Pokemon Rumble World (3DS) Review

Time for another Nintendo 3DS review in this totally Nintendo 3DS month here at SuperPhillip Central. Pokemon Rumble World is the fourth installment in the Pokemon Rumble spin-off series of Pokemon games. It originally released in free-to-start fashion last year. Last month it received a physical retail version. Here's my in-depth review.

I'm a Pokemon Boy. In a Pokemon World.

Last year, Pokemon Rumble World released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop with a free-to-start version. It offered the full game, but many things were dependent on earning Poke Diamonds, the main currency of the game. You were limited in what you could do per day because you lacked this important currency. Now, a year later, Pokemon Rumble World has entered retail form, eschewing the mobile-style business model that stymied players. While that's all well and fine, is Pokemon Rumble World worth the $30 asking price?

After every 10 new Pokemon species you befriend, you reach a new Adventurer Rank.

The hub world of Pokemon Rumble World is known as Castle Town. This area houses the Balloon Stop, where you can visit the game's levels, the Castle, where you can take on one of the king's requests to further the story (however, annoyingly, you only get one new request each day, and the Shop, where you can spend money and Poke Diamonds on an exhaustive amount of goods. These goods range from new hot air balloons to take you to new areas featuring brand-new Pokemon, clothes for your Mii, stat boosts in the form of trees, and special goodies like a Diamond Miner that grants you 40 Poke Diamonds per day.

Speaking of which, the big difference between the free-to-start version of Pokemon Rumble World and this retail version is that at the beginning of the game you can visit a special section of the Shop to automatically receive 3,000 Poke Diamonds from the king's exhaustive supply. With these you can purchase new hot air balloons as stated earlier, but also use these to re-inflate used balloons. Once you use a hot air balloon, generally you have to wait a specified cool-down period until the balloon re-inflates, ready to be used once again. However, with so many Poke Diamonds available to you, you can just spend one Poke Diamond to restore a given hot air balloon to its inflated glory.

The roulette wheel is as annoying in the beginning of the game as it was in the free-to-start version.

Each hot air balloon houses multiple stages in Pokemon Rumble World, featuring different Pokemon to uncover and collect. However, for a good while in the game, what stage you play is totally dependent on a roulette wheel. It's basically based on luck regarding which stage you play. Later in the game you can purchase the ability to stop the roulette wheel wherever you want, and you can even get a special hot air balloon that takes you to a series of stages featuring Pokemon you haven't yet collected, making the other hot air balloons almost worthless. 

Regardless, the actual stages of Pokemon Rumble World feature one of over a dozen locale types: from beaches to forests, grasslands to deserts, and so on. These stages are extremely linear, rarely ever offering a multiple path to take. Each stage is devised up of three to four short areas, and they all end with a boss battle. These boss battles put you against a large version of a rarer Pokemon in an arena style battlefield. Defeating the boss Pokemon, while dodging the attacks of a plethora of smaller Pokemon, brings the exit to the level, a hot air balloon piloted by your Mii, into play. 

A big time boss awaits your Pokemon at the end of each stage.

Overall, stages play out well for the handheld formula, only taking upwards of three minutes to complete, and that might be overestimating still. While it's nice that stages are linear enough that you'll never ever get lost, especially with the game pointing out where the portal to the next area is at all times, this results in some boring level design. I would have loved to see more labyrinthine dungeon-like areas, perhaps with some hidden treasure inside. That said, for the purposes of simplicity, what's here in Pokemon Rumble World works well enough.

You can use the StreetPass and SpotPass features of the Nintendo 3DS to call up other Miis into your game. From Castle Town, you can invite other Adventurers into the hub. Every five Miis entered into Castle Town gives you one Poke Diamond. Meanwhile, these new found Miis will also randomly be in Pokemon Rumble World's stages. Once you rescue them from assaulting enemy Pokemon, they will follow you for as long as their HP gauge has some life in it, occasionally tossing to your Pokemon helpful items like Potions and stat-boosting items like X-Speed and X-Defense. 

