Does 3D Need to Impact Gameplay? (by Carl B.)

May 24, 2011, by Carl B. - Read any article or review for a Nintendo 3DS game – they all ask the same question: how does 3D impact the gameplay of the title? This has been a point of discussion ever since the 3DS launched on March 27, 2011, and it hasn't been solved, mostly because nobody has asked this question: does 3D even need to impact gameplay?

The short answer: no, it doesn't.


Pictured: Dream Trigger 3D. 2D image of Nintendo 3DS game.
3D gaming, with or without glasses, is an aesthetic upgrade for a game. Over the years, there have been several of these: color, widescreen, and HD.

The simple idea that 3D absolutely has to impact the gameplay of a video game confuses me. So far in the lifecycle of the 3DS, reviewers try too hard to make that point. PilotWings Resort, which received a good score from iNintendo, has a 3D effect that oftentimes is said to help out with flying. While I can't disagree with that, it's hardly a game changer. It really just makes the game feel that much more immersive, if anything.


Pictured: PilotWings Resort. 2D image of Nintendo 3DS game.
Many are simply trying to compare 3D to motion control. The problem with this is that 3D is the output, while motion is the input – the later actually does affect the gameplay of a game. If a game has bad motion control, it soils the game experience because the game doesn't work well. If a game has a bad 3D effect, like Rayman 3D, it makes the game look bad, just as if a game had bad visuals (aesthetics) to begin with.

With that in mind, how does HD affect gameplay? How does color affect gameplay? They don't. Uncharted 2 plays just as great in SD as it does in HD. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening plays the same as its colored counterpart, Link's Awakening DX.


Pictured: Nintendogs + cats. 2D image of Nintendo 3DS game.
It may be the fact that 3D can potentially have an effect on gameplay, something that Miyamoto will be demonstrating at E3 with Super Mario 3DS. I'm incredibly skeptical that 3D can have that much of an effect on the gameplay of a game – I'm sure the 3D in Super Mario 3DS will just be an immersive, aesthetic upgrade like in most other Nintendo 3DS games.

Does 3D need to impact gameplay? Sound off in the comments section below.