Nintendo 3DS Screenshots: AR Games

The AR Games is the last part of the Nintendo 3DS that I played. It kind of reminds me of the old e-Reader for the GBA that scanned cards to load games and such. Of course, the AR Games are way more advanced in that they are like Face Raiders in that it uses the 3D cameras to create a sort of virtual reality game playing experience. They are more of mini games than one game, though.

There are six main parts to the AR Games. The first two are Archery and Star Pics. Th next two are AR Shot and Mii Pics. The last two are Fishing and Graffiti. There are also bonus things to unlock with coins, but I already spent my max of 10 earned today in StreetPass mode because I did not realize there was a limit or they were useful for AR Games. The things to unlock are as follows: Take Pictures, Clock, Globe, 3D Tools, Fish Gallery, Free Fishing, Archery 2, and AR Shot 2.

Archery - This is a short and easy game of lining up the targets in your view and shooting them.

Star Pics - This uses the character AR cards that come with the 3DS. The characters pop up out of the card as if they are there in front of you. You can make them do different poses and take pictures using the 3DS camera. You can use multiple AR cards at once by lying them in viewing area. It is kind of fun to play with this mode. It would especially be cool to do it with fun backgrounds. If only I had this last week when I was in DC. The characters that come with the 3DS are Mario, Link, Kirby, Metroid, and the Pikmin guys. I hope they eventually release more, especially some Pokemon.

AR Shot - This is kind of a billiards game. You make a ball go over different terrain to go in the hole. It is mostly pretty easy, but there is at least a little challenge towards the end. It is kind of boring in my opinion, though.

Mii Pics - This is similar to Star Pics, but you get to make Mii characters pose and take pics of them. I first saw this in action yesterday when my bro was playing the AR Games on his 3DS and was excited to make his Mii walk on its hands. Again, this is a feature that can be fun with different surroundings for the background.

Fishing - This is the funnest of AR mini games in my opinion, although it is not all that amazing. The lining it up and dropping the fishing rod down is kind of awkward, especially when catching the dragon at the end. Overall kind of fun if you like fishing games, though.

Graffiti - This is like the Mii and Star pics, except you draw what you want to come to life. Definitely, a mode an artistic person can play for hours.

While the mini game parts of the AR games (archery, AR shot, fishing) are not all that entertaining for me, the pic modes are a lot of fun and have a lot of potential for more hours of fun playing with.

Click on the thumbnails below for a larger version of the images.