Thank you, Andy. There will be an extra bonus in your paycheck this week.

Adding Pokemon to your force of pocket monsters doesn't play out like the mainline series. There are no Poke Balls to chuck at a rival Pokemon in a weakened state. Instead, as you smash and slam your way through the linear levels of Pokemon Rumble World, defeated Pokemon will sometimes transform into immobile toy form, ready to be picked up by your current Pokemon by simply moving over it. Most of the time, though, a defeated Pokemon will just drop money, but as your Pokemon Adventurer Rank rises from collecting more and more different Pokemon species, the chance of a beaten Pokemon turning into a Pokemon you can have join your side gets larger. 

For a greater probability of having a defeated Pokemon join your side, you can defeat them while they are in a wobbled state. This temporary state is the result of both luck and a powerful attack. The Pokemon will then stand in a confused and bewildered state, and if you can empty their HP gauge while they're in this state, you are 100% guaranteed to be able to have them join your side. Purchasing something called a Wobble Tree from the in-game shop helps to affect how often Pokemon will enter this dazed state. There are multiple levels of trees in Pokemon Rumble World to buy, and these trees can affect everything from how much money you earn from fallen Pokemon to boosting every Pokemon in your possession's attack, defense, and speed.

Surrounded but not surrendering.

No two captured Pokemon are the same, or at least it's incredibly unlikely (exponentially so) to ever capture two exactly alike Pokemon. This is because each Pokemon not only has a power level that shows how strong and how much HP a particular Pokemon has, but each Pokemon also possesses at most two different moves, usually relating to its type, whether it be fire, water, grass, and so forth. Like the mainline Pokemon games, what type of Pokemon your controlled pocket monster is means that attacks used on it that are super effective on it will result in huge HP losses. Fortunately, using a super effective move (such as Fire Spin on an Ice type Pokemon) will result in a quick beatdown of your opponent.

These Water type Pokemon are going to regret dealing with the Electric type Pikachu.

The combat in Pokemon Rumble World is simple, perhaps too simple for most players. However, for me the basic two button attack system, one button for one move, one for the other, worked for me. It resulted in a relaxing battle system, albeit quite mindless, save for the boss battles. Even then, those fights mostly result in attacking a boss from behind and moving out of its way when it charges up for an attack. 

There are over 700 Pokemon to collect in Pokemon Rumble World, and that task alone will take you some time to do. It's quite enjoyable and exciting to befriend a Pokemon that you've been hunting for a long time, as since the chance for befriending a Pokemon increases as your Adventurer Rank rises, you won't find yourself grinding as much for new Pokemon as you were at beginning of the game. Also as your rank rises, you can purchase new goods from the Castle Town Shop. Finally, there is a massive abundance of titles to earn, achieved by completing in-game tasks, such as collecting all of a certain type of Pokemon. Some of these are just for show while others unlock new outfits for your Mii, as well as backgrounds and frames for your Mii's profile picture.

From cemeteries to the treetops, there are plenty of locales to "explore" in Pokemon Rumble World. 

Pokemon Rumble World is a basic brawler with even more basic level design. If you can find enjoyment from amassing an army of toy Pokemon, ever befriending new, stronger Pokemon to your cause, then you'll have a lot of fun with this game. If you've already invested money in the free-to-start version, then it's a bit challenging to recommend you purchase this $30 retail version. Though through buying the retail version you need not worry about waiting times for hot air balloons to inflate, being short on Poke Diamonds so you can't buy a certain goodie from the Shop, or some other way that the free-to-start version limits your enjoyment of the game. Overall, Pokemon Rumble World is simple fun, and I emphasize the fun part.

[SPC Says: B-]

Why Wii U is More Than Still Worth It: 25 Fantastic Retail Games

Despite being labeled a "dead" console (which is weird as I'm enjoying a dead console greatly more than "live" ones), the Wii U is still coming out with interesting releases both physical and digital. This article focuses on the former, showcasing some of the best retail releases on the Wii U in its short lifespan.

