3D Makes the Game Not

Today at lunch my friends and I were discussing all the upcoming games for the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, and we got on the topic of 3D games. Being the gamer that I am, 3D doesn't have to be in the game for me to like it. I still enjoy side-scrollers, and I still enjoy old games even though new games like Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 model physics, lighting and everything else with a fantastic level of detail. Even if they have 3D up the wazoo, with everything modeled perfectly, and the gameplay sucks... the 3D element isn't going to save it. In fact, it would be safe to say that it probably would suck even more than if it were just 2D, since incompetent game designers would be hard pressed to screw-up a 2D scroller.

Anyways, back to the DS and PSP. I like to make jokes about the PSP since it always looks so large in all of the advertisements for it. and I've taken a real interest in the DS. It really looks to be a fantastic system. I've even had the chance to play Super Mario 64 DS, and I can say that it played very nicely. The graphics were even better than the Nintendo 64 version. Strangely, my friends were saying that the PSP would be more of a PlayStation-on-the-go. I've always been of the impression that the Nintendo 64's graphics were pretty darn good, outshining the PlayStation easily.

They brought up how much better the 3D graphics were going to be, and I daresay, one even said that it would be immersive. Hold on, immersive?? The screen isn't very big. How can it be immersive? We got into an argument over whether 3D really matters... and here I am now, talking about why I'm perfectly happy with 2D games.

I personally don't think it matters. I'm really looking forward to the newest Mario game on the DS, which won't be 3D. As long as the game looks beautiful and of high-quality, 2D is just fine with me. A nice side-scrolling shooter is great too. Ever played Raiden Trad? Very good game! In the end, as long as the game is fun, 3D just doesn't matter.