It was bucketing it down in Bristol when we arrived an hour or so before our alloted time to see the 3DS. After a sandwich and a latte, we walked the short distance to the Anronfini, a contemporary arts centres on the harbourside taken over by Nintendo for the event.

After a brief introduction by one of the beautiful Nintendo Ladies hired for the event, it was onto a choreographed cosplay battle between Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken, which ends in a draw as the timer runs out. Don't know whose idea it was, but it was funny more than anything else.

Next, some Resident Evil acting, as we are ushered quickly through a garden shed (yes, it really was) past Chris Redman, who was 'bravely' holding back a will-do-anything-for-money actor dressed as a zombie. Again, laughably poor, but seemed like no one was taking anything too seriously.

And lastly, before we got onto the goods, a short video presentation from Jonathan 'Wossy' Ross, explaining that we were one of the first lot of people in the world to get our hands on the 3DS, and how brilliant some of the games are - "it has to be seen to be believed", he says. We know! Let us in!

In the following three rooms were dozens of stations with a 3DS each and specific games built into them. -What follows are crude (but honest - no big site dev-bias here) first impressions of the games I managed to have hands-on time with. I best say this first before any disappointment later... I missed out on Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition - there just wasn't time - but I'm sure you all know how good that's turned out to be from the dozens of other hands-on impressions available online. Anyway, I digress...

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Spent a few minutes running about Kokiri Village - the first location in the game - swinging my sword and Deku stick and lobbing stones at that annoying dude whose sole purpose in life is to teach people who to pick the very things up. As you'd expect, the graphics are a much more polished affair than the N64 original, most noticeably on the faces of the characters, and in the scenery, which is now devoid of the haze that plagued so many titles on the 64-BIT powerhouse. I mean, it's Ocarina of Time and it's in 3D... what else needs to be said?

Ridge Racer 3D

Had enough time to complete a lap of a course in Ridge Racer 3D and wasn't hugely impressed. Whether it was just the view I used, the 3D seemed to focus too heavily on the car I was controlling (fixed firm and 'close' to the screen in the foreground) - so much so that it made navigating the track that little more difficult that it might be in another view. Handling also seemed a bit stiff, with too much of a push on the Circle Pad sending my car into a crazy skid.

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Definitely one of the most impressive games on offer in terms of the 3D display. The section I played was on-rails, where Pitt could be flown around the screen to pick off enemies approaching in the distance. The sense of scale and distance, and a camera that panned and zoomed around the different environments seamlessly, was a real advert for 3D over 2D.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions

Only had time for a quick button-bashing battle on Dead or Alive: Dimensions, but what I saw was impressive. The bout started with a 3D cut-scene to introduce the character, swinging around them Matrix-style, with slo-mo engaged to show off their dynamic movements. As for gameplay, the 3D is subtle at first - most noticeable as the fighters cross each others paths, as the camera dives in close, panning quickly to adjust to the most appropriate angle for you to continue your attack.

Pilotwings: Resort

It's an issue I've read about in previous 3DS impressions and one I'd hoped wasn't true given my fondness of the original Pilotwings, but they were right - for the time I spent gliding around in a bi-plane in 3D in Pilotwings: Resort, it was almost impossible to find that 'sweet spot' - the one where your eyes and brain click together and the 3D effect just works. No amount of squinting or angle-change would alleviate the blurriness, and I left feeling disappointed. Maybe the final release will have been tweaked to fix the problem? Only time will tell.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D

Spent a few minutes as Barcelona in Pro Evolution Soccer, and was intrigued to see how Konami's 3DS-inspired camera angle would work - and I'm pleased to report that it did. The best way I can describe its position is as those cameras used in American football to pan directly over the field, the shot that takes you right into the heart of the action. I didn't have enough time to appreciate any nuances in the control offered by the Circle Pad, but the 3D effect instantly allows you to judge your teammates' position on the pitch for a much more satisfying overview of proceedings (compared to 2D versions), and the chance to pick out sweet through balls to your strikers. Within 30 seconds, I was through on goal as Barcelona's Messi and slotted the ball past a helpless keeper.