It's easy after looking at this list to see why some argue that the Wii U has the best exclusives out of any home console on the market. Obviously game-wise, the Wii U pales in comparison thanks to its utter lack of third-party games, which both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are showering in.

Nonetheless, this list of 25 retail titles show that the Wii U is very much worth owning, even if its future prospects aren't at all the brightest. Essentially, these are the best Wii U games the system has to offer retail-wise. Since this article is image-heavy, check it out after the break.

The 21 Best Nintendo 3DS Games Released on the Market So Far

UPDATE 4/11/15 - Added a game to make it the 21 Best Nintendo 3DS Games Released on the Market So Far.

The Nintendo 3DS is a beast of a handheld. I don't mean in hardware-- I'm talking solely about its excellent library of games across a myriad of genres. It's without question my favorite platform this generation, and it seems like it's going to take the crown all the way to the conclusion of this era of consoles and handhelds. From Nintendo's sensational first party output to the great games released by third parties, the Nintendo 3DS library is locked and loaded with exquisite titles.

This list of my 21 favorite Nintendo 3DS games is only based on physical releases. If I added in digital-only titles, I don't know if I would have been able to keep the list under 30! That is just a testament to how fabulous the 3DS library is.

After you've given my list a gander, I'd love to read your thoughts on your favorite Nintendo 3DS titles!

21) Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance 

Sure, the story doesn't make a lick of sense, but when you have action-packed gameplay so good, who cares! The combat and platforming in Dream Drop Distance was something to behold, allowing Sora and Riku to enter much impressive combos and feats of strength, such as spinning around poles to smack right into foes. The music and visuals are high caliber to go along with the strong gameplay, all making for a Kingdom Hearts adventure worth having.

20) Mario & Luigi: Dream Team 

Full of unneeded tutorials, yes, but when they're written with humor, it's not so bad. Mario and Luigi's latest quest together brought them from the land of the sleeping to the land of the awake, delivering innovative gameplay, a wealth of intriguing locations, and a humorous story in the process. The timing-based combat featured in past games was as strong as ever, and made each battle engaging instead of a "Mash A to Win" fest that plagues so many other RPGs.

19) Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

The last chapter in the Professor Layton series as we may as well know it, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy brought a heartfelt goodbye to the franchise's long-standing characters. The amount and quality of the game's trademark brain teasers and puzzles were superb, the presentation was top-notch, and the added modes allowed for an experience that could go on long after the satisfying ending and accompanying credits were over.

18) Mario Kart 7 

What it lacked in content, Mario Kart 7 made up for with tight racing action, a grand selection of tracks to race on, and cool new kart modifications that made karts speed around by land, by sea, and by air. The process to unlock kart parts was obnoxious, but at the same time there was always something to strive for, whether online or off. Mario Kart 7 is a sound racer that I still play to this day, and the wonderful gameplay, track design, and online all help me do just that.

17) Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Taking the Triple Deluxe name (3D, get it?) and implementing it to make some highly creative levels, Kirby: Triple Deluxe didn't rework the Kirby formula. In fact, it felt like an offshoot of Return to Dream Land. However, the level design and gameplay in general were both so tight that this didn't matter. Levels stretched from the foreground to the background, showing off the Nintendo 3DS' 3D abilities to great effect. Four new Kirby powers and a host of content make this Kirby game a must-have for fans of the pink puffball.

16) New Super Mario Bros. 2 

Many passed on New Super Mario Bros. 2 or relegated it to "just another New Super Mario Bros. game", but for me, the title was a promising look at the future developers within Nintendo. The game's development team was mostly comprised of younger staffers, and these staffers allowed the level design in New Super Mario Bros. 2 to have some very clever and unexpected challenges to it. It's not as surprising or as revolutionary as Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario World were to their respective eras of gaming, but with New Super Mario Bros. 2, it didn't have to be. It was pure, unadulterated platforming fun, and that's all I wanted from the game. It delivered in that regard.

15) Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

What I consider the definitive version of one of the best Donkey Kong Country games, Returns 3D brought with it better controls, eight new levels, and glorious stereoscopic 3D. It also featured an easier mode for those who didn't feel up to the original game's challenge, and boy, was there ever a challenge to be had! Despite a halved frame-rate when compared to the Wii original, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D manages to still be fabulous handheld version of a great game.

14) Resident Evil Revelations 

Despite no longer being a Nintendo 3DS exclusive and having console versions readily available now, the Nintendo 3DS original Resident Evil Revelations is still a terror-iffic title that is sort of a compromise between the survival horror of the early Resident Evil games and the focus on action of titles in the series like Resident Evil 4 and on. The story while corny was quite interesting with its episodic structure, cool twists, and fun characters. The action was intense, and Raid Mode kept me occupied for hours upon hours. Overall, it's a really good take on the Resident Evil series.

13) Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon 

I enjoyed the original Luigi's Mansion on the GameCube, but that game was more of a tech demo, a graphical showcase of what the GameCube could do in its early life. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon felt more of an adventure with much more depth, creativity, and content. Exploring not one but a handful of mansions with various traits to them was a lot of fun, and the mission-based structure allowed for different objectives in the same mansions. It all equals a grander adventure than the original, incredibly competent Luigi's Mansion. It shows that Next Level Games certainly is an asset to Nintendo and its fans.

12) Fantasy Life

I was finally able to complete the goal that my dad had said to me, and I finally got a life. Actually, I got TWELVE of them! To be truthful, my dad never said to get a life, but that wouldn't have allowed me to make that joke. Anyway, while the story is short and a little monotonous, the main draw of Fantasy Life is taking up one of twelve jobs (or Lives) and completing tasks to earn points that allow you to level up your job. A Blacksmith can level up to forge much better weapons and armor. Throw in some terrific action-RPG goodness, and you have Fantasy Life!

11) Fire Emblem: Awakening

This wasn't my first Fire Emblem game, but it was the first one I actually completed (or even got close to completing, for that matter). It helped that this edition of Fire Emblem was more inviting and welcoming to players thanks to the totally optional Casual Mode. It made a game that would otherwise be very frustrating and unforgiving much less so for those who wanted to go that direction (e.g. me). The killer presentation, engaging tactical battles, and great gameplay created a Fire Emblem that was fit for all rather than just a smaller niche of people.

10) Star Fox 64 3D

I shot, blasted, U-turned, and barrel rolled in this remarkable remake of one of the Nintendo 64's greatest hits, Star Fox 64. This 3D version may have had a weaker multiplayer component to it (especially with no online), but the base game was as fantastic as ever, offering multiple paths, high scoring opportunities, and a massive amount of replay value. It says a lot about this N64 classic that I can still come back to it year after year and enjoy shooting down Andross' army.

9) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

While predictably inferior to its big brother, the Super Smash Bros. series' debut on a portable device was a fantastic one. The game's exclusive Smash Run saw a lot of play time by me, and the new stages included were quite well conceived for the most part. My favorite part of the solo side of Smash is collecting all of those trophies, an addicting prospect that I certainly stood up and took the challenge on. Despite being on weaker hardware, the full Smash Bros. experience was available on the Nintendo 3DS in handheld form, and that is mighty darn impressive.

8) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D 

Containing one of the most living, breathing worlds in gaming history, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was long awaited remake of the now-inferior Nintendo 64 original. Adding helpful tweaks to benefit the gameplay experience to make it a marked improvement over the original, Majora's Mask 3D is the definitive way to play and explore Clock Town and the land of Termina. The lack of dungeons was something I thought I minded, but I found the substitution of venturing in the world and making new discoveries instead of more dungeons to be a highly satisfying one. Seriously though, I don't much care for the new Gyorg battle.

7) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call 

My favorite music game, bar-none, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is a Final Fantasy fan's dream come true. Over 200 songs, multiple playable characters, a wealth of unlockable content that opens itself to players on a steady basis, and new modes like Quest and online battles all add up to a rhythm game that pours out content and lovely tunes. It's a great game even if you don't care for the series it represents.

6) Kid Icarus: Uprising

A fair portion of players had trouble adapting to the controls of this game, and moreover some even felt pain while playing it. I wasn't one of those people, so I fully enjoyed the return of Pit and Palutena in Kid Icarus: Uprising. From the game's humor to its excellent fast and fluid combat, to its excellent soundtrack and voice acting, I loved all that Kid Icarus: Uprising had to offer. Whether playing online or tackling some of the challenges to unlock content a la Kirby Air Ride, Pit's return to glory was one that I was honored to play. I hope Masahiro Sakurai gets time to another project that isn't Smash-related.

5) Mario Golf: World Tour 

An odd choice perhaps, but Mario Golf: World Tour somehow outplayed my favorite golf games, the original Nintendo 64 Mario Golf, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, and We Love Golf! If those aforementioned games were eagles, then World Tour was an albatross. The amount of content, unlockable Mii costumes, brilliantly designed courses, challenges, Castle Club solo mode, characters, online tournaments, online play in general, and DLC were all immense and fantastic. All of that easily makes Mario Golf: World Tour not just my favorite golf game but one of my favorite 3DS titles.

4) Animal Crossing: New Leaf 

My older brother and I have spent a collective total of over 700 hours. We've since stopped playing the game, but that was after a colossal amount of time. The improvements to the Animal Crossing series were apparent and very much welcomed. The amount of customization to your town was phenomenal, and the addictive nature of the Animal Crossing series was quite apparent within New Leaf.

3) Super Mario 3D Land 

A no nonsense 3D platformer that is a brilliant compromise between 2D and 3D Mario games. Has excellent level design with some truly clever hidden secrets, and the special worlds are enjoyable takes on the previous eight worlds with some unexpected twists. In addition to that, the 3D effect is still one of the most pronounced and helpful on the 3DS.

2) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 

I gave this game a rare 10/10. The game isn't perfect, but a 10/10 meant close to perfection. The wall merging mechanic opened up so many ingenious ideas with the world and dungeon design, the freedom of the game was something I hadn't felt since the original NES Zelda (though not as open), and the game overall emanated polish from every legendary orifice. It was a nostalgia trip on A Link to the Past, but it was also its own magnificent beast.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D 

My favorite game of all time got even better with the additions of improved visuals, touch screen inventory management (making equipping the Iron Boots less of a hassle), and gyro aiming. Still my favorite Zelda game and still my favorite game of all time. There's nothing more that needs to be said. That's just awesome Ocarina of Time 3D is.

Wii Sports Club (Wii U) Review

Capping off this week is a new review for a game that released late last month, Wii Sports Club. It's five sports in one, don't you know! Here's our review.

Can't get enough Wii Sports? Then join the club!

When the Wii originally launched in 2005, many Nintendo fans latched onto the system for the promise of playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. However, it would actually be Wii Sports that would become a killer app for the mainstream, as well as for folks who had never picked up a gaming controller in their lives. Since the Wii bubble has burst, Nintendo has tried (and unsuccessfully so) to regain the magic and enthusiasm of the world with the Wii U through release sequels to various Wii series games on the system. Previously released digitally on a per-sport basis, Wii Sports Club finally has been given a retail release with all five of the original Wii Sports in one physical package. Should you join the club?

Wii Sports Club features the same five sports featured in the original Wii Sports, only this time they've been given added options and features. The most notable two of which are full Wii MotionPlus support and online play for each sport. The visuals have been drizzled with a high-definition coating, but try as Nintendo might, no one is really going to believe for a second Wii Sports Club is wonderful or impressive to look at. In fact, they might just believe the opposite.

