Bought a 3DS XL and need some game suggestions

Hey everybody! Yesterday I sort of impulse bought a 3DS XL and Super Mario 3D Land. I would love to get some suggestions from the community as to what you guys think the best games on the system are. The last Nintendo systems I owned were the Game Cube and the GBA, so I've missed out on years of DS games as well.

I'm open to basically any genre, but I would really appreciate it if everyone could explain why they like the games they are suggesting. Even a brief reason is better than just listing titles. I bought the system because I know that there are a lot of unique and interesting titles available for the DS and 3DS, so keep that in mind (not going to play COD on my 3DS, for example). Also, if there are any accessories that I should pick up, feel free to mention those too.

Thanks in advance for all your help, everyone. (And happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US, and Happy Random-Ass Thursday to everyone in other parts of the world!)

EDIT: I meant to post this in the 3DS forums, but totally didn't. Maybe a mod could move it?

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_DS

Basically anything from that list for DS. There are too many good, unique titles on the DS to fill a forum post with.

So far for the 3DS I have enjoyed:

Mario 3D Land

Ocarina of Time

Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars.

Mario Kart 7.

I'm going to be picking up Virtue's Last Reward on friday, I hear it's great. It's a sequel to a DS game 999 which you should definitely check out.

me too, but the non XL version.

Kid Icarus is excellent, in my opinion. Great humor, solid gameplay, interesting loot/weapon mechanics. 
 I was also a big fan of Final Fantasy Theatrythm, if you like either final fantasy or rhythm games (or even better, both). 
Kingdom Heard 3D if you are interested in that series at all, I am a huge fan. Action rpg with solid combat, crafting, plenty of random side stuff.   
Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward is a brilliant visual novel, one of my all-time favorite games  without a doubt. Story is fascinating, excellent characters, great twists, and solid puzzles (all this also applies to the DS prequel, 999) 
 
If you are at all into importing/playing japanese games, Bravely Default Flying Fairy is excellent. 
 
There are far too many DS games for me to detail why I like all of them, but I'll throw a few out anyway:   
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, SMT: Devil Survivor 1 & 2 
Final Fantasy III, IV 
Dragon Quest IX
The World Ends With You 
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors 
Any Phoenix Wright/Ace Attorney/Apollo Justice/Investigations 
Radiant Historia 
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia 
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days and Re:Coded

Mario 3D Land is a must, best mario game I've played since galaxy

Zelda OOT, a good remake with some graphical improvements, also includes master quest mode after completion

Final Fantasy Theatrhythm (spelling?), a surprisingly addictive rhythm game, if you enjoy final fantasy music or a good rhythm game its a must buy

Others I've heard are good but have not played yet: 
paper mario
professor layton
Zero escape: virtues last reward, ive played 999 and loved it, this is the sequel tho its recommended to play 999 first.

@NyxFe said:

Kid Icarus is excellent, in my opinion. Great humor, solid gameplay, interesting loot/weapon mechanics.

Ok, so I am really interested in Kid Icarus (the original was one of my very favorite games as a kid), but how necessary is the stand? I don't believe there is a version of it for the XL, which is one of the reasons I didn't buy it. Is it actually uncomfortable to play without it?

Ocarina if you havent played it yet. Still very playable and its a classic. Layton and Paper Mario. People are giving paper mario a bit of a hard time, but i think its pretty damn good.

@Kerned said:

@NyxFe said:

Kid Icarus is excellent, in my opinion. Great humor, solid gameplay, interesting loot/weapon mechanics.

Ok, so I am really interested in Kid Icarus (the original was one of my very favorite games as a kid), but how necessary is the stand? I don't believe there is a version of it for the XL, which is one of the reasons I didn't buy it. Is it actually uncomfortable to play without it?

So I just bought a 3DS XL on an impulse much like you last month. I tried out Kid Icarus from Gamefly and just could seriously not play it due to cramping and just plain uncomfortableness. If you play it in 10 minute chunks, it might work, but the on-foot sections are ROUGH.

I also recommend the Tom Clancy: Shadow Wars game if you're like for a sort of Advance-Wars type TBS.

@Rmack said:

I also recommend the Tom Clancy: Shadow Wars game if you're like for a sort of Advance-Wars type TBS.

Yep, I LOVE Advance Wars. My favorite game for the GBA, by far.

bought the xl on day one, have never owned a ds before so the only games i have is

pokemon conquest (for when my nephew comes to stay and i need a breather from mig) and theatrhythm and that game is awesome

so these are just some games i have heard was good

• kid icarus (might need hand surgery afterwards)
• dragon quest V
• Henry hatsworth's puzzle
• trauma center under the knife
• resident evil something something
• super scribblenauts
• rhythm heaven
• kirky mass attack
• phoenix wright ace attorney (or any phoenix wright game)
• professor lauton (all or any of them)
• elite beat agents

that what i can remember right now

edit: forgot ghost trick

Make sure to buy Pushmo (Pullblox) and Crashmo (Fallblox) on the eShop! Fantastic puzzle games that you can play forever with an included level editor. Also, VVVVVV and Mutant Mudds. Two retro-inspired platformers on the eShop that are hard as nails but crafted with love and a lot of fun to play due to tight controls and simple mechanics.

Kid Icarus: Uprising also comes very recommended. It should be a lot easier to play with the XL as I imagine it's easier to hold. The writing in the game is just on another level. Crazy awesome shooter action (with a ridiculous soundtrack).

@NyxFe said:

Kid Icarus is excellent, in my opinion. Great humor, solid gameplay, interesting loot/weapon mechanics.

Ok, so I am really interested in Kid Icarus (the original was one of my very favorite games as a kid), but how necessary is the stand? I don't believe there is a version of it for the XL, which is one of the reasons I didn't buy it. Is it actually uncomfortable to play without it?

What a coincidence, I just bought one a few days ago as well. I for casing/screen protectors I bought a DSi XL case, it happens to be almost the exact same size as a 3DS XL so the cases are usually compatible. If you're looking for screen protectors Hori is supposed to be a reputable source so I also grabbed this. In Canada the pricing was a bit different, the case was only $5 after shipping while the screen protectors ended up being something like $18. You don't really need either one of those but I have a long commute every day so I carry the 3DS with me for entertainment and the rumoured streetpass. Mario 3D Land is actually the first game I bought as well and at the moment the only 3DS game I own so I'm in sort of a similar situation. If you're looking for that "only on DS" type of experience then there's a huge library of games but it would be helpful if I knew your tastes.

I fully recommend the Professor Layton series, the gameplay can really be boiled down to a series of logic puzzles but it's really the rest of the game that makes it so great. It's got a great art style that looks like some sort of Anime/French fusion. Matching the art style is a mellow soundtrack that picks up when necessary, lots of quirky characters all wrapped around a charming story. The recent 3DS iteration is the 5th gaming entry to the series and the final entry to the prequel trilogy (second entry was a film) so you could check that out, I haven't been keeping up with the series lately so I can't say how much you should know going in. Taking a quick look online, the very first DS game is a bit pricy but it seems like the rest of the series can be found for $15-$20 a pop used or $20-$30 for new.

@NyxFe: Is Kid Icarus playable without the stand? I've nearly bought it preowned a few times but it's always game only.

• Mario 3D Land 
• REvelaitons 
• Mario Kart 7 
• Pullblox 
• Mighty Switch Force

Thanks everyone! There are a lot of good suggestions and resources in here. You guys didn't let me down.