Resident Evil: Mercenaries

First impressions - thank goodness for the lack of garden sheds. Like Resident Evils 4 and 5, the camera is fixed behind the shoulder of the game's protagonist, Chris Redfield. Out of the games I played, the graphics were the cream of the crop, smooth and crisp. As for the 3D, it adds a layer of immersion not possible in any of the 2D versions - again, judging the shooting distance between you and the undead approaching is made that much easier, and I can imagine how much more frightening it might be to feel much more in the game with your character, during the slower, tenser scenes.

Nintendogs + Cats

I wasn't expecting much from Nintendogs + Cats and it's not going to be a title I'll pick up at launch, but what it did allow was an exhibition of how well the 3DS' display works in a calm and dosile environment, where you're not distracted by more pressing matters (avoiding crashing, being shot at etc.). I spent the time simply panning the camera around the pets in all directions, and it really did show off what the 3DS is capable of.

3DS Mii Creator

Those of you following me on Twitter (what do you mean you're not? We're @3DSFocus - you know you want to!), will have already seen what happened when I was snapped by the 3DS' Mii Creator as it worked out what it think I looked like in Mii form. What you saw was the result after two attempts where it failed to even recognise I had a face ("No Face Detected" I think the error message was) - and yes, it hardly looks like me at all. Whether it was my facial fuzz, the poor lighting, or just how position the photo was taken I don't know. All I do know is that it's a neat little inclusion and bound to bring a smile to the face of anyone who uses it.

Face Raiders

Another little program that makes use of the 3DS' camera - take a photo of your face and the 3DS plasters it onto objects that fly around in 'space' as you view your environment through the display. All you have to do is point in the right direction and fire away at your floating mug in order to rack up points. Simple and fun, but nothing to write home about - or use a crowded subway train.

Non-playable titles - Mario Kart 3D, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, Animal Crossing 3D, Paper Mario 3D

Naturally, I made a bee-line for Mario Kart and Metal Gear Solid, both of which looked great in 3D. It's difficult to judge how they'll play, but if history is anything to go by, then we shouldn't have any worries. Of note in particular were Metal Gear's visuals, which if anything, trumped what Resident Evil: Mercenaries was impressing me with in the room before.

Wasn't too enthralled by Animal Crossing or Paper Mario - the former I've never really played and the 3D didn't seem to add too much to the experience, and the latter's graphical style seemed to offer a naturally more subtle 3D effect as Mario bopped around the colourful environment we've seen in trailer-form already. Still, it's always been about the gameplay and hilarious scripts as far as Mario's RPG-ish outings have gone, and I'll be happy if that remains so for his debut on the 3DS.

AR Games

So many people have said it already, but I wasn't prepared for how great the AR (Augmented Reality) games seemed to be. Simply point the 3DS' camera at a card laid on a table about 35cm away, and through the display - and as if by magic - something rises from atop the card. First a box, then some targets, then a ferocious-looking dragon. Your job - to blast the targets and beasts emerging from thin air, and not just from a fixed position. You're required to duck and weave around the environment in order to hit all the targets, including one that means aiming square-down from above and into a hole with real depth that has manifested itself out of nothing... out of the magic of the 3DS' camera and what looks like a simple paper card.

No amount of blabbering will communicate just how immersive the AR Games experience, and it'll be great to see what developers can come up with using the technology. More than anything on show, the AR Games really hammered home Nintendo's well-worn 3DS 'Seeing is Believing' mantra.

Conclusion

After a quick sit down to digest the experience and send a few incomprehensible tweets, it was time to leave.  Hype aside, I was, overall, genuinely impressed with what the 3DS. Used correctly by developers - full-blown and subtle as necessary, the 3D display has the ability to offer something unique and different to anything already out there. It's clear that not every example on show at the preview event showed the 3DS in its best light, but those that did (Kid Icarus, Pro Evolution Soccer and the AR Games as standouts for me) give me confidence enough to say that forking out $250 on a day-one purchase is a decision I won't end up regretting.

If you liked the impressions above and are thinking of pre-ordering a 3DS as a result, please help support 3DSFocus by purchasing through the following Amazon links. Thank you :)

Nintendo 3DS - Aqua Blue at Amazon.com
Nintendo 3DS - Cosmos Black at Amazon.com

Nintendo 3DS - (Aqua Blue) at Amazon.co.uk
Nintendo 3DS - (Cosmos Black) at Amazon.co.uk