Upon the get-go of starting up Wii Sports Club, you're able to join a regional club for your territory, state, area of the world, etc., where you earn points for each win you record, as well as have the ability to post Miiverse words of encouragement that show up within crucial moments of the various sports (e.g. when you achieve a home run in baseball or reach match point in tennis). You are not stuck with the initial club of your choosing. You can switch clubs as you wish, but there is a 24 hour waiting period you must sit through if you wish to change again. A lesson in not being wishy-washy perhaps.

As for the actual sports, tennis has you playing doubles either with an AI or human partner or with you controlling both partners at once. Player movement is done automatically, so what you're required to do is swing at the ball with a forehand or backhand swing in order to make sure the ball stays within bounds and that your opponents can't hit it back to you. Not only is the type of swing important, but so is the timing of your swing. It can become frustrating when you constantly and confusingly hit the ball out of bounds, and yes, that WILL happen a lot at first. However, like most of the sports in this Wii U compilation, practice makes perfect. Well, not perfect, but it will make you better!

Bowling allows you to choose between doing ten frames of traditional 10-pin bowling or the popular version around the SuperPhillip house, ten frames of the 100-pin bowling. It's pretty much all in the wrist with bowling. Curving your throws to get the perfect trajectory to make consistent strikes and spares is what it's all about. Of course when you have one pin standing up, throwing it straight also is of the utmost importance. You can move along the starting line with the d-pad of the Wii Remote, hold a button down, wind back and then toss the bowling ball down the lane, hoping for the best.

What I consider the most difficult of the sports to learn and ordinarily do well in is golf, which offers three unique courses to play through. This is one of the two sports in Wii Sports Club that utilizes the GamePad in some way, but here it's pretty gimmicky. The GamePad is to be set under the Wii Remote and serves as your power gauge and tee. For me, this was a literal pain in the neck (and back). Those who love to just grip it and rip it need not apply. Wii Sports Club golf requires multiple practice swings to get a "swing" of things, and even then you can still mess up your swing rather easily, totally ruining your chance for even par.

Perhaps my favorite of the sports in this collection is baseball. Not only does it play well with the Wii Remote, the Wii U GamePad use is rather novel, all things considering. Baseball consists of a three inning game where teams take turns pitching and batting. The pitching team uses the GamePad's built-in gyroscope to aim at the plate somewhere, while one of four face buttons determines the type of pitch and speed. When a ball is hit towards an infielder or outfielder (both automatically move towards the ball), a red circle appears on the GamePad screen, indicating where the ball is. If the GamePad player lines up the circle of the player with the circle of the ball for a long enough duration, then they'll successfully catch it.

Meanwhile, the batter doesn't have to worry so much about strength in their swings with the Wii Remote, but instead they need to focus on their timing. Hit too soon, the ball will be hit right, while hitting too late will make the ball fly to the left. Maybe I got that backwards, but you get the point hopefully. There's no sudden death or extra innings to speak of. All there is is a five run mercy rule for those teams who just can't catch a break from the baseball gods.

Lastly, boxing is the final sport in Wii Sports Club. This can be played either with one or two Wii Remotes at the same time. The Wii Remotes are used to lean left and right to dodge and to get openings, as well as to make offensive assaults onto opponents. It's not just about wailing on your opposition, however. You need to also be holding your gloves (the Wii Remotes) to block punches by your opponent, too! While many matches can devolve into tiring waggle fests, I actually found myself enjoying what boxing had to offer.

Each of the five sports come with various practice mini-games to focus on particular aspect about the sport. For instance, your baseball bat timing is tested by how well you can aim for colored panels of varying points. Time your swings right to earn the most points. Then there's a bowling mini-game that gives you three tries apiece to knock down all of the pins that form a particular shape. The mini-games allow you to get a groove going before you try to tackle opponents both in AI and human form.

