Hey all, I figure this is the best place to get some on-the-ground info on this subject.

I am looking for advice on purchasing a 3DS. For some reason hearing stories about Bravely Default triggered some deep dark middle-school era yearning for a good Japanese RPG, and there are enough games on the platform at this point that a purchase seems worthwhile.

Nintendo currently has an offer where registering a 3DS and a specific game from a short list in March will net you a download code for Pokemon X or Y, which would be one of the 3DS titles I was planning on purchasing anyway. So now that I'm on the path towards pulling the trigger, I have the following questions:

1) 3DS XL, right? Any reason not to go XL?

2) Of the five games that are applicable (Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins and Yoshi's Bullshit New Island) I think I'd go Super Mario 3D Land. I know the bombcast had a bit of a love affair with Animal Crossing, but as someone who's never played Animal Crossing and who often loses interest in fairly structureless objectiveless games it seems like Mario is the safer choice. Also, it's Mario, that shit is THE classic.

3) 3DS storage. What's the deal with it? I know on my XBOX One if I ever own a physical game it will because something has gone terribly horribly wrong. I have to register a cart of one of the above games, but is every other game I'm interested in (Link Between Worlds, Bravely Default, etc.) available for digital purchase/download? I mean they are giving out a Pokemon download code so at least one of their mainline games is available digitally. I have to assume they all are, right?

4) More 3DS storage. Can I upgrade that stuff? Most that I've seen come with a 4 gig sd card, can it go beyond that? How big are most of the full downloadable games?

5) Games. Beyond the ones mentioned above do you have any specific recommendations? Steamworld Dig is probably a yes for me. Is it still recommended to get up on that Pushmo grind? What about Crashmo?

Sorry if some of that is pretty basic. I've paid little to no attention to the 3DS (or DS before it) based on them being crappy kids toys and I'm a core gamer and headshots headshots gamerfuel headshots dorritos. However the current shape of my life means there's an opening for mobile games, so I'm sort of floundering. Sort of a lack of buyers guides this late into a life cycle.

I really appreciate any and all advice!

I recently got a 3DS about a month ago so I just went through this same process/

1. Yes

2. I'd also go with Mario

3. Most (if not all) games are available for download on the store (Zelda, Bravely, and Fire Emblem all def are)

4. You can upgrade all the way up to a 32gb card. From what I understand that nets you around 200k blocks, most games are around 4k blocks.

5. Fire Emblem, Snake Eater 3D, any DS games you might be interested in

1. XL. After I started using my XL, I just cannot go back to the regular 3DS - it just feels so...tiny.
2. That's not a question...
3. http://www.giantbomb.com/nintendo-3ds-eshop/3045-138/
4. You can definitely use bigger SD cards. Usually they are under a GB. Bravely Default is 3.24 GB, Link Between Worlds is 685 MB, Super Mario 3D Land is 512 MB, Pokemon X and Y are 1.7 GB.
5. Shadow Wars, all the Picross games, Virtue's Last Reward (make sure you play 999 first though).

Ha, excellent point. I should have probably put something in there inviting someone to give me an alternative viewpoint on it.

And thank you and @nasar7 both.

XL. I have an easier time keeping the 3d illusion on the XL than on the regular 3DS. To be fair, any 3d setting past the very first notch that turns it on gives me horrible eye strain.

It's a nice sized screen and while the 3ds XL is really portable, it's battery life is such that you can't haul it around like you could the DS. So, the DS always followed me in my jeans pocket. The XL travels with me in my pack.

I bought a Transcend class 10 32 gig SDHC card from Amazon for $20. Works perfectly and it's fast.

1. Yeah, XL is the best way to go. The regular 3DS becomes hilariously small after using it for awhile.
2. Good choice.
3. Almost any retail game is available on the e-Shop. I know the ones you listed are for sure.
4. Yup, and unlike the Vita you can use pretty much any SD card, so you can get a lot of storage for really cheap. I think 64 GB is the highest amount you can go, which is plenty considering 3DS games are pretty small.
5. Can't really give a whole lot more recommendations beyond the titles you said you were (and weren't) interested in, but I would definitely suggest you take a look at the DS library as well.

Also they are not crappy kids toys. :l

From the eShop you should also check out Attack of the Friday Monsters, Crimson Shroud and Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies. Of course Fire Emblem and Zelda are musts.

Plus you have the whole DS catalogue you can pick up for super cheap. Chrono Trigger, The World Ends With You, 999, Ace Attorney, Dragon Quest IX, Infinite Space, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow and of course Ghost Trick.

The only game you'll really need is Hotel Dusk, though.