform all to itself. What say we give it a bit of competition?
Dream Trigger
This particular game might be a little bit difficult to pull off, considering it technically requires both of the 3DS's dual screens, but if it worked it could be spectacular. Dream Trigger plays sort of like a fast paced game of Battleship. The key is the fact that you can't see any of the enemies that are shooting at you on the top screen, until you tap the square where they're located on the bottom screen to reveal them. This game might be a little bit cramped on the iPhone, but the iPad has more than enough screen real estate to handle it.
Crush 3D
Crush was almost entirely ignored when it first came out, but not because it was a bad game. More so because it was on the PSP, and very few North Americans closely follow the PSP. Nevertheless, it was an amazing puzzle game. You had to maneuver around labyrinthine levels that existed purely in the main characters sub-conscious. The name "Crush" refers to the character's ability to smoosh the 3D level down to 2D at any time to create new possibilities for moving around the level.
Cave Story 3D
When discussing independent video games, it's hard to ignore Cave Story. It's a 2D pixel-art adventure game that holds a massive fan base of rabid supporters. And for good reason. The game is spectacular, and fans will rave about the emotional experience Cave Story inspired in them. Seeing as how iOS is the platform of choice for independent games, it just doesn't seem proper that the undisputed king of the indies wouldn't get a release on iOS.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D
Stealth games have a less than stellar history on handheld systems, but we're willing to take a risk with Splinter Cell. This classic military spy thriller first released on the original Xbox, and we can't wait to see it in 3D. There have been many Splinter Cell games since the first one released, but the original is still possibly the best. It may not be an original experience, but it's better than most of the games that get released these days.
Ridge Racer 3D
The legendary arcade racing series is coming back to Nintendo's handheld again this year. Ridge Racer has seen a ton of releases across countless systems over the past two decades, but has received only one iOS release (the junktastic Ridge Racer Accelerated.) The series deserves so much better, and iOS gamers deserve a proper entry in the series.
Ace Combat 3D
We're sure the 3DS version of Ace Combat (a flight combat game) will be perfectly decent. However, there's just no genre the iPhone is better suited for than flight sims. There's no doubt that the iOS version of this game would trump the 3DS version. Several other flight sims have proven it in the past, but the flow of flight sims on iOS have all but stopped lately. Hopefully we can jump start things again with some Ace Combat.
Tekken 3D
Dead or Alive: Dimensions was one of the better games to be released on 3DS when it launched. To be honest, it was a pretty big surprise to most gamers. Fighting games on handheld consoles have been pretty wretched in the past when compared to their big brothers on the consoles and in the arcades. With that proof of concept out of the way, we're very excited for Tekken 3D. That said, we'd be even more excited if Namco Bandai would see fit to give us an App Store port.