The latter is easily available no matter if you have friends and family near home or not. That's because Wii Sports Club offers online play. Each of the five sports can be played online either with a fellow Wii U buddy on your friends list or a total stranger. Wins and losses are recorded, and you earn points for being victorious. Depending on you and your opponent's connection, lag can either be small or very noticeable. It's usually the former, but when it does get bothersome, it can be especially aggravating. Another knock on the online play is that voice chat is totally unavailable. In its stead, you can map three custom phrases to the up, left, and right directions on the d-pad. Of course, these must be given the okay by Miiverse mods before you can use them.

Overall, Wii Sports Club is a recommended purchase for those who have the time to learn each sports' eccentricities and controls. If you're looking to waggle like in Wii Sports, you're not going to have much fun, unless losing all the time is something that excites you. Wii Sports Club has a lot of idiosyncrasies to its controls, and if you have the patience to practice and learn them, you'll find yourself having a better time than someone who does not. Online play may not be perfect, but it is serviceable, and the extra modes and achievement-like stamps gives you something to shoot for when you're not owning others or getting owned yourself online. There's plenty of worse clubs out there to join, so you should at least give Wii Sports Club an honest try.

[SPC Says: 7.0/10]

Top Ten Nintendo 3DS Retail Games of the System's Second Year

On March 27, the Nintendo 3DS celebrated its second anniversary in the North American market. We've had lots of great times with Nintendo's stereoscopic wonder, and the great times seem to be coming much more often now. Remember that launch? Yeesh. Things have really turned around with the combination of a well-timed price cut and an influx of stellar software. Like we did last year, we're naming the ten best Nintendo 3DS retail releases of the last year. Will your favorites be included or left out? Regardless of the outcome, we're sure we've got some 'splaining to do!

10) Paper Mario: Sticker Star

We start off the countdown with a game that disappointed longtime Paper Mario fans. The exclusion of partners was killer, and so was the lack of new characters. Heck, even the puzzle solutions were uncharacteristically obtuse for a Mario RPG. So what went right with this game then? Well, the experiment of using stickers for battle, collecting new ones, and keeping enough coins to purchase others was one that worked in our opinion. The music is also the best we've heard yet in a Paper Mario game. And even with all of the issues (and there ARE issues) with the game, Paper Mario: Sticker Star was still an enjoyable experience.

9) Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning

Welcome to Echo Valley, population: dwindling. With a tale no doubt inspired by the real world, the denizens left in the desolate town lost nearly all they had to their names thanks to a rotten economy. Thanks to your loving parents (or maybe not so much since they're making you do lots of back-breaking labor in running a farm) have left you a farm to build and grow. Along the way you'll find materials and building blueprints to slowly build a thriving new community-- better than ever before! Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning is the best Harvest Moon entry in a long while, and playing is indeed believing. Who knew life on the farm could be so much fun?

8) Style Savvy: Trendsetters

This was decidedly a game that we did not expect to love so freaking much. It's Style Savvy: Trendsetters, a game about storming the fashion world, slowly building your fashion empire from humble beginnings. Yes, you start as an apprentice for a local fashion celebrity, and soon you gain control of your own shop. As you satisfy the needs of your customers, you gain new clothing brands, styles, and areas that you can visit in town. Then there are all the fashion contests you can try to dominate. With thousands of clothing items and loads of content, Style Savvy: Trendsetters isn't for everyone obviously, but for those that give the game a chance, they will find that is really rewarding and entertaining.

7) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

A Final Fantasy rhythm game where Square Enix can charge you for DLC tracks? And since the music is so phenomenal you WILL want to buy and download new tracks! Why didn't they think of this game sooner!? Theatrhythm Final Fantasy originally released on the Nintendo 3DS before a smaller, less complete version went on iOS devices. It has you tapping, sliding, and touching the bottom screen in time with the musical prompts. Level up your armada of Final Fantasy all-stars and let them gain new helpful abilities. A rhythm game like no other, Theatrhythm is one of SuperPhillip Central's favorite rhythm games period.

6) Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Despite the inane plots and elements of Kingdom Hearts (sure, Nomura, I totally understand why the game is called Dream Drop Distance), you will find an abundance of exciting action with Kingdom Hearts 3D, the prelude to hopefully and finally a Kingdom Hearts III. The game features a new combat system called Flowmotion, which has Sora and Riku slinging around poles, bouncing off walls, and spinning around foes to help assist with defeating the Dream Eater menace. It makes for combat that is some of the most exciting the series has yet seen. With multiple difficulties, awesome Disney cameos, sensational Yoko Shimomura-composed music, and the aforementioned amazing action, Kingdom Hearts 3D is an essential purchase for any RPG fan and Nintendo 3DS owner.

5) Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Professor Layton has a love and hate relationship with the two of us at SuperPhillip Central. We love the quirky charm and characters, the stories, the presentation, and all those puzzles, but at the same token we hate it when we overlook such a simple solution to a seemingly difficult puzzle. (We also hate those sliding block puzzles.) That "aha" moment is something we don't get too often in games nowadays, and Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is chock full of them. The game looked into Professor Hershel Layton's past this time, and it made for a story that was intriguing and touching too. If you're a lover of Layton like SuperPhillip Central, then you no doubt already have this game. And if you don't, what are you waiting for?

4) Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

The behemoth-sized encounters that make the Monster Hunter experience so cherished in Japan has finally released in North America with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. The added benefits of centering the camera on your intended target and accessible touch screen controls make for one of the better portable Monster Hunters on the market. The game is also available on Nintendo's Wii U. If you own both copies of the game, you can transfer your monster hunting character to and from both versions of the game. Really cool, but Sony did it first! (Har-har.) Whether you're a fan of taking the game on the road with you or if you prefer to play at home, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate has the types of colossal confrontations that will have you clamoring for more, playing until all hours of the night.

3) Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

The Year of Luigi starts out right with Mario's cowardly but cute twin brother once again entering the ghost-busting business in an effort to rid the ghosts from multiple mansions and restore the pieces of the Dark Moon. This 3DS sequel to Luigi's Mansion offers a new mission-based structure, incredibly well thought out boss battles, clever puzzle design, multiple cleverly hidden secrets, and gorgeous visuals. Next Level Games really has really improved under Nintendo's guidance, and this is coming from the studio that developed and designed Captain America: Super Soldier! Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is a humorous and charming game that was well worth the wait for patient Nintendo 3DS owners.

2) Fire Emblem: Awakening

Although rampant shipping issues marred this otherwise impressive debut for Fire Emblem on the 3DS in North America, we managed to track down a copy of the game and enjoy it. The game featured both the classic mode, where perished characters are gone for good, ones that you have built an emotional investment and attachment to, and a beginner-friendly casual mode, where downed characters return after the battle. The presentation values are grand with animated cutscenes, an orchestrated soundtrack, and a story that spans three unique acts. Fire Emblem: Awakening is a stellar entry in the strategic RPG series.

1) New Super Mario Bros. 2

Soulless. Tired. Rehash. These are some of the words that critics describe New Super Mario Bros. 2 as. However, we at SuperPhillip Central think of the game differently. We see levels that consistently bring something new to the table. We see secrets that are expertly hidden. Most importantly, however, we see a bright future for the Mario franchise. The game was made by a new, less experienced team that went through a crash course of 2D Mario level design. The end result is our favorite game from the past year on the 3DS. Hey, you can't fault us-- we're platform game whores!

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That's our list of the top ten Nintendo 3DS retail games of the system's second year, but we're curious as to which games would make your list of top retail games. Do you agree or disagree with our order? What games would you remove? Which would you add? We left out Mario Tennis Open and Etrian Odyssey IV, for starters. Let us know your thoughts below in the comments section. As for this year, it's already looking fantastic with Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Pokemon X/Y already announced. It's a good time to be a Nintendo 3DS owner.