I stopped by my local Best Buy earlier today to see if they have a playable 3DS kiosk and I was right. Pilotwings Resort is the only game playable in demo form as Nintendo pretty much made the flight parts of Wii Sports Resort into its own game with the Pilotwings name along with some additional stuff that wasn't in the Wii game. I think the island is nearly the same from that game as you fly around with various vehicles completing missions. From planes, jetpacks, to hang gliders, there is a sense of variety of flight in the game, but it definitely looks like a launch game content-wise. The missions in the demo had me flying through rings in expected Pilotwings fashion and shooting targets (also from the Wii game). As a launch game, Pilotwings Resort seems fine to me, but not really killer-app (or must get) worthy during this window.
As for the handheld itself, I'm happy how similar it is the normal DS other than the significant additions. Of course, there is the 3D, which is the selling point, as you can use the slider to toggle between 2D and 3D. Most importantly, the 3D effect works for the most part without glasses, which is proof that the concept can work. Besides that, I didn't really notice any crazy 3D stuff playing Pilotwings, but the screen is indeed functional. The analog pad also seems to be a fine addition to the handheld for primary movement. I'm curious how Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition will be handled with that since the d-pad is under the analog pad as I would be rather using the d-pad for execution purposes. I can see why putting your eyes close to the screen can get a little tiresome after hours of playing as Nintendo does tell you the ideal distance to play it at the kiosk for safety precautions. Also, not to rag on my Best Buy, but for such an upcoming device like the 3DS, you would put it somewhere front and center rather than be hidden somewhere in the back to increase promotion and get people interested if they're not sure.
After my brief time with the 3DS, the handheld seems fine as they kept what was necessary from the normal DS Lites along with adding the 3D and the analog pad. Pilotwings Resort seems to be okay for a tech demo, but nothing else. Also these kiosks are not designed for tall people like me as it is more catered to kids, so its weird to me to play it bending a little bit to see everything. I still want to try out other games like SSFIV3D before coming up with a better opinion. Plus, the launch lineup is still pretty bare bones when the thing comes out on the 27th, but I'm expecting to sell like hotcakes at the gate since its still a well made handheld by Nintendo and the name alone would be enough for people to get it right away. We just to have to wait a little longer for better games that will take advantage what the system is capable off in the coming months, but at least its another excuse to play more Pokemon Black & White.
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