Hardware attachments are always met with mixed reactions and the latest addition to the Nintendo 3DS is no exception.
Where some see this bulky attachment that adds a second Circle Pad onto the 3DS hardware as a costly addition that perhaps should have been included in the first place, others will see new opportunities for the handheld to offer new experiences only possible with two sticks.
If you’re unsure whether or not the Expansion Slide Pad will benefit you, here’s five upcoming 3DS games are not only perfect fits for this new peripheral but will be better for it.
Monster Hunter 3G
Despite huge success on Sony’s PlayStation Portable, two sticks are always better than one and that’s certainly the case with the Monster Hunter series. Even franchise supervisor on this upcoming 3DS version, Ryozo Tsujimoto, has dubbed the extra Circle Pad ‘the secret weapon’ to playing Monster Hunter 3G like its home console counterpart.
The fact that both a new Monster Hunter and a second Circle Pad attachment have been announced in the same day suggests a bundle is likely to launch the the new peripheral.
The Resident Evil series has never had the best of luck when it comes to an accommodating control schemes. With Revelations set to bring back some of the frights that the series has been missing of late, we’d rather not see the infamous tank controls reanimated.
Revelations already boasts some rough move-and-shoot controls and fans have had time with Mercenaries 3D’s to get used to this new layout but we’d argue that the addition of a second analogue stick could make the scariest Resident Evil in years less of a shocker to play.
Luigi’s Mansion 2
We’re thrilled to see Luigi step back into the shoes of ghost-busting hero but a recent hands-on with the game unearthed some concerning control issues. With only one Circle Pad available, Luigi’s Mansion 2 lacks the ability to aim the Poltergust 5000 whilst moving Luigi around with the other.
We found ourselves constantly tripping up over those tug of war struggles with ghouls to the point that we’d welcome back the twin stick controls that made Luigi’s first foray into the unknown so compelling.
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
If we had one complaint about the exceptional Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker it was the game’s cumbersome camera controls that turned the PSP’s face buttons into an poor man’s right analogue stick.
The bad news is that same camera control is set to return in 3DS remake Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D. The good news is that this Expansion Slide Pad could remedy an issue that’s plagued the portable Metal Gears to date.
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Though many are looking forward to the 3D comeback of Pit, our excitement has been tempered by one niggling issue. We’ve played Kid Icarus: Uprising more times than we can count and every time we’ve walked away with hand cramps.
Yes, the Circle Pad is one of the great additions of the 3DS but when it comes to utilizing both it and wielding a stylus simultaneously, us left handed gamers are left struggling. With a second analogue located on the other side of the console, our fears of uncomfortable sessions of Kid Icarus: Uprising might be put to rest.
Tags: Kid Icarus Uprising, Luigis Mansion 2, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, Monster Hunter 3 G, Nintendo 3DS, Resident Evil Revelations
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