“Too many ports!” consumers cried as they looked at the list of upcoming 3DS games after the system’s launch. With titles like Street Fighter, Ocarina of Time, and Star Fox taking most of the spotlight, it seemed the handheld’s early life would be devoid of truly new content.

But there sat Nano Assault, hiding away in the shadows during the busiest gaming season of the year, just waiting to be picked up by lovers of score based, arcade style action.

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A new Nintendo system means a new Mario Kart game. That’s just how things work. So here we are with the seventh entry in the chaotic kart racing series (not including the Namco co-developed arcade games). Aside from it being one of the very few first party games currently available on the 3DS, why should you care about yet another Mario Kart game?

The answer is simple: Mario Kart 7 is easily one of the best games in the series.

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Sonic and I have had a rocky past. Sure we had our fun in the 16-bit era when I first got my hands on a Sega Genesis and the original Sonic the Hedgehog. As the series progressed to include Knuckles and its crazy snap-on cartridge, I was rapidly losing interest in the little blue guy. Then along came the Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure which hooked me once again. That is until I came across the levels starring anyone but Sonic. When I hit the first Big the Cat section, I left the game for good. I’ve played a few levels from random other entries in the series, but Sonic Generations is the first time since the classic games that I’ve completed a Sonic the Hedgehog game.

I bring this anecdotal history of my time with the franchise up, not to disparage the fans of the game or the franchise itself. I bring it up only because SEGA has made it very apparent that Sonic Generations is for the long time fans of the franchise, and after playing most of the console version, I wanted to see how the 3DS entry stacked up as a modern platformer.

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With a site named “WingDamage” and a podcast called “Barrel Roll!” it shouldn’t come as any surprise that many here on the site grew up adoring the first couple of Star Fox games. As I’ve written about in the past, the series really hasn’t been able to find a clear direction that works after Star Fox 64. Each game after that point has been a mess of ideas that fail to satisfy the way the core, rail shooting gameplay of the originals did.

Perhaps it’s because of this lack of confidence in the future of Star Fox that I was so eager to revisit the glory days of its past. Star Fox 64 3D may be a remake of a fourteen year old game, but it’s also a remake of the best the series has to offer by a large margin, and one of the greatest gems you’ll find in a genre that barely exists anymore.

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The surprise bombshell at Nintendo’s pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference today came as quite a shock to many. Despite having just announced Monster Hunter 3G for 3DS, an expanded version of the Wii’s Monster Hunter Tri, they dropped a trailer for Monster Hunter 4.

While it’s still unclear whether or not the game will also appear on other platforms, the trailer had a lot to analyze. While running away from a Tigrex, a hunter is seen jumping (gasp!) to various rock structures before they’re smashed to bits, not just landing on top, but clinging to sides from a jump as well. And just when things get really vertical, you can see the Tigrex climb the side of the rock face in pursuit of the hunter.

Things get real interesting when a Rathalos shows up and the entire play field gets knocked over, making a steep slope out of what use to be flat land. There seems to be no wall the hunter can’t climb as he dodges fireballs while hanging on for dear life. As the Rathalos draws near, the hunter pulls out a smaller weapon independent of his great sword to attack the monster while in a climbing position.

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Unless you’re part of a huge media outlet, and you get a schedule of what you’re going to see, what interviews you’re going to have and when and so forth, managing E3 can be pretty daunting. This is the third time I’ve gone, but only the first time I’ve felt like I had my head above the water’s surface. And even then there is stuff I regret not checking out more deeply, not checking out at all, or not even realizing was there until after the fact. They really ought to add at least one more day, especially since a whole day’s worth of time ends up being eaten up waiting in line. Heaven help you if new hardware is unveiled that you want to see.

Anyway, to wrap up my coverage, I have a few more games I didn’t get enough from to warrant independent articles, but still wanted to give my two cents on.

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Of all the games I checked out at E3, perhaps of all the games I’ve played ever, Heroes of Ruin by far wins the award for having the worst name. It just sounds dumb, and I can’t really wrap my head around what it’s supposed to mean. Nevertheless, I’d taken an early interest in the game upon learning about its focus on multiplayer cooperative adventuring. If the only real bad thing I can say about the game is that its name sucks, that’s not such a big deal after all.

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I’ve written before that I’m not terribly pleased with Nintendo’s direction on the latest Kirby title for the DS. Of course, as it happens Nintendo heard my concerns and went about creating one of the greatest Kirby games in years if not decades. So truthfully I could care less what happens to Kirby Mass Attack. Still, that’s not any reason not to give the game a try.

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Luigi’s Mansion 2 was the one real surprise announcement from Nintendo concerning their 3DS hardware. I had some requests from friends to check the game out, but there was one problem: I had never played nor did I know anything about Luigi’s Mansion. Fortunately, the pal I was staying with owned the game, and I gave myself a brief tutorial in it the night before to have a basis for comparison. What new horrors await the timid, second Mario Bro?

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I’m a bit hard pressed to think of what to say about Mario Kart on the 3DS. I mean… it’s Mario Kart. Based on what I played, Nintendo hasn’t strayed too far from the DS and Wii versions with this, which is probably for the better.  That’s not to say there isn’t anything new, just that what is new may not matter that much in the grand scheme of things.

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