One of the neatest additions to the Nintendo 3DS library may have been leaked just before the handheld’s launch.
Nintendo has been secretive about 5 of the 6 card-based augmented reality games that will ship with the Nintendo 3DS at launch. However, an unnamed source has apparently told Wired details on the full lineup that will turn our reality into Nintendo’s.
The game Nintendo already showed off was called AR Archery (in addition to non card-based Face Raiders), where players scan a card with a “?” block on it and then proceed to shoot digital targets, and eventually a dragon, that appear in reality by aiming with the 3DS’s gyroscope. It’s a short experience, but definitely something 3DS owners will enjoy.
If the source can be believed, some of the rest of the games are just as inventive. AR Shot is a cross between pool and miniature golf where you have to hit a ball across real world objects while moving the 3DS around at different angles to aim. Fishing turns a surface into a pond, with players having to avoid a shark while trying for the biggest catch possible. Graffiti allows users to create 3D drawings with various effects and brushes, and once it’s finished you can manipulate the image.
The other two “games” are called Star Pics and Mii Pics. I use the term “games” loosely, because these are apparently just 3D figure viewers of characters like Mario and Link, and player-created Miis. Nintendo showed this off at previous events, and it’s basically just a demo of the handheld’s 3D capabilities.
Nintendo hasn’t trumpeted augmented reality like you’d think it would with such an innovative experience, but maybe it’s just waiting until consumers understand the concept better. These games are really one of the more interesting aspects of the system, so Nintendo ought to do more with them than just what we’ll see at launch.
The Nintendo 3DS will be released in Japan on February 26, in Europe on March 25, in North America on March 27, and in Australia on March 31.
Source: Wired
